Chapter 104: Sending Away the Plague God

The night sky over Dunelke was filled with swirling snowflakes. The fierce wind howled eerily, driving the white feathers of snow to slice through the air like flying blades. The snowflakes struck the soft flowers, grass, and trees with a muffled thudding sound. Occasionally, snowflakes would freeze into lumps of ice high above—thumb-sized ice chunks that could strike a person and even blind them.

Lin Qi and the other two stood atop a tall building by the street, overlooking the brightly lit city hall not far away.

Tang Jier rode a sleek black steed, clad in ancient knightly plate armor. He wielded a formidable five-meter-long knight’s lance, galloping wildly through the streets like a raging bull, letting out furious roars from time to time.

“Coward! Scoundrel! Shameless bastard! Come out and meet your death!”

“You filthy liar, pretending to be a noble! Show us your proof of nobility!”

“By the gods above, how can such a vile creature exist in this world? Shameless wretch, come out and die!”

The long lance tore through the icy wind, emitting a sharp whistle. Tang Jier swung it wildly from left to right, the tip shimmering faintly with a dense crimson glow. Though still young—just in his early twenties—Tang Jier was a mid-level knight, neither outstanding nor weak for his age. Reaching this rank at such a young age showed he had trained diligently.

“Insignificant as an ant!” A faint purple aura was expelled, shooting forward like a long sword for over a dozen meters, precisely slicing dozens of snowflakes in half along the way. Longcheng sneered venomously, “Such fools! When I led my troops to war, conquering seven enemy cities, I don’t even know how many of these fools I slaughtered!”

Lin Qi’s heart tightened. He suddenly recalled Longcheng’s self-styled title—the Blood Spirit of City Conquest! Could this man truly have committed such deeds?

City conquest was rare on the Western Continent and among the northern tribes, even in the hundred-year land and island wars against the five allied islands and the Odin Icefields. Although hundreds of cities fell during those wars, the invading tribes did not indulge in wanton slaughter. Healthy men were enslaved, young women taken to bear children, but massacres were taboo and considered a grave crime in the West.

Yet Longcheng claimed to have conquered seven cities, and it was said that Eastern cities had populations far exceeding the largest in the West. How much blood must have stained his hands? This sharp-tongued, bitter man was certainly no good.

Clearing his throat lightly, Lin Qi spoke calmly, “The Trident Whale Hunting Company holds seventy percent of my family’s secret shares. After the sale of the Unicorn Whale King’s thirty percent stake, I estimate the total earnings to be around three million gold coins. After deducting imperial taxes and other expenses, you should receive at least two and a half million gold coins.”

Turning to Longcheng, Lin Qi said gravely, “Do you want cash or banknotes? I can advance this money from the family funds.”

Longcheng nodded thoughtfully. “Then give me a thousand gold coins in cash, and convert the rest into banknotes. Hmm, I lost all my money when those uncivilized orc bastards chased me—right now, I’m broke.”

Casting a somewhat embarrassed glance at Lin Qi, Longcheng chuckled dryly, “Even today’s expenses were paid by that girl named Anlin. Tch, when have I ever used a woman’s money? Just get the money to me quickly—I still need to buy gifts for those two ladies.”

On the street, Tang Jier and several guards still charged wildly on horseback. He had left the city hall avenue and was riding straight toward the Black Beech Mountains. Following Currant Street, he was likely heading to Lin Qi’s home. In Tang Jier’s simple mind, since Lin Qi had just pulled Longcheng away from the city hall, Lin Qi must be Longcheng’s accomplice and must hand him over.

On the rooftop, under the distant streetlights, Lin Qi pulled out a large stack of banknotes and selected two and a half million gold coins’ worth to hand to Longcheng. These coins had been taken from Ya and Ling, who had been robbed by Bal.

Longcheng whistled in surprise, casting Lin Qi a sidelong glance and nodding, “I didn’t expect you to be so wealthy!”

Without hesitation, Lin Qi grabbed the banknotes and gave him two thousand gold coins in smaller bills. With these notes, Longcheng could withdraw cash from any Dunelke bank at will. Lin Qi himself didn’t carry that much gold.

Stashing all the gold into a hidden pocket, Longcheng smiled and patted Lin Qi’s shoulder. “Lin Qi, you’re a fine lad—right up my alley. Hmm, interested in coming East with me? Stick with me for three years, and if you survive, a hereditary countship is guaranteed.”

Lin Qi shivered immediately, hastily shaking his head. “Thank you, thank you for the offer, but I’ll pass! I still have to care for my old father. I really don’t have the guts to go East with you.”

Lin Qi didn’t mean he lacked interest in going East with Longcheng, but rather that he lacked the courage. A madman who would bet a provincial governor’s position and dare to cross the North Sea and Odin Icefields in the dead of winter—Lin Qi doubted he could survive three months under him.

Especially since Longcheng’s reckless antics had already stirred up such a scandal upon arriving in Dunelke, and now he expected Lin Qi to clean up his mess. Lin Qi had a strong intuition that following Longcheng East would only get him killed, perhaps undone merely by such scandalous affairs. Longcheng was a thoroughly dangerous man, a magnet for disaster. It was best to see him off from Dunelke as soon as possible.

Longcheng looked at Lin Qi with a hint of regret, muttering softly, “Such a promising seed! Well, fate may bring us together again.”

After a moment’s thought, Longcheng unfastened a small gold chain from his wrist and handed it, along with a small blood-colored wooden token attached, to Lin Qi.

“Meeting is fate. Though I hate to admit it, you truly saved my life at sea. This is my imperial edict token—keep it as a memento.” He chuckled darkly and nodded. “The world is vast. As a man, you must travel far and wide, see much, kill a few men, and enjoy a few women. If you ever go East, take this token to find me. Anyone who reaches the imperial capital of Blood Qin knows me.”

Patting Lin Qi firmly on the shoulder, Longcheng turned to Enzo with narrowed eyes and a smile, “You’re an interesting one, too! One day, come East with me. The women of the Western Continent are exquisite, but the Eastern beauties are even finer!”

Throwing back his head, he laughed wildly three times, then leapt like a white crane, soaring a hundred meters before vanishing quietly into the blizzard.

“I’ll be visiting the imperial capital of the Gaul Empire. Until we meet again, then!”