Alex ignored the other two and looked at Carl. He knew out of the three of them, Carl was the most resourceful here. So he asked Carl, "Hey, do you know any thieves in the area?"
Carl squinted at him and asked, "Why thieves?"
Alex said to him, "I think learning some quick hand tricks would help in the game, you know. I think in the initial few games, it's going to help us collect resources."
Both Russell and Solmb stopped running when they heard him.
Russell glanced at Solmb and then said to Alex, "Big brother Alex, I do have a friend who used to be a thief. If you want, I can call him to meet you tomorrow."
Solmb stared daggers at Russell. It looked like Solmb knew about this Russell friend.
Alex nodded his head. "Well, that would be good." He still looked at Carl, waiting for him to say.
After some time, Carl asked, "Hey Alex, you only want to learn some quick hand tricks, right?"
Alex nodded his head. "Yeah."
"Then I know a very skilled magician."
Alex tilted his head. "Magician?"
Solmb said at this time, "Wait, are you talking about that old Coon?"
Russell also nodded his head, "Ah, old Coon." He looked at Alex and said, "Big brother Alex, Old Coon used to do street magic tricks. He was very famous in our area, but later on, he became addicted to drugs and stopped performing on the streets."
Alex looked at Carl. "A drug addict? Are you sure he still knows those tricks?"
Carl nodded his head. "Don't worry about it. Many didn't know, but for the last five years, this old man has been pickpocketing on the market road without ever getting caught to this day."
Solmb raised his eyebrows at Carl. "If he never got caught, then how do you know?"
Carl looked down and sighed. "You know I was into drugs, right?"
Alex sighed and said, "Hey, leave it, man. I don't want you to remember that stuff, you know."
Carl shook his head. "It's already in the past, man. So what I'm saying is... yeah... the old Coon was one of my drug buddies, and one time he showed me how he steals money in the market. Man, even after so long, I still can't forget the scene where he just took a round around the market, and when he came back, he already had 10 wallets with some cash in his hand."
When Alex heard that, he became impressed.
Russell even shouted, "Oh, so he was that phantom thief that everyone was so afraid of!"
Carl nodded his head. "Yeah, I didn't know why, but one time the guy stole so much in the market that it alerted the group responsible for the market and the police. Later on, he stopped targeting this market, but I know he's still doing the same thing, just in a different place."
Solmb also nodded his head. "Even in the old days, there was no one as skilled as old Coon. But I heard many people approached him, but he never agreed to teach any of them."
Carl sighed, "Well, I'm not sure if he would agree, but if he does, believe me, Alex, there's no better guy than him."
Alex thought for a moment and asked, "Do you guys think money would work? I mean, if I buy him a lot of drugs, then maybe he will agree."
Russell shook his head. "Big brother, you might not know this, but drugs are super expensive. Even if we combined months of our salary, we wouldn't be able to afford it."
Solmb nodded his head. "I know you're rich, but still, it's not something we could afford, man."
Alex looked at Carl and asked, "First, tell me if you think this is going to work on that guy."
Carl shook his head. "I'm not sure. From what I know, money shouldn't be much of a problem for Old Coon. Just give me a day, and I'll try talking to the guy."
Alex shook his head. "Nah, let's meet this guy together. You guys know I don't have much time before my next game."
Carl nodded his head. "No problem, just come to my house tomorrow evening. We'll catch the guy sober."
Alex nodded and then looked at Russell. "Can you ask your friend if he still knows those tricks? If meeting with old Coon doesn't work, I'll meet with your friend."
Russell nodded with enthusiasm. "No problem, big brother."
He understood Russell's extra enthusiasm. After all, Russell would get to know the in-game experience of three people before his turn, so everything the three of them did would help Russell understand what to do inside the game.
Carl stood up and said, "That's enough for me, guys. Any more, and I might collapse on the road."
Alex smiled at him. "If you want, I can tag along to your house, you know."
Carl shouted, "Fck, I'm not a bitch that needs a bodyguard. Don't worry about me. And yeah, one more thing: you have to tag along to the butcher shop. That shop owner was super impressed with you. If you say it to him, he'll teach me stuff faster."
Alex saluted him. "Don't worry, I'll be there in the morning."
Russell also said from the side, "Wait, big brother Carl, I need your help. Big bro already lost it."
Alex turned to Solmb and saw him already half asleep, shouting randomly at his wife. Alex turned to Russell. "Are you sure he'll be safe at home in that condition?"
Russell looked at Solmb and sighed, "Don't worry, sister-in-law won't kill him, at least."
Alex laughed, "Haha, I'd love to see Solmb tomorrow." He then helped Russell make Solmb stand up.
Both Russell and Carl supported Solmb from both sides and moved out.
He heard a loud shout, "Good night, big brother!"
Alex also waved at them. "Good night to you guys."
He heard some slapping sounds. It was clear both Carl and Russell were using this chance to take some of their frustration out on the sleepy guy.
Poor guy wouldn't even know that it wasn't his wife but his friends who smacked his cheeks.