It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Not long after, the centaur lady, who looked unwell, got up from the ground. In the brief conversation, Bai Lin learned that her name was Firas, which sounded gentle and clean. When Bai Lin asked about her last name, the other party replied,

"You're such a joker! People like us don't deserve to have a surname. Joining a gang is like discrediting yourself."

Bai Lin roughly understood the situation, nodded, and replied,

"If you're mean to me too much, I'll kill you. You're my property now."

The speaker may not have meant it, but the listener cannot be unintentional. After hearing this, Firas must have been sweating profusely.

It wasn't long before the two arrived at the living quarters of the "Rising Sun House." It was quite large, but the population density was slightly lower than Bai Lin had expected. It wasn't as crowded as the Black Continent slums he had seen in his original world, but the conditions weren't much better, at best, just slightly more sanitary.

Dirty streets and intricate narrow alleys were everywhere. You never knew when a petty thief would steal your things from the roadside. In just five minutes of walking, Bai Lin had already seen three or four couples arguing, some even fighting.

There were also some people staggering around the streets like they were mentally ill. Firas said they were high. Some of the more sane ones might hang out in groups of three or five, after all, people still need to relax. Those who had reached that point were left to wander around on their own, and who knew how many times they had been ripped off by pickpockets.

One day, they might simply disappear into a corner of the street, be stripped of their tendons and skinned, and sold for whatever they could, a final price to pay for their lives. Even so, these people continued to pour out of the street, seemingly without end.

"You know, we don't have anything serious to get high on here. We basically just take those drugs. You haven't seen them before, have you?"

Chapter 1081: Mockery

Firas said to Bai Lin excitedly, as if she really found Bai Lin easy to talk to, and also as if she had temporarily escaped the threat of death and could not be so serious about being a slave. She looked just like usual,

"Red popsicles, about the size of a coin, are considered painkillers. Take a handful at a time, and within 30 seconds, you'll feel the effects. But the effect wears off quickly, so you have to keep taking them. That's why you see people sitting there, eating handfuls of them like snacks."

"But at this point, it's not far from being a brain breaker. What do you think, boss? Do you want to give it a try?"

"I'm not interested. I've seen more intense ones. I'll be fine if I eat it, but if you dare let her touch you, you're done."

Based on Bai Lin's observation and the other party's description, she felt that this thing was not as good as Le Tianxiang. However, there were too few entertainment options in this kind of shabby place. Everyone was taking drugs, so this kind of drug use was inevitable.

On the streets, centaurs and horses could be seen mating everywhere. Perhaps because he had seen too much perversion, Bai Lin reacted slightly, but nothing dramatic. He just wanted to cover Katie's eyes from time to time, even forgetting what he had seen. Katie, on the other hand, enjoyed being held in Bai Lin's arms, but covering her eyes all the time was too inconvenient. She would rather hold hands with him and stroll like they were on vacation. Firas could only sigh that they were a truly sick couple.

Walking along these dilapidated streets, Bai Lin couldn't help but lament the disparity of the world. She understood many things and could analyze the specific answers behind them, but she couldn't help but wonder: why could such a huge difference exist in a city just a dozen kilometers away? She couldn't imagine how long people here had lived like this, and how many more years would it continue like this?

Not to mention human life, even your blood has a price tag per liter. Everything reveals a hopeless chaos, yet it seems to be a society that is very orderly, at least it is still functioning. Bai Lin couldn't help but close his eyes slightly, as if instinctively wanting to see less.

"Hey, Firas. Are those the new goods you're carrying? They're really eye-catching. If you take a few more steps with them, you might get surrounded by some gang."

An old man with a somewhat untidy appearance, a horse's body, unkempt hair and dirty face, sat on the street and smiled at the three people with a crooked mouth. He curled his lips, revealing his rotten yellow teeth that could make people smell the stench of rot, and said,

"Or...you want to sell it to me?"

Firas did not answer, but looked at Bai Lin and the others with interest. Obviously, she was taking advantage of him. Bai Lin sighed slightly and took a step forward.

