Black Sail
Chapter 607: CCXXIII. All-in

Chapter 607: CCXXIII. All-in

Aran Imperial City.

September 1st.

It’s midsummer, the sunniest time of the year.

People on this side of the Western Continent have their own calendar, and they set the Stargazing Festival on the ninth, as that day is definitely the best day in terms of weather. If such a matter is not understood, the court astrologers of thousands of years can just be chopped up and fed to the dogs.

The greening of the Imperial City is done to perfection, as the facade of all Aran, still the pressure environment of the military government, if those people planning the garden landscape didn’t please the military government, what can you do if the British police go to Belgium?

The rolling heat waves cloaked by the flourishing trees turned into gleaming spots on the streets rich with retro vibes; each leaf swayed under the scorching summer sun, and even the sound of cicadas seemed to be brimming with moisture.

The Continent Martial Arts Competition has already begun today, and the battle to compete for the top 500 has already started.

The Imperial Arena’s square is surrounded as tight as a drum, ringing with gongs and drums, even more lively than New Year.

Since Aran is dominated by the Eternal Sect and is not very keen on the Holy Spirit Calendar, September here is roughly equivalent to New Year.

However, there is also quite a number of old folks in Aran who still believe in the Holy Spirit Sect and are not very interested in the Dragon Lord’s system, creating some internal cultural divide.

As for the young, with the rapid development of magic energy industry, religion and gods are pushed aside unless they offer money; otherwise, why should a believer be the sucker? Why should good people have guns pointed at them? Just open a gamble.

The leader of the Four Heavenly Kings of Digital Monster.

Ben.

Clearly enjoys gambling very much; regular cheating at card games has become boring work, but true sword dueling in the Continent Martial Arts Competition, is where cheating doesn’t apply, that’s thrilling.

There’s no match-fixing, lose and it’s your head, who dares to rig a match?

Once you enter the arena, the law executed is different.

Aran Pu’s surprise, small betting for big wins, full of tension and excitement.

Ben was tied in Heaven Port for almost a year, where there’s no money, still relying on the salary given by Liszt, simply not enough considering his spending habits.

Uncertain about how things are on Mulong’s side, Ben intends to make a small bet, and if Liszt hangs, he’ll grab his bucket and run.

Now that he’s here.

Back then, Chen Daozai turned twenty bucks into thirty-seven million; I, a distinguished Shadow Messenger, turning six Golden Dragons into five thousand, is no problem.

The ticket prices for the Continent Martial Arts Competition are outrageously high; only those landlords and wealthy folks are watching inside, even the peripheral standing tickets are hiked up to seven Golden Dragons, those Western Continent people are really a bunch of fools with too much money, damn!

Ben just realized he can’t even afford a ticket.

But it doesn’t matter.

"Damn it... my identity card fell."

A well-dressed unfortunate fellow chosen by Ben for viewing, definitely needs to watch in person; the crystal projection shows no detail, affecting his betting.

During the Continent Martial Arts Competition, any decent tavern or inn in the Imperial City has crystal live images.

For someone as badass as himself to watch a projection, is just too lame.

Ben successfully blends into the corner of the arena’s platform, damn this spot sucks, yet the front row is filled with big figures; wait until I win thirty-seven thousand Golden Dragons, and kill all of you.

The Thief Guild has almost monopolized the pickpocketing industry, Diaz explicitly forbids the guild’s artisans from causing trouble during the Continent Martial Arts Competition, lest they cut off the Royal Court’s financial source, then it’s not just the Cross Alliance coming to deal with Diaz.

As for those small thieves in the folk, they have no connection to Diaz, but Diaz has to release some warnings nominally to put some restraint, afraid of being blamed; anyhow, caution friends on the street, or it’s not just Aran Ministry of Justice coming for you, Diaz will too.

Thus the Emperor of the Night always remains a Fake Pockmarked, ineffective in front of the Real Pimples.

But Ben couldn’t care less, he’s not part of the Thief Guild now, after mingling in East Sea for some time, feeling somewhat lawless, not caring about street rules.

