Chapter 129: Dacheng Player

However, Xia De had only just walked into the lobby when his wrist was grabbed.

The tall, thin middle-aged man in black leather shoes stood almost face-to-face with Xia De. Mr. Cynthia Mark, vice president of the Tobesk branch of the Prophet Association, had really given Xia De a fright.

"Mr. Hamilton, you've finally come."

Mr. Mark's voice was hoarse today.

"Am I late?"

Xia De asked hesitantly.

Mr. Mark let go, giving Xia De a chance to take out his pocket watch, but it was only 9:30 in the morning.

"You are not late; I was just too early."

"Mr. Mark, what time did you wait here for me?"

Xia De could imagine the scene of this middle-aged gentleman walking back and forth in front of the association door with his hands behind his back waiting for him.

"Nine o'clock. Mr. Hamilton, you don't understand how important today is to me."

As he spoke, he led Xia De toward the stairs leading to the second floor. A group of people standing at the entrance of the stairs spontaneously made way for Mr. Mark and looked at Xia De curiously.

"Important to you?"

Xia De thought he had heard wrong.

"If that Luo De card of yours is successfully appraised, then the Tobesk branch will be the first branch in nearly thirty years to appraise a Luo De card from the Genesis series. We will completely overwhelm all associations, including the Ryan headquarters, and become the... in short, this is also a very important matter for us."

It could be seen that the Prophet Association was really well-prepared. Today, the entire third floor of the association was closed to the public. Compared to the last time Xia De came up, the carpet had been replaced with a brand new one, the oil paintings hanging on the wall had been replaced with new ones that looked like antiques, the gas lamps hanging on the wall had been carefully wiped, and even the doorplates of each room had been replaced with brand new styles.

Xia De calculated the cost of such renovation and found that it might be more than the reward he received yesterday.

The association opened the main conference room on the third floor, which was the conference room used only for important agendas, as the appraisal venue for today. The room had been cleaned and renovated, and the interior was divided into two parts. One part was the work area for those white-haired Luo De card appraisal masters who had arrived early. Each of these old gentlemen looked like an old professor who had walked out of the university district of Tobesk.

The other part was for Xia De to rest and talk about some things with the Prophet Association.

The president of the Tobesk branch was still away today, and Vice President Mark received Xia De. He introduced Mr. Lister Rimo, who had come specially from the headquarters in Ryan, the capital of the Lagson Principality in the central part of the Kingdom of Carsonrick.

Mr. Rimo was a middle-aged man who was bald, had a somewhat large head, but was taller than Xia De. He was also a vice president, but he was the vice president of the entire Prophet Association.

Everyone sat down, and Xia De took out his notebook to show the 【Genesis · Silver Moon】 inside.

Mr. Rimo and those white-haired appraisers all showed expressions of amazement:

"Truly amazing. Even just looking at it, I feel like I've seen a miracle."

Mr. Rimo said something very exaggerated, then called the association's secretary to record the following conversation. This was a very formal occasion and needed to be recorded to form a report for archiving.

For this matter, the Tobesk branch prepared three secretaries, two men and one woman. Xia De felt that the slightly older brown-haired lady wearing the association uniform and a snake-eating-its-tail pendant looked familiar, and then he saw that it was indeed Miss Annette, the three-ring female sorceress of the group.

"Putting on this uniform really changes one's temperament a lot."

He sighed in his heart.

The lady with beautiful purple eyes looked up and saw Xia De, also very shocked, even unusually shocked. Her reaction didn't look like she had seen an acquaintance, but rather like she had seen an evil god appear before her eyes.

She sat on the chair behind the sofa where Mr. Rimo was sitting, preparing to record. So she could only control her expression and nod to Xia De as a greeting, but she must have had many things she wanted to ask.

"Speaking of which, Doctor Schneider, Miss Louisa, and Priest Ao Gu Si all know I have this card, but I haven't told Miss Annette... However, what did her look just now mean? Isn't it too exaggerated?"

He thought in his heart, put on the white gloves prepared by the association, took the 【Genesis · Silver Moon】 out of the notebook, and handed it to the old gentleman sitting on his left. The old appraiser looked like he was about to faint from excitement.

The appraisal venue was right next to them, ensuring the card would not leave Xia De's sight throughout the process. While the appraisers were working, Mr. Rimo and Mr. Mark talked with Xia De.

Of course, the association had no right to interfere with the ownership of the card owner, but the Genesis series cards had important significance to the association:

"Mr. Hamilton, I want to confirm again, do you really want the association to help find a buyer and sell this card?"

Mr. Mark, vice president of the Tobesk branch, asked. This time, Xia De gave the opposite answer:

"Sorry, I don't want to sell it for the time being."

