8
I drew four parallel black spots on a piece of paper, and put it under Feshert's eyes.
"Can you tell what's the unusual of it?" I asked, "see carefully."
Feshert kept looking at it until he got dazzled, and then he shook his head at me confused, "are you sure that you are not kidding me?"
"Kidding you? I'm not in the mood kidding you," I said to him, "adjust your eyes, and let the four points on this paper become three points,"
"Well... It’s a bit difficult..." Feshert swayed his head around, "ah! I did it!"
"Continue to try hard... Continue to see, until you can see them as three points at a glance..." While I was speaking to him, I began to pick up a card on the table to transform it.
This is a very difficult job, I must use a string to mark the distance of each point on the card first, and then I can draw the looks like no relationship line in the place corresponding to each point, that would be the same as the adornment lines of the ordinary card back. But to the after the special trained Feshert, the cards of the opponents would be no secrets at all! Yes, this was what I always did when I just began to loiter in my former life, cheating.
It's really very embarrassed when I talk about this, because a boss can't just come out from nowhere in a city, so my superior asked me to loiter in the lowest level for a while. And cheating, it's the must-have skill for every want to burn bludger. The general bludgers, they just make the marks on the cards with the invisibility potion, then wear the spectral glasses, it's easy to be caught... The ending will be extremely tragic.
But the way I like is, I will make the 3-d marks on the back of the cards with the special potion first, then I use my watch surface to reflect it out. When I was playing the cards, I'll look at my watch every now and then, ha ha, it's not too excessive? Once many people doubted about my luck, but I have never gotten caught, because... not that many bludgers have the taste like me.
But now the condition is very primitive, so I just have to put up with it, I just draw the 3-d markers on it. Ah! I didn't think that I this boss would be so miserable now, now I even have to do the job which the smallest subordinate would do it for me in my former life.
After I finished a deck of cards, I rubbed my eyes to take a rest, I turned around and took a look, my dear Mr. Feshert had already become a cross-eye.
I put on the costly new dress, change the face, bring a few servants to get on the carriage, and come to the only fancy hotel in Wanpu from the Wanpy wharf. Next to the hotel, it's the main activity place for I this traveling candidate noble, the noble night club in Wanpu, the Rose bar.
The first step of the conspiracy, will be performed in here tonight.
The day was just getting dark, I walked into the Rose bar, directly sat down by the bar counter, and then I asked for a cocktail.
I'm waiting, waiting for the dear baron Ian Merlin, according to the intelligence, he will be here to play cards every evening.
On the other side of the card table, the same dress up as a traveling noble Feshert is talking something with several people happily, this guy came on the stage with the noble identity one day earlier than I do, he won a lot of money in just one night. Feshert has the flowerlike beautiful face, with the graceful behavior and style of conversation, he wins the favors of many local nobles.
The waiter by the entrance opened the door, a forty something years old man came in, he wore a hat, with a gem stick in his hand, he looked like that he was in high spirit. The walking behind him Jack hinted me with his eyes, this is my prey, the baron Ian Merlin.
"Good evening, Mr. Ian Merlin," the waiter in the bar said, "still start with a glass of gin?"
"Of course, of course!" Ian Merlin sat down next to me, because there was only this seat next to me left in front of the bar counter. Assigning some helpers in the bar, this was the first thing Tincha did after he became the boss of Wanpu.
"There are really many people today," Ian Merlin nodded his head at me, "good evening, young man."
"Yes, sir," I replied him with a smile, "I'm new here, and you can call me Sevin."
"Oh! Sevin, I'm Ian Merlin," he reached out his hand friendly, "do you need any helps over here?"
"I'm not very familiar with here, I need a gentleman to help me," I shook hands with him, "do I have the honor to buy you a drink?"
"Of course, providing the helps to the young men is the no dodge responsibility for our these older generation nobles."
I asked for a bottle of fine red wine, and then sat down at a small table by the side with Ian Merlin. The strict training of my former life even changed my character in certain extent. As long as I want to, I can make friends with anyone else.
I told Ian Merlin, I'm a traveling candidate noble, now I'm on my way home. Because I suffer in my own estate, so I come to Wanpu to take a look, and I'll have some business investment at the right time. This is not strange at all, in the continent, there are many noble families not doing well like this.
The same experience zoomed in the distance between us pretty soon, not in a while, I and Ian Merlin became the good friends no words can't be talked.
"If you want to invest in the business, it's best to talk with my daughter, she has some original views." Ian Merlin said, "I can introduce her to let you know some other day."
"I'll be glad to meet your daughter," I raised my glass, "I'll get some gifts ready to go visit you... What is your daughter's name?"
"Her name is Deere Merlin," Ian Merlin drank down the glass of wine in one gulp, "my pride!"
