The Old Duke said this, and after confirming that the Detective's hand strength was not inferior to his, he released his hand with satisfaction:
"I heard about last Sunday's match at Lakeview Manor, it was truly splendid, and I regret not being there. But just from their descriptions, I knew that Tobesk finally has another rhode cards master."
Although he was old, his voice was full of vigor. Xia De could clearly feel the military bearing on him, which was even more pronounced than Captain Lades's.
"Good, very good! Playing rhode cards is only interesting when you play with young people like you."
The genuine smile on the Duke's face couldn't be faked. It was like the difference between a fake smile and a truly heartfelt smile when secretly reading a knight novel in class and reaching an exciting part—one could distinguish them at a glance. Xia De already understood what kind of person the other party was: another incurable rhode cards enthusiast.
There wasn't much wasted talk. Salons, banquets, and socializing would take place after the match. Since both players had arrived, the game could begin immediately.
Most of the people here came for rhode cards; only a few likely knew the match's significance for navy personnel changes. Therefore, the atmosphere was very lively.
The Old Duke sat in the chair on the left side of the long table, and a servant pulled out the chair for him. Xia De sat in the chair on the right side, and a Black-haired maid pulled out the chair for him.
The guests who came to watch the match gathered around, but not like rude gamblers directly surrounding the table. Instead, they stood in groups of two or three, slightly away from the table but still able to clearly see the cards.
The room quieted down, and Vice President Mark of the Prophet Association walked to the table and cleared his throat. As the host, his identity was perfectly suited for a match organized by two Dukes:
"I won't say much more. The participants in this match are Duke Lucas—"
Vice President Mark nodded to the Old Duke, then nodded to Xia De:
"—and Hamilton Detective, who is representing Miss Jialinna."
Xia De also nodded slightly to Mr. Mark.
Miss Jialinna did not intend to show up in front of everyone, but according to the young Black-haired maid behind him, Miss Jialinna was on this floor, awaiting the outcome of the match.
"Is this social anxiety? No, could it be 'man-hating' to this extent?"
Xia De thought to himself, but then suddenly worried that a High-Ring Sorcerer could read his mind through several layers of walls, so he dared not think carelessly anymore.
"This match will be conducted under a best-of-three rule. In each game, the first side to achieve three victories wins the game. If both sides continuously bust, the side that first runs out of their own deck loses the game."
Xia De noticed a full-figured Noblewoman standing not far from his side, appraising him. His peripheral vision swept over the Noblewoman, and he realized she was probably over forty years old.
"Before the match begins, we first invite three gentlemen to jointly inspect the Duke's and the Detective's decks for final confirmation."
This was a rule for unofficial tournaments, to prevent even the Prophet Association from being bribed. Of course, only such noble card games would be so troublesome. The time Vice President Mark spent speaking was enough to complete half a game.
The three invited to inspect the decks were Baron Scavin with a pretty mustache, Baron Herre wearing boots that looked like they had horseshoes nailed to them, and Viscount Ford, who had gray hair and looked almost sixty. All three wore similar styles of black formal wear.
The three first picked up Duke Lucas's deck, inspecting it and nodding, occasionally exclaiming in admiration, which made Xia De's opponent particularly pleased.
It took a few minutes to complete the inspection, which was really just a formality. Then, after greeting the Detective, they picked up his deck from his left side.
The main body of Xia De's deck was the one he picked up from the rooftop of the pet boarding center when he picked up Mia. Although it was a bit old, an old deck looked like it had been played with frequently.
He placed the five cards with special rules in the center. The gentlemen who opened the deck quickly saw the first one, "ancient fairy tale - match girl."
Xia De heard Baron Herre mumble Baron Lavende's name, clearly indicating they were all acquaintances. Then came the second, "Original Steam Engine · Mark IX," and the third, "Old Continent Eastern Scenery · Tis Lake." The three smiled as they looked, these were also very rare cards. When they saw "Northern City · Coldwater Port City," they couldn't help but exchange a few words. This card seemed to be very famous, and he didn't know where Professor Manning got it from.
Then, Baron Herre, holding the deck, was the first to see "Founding · Silver Moon."
He blinked at the card in his hand, then craned his neck to look more closely at the object in his hand:
"Uh~"
A strange sound came from his throat, and his whole body seemed to be hit by a bullet. His hands trembled at a visibly rapid rate. His eyes widened as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, and his mouth was slightly open, looking like a dazed patient.
"What's wrong? Does the Detective's deck have any other rare cards?"
The other two gentlemen nearby asked in low voices, as if to blame him for his exaggerated reaction. Because they were standing on either side of Baron Herre, they both leaned over to look at the card.
"Uh~"
Baron Scavin also made a strange sound. He covered his mouth with his broad, gem-ringed hand, but his bulging eyes really resembled Baron Herre's.
The older Viscount Ford was more composed. He turned his head to look at Vice President Mark of the Prophet Association and asked tremblingly:
"Is this genuine?"
"Yes."
The latter nodded, and then the room erupted in commotion as people saw the elderly Viscount Ford suddenly cover his heart with a distorted expression.
The flustered servants tried to help him, but the Viscount waved them away:
"No need~"
He squeezed the words through his teeth:
"I wouldn't dare to faint before seeing the end of this match."
Then he forcibly removed his hand from his chest, and his originally flushed face actually gradually returned to normal:
"I must see this match through."
He roughly snatched Xia De's deck from Baron Herre's hand, who had not yet recovered from the shock. He stared intently at "Founding · Silver Moon" for a few seconds before returning the deck to the Detective.
This made Baron Scavin, who had recovered but realized he had no chance to personally touch the card, extremely frustrated.
"What did you see? A rare card? From which series? Why are you acting so exaggerated? If I hadn't known you for so long, I might have thought you were hired by Jialinna to put on a show and disrupt my mood before the match."
Duke Lucas, sitting on the other side of the table, asked curiously, but the three gentlemen shook their heads in a very unified rhythm:
"Didn't see anything. We wish you victory."
Their voices merged, sounding somewhat comical.