Chapter 19 Wine Glass, Gambler, Mask

"Get out! Go back to your mother and scrape together the money before you come back in!"

Before Biris even entered the house, he saw a small goblin being kicked out of the door by a tall orc.

The little green-skinned creature wanted to tell the orc that they were of the same kind, but the tall orc clearly wasn't buying it; he only cared about money.

The room was filled with low pillars, and tapestries symbolizing a bountiful harvest hung all around. Behind each pillar was a mahogany table with a row of thumb-sized candles on it. The snow-white tablecloth was not crumpled, indicating that it was changed every day.

Although the club looked deserted from the outside, it was surprisingly packed with customers inside. They all looked confident of victory, and they were probably the ones who lost the most yesterday.

These people don't play cards, but rather gamble with alcohol. The method is simple: place dark-colored wine glasses on each table according to the number of guests at each table. The glasses are partially sealed, leaving only a small opening so that you can't see what's inside, and they are placed where you can't smell them.

One half of the cup is filled with water, and the other half with alcohol. The lucky person will drink the water, and the unlucky person will drink the alcohol. No matter which cup you choose, you must drink it all. If you are unconscious, you are eliminated. Those who think they can continue will enter the next round. The last person to drink will take away all the bets.

Participants in the drinking contest are not limited to any particular species, but the Snow Mountain Dwarves often have a higher alcohol tolerance than others.

Billis also wanted to try his luck, so he chose a table with fewer people.

However, he was unaware that the club had a habit of reserving seats, and this table happened to be the one with the most people.

Biris only sat for five minutes before five people joined, one left, and three more joined in the middle. Finally, they included a short goblin, making a total of twenty people.

"I bet ten silver coins!" the fat man with a full beard announced loudly.

"Fifty silver coins! Otherwise, I won't participate!" Another confident half-reincarnated individual waved to his servant, ready to hand over the money at any moment.

"You're already drunk before it even starts. Aren't you going to join your dogfighting game?" a brown-skinned orc said with a laugh. "To make a good impression, I'll bet fifty!"

"He's about to faint! Fifty? That's not even enough for my breakfast!" The white-bearded dwarf, who looked like a merchant, said arrogantly.

The drinking contest is about to begin.

One of the rabbit-toothed beastmen fell into a deep sleep after finishing his second cup. Some people laughed at him, saying he was bringing shame to the beastmen. But not long after they finished speaking, the man, like a cat that had just devoured a canary, fell asleep contentedly.

Everyone knows they're drinking strong liquor today, but no one admits they're drinking alcohol; they all pretend they're drinking water.

After four cups, half the people at the gambling table were lying down.

At this moment, two seemingly conventional businessmen started arguing over a trivial matter, and it's unclear whether they intended to use this as an excuse to withdraw from the betting game.

One of them shouted at the other, "It's really not easy to do a small business in the lord's territory. I admit I can't compare to a nobleman like you who is born to spend money."

The other said he wasn't a nobleman: "It's as if I was born a nobleman. Do you think only merchants' money is earned honestly? The reason I have this treatment is because my grandfather participated in countless wars on Earth, big and small. It's true! Those were all rewards from the king!"

"Rewards for losing a war? I truly cannot understand you. If you were a Fa'an from the start, you wouldn't even have been born!"

"I challenge you to a duel! Bring me a sword! I will use your blood to atone for my grandfather's honor!"

"What are we waiting for? We couldn't be happier! Anyway, my business in Fa'an has already gone bankrupt!"

Both men wore serious and terrified expressions, grabbing each other's sleeves and shouting that they were about to leave. However, they couldn't take back their bet, so the bet was considered a voluntary forfeit.

Some people chased after them to see what was going on, and some even placed bets on the two men.

“I bet that merchant will win; he’ll definitely be able to split the nobleman in two.”

The number of people participating in this game immediately decreased to eight, and just then, another person came in from outside.

This is a half-reincarnated being; his belly appears loose in his formal attire, and a wide-brimmed, flat-topped hat has slipped back, revealing a narrow forehead covered in red heat rash.

If it weren't for the mask he was wearing, Billy would never have noticed him.

The masked man was about the same height as Billis and had a sailor's air about him; he must be a long-time member.

There were a few people missing from the gambling table, and Billis waved to the man in a friendly manner, indicating that there were still empty seats.

The man, having finally met such enthusiastic people, didn't stand on ceremony and chose a seat among the eight gambling buddies.

