To open a casino in Haidu, one had to obtain a permit from the commander. In fact, nearly every licensed casino was owned by a member of the Judgement Family. However, it was impossible to completely prohibit people from secretly setting up a few gambling mechanisms or organizing underground card games, and the Department of Internal Commerce and Administration usually turned a blind eye.
But for a Sea Wave Concerto family, things were different.
The Tower family had no permit to operate a casino. The Clan Leader had defied the will of the Judgement Family, secretly developing an underground industry—and in the uniquely sensitive business of gambling, no less. This was an absolute taboo.
A few years ago, another Sea Wave Concerto family had committed the same taboo... The Quicksand Family, wasn't it? 'Yes, they got involved in manufacturing mechanisms, developed several Control Techniques, and released a variety of mechanisms in Haidu under the Chang'an Trading Company's name.'
Fortunately, they weren't complete fools and hadn't manufactured any Military Mechanisms.
The Judgement Family monopolized the entire Military Mechanism industry within Haidu. Everyone knew this was a line you did not cross. Rumor had it that all their Military Mechanisms were restricted from ever attacking a member of the Judgement Family. When the Quicksand Family's underground industry was exposed, the Clan Leader's entire family met with disaster. Not only were they stripped of all power and wealth, but their underground assets were confiscated as well.
In the "Prosperity's Return Trial" that year, the title of the Quicksand Family's Clan Leader was, as expected, won by the eldest son of a different branch family.
However, she now faced an unprecedented challenge. Because the Clan Leader had no official connection to any casinos, it would be that much harder to figure out which one was his secret operation.
The more someone knew about the situation, the more they understood its gravity and the need for absolute secrecy.
The moment she uttered those two words—"the joint"—Huai Tuo and the others would become suspicious. This wasn't something she was supposed to know. They weren't like that office clerk; they couldn't be fooled with a simple bluff.
Milady couldn't help but clench and unclench her fists several times to relieve the hot, itching sensation as blood rushed to her palms.
She got out of the car at Haidu Central Park.
"Parks" were a recent invention. The entire park was one massive mechanism, capable of changing its terrain to match holiday themes. Milady couldn't recall how they'd become popular. Haidu seemed to have an irresistible pull for anything new. From technological revolutions to fledgling fashion trends, everything seemed to land and sprout in Haidu first.
The most enthusiastic adopters of new things were, without a doubt, the pampered youths of Haidu's great families. That evening, Milady was unsurprised to find several of her own cousins in the central park, chatting and laughing with members of other families.
The sunset-soaked sky was streaked with purplish-red, as if someone had smeared it with Anti-Crystallization Medicine. In the soft, hazy twilight, several giant, three-to-four-meter-tall mechanisms in the park cast long, silent shadows.
A competitive game involving dueling mechanisms had recently become popular among the youths of the great families. As evening approached, the park's lights flickered on. The boys and girls, tired from their games, were now gathered in small groups around park tables and chairs, picnicking and chatting. They only noticed Milady when she drew near one of the groups, at which point they all looked up.
Milady's attention, however, was fixed on a red-haired girl in the group.
'So the information was correct. She really is here.'
The red-haired girl was leaning against a tall young man, her arms draped loosely around him. She only flinched slightly upon seeing Milady, her head remaining on the young man's shoulder.
Everyone among Haidu's great families knew she and Wei Lian of the Changge Family were an inseparable couple.
"Terry," Milady said, walking straight up to the group and offering the red-haired girl a smile. "Fancy seeing you here. Mind if I take a seat? I'm a bit tired from walking."
It seemed to take Terry a couple of seconds to realize Milady was speaking to her. After all, Milady was just a distant relative she barely interacted with. 'I bet if no one brought me up, Terry wouldn't think of me once a year,' Milady mused. 'If she has any impression of me at all, it's probably just that her brother, Huai Tuo, and I don't get along.'
"Ah? Oh, sure," Terry said, looking somewhat embarrassed and confused, as if unsure who to address. "This is... one of our family... um, you're younger than me, right?"
Milady had already sat down while Terry was still fumbling for a way to introduce her.