Chapter 44 - Volume 3 (1/2)
Port City sued New Port City days after the Grand Ca.n.a.l Race finished, just as Goldman predicted. The rationale was simply the “unauthorised use of the Grand Ca.n.a.l.” Isaac hired professional lawyers of his own to fight back, but Port City held all rights over the Grand Ca.n.a.l.
The Department of Law declared that New Port City must pay reparations for their crimes. This news brought a sudden end to Cordnell’s smiling, replaced with a withering whimpering. Port City continued to do as Goldman predicted, and they quickly prepared an event of their own using the Grand Ca.n.a.l. Some of the people did pity to Isaac for having his idea stolen from right under him, but most of the public believed that it was justified. There were a few people in Port City who complained about this purely out of l.u.s.t to see the elves in skimpy outfits, but those voices were quickly silenced soon after.
Isaac seemed to have lost all faith and ambition. Every day, he was seen being carried back to City Hall on Rizzly’s back after drenching himself in booze. Word of Isaac’s recent behaviour quickly spread, plummeting New Port City’s morale while those in Port City made a toast for their bright future.
“Huhuhu. It’s over, all over.”
“Sir Isaac, you shouldn’t act like this here.”
“Shut up! Bring me more booze!”
Isaac was going through another drunken rampage in one of New Port City’s restaurants. All of the restaurant employees looked at Isaac from a distance, unable to do anything.
“Che! That man’s done now.”
“Who cares. Let’s just make the most of it while we can. Who knows when we will we be able to do work like this again.”
The citizens of New Port City whispered to each other after watching Isaac’s broken state. Isaac didn’t seem to care about the gossiping crowd, fixated on continuing his rampage. The crowd frowned, but could do nothing with Rizzly standing at Isaac’s side with both eyes wide open.
“Uhuhuh. Screw this stupid world. Fine! It only takes one shot to turn your life around! Let’s have a big match! Let’s go!”
“Huh? Go where?”
“Where else? To the casino!”
“But… You made it illegal for citizens of New Port City to play in the casinos.”
“Huhu, who says I’m going to my own casino? It’s my money whether I win or lose there. We will go to Port City and take all of their money!”
“Eeh! Sir Isaac! Please not that!”
“Shut up! Follow me!”
Rizzly tried to stop Isaac as best as he could, but his attempts were futile in stopping Isaac’s relentless march.
“Tsk tsk, I guess it really is over.”
“Looks like he’s trying to settle this somehow with a gamble.”
“Ha! If that was possible, there wouldn’t be a single casino left standing.”
After observing Isaac’s life spiral down to a new low, people let go of what little pity they originally had for him.
“Ha! It’s no different from mine.”
Isaac stood at the front gate of Port City’s casino, his eyes burning as if he was looking at his lifelong enemy.
“Sir Isaac, we can still go back right now.”
Isaac shouted in response to Rizzly’s plea.
“What are you on about? Just wait here. I’ll close down this casino myself!”
Isaac confidently marched over to the casino, only to be stopped by the security guards.
“I’m sorry but you may not enter.”
“What! Don’t you know who I am?!”
“I do, but only those of elegance and culture may enter this place.”
“Bulls.h.i.+t! You think I came here without money! I’m rich! Why?! Or are you scared of losing all your money to me!”
The guards looked at each other anxiously, unwilling to put themselves on the spot. They stood there, unable to do anything as Isaac continued his ruckus. Rizzly’s deathly stare stopped them from throwing Isaac away physically, but letting him in could get them to lose their jobs.
“Look who it is. What is the Lord’s Representative of New Port City doing in this humble abode?”
It seemed the noise from the ruckus travelled in to the casino, and a plump middle aged man came out to greet Isaac with sarcasm dripping from mouth. Isaac looked to the middle aged man with dazed eyes, still influenced by alcohol.
“What the? You know me?”
“Hahaha. I see you’re quite drunk. I guess this is the first time we’ve met. My name is Harold. I operate this casino.”
“Huh? Harold? The name sounds familiar.”
“I am the man that holds the rights over that Grand Ca.n.a.l which you’re so desperate for.”
“Ah! Harold! You son of a b.i.t.c.h. I’m going to lose everything because of you!”
