Chapter 274: Chapter 60: The Secretly Rich Nightclub_3
"Even if I didn’t come, you’d regret it anyway. What’s so good about those women? Who knows who they’ve been with before. I didn’t realize your weakness for beauty. Hmph."
Yan Li raised his hands in surrender, "Brother, spare me, I won’t dare to do it again. Oh! Let’s go. If we don’t hurry, we won’t find Ah Dai." He said and quickly ran forward. Yan Shi sighed helplessly, it seemed that he really needed to keep a close eye on Yan Li, one cannot let him step out of line! At times, one wrong step can change a person’s entire life.
The interior of the Dark Elite Club was even more luxurious than its façade. The floor was covered entirely with red carpets, colourful palace lamps hung on the walls, beautiful maids were shuttling back and forth constantly. Their beauty dazzled Yan Li and he could not take his eyes off them. These maids were much more beautiful than the ones guarding the entrance. The entrance led into a hall that was about a hundred square meters, the circular hall was five meters high, adorned with several plants, exuding a sort of elegance amidst the extravagance. There were staircases on either side, obviously leading to the upper-level. Right ahead was a golden door, a signboard hung on the door with three words - Wealth Hall. The door was firmly closed, making it impossible for people to peek inside.
Vatana explained to the group, "The Dark Elite Club is spread across four stories, in reality, it is a combination of explicit content and gambling. The first floor is for the common gamblers, but they are required to exchange chips worth at least a couple of thousand gold coins to enter, while the second floor caters to the wealthy with a minimum exchange bar of ten thousand gold coins. The third floor predominantly houses people from the upper echelons of society, primarily the nobility or incredibly wealthy, along with some alchemists and magicians."
Upon hearing this, Ah Dai exclaimed, "What? Even Alchemists come here?"
Vatana nodded, "Yes! Alchemists are even more respected than magicians. The items they conjure can be sold at high prices, they are some of the richest people on the continent. They are also the most respected guests here at the Dark Elite Club. Generally, they go straight up to the third floor."
Ah Dai wondered if his master Goris would ever visit such a place. It was his first visit to such a club and if it weren’t for Vatana mentioning that he lost his entire worth of hundreds of thousands over here, it was hard for him to believe that this magnificently resplendent place was actually a clandestine den for squandering wealth.
Vatana continued, "The fourth floor is a rarity as not many can afford to ascend it. It caters to clientele who can splurge money and are extremely influential. I heard from others that it’s not a gambling site and resembles more of a hotel. It provides some of the most elite gamblers from the third floor with a resting place. Moreover, reputedly, the club will satisfy any demands you might have when on the fourth floor which includes an array of beautiful young girls."
Yan Shi pondered and asked, "Uncle, how much do you think this Dark Elite Club is worth?"
Vatana looked down, the corners of his eyes flashed with an unusual glow, he said in a low voice, "It’s tough to say, but just this piece of property might be worth tens of millions of gold coins. Their daily income surely wouldn’t be less than one million gold coins. If we think about it in those terms, it might compete with the tax revenue of a typical city. However, it’s said that around half of their income goes to the Dark City, which is most definitely one of the wealthiest cities on the continent, ranking in the top three at minimum. But, it isn’t to say that the people in this city are all wealthy, it is only the nobles and the filthy rich business merchants who are the actual victors. My previous family’s wealth was nothing compared to them. In the city’s rich quarters, there are many families that have property worth over ten million."
The group was deep in thought after listening to Vatana, they were astonished at the circumstances of the Dark City. All of a sudden, they heard a sharp voice, "Ah! Vatana, you have the guts to return. Saves me the trouble of finding you. If you’re not repaying today, don’t even think about leaving this place alive." A middle-aged man who was tall and thin walked over, followed by two muscular henchmen. Ah Dai felt a strong aura from the henchmen, they evidently were skilled fighters.
Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Vatana shuddered, he instinctively hid behind Ah Dai. Ah Dai moved forward, "Don’t bother Uncle Vatana, we came here to help him repay his debts."
Upon seeing Ah Dai’s magnificent mage attire, the middle-aged man’s heart skipped a beat. The number of mages in the Sunset Empire was scarce, and despite his wide experience, he couldn’t gauge Ah Dai’s level. He politely replied, "So it’s a mage gentleman, I should have been more courteous. With the mage gentleman honoring our humble club with his presence, it truly brings glory to the Dark Elite Club!"
Ah Dai said, "Are you the boss here? We’re here to repay Uncle Vatana’s debt."
The middle-aged man lightly smiled, "Mister Mage, my name is Jin Bo, I am but a humble steward here, not the boss. Since you are willing to help Vatana repay his debt, why don’t we go somewhere else to discuss this?" He then gestured for Ah Dai to follow. Ah Dai looked at Yan Shi who nodded slightly in return.
Under Jin Bo’s direction, they reached a large room on the first floor of the club. The room was exquisitely decorated, the walls were wrapped in gorgeous decoration, a large table stood in the middle with several large sofas on either side. Jin Bo invited, "Please have a seat."
The sofa was soft and comfortable, sitting on it made one feel as though he was sinking in. After everyone settled down, Jin Bo went behind the desk and pulled out a piece of paper from a stack; he said, "This is the I.O.U. that Vatana wrote when he borrowed money from us. The total sum was fifteen thousand gold coins. Up to now, he has been indebted for three months, with interest on interest, he owes forty-five thousand gold coins in total. Since you are here to repay his debt, please proceed."
