A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 265 Casino
“Hey~!”

At 12:30 pm, with a soft cry from the girl, Xia Dai'er jumped down from the wall and was caught steadily in Quinn's princess carry.

Behind them were the high walls of St. Mary's Girls' School. The school inside was still on lunch break, while outside the walls the sun was shining brightly, it was a beautiful day.

"Don't you have no classes this afternoon?"

Quinn said sarcastically, "Then why bother climbing over the wall? Just go through the front gate."

Xia Dai'er retorted confidently, "You're a man. It wouldn't be good for me to walk around an all-girls school with you like that."

Actually, her afternoon classes were very full.

Xia Dai'er is about to graduate. Although she doesn't need to take the college entrance exam, she still hasn't missed any of the graduation exams. She asked her best friend to help her get a day off, the reason being the same as when she skipped class this morning—a stomachache.

As long as I come back before school ends in the afternoon, I can skip class and go on a date without anyone noticing.

Suddenly, Xia Dai'er shrank back, using the low wall under the fence to hide herself, and nervously peeked at the three girls who were having a picnic on a blanket on the other side of the wall.

Those were all students of St. Mary.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked, suppressing a laugh. "You can't be seen outside of an all-girls school?"

These female students are all ordinary people. Even if he ran naked in this shadow, passersby wouldn't notice him.

“That’s my cousin.” Xia Dai’er pointed to one of the female students and stammered, “It would be a huge problem if my family found out I skipped class to go out and play.”

"Don't you have no classes?"

"Shhh!!"

"Don't be nervous, they won't notice."

"Um, be mindful of the occasion, don't—" Xia Dai'er's voice trailed off.

"Your heart is beating so fast, I was just trying to calm you down. This school uniform is actually quite convenient."

Xia Dai'er's cousin doesn't look like her at all, after all, they are several generations apart. Her family paid for her to study at St. Mary's, but unlike a young lady who went to school purely to cultivate her knowledge, she took on more social duties.

Most of the girls at this school will marry into powerful and wealthy families in the future, and their friendships from a young age become part of each other's family networks.

The two girls talking to Xia Dai'er's cousin, one had black hair and seemed to be from the Eastern Kingdom; the other was very tall with deep-set eyes, which was typical of the white people of the Northern Continent.

The three of them were having a rather interesting conversation. Xia Dai'er's cousin pointed to the sky and said, "Do you see the airship on the clouds?"

""Um.""

She nodded: "That's how we got our Branson family mansion."

The girl from the East also pointed to the sky: "Do you see those rusty airships that need repair but are still flying in the sky?"

""Um.""

She nodded: "That's how our Dongguo Consortium acquired its luxury mansions."

Finally, the girl from the Northern Continent raised her hand: "Do you see those warships flying the Imperial flag?"

The two looked at each other, shaking their heads in confusion.

No, where?

The girl from the Northern Continent smiled slightly: "That's how our empire's diplomats acquired their mansions."

Xia Dai'er, who was eavesdropping, blushed slightly. It was unclear whether she was embarrassed by her cousin's flaunting of wealth or because the comforting gesture from a certain large hand had not worked.

“Let’s go,” Quinn suggested. “How about we grab something to eat first? We could go to the casino; they should have some Western Continent specialties there.”

"You mean Sky City?" Xia Dai'er said, thinking for a moment. "Sure. But I don't really follow horse racing. I think my family has a horse racing team there, but their results don't seem very good."

In the girl's understanding, "casino" naturally refers to high-class sports like horse racing.

Unlike horse racing, which is viewed as a scourge by many families around the world, horse racing is a world-class sport comparable to Formula 1.

Betting on horses is something ordinary people do; the wealthy only bet on their own horse teams. Horse racing champions bring glory and media attention, and horse races between nations in the Southern Continent are like the Olympics in peacetime. This has led to a proliferation of various equestrian competitions, and the "Sky City" that Xia Dai'er refers to is the largest racetrack in Aiswell.

"No, I'll take you to the casino in Seaville."

“Sevier?!” Chaldale’s eyes lit up immediately.

Ever since she sneaked out of town and was captured by goblins, and then nearly died in a jewelry store robbery upon her return, Xia Dai'er's movements have been strictly restricted by her family. Apart from her weekly date with Quinn, she is even followed by a large group of bodyguards when she goes shopping on Cloud Avenue. On weekdays, she can't go anywhere else, and her life revolves around school and home, where she is constantly being watched.