Finally remembering who Harold was, Isaac quickly tried to charge right at him but Rizzly stepped in and lifted Isaac up by his armpits.
“Let me go!”
Harold laughed, watching Isaac pitifully struggle midair.
“This is why you can’t do anything with low-borns such as yourself. It’s common sense to be punished for using someone else’s property without permission. Make sure you use the ca.n.a.l next time after paying your fees. And don’t come back here to cause a scene either. I will show some courtesy and not call the police only out of respect for your t.i.tle as the Lord’s Representative. So shove off quietly while you can.”
Harold seemed unbothered by Isaac’s behaviour. It was no different to all the other people Harold had sent in to the abyss through his plots, those who cried and wailed at which seemed like injustice in their eyes. He soon lost interest and tried to walk back in to the casino when one of the guards quickly told him of what happened before Harold came.
“Hm? He came to play in the casino?”
Harold’s eyes s.h.i.+ned with cunning. If he played his cards well, it would be an opportunity to get his hands on the casinos of New Port City.
“Huhuhu. Anyone who’s willing to give me money is my guest.”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh! I’ll make sure to clean this casino until not a single coin is left!”
“I’d love to see you try. Let him in.”
Harold snorted and ordered the guards before quickly disappearing into the casino. Isaac seemed to regain some sense after Harold disappeared, then quickly stepped into the casino as the guards received him with pitying eyes.
“What the. This is identical to mine! I swear, these lots have not a single shred of creativity!”
Isaac shouted the moment he entered and looked around the casino. The casino echoed with a sweet melody while the guests inside were busy with their social activities. The games of the casinos were aimed to entertain guests as they chatted amongst each other. And Isaac’s shout disturbed their entertainment. The guests quickly looked to where the shout came from.
“What are you looking at! Why would you even come to casino if you’re not going to gamble! What’s so good about standing around and talking! Move it!”
Isaac shoved the people aside as he forced himself in. The women squealed and scattered while the men attempted to stand their ground, only to be repelled by Rizzly’s frightening look.
Isaac looked at the tables in the casinos. Unlike his casino, which was jam packed with tables for games, this casino was spa.r.s.ely filled with tables. Isaac found his target and sat on one of the tables.
“It seems he’s at least playing the easiest one for now.”
“No. Dice may seem easy, but it has the highest return in the casino. He’s clearly looking to win big in a single game.”
Everyone muttered to each other as they glimpsed at Isaac. The game Isaac was playing was Dice, and it’s a game where the player tries to guess the total sum of the three dice that are thrown. There were countless ways to bet in the game: betting on whether the total sum will be the greater half or lesser half of possible sums, betting on the exact total sum of the three dice, or betting on what faces would come up on the dice, with each style of betting having a different return rate.
These simple rules made it easy for novices to approach the game without too much trouble, but this game also boasted the largest return in the casino with a possible 150x return when the three dice come out with identical faces. This made it popular for those who wanted to test their luck.
“Hahaha, don’t you think you’re pus.h.i.+ng yourself too soon?”
“Ha! A man only needs one chance! You just watch! I’ll rob this place clean!”
“Let’s see you try. On a side note, our casino’s minimum bet is 100 Giga.”
“Ha! Just a hundred Giga? I’ll bet a thousand Giga every game! Get me some booze!”
Harold disappeared, laughing at Isaac’s feeble attempt.
Isaac continued to shout out his demands for alcohol as he started playing the game.
Each game Isaac bet 3000 Giga. Since the game played fast, Isaac fell into a cycle of winning and losing, slowly sinking into the gambling trap. Some watched out of curiosity, then mocked him for his brutish, unintelligent way of playing.
“Um, Sir Isaac. I think you should stop…”
Rizzly carefully made his suggestion after watching Isaac lose 60 thousand Giga in a span of just 1 hour.
“What? What do you mean? I’m just starting to get the feel of it! Bring me more chips!”
The dealer of Isaac’s table spoke with troubled look.
“I apologize. But we cannot give you more chips with your credit.”
“What! Don’t you know who I am!”
“I do, but this is the rule of the casino. Unless you pay for all of your losses, we won’t be able to give you more chips.”
