Imperial Crown.

Chapter 190: Fortune Comes, a Card Changes Destiny

Under the lights of the Crystal Palace, a group of four people walked down the east staircase.

At least judging from their clothes, they were dressed in a way that was very suitable for the current environment. They were all wearing the popular Peron-style men's suits - with large lace trims on the chest, lapels and wrists.

The man in front looked to be less than 30 years old, with short light brown curly hair, head held high, lips pursed, eyes indifferent, and a lazy and distant feeling in his every move, as if there was nothing in the world worth his care.

Typical aristocratic behavior.

If Raven hadn't seen with his own eyes the gray-white undead energy flowing through his body, it would have been difficult for him to connect him with the Hand of Death.

As a form of negative energy, necromancy energy naturally repels life.

Generally speaking, a knight may awaken fighting spirit of any attribute, and a wizard may have elemental affinity of any attribute, but the only thing missing is death.

Only the Order of the Hand of Death has the unique ability to allow living beings to harness the element.

Even so, it can also bring significant side effects, such as extreme negative emotions, numbness of the body and nerves, and a personality that gradually moves toward paranoia and cruelty.

Except for the leader who is a second-level necromancer, the remaining three are herders.

Raven tapped the table with his fingers. He was curious about the motives of these people coming here. The trouble caused by the Hand of Death Cult had just been suppressed. Are they going to stir up another wave?
Just then, the leader of the Hand of Death cast his gaze over, and Raven shrank back, hiding himself in the shadows.

"Master Doug, have you found anything?" asked a follower.

"Nothing." Doug looked away and shook his head.

The lights in the Crystal Palace were dim, and he could not see Raven's face clearly. He just thought he was a customer coming to spend money.

It wasn't because of a lack of vigilance, but because Doug believed that no one would be able to discover his flaws and that he had no reason to arouse suspicion.

Because he was originally born into a baron family in the city-states of Fitun.

In fact, until fifteen years ago, his life was very leisurely. He had an older brother who died young and two younger sisters.

As the only son in a baronial family, he naturally enjoyed the qualification of being an heir. However, due to his elder brother's early death, his parents were very relaxed in their requirements for him, giving him more time and more possibilities to do what he wanted to do rather than what he should do.

Young people all have dreams, and he is no exception. However, when he realized the cold reality and knew that no matter how hard he tried in his life, he could not break through the shackles brought by his birth and that he could only be a baron all his life, he quickly became desperate.

He hated his birth, why couldn't he be an earl, marquis or duke; he hated his father who pretended to be omnipotent even though he clearly had no ability; he even hated his mother, why she was so devoted to chastity instead of trying her best to climb into the bed of some great nobleman and make him a distinguished illegitimate son!
Although Doug was sent to an aristocratic college by his parents, like most young aristocrats, he began to quickly slide into hedonism.

It was impossible to attend class.

Cocktail parties, hunting, duels, gambling... his life goes on day after day, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will die in this kind of life.

Until the day when the family was destroyed.

His father was accused of colluding with a cult, and his political enemies took advantage of the situation and did not even give them a chance to defend themselves. They joined forces with several great nobles to capture and massacre their castle.

Doug was wanted and began to flee. After a series of coincidences, at the age of seventeen, he became a member of the Order of the Hand of Death. It was also at that time that he realized he had the talent of a magician.

This discovery made Doug hate his parents even more - if they were willing to spend a little money to identify his magical talent, Doug would not have ended up like this.

At this time, he completely forgot that just the potion for identification qualifications would cost the territory half a year's revenue; and if he could stand out in the academy, he would be qualified to obtain identification qualifications.

Life in the Hand of Death Cult is not easy. They have to deal with corpses every day and are covered with the lingering stench of corpses. The servants are affected by the energy of the undead and even the women are dry. Sleeping in bed every day is like lying in a pile of ice!

Eagle Town is better, or Crystal Palace is better!

The women here are called women, and living here is called life!

Doug raised his hand skillfully and called the waiter. After saying a few words, the waiter bowed and left.

Not long after, the music in the venue suddenly became passionate, and the lights gathered in the box where Doug was, followed by a loud shout from the host: "Mr. Doug in box number three, a set of consumer angel kits!!"

This sentence echoed in the hall, stopping the rhythm of the scene. Many people's eyes fell on Doug, with envy, jealousy, and flattery.

There are three bottles of Angel's Tears in the set, two of which are brand new flavors that can only be obtained in the set, so it can be considered good value for money. However, this set costs 29.99 gold coins, which is not affordable for ordinary people. Even some small nobles have to grit their teeth.

