Arthur Gold Casino is nothing but a gold den. It has five underground levels, and there's an entrance fee for each descending level. Hardly anyone makes it to the final level.
After all, there are very few people in Ael who can casually pull out ten million to play with.
The ground floor is nothing but an ordinary teahouse - a facade for the Arthur Gold Casino.
[Priceless Teahouse]
If you walk right in, you'll probably be baffled as there isn't a single tea leaf in sight.
It's enough to make people wonder if this is actually a place that sells tea.
At this moment, two grumbling businessmen are storming out of the teahouse.
"What kind of tea costs hundreds of thousands per gram? Must be grown next to a latrine and sold to us after drying."
"I've been drinking tea for decades and it's the first time I've heard of a place that doesn't allow tasting."
The two middle-aged men with glasses originally came to buy some tea. Upon hearing about this teahouse with exorbitant prices, they boasted to each other about how expensive it was. But once they heard the prices, their ears started ringing.
Isn't this just a scam to take people's money?
Selling a few tea leaves for hundreds of thousands.
Yet, some people treat money like dirt and willingly spend those hundreds of thousands just to drink a pot of tea.
"Boss, a million yuan's worth of Longjing tea, please." The newcomer was boisterous, his voice echoing mightily. The two businessmen who were cursing at the entrance moments ago were stunned into silence, like two damp firecrackers, standing dumbly to the side.
The man was dressed in a garish red suit, his shirt always unbuttoned by two buttons, revealing nauseating chest hair. His sunglasses reflected the sun, his greasy hair slicked back, and a half-smoked cigarette dangled from his lips.
With his presence, it's as if gold just falls off him as he walks.
"Buddy, this tea shop is a rip-off. Each gram of tea costs hundreds of thousands. Don't fall for it."
"Yeah, they don't allow tasting, and there's not even a seat when you go in."
The two men with glasses hurriedly stopped the man, their expression as though they were warning him about a cesspit ahead, advising him not to jump in.
Adam Anderson pinched his cigarette between his fingers, took a drag, and calmly said, "Shopkeeper, send these two old tea friends two cups of your finest Longjing, so they'll stop barking at the door."
"How can you speak so harshly! We're just afraid you'll be scammed, but you don't seem to understand good advice!"
"If you want to jump into a cesspool, be my guest."
The men with glasses, brimming with anger, stormed off with a snort.
"Money? Money is the least of my problems," Adam Anderson laughed arrogantly at the sky.
At this point, a woman wearing a vibrant cheongsam walked out from the teahouse, heavily made-up, holding a feathered fan in her hand.
Her name is Rosy, the proprietress of the teahouse.
"Look who it is, it's Mr. Anderson. Since you're here, why are you standing at the door?"
Adam Anderson tossed his cigarette butt to the ground, wrapping an arm around Rosy's voluptuous figure. When he encounters such a bewitching woman, he loses all sense of direction.
"Of course I'll go in. When haven't I gone in? I'm just waiting for you to personally welcome me." As the man spoke, his eyes, beneath the sunglasses, drifted to the woman's generous hips.
Rosy blushed at his words, leading the man into the teahouse.
The facade of the teahouse was exquisite, but inside, it was another world. It resembled a courtyard house with winding corridors, small bridges over streams, and a certain elegance. Charles Anderson followed Rosy for a few minutes, parting the curtain of willow branches to arrive at an elevator.
It's the only path to reach Arthur Gold Casino.
The elevator descended to the first basement level, where Charles Anderson had to pay a million just to get to the first level.
Golden light poured across the domed ceiling, the crystal flooring reflecting a spectrum of colors under the shimmering light. The walls were gilded, and yet this was just a hallway.
This was only the outer shell of Arthur Gold Casino.
Entering the casino required going through a scanning room for checks. Regardless of how much money you handed over, you had to step into this room and strip down to your underwear before you could truly enter Arthur Gold.
Adam Anderson was no stranger; he knew the rules and the checks were done swiftly.
The man pulled up the zipper of his suit pants, buckled his belt, and impatiently looped one arm around Rosy's waist: "Rosy, Rosy, next time, could we skip taking off my boxers? I've got no dignity left."
"Oh, Mr. Anderson, this isn't your first time. It's all for our safety," Rosy wiggled her waist and leaned into the man's embrace, making Adam Anderson lose any trace of temper.
He muttered, "Well, it's really safe. Even stripping to check isn't enough. They still want to feel around, saying they're worried I'm wearing a fake butt."
Rosy laughed uproariously, holding onto Mr. Anderson's neck and kissing him, her eyes glistening with irresistible charm: "They must be envious of Mr. Anderson's good physique."
The man, inflated by the compliment, tightened his grip on her waist and pecked her lips fiercely: "Do they really need to say it? Don't you know?"
They pushed through a set of golden doors, finally stepping into the true Arthur Gold Casino.
A place where fortunes could be won or lost overnight.
The lights were dazzling, and everyone dressed in suits. If not for the hundreds of gambling tables, one might think it was a high-class party.
"Well! Mr. Anderson, as expected of an Ael magnate. You lost over ten million just days ago, and here you are again today."
"Just a little money, nothing to panic over. My Anderson Clan is vast and wealthy. Did you think spending a mere ten million would bankrupt me?" Upon Adam Anderson's arrival, someone immediately offered him a seat, and the man sat down gracefully.
Everyone here was a gambler, and they loved to watch people play big. Besides, who was Adam Anderson? The future heir of the Anderson Clan, a man who controlled half the kingdom.
If anyone managed to forge a connection with him, let alone the family business, they could walk sideways just in Ael.
"Oh, I must say, Mr. Anderson truly knows how to indulge. Money arrives in an instant, and I'm humbled by your generosity."
"I've already said it's just a little money, no need to panic." Adam Anderson sat there, exhaling smoke leisurely, one long arm continuously around Rosy's waist, his expression calm as he boasted lightly.
Every time he came, Rosy would accompany him, which made others envious. Rosy was from a prominent family, and her figure and looks were top-notch. More than that, she was unmarried and open-minded.
The upper class loved such a companion.
"Rosy, you're really clingy. Every time Mr. Anderson arrives, so do you. We hardly see you in the casino otherwise."
"Yes, you should spend more time with us too."
"Oh dear gentlemen, please don't tease me. If I'm not clinging to Mr. Anderson, then should I cling to you, who are married? What would that make me? A mistress, or the second or third woman?" Rosy's words always incited belly laughter at the table. Her speech was like hooks, earning her plenty of glances from the men.
Even Mr. Anderson was amused, pulling Rosy into a heated kiss in front of them, making the scene borderline steamy.
"Go on, bring a good cup of tea for everyone to cool down. Today, I'm going to win back the ten million I lost." Adam Anderson patted Rosy's generous butt, put down the cigarette in his hand, and nodded towards the dealer at the table to deal the cards.