I Picked Up the Trash Others Threw Away - Chapter 37.1

Chapter 37.1

The Moonlake casino looked the same as before.

Like last time, there was a staff member waiting for us by the back door to open a secret passage.

It was uncomfortable to have to go through such a cumbersome process to meet Seraph, but the guests I would meet in the game room from now on were high-ranking people at the top of the aristocracy.

I had no idea what would happen if I got involved with them the wrong way. In games, I was someone who pursued thrill over safety, and even in gambling if it came to it; but if my life was at stake, it would be a different matter.

Realizing that I was nervous, Allen took something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“This is a bell you can use to call us if something urgent happens. It will only make a sound if you hold it tightly and shake it, so we’ll be on stand-by and rush in right away when we hear it.”

He placed a small bell, the size of my thumb, on my palm, and told me to tuck it in between my robe.

Simon also seemed a little nervous, but he gripped the handle of his sword and nodded as if telling me not to worry.

When I got out of the carriage with the knights escorting me, the staff blocked their entry to the room, saying that only I could enter.

“Of course. But it will be suspicious if they stand by the door; surely you can provide a waiting room for them?”

“I’ll let them know. For now, please have the knights wait in the carriage.”

I knew that it wasn’t easy for outsiders to get in, so I nodded in acceptance and entered the room first.

It seemed that the game hadn’t started yet. No guests had arrived, and all I could see was a neatly organized game table and a deck of Hwatu in the middle.

It seemed that Seraph wouldn’t make an appearance, and instead, a staff member who brought me simple refreshments gave me instructions.

“Our guests will arrive soon. As the dealer, all you have to do is explain the rules of Hwatu and manage the game.”

“How long is each session?”

“Usually, we play three rounds per table. We ask the guests in case they want to proceed further, but for today, one table should be fine. They’re here to experience a new game.”

‘So it’s a best-of-three format.’

I wanted to ask for information about the customers, but asking such a thing as a dealer was close to taboo, so I kept my mouth shut.

The staff member told me to ring the bell if I needed anything and left.

In the meantime, I inspected the table, the back of the chairs, or any place where something suspicious or someone could be hiding.

In card games, using a new deck is standard to ensure guests that there is no cheating involved, so I couldn’t touch the Hwatu deck even if I was curious about it.

I sat in the dealer’s chair and waited quietly for the guests. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I heard the door open.

There was a total of three people, neither too many nor too few. One was a noblewoman with her face covered, and the other two were a middle-aged and an elderly man.

“Welcome, everyone.”

We all had the same objective, so as soon as the guests sat down, I immediately pulled out the Hwatu deck and showed them the game.

“The name of the game we’re going to play today is Hwatu. It’s a card game in the East that uses a rule system called Go-Stop. I’ll introduce the types of cards slowly.”

Since they didn’t know anything about Hwatu, I explained the types of cards and the rules of the game from the beginning.

I couldn’t see the masked woman’s expression, but the two men seemed quite intrigued.

“It certainly seems more interesting than typical Trump.”

“The drawback seems to be that the cards are small, so it’s easier to cheat. The more people there are, the more complicated the game will be.”

“Is it any different from Trump? I’d rather play something more exciting.”