The place the two gangsters were taking Claude to wasn't far. They turned into a wider alley at the end of the street and pointed at a large shed. "It's over there. We're here."
Claude purposely said disdainfully, "You call this a place? It's a little too shabby."
The thinner gangster turned around and smiled. "Bro, don't be fooled by this shabby shed. It's different inside. Everything you want is here.
Whether it's beauties, good wine, or fun things, you'll find them all here.
This place was designed by an esteemed guest our boss invited from the royal capital. I dare say that you won't be able to find a place more complete than ours in the three southwestern provinces. "
"Oh, is that so?"
Claude pretended to be doubtful. "That can't be. I came to Whitestag half a year ago, but I've never heard of such a place."
"Hehe, bro, it's better to come at the right time than to arrive early.
This place was just opened by us and hasn't even been open for a month. You came here half a year ago, so it's only natural that you wouldn't have heard of this place. Otherwise, we wouldn't have brought anyone there.
By the way, what do you do, bro? "
"I'm a beachcomber. I help people on the ship and transport some stuff," Claude said vaguely.
Eriksson had said that seasoned sailors rarely revealed their secrets, and those who would reveal everything the moment they met were mostly newbie sailors.
"Bro, you're not from here?"
"No, I'm from Simirok County. When I was young, my uncle brought me here to be a sailor. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed.
It's been ten years since then, and I spend most of my time on the ship. But I'm planning to buy a house and settle down here. After all, I've been receiving work here for the past few years. "
Claude lied calmly, making himself sound more like a weather-beaten sailor.
As expected, the two gang members didn't suspect anything. Instead, they became interested in the idea of buying a house and settling down in the city.
"Looks like you're doing quite well on the ship, bro. You even have enough money to buy a house.
By the way, what kind of house do you want to buy? Let us know. Perhaps we can help you find a suitable one. "
"Hehe, it's just average. At sea, us sailors are risking our lives to earn money. No one knows when we'll meet the Sea God.
As for buying a house, I want to buy a detached two-story house. It's best if it comes with a yard and a well. That way, I can avoid the trouble of fetching water … "
Just as he was talking excitedly, a figure suddenly appeared from the darkness in front of him. He stopped in his tracks and went into a defensive stance.
"Don't be nervous, bro. It's one of us."
The thinner Blacksnake member walked up casually and whispered a few words into the figure's ear. Then, the figure flashed back into the shadows.
"It's fine. I'm just keeping watch here."
The skinnier gang member came back and said, "Brother, don't worry. With these sentries outside, you can play as much as you want without worrying about your safety.
If the town's patrol team comes, you'll be able to get the news immediately. Our people will arrange for you to leave quietly. "
Claude nodded and didn't say anything else. He followed the two gang members to the dilapidated shed.
The door to the shed was rather shabby. There were four to five burly men standing outside, stomping their feet in the snowflakes falling from the sky. They couldn't help but grumble about the weather and their bad luck for drawing sentry duty on such a cold night.
The skinnier gang member ran up and said a few words to one of the men smoking a pipe. He even turned around and pointed at Claude.
The smoking man followed the skinnier gang member over and sized Claude up. All of a sudden, he reached out to grab the scarf covering Claude's face.
Claude hurriedly retreated and tilted his head back to avoid the grab. "What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to see if I know you." The man's hand missed and froze for a moment, seemingly surprised by Claude's quick reaction.
"I've never seen you before. There's no way you know me," Claude said with a deep voice. He turned the bottle around and got into a fighting stance.
"Hehe, alright. You guys go in. I was just testing you to see if you earn a living on the ship."
The man smiled and stuffed his pipe back into his mouth. After taking a puff, he spat out a thick cloud of smoke and waved at the other men to make way.
Claude raised his guard and followed the two gang members to the door.
Fortunately, the men standing by the door didn't do anything else. They watched as Claude and the other two entered the door.
Behind the door was an empty room. There were only two lit torches on the wall. The light from the torches made the room dim.
Just as Claude was about to say something, he saw the skinnier gang member walk to the wall under the torches. He did something and a hole appeared in the wall. It turned out that there was a secret door there.
After entering the secret door, Claude realized that it was a staircase that led downwards. He could vaguely hear the sounds of people below.
Claude followed them down silently. After descending for about ten meters, he saw a wide passageway before him. In front of the passageway was an iron gate. There were two oil lamps on both sides of the wall in front of the gate.
At that moment, the sounds coming from the passageway were very clear. There were curses, giggles, and all sorts of noises mixed together. It was as chaotic as a bustling market.
There were also four burly men in black short-sleeved cloaks standing in front of the iron gate. Their gazes were fixed on the three people coming down the stairs.
The skinnier gang member went over to say a few words before gesturing for Claude to come over. "I'm sorry, brother. I can only send you up to here. I don't have the right to enter."
Claude nodded. "Thank you. This place isn't bad. It's heavily guarded and safe.
I couldn't hold it in any longer when I heard the sounds coming from inside. What a beautiful sound!