Since he joined midway through the game, the stakes needed to be doubled, and the man didn't hesitate to put two gold coins on the table.

There were nine people in total, and the number of wine glasses on the table increased to forty.

The man used a small knife with a horn handle to cut off a large piece of tobacco, put it in his mouth, and then immediately chose a glass of wine, which he drank in one gulp. Without changing his expression, he said, "Good wine!"

He seems to be a frank person, and he can hold his liquor quite well.

Round after round, those who persevere to the end demonstrate their expertise in this area.

After five rounds, only five gamblers remained, including the man.

The white-bearded dwarf thought he could drink until the very end, but his evasive eyes and awkward tone clearly indicated that he was about to die, yet he still seemed to want more, suddenly staring blankly at Biris.

Of the five people, only Billis and the man who joined midway remained unfazed.

"Next cup!"

The man seemed to be in a hurry and urged everyone to drink quickly.

The ragged orc ran off to vomit before he had even finished his drink; according to the rules, vomiting meant he was out.

There are four left.

Before the white-bearded dwarf could react, Billis grabbed another glass of wine, moving so quickly that it almost looked like he was stealing it from someone.

As for the man who came in later, he was also a little dizzy at this point.

The goblin next to the dwarf collapsed after the drink was only halfway finished.

The dwarf suddenly pointed at Biris and said, "Impossible! You must be cheating!"

Billis drank every last drop, then deliberately waved the glass in front of him, stood up, and rubbed the dry blanket with his foot to show that he hadn't cheated.

The white-bearded dwarf's face was flushed as if he had heatstroke. Even if he could still drink another cup, he knew he was no match for this guy.

I'm quitting!

The dwarf chose to abandon the game.

Only two people remained, and six glasses of wine were left on the table.

Billis quickly grabbed a glass, but was stopped by the man sitting opposite him just as he was about to drink it.

"Wait a minute! This is a waste of time. We should get a bigger cup. If you think this is a good idea, you can stay. I need to get to the next game."

It seems he's eager to watch a fight match.

Billy readily agreed, and he called the bartender over to replace the six small glasses with four large ones.

Drinking any kind of strong liquor in such hot weather would make you feel drowsy, let alone after drinking so much.

Billie again beat the men to it and downed a large glass in one gulp.

The man had just picked up the glass when he smelled a nauseating odor of alcohol. In order to save time, he put the glass down and wanted to give up.

Billis realized he couldn't let this guy leave.

"Hey, old buddy, what are you standing there for? If it were a woman, you probably wouldn't be acting like a fool, right?"

When the man saw that Billy was provoking him, he blushed and forced himself to drink half a glass.

"Oh my, how come a grown man drinks like he's licking feet? I had high hopes for you at first, but it turns out none of the people at this table can fight back."

A sour, fermented alcoholic smell rose from the man's stomach. He suddenly smashed his glass in excitement and shouted, "The appetizer was pretty good!"

"That's more like it! I knew I had high hopes for you!"

The two continued the match.

But Billy hesitated in this round, holding the two large cups and not making a choice for a long time.

Both glasses were filled with alcohol, but the bartender had only put one glass of water in one of the four large glasses.

The man started acting crazy, yelling that he would drink his opponent under the table. Billy calmly licked the rim of his glass, took only a small sip, and realized that this strong liquor could kill someone on the spot.

"What? You're not drinking?" The man suddenly stood up, scrutinizing the other man's eyes. "There's something in your eyes. You're cheating!"

Billis thought the man had discovered the secret of the contact lens, but to his surprise, the man swayed and groggily said, "Your eyes are lying. Finish your drink! Were you drinking water the whole time? Oh, what good luck!"

He finally collapsed.

Billis straightened the contact lens, and the contents of the cup were now clearly visible.

“Honey, turn off the X-ray vision. Men’s bodies disgust me,” Billis said to Lisa on the other end of the contact lens, as he removed the man’s mask. “Can you find out more about this guy?”

Lisa quickly transmitted the man's information to the contact lens.

'Marcel, working for the Leviathan Ocean Bureau, is an excellent exploration captain who has participated in large-scale fishing operations. He has been divorced once on Earth and once in Faan. He enjoys tobacco and is a compulsive gambler.'

Billy took the guy's mask and invitation, along with some tobacco from his pocket, and also found a sharpened hunting knife blade for cutting tobacco in his pants.

He has now transformed into Captain Marcel.