Miss Witch, it's time to clean up the entries

Chapter 155: Empire Cards and [Natural Card Player]

Yusofa, Blueberry Manor.

The corridor where hydrangeas and wisteria were intertwined is now only left with broken vines and withered flowers.

In the center of the garden, the stone sculpture that symbolized aristocratic taste was in ruins, and fragments of the impacted water monster statue were scattered in the fountain pool.

Along the cobbled paths, the once neatly arranged flower beds are now in disarray, with precious herbs and flowers uprooted, the earth exposed and cracked.

This was not because Rose Territory had declared war on Blue Moon Territory, nor was Blueberry Manor attacked by any bandits, but simply because Nancy Stuart and Anne used the back garden as a training ground.

After the two men sparred for several hours, the manor's back garden became a brand new ruin.

It took many gardeners and servants many hours to save it.

If Li En hadn't suddenly appeared, they might have had to practice for a while longer.

Although Li En felt a little sorry for his property after seeing the messy scene, since he had obtained many good treasures from the black-hearted businessman Vegeta today, he was not in such a bad mood as to blame Annie and Nancy.

Both of them were his loyal cadres, and one of them often slept with him.

Therefore, Li En chose to save the garden by turning the soil for the flowers and cleaning up the dead branches and leaves, while asking about the situation of Mrs. Milos, the superior of the black-hearted businessman.

"It's unlikely that Mrs. Milos possesses a gift. Gifts are generally only possessed by royal families and nobles."

Nancy Stuart said,

"But we can't rule out this possibility. Mary once said that there are probably more than ten gifts in this world."

"Okay, then, what is her character like? Is she a worthy trade partner?"

Li En continued to ask.

"According to intelligence, Mrs. Milos is a very sentimental and trustworthy person. She has an excellent reputation, which is why the Revolutionary Army is willing to continue cooperating with her."

Nancy Stuart said.

"She's still a rare beauty."

Anne reminded.

Nancy Stuart nodded. "It is said that Usman, the third in command of the Revolutionary Army, is pursuing her, but she has never agreed."

Li En heard a lot of gossip about the Black Widow, Mrs. Milos, which made him feel that Mrs. Milos was not the kind of person who could become one of the top three in the black market.

"How did a widow who values ​​affection, keeps her promises, constantly reflects on herself, and has a bit of a love-brained mind, get to where she is now?"

Li En asked in confusion.

"This is all thanks to her butler, Mr. Mansfield. He is a ruthless and talented man. He manages almost all of Mrs. Milos's assets. He is the first butler of the Milos Group."

Nancy Stuart explained.

Li En put down the broom in his hand and looked at Nancy Stuart. "So Mrs. Milos listens to Mansfield in everything? If I want to do business with her, I have to go through Mansfield?"

"That's not true. Mrs. Milos is still the group's main decision-maker, but she mostly leaves things to her butler, Mansfield. Mansfield respects and is loyal to her 100%. Mrs. Milos once rescued him from a slave farm and gave him the opportunity to study. Mrs. Milos is his benefactor."

Nancy Stuart recalled.

Her memory is indeed very good. She can remember clearly even information from a long time ago, as long as the names of these people are really worth remembering.

Anne, by contrast, knew very little.

She couldn't even get a word in most of the time and could only listen silently with Li En.

"Okay, I think I understand."

Li En sat down on the steps of the garden. "Now let's talk about another person, Mary's newly appointed Secretary of War, Glennan Doyle."

"Glennan Doyle is a newly minted noble in Rose Territory. His father is the owner of a railway company, and his mother is the youngest daughter of the established James family. He graduated from Caister University in the imperial capital, Yalong City. He is 45 years old and already a five-star Glory Knight. He has remained single. Rumors are circulating that this is because his standards are too high, and people believe no one is worthy of him."

Nancy Stuart said.

"Actually?"

Lee En asked.

"Actually, he likes men. He secretly keeps three or four lovers, all of them handsome young men like you."

