The dealer began shuffling the cards. Cecil stood beside Isri, looking at the cards in the dealer's hand, and almost imperceptibly opened his mouth to ask, "Do you know how?"
Islam leaned back in his chair, his long, narrow eyes slightly upturned, and said in a flat voice, "I can give it a try."
Sehir widened his eyes slightly as he looked at Isri. "Can we give it a try? So in the end, will we start or not?"
It was obvious to the naked eye that Sessil was panicking. Sitting opposite him, Cole noticed Sessil's appearance, chuckled, and looked at Isri: "Your Grace, the fellow next to you seems even more nervous than you are."
Although he addressed him as "Your Excellency," his tone was full of disdain and amusement.
"Or you can send it over, and I'll give you a little 'training' tonight?" Cole continued.
In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Cecil. Putting everything else aside, Cecil's appearance was considered high-end among the items they were auctioning.
Especially her bright golden hair, it's as if it was woven by God.
Isri frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He reached out and pulled Sehir from beside him, placing him on his lap.
Completely caught off guard, Sehir could only stare wide-eyed at Isri, clutching Isri's clothes helplessly, terrified that he would fall again.
“I can do it myself, no need to trouble you.” The cold glint in Isri’s eyes became even more pronounced, and Cole just smiled and let it go.
Those around could only swallow hard, watching the two vying for power with bated breath.
"Who's the dealer?" the croupier asked expressionlessly.
Cole, of course, seized the initiative and immediately raised his hand to signal. The dealer nodded slightly upon seeing this and began to arrange the cards in his hand.
Two cards were placed in front of each of them, one face up and one face down.
Unfortunately, when Korna's card was revealed, everyone gasped in shock.
That card was an "Ace".
This is the card with the greatest potential for jumping around in Balckjack; it can be used as either a "1" or an "11," and it's also the card closest to success.
Isrith wasn't so lucky; he had a lone King of Spades.
The next second, everyone present piled on top of Cole, like mad rats staring at the spitting cheese.
"Would the dealer like to raise the bet?" the dealer began.
"add!"
"The dealer doubles the bet, player, would you like to raise?" The dealer's gaze fell on Isri.
"Gah," Isri's voice was indifferent, but his words left those around him speechless.
The dealer's face remained expressionless.
"Player, Banker, Double Up, this game is quadruple."
Sehir sat on Isri's lap, looking at the cards on Isri's table. He knew the game; it wasn't difficult, but if you lost, you'd be bankrupt.
Seeing Sehir's expression, Isri tightened his grip on Sehir's waist and whispered something in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"It's alright, young master, I won't lose."
Sehir looked at Isri, his face showing no sign of panic, like a seasoned casino veteran, for whom all this was child's play.
"When did you learn all this?" Sehir asked, somewhat puzzled. He had lived with Isri for so long and yet knew nothing about him.
Isri still had a smile on his lips as he slowly explained, "I played with the master a few times back then."
-
After adjusting the multiplier, the dealer straightened up and asked again, "Does the dealer want cards?"
Cole held the face-up Ace, flipping it repeatedly between his fingers, before finally speaking again: "I want it."
The dealer handed the cards to Cole, then turned his gaze back to Isri: "Does the player want cards?"
"don't want"
Islam spoke decisively, without any hesitation.
Cole glanced at Isri, then looked at his own cards, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly before disappearing.
"In the second round, will the dealer raise the bet?" the dealer asked, shuffling the cards again.
This time, Cole seemed to consider it for a moment before speaking: "No."
"Does the player raise the bet?"
Islam remained unchanged: "Add."
"This game is at a multiplier of 5, betting continues," the dealer announced.
After Cole, the dealer, asked for several cards, a smile finally appeared on his lips. By this time, the multiplier had been raised to 20 times.
At this point, whoever loses this match will absolutely be bankrupt.
The people around them didn't dare to breathe, all staring intently at Isri and Cole.
"Aren't you going to take your cards?" Cole arranged the cards in his hand into a single pile.
Isri, who could have ended the game quickly, looked at Cesil sitting on his lap and suddenly didn't want to end it. Isri's hand gently caressed Cesil's waist, and a hint of desire appeared in his eyes.
“No rush.” Isri’s deep voice echoed in the quiet room.
Sehir, sitting on Isri's lap, also looked bewildered, as if he had truly just gone through the motions today.
"Will the dealer add more cards?" the dealer asked.
"No addition"
"Does the player want to add a card?"
"No addition"
Finally, the game ended, and after the dealer adjusted the multipliers, he opened his mouth one last time.
