I Don't Mind Having Too Much Money

Du Chen was blissfully unaware that while the gang bosses' unusual "enthusiasm" stemmed partly from his status as the most prominent Battle God of Gambling, the larger reason was that he was the person Miss Annie had specifically asked them to look after. How could these wily old foxes not scramble to curry such a ready-made favor?

After much thought, Du Chen came to a conclusion: although his personal worth exceeded a million, he was still just a student. There was no need for them to devise such a complex and self-demeaning scheme just to deal with him. Conversely, it was precisely *because* he was a student that some matters became much easier to handle!

Du Chen offered a very "sincere" smile. "Though I'm still just a student, I understand the rules. You, esteemed bosses, are all respected figures. Since you've spoken, I cannot let your prestige be tarnished. Very well, I shall prepare a list!"

"Now that's more like it!" Adelman clapped his hands and ordered, "Someone, start recording and appraising as young Francis speaks!" He mused silently, *How many gold coins could Francis possibly carry while traveling for studies? Even with precious items like jewels, diamonds, and property deeds, ten thousand gold coins would be his limit.*

*I don't even care about that amount of money!*

"Ten Snow Diamonds from the Arctic Glacier!"

Adelman's heart lurched, but Famal, standing nearby, nodded subtly, indicating it was true. Francis's adopted daughter had indeed been playing with Snow Diamonds yesterday; there might even be more than ten. It was likely the child was too modest and rounded down. The most crucial point was that he wasn't making an outrageous demand or trying to extort them!

An appraiser quickly announced the value, "Four hundred gold coins each, for a total of four thousand gold coins!"

Du Chen continued, "One Soul Crystal from a Level Six Merfolk King, an Aberrant Beast!"

"A Soul Crystal... Level Six... may we value it at five thousand gold coins?" The appraiser pondered. *Just two items, and Boss Adelman's face has already darkened. I'd better intentionally suppress the price a bit!"

"No worries! I don't actually know the exact price; I won them all from Rogliff." Du Chen answered casually. Famal nodded again to the grim-faced Adelman, signaling that this was far less than the market price, and Adelman was still getting a good deal.

Then Du Chen added, "Two pieces of South Sea Jade Cold Incense!"

"E-eight hundred gold coins..."

"An Ice Silkworm Silk headband, for my daughter to cool down in summer..."

The big bosses collectively pursed their lips, though no one dared speak. Adelman's expression grew even more amiss. *An Ice Silkworm Silk headband? To help his daughter cool down?*

*You're using high-grade treasures of the Water/Ice elemental affinity just to keep your daughter cool?*

*One shouldn't be so extravagant! Even if you are rich!*

"..."

As Du Chen listed item after item, not only did Adelman's face turn grim, but the expressions of the other gang bosses present also became unnatural. Finally, someone couldn't help but murmur, "I am Hyde. Young Francis, are you certain your losses are truly this extensive?"

Du Chen chuckled, "Gentlemen, I am not deceiving you. If you apprehend the thief and recover the stolen goods, you'll know I speak the truth!" He rubbed his nose and explained, "Heh, originally, I didn't like carrying so many things while traveling for studies. But look at my precious daughter; though she's young, she has a particular fondness for gemstone ornaments. So, I brought a few extra trinkets for her as toys. Anyway, they were all won from gambling, so I won't feel too bad if they break or get lost."

Little Beibei, cradled in his arms, revealed two rows of pearly white milk teeth and nodded vigorously in agreement with Du Chen, adding, "Daddy gives Beibei many, many toys! Beibei likes them!"

Du Chen shrugged, then continued to reel off another string of items. Finally, he concluded, "I curse that damned thief! Besides the sacred artifact orb, which is connected to its master, he took *all* of my property!"

At that moment, the appraiser, dripping with cold sweat, handed Adelman a sheet. Adelman glanced at it, then closed his eyes.