"We are from Yucheng, not cargo."

"Oh, I can certainly see where you're from. But are you trying to say you came here on your own, girls?"

Obviously, just like Firas, the other party had already formed a stereotype of Bai Lin upon their first meeting. After all, in a place like this, even a normal, simple girl, regardless of Bai Lin's appearance and appearance, could be seen as a lamb to be slaughtered, a pampered young lady.

However, the men were obviously much more polite than Feralas, and this was because of "legitimacy." When they encountered Feralas in the wild, they did not bring any guards. Without thinking about the fact that the two of them were ridiculously strong, Feralas could only think that this was a huge bargain.

After passing the level of the bandits, they arrived at the real residential area of ​​the House of the Rising Sun. There was Firas pretending to be an ambiguous guide, which would cause other speculations about Bai Lin and the others.

First, they were goods brought from Feralas. But Bai Lin didn't look like she was being tricked, otherwise Feralas would have faced the old man's questions and continued the charade. And it was even more impossible that they were kidnapped, because the two young ladies were just strolling around in this place, not tied up or chained.

Secondly, they were residents of a certain status who had come here through the Rain City records, and Feralas was their local guide or escort. In that case, any attempt to take action against them would require more planning. The unexplained disappearance of two people wouldn't necessarily be a major event, but it would require a clean and appropriate opportunity...

In this mixed place, it is not an easy task. This not-so-good job is not necessarily something that anyone would be willing to do. Therefore, the way everyone looked at the young ladies basically changed from the initial "greed" like in Feralas to -

fling in teeth.

"If that's the case, welcome to the real world. Please enjoy yourself. But opening the door for you is the last service I can offer you here."

The old man stood up and opened a door behind him, a sinister smile on his face. Instantly, the pungent smell of sweat, mingled with a hint of blood, washed over the crowd. The chaotic atmosphere and the clamorous sounds swept Bai Lin into another world.

The wine glasses were flowing and the sight of food was dazzling. This was the tavern again, a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar to Bai Lin.

Because of this, she still showed a calmness that surprised others. She just raised her eyebrows slightly and replied to the old man without even bothering to look at him.

"Authentic? What an interesting word. It sounds like you haven't been stuck in this corner your whole life, but have seen a lot of places."

"It's not that you can see deeply just by looking at a lot."

The old man just smiled after being scolded by Bai Lin. Bai Lin took Katie's hand and walked inside naturally.

"The same applies to you. If you look at it for a long time, will you see it more deeply?"

Firas closed the door skillfully, and then the three of them completely entered a place that was not so different from the previous one.

If the outside world is a hell on earth, full of chaos, then the pace here is a bit lighter, at least it seems to have a better order. Because here, it provides a satisfying form of entertainment -

gamble.

It's nominally a tavern, but is the alcohol an add-on, or is the gambling an add-on? Bai Lin, having just arrived, couldn't tell. Alcohol is like an additional drink; those who want it at the card table can enjoy it, and those watching the cards might even exchange glasses. But people are still more focused on the card table, as if the financial turmoil brought about by the cards and the dice is a sacred fire that allows them to escape the outside world.

It was dirty and messy, of course. But compared to the outside, the people here looked quite honest. In comparison, it was like people sitting in a high-end restaurant.

Chapter 1082 Joining the Game Midway

“What a harmony.”

Bai Lin sighed, a mocking smile on her face. She instantly scanned the entire scene and gave this assessment.

"This is our main event here. What do you think? I promised you we wouldn't cheat you. We'll definitely show you something you'll be satisfied with."

Obviously, it was Bai Lin who asked to come and see the situation of the House of Rising Sun, so Firas brought her here.

"Do you usually come here to gamble?"

Bai Lin didn't respond, but looked up. Firas shook his head.

"Not often. I don't find it that interesting. Besides, you can see that most of the people gambling here are men, right? They seem to love this sport more."