"Will the bookmaker raise the bet?"
Cole seemed confident of victory, a smile spreading across his face: "All in!"
The room erupted in cheers and relief.
Cole going all in means it's an absolute win, and their bet will be worth the winnings.
Chapter Forty-Six
Hearing the cheers around him, Cole's smile widened: "And you?"
Unaffected by those around him, Isri glanced at the dealer and calmly said, "No bet."
"Why aren't you betting anymore?" Cole put his cards aside, already enjoying the cheers of victory.
It seemed the time was running out. A hint of helplessness appeared in Isri's eyes as he turned his cards over and placed them in front of the dealer.
Suddenly, the cheers around them stopped abruptly, and the hands raised in mid-air froze. All eyes were fixed on Isri and the card he had turned over.
That was the most famous hand in Blackjack, a single "A" and a "K". Cole, sitting opposite him, instantly froze on his face.
At the beginning, Isri had a single "K" and then didn't take any more cards, so from the start, Isri's face-down card was "A". He was just playing along with the clown opposite him from the beginning.
Overwhelmed by the success of the game, Cole momentarily forgot that there was such a special card in this Blackjack game.
After examining Isri's cards, the dealer turned to Cole and said respectfully, "Dealer, please turn over your cards."
Cole frowned slightly, clicked his tongue inwardly, and impatiently turned over his cards.
Similarly, it's also blackjack, but in terms of flair, Isri is superior. After checking, the dealer put all the cards together, raised his hand to signal gently, and spoke calmly.
"In this Blackjack game, it was a draw, and the prize money won by the dealer and the player will be split equally."
Cole clenched his fists, but in the end he couldn't say anything. Although it was supposed to be split equally, in the end he didn't even get back the money he had invested.
Isri was pleased to see that expression on the other person's face, and the people around him were still in shock.
Kritis is more terrifying than rumored.
He had already won the game from the very beginning, and his expression seemed to never change. He had calculated everything about everyone in the casino, including the dealers, and the multiplier he placed was also carefully calculated.
Not only did they recoup their costs, they also made a fortune from Cole.
Isri removed Sehir from his body, a slight smile playing on his lips: "We'll take our leave now."
After saying that, Isri turned around and led Ceshir out. Seeing this, the gamblers followed Isri and peered out as well.
If they could rise to the rank of Duke, they would have virtually no obstacles to travel in West Asia.
As the number of people in the hall dwindled, Cole's face gradually darkened. He kicked the boy next to him aside, stood up, lit a cigarette, and began to smoke.
After a while, as the cigarette was finished, Cole opened his closed eyes, exhaled a puff of white smoke, and said in a low voice, "Take back the toy that our great Duke was holding."
The boy who had been kicked to the ground immediately got up, and the girl followed closely behind, nodding hurriedly: "I...I understand."
After the boy and girl walked out of the door, Cole sat back down on the sofa. The butler, who had been standing outside, came in, poured the decanted red wine into a glass, and handed it to Cole.
The black and red handrails, combined with the clear glass, resembled a blood-red moon in the depths of the night, seemingly announcing someone's death.
After watching Cole finish his glass of wine, the butler bowed again to refill it, his voice low and respectful: "Should I prepare a room for you tonight?"
Cole shook the blanket that gleamed coldly under the light, closed his eyes slightly, and sniffed the air gently for a few seconds, without answering the butler's question: "Do you think he's handsome?"
The butler was stunned by Cole's question, frozen in place, somewhat at a loss. Cole, however, seemed unconcerned, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "I hope you know who I'm talking about, or you'll end up like those two who just left."
In an instant, the butler remembered the collars around the necks of the two men. After frowning slightly, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "His golden hair is beautiful, young master."
Cole paused slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, before pursing his lips: "You guessed right. Go and get ready."
The butler bowed again, then turned and closed the door before leaving.
——
Sehir, who was following behind Isri, was still replaying what had just happened when he suddenly bumped into a hard object without paying attention. When he looked up, he found that Isri had stopped.
"Young master, do you want to go back?" Then Isri's voice came from above.
Cecil raised his hand to rub his forehead, which was throbbing from the impact, and looked up at Isrith: "You seem to be having a good day, Your Grace?"
Sehi pronounced the words "Your Grace" more clearly, as the numbness in his waist had only eased when he was freed from Isri's grasp.
Isri smiled and said, bowing his head, "Young Master, I'm just carrying out the task you assigned me."
"Did I ask you to pinch my waist?" Sesil's eyes widened; even now, the area on his waist was still slightly numb.