Chapter 31

The floor of the corridor was covered with a red carpet, and the swaying group of people, led by a waiter waiting at the stairs on the second floor, walked straight into the second room on the left.

The interior of the room was quite large, and the gas lamp was turned to the maximum power, illuminating everything in the room brilliantly. But at the same time, having just left the chaotic environment downstairs, the normal scene at this moment instead revealed a distorted feeling.

The interior of the room looked like an ordinary reception room, but a huge gambling table was placed in the center.

The tabletop was wider, and there were more seats. Against the wall stood a wine cabinet, as well as two women wearing heavy makeup and inappropriate clothing. The drunks and the waiter responsible for acting as the dealer did not discover Xia De, a guy who shouldn't have appeared, and the group changed to a new room to continue the enjoyment just now.

Xia De stood beside the sofa, trying not to attract attention, wanting to find an opportunity to slip into the corridor.

He was planning in his heart whether he should use the "Ignite" ability to create some small trouble to attract attention, when he heard the drunk he had just supported say to a man with a scar on the corner of his mouth who was sitting on the sofa with his head down:

"Captain Lades, tell us again the story of when you were captured by those Southerners, in order to be loyal to the kingdom, you shot yourself in the head eight times in an attempt to commit suicide!"

The drunk laughed loudly. Captain Lades, who was mocked, kept his head down and said nothing, just looking at his boots dully.

"Lades has just been redeemed, let's not talk about this... why not find a pistol and let him demonstrate it to us, hahahaha~"

The man holding three cards at the table turned his head and said, and the room was suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere. Xia De took the opportunity when everyone was laughing and taking turns mocking the "Eight-Shot Captain" who had just returned home after being captured, and successfully left the noisy room and returned to the corridor.

The sound insulation of the walls and doors was very good. After Xia De walked a few steps, he could hardly hear the roar of laughter in the room. He walked forward against the wall. There was no one in the corridor, which was favorable for his actions.

Although he didn't know where young Franklin was, according to the records of the previous detective, the second floor of the Lucky Southern Cross Club had an escape ladder leading directly to the outside, so Xia De was not worried about being caught.

But thinking this way in his heart, after turning the corner, he saw a man wearing a uniform significantly different from the casino guards downstairs walking towards him.

Xia De walked forward with his chest held high, not letting himself show any timidity. But even so, he was still stopped by the man:

"Sorry, sir, please wait a moment. I don't seem to have seen you."

Saying that, he reached out to grab Xia De's shoulder. Although Xia De had no close-combat experience, his instinctive dodging was unexpectedly successful. This made him realize again that the enhancement of the Ringed Shushi is comprehensive:

"Yes, I was invited up, I just went to the washroom."

He explained.

"But isn't the washroom over there?"

The man pointed to the direction the detective had just come from and looked at him suspiciously:

"Your skills are really good."

"... The washroom over there is broken, the things vomited by that group of drunks blocked the toilet, oh, I really don't want to describe that scene to you."

Xia De was quite impressed with his own wit, but the man who stopped him still frowned:

"Sir, you are not a guest on the second floor, right?"

Although it was a question, the tone was already affirmative.

Xia De smiled awkwardly, and continuing to quibble was completely unnecessary. Fortunately, he had no dangerous items on him, and he did not do anything bad in this club:

"Well, I was just curious about the second floor, and just now took advantage of guests going upstairs to follow them up... I will leave the club immediately, I understand this."

Something unexpected happened, and Xia De didn't have to compete with the gangsters who opened the casino for half a pound. Saying that, he wanted to step back, but was stopped again by the next sentence of the man who blocked the way:

"Don't run around in the future, everything above the second floor is for distinguished guests. If you want to play here, you have to follow the rules. You don't have to leave, you can continue on the first floor... wait, you wouldn't be here to find 'Poor' Franklin, right?"

He frowned.

"Um... well."

Thinking about the current situation, Xia De thought there was no need to lie, the other party was still a reasonable person for the time being:

"If you are talking about the young man with small eyes, wearing a gray hat, a sailor's short shirt, and a face full of freckles, yes, his father asked me to take him away."

"His father sent someone again? Come with me, pay off the money he owes, and you can take him away."

The man beckoned to Xia De and led him along the corridor:

"You should have said it on the first floor. For guys like this who owe gambling debts, we are still worried about how to find someone to pay them back."

The guy who opened the casino was unexpectedly very reasonable.

"I didn't think... how much does he owe?"

Xia De asked this key question. The accountant promised that if his son owed a debt in the casino, the detective could pay in advance, and this money could be reimbursed, but Xia De himself did not have much cash.

"1 pound 6 shillings, counting interest and his food and lodging here these days, two pounds, you can take him away."

The bets on the first floor were actually not big. Young Franklin could lose so much in two days, probably he didn't bet right once. But these have nothing to do with Xia De. Mr. Franklin can pay the debt within 10 pounds, and Xia De also happened to have 2 pounds.

The man said again:

"Of course, since you are here on behalf of his father. Then, just like last time, if you are willing to give us 3 pounds 6 shillings, the casino can give you a 5-pound receipt for you to take to 'Poor' Franklin's father..."

It took Xia De several seconds to react to what the man meant. He had seen this kind of thing in his original world, but he was still shocked by the business acumen of the guy who opened the casino in another world. He thought about it and shook his head:

"Thank you for your kindness, but let's forget it this time. Long-term business is better."

He just felt some sympathy for Mr. Franklin, who was about to move his whole family, and thought he didn't need to make money this way. The man leading the way didn't care, but instead agreed with Xia De's view:

"That's true, long-term business. Anyway, 'Poor' Franklin will come again."

Xia De admitted that he had very evil thoughts about the club's so-called "repaying debts," but in fact, young Franklin was just forced to help wash dishes in the kitchen, and he could be released after washing enough.

When the man led Xia De into the kitchen, he happened to see a fat man in a chef's uniform punch the young man with small eyes to the ground. Young Franklin, who looked thin, fell on the Rhoder cards scattered all over the floor, and the blood brought out when his teeth fell out splashed on the surface of those cards.

At the end of the kitchen was a bloody pig's head, and the steam pipe was spraying hot steam towards the pig's head. The fat chef seemed to be dealing with this just now.

"Stop hitting, someone has come to redeem him."

The man leading the way said lazily, first waving his hand to disperse the kitchen smell in front of his nose, and then reaching out to let Xia De pay. Xia De also stuffed the 2-pound banknote he had prepared into the man's hand, and then pulled up young Franklin on the ground:

"It was your father who asked me to..."

"Mr. Neat, he can't leave now, this damn kid wanted to run away and bit me."

The chef said angrily, stretching out his chubby hand to show the bloody tooth marks on it:

"Give me half a pound, otherwise he can't leave."