In the morning, Lance went shopping and bought a new suit for ten dollars.
Instead of having a tailor make a suit just for him, he bought a ready-made suit off the rack. It didn't fit quite right, but for now it was perfect.
Then he went to the Codas' casino in the Golden Bay district. He still had a few chips in his hand that he needed to cash in.
The Kodak family's casino here is not the kind that hides in plain sight.
Contrary to those underground casinos, the Kodak family's Bay Area casino is located on the cliffs behind the golden beach!
A magnificent building stands on the edge of the cliff.
Every day, the bright sun shines on its dazzlingly reflective facade, and whenever there is any sunlight, it is hard for people on the beach not to notice this building that constantly reflects the light like a mirror.
More than one person has complained to the city hall about the impact this building has on beachgoers, but the Codas will never pay a fine.
But the request for rectification will not change at all.
According to the Golden Harbor City and local laws, they have up to 100 days after paying the fine to fix the appearance.
This means that they only need to pay the fine three times a year to maintain the status quo.
Over time, everyone has finally been forced to get used to it.
At night, it once again shines with amazing light. This building has become one of the attractions of Golden Beach. Many young people come here to take a look and even take a photo to prove that they have been here.
To get to this casino, you need to go from the other side. This part of the cliff is the private property of the Kodak family. Lance took out his chips and reported the name of Fortis, and was searched to ensure that he was not carrying weapons or cameras before being allowed to enter.
The casino has tight security. Every ten to twenty meters, there are two or three armed security guards on patrol.
They are not static posts, but mobile posts, which also enhances the security here.
When you arrive at the main building, you realize that it is much larger and more dazzling and resplendent than it appeared from below the cliff.
As soon as you enter the lobby, there is a long counter, where you exchange your chips.
He has not taken two steps when a cool-looking bunny girl comes up to him, "Are you here alone, sir?"
The bunny girl looked to be no more than twenty years old, and she had a great figure. When she trotted along, the ripples on her body were visible, and even though they were just ripples, they were enough to make a man's imagination wander.
Lance smiled and explained, "Sorry, I just came here to exchange chips."
The bunny girl was a little disappointed. As a member of the casino system's entertainment staff, if Lance came here to gamble,
Then she only needed to take Lance to gamble. When he left, no matter if he lost or won, Bunny could get one percent of his settlement.
This was the source of income for all the company entertainers.
With a bit of luck, they could earn a few hundred dollars in one night.
But with bad luck, they could only earn a few dollars in one night.
Although the girl was a bit disappointed, she still took the initiative to lead Lance to the counter and explained the situation.
The girl behind the counter placed an upholstered cushion covered in red velvet on the counter and said, "Please place your chips here, sir."
From the inside out, the entire casino gave Lance the impression that 'this is a very fucking legitimate place,' whether it was the decor, the service, or the attitude.
Although he hadn't gone to the lobby, he could imagine that it should also be a very formal and luxurious place.
"One hundred and fifty dollars in total, sir. What denomination would you like to exchange for cash?"
These chips have their own anti-counterfeiting marks, and no one in Gold Harbor City, or even the entire eastern region of the Federation, would dare to counterfeit them recklessly.
A small amount of fake chips may not even be enough to cover the cost of production, and once there are more, it would be difficult not to leave traces.
Although the Koda family may seem like just a casino-running power, a legitimate family-owned business that pays taxes, they actually have a certain reputation in the underworld throughout the Commonwealth.
This reputation is definitely not because they are richer.
"Do you have any $5 bills?", Lance asked.
"Yes, sir, please wait a moment," said the girl behind the counter after about two minutes. She counted out three times the total of 150 dollars in 5 dollar bills, placed them on a red velvet tray, and pressed them down with a chip that looked like gold but was actually brass or an alloy. Then she held the tray in both hands and placed it in front of Lance.
"Sir, here is your money. Please count it."
Excellent service can always enhance customer satisfaction. Even though Lance didn't have the intention of gambling here, at this moment he had already made up his mind: he would bring someone else here to play if he got the chance.
He wanted to show them the world and let them experience what it was like to be "drunk with money".
After leaving the casino, he drove to pick up Alvin first, and then the two of them drove directly to Mr. Anderson's restaurant in the Bay Area.