Indeed, Bai Lin glanced up a few times and saw that most of the people gathered around the gambling table were men. And most of them were older, at least middle-aged. Even if their expressions looked excited, their dim eyes lacked much life. It was rare to see young faces, almost as rare as women.

She also noticed that there were almost no centaur-like men in the House of the Rising Sun. The men seemed less strong than the women, and had fewer horse features.

“They’re going to be better at doing this?”

"Just kidding, not really. I'm not that good at playing cards, and I only lose when I'm at the table. But look at the people who gather here every day, aren't there more winners? It's not about being good or not, it's more like this is all I can do."

Firas also began to mock. Because of the height difference, her conversation with Bai Lin was difficult to suppress. This speech had already attracted many dissatisfied eyes. Several spectators who were scattered around the card table had moved over. What was more rare was that a relatively strong two-meter-tall man came directly in front of Bai Lin.

"A young lady from Rain City? Firas, when did you start taking advantage of your status to say these things? This is not like you."

The man's voice was mellow and the meaning was quite profound. And Firas replied nonchalantly,

"What do you mean by taking advantage of power? If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have said this. Maybe I'm just too lazy to say it."

"Okay, okay. For the sake of the two young ladies, I won't pursue the matter with you. But—"

The man also came down and moved closer to Bai Lin. He smiled with his eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to put his mountain-like body in front of Bai Lin, giving him a smile on the surface, but also an oppressive aura.

"We welcome you, ladies from Rain City. But please don't judge them too superficially. Especially ask your servants to control their mouths. This will make your dignity shine even more brilliantly. You can look at us however you like. But don't forget, this is our world. Say less. It will benefit everyone."

Bai Lin looked at the other person, his mouth corners slid down in mockery, and a hint of ambiguous contempt appeared between his eyebrows.

"Simple? Well, this isn't the first time I've heard something like that today. Perhaps beating around the bush is the style of the big city, but I might not be that good at it... Firas, translate, what did he say?"

Firas immediately understood Bai Lin's meaning and said with a ferocious look on his face,

"He said you two little brats shouldn't touch adult things."

"Oh, what are you, Mr. Bartender? So that's what you meant."

The bartender in front of him seemed to have noticed Bai Lin's unexpected attitude. Just as he was about to react, Bai Lin took a step closer and said,

"Playing with these childish things makes you feel superior? Come on, although I'm not a professional gambler, let me get involved, let me play too——"

Bai Lin raised her voice, as if hoping that everyone present would pay attention to her. Her eyes were also flashing, full of a lighthearted attitude, leaping out,

"Play some kiddie stunts with your shoddy skills and worthless attitudes."

Now, everyone couldn't sit still. Of course, it wasn't out of anger, but rather an evil laugh, just like when Firas first saw Bai Lin.

"Hahahahaha what is this little girl talking about!"

"Even when joking, be careful with your attitude."

"Young people are full of energy, but I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. Talking nonsense will only lead to disaster."

Even the bartender in front of him laughed even more enthusiastically amidst the laughter. He laughed and replied,

"You're such an interesting, daring girl. I like your style. But if you really want to have fun, you're welcome at any table here."

As soon as the second half of the sentence was finished, a strange feeling, like a bolt of lightning, struck the bartender's head. The freezing cold, like falling into an icy house, spread from the man's head to his entire body in an instant, causing his pupils to dilate and his body to tremble uncontrollably.

He couldn't explain the reason for all this, but he felt that the little girl in front of him seemed to have completely lost her cuteness. Instead, she was extremely terrifying. Her voice, like the shrill voice of a demon, echoed in the bartender's mind.

"Okay, then I'll just pick a table at random."

"Intuition", just like Firas had robbed for countless years, he suddenly felt the infinite power of Bai Lin by intuition. And as a casino keeper, he also intuitively understood the word "permission", as if he had touched something untouchable. But when he realized it,

Everything is too late.

Bai Lin had already passed by the other party, casually asked someone at a table to change seats, and then sat down. It was not until the noise of the crowd started again that the bartender felt himself back to reality.

