"You said that gambling is a zero-sum game." Shangluo looked up at the clock tower, "If the environment can improve luck and make everyone's luck better, then who is the unlucky one?"
[I don’t know, probably a casino. 】
"So here it is. Look at the guidebook - the Grand Hotel Chichen Itza, the official property of the city-state of Chichen Itza. But during the Banana Offensive in 22 AD, Chichen Itza, along with 17 other Mayan city-states Caught in a frenzy of chain bankruptcy. At the time of crisis, United Fruit extended a helping hand to all these Mayan city-states. 14 of the 17 city-states were acquired by United Fruit, and only 3 accepted the bankruptcy protection plan and remain today. Chichen Itza Unfortunately, it went bankrupt, but..."
He turned a page in the guide book: "Due to the bankruptcy of the city-state, the Chichen Itza Hotel was mortgaged to United Fruit in its entirety, and the hotel revenue was used as a guarantee to repay the debt. But because the city-state of Chichen Itza itself fell into irreversible To avoid the decline, the hotel's performance also gradually declined. Finally three years ago, they accepted the merger and acquisition of United Fruit and made adjustments to some high-expenditure projects. They fired all the dealers and remodeled the entire casino. Before that, All the projects were replaced with pinball machines and slot machines. It is said that this was the decision of the King of Chichen Itza.”
[Then they must have turned a profit now? 】
"No, they are now stuck in the quagmire of power shortage. United Fruit doesn't seem to be dealing with the local gangs. The power grid here is shut down every now and then. Every time the power is shut down, Tiger and Marbles are all cut off. Once the power is cut off, everything breaks down. A large piece. The king of Chichen Itza’s huge gamble failed completely.
After saying that, Shangluo began to adjust his collar: "So now, it's up to me...oh no, it's up to us to appear."
The hat, collar, and cuffs all had to be straightened out, and he had to maintain the dignity of a "Kinai man."
Stepping up the steps decorated with reliefs, Shangluo walked to the door of the hotel.
Two half-naked strong men holding maquawit stood at the door. Their exposed limbs and chests were covered with tattoos, and there was almost no place where their true skin could be seen.
Shangluo had just seen it in the album. These were "professionals" invited from the Mayan Kingdom. Each of them was a descendant of the nobles of the 17 Mayapan city-states that survived after the king's army cut down the mountains and destroyed the temple. During the Great Righteous War, King Wang abolished human blood sacrifices throughout Yangzhou by cutting down mountains and destroying temples, but their original ruling system was retained.
Although only 3 of those 17 city-states still maintain monarchy, and the others have been swallowed up by United Fruit and Banana plantations, the culture of the Mayans has been fully respected and preserved - just because of the economic problems in recent years, many People have to come out to work.
According to tradition, the more tattoos you have, the more powerful you are. Except for the fact that these two people have no tattoos on their faces, their whole bodies are covered with tattoos of the genealogy of God. They look very powerful.
But I don’t know if it’s the theme of the hotel or whether these two professionals are not willing to serve as waiters to welcome guests. When Shangluo entered, the two people beside the door were as motionless as the stone statues. After entering, I waited in the lobby for a while before the doorman came up to greet me.
"I'm not staying in a hotel." He said to the doorman, "Can you please show me around the casino?"
"No problem, sir. Our hotel is open to the public, please go this way."
Not all hotels accept foreign guests - as one of the cultural symbols of the Maya, the Chichen Itza Hotel did not accept it before. But as things stand now, they have to accept it even if they don't accept it.
The doorman led the way, and employees from the store passed by from time to time. Without exception, they are all Mayans.
In terms of appearance, the appearance of the Mayans is different from that of the Aztecs and Incas. Although their eyes and hair are black, Mayans have softer facial lines and fairer skin. From a distance, many Mayans look very similar to Han people. There was even talk of "Yin Shang's eastward crossing" at one time, although in the end it was dropped.
This is not the first time Shangluo has seen Mayans, there are quite a few in San Francisco. That city belongs to the "San Francisco" in terms of large-scale divisions. Maya is one of the three vassals, and the remaining two are Aztec and Inca. In San Francisco, there is the "Great Pyramid of the Dragon God" jointly dedicated by the three vassals. For a long time, it was the tallest building in San Francisco except for the glazed tower in the Acropolis. It’s just that time has passed, and the Pyramid of the Dragon God has long been buried in the reinforced concrete forest, and the city’s meaning as a “gift” has also faded a lot.
The Mayans here are also as talkative as the Mayans in San Francisco and are far less enthusiastic than in the past.
The Great Righteous War not only cut down mountains and destroyed temples in Yangzhou, but also carried out the "rise and fall" of all Yangzhou aborigines. At that time, the Aztecs had actually perished, and only a few city-states such as Chichen Itza were left struggling to support the Maya. It was the imperial court that allowed them to rebuild their homes from the ruins.
In addition to the ever-loyal 'Aimee Joseon Kingdom' who is still always loyal, Maya, who is far away from the waves, always seems to be more and more distant from Wang Ji.
After being acquired by bankruptcy, Maya also focused more on the impending pressure of life.
[These Mayans don’t look very professional, they look like they are too lazy to do business. By the way, what happened in the first place? Rome thought that Daming would interfere in the merger and acquisition of United Fruit. As a result, you didn't care. 】
"I don't know the specifics. It happened before I was 'born'. But it seems to be related to the Lanfang Company, the mastermind behind United Fruit, which is the property of the Prince of Yanping. It is said that they did this, It is to acquire the 'Edict' issued to each tributary country that year, which is the only legal certificate for their tribute. Whoever gets the Edict can conduct tribute trade with the imperial court."
Once the imperial edict was taken away, Chichen Itza lost its use value. It's no wonder that he is reduced to a farm today.
Passing through the hall and entering the open space - the light suddenly dimmed and the air became turbid. Under the dim light, second-hand smoke from various brands from all over the world merges together, creating a great disharmony in life.
Rows of small steel balls are listed here, as well as slot machines and coin pushers. The noise suddenly doubled. The dusty and pilling carpets and tapestries were prepared for the dealers in formal suits and could not absorb the mechanical noise here at all.
Tourists and residents stood in front of the gleaming machine, staring at the rotating rollers and beating steel balls in front of them as if they were possessed.
"Ahem..." The sudden stimulation made Shangluo cough, "I said, why don't you turn on the lights in broad daylight?"
"Save electricity." The doorman replied weakly, "You can use the machines here as you like. You look like you are from Jinei, and these machines are also made in Jinei. If you have Taihe Tongbao or Shaoping Tongbao, You can invest directly in any category without exchanging tokens. Then, I wish you all your wishes will come true."
In the end, he still maintained the last bit of professionalism and handed over to Shangluo. "Well, with your good words, I will definitely make a fortune from you."
