Chapter 1009: Chapter 60: The Dark Hero Nightclub
Ma Rui knew full well that Uncle Fatty was cheating at the casino. He had never liked the fat man, but since he was distantly related to the City Lord, he felt obliged to look out for him somewhat, and Uncle Fatty had indeed provided him with numerous benefits. However, at that moment, he couldn’t afford to lash out at the three people before him, because he clearly saw the nine golden hexagrams on Ah Dai’s shoulder. Although he did not fully understand the Mages, he had heard that the more hexagrams a Mage had on his shoulder, the higher his position in the Mage Guild was. This Fire Mage before him had nine hexagrams, evidently an important figure within the Guild. While the Mage Guild had not greatly assisted the Empire of Sunset City, the Mages’ exalted status was undeniable, especially given their close relationship with the Church, the Empire’s greatest ally. Even the City Lord wouldn’t dare to offend them, let alone himself. Moreover, within Dark City, power meant everything. These three people clearly possessed significant strength, and if things turned sour, he wouldn’t get off easy either. Thinking this, he hurriedly said politely, "Mister Mage, although there’s cheating in the casino, you’ve already injured many of them. Let’s let bygones be bygones, shall we?"
Ah Dai and the other two were momentarily stunned. They had assumed these soldiers would surely side with Uncle Fatty against them, but they didn’t expect them to be so accommodating. Ah Dai said, "Since General Ma Rui says so, we’ll leave it at that. Big Brother Yan Shi, let’s go." Saying this, he pulled Yan Shi and headed outside.
Uncle Fatty, clutching his broken arm, cried out, "General Ma Rui, they’ve taken my money! That was all I had, how can you just let them go? After all the taxes I’ve paid, doesn’t the military protect my property?"
Ma Rui glared at him and impatiently said, "Enough talk." His fierce gaze made Uncle Fatty dare not argue any further, helplessly watching as Ah Dai and the others left. Once they were gone, Ma Rui said to Uncle Fatty, "Didn’t you see a high-ranking mage among them? Even the City Lord wouldn’t easily offend the Mage Guild. Don’t you understand the rules of Dark City? Power is everything. Uncle Fatty, you just have to accept your loss this time."
Trembling, Uncle Fatty said, "But, but they took all my savings! How will I live now?"
Ma Rui snorted coldly, "You can earn back lost savings, but a lost life can’t be returned. If that mage had used a high-level Fire Magic, not only you, but even we might not have survived. If you want your savings back, go get them yourself! I’m not about to offend the Mage Guild lightly. Clean up this mess yourself. We’re leaving." After saying this, he turned away with his men, leaving behind a trembling Uncle Fatty, devastated by the loss of most of his wealth.
Once outside the casino, Yan Shi pulled Vatana along and the four quickly left, stopping in a shadowy corner. Vatana anxiously asked, "I saw the troops go in earlier, are you guys alright?" Yan Shi shook his head, "We’re fine, Uncle Vatana. Take a look at this, do you recognize it?" He passed the Magic Crystal Card that Uncle Fatty had given him.
Vatana’s eyes lit up, "This is a universal savings card of the Empire of Sunset City! Aren’t you guys foreigners? How come you have it?"
Yan Shi smiled faintly, "It seems that fat man didn’t deceive us after all."
Suddenly, Ah Dai said, "Big Brother Yan Shi, can we not do this kind of thing anymore? I’m feeling very uncomfortable." He stood there with his head bowed, feeling a constant surge of disgust within.
Yan Shi was surprised and said, "Ah Dai, brother, that’s just money squeezed from those gamblers at the casino. We haven’t done anything wrong, you’re just too kind."
Ah Dai, still looking down, said, "Although it’s wrong for the casino to cheat people, aren’t we going too far? If Uncle Fatty is now bankrupt, how will he live? Everything that happened at the casino has deeply shocked me. The aggressive stealing is really disturbing me."
Yan Shi smiled and shook his head, "Silly brother, you’re still too naive. Do you think that fat man only had that much money? He must have other savings; otherwise, he wouldn’t have parted with it so readily even to save his life. Alright, let’s drop it. Big brother promises you, we won’t do such things anymore, okay?"
Ah Dai’s heart leaped with joy, and he gratefully said, "Big Brother, thank you."
Yan Shi laughed heartily, "We’re brothers, there’s no need to thank me. Let’s go, we’ll first help Uncle Vatana get his money back. Then we still have important matters to attend to."
The three managed to leave the casino unscathed despite the clearly adverse circumstances against them, and even came out with money, greatly increasing Vatana’s confidence in them. No longer as fearful as before, he led them toward the interior of Dark City. Dark City was indeed vast; it took the four of them more than two hours and crossing seven or eight major streets before they reached the casino where Vatana had lost all his property. The casino, an opulent four-story building, had two slim young girls continuously flashing professional smiles at the entrance. There were not many patrons coming and going, but most arrived in luxurious carriages, clearly a different class from Uncle Fatty’s casino.