"Very nice name," I poured him the wine, "another glass?"
"Well, of course," he said with a smile on his face, "Sevin, in your hometown, I mean, over your there, what's the popular hobbies for your nobles?"
"Ah... When it's the right time of the season," I pretended to think of it for a while, "we'll have a series of great hunting activities."
"It's like this, I like hunting too, and I have a few good hounds." He lowered his voice and said to me, "you know, it's that kind of variant hell dog... I spent a lot of money to get them!"
"I'm really envy you," I nodded my head to express my understanding, "we have the gala party activities in every month, sometimes it's held by the royal family."
"Well, not bad not bad," Ian Merlin took a sip of the wine, "what about the ordinary times?"
"Usually we don't have too much to do," I shook my head, "I'll ride on the horse or what in the leisure time..."
"My young man, as a noble to say, you should have some hobbies that can communicate with other people at the ordinary times," he smiled and said, "of course, you are still young, you can develop those hobbies slowly."
"Please advice me," I said modestly.
"It's like this," he explained to me, "if you lack the hobbies like this, the others will say that it's difficult to get close to you, they will say that you are unsocial. Of course, in this way, your reputation would not be very good."
"But Mr. baron," I said earnestly, "you know, in fact I'm not unsocial or difficult to get close..."
"I know, I know," Ian Merlin took out the snuff bottle, he poured himself out a bit, "do you want to try some, my young man?"
"Thank you very much," I refused politely, "my father said, I shall not have the snuff before thirty years old."
"You have a good father, he said it right." He breathed the snuff in, he took a big sneezing, and then he appeared to have the great spirit immediately, "come on! My young man, let me teach you a kind of hobby which only the noble can have the right to have."
"What's that?" I didn't understand and asked him, "my dear Mr. baron?"
"Cards," he stood up and brought me walk to the other side of the bar, "we are going to play cards.'
At the other end of the bar, the still somewhat cross-eyed Feshert just had a game with his new friends, he's talking with a smile on his face, it looks like that everyone are very happy.
"Gentlemen!" Ian Merlin approached to the table and spoke to everybody, "pleas
e allow me to introduce a young gentleman, he is my friend too, the just arrived to Wanpu Mr. Sevin."
"Good evening, gentlemen," I'm very cooperated to reach my hand out, "I'm Sevin."
"It's very coincident, we have a new friend here too," a sit at the same table old gentleman stood up and said, "this is the just arrived to Wanpu yesterday Mr. Otar."
"How are you, Mr. Otar," I reached my hand out to Feshert, "I'm Sevin."
"Good evening, Mr. Sevin," Feshert and I began to star in the plot, "please sit down, let's have a drink together."
Right at this time, a waiter came over to us, he whispered a few words to a noble who was sitting with us at the same table, then the noble took a leave. So, I, Feshert, Ian Merlin, and that old noble, we four people sat at the same table together.
This old noble was not chosen randomly, after we analyzed the information in large, we then chose this nice with Ian Merlin on the surface but unsuited in the heart guy as our supporting player.
So far, everything is running smoothly.
"I suggest, for the join of these two gentlemen," Ian Merlin raised his glass, "we cheers!"
"Cheers!"
We four people all had the drink with smile, everyone had his own bosom.
"Then, let's play some cards," the old noble said to me, "Mr. Sevin want to play?"
"Of course," I said, "Mr. baron have just told me that I should learn this hobby."
The old noble began to explain to me the specific ways how to play the cards, he explained it very detailed, his verbiage words made me want to commit suicide.
"...Basically, it's all like this," the old noble finally finished his explanation, "of course, if someone has not enough cash at the time, he can pay back the creditor within ten days. Besides, if somebody have the cheating behavior, he will be expelled from our social activities, all of the activities, his whole life will be finished."
"Well, thank you very much for your explanation,'" I nodded my head at him, "I think that I can follow all these rules."
"Of course, young man," the old noble said, "you look like very honest."
I'm honest? I can't even make it clear for this problem by myself.
"Alright! Gentlemen," Feshert said loudly, "let's begin, for showing our respect to this new friend, I suggest that we change for a new deck of cards."
The waiter brought us ten decks of new cards, our match began.
"The old rules, ten sets a round," Ian Merlin began to deal the cards, "gentlemen, please take your cards."
In today's card table, I'm just a supporting role, my mission is just to meet Mr. Ian Merlin smoothly, bring him to Feshert's side, and give him the stimulation to keep playing when he wants to hold back. After all, there are not many times for a man to go nuts. The real protagonist is the alias of Otar Feshert, he will deal with Ian Merlin with the old noble together.
And then I would also win the old noble a desperately poor by the way.
Gambling, it appeared since the day of human birth, it's the favorite of the speculators, it's the nightmare of the fools and honest men.
