Chapter 243: Richie Burke
The three of them sat down in a booth. John casually picked up a deck of Weather Cards that had been placed by the table, glanced at XB, and asked, "Want to join in?"
XB suddenly felt a little nervous. Although he had always called himself an e-sports gambling king in the livestream, he had never actually played Weather Cards before. He swallowed hard, then nodded. "I'll give it a try."
John chuckled, began shuffling, and dealt the cards. "Wayne, if I remember right, you're quite a capable supernatural, aren't you?"
"Fairly capable, I suppose. Why?" Zhou Ning nodded slightly, picked up his glass of Jinhai pale beer, and took a small sip.
"Then you'll have to help me figure something out." John finished dealing the cards and began arranging his own hand as he spoke. "I remember telling you once that I'd seen a ghost?"
"Did you?" Zhou Ning searched his memory but couldn't recall it. Keeping his expression neutral, he replied with a noncommittal, "And then?"
"A month ago, I went back to my hometown. That night, I ran into this ghost—a distinguished-looking old man in a judicial wig who kept sighing gloomily. Later, I saw a portrait in my family's old house and realized it was my great-grandfather—Sean Fowler, who once served as the Bryce Town Naval Minister and as mayor of Southwells."
John spoke with lingering unease, telling the story while playing his cards. It turned out that ever since he encountered Sean Fowler's ghost that night, the servants who had stayed behind in the family estate at Darkland had begun spotting the old man pacing by the front door every few days, with the sightings becoming more and more frequent. Given the seriousness of the matter, the family had rushed back to deal with it.
It did sound a bit like Zhou Ning's own experience—perhaps there was some connection. He thought for a moment, then looked at John and said seriously, "My advice is to find the Sunwatchers or the Circle of the Earth. They've got plenty of experts in the occult and should be able to handle this. Maybe it's because I grew up under the red flag, but when something happens, my first thought is always to call the authorities."
"That's what I thought too, but my dad wouldn't have it. This is what he said to me at the time: 'Bloody hell, that's your great-grandfather! You want the followers of the Sun Goddess to purify him out of existence?'" John imitated his father's tone vividly.
That was a good point—most likely the Ascetic Church really would purify a ghost. And the stricter Circle of the Earth would probably do the same. If Zhou Ning handled it himself, well, the only thing he could really do was feed the ghost some bullets—John's dad would probably have his head for that. He thought a moment and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can only use physical means, and my methods are… rougher. Maybe try the Church of the Goddess of Life? They should be gentler."
John gave a wry smile and nodded. "That's what we're doing now. Forget it, let's drop this topic and keep playing."
Ten minutes later, XB's face was ashen—he had lost most of his chips in that short time. John's expression had also paled, his eyes flickering as he began to regret ever inviting Wayne Sturwell to play cards.
Then came another round of all-in. On the surface, XB had the biggest hand: a Blizzard Big Snow + Rainstorm Big Rain combo. In reality, it was Blizzard Big Snow Medium Snow + Rainstorm Big Rain, a full house with 3+2. Hoping to win it back, XB shoved in all his money, holding his breath and waiting for Zhou Ning to reveal his cards.
"This round, there's no way I can lose. If I do, I'll eat my optical brain!" XB vowed confidently in the livestream.
But just then, a tall man with a scar on his chin walked over, holding his drink, and sat down next to Zhou Ning.
"Hey, handsome—are you here in Southwells waiting for a miracle?" he said, raising his glass and leaning closer.
XB: …
Now that was bold.
He immediately looked at the man with respect.
Then XB deliberately scooted back a little—didn't want to get sprayed with blood—but still kept his hand firmly over his cards. This was his chance to win it all back!
Zhou Ning slowly looked up, his gaze cold. Using Observation Haki, he could faintly sense that the northern sailor from earlier was watching him from a distance along with his companions.
"We've done our research. There are certain special spots where, when the miracle of life arrives, you can change from male to female. If you'd be willing to come with me…"
First, send someone he didn't know to stir trouble. Then, once he retaliated, rush in together to start a fight… such a tired, predictable trick—and very typical of northern men: cowardly and cautious when at a disadvantage, but aggressive and provocative when they thought they had the upper hand.
Zhou Ning closed his cards, picked up his beer, took a sip, and set it down. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed the man's already-thinning hair.
Bang!
He slammed the man's head down onto the table, splinters flying as blood sprayed from his nose. Cups and chips on the table bounced from the impact.
Then Zhou Ning stood, released his grip, and gave him a light push, sending him collapsing backward to the floor.
The other patrons quickly scattered, and as Zhou Ning expected, a group of guards rushed in alongside the northern sailors.
As expected… Zhou Ning smiled faintly, stood, and moved to meet the approaching sailors. In an instant, a silent wave of Conqueror's Haki swept over them.
Without bothering to control his targets, everyone in the wave's path—patrons, guards—collapsed unconscious. Only the northern sailors, with their decent mental strength, remained on their feet, albeit briefly stunned.
Zhou Ning didn't stop his forward charge. In just a few steps, he reached a familiar face, quietly drew his ebony pistol, pressed the muzzle to the man's forehead, and smiled. "Heard you were looking for me?"
"I surrender." The northern sailor's mouth went dry. He had already fallen for Zhou Ning's tricks once at the Adventurers' Guild. Even though he had been wary this time, there was no escaping it. True to northern tradition, he simply raised both hands.
"Name? Identity?"
"Richie Burke. I used to be a pirate." Richie Burke gave a bitter smile. "I mean no harm. I just thought you were following me to Southwells, so I wanted to warn you. If possible, under the prisoner exchange rules, I'm willing to pay 1,600 Vecktas to buy freedom for myself and my companions—eight people in total."
"3,200 Vecktas, and you're free." Zhou Ning's voice was calm. He remembered all too clearly that he had paid a high price of 3,350 Vecktas to get that lucky clover from Richie Burke.
You fleeced me that badly, and you still want to pay less?
"…Fine." The pain of handing over such a huge sum made Richie want to refuse, but his northern instinct for self-preservation made him agree.
When one of Richie's underlings finally handed over the 3,200 Vecktas in cash, Zhou Ning holstered his pistol, spun it once lightly in his hand before it vanished into his palm, and tipped his hat at Richie. "You're free. Feel free to come find me again next time."
There won't be a next time… Richie watched the young man in the black coat and hat walk a few steps, then suddenly turned back.
"I want to know—why have you come to Southwells?"
"To search for… Can I choose not to answer that?" Richie gave a strained smile.
"As you wish."
Zhou Ning didn't press the issue. He returned to his seat, glanced at the dumbfounded John and the starry-eyed XB, and pushed their chips back to them. "Let's go."
"Wayne, I didn't know you were this strong!" This was the second time John had seen Zhou Ning in action, and compared to last time, this was enough to shock him for a whole year. He grabbed Zhou Ning's shoulder excitedly, bombarding him with questions. "Do you think I've got the talent to be a gunslinger?"
XB, meanwhile, was still hung up on the earlier round of cards. He quietly lifted Zhou Ning's previously folded hand from the table—and froze. It was another royal flush. This guy's a gambling god, isn't he?!
…
On the other side, only after Zhou Ning stopped looking their way did Richie Burke relax and hurry out of the bar.
"That guy's terrifying!" He only let out a silent sigh once they were far away.
"So… are we still going into the Allsop Swamp?" one of his men asked.
"Of course we are. And we'll go early—we can't let anyone else get there first." Richie Burke's tone was firm.