“Are you joking me! Do you have any idea how much I’ve lost! Stop with the bulls.h.i.+t and bring me more!”
Isaac slammed the table with his hands, and the dealer looked to the manager for help. The managers seemed to have received orders already on what to do and politely told Isaac.
“We will give you more chips as long as you sign on the paper to guarantee you will pay.”
“I’ll do it as much as you need!”
Isaac quickly signed the paper the manager of the casino handed to him and then threw it on the ground.
Many onlookers frowned at his horrible manners, but Isaac didn’t seem bothered and shouted when a mountain of chips were placed in front of him.
“Hurry up and play! I’ll get it right this time!”
Isaac continued to gamble. But once he lost over 300 thousand Giga, Rizzly seemed to think this was enough and hit the back of Isaac’s neck. Isaac became unconscious, and Rizzly picked up his body.
“Send the invoice to New Port City.”
“Thank you for your patronage.”
Behind Rizzly’s back echoed mocking laughter.
“What… What is this! What in the world is this!”
“Ah, shut it. My head is ringing. Drop your noise.”
“H-how can I possibly stay quiet after this!”
Isaac sipped at the honey tea Rizzly handed out to him, still suffering from a ma.s.sive hangover.
Cordnell seemed to be infuriated even more at Isaac’s indifference, and began to scream as he stomped the ground.
“What happened yesterday? We just received an invoice from Port City! An invoice of 350 thousand Giga! What in the world did you do to spend that much money in a single day?”
“Don’t worry. I can get it all back if I get a good game.”
“Waaaaah!”
Cordnell almost seemed as if he was having a stroke.
350 Thousand Giga was no joke. It’s an amount no commoner could earn even after spending his entire life working. And Isaac seemed so nonchalant after losing it all, making Cordnell truly fear for what was to come.
The city was just starting to start making profit, but now they had to pay reparations for the Grand Ca.n.a.l Race case. With the addition of this incident caused by Isaac, What little profit they had went up in smoke.
“Y, you’re not thinking of going there again are you?”
“Of course I am if I want to get my money back!”
“Haha… it’s over.”
Cordnell disappeared as he despairingly muttered into the air.
Humans are very sensitive to rumours.
The word of Isaac’s recent behaviour, of how he continued to gamble even after losing 350 thousand Giga, made what few people who still saw hope in Isaac abandon him and look to guarantee their own survival.
“We need to embezzle as much as wealth we can.”
“Impossible. All of the wealth is under Isaac’s name in the doc.u.ments. There’s no room for us to b.u.t.t in.”
“That’s why we have to fabricate the accounts. Otherwise, all of the wealth will be transferred to Port City.”
“What are our guilds saying?”
“They told us to be ready to set foot off this place at any time. It seems our guilds have given up on New Port City too.”
“s.h.i.+t! How could he crumble so easily after a single failure? He’d been doing so well until now.”
“It was never possible to begin with. Let’s just save our own skin for now.”
The employees from the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds predicted the fall of New Port City along with Isaac. So they began fabricating the account books and embezzling whatever funds they could get their hands on.
“It seems the merchant employees are embezzling funds.”
“No s.h.i.+t. Who in the right mind would like to die with Isaac-sunbae?”
“We should get ready too. At this rate, we won’t last till next year, let alone 3 years.”
‘We should at least get the 3 years’ worth of pay that we were promised.”
“What do the elves and North Bears look like?”
“The elves don’t seem too bothered since Port City is trying to employ them as well. The North Bears do seem disappointed, complaining that their good days are over. But they are still demonstrating some loyalty and refusing all offers from Port City.”
“Ha! Loyalty my a.s.s. What do they possibly expect to gain by staying loyal to that guy?”
“They are in a different situation to us.”
Isaac’s hubaes had noticed that the merchant employees made a second account book to embezzle the funds. In fact, the merchant employees advised them to save their own skin and taught the hubaes how to embezzle the funds.
The hubaes applied to work for Isaac purely for the high paycheck only Isaac was willing to offer, so they didn’t have any reason to die with Isaac.
