Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

Old Jim looked up, his face now streaked with tears, sobbing uncontrollably as he began to recount his woes.

"This child has had a hard life! Her mother died in childbirth shortly after she was born, and I raised her all by myself, carrying heavy bags and moving crates at the docks, eating only porridge and rice! I'm useless, and she has to suffer with me..."

"I was recently diagnosed with lung disease and don't know how long I'll live. I thought I'd try my luck at the casino and earn some money for her to live on. Otherwise, how will she, a young girl, survive after I die?"

He cried as he slapped himself twice, his cheeks turning bright red, and kept repenting.

He never uttered a single truth.

"I was bewitched! I'm a complete idiot! The more I lost, the more anxious I became, and the more anxious I became, the more I lost. I even borrowed money from underground lenders at exorbitant interest rates, and now, with the interest snowballing, I simply can't pay it back..."

"They said if we don't pay back the money within three days, they'll sell my daughter and me to illegal mines! We'll both be dead!"

"My lords, please have mercy and give me back my money! Even half will do! I'll serve you like a slave! I'll repay you in my next life! Please spare my daughter and me!"

His crying was so sincere and heartfelt, every word filled with sorrow. If someone who didn't know the situation had read it, they might have been moved by his words and felt compassion.

Unfortunately, Norze witnessed firsthand how he slapped the little girl across the face, how he called her a jinx, and how he threatened to sell her to a brothel.

Seeing his pretentious act, Norze immediately snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

"Stop with your tricks. When you hit her just now, did you ever think about how you raised her from scratch? When you called her a jinx and threatened to sell her to a brothel, did you ever think about giving her a way to survive? Now that you've lost all your money, you suddenly remember she's your daughter?"

Old Jim's crying froze instantly. His face, still wet with tears, turned pale and then flushed. Embarrassed and ashamed, he knelt on the ground, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.

Just then, Graham, who had been leaning back on the sofa watching the show, suddenly put down his wine glass and slowly stood up.

He stepped over the scattered silver coins on the floor and walked step by step to old Jim. He squatted down in front of him, a strange smile on his face, and his voice had a bewitching magic.

"Hey, wanna turn things around?"

Old Jim paused for a moment, then looked up blankly at the man in front of him, who was dressed in oil-stained work clothes but couldn't hide his air of nobility. His eyes were full of confusion, but he still nodded subconsciously.

"think."

His voice was hoarse, carrying the resentment ingrained in the bones of a gambler.

"Do you want to crush them under your feet?"

"think!"

"Do you want to win all their money?"

"think!"

Graham raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening, and continued to press, "Don't you think you were just unlucky? That your card skills are perfectly fine? If you could play again, you'd definitely win, right?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Old Jim seemed to have his deepest obsession struck, instantly becoming excited, nodding frantically, his eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. "It was just luck... just a bit of bad luck! One more time! Just one more time! I can definitely win! I can win it all back!"

"Very good, very good..."

Graham nodded in satisfaction, his tone still slow and deliberate, yet each word was like a hook with downy hairs, tugging at the deepest, most insane greed in old Jim's heart.

"Then I'll give you a chance, a chance that will allow you to turn things around and win back all the money here."

Old Jim's breathing quickened instantly. He stared intently at Graham, as if grasping at a last straw. "What opportunity? Tell me! I'll agree to anything you say!"

Graham's gaze passed over old Jim and landed on the little girl hiding behind Norze, then returned to old Jim, his smile turning cold and cruel.

"It's very simple."

He spoke each word clearly, his voice carrying distinctly to everyone in the private room, "Now, how about you sell your daughter to me?"

"What?"

"I said, sell your daughter to me."

Graham calmly repeated it again.

The fervor on old Jim's face froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and as if he hadn't heard clearly, he stared blankly at Graham, the flame in his eyes fading almost entirely, leaving only incredulous astonishment.

Graham, however, seemed oblivious to his shock and continued to press his advantage, offering even more enticing terms, like a venomous snake lurking in its cave, slowly dragging its prey into its trap.

"Don't be so surprised... It's like you still have any conscience left. Don't you want to turn things around? I'll give you the initial capital, and give you one more chance to gamble, a chance to decide the winner in one round. Isn't that enough?"

"If you win, all the money on the table is yours, and I'll give you an extra hundred silver shields. That's enough to pay off your loan sharks, enough for you to run away with the money and live a life of comfort."

He paused, noticing the renewed wavering in old Jim's eyes, and continued to escalate the situation, his tone becoming increasingly persuasive.

"If we lose, it's okay. It just means we'll lose a daughter. It's not that bad, right?"

"this……"

Graham tilted his head and looked at old Jim. "Look, what a good deal. You just said you'd sell her to a brothel sooner or later anyway. Selling her to me is worse than selling her to someone else. My price is much higher than others, and I can get a chance to change her fate."

"What? You're too scared? Or were you just pretending when you said you wanted another chance?"

Old Jim stood frozen in place, his whole body trembling.

His gaze shifted between Graham's face, the mountain of silver shields on the table, and the little girl behind Norzer, his eyes filled with a frantic struggle.

On one side was his own daughter, with whom he shared blood, and on the other was an opportunity that could elevate him to the top and free him from all his predicaments. The gambler's inherent greed and the last vestiges of his humanity were tearing him apart.

The private room fell silent again, all eyes fixed on old Jim, awaiting his decision.

Old Jim's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the last vestige of hesitation in his cloudy eyes was ultimately swallowed up by surging greed.

He didn't even dare to look back at his daughter hiding behind Norze, staring intently at Graham as if he had grasped at the only straw.

"Think it over carefully... What if you win this time? You can buy her back, right?"