Nancy Stuart gave an ambiguous smile.

"If you want to bribe him, you might as well start from this aspect."

Li En shook the dirt off his hands and said, "I refuse, Nancy. You are asking me to sell my body."

"I mean you can send relevant gifts, not that you should go in person."

Nancy Stuart explained.

"Father Seamus has been too busy lately. Besides, he's about to become a bishop. He definitely won't help me seduce a middle-aged man."

Thinking of a man as handsome as himself, Li En first thought of the succubus breeder Simo. His appearance has always been popular among rich women, and perhaps older men would like him too.

The second is Anderson, the handsome man in his own army. Since he had several goblin wives, Anderson has become more and more greasy. In addition, he has been exposed to the wind and sun after joining the army. Now his skin is as dark as a piece of charcoal. He is no longer the best candidate for the beauty trap, and he is not even a backup candidate.

If Li En had known this, he would not have let the goblin harm Anderson and would have told him to maintain his image.

After much thought, it seemed that the only person left was Foreign Secretary Alex Poole.

This 1-meter-tall little boy is only slightly inferior to me in terms of appearance and temperament. His only shortcoming is that his fighting ability is too weak. He might be beaten to death by the five-star Glory Knight.

For the sake of his subordinates' health, Li En decided to give up the plan of beauty trap and asked,

"Do you have any other hobbies, such as greed for money?"

Nancy Stuart shook her head. "His family is very rich. But he likes to play Empire."

"What is the Empire brand?"

After Li En came to this world, he had rarely been exposed to card-related entertainment activities.

Nancy Stuart and Anne looked at Lee En in surprise. He didn't even know about Empire.

But after just a moment, they figured it out. Li En had always lived in a rural area like Blueberry Town, so how could he have come into contact with Empire cards, which only the nobility played?

Nancy Stuart explained the rules of Empire Cards to Li En in detail.

Empire Cards, also known as Frank Cards, is an entertainment game invented by the first King Frank. Because it was popular among the nobles, it quickly became popular throughout the empire and was later called Empire Cards.

It is a public card game played by players against each other. Each table has at least 2 and a maximum of 40 players, and is usually played by 2-16 people.

Empire has a total of 108 cards, including 22 regional cards, 12 rare cards, and 20 prop cards. There are only 54 cards that usually participate in the game. When there are no special cards involved, the gameplay is similar to Texas Hold'em, but there are some differences in details.

Each player is dealt two cards as "hole cards," and six community cards are dealt face up by the dealer. At the start, each player has two face-down hole cards. After all betting rounds, if a winner remains undecided, the game enters the "showdown" phase, where the remaining players reveal their hole cards to determine the winner. The winner is the one with the higher hand.

When special cards are involved, the situation is completely different, which tests the player's brain and luck.

For example, if you get a region card, you can enjoy the protection of the wall once, and no penalty will be applied to the outcome of the showdown during this round. If several players have region cards, they are ranked according to the strength of the 22 empires. The region card of Wulong City is the largest, and the region card of Green Shade Territory is the third weakest.

Because it is a game among nobles, sometimes hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars may flow in a single game. Many nobles have lost everything due to their addiction to Empire Cards. Therefore, Empire Cards is also known as the standard for testing wealth, which can distinguish those nobles who have fallen on hard times from those who have truly won everything.

The probability of these 54 special cards appearing in a normal game is extremely small, especially the 12 rare cards. Rare cards are also called power cards. The price of a power card has been hyped up to one million gold, which is a real luxury for aristocratic collectors.

"It's said that Glennan Doyle has one rare card, two regional cards, and four item cards. He's even held an Empire Card Exhibition, inviting all aristocratic Empire Card enthusiasts to visit. If you can get one of the rare cards, you'll have a chance to become his friend."

Nancy Stuart said, "But rare cards are so rare that even the most accomplished collectors, like Glenn Doyle, only managed to collect one over the years."

“Can I buy it on the black market?”

Lee En asked.

"It's very easy to buy fakes on the black market, and the prices are quite high."

