After repeated and enthusiastic invitations from President Clermont, Loren and Lena finally arrived at the banquet hall on the third floor, which is the real side of the casino.

When the two of them walked into it, they found that the entire third and fourth floors were completely "Hui" shaped structures, and in the center was a white marble patio, which was very dazzling under the illumination of nine crystal chandeliers.

With the help of a promenade and spiral staircase, the third and fourth floors of the ballroom are completely integrated, and the small distance between each of the candlesticks, combined with the dim lighting, creates a very quiet and relatively secluded space for guests, without feeling alienated.

Compared with the extravagant and dazzling gambling hall on the ground floor, the light is dim, the tableware and furnishings are mostly woodwork, and even the oil paintings and pure gold decorations are not much inferior to the third or fourth floor.

But whether it's the faint incense in the air, the dim light, the delicate enamel frescoes, the carpet that is too soft to focus on... Obviously, the masters here are well aware of the careful thinking of the "nobles".

Compared with the hustle and bustle of luxury, these distinguished guests, who do not want to easily reveal their identities, are more concerned about considerate comfort and privacy, and more low-key taste......

"The light of the dawn shone upon his face;

The tranquility between the eyebrows has disappeared;

The eyes are cold, exuding a cold light;

Your bleak back, departing in the morning mist;

People in the world will eventually die;

Go, and don't be a wanderer;

The flowers will be scattered, and the autumn leaves will wither;

Time spreads its wings, where will it soar......"

On the stage where the lights converge, a woman in a navy blue dress with an indifferent expression is singing in a low voice, and the musicians accompanying her are playing notes with the melodious singing... Under the echo of the hall, the guests in every corner of each floor can clearly hear and see.

Sitting in the corner of the hall, the smiling black-haired wizard listened quietly, and the melodious and slightly poignant singing voice could indeed make people gradually fall into an inexplicable sad mood.

"It's boring. ”

The "black-rimmed glasses" sitting on each other took a sip of punch, a low-alcohol drink flavored with fruit juice and wine, which was very popular in the aristocratic salon gatherings in the imperial capital and the south, especially among those who were not good at drinking and aristocratic ladies.

Of course, its outrageously high price is also doomed to be impossible to leave the aristocratic circle.

"Obviously, they are all a group of aristocratic and rich people who live in the present and live a luxurious and erosive life, but they pretend to learn from the ancient knights hundreds of years ago, lamenting the shortness of life and the splendor of life and death... Pretending. ”

"That's human nature......" The disapproving black-haired wizard shrugged and chuckled slyly, "I'm curious... Why didn't you stop me from agreeing to President Clermont?"

"I don't know why, but your expression at the time was clearly disapproving of my coming here. ”

"He's got it all right, do you have a second choice?"

Lina was straightforward, but still expressionless: "What's more... Even if you don't agree, they have a way, and I thought you had learned a lesson from Earl Charn. ”

The dark-haired wizard bowed slightly, his calm gaze constantly scanning back and forth between the guests around him.

Although the cause and effect have not yet been clarified, the so-called "big gamble" is obviously not as simple as Clermont said, and the other party must have deliberately concealed some important information, or made private transactions.

Otherwise, there are so many people in the imperial capital who don't need to look at the colors of the Byrne nobility, so why do you have to use yourself, Brandon's wizard advisor?

"I've been here once, too. ”

While Loren was still pondering, Lina in front of him suddenly spoke: "I have also come to this banquet and participated in a big gamble. ”

"Why, it's not just for the money, right?"

Loren's expression became a little subtle, and the other party's willingness to speak up was a sign that she had gradually let her guard down on herself, unlike at the beginning, when both sides completely regarded each other as someone to exploit.

It's a very good start.

"For the money, and... Gaze, the gaze that others look at me, not only envy, jealousy or disdain, I like it. ”

The corners of the mouth of the "black-framed glasses" showed a bit of self-deprecating sarcasm, and his eyes glanced at the stage in the center of the patio: "I knew it was a trap, but I still jumped in without hesitation... It's stupid. ”

"There's nothing stupid or stupid about it, it's human nature to want to be noticed, and the more gifted people are, the more keen they are to show off. Loren's gaze gradually softened, and he spoke softly with relief:

"If it doesn't even make sense to be the center of attention, or even to be remembered by future generations... Then I really can't think of anything meaningful!"

"Be the ...... of the limelight"

The girl with a somewhat distracted gaze gently lowered her wine glass and muttered in a low voice, "Is it worth the cost of five million silver coins?"

5 million ——?!

A hint of surprise flashed in the corner of the black-haired wizard's eyes, and then he returned to his original state.

"Cards, chessboards, dice, roulette... These things, compared to the occult knowledge of the void, are simply not worth mentioning - most of the so-called gambling is just a low-level game with quick eyes and quick hands. ”

"As long as you can have the vision to see things in motion, and the memory to remember... The vast majority of casinos are just like your own wallet, where you can win as much as you want, and you can win as much as you want. ”

"I have such an honorable surname as De Salion, but only that night did I feel like I lived like 'De Salyon', and as you just said, all eyes on me. ”

"Most of the time, I am an ugly, eccentric, and well-born witch to them, and the only nobleman who is willing to come to their homes is the one after my name. ”

Loren didn't speak, quietly listening to the complaints of the "black-rimmed glasses"... And the last time the rulers here were, how a genius surpassed Isaac Grantham.

Only by knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent can one survive a hundred battles.

"In the last 'big gamble', the opponent they prepared for me was a spellcaster wizard from Eberden... That guy is like me, he doesn't know much about cards or chess, and his memory is only at the level of ordinary people. ”

Recalling the scene of the last defeat, Lena's expression was numb, and she still couldn't see any joy or sorrow: "He seems to use a spell that can interfere with my thinking and vision, so that I keep making mistakes when counting cards and guessing dice." ”

Illusion... Loren was slightly stunned, this is the "standard" spell for most spellcasters, otherwise the wizard of spells would not be called "conjurator".

"That's... How did you find out?"

"I didn't find out... It's just that this guy's strength is very poor, and he can't do it after just over twenty minutes. The girl shook her head: "But I have also lost three million chips, plus the one million I borrowed from the casino and the one million I owe, a full two million silver coins." ”

"I knew at that time that it was a trap... If they keep going, they won't give me any chance to turn around. ”

"So you chose to leave, didn't you?" asked Loren directly, nodding with a sigh:

"Wise decision. ”

"I'm just a side branch of de Salion, so they didn't continue to embarrass me... In fact, until now, those people have not come to me to ask for debts, but have only told me in this way that they do not welcome people like me. ”

The expressionless girl looked at him silently: "But you're different... You're Brandon's cronies, and they're going to make you lose money in order to control and blackmail you. ”

"Uh... Then why didn't you warn me in the first place?"

"Because I didn't expect someone to be so swaggering that I wanted to be discovered by others. Shrugging, "black-rimmed glasses" said very bluntly:

"I was going to win about 500,000 and run away, but as a result... It doesn't seem to be quite what I expected. ”

"Don't be so unconfident in me, okay. Loren raised an eyebrow: "As I said, I'm lucky. ”

"Otherwise, why do you think I'm still sitting here now, instead of having slipped away?" asked the girl mercilessly.

"For the sake of your previous performance, I'll just wait for you to lose to about five million before running... When everyone's attention is on you, the chances of escaping are greater. ”

“......”