Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 578 - 578 Chapter Kingdom Spy Substitute

Chapter 578: 578 Chapter: Kingdom, Spy, Substitute Chapter 578: 578 Chapter: Kingdom, Spy, Substitute The two continued to draw cards, and Shard had not yet had the chance to look at his second card when Mr. Cameron laughed again:

“Look at my luck, I bet the card game at this year’s final will be talked about for many years.”

He revealed his second card:

“Special Card – Star 6 [Steam Age: Platform in the Whistle], when you draw this card, if you hold 1 or 2 special cards apart from this one, you may guess the suit of any one of your opponent’s unrevealed cards. If correct, you can prevent the next card your opponent plays that would adjust the face number from taking effect, ineffective against [Genesis] series.”

It sounded quite useful, but the likelihood of this card being effective was probably the lowest of all the cards Shard had encountered.

“It seems like your deck has quite a few cards from the [Steam Age] series?”

“Yes, three in total. I look forward to acquiring the entire set of 13 from the [Steam Age] before I die… I guess your second card is the moon!”

“Wrong.”

Shard flipped his card over:

“It’s the Queen.”

“Hmm?”

Mr. Cameron was taken aback, then he also laughed:

“Is this considered good luck or bad luck for me?”

He had already drawn the [King] in the first few rounds of this game; therefore, he could only beat the [Queen] with a Blackjack. But obviously, not just anyone could draw a Blackjack.

Thus, after the second game’s five rounds, Shard led 8 to 2. And if he were to continue winning, then he would be the champion of 1853.

Shard took a deep breath, twisted his neck to relax a little, then also stroked the cat that was completely clueless about the card game and was just looking around, leaning on the table. Mr. Cameron furrowed his brows in deep thought about his chances of winning, looking absolutely unwilling to concede.

Taking advantage of this moment, journalists who had come to interview were given permission to take a photograph of the two from the side. They were both in profile to the camera, so their appearances in the shot were less complete than the cat’s, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

“Now gentlemen, the sixth round of the second game begins. This round is match point, good luck to you both,” announced Vice President Mark loudly as the referee. At this announcement, the surroundings quieted down, and the card dealer quickly dealt the first hole cards to both players.

Shard lifted the corner of the card to peek at it, a Flower 10. Based on that, he estimated he wouldn’t need more than four cards this round.

“Keep dealing.”

After seeing his hole card, Mr. Cameron exhibited the same cautious expression as Shard.

For the second card, Shard got a Star 3, while Mr. Cameron received a Star 13. In this situation, both continued to ask for cards.

For the third card, Shard got a Flower 2 [King’s Secret Order: Substitute]. Mr. Cameron, however, drew a Star 7, and for an instant, his face revealed an expression of wild joy:

“Mr. Hamilton, I knew that today my luck is the better one, this round is mine…”

“Wait a moment.”

Shard immediately revealed his third card:

“[King’s Secret Order: Substitute], upon drawing this card, you may swap this card with the opponent’s unrevealed hole card, but cannot stop drawing cards for the current round.”

He pointed to Mr. Cameron’s hole card:

“As I have revealed this card before you flipped over your hole card, your hole card must be swapped with this Flower 2.”

Mr. Vigil Cameron’s mouth fell open slightly, staring in disbelief at the card in Shard’s hand. The onlookers were stirring, first not knowing the card, then a 13 and a 7; everyone knew what Mr. Cameron’s hole card was now that he showed his ecstatic expression.

“Please exchange cards.”

Seeing that Mr. Cameron was frozen in place, Vice President Mark spoke softly in his role as referee, prompting the latter to close his eyes and take a deep breath:

“It doesn’t matter, according to the rules, you have to keep drawing cards, there’s still a chance for you to bust.”

He flipped over his hole card, which was a Star 1. Had he not swapped cards, he would have had a Blackjack, but with the Star 1 now changed to a Flower 2, he was already busted.

“Is that so?”

The three cards in Shard’s hand were Star 1, Star 3. Since his opponent could no longer draw, he went ahead and revealed his hole card, a Flower 10:

“I’m currently at 14 points. As long as the next card is 7 or less, I win.”