Earlier he bought a newspaper from the adventurer’s guild, which has the duel list and schedule printed, currently, it’s someone from Western Narrow Sea fighting a Yisu person from the Southern Continent.

No rush, holding steady; these idiots are fighting without interest, not even top hundred in popularity, you’re not those murderous people who stir the crowd, those are basic odds of 1.4, 1.5, playing without fun, aim big if anyway.

Ben has excellent eyesight, spotting three people on the platform two levels below.

"Are you kidding!"

Ben clutches his head, Emiya Kiritsugu-faced.

Galen is also here watching, does this poor fellow have money for a ticket? The most annoying part! There’s a gorgeous babe beside him!

Hey, hey, this little chick looks like she’s maybe a year or two shy of adulthood, tattoo Dragon and Tiger, entirely stylish with a Jinx hairstyle, wearing something very modern, Tifa’s white cropped tank top, paired with silver-black flared pants, her skin is just fair and supple.

"Are you kidding!"

Ben even repeats himself twice, is maddened into cosmic wave lunatic laughing, completely lost his mind; why does Galen get all the good stuff? Having a beauty, watching the Continent Martial Arts Competition, eating and snatching, clearing all good things.

What’s wrong with connecting the world? Lin!

Mai Tianzun, I’ve got it, I want to create a world that’s just a brothel!

Ben nearly plays rough, pushing through the crowd towards down.

There are already many people in the stands, and the place you buy is the place you stand; Ben’s behavior is incredibly rude, getting many angry side glances, coupled with recent bizarre maneuvers by Summer Sunset Island’s Empress, like raising trade taxes, not improving the Dark Elves’ reputation.

But Ben is mixing in the street, still the Thief Guild, am I afraid of the storm? Am I afraid of being shameless?

Galen has entirely relied on relationships to become the trade representative of Duguli, compared to Ben, he’s from a lower generation; Ben plans to go over and give him a lesson.

And on the two floors of platform below.

Gren is biting her lip anxiously, as her bet comes up in two battles.

Because she’s not very savvy with competitive gambling, seeking tips from Galen.

Galen has his eyes on one competitor, that’s the one seen during a match in Chenxi Port with Liszt, telling Gren to go all-in on Sack Head winning.

The odds are actually quite terrifying, reaching 2.6.

Even though Sack Head’s performance in the Chenxi Port preliminaries was quite strong, who isn’t strong in the Imperial City? Sack Head’s opponent has an even fiercer momentum as they triumphantly progress.

Moreover, Sack Head lacks the appearance advantage and looks like a mere grunt; there aren’t any spectators hyping him up, not the wave-riding killer, whereas the opponent is a crowd-pleaser who fights through thorns and brambles.

That’s how the odds reached 2.6; if you bet one hundred Golden Dragons and win, you get your stake back plus a profit of one hundred sixty—this is the thrill of gambling.

Galen is unsure about Sack Head’s strength, but he does admire Liszt somewhat; anyone Liszt pays attention to must be extraordinary.

"Don’t be so tense; for someone like you, a wealthy lady, a few dozen of these might not mean much."

Galen can see that Gren is very well-mannered; she couldn’t possibly have been raised in a government-official family, which is completely opposite to her appearance.

Moreover, he thinks Gren is just playing around, completely unaware that she really wants to get rich from this, gather an army, and head to Heaven Port.

"I’m going all-in."

Gren is so nervous that she’s biting her fingernails, her hands trembling. What if she loses?

Doringger, who has watched Gren grow up and treats her as a daughter, believes Gren is rebelling to an extreme for her never-seen birth father. What’s the situation at the East Sea? Even Dragons must bow there; it’s a place one doesn’t play around with. Even her frightening father failed there, and she’s going? Just be a wealthy lady, spend money as you please—this should be enough. If Lord Dor knew in the underworld, he’d have no regrets.

Once Gren is caught, she will definitely be under house arrest.

And if Gren uses all her money, she won’t know what to do next; she’s risking all her hopes.

"Gee, how much could it be?"

