Chapter 67: Lawrence and Lassoya

Sterm also made a few remarks on the immigration issue, but his hand was actually rubbing the small box in his pocket containing the Relic [Twenty-Sided Die of Destiny]. While his ears listened to the conversation regarding the feasibility of immigration, his eyes wandered unconsciously, and to his surprise, he spotted Mr. Lawrence. There was a photograph of him in the report left by Detective Sparrow, and Sterm had seen him outside the club not long ago.

"Huh? Why is he here? Are all of my acquaintances showing up... Lawrence is a major factory owner, so of course, attending a banquet like this is not a problem."

Sterm thought to himself, then looked away to see if there was any more of that delicious goat milk pudding on the table, intending to bring some back for the orange cat fostered at his home.

Suddenly, however, the young detective thought of another question:

"Since Mr. Lawrence is wearing such formal evening attire to attend the Lakeview Manor banquet, it stands to reason that he would have a female companion. Did Mrs. Lawrence come as well?"

He carefully stole another glance out of the corner of his eye and saw that standing beside Mr. Lawrence was actually Madam Lassoya, wearing a red floor-length evening gown with ruffled hemlines. The neckline made the "woman," who was still wearing that pebble ring, exceptionally dazzling tonight.

"Oh, a major event is truly about to take place. The helper Mrs. Lawrence found—could they be planning to have a showdown with Lassoya right here?"

He pulled back his gaze, wondering in his heart whether he should leave this place. But suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder from behind, which startled Sterm, making him think Madam Lassoya had tracked him down.

When he turned around, however, he realized it was tonight's employer, Baron Lavender, followed by several gentlemen of around the same age.

"Oh, my dear Dawn! It really is Hamilton, it has been such a long time since we last met!"

The middle-aged man who loved Puntar cards said in a very exaggerated tone, winking at Sterm while reaching out to shake his hand.

"Yes, it has been a long time, Mr. Lavender."

Sterm instantly understood his meaning:

"The last time I saw you and played Puntar with you must have been three years ago, right?"

To demonstrate his regard for the commission, Sterm also replied with an exaggeratedly enthusiastic tone:

"What a coincidence, I never expected to run into you here."

"Yes, what a coincidence, this must be the arrangement of the gods. Speaking of which, these are my friends, and I am going to play Puntar with them over there. Will you join us? If you have other matters..."

As he spoke, Mr. Lavender shook the hand he was holding with Sterm. Sterm believed that if he did not agree to the other party, he would definitely not be easily let go.

"Of course I can join. Oh, gentlemen, let us spend this dull evening together playing Puntar. The banquet is interesting, of course, and Lakeview Manor is also quite nice, but Puntar is definitely the best. This is my calling card..."

While handing out calling cards to Baron Lavender's upper-class friends, Sterm saw the baron secretly gesturing a "well done" sign to him.

As he exchanged warm greetings with Baron Lavender's friends, Sterm saw out of the corner of his eye that Mr. Lawrence and Madam Lassoya were heading toward the main estate of Lakeview Manor. Only then did he feel relieved as he walked toward the back of the manor with Baron Lavender and his party, where a tense and thrilling Puntar match was about to begin.

Along the way, the group exchanged gossip and anecdotes about Puntar, discussed news of special cards appearing on the market, and guessed the issuance volume and themes of the special Puntar cards that the Seers Association would release this summer.

To better fulfill his commission, Sterm also joined the conversation.

"I even heard a rumor that a Genesis-series Puntar card has appeared in Tobesk."

He told everyone in an exaggerated tone. Although it was hard to say whether a few people believed such a thing, expressions of surprise still appeared on their faces. As Puntar enthusiasts, the group couldn't possibly be unaware of the "Genesis" series cards.

"Not long ago, I went to the Seers Association on business and heard Vice President Cynthia Marx talking about this with someone else on the third floor. But the authenticity is hard to say; after all, those are cards from several hundred years ago. However, if a Genesis-series card really does appear, I certainly would love to take a look at it."

Sterm shared his anecdote, and because of his demonstrated passion for Puntar and his extensive connections, he quickly transitioned from a stranger to an accepted friend.

By the time the group arrived at the stone table beneath the grape trellis, no one was wondering anymore why Sterm had come to join the fun.

Baron Lavender was extremely satisfied with the young detective he had hired.

Baron Lavender's Puntar opponent, Baron Rwanda, was a middle-aged gentleman of around the same age, but very short in stature. Sterm was reluctant to use words like "dwarf" to describe others, but actually, the word fit quite well.

Although he had some height issues, Baron Rwanda, whose facial features seemed squished together on his face, looked exceptionally shrewd. Like Baron Lavender, he had also brought a group of Puntar-loving friends to attend the card game.

When the group met under the grape trellis, nothing unpleasant happened. The two barons exchanged a few polite pleasantries, introduced their respective friends to one another, and talked about the Lakeview Manor banquet and today's weather before finally sitting down on opposite sides of the stone table.

The men they brought immediately surrounded the stone table rather than simply standing behind them. Every face was filled with excitement and thrill, as if the atmosphere had changed at that very moment.

This didn't look like gamblers merely pursuing a thrill; it looked more like they were anticipating an exciting serialized story or an interesting opera performance.

Because of Baron Lavender's special arrangement, Sterm stood in the position closest to the stone table.

He saw the two barons take out their respective stakes. Baron Lavender's stake was his only Puntar card with special rules, belonging to the [Northern Cities] series of cards, [Flower 13], which was the card that allowed the player to redraw if they rolled a 20 on the die. The card art featured a silhouette of Arte, the city of art.

The stake brought out by Baron Rwanda was, of course, also a Puntar card with special rules. He very deliberately placed both of his special-rule cards on the tabletop, waiting until the observing gentlemen had all seen them before picking out one of them and placing it aside as the stake.

That was [Star 6] from the [Ancient Fairy Tales] series, and the card art was precisely the "Match Girl" mentioned by Baron Lavender last time.

However, the usage conditions for the special rules of [Ancient Fairy Tales: Match Girl] were even harsher than Baron Lavender's [Northern Cities: Arte]; it required rolling a 10 or 20 on the twenty-sided die twice in a row before the card's value could be adjusted between 6 and 7.

Although special-rule Puntar cards existed, most of them had strict conditions for use. This ensured that Puntar matches remained entertaining while staying relatively fair.

Cards like Sterm's [Genesis: Silver Moon], where the special rules could be used immediately upon drawing, were extremely rare.