Chapter 179: The Celebration Banquet

Long Cheng forcibly grabbed several large Gold Notes from Lin Qi’s pocket, then vanished into the darkness, fully satisfied. Lin Qi had no idea where he went, but he doubted anything bad would happen to him. After all, someone as powerful as him couldn’t be harmed by Tixiang’s guards.

After putting on a black Cloak and the pure gold mask he had used a few days earlier, Lin Qi returned to the main hall, accompanied by several guards. Over a dozen servants were desperately scrubbing the bloodstains from the floor. The young Nobles, both men and women, stood casually nearby, holding wine glasses and chatting leisurely, completely unfazed by the blood on the ground.

Now only the young Nobles from Lartus’s faction remained in the hall. Everyone looked flushed and was in extremely high spirits. Thanks to the earlier high-stakes gamble, not only had Lartus successfully obtained the Silver Crescent Merchant Guild he had long coveted, but those who had placed bets from the sidelines had also won huge sums of money. How could they not be happy?

All they needed now was for the floor to be cleaned, and a grand celebration banquet would begin right away.

Fine wine, delicious food, handsome young men and beautiful Young Girls, combined with the excitement of the newly gained wealth in their pockets, promised an unforgettable feast. As Lin Qi moved through the crowd, he noticed that some young Nobles were already breathing heavily with excitement. Without a doubt, tonight they would hunt for prey like lions in heat, and the Noble young ladies present would become the perfect offerings.

With mutual consent, finding comfort in each other on a cold winter night—there was nothing more pleasing to the eye.

Lartus, Tixiang, and Ling Jia sat in a corner of the hall, chatting lightly about something. Lin Qi, wearing the intimidating pure gold mask, quietly approached them. When he got closer, he noticed that Elham and the two girls, Ya and Ling, were seated beside Tixiang. All three of them looked somewhat uneasy.

Seeing Lin Qi approach, Tixiang smiled and nodded at him, introducing him to everyone present. “My new Clerk Official, a mysterious man with no name. Haha, he has helped me a great deal. He is very capable.”

Lin Qi nodded reservedly to the group, his eyes behind the red crystal lenses glancing briefly over Ya and Ling.

Lartus clearly knew Lin Qi’s identity and understood that this so-called Clerk Official was the ‘Master’ who had just won millions in gold at the gambling table. He smiled and nodded at Lin Qi, his face full of undisguised admiration. “Well, Mr. Mysterious, since you are Tixiang’s Clerk Official, that means you are one of my people. Serve Tixiang well, and whatever you need, I will provide it!”

This was an overt and complete attempt to win him over. Lin Qi silently nodded to Lartus, then suddenly turned his gaze to the thin man in a small black Cloak standing behind Lartus.

This man’s aura was incredibly pure, like raindrops on a summer night, without any mixed energy. Yet, this extraordinary purity made Lin Qi feel extremely puzzled because no adult could possess an aura cleaner than that of a newborn baby.

And the man’s eyes—what kind of eyes were they? There was almost no white in his eye sockets, just a deep, unfathomable blackness, darker than the deepest night, like a slowly rotating black hole that seemed capable of sucking in a person’s very Soul.

Lin Qi quickly turned away, not daring to look into the man’s eyes any longer. Having grown up in the Underworld, Lin Qi knew many things ordinary people didn’t. This man had clearly trained in some strange Pupil Arts—secret techniques that originated from The East, studied and developed by hidden forces on the Western Continent. These Pupil Arts possessed unimaginable abilities, even more sinister than those of the Shamans from the Odin Temple.

Such a person was not to be provoked.

Suddenly, Lin Qi remembered the man in black he had gambled against earlier. As soon as that man played his first hand, Lin Qi, sitting across from him, sensed that the man seemed to have lost control of his body. It was as if he intentionally lost ten rounds in a row, losing Marrs’s ten million Gold Coins completely in less than a quarter of an hour.

And this man in the black Cloak—hadn’t he been standing behind Lartus during the gambling session? And Lartus had been sitting directly behind Lin Qi, facing that man in black!

Lin Qi’s heart raced. He finally understood why Tixiang had so easily entrusted the gambling match to him—Lartus and Tixiang didn’t care whether they lost or not. They weren’t worried about losing the game because they were absolutely certain of winning.

No matter who sat at the gambling table, they were bound to win!

And Tixiang had generously given him the ten million Gold Coins stake; there must have been other motives behind it. But what could they be? Lin Qi didn’t think he held such great value to Tixiang. At most, he was just the leader of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, with around three hundred thugs under his command. Would Tixiang be interested in three hundred thugs? That seemed impossible!

