Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 204 Settlement
Time flies by, and time seems to speed up at the gambling table. People feel that it hasn't been that long, but in reality, more than an hour has passed.

For Russell, the past hour or so had been a painful ordeal. His heart was pounding from the constant shifts in his emotions, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. A faint warmth rose from Russell's chubby head.

After everyone turned over their diamond cards again, Russell looked at the card values ​​on the table, and his heart started pounding again.

Six o'clock, eight o'clock, eight o'clock, four o'clock, five o'clock
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Russell slowly turned over the cards in his hand: four of a kind and five points, a score that was neither particularly high nor low.

Although he won a few bets, Russell's expression was far from good. After all, he had only won a few small bets, and the money he won was not enough to pay out the others. Today was really strange. He had been so lucky just now, so why was he suddenly unlucky?

Thinking of this, Russell looked suspiciously at Haven, who was getting increasingly drunk. Ever since this kid came in, his luck had turned sour.

However, this thought only briefly crossed Russell's mind before disappearing.

After all, this young adventurer hadn't done anything else since he sat down; he just drank and flipped cards. However, the young man was indeed a bit lucky, and after playing for so long, he actually won a few dozen copper coins.

"Damn it, you're lucky, kid. Since that's the case, don't blame me."

Thinking of this, Russell, with his large and fat body, stood up from his chair and scooped up the scattered coins on the table.

"Damn it, just wait, I'm going to take a dump. When I get back, I'll fuck you bunch of pigs to death."

Seeing Russell get up to let the other players win, the others at the table also stood up, stretched their muscles, and followed suit. Some let the other players win, while the rest started chatting.

"Sigh... It's already this late, why hasn't Boss Marigolo Yang arrived yet? Shouldn't he be here much earlier than usual?"

"Hey~~who knows? Boss Yang from Marigoldo has been really busy lately, nobody knows what he's been up to. The other day I happened to see him, and he didn't look too good~~"

A short, stout man wearing a small felt hat was chatting with his gambling buddy next to him, and Haven didn't interrupt, just listened quietly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Boss Marigold Yang is getting old these days..."

I even doubted whether he could lift his broadsword.

Listening to the other person's teasing of the tavern owner, Felt Hat Brain chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah. Speaking of which, a few days ago, that guy Badam was eating for free at the tavern. If it were according to Boss Marigolo Yang's usual practice, even if he didn't cut off a hand, he would at least beat him up and throw him out of the tavern."

As he spoke, a mocking look rose on his face. It was like a tiger that had been a tyrant in the forest for many years, only to be discovered by the other animals that it had grown old and no longer roared at its provocateurs. Then the monkeys and wild boars in the forest began to swagger out and assert their presence.

"Speaking of which, where has that guy Badam been lately? I haven't seen him come to visit in ages."

"Damn it, that bastard, he left with Boss Marigolo Yang that day and never came back. He's probably been buried somewhere."

Upon hearing the other party's words, a clear look of fear flashed across the man in the felt hat's face. After all, his words had been rather disrespectful, and he was afraid that these damned guys would report him.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

With water droplets on his face, Russell wiggled his obese body and sat down in the chair. The icy water in the pool cooled down Russell's surging blood, and even his head, which had been dizzy from the rush of blood, began to function normally again.

"Nothing...nothing..."

"Ah, we were talking about Boss Yang from Marigolo."

The two spoke at the same time, and Russell's chubby face twitched involuntarily. What were these two up to?

What happened to Marigoldoyan?

Under Russell's gaze, the man in the felt hat shrank back and dared not utter a sound. After all, Russell and the tavern owner had a good relationship; the two often drank together and were like brothers.

Finally, under Russell's watchful eye, another person spoke up.

"Oh, you mean this? Speaking of which, why hasn't Marigolo Yang arrived yet?"

As he spoke, Russell leaned over to look towards the bar, where his usual spot was now empty.

"Let's not talk about him anymore, let's continue!"

Russell brushed the hair stuck to his cheeks aside, and his chubby hands reached for the diamond cards on the table again.

"I just washed my face properly. I'll show you how I win the last penny from you bunch of losers."

Haven stared blankly at the cards fluttering in the air, lost in thought. He had been in the tavern for over two hours and had gathered almost all the information he could. Now, all the clues pointed to the tavern owner.

"Damn it, what's going on? Why is my luck still so bad?"

Looking at the three points he had drawn, Russell immediately started cursing. His luck today was absolutely terrible. After paying the winners at the table, he reached down, rummaged in his crotch, and then pulled them back up.

Still lost in thought, Haven instinctively reached into the pile of money in front of him, pulled out a coin, and tossed it up, completely unaware of Russell's subtle action.

In Russell's eyes, Haven was already quite drunk, but he was just lucky, winning more than he lost. After playing for so long, he had won more than a dozen silver coins, which made Russell very upset. He had promised to win all of the kid's money.

As Russell rolled the dice, a new round of the game began.

"what?"

Haven casually flipped over his cards and was surprised to see a four-six pot? Had he actually messed up? That shouldn't be the case.

Ever since he got that die, Haven's luck has been exceptionally good. When he goes out for fun and encounters a lottery, he almost always wins. As for gambling, even if he does nothing, his win rate is over 60%. As for the worst outcome in such gambling, he shouldn't have to get it, unless...
Thinking of this, Haven looked up at Russell, who was grinning and grabbing the betting money from the table.

Seeing Havent looking at him, Russell raised an eyebrow smugly and said to Havent in a boastful manner:

"How about that? Pretty impressive, huh? Young man, you still have a lot to learn." Not quite sure if the other party was playing tricks, Haven just nodded as if he didn't know anything and decided to observe further.