"Hey, are you okay? Why are you shaking?"

The man who looked like a regular customer patted the bartender's shoulder and asked. The bartender wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, shook his dizzy head, and said,

"It's okay, let's take a look first."

"I'll sit here and join in mid-game, is that okay?"

Bai Lin looked at a thin man at the table and asked with a smile. The other man also replied with a smile,

"Come on, miss, you have good taste. Your cards don't look very good. No wonder that person wanted to trade with you so much."

"Well, I just like to play the endgame. As long as you say it's okay to play, it's fine. Nothing else matters."

Bai Lin quickly took his seat and looked at the cards in his hand.

This table plays old-fashioned Texas Hold'em, which is also one of the most popular games in this place.

Chapter 1083 My Eyes

The rules of traditional Texas Hold'em are very simple and easy to learn. In simple terms, it depends on whether the cards in your hand can form a good hand.

When you have a single card and all the cards in your hand are scattered cards, compare the size in the order of Ace-2.

A pair is a pair of 2s, a pair of 3s, etc., and a pair of aces is the biggest.

Three of a kind, three identical cards.

A straight is five consecutive cards in your hand, such as 23456. The largest is a royal straight (10jqka).

Full house, three cards with two cards, three cards with two cards.

Four of a kind, bomb, four of a kind.

Straight Flush, a straight of the same suit in poker.

Royal Flush (biggest), 10jqka of the same suit.

This poker game is played with a deck of cards minus the jokers, and the rules vary from place to place. Internationally, the current format uses "community cards" and "private cards," meaning two cards are dealt at the start that only the player can see, followed by a shared community of cards.

Except for the first two cards, each additional card requires a new bet, and those who cannot or do not want to follow will be automatically eliminated.

In this era, the most popular form is the one-card-in-the-hole (private) hand. At the beginning, each player is dealt two cards, one exposed and one concealed. Afterwards, each player who calls a bet is dealt a card, also exposed.

Compared to Mahjong, Texas Hold'em certainly involves a lot of luck, but the psychological game is even more crucial. How to use good cards to trick others into raising the bet, or how to use bad cards to trick them into giving up... The rules are simple, but the maneuvering at the table is incredibly vast.

Moreover, cheating with small pieces of paper like playing cards is much easier than cheating with mahjong tiles.

Often, people exploit human nature, which is to avoid eye contact, to play this game. It's human nature to avoid making eye contact with others, which can lead to increased anxiety and stress, thus destabilizing others.

However, experienced gamblers can certainly take advantage of this and, to a certain extent, avoid the possibility of their instincts leading to mistakes. For example, the man who had just spoken to Bai Lin and allowed her to sit down was the casino's "sitter" at this table.

A "game watcher" is someone who is very good at gambling. They help the casino make money, losing small and winning big. They usually just play along, attracting others to play. When they encounter a powerful opponent, they become their thugs, and their goal is to defeat the opponent with all their might.

A young lady like Bai Lin naturally didn't take the game seriously. Even if she won a little more, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, she was a guest from Yucheng, so showing her some respect was necessary.

However, since Bai Lin had already provoked him to this point, he probably had to make some serious moves. The waiter glanced at the bartender, who nodded affirmatively.

With the answer, the strategy for the gambling became clear. Seeing the scene, ready to go all out, he put on a polite, slightly servile smile and exchanged a brief expression with Bai Lin.

Regardless of whether a young girl like this was good at it or not, he was confident he could take her down. Having spent decades at the gambling table and having three fingers broken, he was confident his experience would swallow up young gamblers like this like a quagmire.

"Well, now that we've introduced the rules, let's get started."

He repeated the rules, looked at Bai Lin, and smiled with his eyes narrowed. And through the slits of his eyes, he saw that the other party had the same exact expression.

"Okay."

Before the spectator could react, the intense pain instantly stimulated his nerves, and the surroundings instantly rang out extremely loud screams. Bai Lin directly pulled out the opponent's eyeball in an instant, without even giving the opponent a blink of an eye.