In truth, both Frozen and Lesten were newer faces in the underworld, only recently starting to make a name for themselves. Their youth had attracted a lot of hot-blooded gangsters of a similar age. The fact they were here at all was an indicator of their exceptional luck, though, so perhaps they did have something worth ascribing to their name.
From Wu Haitong came Keya Kin and Zen Fowah. Both were aging men with serene auras, but naturally, they wouldn’t have been called here if that was all they were. Keya Kin was the head practitioner of the Demon Fist, one of the nine great martial arts styles of Wu Haitong known as the Nine Gates. Zen was also a practitioner of many of the styles. They were essentially the mafia of their country.
Kaffes had sent invitations to more than just these five, but these were the ones who had accepted. He’d approached the villains who had a backbone in the Holy Kingdom of Asternia, but they’d politely declined the offer. He was a bit disappointed by this, as it was in Asternia where he most wanted land.
All six of them were gathered at the table, each allowed two guards, as they watched the MagiPad. Their games would begin after this broadcast.
“Shall we get started?”
They’d heard all the necessary information. The chatter of the out of place tygres came to a stop as the scene changed. Kaffes signaled one of the black-suits to lower the volume, and then he surveyed those gathered.
“The system for public betting is simple, so we will follow their basic rules. The way they work is that you bet on the winner and if you get it right, everyone pays. The only change I’d like to make is with the payout. We will pay out ourselves. For example, if someone were to bet a hundred million on the winner, they would receive a hundred million from each bettor, therefore gaining winnings of five hundred million. If no one bets correctly, everyone’s bets will be refunded. There will be no payouts if your competitor simply places or makes it to finals. We will bet solely on the winner. To summarize, even if your horse is eliminated, you cannot leave this table until it is determined who wins or loses. How does that sound? Simple, no?”
Indeed, it was very simple. As expected from the state, they’d set things up in a way that would be easy for anyone to understand. Even an idiot would be able to grasp how it worked. Though it seemed the public betting would still have a payout for those whose competitors placed, the underworld bet would be solely based on the winner.
If you bet correctly, you won. If you bet wrongly, you lost. They were simple rules even understandable for fools.
“There is no limit on the betting amount. You are free to ante up however much you wish. Well, at a table like this, I do at least expect you all to be betting in the hundreds of millions. I invited the faces of your respective underworlds, not your cheap, cowardly underlings.”
No one uttered a word, in silent agreement with Kaffes.
“Hmph.”
Except, there was Grieg, crossing his arms and smirking. Just as expected, Kaffes mused to himself.
“Everything all right there, Kaffes? I don’t know how much you’ve managed to make in this painfully peaceful kingdom, but everyone else here has survived tumultuous times. Our situations aren’t quite the same.”
A cheap provocation and a mocking sneer. Frozen and Lesten mimicked their fellow countryman.
“No need to worry. I’ve prepared ten billion for today. I can pay immediately.”
Even the guards’ expressions faltered at Kaffes’s statement.
“Don’t you think you need a little more than that?” Grieg asked, unamused. “You call members of this caliber here and you only brought ten billion? Give me a break. That’s pocket change to us—you should know that. Where’s the effort? You’ve got to bet something much more substantial. Don’t you agree, good sirs?” Grieg turned an evil smile to the elderly schemers from Wu Haitong who were nodding along.
“Ten billion isn’t enough to even get my heart pumping.”
“Indeed. You would only be able to build a rabbit hutch at best with such a paltry sum. I want to build a one-hundred-billion-kram warehouse for my one hundred billion krams’ worth of valuables.”
Kaffes was being made a fool of by everyone at this table—and it was very clear. The black-suits at his side were radiating hostility.
In the underworld, being embarrassed in such a way spelled the end for you. It might have been a pointless pride, but they’d spent their lives clinging to it. The moment they abandoned their pride, they would lose their place in their society. That was just the kind of world it was.
“Really? Well, I’m in a bit of a pickle now.” Kaffes shrugged. “In that case, how about all the money I own? I have about thirty billion. Surely that should be enough?”
It went without saying that thirty billion krams was an incredible amount of money.
“Ha ha, you’re a funny man, Kaffes.” Grieg narrowed his eyes. “My calculations put your savings at fifty billion. I much prefer my hosts to spare no expense for an event like this. Why did I even come here if you were going to put on something so boring?”
Kaffes’s face didn’t even twitch. The black-suits weren’t even trying to hide their hostility now.
I knew it, Kaffes thought to himself. When he’d considered who of this crafty lot he’d least like to make his enemy, Grieg Klett had been the first who came to mind. Grieg might not have been the strongest in battle, but he’d made it to this point with the power of money alone. His ability to research, to calculate, to select relevant information went above and beyond any random thug.