“The odds are nearly fifty-fifty.”

Mr. Cameron was watching Shard with narrowed eyes, very tense.

In fact, it wasn’t just him who was tense, the dealer, the referee, and the onlookers were all feeling it too. The outcome of the next card would determine whether the card game would end here and now.

Shard could even clearly see sweat beads on Vice President Mark’s forehead, and the people outside the barricade were craning their necks desperately, eager to see what would happen next.

The cat licked its paw, seemingly the only one not tense in the slightest.

“The prize money is 3000 pounds…”

Shard thought to himself, then turned to the side:

“Please deal the cards.”

The steel ruler propped the cards, placing them in front of Shard. The card table, clad in a soft tablecloth, gleamed beneath the chandelier’s brilliance overhead, as if all the light in the room was now focused on this one card.

“What will it be?”

Shard carefully reached out and stroked Mia again, causing the cat sprawled on the table to meow in displeasure—the onlookers knew the young knight was seeking good luck.

Shard finally placed his hand on the card, admitting to himself that he too was a bit nervous.

[That’s very normal.]

Her voice brushed against his ear, and Shard almost felt a whisper of breath as he spoke. He turned his head, Tifa looked at him with an inquiring gaze, and the disconsolate Shard then said to the dark-haired girl:

“Madam, would you do me the honor of revealing my card?”

Tifa looked to Vice President Mark, the referee, who in turn looked to Shard’s opponent, who immediately nodded:

“Unveil the card quickly, my heart can hardly take it.”

The slight joke made the spectators laugh, but the laughter quickly died, and everyone held their breath as they looked toward the table.

Tifa moved from behind Shard to his side, picked up the card, and glanced at it.

“Madam, what’s the result?”

Some restless people were already inquiring.

“Shard, congratulations.”

Miss Maid placed the Flower Four on the table—14+4=18. Shard had won.

After a moment of silence, the room burst into a cacophony of discussion and cheers. Shard exhaled with relief and grabbed Tifa’s hand:

“You really are my lucky lady.”

The dark-haired girl smiled serenely.

Amidst the cheering, following the prearranged procedure, Shard and Mr. Cameron stood up and approached the referee, who raised Shard’s right hand high:

“In the name of the Prophet’s Society, I hereby declare the champion of Big City Player of the Common Era Calendar 1853 to be—Knight Shard Suren Hamilton!”

The crowd clapped fervently, and pre-prepared ribbons and balloons were thrown in the air. The flashbulbs of the reporters lit up in flurries, and every face was filled with joy and excitement—it was truly a legendary match.

Mr. Cameron held his head, but his lips curled into a smile.

He graciously extended his right hand to Shard, Vice President Mark stepped back, allowing Shard to shake hands with Mr. Cameron face-to-face, their handshake captured by the cameras.

“Good game, Mr. Hamilton.”

The lover of Grand Duke Seth said sincerely.

“You played well too.”

The rumored lover of Duke Galina said as well.

The two men shook arms firmly, their powerful handshake signifying mutual respect despite their differing ages and orientations. Mr. Cameron couldn’t help but sigh, a sentiment audible only to the two of them:

“To lose the final blackjack to you, you truly are worthy of being the King’s Spy.”

“Not a King’s Spy, but a King’s Secret Order: Substitute. Oh, and not a spy, but a [King’s Secret Order: Substitute].”

Shard corrected him, and the two men shared an unspoken smile:

“Knight, I am truly delighted to have met you on my trip to Tobesk this fall.”

Their handshake would be published in the newspapers the following day—the title “1853 King of Roder Card” would follow Shard for life. Although Outlanders still looked down on the entertainment of the era, he had to admit that he really enjoyed Roder Card.

“Meow~”

Mia leaped suddenly from the card table, landing on Shard’s shoulder. The crowd, dressed in gowns and suits, gasped and scrambled to catch the nearly falling cat, and Shard too was startled, his body leaning to one side, but he was steadied by helping hands.

The lively celebration swiftly became a bit of a mess, yet smiles were on everyone’s faces.

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Of course, he liked Mia the most.