Galen isn’t concerned; he always thought of this as a young lady having a playful outing.

"One thousand nine hundred Golden Dragons."

Gren bites her nails, speaking shakily.

"How much?"

Galen is dumbfounded, his mind blank, while the vice leader of the adventure group accompanying him is wide-eyed like saucers.

At the level of Black Sail, going big is the norm, because they already have the qualifications to rub shoulders with the Four Heavenly Kings of the underworld. It’s common to hear bets of a few thousand Golden Dragons, which doesn’t sound like much anymore.

Because Black Sail is a colossus, these amounts are just basic cash flow.

Yet in reality.

When Galen fished Liszt out at sea, for the few dozen Golden Dragons in his pocket, brothers who had known each other for twenty years, grown up in the same village, almost turned against each other and came near mutual slaughter.

One thousand nine hundred Golden Dragons.

It’s an extremely frightening concept.

As long as you don’t spend it at the world’s most elite places, keep within your social class, avoid "Heaven Palace" style indulgences, you can live as a big spender for a lifetime.

Sky Inn, Cloud Palace.

Spending is high there because it falls under the realm of "Heaven Palace"; even ordinary people and less influential nobles can’t afford it.

Chuan Che, an incredibly skilled person, at Hall-level, wherever he goes, shopkeepers must greet him. Despite going through storms, he only relied on real ability, shunning trickery. He earns a lot, more than an ordinary person could use in a lifetime, but he’s still not of that class. After so many years of hard work, he tasted the sweetness of Heaven Palace; spending was tough for him, yet he never wanted to return, trying hard to cement himself in this position, relinquishing Hall-level status to mix with the unpredictable blades of the East Sea.

One thousand nine hundred Golden Dragons; that would allow for indulgence even at Heaven Palace for some time—what does this mean?

"Is it really one thousand nine hundred Golden Dragons?"

Galen is stunned; he knew Gren is a wealthy lady but didn’t expect her to be this rich. She hasn’t even come of age yet; it could be her living expenses or something else. Her family must hold governmental positions, most likely from the Royal Court’s center.

"Weren’t you the one who told me to go all-in?"

Gren said irritably. The next round of fighting was starting, with Sack Head’s match just one fight away.

"Womery... you are really bold."

Galen began to grow nervous, his legs trembling somewhat. It’s fine for Gren to just play around, but if her family finds out he led her into losing a staggering amount of money, he will definitely face trouble.

Sack Head! You’re my saving grace! You must win!

Galen clenched his fists too, with sweat forming on his forehead—if this goes badly, damn it!

"Damn, you’re living well, watching matches and surrounded by beautiful ladies. What’s her background?"

Ben placed his hand directly on Galen’s neck, looking at Gren. With an Emiya Kiritsugu expression, damn you, Galen—mixing with a minor, huh? You’re living even better than Liszt. It seems her eyebrows and eyes resemble someone; no matter, the fact that she’s stunning is enough.

Even though the Thief Guild’s intelligence network is extensive, some deeply hidden details can’t be uncovered. Who knows that Doringger locked the Overlord Descendant in the tower?

Gren is the same; apart from Doringger’s old friends, nobody knows Doringger has such a daughter.

The current situation is far beyond Galen’s capability. Luckily, Ben offered some advice, giving a rough explanation.

Understanding that Galen is deeply mired in trouble.

Ben’s face changes faster than flipping a book; trusting the likes of Galen is pointless. He’s sure to have bad luck and lose till he has nothing left—parents of the young lady will likely find him, maybe even causing a death. The Emiya Kiritsugu face quickly morphs into the gentle neighborly big brother.

"You guys play. I have things to do, need to study the matches. Enjoy yourselves."

Ben retreats in a flash.

The Joker’s exit is always erratic.

Gren grows increasingly tense, nearly biting through her nail.

Galen swallowed hard; he now understands why some people follow religion. In this moment, he believes in divine intervention too—hoping God will assist and let Sack Head win, dearly hoping and praying.

The fight with Sack Head is drawing nearer; just about ten to twenty minutes away.