It was lunchtime and the restaurant was very busy, with 17 or 18 tables full of guests.
Lance and Erwin were shown to a small table by the manager.
The waiter then brought the menu.
The moment he opened it, Erwin let out a gasp, and he flipped through the pages, unable to make a decision.
Because it was so expensive!
"A six-month-old Green veal rib costs 7.98 dollars, and an extra side of bread costs an extra dollar. If we order a few other things, just for the two of us, the meal will cost... 30 to 40 dollars!"
"Damn, for 30 to 40 dollars I can eat until I burst at the beef brisket restaurant at the entrance to the port area!"
A lady at the next table suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing, but then she quickly looked apologetic and offered to apologize.
There are many manual laborers in the port area, and their demand for meat is much greater than that of those who do not do manual labor.
Therefore, there are many small stalls or restaurants near some heavy labor jobs in the port area that specialize in doing business with these heavy laborers.
The restaurant can't really be called a restaurant, more like a kind of fast food restaurant.
The main thing sold is stewed, mushy, soy-sauce beef, boned beef, all of it minced beef, very minced.
This kind of beef is worthless, and you can buy three pounds for one dollar.
After these operators buy it, they add more sauce and a small amount of spices, cook it in a large iron pot, and the aroma of the sauce and the meat is overflowing.
No matter who comes, sits down, and gives a score of 60, they will get a big bowl!
If they give a score of 70, then they can keep eating bread until they are full.
Of course, don't expect the bread to be delicious, just that you can eat it!
Most manual laborers would eat it every two or three days to feel the thrill of eating meat until they are full.
In particular, the satisfaction of tearing up hard bread into small pieces, soaking it in the broth, and then swallowing the meat, the broth, and the bread together is unforgettable for many people!
The business of these small shops and stalls is incredibly good, and they are packed every day at noon.
The affordable prices are a killer.
Erwin couldn't resist the temptation either and went there a few times. He felt that this might be the best food in the world, without a doubt!
Of course, when mentioning this at this time, he also felt bad about the money.
Lance had the waiter bring two soups, then salad, steak with fried sausage and dinner rolls, and finally dessert.
No wine was served, as he would be driving later and they were both under 20.
The total bill was approaching 40 yuan, and Erwin's expression of distress twisted.
Lance was more at ease, "Someone will pay for us, so don't worry and enjoy your meal."
"If you have to feel distressed, it's not your turn."
Perhaps Lance's words of comfort had some effect, and Erwin felt a little less uncomfortable.
The restaurant was really doing very well. It was already full of people before 12:30, and some guests had to leave because there were no more empty tables.
The whole restaurant exuded a vibrant vitality.
As long as they could make money, even if it didn't go to the waiters or cooks, they could still get a morale boost from it.
Feeling happy about making money for the capitalists is almost a "empathy" shared by the lower classes in societies of all regions and ideologies around the world.
Although empathy seems to be meaningless.
I have to say that a steak worth nearly ten dollars is indeed much tastier than ground beef. The carefully prepared sauce makes the whole steak taste blissful.
Erwin couldn't bring himself to say that the steak was inferior to ground beef at this point. It was just too delicious.
Seeing that they were almost done eating, Lance took a cockroach out of his pocket—a big cockroach—and handed it to Erwin, saying, "Bite half of it."
Elwin looked at the cockroach in his hand, the size of his thumb, a little dumbfounded, "What did you say?"
"I said bite half."
Looking at the struggling cockroach in his hand, Elwin suddenly felt that the beef was not so delicious. 'So this is your plan?"
Lance nodded and repeated, 'I need your honest feedback. Don't worry, I bought it from a store that specializes in selling feed on the side of the road. It's healthy and clean."
Erwin took a moment to compose himself, cursed, and then closed his eyes and put half a cockroach in his mouth and bit down hard.
The ladies at the next table were shocked!
Next, Lance asked Erwin, who was retching, to put half of it in his soup spoon, mixing it with the thick soup, and the other half on the table.
Then he looked at the pale-faced Erwin and said, "Do you want to throw up?"
Erwin said honestly, "Yes."
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"Ugh..."