As a novice, I abide the role as a novice strictly. My face will lit up with pleasure when I get the good cards, I will look bleak when I get the bad cards... In my exploded hits, the first round was already over, I lost thirty eight gold coins totally, some win and some lose for the others.
"Don't take it to your heart," Ian Merlin said to me, "you will be familiar with it gradually."
"Yes, young man," the old noble held up his wine glass, "you need to learn from Mr. baron, I have seen the time when he lost, very good manners."
"Really?" Ian Merlin looked like that he was not so happy, "that thing is not funny at all!"
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you," the won some money old noble said, "I just gave the children an example."
"You!" Ian Merlin was getting his anger out.
"Gentlemen, let me buy you all a round of drinks!" Feshert loses no time to say, "let's have some spirits?"
Ian Merlin and the old noble seemed that they don't want to keep quarreling, they all agreed, of course I wouldn't reject it neither. Tonight's every step is in our plan, in the spirits we were going to drink, I added a trace of... Hey hey.
Very soon, the second round is over. I lost more of my money, and Ian Merlin didn't win too much neither. Looking at the big pile of chips in front his face, the old noble was very happy, and he drank his face flushed.
"Mr. baron, I want to have a word with you," I spoke to Ian Merlin, "can we go to the bar there?"
"You don't have to worry about it," Ian Merlin walked to the front of the bar counter and said to me, "we will win it back, I promise."
He seemed to have a bit guilty for that I was losing money.
"Yes, sir," I said to him, "I believe you can win it back... I just worry about myself, you know, I just upset your rhythm several times accidentally. I, this novice, can't do you any help..."
"Never mind," he said, "never mind, we still have plenty of time."
"But I really can't, please forgive me... I think," I took out my purse, "here are one hundred gold coins... I ask you for the help! Please help me to play by you! I really can't withstand the pressure like this!"
"This... Alright!" he took over the purse, "I will tell you the result later on."
"Then I will go back to the hotel to wait for your good news."
I went back to the table, I took that I need to go back to the hotel to write a letter for my father as an excuse to leave, and I invited enthusiastically everyone to the hotel where I stay in at the convenient time.
The rest of the matter, it will depend on how Feshert do. When I walked to the door, I could see that he had been starting to use the cross-eye.
I bowed my head and walked on the street, there are some street lamps, the white magic light dragged my shadow very long. My new saddle boots stepped on the flagstones of the street, it's making the "ka ka" sounds, the running sounds were coming from behind closer and closer, I don't need to turn my head, and I know that it's Jack.
"Boss," Jack dressed up as my servant, "why do you come out?"
"I'm done with my job." I said, "now it's my free time."
"Done?" jack was surprised, "isn't it just getting start to play?"
"You want to know about it?"
"Yes, boss, please tell me."
"It will be alright to let you know," I said to him while I was walking, "to deal with a person, what's the most important thing?"
"It is..."
"It is to understand him," I said, "know about his weaknesses."
"That's right, so you just ask Marf to inquire about his information?"
"Yes, and the next, we can use these information to analyze this person. As for Ian Merlin this person, he likes gambling, he will try to preserve his fall at all costs, these are all his weaknesses, and these two points above he will not changed a bit even until he die.."
"So you use playing cards to deal with him?"
"Playing cards is not the only way," I said, "but it's the most convenient way for us right now."
"But boss how do you know that he will keep playing?"
"The gambler also is a person, he has his feeling too, he also want to stop and not bet when he is awake..." I said, "what we need to do is to create an environment to let him keep betting! First of all, I showed up with the identity of that I don't know how to play cards, let him to teach me with the identity of the predecessor, because we can get along very well at the beginning, so this is well-reasoned."
"And then after that?"
"Then it's the choice of the players to play the cards. For the players, the opponents are very important." I said, "we match him with a Feshert... For him, access to a new card player, play a few rounds with him, study his technique and beat him down, it's a very enjoyable thing. And Feshert will act like that he is evenly with him in the first few round."
"Oh! It's like this."
"We both would not win in the first two
rounds, and let the old noble win. The old noble and Ian Merlin always have some problems, Ian Merlin of course will not let it go like this. And plus everybody is stimulated by the wine, of course he will lose his mind more and more."
"Then boss you don't need to come out as well."
"Ha ha, I must leave."
"Why?" Jack likes to ask very much.
"To Ian Merlin, Feshert is a stranger, me too. The too unfamiliar environment will let him produce his alert, I'll leave in the proper time, then he would not have any doubts."
"Then why boss you will give him the money?"