Under the light, Doug's self-esteem and vanity were greatly satisfied, but he still maintained that distant smile on his face - these people should have looked up to him!

Instead of being ordered around by the elders like in the Death Hand Cult, doing chores like a servant, listening to them chattering about their "glorious deeds" in the past while giving them compliments against their will.

Three maids in cool clothes brought three trays with three different colors of angel tears on them.

The center one is a classic purple-red color, the one on the left is light yellow, and the one on the right is an extremely rare light blue color, and you can vaguely see stars floating on it.

"Open it." Doug's voice was lazy.

The classic Angel's Tears was poured into a decanter, while the remaining two were poured directly into a wine glass.

The lights in the box gradually went out, making Doug feel a little disappointed, but he immediately focused on the wine in front of him.

He chose the blue one and shook it gently, watching the wine swirling in the glass, as beautiful as a whirlpool in a clear lake under the sunlight, and then he took a sip.

There is a hint of spiciness in the first sip, but it disappears immediately, replaced by a cool sweetness. After the sweetness, the unique scent of lavender emerges. Breathing gently, it feels like stepping into a lavender field.

After breathing in and exhaling, a hint of coolness will surge into your throat, just like chewing mint, making you feel refreshed.

"This is what wine is!" This is not the first time Doug has expressed this sentiment, but each time he does so from the heart.

Most members of the Death Hand Cult came from humble backgrounds and had poor aesthetic tastes. Moreover, due to the erosion of death energy, their tastes had become extremely dull. In order to find a little excitement, the food and drinks they ate were...

Too unbearable to look back!

Food is put in lethal amounts of salt, pepper and garlic, which can kill cows. As for alcohol, the pursuit of ultimate "flavor" is put into it, whatever is stimulating is put in it, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, all kinds of flavors are included.

There is just no smell of alcohol.

Doug even suspected that even if the wine was replaced with swill, the elders might not be able to drink it!
Doug gently sipped the wine, leaned back on the soft sofa, crossed his legs, and looked at the gorgeous dancers on the dance floor. He felt a little moved for a moment.

Just as he was about to speak, the herder Manda who came with him said, "Master Doug, we have been here for five days. Should we continue our movement?"

Doug frowned, glanced, and lowered his gaze slightly: "Manda, you should remember that I am responsible for everything in this operation."

Feeling Doug's dissatisfaction, Manda pursed his lips and said, "Of course, I have no intention of challenging your authority, but there is nothing unusual here that is worth noting. According to the plan made by the elders..."

Doug waved his hand to interrupt Manda's words. He hated Manda, not only because Manda showed ambition and tried to compete with him for the right to speak in this way, but also because of Manda's stupidity.

He is just a shepherd and the elder’s dog. Why is he barking at me?

"As the old saying goes, a general has the right to decide the details of the front line." Doug looked directly into Manda's eyes: "Everything I do is for the future of the Holy Church. I have no obligation to explain it to you."

"If you think my decision is wrong, then now I can let you act on your own and leave the Eagle Territory!" He looked at the two herders who had been silent the whole time and said, "The same goes for you."

The two men shook their heads at the same time. Manda's face became stiff, but he finally forced a smile: "Master Doug, I was not tactful in my words!"

Manda was probably doing this just to show off in front of the elders when he returned, to show that he was not just here to eat and do nothing, and he really did not have the confidence to part ways with Doug.

At this time, the classic Angel's Tears was ready. Manda poured a glass for Doug in a flattering manner, poured some for herself, and drank it down with her head tilted back.

The cool wine flows into the throat, and the mouth feels a clear and sweet taste that has never been experienced before. Every sip is a rare enjoyment.

The money is all with Doug. If he leaves, where will Manda go to drink such good wine?
Doug noticed the changes in Manda's expression and a hint of disdain appeared on the corner of his mouth - these things whose heads had been corroded and rigidified by the energy of the undead, were really courting their own death by competing with him in intelligence.

However, crushing Manda intellectually could not bring him any pleasure. He needed something more exciting to excite himself!

Doug placed a money bag on the table and said, "Next, you can order whatever you want. I'm going to go out for a walk and gather some information."

Manda wanted to say something, but his eyes were attracted by the dancers on the dance floor. He swallowed and said no more.

"You're sensible." Doug snorted, turned around and left the box, but did not go through the front door. Instead, he left the Crystal Palace from the back door, walked through a passage, and came to the adjacent "Paradise Hall".

Paramount is a casino.

Unlike the gorgeous Crystal Palace, the decoration of the Paramount Hall is more grand and luxurious on the surface. Granite is used from the floor to the walls, which looks neat and bright, and there are even patterns outlined with gold lines on it.

