Chapter 1 The Dragon City Rises

Around 7:30 p.m. the next evening, four luxurious business vehicles pulled up in front of the Barna Royal Casino. Jiangzhou, accompanied by Su Tianyu, Dabai, Hou Guoyu, Gu Baisun, and others, stepped out of the cars, all dressed in well-tailored suits.

As they walked on the soft red carpet, Su Tianyu glanced around, noticing a large number of burly security personnel, mostly Black men. The casino entrance was bustling with luxury cars and elegantly dressed socialites and entrepreneurs.

Jiangzhou had brought Su Tianyu and the others to attend a charity gambling gala. All proceeds from the Royal Casino that evening were reportedly going to the Barna government's children's charity foundation.

About fifty percent of Barna City's fiscal revenue came from canal checkpoints and trade tariffs. The remainder came from tourism, the gambling industry, and various "nightlife" businesses that were very open-minded.

In other words, any gambling establishment in Barna City with an official license was legal. The charity gambling event that evening was said to be jointly organized by the city government and several casinos.

"Let's go!"

Jiangzhou called out to Su Tianyu and the others, striding towards the main entrance of the casino.

Dabai looked around, marveling and exclaiming, "This place is a f**king paradise! The things I like aren't illegal here...!"

"Island cities with small populations that can't expand outwards have to do something. Are they supposed to focus on heavy industry?" Gu Baisun replied softly, "Developing the economy is the most important thing."

"That's true," Dabai nodded slowly. "When I have money, I'll buy a small island here and invest in some gambling businesses. Maybe in two years, I'll be a Chinese gambling king."

"Gambling king my ass," Su Tianyu scoffed. "Who do you think can run these businesses here? They're all connected to royalty. It's not something you can just do with money..."

"Ugh, my dad hasn't done anything right in his life," Dabai couldn't help but complain. "He hasn't saved much of a fortune, and he's not even named Bernardo. How much effort do you think I have to put in to become somebody?"

"If you see someone from the Bernardo family later, kneel down and call him 'Dad,' and become his adopted son!"

"Haha, I think that'll work!" Dabai grinned.

The group chatted as they followed Jiangzhou into the casino.

Bright lights flooded them as they looked around the interior, awestruck.

The casino lobby was about twelve meters high and covered several thousand square meters. The chandeliers hanging from the dome looked like a small swimming pool clustered together.

In the center of the lobby, a towering, independent statue exuded an imposing aura. It was said to be the totem of the Barna people, symbolizing freedom and love.

Bright, luxurious, and wealthy—that was the impression the Royal Casino left on everyone.

Inside the lobby, the charity gala was already underway, with hundreds of people mingling and casually playing at the charity gambling tables.

"Want to play a couple of rounds? I feel like I'm on a lucky streak today...!" Dabai said, rubbing his palms together.

"Xu Chen, take Dabai for a walk and get him some chips to play with using our invitation card," Jiangzhou instructed his assistant, then turned to Su Tianyu and said, "Let's find a place to sit for a while."

"Okay."

After a few words, Jiangzhou led Su Tianyu to a VIP booth, while Dabai and Hou Guoyu followed the assistant to wander around the room.

In the VIP seating area, Su Tianyu leaned back on the comfortable sofa and asked Jiangzhou, "What kind of conditions do we need to offer? Do we have to pay them a certain amount of money upfront?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Jiangzhou replied softly. "The reason Barna City hasn't been affected by the war is related to its political strategy. If you want to use the southern sea route, you can't avoid this place, so they adhere to the principles of fairness and openness... As long as you pay the normal transit fees, anyone's goods can pass through here. In short, they have no political stance on the surface, kind of like Swiss banking before."

Su Tianyu scoffed, "But in the end, Swiss banking chose a political side. Once relations become strained, it's unrealistic to remain neutral."

"That's true now, not in the future, so we have a chance," Jiangzhou replied with a smile.

"Have you sounded them out about this?" Su Tianyu asked.

"Yes, both shipping goods and investing," Jiangzhou replied slowly. "Including maritime trade, our cargo throughput is significant, which is a considerable source of revenue for them."

"Mm," Su Tianyu nodded.

As they were talking, a lame man stood by the third-floor spiral staircase, watching Su Tianyu and the others with his hands in his pockets.

"What's the name of the person next to Su Tianyu?" the lame man asked, frowning.

"Still checking. Rumor has it he is a school officer under the command of the King of Pingxi," the attendant behind him whispered. "I can find out his identity in an hour."

The lame man glanced at Jiangzhou, then turned and said, "Let's go, let's play a couple of rounds."

With that, the group turned and left.

...

About half an hour later.

Dabai, whose lucky streak had apparently run out, lost three consecutive bets and sheepishly returned to the VIP booth, muttering, "F**k, I really came here to do charity. Not only did I lose all the free chips, but I also lost over a hundred thousand of my own."

"Isn't that great? You're quitting gambling right from the start," Gu Baisun replied with a smile.

As the two were chatting, a group of seven or eight people came down from the upper floor. Leading the way was a stunningly beautiful South American woman with an extremely enchanting figure. She was wearing an evening gown and a jeweled crown, and she walked with an air of dignified elegance.

Jiangzhou looked up and saw her, immediately standing up to greet her. "You're here!"

"Hello, Jiang...!"

The South American woman opened her arms to Jiangzhou and embraced him, performing the cheek-kissing greeting.

Beside him, Su Tianyu stared blankly at the woman, and his little brother, who hadn't reacted in a long time, actually twitched.

Across from him, Dabai stared at the woman in a daze, unconsciously swallowing.

Oh no, this is the feeling of love at first sight!

At the front of the group, Jiangzhou finished the embrace and said with a smile, "Long time no see!"

"The last time I saw you... you..." the woman stammered.

"Cousin, it's cousin!" Jiangzhou reminded her.

"Oh, seeing your cousin Qin Zimo, was it five or six years ago...?" the woman replied with a chuckle. "Welcome to Barna City!"

"Thank you for your hospitality," Jiangzhou said, turning back to introduce him. "Tianyu, this is Bruna Bernardo..."