Thank you, brother. Take this as a token of my appreciation. "
Claude stuffed the remaining bottle of gran wine into the skinnier gang member's hands and took out a thale from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb, the coin tumbled in the air. Claude caught it and tossed it to the skinnier gang member. "Take it. This is your reward. You didn't lie to me. This place is indeed a good place. Looks like I'll have to come here more often in the future."
Ignoring the gratitude of the two gang members, Claude strode towards the gate.
The four men in black capes didn't try to stop him. Perhaps it was because of Claude's generosity that he rewarded them with a thale just for showing them the way, or perhaps it was because the casino welcomed such guests the most, but they didn't do anything to stop him. Instead, they silently opened the door and bowed slightly to welcome him.
When Claude stepped through the gate, the man furthest inside reminded him, "Sir, it's a little hot inside. You can hang your coat and scarf on the clothes rack over there.
We have people here to take care of them. I guarantee you won't lose them. "
Claude nodded but didn't hang his coat. "I'd like to take a look first. Is that alright?"
"It's fine. Do as you wish."
Claude soon understood what the man meant by 'it's a little hot'. At the end of the passageway was a huge underground hall. More than a hundred people were gambling enthusiastically inside.
The one with the most intense atmosphere was a large table in the middle. The people around the table were so packed that not even a drop of water could trickle through. "Big!
Big!
Big! "
Soon, the result seemed to be out. The winner was overjoyed and urged the dealer to pay up.
The loser hung his head dejectedly, cursing his own bad luck … ….
While the atmosphere was one thing, Claude realized that the temperature in the hall was much higher than outside. He felt a little hot just standing there and wanted to take off his coat.
Taking a closer look, he found that the ten or so stone pillars in the underground hall were all coiled with circles of red copper water pipes. The steam was coming from these red copper pipes.
What a brilliant design. Claude understood it right away. They were using the copper pipes to circulate hot water to raise the temperature of the hall.
It wasn't safe to place braziers around the hall. The more braziers there were, the easier it would be for a fire to break out.
Secondly, the ventilation in the hall wasn't good. If there was too much smoke, no one would be willing to come down to play.
Using the copper pipes to direct hot water would save them a lot of trouble. In the summer, they could even use cold water to cool down.
However, Claude wasn't in the mood to study the pipes. He only wanted to see if he could find Arbeit there.
Before he reached the center of the hall, he seemed to hear Arbeit's voice. "Eleven points! Haha, you only have ten points! I win!"
This was a wooden card gambling method similar to the blackjack in his previous world, except that here, the maximum was 12 points. Players would need at least two cards, and at most three cards. Then, they would place their bets according to the number of points on their wooden cards. It was a five-card stud.
The fact that he heard Arbeit's voice proved that he was indeed there.
However, he didn't find Arbeit among the crowd. He didn't know where his voice came from either.
As he stood in the underground hall and looked around, his getup finally caught the attention of others.
He was wearing a robe and a scarf, so his face couldn't be seen.
A young maidservant appeared before him. She could be considered pretty, but there was a hint of flirtatiousness in her eyes.
"Dear guest, are you new here?" She leaned closer to Claude.
Claude took a step back and put some distance between them before nodding.
The maidservant pouted. "Sir, you're not looking down on me, are you?
If that's the case, I can find another sister to serve you. She's much prettier than I am. "
Shaking his head, Claude said with a hoarse voice, "Sorry, beautiful lady. I'm not looking down on you. I'm just not used to being so close to others."
The maidservant giggled. "Sir, you must be joking. Are you not used to being so close to women in bed?"
"That's different, Miss," Claude said with a frown, "We don't know each other."
"Won't we get to know each other if we do it a few more times?
"Of course, if you are generous, then my sisters and I can immediately get to know you better. It doesn't matter how close we are …" The maid's words were a little explicit.
Claude didn't reply.
The maidservant stopped smiling. "Sir, is there anything you need?
I saw you just standing here and not joining in. "
She pointed at the crowd gathered in the middle of the hall.
Claude knew that he was being watched. "I'm new here and don't know the rules yet."
"Oh, is that so?"
The maid smiled again. "The rules here are simple. Before you play, you have to exchange your chips. The cheapest one here is a sunar, the middle one is a riyas and a thale, and the highest one is a crown. Those are the only four types of chips we have.
You can join in no matter what you exchange for. It all depends on whether you like to gamble or throw dice. Everyone in the hall is the dealer. Winning or losing depends on your luck.
If you want to gamble with your friends, we'll provide you with a private room and good service. We only charge a ten percent service fee.
Also, be it eating or drinking, the long table at the side of the hall is filled with free food and drinks.
If you want something better, you'll have to spend money. You can pay with chips as well.
Also, the path over there leads to the bath. There's hot water for bathing and a bedroom for you to rest in.
If you're willing to spend a thale, any of us sisters can accompany you for a wonderful night.
Don't you want to try?
Sir, I'll make you wish you were dead. "
"Is that so? Thank you for the introduction," Claude said with a nod. "I'd like to take a look. Is that alright?"