As you enter the gate, the first thing that catches your eye is a tall wall, which I heard is called the "Feng Shui Wall".

There are eight golden characters engraved on it:

"When luck comes, a card changes your fate"

Doug murmured subconsciously, feeling somewhat disdainful, but as if something had been aroused, a sense of heat welled up in his heart.

In short, this feeling is very complicated and mysterious.

There are gambling tables in the hall, with red hardwood tabletops covered with green silk cloth, and there are various ways to play.

There are simple games such as blackjack and dice betting, more complex games such as bridge, stud, baccarat, and even Othello, which is very popular in the Nordic province.

However, at present, the most popular and most supported game is the unique gameplay launched by Paramount: throwing eggs!

Since it is a competition mode in which four people form teams of two, this way of playing avoids the possibility of cheating in the casino to the greatest extent, leaving the victory or defeat in the hands of the gamblers themselves. The rules are simple and exciting.

As this way of playing is gradually popularized, even fixed partners for playing "throwing eggs" have begun to appear in Bailetang.

Not to mention the entire Nord Province, it is unique even in the entire empire.

Very attractive to all gamblers!
Doug certainly doesn’t have a fixed partner yet, but that doesn’t stop him from liking this way of playing. The feeling of being invincible at the card table makes him extremely addicted!
Today he was ready to kill everyone. He went to the front desk to exchange chips and began to wander around the poker table.

As a veteran in gambling, Doug is observing the situation at each table. This is how he chooses his opponents and also how he wants to choose his teammates.

At the same time, Raven and Fiona also came to the casino along the passage, but did not enter. Instead, they sat down in the rest area nearby.

Even though they had no intention of gambling, the waiter immediately brought them drinks and desserts.

Raven's eyes were fixed on Doug. Fiona picked up the wine glass and took a sip, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

This is not Angel's Tears, but it is also a good wine with a market price of 6.37 silver coins per bottle.

"My Lord Baron, there is something I don't know whether I should say or not."

Raven said smoothly, "Speak."

Fiona said, "I felt strange when I was in the Crystal Palace before. With such a large-scale application of magic lights, I'm afraid a magic crystal will be used every day. Besides, except for the Angel Kit, the prices on the wine list are almost non-existent, so the profit is probably not high."

“And the Bailetang here has a lot of people, but I remember that you only take 8% of the commission from each table, but you are providing these expensive drinks and snacks for free.”

At this point, Fiona took a deep breath and organized her words: "What I want to say is, if you do this, the income may not be able to cover the cost, right?"

Raven turned around and looked at Fiona in surprise: "You can actually see this level."

As expected of a top student, he hit the point right away.

"In fact, it's not just the Crystal Palace and the Paramount Hall. Apart from the Arena, the entire Eagle Town's industries are basically operating at a loss."

Fiona was a little puzzled: "If that's the case, why do you want to continue running the business like this?"

Raven did not answer directly, but asked another question: "What do you think is the most important thing for a casino?"

"...What is it?"

"Feng Shui!"

"Wind... Water?"

"Yes, Feng Shui." Raven said calmly:

"Water, in its most common form, is in rivers, which cannot be easily diverted, just like once a casino is built, it cannot be easily relocated."

“So whether it’s architecture, decoration or services, you have to invest the most money at the beginning, build it once and do it to the best of your ability, and don’t think there will be an opportunity to start over in the future.”

Fiona asked, "What about the wind?"

Raven continued to explain: "Wind is the flow of people and tourists. It is free. There can be wind without water, but with water, the wind will be more stable, just like every morning, the wind blows towards the shore; every sunset, the wind blows towards the river."

"No matter what industry or business it is, from selling firewood to selling arms, it requires sufficient customer flow and customer sources. Only when there are enough customers can you make money."

Fiona seemed to have discovered a great secret: "I understand. That's why you work so hard to run the Colosseum. It's just to have a water eye and a wind eye to attract as many people as possible!"

"Water and wind both flow, and those who go to the Colosseum will naturally make other purchases in the surrounding shops!"

"And precisely because of the high-end service of the Colosseum, other shops must also have their own style, so that their services can be maintained above the standard, and accumulate word of mouth and fame, until they also become water eyes and storm eyes!"

Raven nodded slowly with satisfaction: "You have a good understanding. It seems that old Gordon gave birth to a good granddaughter."

Fiona lowered her head, but her toes were raised proudly.

At this moment, Raven sighed:
"Hey, it's a rare visitor."

……

(End of this chapter)