“It’s really rare, huh? To see an elf show up here. Times are tough these days, hahaha. Even elves have to work in places like this now.”
“Hey, I say, Miss Elf Bunny Girl over there, how about coming to sit by this old man’s side? You see, because…”
Obohard’s gaze promptly fell on Keti, who was already seated next to Lynn.
Then he grinned lewdly and said, “The lady companion by this young man’s side is so beautiful. This old man needs some company too~ I’ll give you lots of tips~”
“No.”
The elven girl coldly rejected him without hesitation, leaving Obohard feeling a little embarrassed.
He gave two awkward coughs, then after a moment, snorted with clear annoyance.
“Hmph… Won’t even take money, acting all high and mighty while working as a bunny girl. What’s that about! And wearing such a weird eyepatch too. I’m giving you face by picking you!”
“Hmph… Dealer, you must have other bunny girls here who provide companion services, right?”
With that, Obohard slapped a wad of bills heavily onto the table, folding his arms and looking smugly at Sylvia.
Uh…
What to say… Keti wiped the sweat from her forehead. Though he slapped the bills down with such force, this so-called “tip” seemed to be just a handful of low-denomination loose change.
It didn’t add up to much at all, certainly not the ten or twenty thousand he made it seem like.
Looks like, just as the rumors say, this old man is rich but stingy, not willing to spend his money.
Well… generally speaking, for a nouveau riche to even manage to hold onto his money and not squander it all is already pretty good, right?
As for the other side, Sylvia, who was being mocked, had a cold look in her eyes… she even seemed a bit murderous!
Layla, standing by, quickly stopped the about-to-explode Sylvia to calm the situation and forced a smile.
“This elven lady is a newcomer to our establishment. I’m mainly showing her the ropes so she can learn a bit about being a dealer.”
“She hasn’t officially started working yet. As for a companion, you don’t need to worry. As long as you’re willing to spend, we have plenty of girls in the house, haha…”
With that, Obohard nodded, then beckoned, and sure enough, a scantily clad bunny girl arrived, immediately cozying up to him and pouring him a drink with a forced smile.
Seeing this, the situation at the table settled down. Layla glanced around, then cleared her throat before continuing.
“In that case, as part of the process, let me introduce the rules of the Joker Game to you gentlemen.”
“No need to waste words! I’ve played this Joker Game so many times, I’ve long since gotten sick of hearing the rules! It’s just the same old thing!”
As soon as the game was about to begin, Obohard displayed his impatience once again, but Keti immediately objected. What a joke!
“Please explain. I have no idea what the rules of this game are. Joker… I’ve never even heard of it.”
“Heh… Never heard of it, yet you dare challenge me? Are you kidding? Do you not know I’m the Joker King of Arash Casino?! Maybe I’d lose at something else, but… if it’s Joker, I’ll win for sure!”
Obohard gave a cold laugh, putting his hands on his hips in triumph, which left Keti speechless. He talked like he won every day, but that wasn’t what Layla had said earlier.
“In that case, should we swap to someone else?”
“Heh, what are you talking about! You want to run off after sitting down at the table?! At least finish three rounds. That’s the rule!”
Keti had just tested the waters with a casual suggestion, but Obohard immediately grew agitated and stood up, causing the pink-haired girl to bite her lip in silent frustration.
At this point, she fully supported Sylvia in blowing this guy sky-high! Tch… How could someone like this have struck gold? Fate really is unfair.
“Ahaha, that’s right. According to the casino rules, once the game begins, you have to play at least three rounds before you can leave the table.”
“So, please make sure you have enough chips to last at least three rounds. If you lose all your chips before the third round starts… and can’t bring out more money, the casino will deliver a very severe punishment! This isn’t a joke…”
Layla explained seriously from the side. After all, it was a rule of the casino, and concerned everyone’s personal safety.
Obohard clearly knew this well, and the priestess didn’t dare speak carelessly about this point.
“Three rounds, huh? No problem.”
Lynn nodded, looking quite calm. Layla let out a breath of relief, then continued.
“Since our guests have requested, I’ll explain the game rules, but I’ll keep it brief.”
With that, she suddenly pulled out two boxes from under the table and placed them in the center. Opening the lids, each box contained five cards.
Each box had four cards spread to the sides—making a total of eight cards—with identical illustrations of a plain blue human silhouette. The difference, though…
Was in the center: the middle card in each box was different!
One side had a gold card depicting an angel with white wings and a halo; the other was… a black card, with a magic circle and ram horns: a demon.
“The so-called Joker Game is one where each of the two players takes the five cards from these boxes at the start of the game.”
“Each has four ordinary human cards, but one player will have a golden divine card, and the other a black demon card!”
“Then, after the game begins, both players have thirty seconds each round to choose one card, then play it face down. If you don’t play a card within the time limit, you lose the round.”
“Once both have played, the dealer will flip them over and determine the outcome.”
“Specifically, victory is determined as: Divine beats Human, Human beats Demon, but Demon beats Divine.”
“For example, if the Divine side plays their divine card, the Demon side can only win by playing their sole demon card; any human card is a loss.”
“If the Divine side plays a human card, and the other plays demon, that’s also a loss for Divine!”
“If both sides play human cards, it’s a tie for the round, but those cards are discarded. Both continue choosing from their remaining cards until someone wins. The winner takes all the chips wagered.”
“By the way, the standard bet for Joker Game is ten small chips per round, or a thousand dinars minimum.”
“But since the game is inherently unfair—whoever holds the divine card has a much greater chance of winning—the bet per round for that side must be at least double the other. As for how much to bet, you two will need to agree before starting.”
“That’s all the important rules for this game. Now, please discuss and decide: who wants to be Divine and who Demon, or how often you wish to switch sides. You both need to work this out in advance.”
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