Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 37 The Gamble in Floating Harbor

When Geralt came down from the second floor feeling refreshed, he noticed a strange atmosphere permeating the entire tavern.

Many patrons gathered around a table, watching something intently, completely unlike their previous noisy state. Other patrons, though not standing nearby, kept glancing at the table, clearly also paying attention to something.

Geralt was curious and wanted to go over and see what had happened.

Suddenly, a gasp came from the onlookers, followed by a deep, resonant voice that first burst into laughter, then sighed and said:

"That was a fantastic match, Mr. Wayne."

"My carefully crafted deck, which cost a fortune, actually lost to your ordinary, common hand."

"For me, this was a meaningful competition. It taught me to be humble, cautious, and never to underestimate anyone."

"You won with those three hundred Orens."

Hearing this conversation, Geralt roughly guessed what had happened.

Sure enough, while the surrounding patrons marveled at the high-stakes gamble, he walked a few steps closer to the table and saw Wayne sitting opposite a portly businessman, a smile on his face, speaking humbly:

"Thank you for your bet, Mr. Rewarden. You are an honest businessman, which is a commendable virtue."

"However, according to the rules of Gwent, as the winner, I should be able to draw a card from your hand as my reward, shouldn't I?"

Will you follow this tradition?

Upon hearing this request, Revaden's lips twitched with a hint of pain. As a merchant who had come from the southern kingdom of Nilfgaard, he understood the importance of the spirit of contracts and would not tarnish his reputation over a trivial matter.

So he forced a smile and said loudly:

"Of course, I wouldn't try to be clever in this kind of thing, Mr. Wayne. Honesty is my principle."

As he spoke, he piled up his Gwent cards and handed them to Wayne, indicating that he should draw a card randomly.

Wayne didn't stand on ceremony, casually pulling out the special hero card he'd been eyeing for a while. Then, looking at Revaden's pained expression, he praised:

"Your character is admirable, Mr. Rewaden."

"It's still early, how about we have dinner together, and then play a few rounds of games?"

Revaden's lips twitched. In previous games, he had already witnessed Wayne's Gwent skills and luck. He felt that he absolutely could not continue gambling against him until he had enough confidence. As a businessman, he could not do business that was destined to lose money.

The fat merchant shook his head, feigning distress, and said, half-jokingly:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne."

"In two days, I will be transporting a large shipment to Vijma City. Tomorrow will be very busy, so please allow me to take my leave now. I need to be well-rested to prepare for tomorrow's work."

Wayne nodded with feigned regret, knowing it was just an excuse, but he didn't press Rewardon.

He took about ten coins from the three hundred orens he had won, tossed them into the hands of the bartender, and then shouted loudly to the surrounding patrons:

"I'm very lucky today, I'm glad."

"I'm going to buy everyone in the pub a drink to share my luck."

"But you don't need to thank me; you should thank the generous Mr. Rewaden."

Hearing that someone was offering free drinks, everyone cheered excitedly. Some seasoned veterans who knew how to liven things up immediately offered their praise, loudly exclaiming their admiration for Revarden and Wayne, which eased the fat businessman's somewhat stiff expression.

Wayne glanced at the sky and realized it was still early; the sun hadn't even set yet. His bet with Rewarden was best of three, and even with his luck and skill, he had lost one game. The win had indeed been hard-fought.

However, his five-point Gwent proficiency also pleased him greatly. There were still quite a few people in the tavern who knew how to play Gwent, and in his eyes, these people were all walking experience points who could help him improve his Gwent level. How could he let them go?

After announcing the invitation to drinks, he then loudly proclaimed:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I haven't had enough fun with the betting just now. Now I'd like to play a little game with you all."

"Tonight, anyone who knows how to play Gwent can pay an Oren as an entry fee to play a game against me."

"The winner can take away 100 Oren coins. Each person has three chances until all 300 coins are won."

"Of course, the loser will have a Gwent card drawn from their hand as a prize, according to the rules."

He glanced at the group of people around him who seemed to enjoy the drama, and said in a slightly provocative tone:

"You can tell this message to everyone in the entire floating port. I'll probably be here for two days, and this game will continue until I leave the floating port."

………………

In the banks of Temeria, one oren can be exchanged for one hundred copper coins, while a family's daily bread needs only require a dozen or so copper coins.

The allure of three hundred Orens directly attracted everyone in the town who knew how to play Gwent.

As Wayne's announcement spread, people, whether they were just watching the spectacle or hoping to make a big profit with a single Oren, all flocked to the largest tavern.

Upon hearing the news, the town mayor in charge of managing the floating port immediately wanted to stop the gambling, but after witnessing the enthusiasm of the participants, he changed his mind.

He glared angrily at the instigator, but ultimately abandoned this forceful approach that could easily cause a disturbance. Instead, he transferred a dozen soldiers from the military camp to maintain order in the tavern.

The atmosphere in the tavern was very lively, with a constant stream of challengers and enthusiastic onlookers. The betting game went on for four hours without anyone noticing.

Geralt stood solemnly beside Wayne, holding his steel sword and scabbard close to his chest, his eyes occasionally glancing at certain people in the crowd.

With his white hair, tall stature, and sharp eyes, Geralt exuded an aura that made him seem unapproachable.

He watched as Wayne defeated one challenger after another, observed the increasingly lively atmosphere in the crowd, and watched the growing pile of Oren coins on the table. He couldn't help but whisper to Wayne:

"Wayne, you were too high-profile today. Winning so much money is bound to attract some attention."

"We'd better be careful and not let things go wrong."

Upon hearing this, Wayne looked up at Geralt. He knew that Geralt's words were very pertinent. As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth. If this huge sum of money were displayed in the public eye, it would definitely attract the malice of some ill-intentioned people.

However, in just four hours, he won against more than forty Gwent players, his Gwent level rose from level two to level three, and his luck increased by one point.

Such rapid improvement was simply irresistible to him, and this sudden, whimsical gamble also showed Wayne a great way to quickly improve his Gwent level. How could he give up so easily?

He nodded reassuringly to Gerald, then checked the time; it was almost midnight.

So Wayne stood up and addressed the surrounding crowd, as well as the other contestants who wanted to participate:

"Gentlemen, it's getting late today."

"I was really touched by everyone's enthusiasm."

As he spoke, he casually pulled out seventy or eighty orens from the coins on the table and said to a squad leader and the tavern owner who had been standing guard beside him:

"Thank you all for your enthusiasm. Since you all think so highly of me, I will also be a generous host."

"Tonight, everyone here is welcome to eat and drink as much as they want. There is no limit to the amount of beer and barbecue. All expenses will be deducted from this amount."

"After lunch tomorrow, once everyone has rested and is feeling refreshed, we will continue our betting game."

(Thanks to the generous donors: daidailang, wanglian, beidangyun, wenrenmo, and chibutaotoudaotupupi. This is a new book by a new author, and I welcome everyone's feedback and suggestions for crowdfunding. (*))

(End of this chapter)