Chapter 18: The Warning

Heavy snow was falling, and the morning classes had ended. Students from Fifth University were coming out of their classrooms. The air was filled with the smell of food, especially the rich, mouth-watering aroma of sizzling bacon. The students formed neat lines and headed toward the cafeteria along the freshly cleared paths.

Apart from a few military academies under the Military Department, Berelli University Town also managed other schools with a semi-military system. Most students followed the rules strictly and lived very orderly lives. So these students marched to the cafeteria in formation, acting almost like soldiers.

Lin Qi stood on his dormitory terrace holding a bottle of liquor. He watched the students walking by in the distance and let out a drunken burp.

Some people made rules, and some broke them. Without a doubt, Lin Qi was the kind who broke rules. He raised the bottle and took a gulp of strong liquor, then muttered under his breath: “That jerk Barin—I’ll settle the score with him about that Talisman. He almost got me killed. That guy, he almost got me killed!”

He patted the bulging money pouch at his waist contentedly, then laughed heartily three times. Even though he had risked his life, he had still come out alive from Master Tower. Not only that, but he had earned a good thirty Gold Coins. With the winter break only a month away, those thirty Gold Coins would let him live very comfortably for that month.

Especially with Mr. Gron’s personal promise—he didn’t have to worry about the year-end exams. He and all his good buddies could get top marks and move on to their fourth and final year of study. With those outstanding grades, after his brothers graduated, whether they applied for jobs in the Empire’s administration or became advisors for the great nobles, it would be extremely helpful.

“So, I hope there are more hot girls in those Gisean traveling troupes! That old Gron likes that!” Satisfied, Lin Qi let out a breath smelling of alcohol, wiggled his waist, swung his hips, and swaggered back into his dorm room.

The previously clean single dorm room was now a mess. The floor was covered with dark Rum bottles. A small square table stood in the middle of the small room, with greasy paper spread messily on top. On it were bits of smoked meat, sausages, roast chicken, steak, and other tasty meats that were mostly eaten.

Enzo sat on Lin Qi’s bed, his legs propped up on the bedside table, comfortably picking his teeth with a toothpick. Beside him was a tin cup with black tea mixed with sugar and milk. He squinted and hummed blissfully: “After eating and drinking your fill, being able to enjoy a good cup of tea—this is the life of a Noble!”

Also stuffed, with his stomach bulging and his fair face shiny from grease, Yulian sat on the writing desk holding a palm-sized mirror, checking himself left and right. He carefully wiped away a speck of food from the corner of his mouth with a white silk handkerchief. Hearing Enzo’s comment, Yulian couldn’t help but roll his eyes: “Enzo, even among Nobles, not everyone gets to eat so well, drink so well, and then brew a pot of good tea!”

He let out a contented burp, staring at the remaining smoked chicken wing on the greasy paper, struggling with the idea of eating it too. He was so full he could hardly swallow anything, but that smoked chicken wing looked just too tempting.

Yulian sighed softly and shook his head: “At the very least, before I met the boss, I hadn’t had even a sip of tea for three years here in the University City!”

Enzo looked thoughtfully at the ceiling: “Of course, a fallen Noble family! But Yulian, I’m different from you. I want to earn a Noble title with my own sword and military achievements! Not too high—a merit-based knighthood is enough. Then, a few hundred acres of land, a rich forest, and hopefully a little lake or a stretch of river that produces all kinds of freshwater fish!”

Yulian glared angrily at Enzo. He did come from a fallen Noble family, and Enzo had just rubbed salt in his wound right in front of him! If it weren’t for the fact that he was no match for Enzo in a fight, he would make sure Enzo lost his manhood for life.

Yulian cursed Enzo bitterly in his heart. Maybe without that ability, Enzo would give up his dream of becoming a Noble? After all, having been close friends for years, everyone knew why Enzo was so fixated on becoming a Noble. His reason for wanting to become a Noble was perhaps the strangest in the world.

Lin Qi, slightly drunk, staggered over to the square table and generously tossed more than a dozen Gold Coins onto it.

“Dear treasurer, take good care of the brothers. Well, for the brothers whose families are in special need, send two sets of warm clothes to each family. For the brothers with children—winter isn’t easy—send each family’s children a few sturdy loaves of bread. That way, our brothers can get through winter much easier!”

Besides Enzo and Yulian, the last person in the room was Gromm, who was still busy eating and drinking at the table. Gromm, who wasn’t tall, weighed twice as much as Lin Qi—typical of the parasite body type found in Fifth University’s Finance and Accounting Program. His bulky frame took up half the small dorm room as soon as he sat down.

Gromm, with a pig’s tail in his mouth, saw the Gold Coins Lin Qi dropped. His small eyes, almost squeezed shut by the fat on his face, widened suddenly. He quickly grabbed the dozen-plus Gold Coins, rubbed them affectionately against his cheek, and with effort swallowed the little pig’s tail.

“Boss, don’t worry, I won’t waste a single Copper Coin!”

Gromm had zero personal combat power, but he was the treasurer trusted by everyone in the Iron Fist Brotherhood.

Gromm was a character—a really brilliant one. Lin Qi had met him when Gromm was being extorted by some thugs from the military academy. But those two unlucky thugs searched Gromm all over and found only two Copper Coins. The moment those two Copper Coins left his money pouch, Gromm, with zero combat ability, suddenly surged with rage as if possessed by a Demon. He leaped up and broke more than thirty ribs of the two tall, strong Warriors.

With such an amazing feat, Lin Qi was in awe of Gromm, and from then on Gromm became an indispensable member of the Iron Fist Brotherhood.

With money-obsessed Gromm managing the Brotherhood’s finances, everyone felt assured, very assured.

Lin Qi watched as the Gold Coins slowly disappeared into Gromm’s money pouch. His heart cramped sharply, and he almost cried from the intense pain. He muttered under his breath: “My lovely Wowo Call, you’re about to leave me!”

Just as Lin Qi was in agony, the dorm room door was violently pushed open.

The fat Father Barin squeezed through the doorframe. Wiping sweat from his brow, he cried out in a fluster.

“Damn it, this has nothing to do with me! Lin Qi, your brother Vic has been captured by the Round Table Knight Society!”