"This will be stimulating him the further," I said, "he brought me to play the cards, and I lost, he would have the guilty more or less. I quit with this excuse, he will not only keep playing, but also want to win, so he can revenge for me. For him, that's the moral reason to support him to keep playing, and the money is not his, he won't care that much when he lose... Slowly, when he begins to lose his own money after he has lost all of my money, because he has this inertia, he wouldn't care that much neither... When he comes to his sense finally, everything is too late."
"Boss, it's very terrible..."
"Well?" I turned my head around and looked at Jack, "what?"
"Nothing, I just said that boss is very terrific," Jack said, "so you beat Ian Merlin just like this?"
"I didn't beat him down, We just gave him an environment..." I patted on Jack's shoulder, "it's him who beat himself..."
"He beat himself?"
"Yes, to beat a person, the best way is to let him do it himself..." I had a smile and said, "what about our that lovely miss Deere Merlin?"
"I just got the news," Jack said, "she went to a party, it's held by a noble lady, it's a very small scale one that kind."
"Really? Party..." I thought about it for a while, "we're going to go to there to take a look, let's go back to change the clothes first."
............
I was in an all black dress, I quietly stalking into the garden of a noble residence. I observed around the surrounding environment, then I climbed up to the second floor along the engraved with relief outer wall, all kinds of sounds came out from inside there.
I'm climbing very careful, because there are some plants on the wall, I don't want to make any noise to move the others. So I would climb a section once there are the sounds coming out louder, it's really tough.
When I just climbed up to the balcony side of the second floor, I heard that there are somebody coming out, I called it out shit in my mind, I shrank my body in the darkest corner of the balcony, I used a few pots of flowers and plants to block myself.
"Miss Deere Merlin, you should know it very clearly about my mind..." A man said eagerly, "you must know it very clearly, don't you?"
It's really Deere Merlin! Good luck.
"To tell you the truth, I... Don't know!" I can remember Deere Merlin's voice clearly, I cursed a few words secretly, and then I continued to listen to them to go on.
"You don't want to know about it? Deere Merlin?" The male voice said.
"Mr. Joey, I don't have any interest to know about it," Deere Merlin said, "I have no objection to it if you like to say."
Well, this guy's name is Joey.
"Miss Deere Merlin, please you don't torture me any more," Mr. Joey said, "you know, I love you!"
"Ha! It's really funny," Deere Merlin said, "I know it very clearly that how many girls you used this words to cheat on."
"I just play with them! Please believe me, how can they be compared with you? I have all my heart for you!"
"All your heart? I know, all your heart just want to play me," it looks like that miss Deere Merlin has her own way to deal with this kind of playboys, "you don't have to trample on other girls to raise me."
"Miss Deere, for me, you are indispensable like the moon in the sky... Please give me the chance to let me prove my loyalty to you..."
"Mr. Joey, who allows you to call my name directly? I don't think that our relationship has already gotten to this step!" Deere Merlin said, "besides, I also don't think that you have any loyalty in love!"
"You wait!" Mr. Joey said very excitedly, "I'll go find the witnesses for my defense right away!"
"Go ahead," Deere Merlin said coldly, "but I won't wait over here for too long."
Mr. Joey walked into the room, haha! I didn't think of that my luck is so good, I have the good show to watch once I got up over here.
"Ah, reckless young man," an old voice came over to me, "the air over here is really good, isn't it? Miss Deere Merlin?"
Well? Another one coming as well, it seems like that the show is not over yet!
"Yes, it is. Mr. Pulet, good evening."
"If I didn't hear it wrong, haha," Mr. Pulet said, "Mr. Joey proposed to you just now?"
"Mr. Pulet, you know, I respect you," Deere Merlin said it slowly, "I don't think what's funny for this?"
"Really? I apologize for that," Mr. Pulet said, "then, you didn't promise him?"
"Mr. Pulet!" It sounds like that Deere Merlin has some anger in her tone, "I refused him, but it doesn't mean that I have any interest in your propose last time!"
Oh oh oh? This lost all teeth old man had a propose to her? Interesting, ah, it’s really interesting!
"Give up the life which you have now, to live with me, what's the no good with it?" The once again was turned down Mr. Pulet became angry from embarrassment, "for the Brightness God's sake! Deere Merlin, take a look at what kind of life you have right now!"
"I choose my own way of life," Deere Merlin said firmly, "I like it!"
"Like it? Rise early and go home late every day to watch your that ramshackle clothing store? Although you are still young and beautiful tight now, but how can you let your youth passed by at your discretion! Or at the side with the tired body to watch your father waste your hard-earned money at will?"
"My father loves me very much!" Deere Merlin said, "and no matter what, it's better than to be your mistress!"
"I hope you would think it well once again! Even though I can't give you the good reputation, but there are not that many chances like this, you should thank the God of Brightness." Mr. Pulet turned around and left.
Oh! The God of Brightness, you are really great! Can you see? They even have the sign of you while they are chasing after the girls!