They never considered Isaac to be their real sunbae, so they didn’t feel a shred of remorse, guilt, or hesitation. As they began to follow the merchant employees one by one, the administration of the city which was going well began to crumble. The biggest impact it had was on the free meals and hospital policy Isaac placed, but there wasn’t a single person who could fight it or anyone who would listen to their complaints.
With Isaac, their last hope, succ.u.mbing to alcohol and gambling, even the citizens of New Port City began to follow suit. The citizens became brave and entered the Ceta District without approval and started mugging and pickpocketing the guests. The North Bears tried their best to stop them, but it still worsened the reputation that just began to heal, decreasing the number of guests by the day.
“Hahaha, I never thought it would end this way.”
“How much money did he lose in the casino already?”
“It’s gone above 800 thousand Giga.”
“It really is over.”
The four rulers of Port City gathered for a meeting. Harold, the greatest contributor to the current situation, looked to the other three with arrogance.
“The pieces of trash from New Port City are asking to come under us again.”
“Ha, those rats will never cease to act like rats.”
“We can always replace them at any time once we gain our hands on New Port City.”
“Is the information they brought trustworthy?”
“It seems all of his employees and hubaes are in a frenzy to fill their own pockets.”
“The merchant guilds and newest graduates of Campus are having a party of corruption… I think we’ve got ourselves a great card to use once we get ahold of New Port City.”
“Isaac’s already given us all of the city’s funds, and all that’s left is his real estate and his authority.”
“Do you really think he will use that to gamble? He must have some brain in his head.”
“Hahaha. Isn’t that the reason gambling is so dangerous?”
Harold came up with a plan when he heard that Isaac had come to play.
To destroy Isaac with gambling.
It was easy enough to trap him in a gambling addiction through a cycle of wins and losses. The players quickly lose interest when they keep on losing, but they never lose their obsession when they always gain back some of their money. They fall into the trap of false hope that they can gain back their money when they hit it big just once, so they continue to play, further fuelling the addiction.
“That is why I’ve personally brought the Empire’s greatest dealer to help him fall into the trap even quicker.”
An experienced dealer could easily adjust the wins and losses to further help the players fall into addiction. That is why Harold personally met and hired the most expensive dealer in the gambling world.
“That brat’s completely fallen for my dealer because he lets him win more than all the others. Thanks to that, he’s been even more obsessed over my dealer, thanking him for letting him win back half of what he lost.”
“But isn’t there a chance he would dust his hands and leave once he got his money back?”
Harold laughed when Rodney made such a suggestion.
“That will never happen. Everyone who is addicted to gambling say they will stop once they get their money back. But I’ve never seen a single person who truly let go of gambling once they did get their money. No, they fall even deeper into gambling thinking they could earn even more money, since they managed to win back their money.”
“So all we need to do is make him bet in a once-in-a-lifetime game with all of his wealth on the line.”
“Haha, the plan is already in motion. All I need to do is taunt him a little and he’ll fall for it on his own.”
“Once we gain the authority of the Lord’s representative, not even the government can stop us.”
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Zeroman, the eldest of the four, spoke with worry in his voice. The rest laughed fanatically, but Zeroman knew from his experience that the more a plan goes on without a hitch, the worse an unexpected disaster hits from just around the corner.
“Huhu. You are worrying too much.”
“A merchant should be on his guard even more when a job goes too well.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. I’ve yet to become a merchant. Hahaha.”
“Tsk.”
Zeroman clicked his tongue when Harold laughed out of arrogance. The four who held the rights over the waterways seemed like they were cooperating, but as the possibility of establis.h.i.+ng their own merchant guild became more likely, they began to compete with one another for its shares.
Harold didn’t listen to Zeroman’s words because of the fact that he would gain more shares for this project, but Zeroman was the only person out of the four who were suspicious about Port City, New Port City, the government, and Central’s influence over the situation.
This is why Zeroman didn’t make a move, even at the cost of hearing that he is being too pa.s.sive. He doubted and doubted again whether all of this was a plan made by Central.
This incident happened too quickly. After seeing everything that Isaac fellow pulled through, Zeroman knew he wasn’t the type of person who would break over a single failure.
“I’m pulling out of this project.”
“That will mean your portion of shares will decrease.”
Not only Harold, but even the other two’s eyes flickered.
Zeroman nodded at the three, whose eyes were consumed by greed.
