Chapter 272: Chapter 60: The Nightclub of the Hidden Tycoon_1
Ma Rui was fully aware of Uncle Fatty’s cheating in gambling. He never had any fondness for the fat man. However, Uncle Fatty’s vague kinship with the city lord obligated him to show some care. Besides, Uncle Fatty had indeed offered him several favors. But at the moment, he dared not offend these three men in front of him. That was because he clearly saw nine golden hexagrams on Ah Dai’s shoulders. He didn’t understand mages well, but he had heard that the more hexagrams a mage had on their shoulders, the higher their status in the Mage Guild. The Fire Mage in front of him had nine hexagrams, which clearly made him an influential figure in the guild. Although the Mage Guild didn’t provide much help to the Empire of Sunset City, the superior status of the mages was undeniable. They had always had a close relationship with the church, which was the Empire of Sunset City’s greatest support. So, neither he nor the city lord dared to offend them. Besides, in Dark City, power represented everything. These three men in front of him were evidently powerful. If they caused a ruckus, he would also be in trouble. Thinking this through, he hurriedly said politely, "Dear Sir Mage, although there was cheating in the casino, you’ve already injured many people. So, let’s forget about this matter, alright?"
Ah Dai, Yan Shi, and Vatana were taken aback. They originally thought these soldiers would definitely help Uncle Fatty deal with them, but surprisingly, they were receptive. Ah Dai said, "Since you, General, have said so, let’s forget about it. Yan Shi, let’s go." And with that, he took Yan Shi and headed out.
Uncle Fatty, clutching his broken arm, cried, "General Ma Rui, they’ve stolen my money! That’s all I have. Why aren’t you arresting them? I’ve paid so much in taxes, aren’t the military supposed to protect my property?"
Ma Rui glared at him, impatiently saying, "Enough of your nonsense." His sharp look silenced Uncle Fatty, who could only watch helplessly as Ah Dai and the others left. After they had left, Ma Rui said to Uncle Fatty, "Didn’t you see that there is a high-ranking Mage among them? Even the city lord himself wouldn’t dare to recklessly offend the Mage Guild. Don’t you understand the rules of Dark City? The rule of the powerful is everything. Uncle Fatty, you just have to accept your loss this time."
Trembling, Uncle Fatty said, "But, but they’ve taken all I have! How am I going to survive?"
Ma Rui coldly replied, "You can earn back what you’ve lost, but if you lose your life, you won’t be able to regain it. If that Mage had used high-level Fire Magic, none of us would have been able to escape, including you. If you want your money back, go get it yourself! I wouldn’t dare to casually offend the Mage Guild. You deal with the aftermath here. We’re leaving." Having said this, he led his followers away, leaving behind Uncle Fatty, who was trembling in agony after losing most of his wealth.
After they had left the casino, Yan Shi pulled up Vatana, and the four of them quickly retreated to a dark corner. The group stopped walking there, and Vatana asked worriedly, "I saw the army going in. Are you all okay?" Yan Shi shook his head, "We’re fine, Uncle Vatana, do you recognise this?" He handed over the Magic Crystal Card that Uncle Fatty had given him.
His eyes lit up as Vatana said, "It’s a money card accepted throughout the Empire of Sunset City! Aren’t you guys outsiders? How do you have this?"
Yan Shi gave a small smile, "Seems like the fat man didn’t lie to us."
Out of the blue, Ah Dai said, "Big brother Yan Shi, can we not do things like this in the future? It makes me feel uncomfortable." He stood there, head down, feeling disgust welling up within him.
Yan Shi was taken aback, "Brother Ah Dai, this money was squeezed out of gamblers by the casino. We didn’t do anything wrong. You’re just too kind."
Ah Dai, still with his head down, said, "Even though the casino tricking people out of their money is wrong, didn’t we go overboard? If Uncle Fatty loses everything, how is he going to survive?" Everything that had happened at the casino was deeply shocking to him, and the act of violent pillaging made him feel extremely disgusted.
Yan Shi shook his head with a laugh, "Silly brother, you’re too naive. Do you think that fat man only has this much money? He must have more savings, otherwise, even to save his life, he wouldn’t have given us money so readily. Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. I promise you, we won’t do anything like this in the future, alright?"
Ah Dai’s face lit up, "Big brother, thank you."
Yan Shi laughed heartily, "We’re brothers. There’s no need for thanks. Let’s go, first we have to pay Uncle Vatana back his money. Then we’ll get down to serious business."
Despite the evident animosity in the casino, the three men left the casino safely. Moreover, they even managed to win some money. This boosted Vatana’s trust in them. He was no longer as scared as before and led them towards the center of Dark City. Dark City was enormous. It took them over two hours and crossing seven or eight main streets to reach the casino where Vatana lost all his money. The casino was a four-story building with an extravagant exterior and two attractive young women at the entrance wearing professional smiles. Not many gamblers were coming and going, but most of them arrived in luxury carriages, which was a stark contrast to Uncle Fatty’s casino.
