Chapter 104: Sending Off the Plague God

The night sky over Dun Er Ke was full of falling snow. A fierce wind howled eerily, driving thick, white snowflakes like flying knives swiftly through the air. When the snowflakes hit the soft flowers, plants, and trees, they made low, dull thumping sounds. Occasionally, snowflakes froze together into ice pellets high in the air. These thumb-sized ice pellets could even blind a person if they struck them.

Lin Qi and his two companions stood on the roof of a tall building by the street, looking down at the brightly lit City Hall not far away.

Tang Jier rode a black warhorse. He wore an ancient set of knight’s plate armor and held a knight’s Dragon Spear that was a full five meters long. Like a bull in heat, he galloped back and forth along the street, letting out angry roars from time to time.

“Coward, scum, shameless bastard, come out and face your death!”

“You shameless fraud, claiming to be a Noble! Show your proof of nobility!”

“By the Gods, how can such a vile creature exist? Shameless scum, come out and die!”

The long Dragon Spear tore through the cold wind, creating a sharp whistling sound in the air. Tang Jier swung the spear wildly, thrusting it left and right. A dense red glow shimmered faintly at the spear’s tip. Human Rank Middle Tier Knight—for someone Tang Jier’s age, this was neither particularly good nor terribly bad. A young man in his early twenties reaching Human Rank Middle Tier at least showed that Tang Jier had trained hard.

“Insignificant ant!” Long Cheng spat out a wisp of faint Purple Qi. It shot out like a slender sword over ten meters away, precisely slicing dozens of snowflakes in half along its path. He said venomously, “A fool like that? Back when I led troops in war, I slaughtered seven cities of enemy nations. I’ve killed countless idiots like him.”

Lin Qi’s heart twitched. He suddenly remembered what Long Cheng called himself—City-Slaughtering Blood-Fiend! Had this guy really done such things?

Slaughtering cities! Even during the Hundred-Year Land-Island War with the Alien Races of the Five Great Archipelagos and the Odin Ice Plain, the Western Continent and the northern Alien Races rarely engaged in city slaughter. Throughout the hundred-year war, hundreds of cities on the Western Continent were breached by the Alien Races, but those races did not indulge in indiscriminate killing. At most, able-bodied men were taken as slaves, and young women were captured to bear children. City slaughter was a forbidden, grave crime in the West.

But Long Cheng had slaughtered seven cities in a row. It was said that cities in The East had populations far exceeding those of major cities on the Western Continent. Just how much blood had stained his hands? This sharp-tongued, sarcastic guy was truly no good person.

Clearing his throat lightly, Lin Qi said calmly, “My family holds seventy percent of the secret shares in the Trident Whaling Company. After selling the Unicorn Whale King, I roughly estimated that the profit should be around three million Gold Coins. After deducting Empire taxes and other expenses, you should receive over two million five hundred thousand Gold Coins.”

Turning to look at Long Cheng, Lin Qi said firmly, “Do you want cash, or Gold Notes? I will advance you the money using my family’s funds.”

Long Cheng nodded thoughtfully. “Then, just give me one thousand Gold Coins in cash. Convert the rest into Gold Notes. Well, all the money I carried with me was lost when those uncivilized Beastfolk bastards chased me. I’m quite broke now.”

He glanced at Lin Qi somewhat sheepishly and gave a dry chuckle. “Even all the expenses this afternoon were paid by that girl named Anlin. Tsk, when has I, Long Cheng, ever used a woman’s money? Get the money to me as soon as possible. I still want to give those two girls some gifts.”

On the street, Tang Jier, along with several guards, was still galloping wildly. He had left the main street in front of the City Hall and was heading straight for Black Beech Mountain. Following Chestnut Street, Tang Jier was probably heading to Lin Qi’s home. Earlier, Lin Qi had dragged Long Cheng away from the City Hall. In Tang Jier’s simple mind, Lin Qi must be Long Cheng’s accomplice, and Lin Qi must hand Long Cheng over.

Right there on the rooftop, using the distant lights, Lin Qi pulled out a large handful of Gold Notes. From them, he selected notes worth two million five hundred thousand Gold Coins and handed them to Long Cheng. This gold originally belonged to the women Ya and Ling, but Bar had looted it from them.

Long Cheng whistled in surprise. He glanced sideways at Lin Qi and nodded. “I didn’t expect you to be quite wealthy!”

Without any hesitation, Long Cheng snatched those Gold Notes. Lin Qi also gave him scattered notes worth two thousand Gold Coins. With these notes, Long Cheng could choose any bank in Dun Er Ke to withdraw cash. Lin Qi himself didn’t carry that many Gold Coins on him.

After storing all the gold in a hidden pouch close to his body, Long Cheng smiled and patted Lin Qi’s shoulder. “Lin Qi, you’re a good kid, very much to my liking. Well, interested in coming to The East with me? Stick with me for three years. If you survive those three years, a hereditary Earl title is guaranteed.”

Lin Qi immediately shuddered. He quickly shook his head. “Thank you, thank you for your kindness, but let’s forget it! I still have to take care of my father until he passes away. I really don’t have the courage to go to The East with you!”

Lin Qi didn’t say he wasn’t interested in going to The East with Long Cheng; he said he didn’t have the courage to go with him. A madman who would bet with a Governor’s position and daringly cross the North Sea and the Odin Ice Plain in winter—Lin Qi doubted he could survive three months under such a person.

Moreover, Long Cheng’s actions were utterly absurd and unreasonable. He had just arrived in Dun Er Ke and already caused such a romantic farce, forcing Lin Qi to clean up his mess. Lin Qi had a strong feeling that if he followed Long Cheng to The East, just these romantic entanglements alone might get him killed. This was a thoroughly dangerous character, a natural disaster magnet. It was best to get him out of Dun Er Ke as soon as possible.

Long Cheng looked at Lin Qi with some regret and muttered under his breath, “Such a promising seedling! Oh well, perhaps we’ll meet again someday!”

After pondering for a moment, Long Cheng untied a small golden chain from his wrist. He handed the chain, along with a small blood-colored wooden plaque attached to it, to Lin Qi.

“Meeting like this is fate. Though I hate to admit it, you did save my life at sea. This is my Command Fate Token. Keep it as a memento!” He gave a strange laugh and nodded. “The world is vast. As a man, one should travel widely, see more, kill a few more men, play with a few more women. If you ever have the chance to come to The East, take this Command Fate Token and find me. Just go to the Imperial Capital of Blood Qin—everyone there knows me!”

He patted Lin Qi’s shoulder firmly and squinted at Enzo with a smile. “You, kid, are interesting too! If you get the chance, come to The East for a visit. The women of the Western Continent are exquisite, but the beauties of The East are even better!”

Looking up at the sky, Long Cheng laughed wildly three times. Then he leaped up, soaring out like a white crane, vanishing a hundred meters away into the wind and snow.

“I’m going to the Imperial Capital of the Gaul Empire. We’ll meet again if fate allows!”