Quinn didn't bring her to Seville purely for fun; they did Adventurers' Guild quests and she learned skills from Seville. Chaldale was more like a little follower. Although it was exciting and fun, it wasn't entirely free.

"Is it just a simple date?" she asked cautiously.

Quinn nodded.

“There’s something going on, but it should be fine soon. His casino is pretty interesting, it’s like a mini amusement park. But you need to change your clothes first, hmm.” Quinn looked at his girlfriend’s face so close to his and said seriously, “You also need to put on makeup and disguise yourself. Let’s not talk about rumors for now, I’m afraid you’ll get hit on by too many people.”

The two people hiding behind the bushes were silent for a while, and Quinn could clearly feel her heart beating faster again.

A sudden flutter of the heart?

appease, appease
The sun was blazing on that sunny day, but thankfully Quinn had prepared a chocobo carriage—Ankuya's exceptionally plump chocobo. This large bird was one of Ankuya's few treasures, kept at the Demar Tavern, which Quinn had brought here for use.

The bird recognized Quinn; they were quite familiar with each other. It was very intelligent, able to move at will with almost no need to control the reins, and most notably, it had a strong sense of right-of-way.

Yes, right of way.

The roads in Eastwell are not wide. Apart from the main road connecting the airport and the train station in the main urban area, most streets and alleys can only accommodate two carriages side by side. When the academy first planned the city, it never imagined that Eastwell would become one of the most densely populated cities in the Southern Continent. Once traffic congestion occurs, the only solutions are to give way to one side or wait for law enforcement officers to intervene. Arguments caused by carriage congestion are the most common public security incidents in Eastwell.

Even more troublesome are the conflicts between horses. No matter how docile a horse is, it may change its temperament drastically because of its own kind. Either two horses will stubbornly stand against each other and refuse to move no matter how much the driver whips them, or even more terrifyingly, the horses will go out of control and pull the cart into collisions and fights with other horses.

However, Ankua's chocobo did not have these troubles. As long as it walked forward, the surrounding carriages would slow down involuntarily, and oncoming horses would even give way.

This situation is even more pronounced in Seville, where chocobos are the majority of vehicles. Smaller chocobos will stop immediately upon seeing this large bird, cowering and trembling as if they were being approached not by one of their own kind but by a giant dragon.

Quinn suspected that Ankuya had tampered with the chocobo, just as racehorses are enhanced with the blood of magical creatures; it must possess some quality that instilled fear in other animals.

Quinn and Shadelle arrived at the Demar Tavern, where the owner was still fast asleep, drunk, and the old lady was taking a nap. This saved them a lot of trouble. Quinn led Shadelle into Pepe's room. Although her luggage had been packed up and taken to the East with Ankuya, there were still some unopened cosmetics on the table.

These were all bought for Pepe by Mrs. Servi. The old lady seemed to have been a remarkable actress in her youth, very skilled in makeup, possessing everything from lipstick to eyebrow pencil. Unfortunately, Pepe rarely wore makeup, always appearing in public without it. Quinn couldn't imagine how beautiful she would look with makeup, given how elegant she already was without it.

The clothes were already bought before I arrived; it was a complete set of men's oversized suits. Although it was a bit strange to wear this in the hot weather, the stiffer fit of the upper body could hide my large breasts well, provided I tied them up with bandages.

"Get out, I need to change my clothes," Xia Dai'er tried to push her boyfriend out of the room.

"What? I'm going to help you tie it up. You can't do it yourself."

Xia Dai'er's eyes darted around, and she clutched her chest, stammering, "Then...you're not allowed to laugh. I didn't know you were wearing such casual underwear today."

Quinn thought that this was exactly what made his girlfriend so cute.

After untying it, he examined it for a long time like a discerning connoisseur, then commented, "Blue and white bowl with a bow, very nice, I'll wear this from now on."

"abnormal."

After a series of ingenious disguises that omitted some steps, the girl's stunning figure was successfully concealed. A beret held back her long pink hair, and with the addition of magic crystals and some seamless makeup, Xia Dai'er now looked like a tomboy, or rather, a beautiful woman dressed as a man.

The assassin's disguise skills were terrifying. Quinn only had a general idea in mind; the operation method and the knowledge of how to use the cosmetics at hand naturally came to mind. At this moment, even if Jenny came, she wouldn't recognize her daughter; she would only think that this young man was quite handsome.

Golden Wind's casino is about a half-hour drive from Demar's Tavern. Demar's Tavern is located on a hillside near a barrier wall, while Golden Wind's headquarters are in the main city of Westwell, near the foot of the mountain.

