At the Swordfish Bar.
"Everyone just heard it, you're treating me to special cured meat as thanks," a brawny man with a cyan tattoo on his head said, wrapping an arm around a Loen-dressed youth and laughing heartily.
"When did I say that?" The youth's face flushed red, his voice trembling slightly with anger.
"Just now, didn't I, everyone?" The brawny man tightened his grip and looked around. The surrounding Sailors burst into knowing laughter, some even whistling.
"I... I..." The Loen youth knew he was being extorted, and was too nervous to speak.
The youth gritted his teeth, finally lowering his head in defeat: "...Fine, I'll pay."
In someone else's territory, the youth had no choice but to concede.
...
Luo En, who had just arrived at this bar, witnessed the scene unfold.
Forced buying and selling—that was the first phrase that came to his mind.
This is what it's like without a market regulatory bureau.
That small plate of cured meat would be good if it cost 2 su le, but 5 pounds... The sea was even more Darkness than he imagined.
Even before reaching Bayam, Luo En had already witnessed the law of survival at sea: outsiders were lambs to be slaughtered.
The Vilan was currently resupplying at a nearby port, and Luo En took the opportunity to disembark and experience the local customs of the sea, unexpectedly encountering this directly.
This bar was too unscrupulous... As an outsider himself, Luo En didn't want to stay too long.
"Oh, why are so many people gathered together?"
Soon after he left the bar, he saw a crowd gathered around a bulletin board.
"Is there some announcement?"
"Excuse me." Luo En protected the sling bag on his chest; Lachi's claws were already hooked onto his shirt through the fabric. When he finally squeezed to the front, he found that what was nailed to the Steel plate was not the kind of announcement he had imagined.
"Steel"... "Claw"... "Blaze"...
One portrait after another, each with a monetary value, appeared before Luo En's eyes. The figures in the portraits were either ferocious or sinister, and the monetary figures gleamed with a dazzling red light under the sun.
The amounts on the portraits ranged from tens of pounds to thousands of pounds.
So it's a wanted list! Luo En realized.
'Such high bounties likely mean they're all Beyonders. From this perspective, the proportion of Beyonders at sea is indeed higher than on land.'
...
The crisp clatter of dice, the trembling roll of coins, and the suppressed, then suddenly erupting, cheers.
Luo En paused at the Door. He shouldn't have been interested in such a place, but having just come out of that unscrupulous bar, he was inadvertently pushed by the crowd into the oak Door carved with anchor chain patterns.
The moment he pushed the Door open, the smell of tobacco and sweat mixed with alcohol rushed at him, and more than twenty greasy faces turned towards him simultaneously.
A casino? I didn't expect to wander into a place like this... Luo En, who had just left the unscrupulous bar, didn't expect to directly arrive at a casino.
This famous tertiary industry, whether before his transmigration or now, was Luo En's first time seeing it.
Within Loen, casinos were illegal, only existing as individual rooms attached to bars.
But in the vast overseas colonies of the Kingdom, it was not only legal but even a pillar industry.
He truly experienced today how common casinos were at sea; he could encounter one just by strolling around.
...
"A new face?" Someone mumbled after Luo En entered the Door.
Luo En surveyed the casino's environment, not heading towards the bustling roulette table, but choosing a two-person card table in a corner. There were the fewest gamblers here.
Across the two-person card table sat a man who appeared to be in his thirties, with singed yellow eyebrows, deep blue but bright eyes, and not overly sharp features.
He seemed to be in a very good mood, his face full of smiles, indicating that his winnings today were quite good.
Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Luo En felt the man's expression was somewhat unnatural, as if he had put on a disguise.
And... he looked a bit familiar.
"A gamble?" Luo En murmured, his fingers unconsciously caressing his sling bag. Lachi stirred slightly inside, her claws hooking his shirt.
"Want to play a few rounds?" The dealer, a tall, thin middle-aged man, looked at Luo En and enthusiastically suggested.
"What are the rules?" Luo En suddenly felt a little interested.
"The simplest kind, purely comparing sizes."
Comparing sizes... indeed simple enough. Compared to games with various combinations and requiring calculations of different patterns, comparing sizes truly felt more like a test of luck.
"One pound per game," the dealer added.
Forget it, money isn't to be wasted like this... Hearing the dealer's words, Luo En instinctively wanted to refuse, clicking his tongue; his luck was already bad, so he couldn't touch this kind of game.
Just as Luo En was about to politely decline, the man opposite him laughed loudly: "The first game is on me! You don't have to pay if you lose."
Hearing this, Luo En wasn't particularly happy; instead, he immediately became alert.
'It wouldn't be one of those common scams, would it? First, a free game to make you drop your guard, then colluding with the dealer to make you keep losing.'
This feigned generosity was exactly like what people often called a "fishing game."
Luo En lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds, then looked up and scrutinized the other party again.
He himself was also a Beyonder; with the observational skills brought by the Robot, plus his Beyonder identity, it shouldn't be difficult to leave unscathed.
Besides, since he was already here, he would just leave if he started losing... Luo En set a principle for himself in his mind.
"Then let's play a game." Luo En pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Alright," the dealer nodded.
He first divided the deck in half, holding one half in each hand. With a gentle flick of his thumb, the cards fanned out like a peacock's tail, their edges as neat as if measured. With a flick of his wrist, the two stacks of cards interleaved.
Then, he cut the deck with one hand, his thumb resting against one side of the deck, his index and middle fingers gently pushing, and the deck smoothly separated into two halves, then steadily stacked back into place. The entire process was fluid, without a single superfluous movement.
No hidden cards, no markings... Luo En kept his eyes fixed on the dealer's movements throughout, the Robot's ability allowing him to observe details very carefully.
"Please," the dealer said.
The man opposite drew first, flipping it over—Queen of Spades. His lips moved slightly, but he didn't reveal his expression.
It was Luo En's turn. He didn't hesitate too much, choosing to follow his feeling, and drew a King of Hearts.
First game, Luo En wins.
"Damn it, my winning streak is over." The man's face was filled with annoyance and disappointment, but he didn't say much more. He looked at Luo En, his eyes full of challenge.
"Continue."
Luo En nodded, intending to see what the other side was up to.
...
After some time, the man, who had already lost several pounds, couldn't maintain his composure.
His previous winning streak seemed to have suddenly vanished. Luo En, however, inexplicably won every game. The man's smile gradually stiffened, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Damn it, are you cheating?"
Luo En looked innocent, spreading his hands.
"I'm not, don't talk nonsense! I'm just playing casually."
"Playing casually and winning five in a row?" The man sneered, slamming the table and standing up. "One last game, 10 pounds."
"No, I refuse." Luo En calmly pushed his chair back. He hadn't expected his luck to be so good today and intended to quit while he was ahead.
"You don't dare!" the other party challenged.
"Yes, I don't dare." Luo En admitted with no psychological burden.