This was not only because he wasn't in a hurry to use money now, but also because by using this card to connect with the high-ring mage Duchess Galina Cavendish, it would be of great benefit not only to his detective career but also to his studies as a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi in the future.

"You really would think so. No one can refuse a Luo De card. There is a strange saying that every Luo De card will choose its owner. Mr. Hamilton, it is destined to belong to you."

This was probably some kind of superstition surrounding gambling, a means concocted by the Prophet Association to promote Luo De card sales.

The bald Mr. Rimo's Delarian language wasn't very good, and he had a very strange accent:

"Mr. Hamilton, sorry, may I ask about your future arrangements for this card? Purely personal collection? Or will you let it appear in a Luo De card tournament?"

"I will probably use it, but I won't gamble."

Xia De emphasized, seeing the two vice presidents look at each other, and added:

"I know the value of this card... but I met some nice people recently. Just yesterday, Miss Galina Cavendish invited me to take this card to participate in a Luo De card game on Sunday night, with... what was the name of that Duke?"

"Duke Lu Kasi?"

Mr. Mark asked tentatively. Seeing Xia De nod, this gentleman showed a pleasant smile:

"We have always advocated that Luo De cards should appear in competitions, not be hidden. Mr. Hamilton, I am very happy you can make such a choice. Coincidentally, the Prophet Association will appear to notarize the Luo De card game on the weekend."

"Isn't this a private game?"

Xia De asked hesitantly. Mr. Rimo, with his strange accent, explained:

"I also know about the weekend game. This is probably the most important Luo De card game in the Tobesk area this month. Duke Lu Kasi publicly invited Luo De card lovers he knows to watch the game. Although it is only a game between two people, the Prophet Association will also notarize it in the strictest way."

"Rather than saying it's a game on the weekend, it's better to say it's a salon for nobles and Luo De card lovers. However, I didn't expect the other party playing against old Duke Lu Kasi to be Miss Galina."

"Do you also know Miss Galina?"

Xia De asked curiously. He still didn't know what this lady looked like.

"Although Miss Galina rarely participates in social activities, this lady is quite famous. After all, she is an unmarried Duchess..."

He winked at Xia De:

"Social occasions never lack discussions about her. Being favored by Miss Galina, Mr. Hamilton, you are really lucky."

Mentioning luck, Xia De was startled and realized one thing:

"Speaking of which, I was also invited to participate in a Luo De card game on Sunday night last week, and then... this Sunday night, it's this kind of activity again."

He planned to ask about the whereabouts of the others in the group on Saturday.

And after such a circle, Mr. Rimo finally mentioned the topic he wanted to ask:

"Since you don't mind using this Genesis series card to participate in a Luo De card game, then, are you willing to participate in the 'Dacheng Player' Luo De card tournament held in Tobesk this autumn?"

This was the reason why Mr. Rimo traveled thousands of miles from the south to Tobesk. With the "Genesis series" Luo De card appearing in the competition as a gimmick, this year's "Dacheng Player" would definitely be able to attract more participants.

"Sorry, I don't gamble."

Xia De shook his head immediately.

Vice President Mark explained immediately:

"But this is not gambling. The association never organizes gambling-type activities. This is just a Luo De card tournament, not a bet between two parties, but after paying a small registration fee, you get prizes provided by the association based on your ranking, and the association can gain connections and promote Luo De cards through such tournaments. At that time, you can meet all the Luo De card masters from the New Continent and the Old Continent."

"If that's the case..."

Then there was no problem, but Xia De was waiting for the other party to make an offer. Sure enough, the gentlemen present were very knowledgeable, and Mr. Mark immediately said with a smile:

"We can even pay a sum of money as an invitation fee..."

He reached out and twisted his fingers, but was immediately "reprimanded" by Mr. Rimo, the vice president of the Prophet Association:

"There is no such rule. This won't do. Paying to invite Luo De card players will destroy the fairness of the tournament."

The bald Mr. Rimo's tone was serious, but before Vice President Mark could apologize, he said to Xia De again:

"If you participate, I think the association can provide an additional sum of money to pay for your lost wages, transportation, food, accommodation, and clothing expenses for participating in the tournament. Of course, this is not paying to invite you to participate, but just to compensate for your losses from participating in the competition. This money can stand up to scrutiny."

This was probably the reason why Mr. Rimo was the vice president of the Prophet Association, while Mr. Mark was only the vice president of the Tobesk branch.

"In that case."

Xia De leaned back on the sofa with Mr. Mark and Mr. Rimo, and all three men showed smiles on their faces:

"Then there is absolutely no problem."

Miss Annette smiled and shook her head while recording.

The southerner bent down again and wrote a number on the letter paper on the coffee table and handed it over:

"This is the reward, Mr. Hamilton. You will probably be satisfied."

Xia De squinted at the number:

"Let me confirm, is the unit gold pounds or Carsonrick crowns?"