“Make sure you do it properly. I will give up over all of the profit that will come through this project, but it also means I have no reason to pay for damages when the project fails.”
“Ha. Mr. Zeroman, your problem is that you’re too cautious. Isn’t there a quote the merchants always love to say? Where there is no risk, there is no profit. Seeing how you love to avoid danger, I think you have very little talent in becoming a merchant yourself. Hahaha!”
“Perhaps. Maybe the reason why I’d like to follow my instinct over logic is because I’ve grown too old. This project is too dangerous.”
“Haha. You’re worrying when the project is going well and fearing what will happen if it fails? How do you expect to run the merchant guild with an att.i.tude like that?”
“I guess I’ll just have to live off the shares once the Merchant Guild becomes established.”
“Ha. I can print a doc.u.ment if that is what you wish.”
“Thanks. I’ll be heading off first.”
Zeroman seemed like he didn’t want to be in the room anymore and left his seat. Once Zeroman was gone, the three’s demeanour sharpened coldly, and they began to whisper to one another.
“I guess he really is old. It’s really difficult to work with him.”
“It’s fine. He doesn’t have a successor, so all of his shares will become ours once he dies.”
“So when are you planning to make the final move?”
“Huhu, I just need to taunt him a little longer, and that brat will volunteer to give all of his wealth to us. Just wait a little longer.”
“Huhuhu. I look forward to that day.”
“Ah! s.h.i.+t! I should have bet on 5!”
Isaac slammed the table in a fit of rage as the number he originally switched from came out. As Isaac fell deeper into gambling addiction, so too did his appearances deteriorate. Many sleepless nights had turned his eyes red with blood, flickering at every movement. His face now sported a beard and a foul odour seeped through his clothes, forcing everyone to stay away from him.
“Make your bets.”
The dealer on the table behaved like a well-oiled machine, unphased by Isaac’s insults and fits, only going through the required words and actions. He was an experienced dealer who has been through all kinds of customers before.
“Hmmm….”
Isaac, whose initial confidence made him bet a thousand, even ten thousand Giga each game, was now forced to play with the minimum bet of 100 Giga. Realising that he was out of money, even this minimum bet was made after much contemplation.
Everyone who watched from the side could easily tell that Isaac was going bankrupt and looked at Isaac with ridicule. It was the typical end of a gambling addict.
“Tsk tsk, what happened to that confidence of yours at the start?”
Harold approached Isaac and slowly taunted him.
“What! You think I’ll be defeated this easily! Hmph!”
Falling for Harold’s provocation, Isaac bet all of his chips on three 6s coming out. It had the highest winning multiplier of 150x, but its probability was just as scarce. Isaac’s bet was one without a hint of intelligence but full of primal rage.
Already, Isaac’s face was filled with regret, and before he made up his mind, the dealer rang the bell to stop all bets and placed the dice. The dice were placed at the top of a clear cylinder to prevent any tampering of dice. When the dealer pressed a b.u.t.ton, the lid opened and the dice danced in the air as a gust of wind filled the cylinder.
“Uuuh… Please, give this one to me, please…”
Harold made a mocking smile as he watched Isaac, who was too focused on the dice to notice. Harold made eye contact with the dealer. The dice were rigged so that the dealer could determine which faces would come up. Isaac wasn’t fighting against probability. Any wins he would make were made possible because Harold determined it to be.
The dice were eventually pulled down by gravity and bounced on the table for some time. Once they stopped, all three dice came out with number 6 faced up.
“Kuahaha! Did you see that! I’m not dead yet!”
Isaac jumped into the air with a triumphant roar. It was a 150x winning. Isaac continued to boast about the win while the dealer gave him his winnings with near-mechanical movement.
“Huhuhu. How much is this? Its more than 250 thousand Giga. Did you see that? If I win three more times like this, I’ll be able to get my money back!”
Isaac couldn’t hide his emotions as he looked at the mountain of chips. Harold approached the excited Isaac with applause.
“Oh, amazing! I didn’t think you’d get a huge winning in that moment. Wow, it’s too bad. If you bet everything, you would have gotten all of your money back.”
“Hmph! You just wait! The game’s just begun!”
“Make your bets.”
