Chapter 45: Clear Accounts Between Father and Son

Lin Qi took the Gold Note that Blackbeard stuffed into his hand and examined it carefully under the light.

He did not look at the amount on the Gold Note, but first checked the paper quality. The special paper was unusually tough and stiff. Even when he tried to tear it with a bit of force, it would not rip. It was indeed the special paper that the Empire specifically made for issuing Gold Notes, chosen exclusively by various banks.

The watermark on the Gold Note was clearly visible under the light. Three silver-white elephants walked in a circle under a tall water fir tree. This was the watermark of the Silver Fir Elephant Bank, the largest, oldest, and most reputable bank among the Empire’s family banks. The special hidden marks on the silver elephants and the leaves on the water fir tree were clear and distinct, showing that this was indeed a Gold Note issued by the Silver Fir Elephant Bank.

He looked at the handwriting on the Gold Note. The writing was clear, with no signs of alteration. More importantly, there were no bloodstains or other suspicious marks on the Gold Note, indicating that it was indeed obtained through proper channels—not stolen goods or spoils from a robbery.

After confirming that it was an honest and reliable Gold Note payable on sight, Lin Qi finally focused on the most important column: the amount.

One hundred thousand Gold Coins!

Happiness arrived so suddenly that Lin Qi’s blood rushed from his heart straight to his brain, making him feel dizzy. One hundred thousand Gold Coins—this was several years of pure annual income for some medium Noble families in Borelly City. Yet Blackbeard had generously given him one hundred thousand Gold Coins to invest!

The moment he thought of the word “invest,” the boiling blood in Lin Qi’s brain quickly flowed back to his heart. He regained his clarity. As he tucked the Gold Note into his inner pocket, he glared at Blackbeard and said coldly, “Dear father, invest? Did I hear that right? One hundred thousand Gold Coins to invest in my Iron Fist Brotherhood? Damn it, is this something a father should do?”

Blackbeard casually pulled a thin bronze flask from his sleeve, unscrewed the cap, took a sip of alcohol, and then bared his teeth as he yelled at Lin Qi, “Nonsense! I care about my only son. I’m investing one hundred thousand shiny Wowo Calls into the gang my only son formed. This fully shows a father’s love for his child!”

“I’ll take the money, but investment is out of the question!” Lin Qi fastened the three buttons on his inner pocket, sat down leaning against his mother’s coffin, and gently stroked the cold, smooth crystal lid. He said coldly, “This behavior is too shameless. A mere one hundred thousand Wowo Calls, and you want to take over my business? Absolutely not! Mother would never forgive you! This is Mother’s tomb. You’re extorting her only child right in front of her resting place—how disgraceful!”

Blackbeard’s face turned red with anger. He gnashed his teeth, waved his hands, and roared, “Not a single Wowo Call falls from the sky! Every Copper Coin was earned through your father’s hard work! Your father simply sees great potential in your Iron Fist Brotherhood! Our Black Tiger Family needs its own eyes and ears in Borelly, so I’m investing in your little gang!”

He lifted the flask and downed half a pound of strong alcohol in one gulp, then howled, “Otherwise, with that bunch of rogue students and three hundred worthless thugs of yours, would I, Blackbeard, hand over one hundred thousand shiny Wowo Calls?”

Throwing the flask on the ground, Blackbeard raised his two large hands and slowly bent his fingers one by one as he counted, “Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand… one hundred thousand! See clearly—it’s one hundred thousand Wowo Calls, not ten, not one hundred, but one hundred thousand!”

Waving his big fists, Blackbeard sprayed saliva as he roared, “One hundred thousand Wowo Calls! Do you know what that means? In a small tavern in Borelly’s Dock District, you can hand out three to five Wowo Calls and get a group of tough guys to kill an enemy for you! Here, you have one hundred thousand Wowo Calls—worth twenty thousand lives! I’m paying such a huge cost just for a little return. Can’t I just invest?”

He slapped Lin Qi hard on the head and roared, “I’m taking over your business? Damn it, all my assets will be given to you in the future! Damn you, you brat, you fool! Is this how a son should speak? You break my heart!”

Lin Qi rolled his eyes and snorted, “All your assets will be given to me? Then, how about I go kill Arthur first?”

Blackbeard choked on his breath and couldn’t catch it for a long time.

He patted his chest hard, let out a loud belch, and frowned as he complained, “Why are we back to this topic again? I told you, I’ll send him away soon and let him take over his father Red-Haired Ghost’s territory. The family’s assets will naturally all be handed over to you. Why do you keep bringing this up?”

Lin Qi squinted his eyes contentedly, raised one finger, and sneered, “Because I don’t trust him! Do you think he’ll obediently crawl back to his dead father’s territory? Will he willingly go back to being a wind-and-rain-soaked pirate? Damn it, if he could kill me, he could take over the entire Black Tiger Family! He’d strike it rich!”

Blackbeard shook his head vigorously and snorted, “How could he possibly have that chance? Don’t talk nonsense!”

He waved his hand firmly and declared, “Drop the topic of Arthur. You bullied him enough back then. You dug out one of his eyes with your own hands—what more do you want? Don’t bring this up again. One hundred thousand Gold Coins, plus a group of skilled men from the family sent to Borelly to follow your orders. I want the Iron Fist Brotherhood to grow ten times bigger in two years.”

Clenching his fist, Blackbeard thought for a moment and said, “As for the Iron Fist Brotherhood, you take sixty percent, and your father takes forty percent. You’re getting the better deal!”

One hundred thousand Gold Coins for investment, plus a group of skilled men from the family? Such strength would allow the Iron Fist Brotherhood to grow rapidly in a short time.

Because Borelly was the Empire’s capital, the underground forces in Borelly City were relatively weaker than powerful families like the Black Tiger Family. An Iron Fist Brotherhood grown tenfold could even surpass long-established major forces like Cripple and The Hunchback. There was no doubt that this would bring huge profits.

Not to mention, Lin Qi could now connect with someone like Mr. Gron, a Baron. Once the Iron Fist Brotherhood grew tenfold, maybe their trading partners could become Barons, Viscounts, or even higher-ranking big shots? This would also help Blackbeard’s plans!

Maybe this was Blackbeard’s true goal—he wanted to cultivate his own agent in the Imperial Capital!

After thinking for a moment, Lin Qi raised one finger and said, “Clear accounts between father and son. The one hundred thousand Gold Coins are mine. If more funds are needed later, you must give me enough Gold Coins, father. The people sent by the family must follow my commands—you can’t control them from afar! The Iron Fist Brotherhood is under my command!”

Helplessly looking at his shrewd son, Blackbeard sighed with both relief and sadness, “Fine, Lin Qi, you’ve finally grown up! You know how to bargain with your own father. You’ve really grown up!”

He slapped Lin Qi’s hand hard, and the two made a formal agreement.