As another round of cards began, Haven took two silver grouse from his pile and threw them into the betting area. He had lost one in the previous hand, so he bet two this time, which perfectly suited the gambler's mentality of wanting to take a chance.

Of course, skilled anglers usually let the player win first, gradually increasing the amount of money won. In this way, the money is no longer money, but just a string of meaningless numbers. Its only function is that as the number increases, more dopamine is secreted in the brain.

A seasoned bookmaker knows when to close the net. When a greedy gambler wins ten or so rounds in a row and then bets their entire fortune, that's when the gambler falls off a cliff. After that, it's the bookmaker's favorite time to reap the rewards. Because of their greed, the gambler goes into debt, borrows money, and incurs huge high-interest loans, becoming prey in their trap, and then using everything they have to pay off the debt.

Of course, Russell is not a seasoned dealer or a skilled angler. The main reason is that Russell's wallet does not allow him to make such preliminary preparations. After losing seven or eight rounds in a row, he will lose his temper.

So Haven was then faced with three consecutive losses. In just a few minutes, more than a dozen silver coins had already entered Russell's pocket. His head, which had been cooled by the ice water, was now flushed red from the blood rushing to his head.

"Hahahaha~ You unlucky guys, now you know how powerful I, Uncle Russell, am, hahahaha, watch how I win away every last penny you have."

"Hey Russell, you bastard, you're messing around with me again. If you're going to play, then play properly. Don't try any of your little tricks on me, or I'll make you regret it."

A hoarse, low sound, like two pieces of broken wood rubbing together, came from not far behind Haven.

Russell, whose name was called, smiled and waved to the person who came.

"Look at what you're saying. Who would dare cause trouble for you, Old Knife Marigroyan? I'm just having some fun, just having some fun."

Seeing Russell's face beaming like an old chrysanthemum, Haven's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he slowly turned to look at him.

The figure that came into view was not particularly imposing, with gray hair on his right shoulder casually falling over it, and he was handing the coat he had taken off to the waiter who was waiting nearby.

"Damn it, don't try that on me. You bastard, you were playing tricks on me a while ago. If I hadn't helped you, you would have been killed by those mercenaries from Baro province long ago."

Russell listened to the other party's blunt revelation of his past, but showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever, and continued to speak with a smile:
"That's right, that's right. Who doesn't know the reputation of Boss Marigolo Yang? I originally planned to come and have a drink with you, but I waited and waited and you didn't come, so I got together with a few other brothers to have some fun."

As Marigroyan approached, Haven got a clearer look at the target's appearance. He seemed thinner and older than described in the report, looking like a wretched old man in his sixties or seventies who was about to die.

Marigoldo Yang walked over, glanced at the amount of money on the table, and seeing that Russell hadn't gone too far, chatted with him for a few minutes before leaving.

Havent glanced at Marigoldo Young, who had returned to the bar, and a plan formed in his mind. He then turned to look at Russell, who was sitting down and grumbling.

"Hey~~Are you very familiar with the owner of this tavern?"

Russell, who was muttering curses under his breath, looked up when he heard Havent's voice.

"It's alright, what's wrong, kid?"

"Haha~~ It's nothing, it's nothing, shall we continue?"

Distracted by Havent, Russell stopped cursing Marigoldo Young. After all, no matter how unwilling he was, the difference in strength between the two was not easily bridged, not to mention that the other party had unfathomable background and power.

"Damn it, come on, let's continue."

Russell's chubby hand touched the diamond cards and began to shuffle them quickly. Havel, on the other hand, had a sudden thought, and the dice hanging around his neck began to emit a warm feeling. Just thinking about what he was going to do next made Havel want to laugh.

"Come on, place your bets!!!"

"Hahahaha~~ A total wipeout, a total wipeout!!!"

"Hahahaha~~ Little brother, you're having a bit of bad luck~~~ I won't be polite..."

"Again, again, damn it!! Theirs!!!! Who else, who else, the Twin Heavenly Supremes!!!"

"Hahaha, young man, you've got guts! You're willing to take a gamble, aren't you? That's right, that's what a real man does—the bolder you are, the greater the reward!"

"Damn it, I am the invincible Russell, tremble, tremble!!!"

After seven or eight rounds, Havent's purse was completely empty, replaced by a small mountain of coins piled up in front of Russell, including gold, silver, and bronze.

A rough estimate suggested that the bet was close to thirty or forty gold coins. Russell, who had won big, was so excited that he took off his shirt, and his white, greasy flesh trembled wildly with his movements.

The idlers in the tavern were also attracted by the commotion, and they surrounded the people sitting at the gambling table in layers.

Russell glanced at the empty purse in front of Haven and felt a surge of satisfaction. Damn, so what if they're adventurers? They still have to fall to my feet.

"Hehehehehe~ Hey bro, I'm really sorry, I didn't expect my luck to be so good today. Are you still playing?"

With Russell grinning, Haven reached for the empty money bag on the table, crumpled it, and casually tossed it to the ground before reaching for his waist again.

Bang~~
A dull thud was heard as Haven threw an identical money bag onto the table, the string tying the bag open and the coins inside spilling out.

The onlookers gasped as they looked at the bag of gleaming gold coins on the table; there must have been at least forty or fifty coins in the bag.

Russell was equally shocked. He thought he had completely drained this foolish adventurer, but he never expected that this young adventurer would be so powerful.

"Hahaha~~ This is nothing! By the way, I've lost so much money, you're not going to quit playing now, are you?"

Under Haven's smiling gaze, Russell felt his throat go dry and involuntarily moved his head up and down a couple of times.

"Play~ Of course I'll play~~ Who said I'm leaving? As long as you want to play today, I'll stay with you the whole time."

(End of this chapter)