Isaac confidently reacted to the dealer’s words.
“4,5,5.”
The dealer coldly read out the faces of each die, and Isaac stood up from his chair with a fist.
“Yes!”
Isaac, who bet on two 5s coming out, boasted to Harold as he received his 50x winning.
“Kuahaha! See that? You see that? Finally my luck is starting to look up. You just wait! It’ll be just a moment before I bankrupt this casino!”
Harold made an appearance of a bitter smile, but deep in his heart, his smile was growing ever more sinister. Emboldened by his recent wins, Isaac started to make larger bets in each game, and the 250 thousand Giga he earned earlier quickly disappeared.
The reason why gambling is so dangerous is because it digs into the human’s psychology. Human’s greed is endless, and when they make a winning with 100 Giga, they begin to fantasise. What if I bet a thousand Giga? Or, at least 200, no 500 Giga? When regret such as this begins to dig away at their heart, they begin to think they lost in their head, when in truth the money never existed. They begin to compensate by making larger bets, and their logic becomes clouded as they convince themselves that they can make up for many losses by making a big win.
Isaac didn’t miss a single step in a worsening gambling addiction, and his confident demeanour quickly disappeared. All he could do now was repeat the process of betting and watching the dice.
As expected of the dealer Harold went to great depths to find, his experienced dealing sapped the soul out of Isaac. He would make the dice be very close to Isaac’s bet when he makes a large bet, teasing him, while letting him win small bets to encourage and tantalize him deeper into gambling.
“s.h.i.+t! s.h.i.+t! s.h.i.+t! s.h.i.+t!”
Isaac lost all of his money again, and started swearing as he beat down the table. Harold quickly stepped in to the scene like a predator jumping at his prey.
“It seems you weren’t lucky today again.”
“Che! I was only unlucky because I didn’t have enough chips! Bring me more!”
“I’m sorry but your debt has gone past a million Giga. You can’t get any more chips, even with my authority.”
“You really think I can’t pay back a measly million Giga?”
“Then why don’t you pay now and play again?”
“Um… I don’t have it right now, but the money will come in about a month. Let’s settle the debt then.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that.”
Isaac shouted out in a fit when Harold coldly refused his offer.
“You can’t even do that for me when I’ve lost so much money in this d.a.m.n casino?”
“That’s because I know exactly how well your finances are. You just barely had 800 thousand monthly net profit back when you were at your prime. I heard that the number of guests have been dropping. Are you making 300 thousand Giga at this point? And this is your total revenue we’re talking about, not your profit.”
“Kuk! If, if I sell all of my real estate, I can easily make a million Giga!”
“Then bring me its proof. I’ll accept it as a warrant.”
“T, that’s…”
Even Isaac hesitated, since he knew it was his last trump card.
“Well, a million Giga is big money, so I’ll wait until next month just as you promised. But you can’t play in my casino anymore until you pay back the million Giga dept.”
“Kuk!”
Isaac furiously glared at Harold’s arrogant face, but the attempt was pitiful at best. Rizzly, who couldn’t stand it anymore, pulled Isaac aside.
“Let’s call it a day now.”
“W, wait!”
Even as he was being pulled out of the casino by Rizzly, Isaac was still showing signs of regret, and just before he was about to be pulled out the door, Isaac got out of Rizzly’s grip and approached Harold.
“How much chips can you give me if I give you the real estate?”
“Hm? I will need to see it first. There isn’t much value in New Port City as a whole.”
Seeing Isaac bite his bait, Harold’s eyes s.h.i.+ned.
“Sir Isaac! What are you thinking?”
Rizzly rushed back to Isaac and blocked his mouth, and Isaac struggled in vain. Watching Isaac’s pathetic act, Harold shouted.
“You can come back whenever you have the money. I’ll welcome you warmly!”
“How much did you say?”
“A million Giga.”
“Sigh…”
“…”
“How much again?”
“A million Giga.”
“Sigh…”
Like a mouse scampering in a running wheel, Cordnell kept asking the same question as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sadly, the answer came out the same every time. Cordnell looked to Isaac as if he had given up on all hope. Watching Isaac mutter to himself about all of the losing bets really made Cordnell lose what little faith he had in him.