Then why had Tixiang and Lartus so readily given him ten million Gold Coins? Lartus had even stuffed Gold Notes worth sixteen million Gold Coins into his arms in front of so many people, as if afraid Lin Qi might refuse?

Was he really that valuable? Lin Qi truly didn’t think so!

But why, exactly?

His head began to ache from thinking. Lin Qi gave up trying to untangle these complicated questions. He shook his head, sighed, and focused his attention on Lartus. With his gentle facial features that made people feel close to him at first sight, Lartus was smiling as he spoke to Ya and Ling. “Honorable ladies, no matter what troubles you encounter in the Imperial Capital, just turn to Tixiang. He can handle anything for you.”

Lin Qi felt secretly amused. From this one statement, the difference between Marrs and Lartus was clear.

Beya was Marrs’s staunch supporter and his top subordinate. Although Marrs knew Beya was interested in Ya and Ling, he had interfered, openly pursuing them himself. But look at Lartus: even though Ya and Ling were exceptionally beautiful, he showed no desire for them. Instead, he was building up Tixiang’s reputation and creating opportunities for him.

Just from this, it was evident that Marrs was no match for Lartus in handling interpersonal relationships.

Marrs might be physically strong and exude dominance, but when it came to smooth and sophisticated tactics, Lartus was ten streets ahead.

“I’ve heard about the incident at No.1 Shenghui Street. For such a terrible event to happen in the Imperial Capital, someone must be held accountable,” Lartus said seriously, looking at Ya and Ling. “I know that because of this, Elham and you two honorable ladies have encountered some minor trouble. But Tixiang is a warm-hearted person, and a good man. Besides, he is very influential in the Imperial Capital. Whatever the trouble, I believe it won’t be a problem for him.”

Tixiang looked at Lartus with a smile. This was the difference between a wise leader and a fool. If Lartus, like Marrs, had become interested in Ya and Ling and tried to compete for them directly, Tixiang would have been both troubled and heartbroken.

But see how well Lartus handled it—he was practically pushing the two beautiful girls into Tixiang’s arms.

Ya and Ling spoke in unison, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. We will certainly trouble Tixiang for this.”

Elham forced a smile. “We have been imposing these past few days, but members of our family are already on their way. If all goes well, they will arrive in Borelly within two days. Our temporary difficulties will naturally resolve then. However, the theft case at No.1 Shenghui Street will require Tixiang’s continued attention. Many of the lost items are treasures beloved by our elders and must not remain outside.”

Tixiang nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, I will handle everything.”

Lin Qi chuckled inwardly. The real thief was right beside Tixiang. Unless Tixiang was truly divine, he would never recover those stolen goods.

Just then, melodious music began to play in the hall. Young Noble men and women started pairing up to dance. The celebration banquet had begun, and everyone was beaming with joy. Even the male and female servants coming and going were smiling—with their masters having won such large sums, their bonuses for the night would equal two or three years of regular income.

Lartus smiled and patted Tixiang on the shoulder. “Well, taking care of the two ladies, Ya and Ling, is up to you. Elham, would you like to join me in the Cigar room? I’m very curious why the Golden Sails Family sent you to the Gaul Empire. If you have any needs, perhaps you can discuss them with me.”

Pursing his lips into a slight smile, Lartus was quite direct. “Allow me to be frank, Elham: my political philosophy is to develop the economy and strengthen the Empire. The Golden Sails Family should be my best partner.”

Elham smiled and nodded. He stood up and walked with Lartus toward the Cigar room in a corner of the hall. The man in the black Cloak followed closely behind Lartus, never leaving his side.

Lin Qi took a deep look at the man in the black Cloak and slowly tucked his hands into his sleeves.

Once Lartus had left, Tixiang smiled and extended an invitation to Ya and Ling. “Might I have the honor of asking you two honorable ladies to be my dance partners?”

Ling Jia burst out laughing, holding his stomach. “Oh, Tixiang, you’re only one person. How can both ladies be your dance partners at once?”

Tixiang glared at Ling Jia, baring his teeth. A strikingly beautiful Black Spirit maid cautiously approached with a silver tray. Tixiang, Ling Jia, and others casually took glasses of wine from the tray and began jokingly arguing over who would get to dance with Ya and Ling first.

Lin Qi, having nothing to do, looked around the hall. Suddenly, he spotted a very familiar face among the servants:

Long Cheng had disguised himself as a male servant and was standing among a group of Nobles.