Chapter 82.1 - Fierce Competition

The inside of the gambling house was a completely different world.

From the outside, the building only seemed clandestine; the interior situation could not be discerned at all. After entering the building, it could be seen that the place was very spacious.

The noisy and uproarious atmosphere rushed at An Zi Ran like a cloud of foul smoke, which made him slightly uncomfortable. He frowned. It seemed that this place was only good in appearance.

The spacious lobby was twice as big as the lobby of a typical restaurant. There were thirty gambling tables set up. Large groups of people crowded around the tables, staring intently at the things on the tabletop. Their eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Some have been gambling here since the previous night. They were just like addicts. Even though they lost everything they still refused to leave. They borrowed money from the gambling house and continued to gamble, leading to an increasing debt, until their faces were colored with despair.

This was a gambling house!

Everyone wanted to get rich in one night. Instead, they end up losing a family fortune.

People wanting to get rich quick were a common sight, but instead, they end up losing a family fortune. Families becoming ruined and homeless were much more common than overnight millionaires. There were many people who became crazy from losing too much.

An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian circled around the gambling house.

The gambling games here were all relatively simple and common.

Games like tossing dice, dominoes, and such were all simple things, but the people gambling were all riled up with excitement.

Every time the crowd of people laid down their bets they would stare at the dealer unblinkingly. When the dealer reveals the result, the excitement and despair were immediately intertwined.

The people in the gambling house took note of An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian early on. They saw them looking around but not betting. After observing for a while, couldn’t help but come over. A voice spoke in respectful tones, "Is it these two gong zi's first time coming here?"

Judging by their clothes, it was easy to tell that these two men weren't just commoners, so the manager did not dare to be contemptuous. In the capital, you never know who might have connections.

"Yes, it is the first time. Your gambling house only has these types of gambling games?"

An Zi Ran nodded.

The manager laughed. "Of course not. If these two gong zi would like to see others, you can go to the second floor. The first floor is just some small things. The real fun is on the second floor."

"Then lead the way."

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The manager immediately showed them to the second floor with extreme deference.

The first floor of the gambling house was opened to the common folk. There was no limit to the sum of money gambled. Players could bet as little as a single cooper coin or as much as they would like. However, if the amount exceeded certain limits, the dealers would pay attention to this person and then ask him to go to the second floor. The second floor was the most exciting place in the gambling house and also the place where the most money was exchanged.

Those who could go to the second floor were those who had at least a thousand silvers of net worth. The amount of eat bet never went lower than a hundred silvers, so people who liked stimulation would go to the second floor.

As they walked, the manager explained to them about the second floor.

Asides from mahjong and guessing games, the second floor also had cockfighting games with various types of animals. Overall, there was way more variety upstairs than there were downstairs.

To improve the class level, the gambling house also had private rooms.

The private rooms were mainly aimed towards those who came with companions. Some people just wanted a quiet place, while some people wanted to take care of personal grievances without being seen by others.

As the manager explained about the second floor he secretly observed the expressions of the two people and saw that they did not show too many expressions from the start up until the present. The doubts in his heart grew deeper and deeper. These two people didn't really seem to be interested in playing. The average person usually did not play for the first time at the gambling house, but they would still reveal some looks of interest. However, these two had no reactions from beginning to end. Could they be industry spies from another gambling house?

The possibility wasn't nil. This kind of situation has happened before.

Some gambling houses were very monotonous in their games, so they would send some people to other gambling houses to investigate the games that were there, but now this type of thing has been happening less often.

Da Ya only had these types of gambling games, and by now everyone was already aware of the different types of games available, so there was no need to investigate other places. It was more likely that a newly opened gambling house sent people to study from a more established gambling house.

The more the manager thought about it, the more he felt that there was such a possibility. The two were dressed luxuriously. That meant that if they didn't have power then they must have wealth. It was entirely possible for them to be opening their own casino.

Having said that, the manager still did not dare to drive them away.

Someone who could afford to open a gambling house definitely wasn't simple.

Just as the manager was thinking of sounding out the two with some tactful words, he found that the two customers have stopped walking. He followed their line of sight and saw that they were looking at a private room. When the manager saw the number on the room he couldn't help but be stumped for a moment. This couldn't be…

"Is there anyone playing inside?" An Zi Ran asked casually.

The private room was very quiet. The average person might think that there was no one inside, but as for him and Fu Wu Tian, they could feel an unusual pressure from inside.

The manager replied, "There is indeed someone playing inside this private room."

"Can we go in and see?"