*Gods, Francis is going to drive me into bankruptcy!*

Du Chen, still smiling genially, said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot something. Mr. Brockman has already gifted me his Wyvern Carriage. So, the four heavily injured Winged Dragons also count as my lost property. But never mind, they're not important, though I was rather fond of them..."

*Well, gang bosses, weren't you going to shower me with money? Go ahead, I don't mind having too much!"

Adelman looked at the assembled gang bosses, then suddenly slammed the table. "We in York Town keep our word; that's the rule! It's already noon. Men, prepare a feast to entertain young Francis! Also, young man, please detail last night's events to my subordinates so we can thoroughly investigate the thief!"

After Du Chen left, Adelman surveyed the crowd. "You are all intelligent people, so I won't bother with pleasantries! Just now, I truly intended to monopolize the opportunity to befriend Miss Annie through Francis, but..."

"But Boss, you didn't realize that this opportunity was too massive for you to swallow alone! Haha!" Famal quipped. "Well? Are we still going to compensate him? I must admit, that child truly doesn't know the real value of the property he 'lost' – it's an astronomical sum capable of astonishing a small nation! And what's more..."

Famal pointed at the appraisers. "You actually dared to give such prices? You deflated the market value by at least a third! You're clearly breaking the rules! Of course, you did a splendid job! Report to my merchant guild tomorrow." The appraisers nearly died of fright at Famal's first half of the sentence, but his latter words filled them with immense joy.

"Compensation is absolutely necessary! Our word has been given, and we must uphold it! And Miss Annie..." Adelman rubbed his forehead, then tossed the list onto the center of the table. "Including what Francis just won from my casino, that's a total of three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins! If we split it, each of us won't have to contribute too much!"

"Boss, please be clear. We will only share the cost of compensating for the 'stolen' items. What Francis won from your casino is none of our concern! As you just said, gambling debts are gambling debts, not to be confused with compensation!"

Adelman laughed heartily. "It seems you truly wish to cripple me financially! Very well, it's settled then! Immediately send men to prepare the gold coins! Heh! I'd love to see how Francis plans to transport such a vast amount of gold!"

Transporting gold coins, when measured in units of a hundred thousand, was indeed a troublesome affair.

Before long, Du Chen meticulously explained the "case," then joined the York Town gang bosses' banquet in a private room on the casino's third floor.

At the banquet, Adelman frequently urged Du Chen to drink. After some conversation, he "casually" remarked, "Ah, to be young is wonderful! Young man, you and your classmates must have experienced many interesting things, right? Could you share some tales with us old folks?" Du Chen, without a second thought, recounted a few amusing anecdotes about his classmates that didn't involve any secrets.

Susan, holding the adorable little Beibei, listened to Du Chen speak while asking, "Little Beibei, why do you call your daddy's classmate 'Elder Sister Annie'? You should call her 'Auntie,' shouldn't you?"

The little one innocently replied, "No, that's wrong! Ladies all like to hear 'Elder Sister,' not 'Auntie'! Right, Auntie Susan?" Susan kissed little Beibei. "Then why do you call 'Elder Sister Susan' 'Auntie'?" The child, again "innocently," declared, "Right! Elder Sister Susan is an 'Elder Sister,' not an 'Auntie'!"

Everyone burst into laughter, charmed by her. But then the little one suddenly added, "Shhh! Beibei has a little secret, don't tell anyone! When we were staying at the ancient castle, Elder Sister Annie secretly told Beibei to call her 'Mommy'..."

In an instant, every gang boss present froze. For that moment, time seemed to stand still, but they quickly resumed their jovial banter. This transformation was so swift that even Du Chen, engrossed in a drinking contest with Famal, didn't notice.

