Karin, Hudgens, and acquaintances gathered together.

By the light of the campfire, everyone watched as Todd cut out thirteen sheets of paper, then used a knife to cut each sheet into four identical rectangular pieces. He then drew patterns of 'clubs,' 'hearts,' 'diamonds,' and 'spades' on them with a pencil, and finally labeled them A, 2, 3...

After glancing at the J, Q, and K representing the prince, queen, and king, and thinking it over carefully, Todd replaced the "Joker" of the two kings with a pattern of "large and small crosses".

Considering the difficulty of the game, we did not choose rules such as "Bridge" or "Upgrading", but instead chose "Dou Dizhu", which is the easiest to learn and has the shortest game time.

Of course, an overly jarring name like "Dou Dizhu" (Landlord) was out of the question. Based on recent experiences, Todd simply named the game "Knights and Pirates." Pirates were the peasants, and knights were the landlords.

The name is not the only problem.

Getting others to understand the card values ​​is a challenge in itself.

After some questioning, it turned out that no one present could understand Arabic numerals. Some said that these numerals were somewhat similar to the scripts of southern countries, but not entirely the same.

Left with no other choice, they could only teach others to recognize numbers first.

After understanding the numbers, someone raised a question: why is A, which represents 1, larger than 9? Todd could only shut him down with the simple statement, "That's the rule."

After understanding the size, someone raised another question: why is the card representing the prince called J (Jack) and not P (Prince)? Todd was a little impatient and replied directly, "Don't worry about that, just remember the cards."

After understanding the rules, someone raised another question: What is a "bomb"? What is a "plane"? Why are two crosses together called a "royal bomb"? Todd's forehead veins bulged, he slammed his fist on the ground and roared three times, "Play if you want, or get lost!"

The world is quiet now, and finally no one has any problems.

Once you understand the cards and learn the rules, even the most clueless person can play without any problems after just a couple of rounds or a short time.

Ten minutes later, one table of cards was no longer enough to meet the demand.

Those with itchy fingers cut out pieces of paper, drew numbers on them, and quickly started a second table, a third table...

Even late into the night, on Waiheke Island, the firelight remained lit and the voices continued.

A group of unexpected guests brought long-unheard cheers and laughter to this island that had been quiet for many years, using playing cards.

The next day, Todd opened his eyes, got dressed, and stepped out of the tent, rubbing his stiff back. He shook his head with amusement as he recalled how, late the previous night at ten o'clock, he and a group of engrossed card players were battling it out at the card table.

When he reached the center of the camp, he discovered that Karin and Hudgens were still engrossed in playing cards.

Upon closer inspection, the original paper playing cards with painted designs had been replaced with wooden playing cards with engraved designs. This made it easier to draw the cards, and unlike last night, the cards wouldn't be blown around by the wind as soon as they were played. On the ground nearby, someone had even carved the transliterations of technical terms like "bomb" and "airplane" out of twigs.

Todd sighed. These guys really went to great lengths and put in a lot of effort to play cards.

The two days on Waiheke Island passed quickly.

When Todd told Karin it was time to go back, this was the girl's response.

"Don't rush, let me finish this game first."

Before setting off, Huggins lit a pile of plants, the black smoke from which rose high and was very conspicuous.

After packing up the tents and equipment, everyone carefully cleaned up any traces of the campsite before boarding the boat, rowing towards the eastern continent.

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A group of people who had received the "news" early in the morning stood on the beach of the western coast, gazing into the distance.

“I heard that a treasure-hunting team returned from the Northern Islands today, and their ship was full of gold and silver treasures.”

"Could the news be false? I've been waiting until now and haven't seen a single ship yet."

“We haven’t had any boats go out to sea for several years, so I think most of the news is false.”

"Then what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I have nothing to do at home..."

As noon approached, the sun shone brightly on the earth, and more and more people gathered along the coast. Those who had waited for hours began to grow impatient and restless, but few still chose to leave.

Finally, a black dot appeared where the sea and sky met.

The black spot kept getting bigger.

Someone shouted first, "Look! There's a ship over there!"

The emotions of the people on the beach were instantly ignited, and the crowd began to shove and push each other like boiling water.

As the ship drew closer to the shore, some sharp-eyed people could already see the faces of the people standing at the bow.

"The Holy Son! It's the Holy Son! It's Lord Todd!"

The news spread like wildfire across the coast, and people in the crowd began to shout it out.

The warships finally reached the shore.

Todd was the first to leap off the ship and stand on the beach. Looking at the large crowd gathered before him, he raised his hands and proclaimed, "I have returned from the North, having weathered storms, sailed through raging waves, defeated pirates, and finally discovered the ancient treasures of Talos! I dedicate all these priceless treasures to the exalted Father! The great Most High! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!"

As he spoke, he gestured to the crew to place the crates on the beach and pry open the lids.

The crystal treasures, crystal clear and elegant, shimmer and sparkle under the sunlight.

The noise vanished instantly. People stared wide-eyed and gaped, the air seemingly frozen in complete silence.

Someone, I don't know who, first shouted, "Heavenly Father! Holy Son!"

The atmosphere among the crowd instantly reached a climax, with cheers erupting like a torrent and praises flowing endlessly like ocean waves.

"God Father above! God Son above!"

Praise be to the Father! Praise be to the Son!

The waiting carriages approached, and as box after box of treasures were carried aboard, some people chatted excitedly, some followed the carriages hoping to catch another glimpse of the treasures, while many others ran back to the village to enthusiastically describe what they had just witnessed to their neighbors and friends.

Leaving the excitement behind, the carriage traveled for less than an hour before the church camp came into view.

The monk glanced at the wooden box behind him, calmed down, and carefully considered the situations he might encounter after entering the camp and how he should deal with them.

Soon, the carriage passed through the gates of the church camp. Todd deliberately ignored the desperate winks from the gate guards, glancing at the gloomy face in the center of the camp, and secretly sneered.

Come on, Father Paul! Let me see who wins this round.