The Gambler and the Charlatan (2)

Jemison, arm around Du Chen’s shoulder, ambled towards a small tavern. Along the way, chatting idly, Du Chen learned that Jemison wasn't a battle qi professor at all, but rather a Culture Professor, overseeing niche elective courses like painting and simultaneously handling daily management tasks for the Water Pavilion. In short, among all the professors at Battle God Academy, he was considered one of the least conventionally skilled, yet still commanded a certain degree of authority. The existence of such an eccentric teacher within the Academy was ultimately due to Dean Zigurd’s directive for students to achieve "moral, intellectual, and physical" holistic development, which led to many scholars and instructors without battle qi being recruited.

As for the red-haired lass who had publicly beaten Jemison, she too had quite a backstory. In Du Chen's words, the girl was exceptionally well-connected on Battle God Isle, the undisputed boss of the dockside district, a true local powerhouse. Jemison further revealed that Kristina's father was formidable and had many 'brothers' who would die for him in the underworld, ensuring that as long as his daughter didn’t go too far, no one on the Isle would dare touch her. Simply put, Kristina was Battle God Isle’s very own mob princess.

Arriving at the shabbiest little tavern by the roadside, Jemison pushed open the door and strode in, showing no shame whatsoever about treating someone in such a place. "Hey, waiter! A bottle of ale, one plate—no, make that two plates of salted dried fish! My treat tonight!"

Du Chen glanced around, noticing most of the patrons were servants and slaves; the truly important figures would certainly disdain such an establishment.

"My dear Old Gambler! Have you struck it rich? Eh? And you've brought a little fellow with you?" An old priest, not far away, rapped on his table, hailing the two. Jemison quickly pulled Du Chen over, chuckling, "Old Charlatan, your astrology is uncannily accurate! I truly did encounter a benefactor today. Lo, this is Francis; he settled all my gambling debts, and now Kristina has no more reason to obstruct my pursuit of art!"

The man referred to as the Old Charlatan had a peculiar appearance. His face didn't feature the high nose bridge and deep-set eyes typical of Westerners; instead, he looked somewhat like a mixed-race individual. Moreover, strands of black hair mingled with his streaked grey, a sight that made Du Chen feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Just call me Old Bovin!" the Old Charlatan gestured for them to sit, then, with surprising familiarity, gripped Du Chen’s arm with his grimy hand, flashing a gap-toothed grin. "Little fellow, how old are you this year?"

"Sixteen!" Du Chen felt a strange sensation, as if in a trance, he had stumbled upon the feeling he used to get right before his "Master Grape" would 'sort him out' in his previous life.

"Oh, where are you from?"

"Lanning Empire, Saint John City."

"Had breakfast this morning?"

"Yes."

"You're still a virgin, right!?"

"..."

The Old Charlatan's string of utterly illogical questions left Du Chen utterly bewildered. Was this old man mentally unsound?

"Alright, Old Charlatan, stop tormenting my little brother!" Jemison winked at Du Chen, grinning. "Francis, this old chap is a master of astrology; if you can get him to predict your future, there'll be many benefits!"

Astrology? So, he was just an old fortune-telling charlatan from the Battle God World! Du Chen couldn't help but feel a touch of disdain for Bovin, but knowing Battle God Academy was a place where hidden talents lay coiled and unseen dangers lurked, he handled the situation with caution.

"Mister Bovin is an astrology master? How wonderful! Could you perhaps give me a reading?" Bovin offered a slight smile, scrutinizing Du Chen from head to toe before nodding repeatedly. "Hm, I have a result!" He then squinted, stuffed his mouth full of dried meat, and cackled, "Lad, you've got a calamity of spilled blood coming your way recently!"

*A classic opening line from a street swindler*, Du Chen mused inwardly. "Oh, really? Could Mister Bovin elaborate?"

"Well... alright, who can refuse Jemison's little brother?" Bovin fixed his gaze on Du Chen, eyes narrowed, as his two hands dipped into the ale and ceaselessly scrawled patterns on the greasy tabletop. "Oh, dear, dear, this is a major tribulation for you. Specifically..."

Bovin then launched into a torrent of persuasive blather. The more Du Chen watched the Old Charlatan, the more intrigued he became. In his previous life, he had known many such street swindlers and had even personally engaged in this "business" a few times. He could recite these people's lines backward and forward.

"Your calamity of spilled blood is precisely thus, but it can be great or small, however..." Just as Bovin reached this point, he suddenly noticed Du Chen watching him with a very peculiar gaze. Du Chen then spoke, "Mister Bovin, is it possible that this calamity of spilled blood could be transformed into good fortune, and with the guidance of an expert, might even bring a bit of wealth luck, or perhaps even romantic luck?"

"You—how did you know?" Bovin exclaimed, startled. *Old swindler, your techniques are so outdated! Haven't changed in decades, have they?* Du Chen jested, "To be frank, I've also delved into astrology!"

Bovin was momentarily stunned, then Jemison burst into laughter, slapping Bovin's shoulder. "Hahaha, Old Charlatan, my little brother is toying with you!" Bovin also laughed, and then, with arms slung over each other's shoulders, the two erupted into uproarious laughter as if something incredibly amusing had occurred. Du Chen felt utterly bewildered, as if he were drinking with two madmen.

Just then, Jemison suddenly clutched his stomach and declared, "I'm heading to the loo first. Damn it, no money recently, drinking fake liquor every day has made me sick!"

Not long after he left, the Old Charlatan Bovin also clutched his stomach, yelling, "Hey, is there something wrong with your alcohol here!? Damn it, my stomach hurts so much! I'll settle with you when I get back!" With that, he too bolted.

A bad premonition bubbled up in Du Chen's heart. Yet, he glanced at the nearly consumed ale and salted dried fish on the table and wasn't quite sure. These two items together wouldn't even amount to ten copper coins. Surely, the Old Gambler and the Old Charlatan wouldn't repay kindness with enmity over such cheap fare, would they?

But then the patrons in the tavern erupted in laughter, "Look! That little fellow got played by those two scoundrels! Hey kid, settle their bill; those two aren't coming back!" "Damn it..." Du Chen shook his head with a wry smile, utterly speechless...

...In a small, dark room on a street corner, Jemison and Bovin stealthily peered out a window, observing Du Chen pay the bill at the tavern opposite. Then, they both burst into laughter. "This is truly amusing! The look on that little fellow's face when he paid was priceless! I must paint it; this will surely be a great masterpiece on my artistic journey!"

"Art, my ass! Your shoddy paintings aren't worth a few copper coins!" Bovin sneered, his expression filled with contempt. "Quick, let's figure out who to con for our next meal. Between the two of us, we only have three copper coins left!"

Jemison's smile vanished, and he said with a mournful face, "Why bring that up when we're having such a good time?" Bovin grew anxious. "Damn it, you lost all our money to Kristina! How can I not be anxious!? We need to eat!"

Jemison pondered for a moment, then nonchalantly replied, "No worries! At worst, I'll just sell these clothes and go to class butt naked! If any students ask, I'll say, 'Ah, your Professor Jemison is here to teach Human Body Art, and he's willing to sacrifice himself for art...'"

"You can go teach butt naked for all I care!" Bovin's smile suddenly faded, and he said, his tone serious, "Jemison, I wasn't joking earlier. Francis truly has a calamity of spilled blood coming his way recently!"