The further down the mountain you go, the farther away the traces of civilization seem to become. The smog emitted from the factories has obscured the view of the mountain town. Even on a sunny day, Westville is shrouded in a gray haze.

Beggars were still everywhere, and the orcs selling medicine along the way sat in the shadows like NPCs that spawned regularly in every block. The chocobo car drove for half an hour without seeing any law enforcement officers. Unregistered children were deprived of compulsory education and gathered in groups of three or five in front of their homes, kicking dirty balls around.

There were also girls her age, clearly not educated, heavily made up, soliciting customers on the street. Porters carrying large bags would stare intently at their exposed skin as they passed by, but dared not harbor any fantasies, for behind those girls stood the gangsters who controlled the order of Sewell.
This wasn't Xia Dai'er's first time in Xiwell, and she had gradually become accustomed to the various sights along the way. If there was any difference between now and when she first came, it was probably that this largest slum in the Southern Continent had gained a vitality that could be described as "anticipation."

Elon Branson's campaign posters were plastered all over the streets. As if to make people remember his appearance, his hair and eyes were painted a bright, eye-catching pink. Since most people in Westville are illiterate, the posters featured a red cross to represent healthcare, a gold pound symbol to represent wages, a house to represent household registration, and a schedule to represent holidays.
Almost every orc, black person, old person, and even child who walks past these posters will glance at them. They must have seen them countless times before, but they still can't help but take another look.

After taking a look, although the burden of life is still heavy on my shoulders, my steps will be a little lighter.

Elon's Arcane Ceremony speech was already known to everyone in Seville. Most of the citizens were skeptical or completely disbelieving, but it still gave Seville's pungent haze a little more hope—they thought it was just empty talk, but before Elon, there wasn't even anyone willing to make empty talk.

These people have no votes. Seaville has the vast majority of the Seaville population, but only a tiny minority of votes. These votes are held by factory owners, gangsters, and government officials. What the people of Seaville think is completely irrelevant.

But Elon still focused his publicity efforts on Seaville; he simply wanted these people at the bottom of society to know what he was planning to do.

Chaldale wanted to talk to Quinn about her brother and ask him for help with the hearing.

In her eyes, her brother was a hero who could change the city.

But then she remembered her brother and mother's warning at breakfast, and kept silent the whole way, feeling somewhat down.

Quinn held the reins in one hand and her hand in the other, assuming that his girlfriend had once again taken pity on this miserable world and that this was a comfort to her.

Quinn had little to say about the scene at Sewell; it was similar to his own situation when he was young. Human society was nothing more than a more advanced form of the law of the jungle, and no matter how things developed, this fundamental logic would not change. For the lower classes to improve their lives, it wasn't just about capitalists having a change of heart or one or two capable idealists; it required progress in all aspects of society.

Poverty breeds cunning, wealth fosters conscience. He tightened his grip on her soft little hand, Quinn finding it hard to imagine what would become of Chaldale if she lost her innocence.

As we ventured deeper into Westwell's main urban area, it finally began to resemble a city. This area was entirely within Golden Wind's territory, and the shops there were clearly much more upscale than in other places. Children from the Western Continent, daring to play on the streets, were a common sight, suggesting that there were likely no human traffickers in this area.

The magnificent building was eye-catching. It seemed that Ike had done it on purpose. The area around the Golden Wind Casino was no longer like Westwell. He even renovated the road in front of it to create a sense of prosperity similar to Eastwell.

Quinn alighted at the casino entrance, handing the reins to a courteous greeter who promptly led the chocobo to the stables—a complete replica of the Sky City racetrack. Instead of leading Chaldale, he put his arm around "his" shoulder like a brother, and they walked through the blasting air conditioning. Emotionally charged shouts erupted from the arcane loudspeakers—the voices of the dealers.

"These past two days, many cowards have started to run away. Brothers, now the only road to the summit is ours. Hold on to this pressure! Then, add to your positions aggressively! Go all in! Let's go see the dazzling light at the summit together! Let's witness the most glorious revolution of Aishwell! Ten years from now, when you talk about this surge again, you'll thank yourself for how firmly you chose to add to your positions instead of panicking and running away. And now, your son is riding in a horse-drawn carriage into high school, your mistress is arguing about marriage, and your father-in-law smiles every time he sees you! And the reason for all this is simply because you not only didn't run away when you bought futures on Golden Wind, but you also bought at the bottom."

(End of this chapter)