Yet, afterward, the gang bosses seemed considerably happier. *Heavens, no wonder Miss Annie paid special attention to Francis! So that's it... Haha, those compensation funds are well worth it now! To forge a good relationship with that family's future son-in-law, any amount of money is worth it! No, we must also split the gambling debt...* Adelman, too, chuckled internally. *Heh heh, the gambling debt is mine alone; no one else is getting a piece of it...*

The big bosses began re-examining Du Chen with a complex and scrutinizing gaze, constantly appraising him in their minds. *Indeed! A Divine Scion, young and handsome, with gambling prowess that has reached the pinnacle, and wealth to rival a nation! His future is absolutely boundless! Tsk, tsk, he truly meets all the criteria for that family's choice of son-in-law!*

As the banquet concluded, Adelman placed a contract on the table and smiled. "We've prepared the compensation, and every boss here has contributed a token of their sincerity!" He made sure to emphasize this point in front of everyone. He then added, "However, my old brother, I'm not overly flush with cash at the moment, so I'll compensate you in another way!"

Du Chen looked at the contract handed to him, stunned. "Five percent of the Blackwater Casino Chain!?"

Adelman nodded, chuckling. "Precisely. My Blackwater Casino isn't just this one in York Town. While I wouldn't claim it spans all Three Continents, most major cities and the capitals of powerful nations each have one..."

*That old fox!* Everyone cursed silently in unison, yet couldn't help but admire Adelman's stratagem. By giving shares, Miss Annie's future husband would become his business partner. Thus, the old fox would effectively ingratiate himself with that powerful family.

This was just the first point! Second, what did a casino need most? A Master to preside over it! By giving Francis five percent of the shares, if a situation like Rogliff's gambling challenge across the Three Continents were to arise again, Francis, a Battle God of Gambling, certainly wouldn't stand by idly! Simply from the perspective of securing such a gambling Master, Adelman had already guaranteed a profit! He had even made a massive windfall.

*No, he can't monopolize such a benefit alone.*

Driven by this thought, Famal, the quickest to react among them, suddenly chuckled. "Oh my! Since our young brother has joined Boss's Blackwater, he's now one of us in York Town! Gentlemen, wouldn't you agree?"

"Exactly! In that case, we're all brothers, no longer outsiders!" The others echoed in agreement.

Du Chen watched all of this with a wry smile and exasperation. *Well, then, I've somehow muddled my way into becoming one of York Town's gang bosses... Life truly is strange and bizarre!"

"Alright, young man, go collect your gold coins! We old fellows will help you track down the thief!" The bosses all departed the banquet. They deliberately didn't offer to help Du Chen transport the gold – it was a trivial challenge, and they simply wanted to see how he would manage to take away gold coins measured in units of a hundred thousand!

Du Chen, however, remained unhurried. After leaving the casino, he snapped his fingers, and Deboning and Harry immediately appeared.

Harry chuckled, "Esteemed Master, I've made inquiries! It turns out Mr. Pied also operates a Red Sand Bank here in town! It's near the eastern entrance of York Town!"

"Good. Mr. Brook, if you'd be so kind as to strip all the interior decorations from the Wyvern Carriage – I'm going to redecorate it anyway – then use it to load the gold coins. Deliver them to Mr. Pied's subordinates and have them transport the gold to Battle God Isle. Just tell them that Francis requested their assistance! Uh, if one carriage isn't enough, please make a few more trips. With your strength, this slight weight won't bother you!"

From the casino's top floor, the bosses watched in a daze as Du Chen arranged to transport gold coins by the carriage-load. They exchanged glances. "Boss," one asked, "what kind of person is Francis, really? He can go through fire and water for a friend like Brockman, coming alone to your casino to demand justice, yet he's utterly ruthless when swindling our gold..."

Adelman remained silent for a long time before finally uttering softly, "Perhaps in his perception, we aren't yet his friends. However, since he's willing to go through fire and water for a friend like Brockman, whom he only recently met, then befriending him wouldn't be a mistake!"

At that moment, as soon as Du Chen returned to the inn, he excitedly shouted, "My dear Mr. Brockman, my friend, I've won a great deal of gold! We can set off for the Misty Forest immediately!"

Inside the room, Brockman, still wrapped in his quilt, suddenly sighed. "Alas, though we were adversaries, I must admit, Francis is a truly worthy friend to have..."