Nancy Stuart reminded.

"Okay, then let's start with the most common Empire cards."

Li En decided to learn a new skill first. As a 21st-century person, what card game had he not played? It should not be difficult to learn.

For the next two days, Li En played Empire Cards with the maids in the manor.

Although Empire Cards is a game among aristocrats, specially trained assassins like Nancy and Anne know a little about it, and those aristocratic girls who have fallen into the role of pastry shop girls know how to play cards even better.

But none of them can be called masters of playing cards.

Li En discovered that even when playing cards with them, he was often at a disadvantage. Empire Cards was not as simple as he had imagined.

Li En also successfully unlocked a card-playing skill and obtained a new entry.

[Card Noob] You have no talent at playing Empire. If you want to become a card player, you may need another thirty or forty years of practice.

Um... 30 or 40 years? Are you kidding?
Li En would not be willing to spend so much time studying just to play Empire cards.

But he can always find a shortcut, such as going to the entry mall to see if there are any similar entries refreshed.

Based on the entries you have obtained before, when you possess a certain skill, there is a high probability that an advanced version will appear in the mall.

For example, a cartographer.

Li En opened the entry mall and saw a brand new entry list.

[Card Master] (Green) You have a little talent for playing Empire cards. If you want to become a master, you may need another ten years of practice.

Redemption points: 1000.

[Card Master] (Green) You are extremely talented in playing Empire cards. If you want to become a card player, you may need three to five years of practice.

Redemption points: 5000.

[Natural Poker Player] (Green) You are a natural Empire Poker player, rarely encountering an opponent at the table. The Empire Chess and Card Club is willing to offer you an annual salary of 1 gold, and the Empire's nobles are also willing to open their doors to you, earning the envy of fellow players and the friendship of the nobility. Your attraction to special cards is increased by 5%.

Redemption points: 10000.

[Card Game Legend] (Silver) Your name will be etched in the annals of Empire Cards. No one can defeat you in a card game, and you will earn the respect of all players. Nobles who love Empire Cards will vie for your friendship. Your attraction to special cards increases by 10%, and your Charisma increases by 5.

Redemption points: 30000.

Li En now has a total of 64000 points available, of which 50000 points are accumulated before, 13000 points are obtained by instigating the assassination team sent by Mary to assassinate Catherine, and 1000 points are obtained by clearing the entries of the unintentional assassins that Mary had placed by his side during this period.

He could definitely exchange it for [Card Game Legend], but it would be a huge waste of points for him.

He must accumulate points and redeem them for higher-level knight entries or believer entries.

Therefore, he chose the more cost-effective [Natural Born Poker Player]. This entry seemed to help him get a good part-time job, with an additional base salary of 1 gold coins per year.

After successfully exchanging the entry, Li En played cards with the maids again, and it was a complete dimensionality reduction attack. He killed all of them and made the maids lose everything.

But the strange thing was that no maid refused to play cards with him. Even if they would lose every time, they were still happy to do it.

Because there will never be such a good opportunity to seduce Li En again.

The maids wished they could lose every game so that they could take off their complicated dresses sooner.

It was not until Li En started gambling with them that they began to give up.

Three days passed after the happy card playing time, and Inna returned to Li En.

Her mental state is much better than before, but she still wears a veil, which proves that she is not yet an adult.

She managed to eat a demon eater that was much weaker than Nancy Stuart.

The newly appointed Rose Territory's Minister of War, Glennan Doyle, finally arrived in Yusofa.

As Yusofa's nominal governor, Li En organized a grand welcome banquet to welcome the new nobleman of the Rose Territory.

The Imperial Cards at the banquet became a highlight because two special cards were displayed on the board, which attracted the attention of many nobles.

As for this special card, Li En found it in the collection left by Baron Rosa.

He didn't expect that Baron Rosa was also a collector of Empire cards. He collected 1 regional card, 1 prop card, and a complete set of collector's edition common cards.

(End of this chapter)