Chapter 127: Frugal Lin Qi

The distance from the Cripple’s Tavern in the Dock District to the University City was over ten miles. Although it was the Imperial Capital and the roads were wide and flat, the thick snow made walking extremely difficult.

The wind and snow raged fiercely. The laborers under the Imperial Capital’s City Hall simply could not clear all the snow from the roads. They only cleared a clean path in the middle of the road, just wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. Clearly, this clean path was reserved for the noble lords traveling by carriage. Meanwhile, on the pedestrian sidewalks by the roadside, the snow was at least knee-deep.

Lin Qi and Enzo struggled through the snow, carrying two huge leather chests. The chests were not only large in size but also heavy in proportion. Both men were already quite heavy themselves, and with the added weight of the chests—each weighing several hundred pounds—every step they took sank deep into the snow.

Their boots were already soaked, and their trousers were nearly drenched as well. The melting snow made their legs feel as cold as if they were being pricked by needles below the knees. If it weren’t for the fact that their Combat Qi had both broken through to the Lower Earth Rank, they would have fallen seriously ill after such a journey.

Even so, despite using their Combat Qi to protect their legs, their limbs still felt terribly cold.

Enzo adjusted the chest on his shoulder with a pained expression and chuckled bitterly. “Boss, we need a carriage!”

“No, absolutely not!” Lin Qi firmly rejected Enzo’s suggestion, gritting his teeth as he said, “You have to understand how despicable the coachmen in the Dock District are in this awful weather. They’d charge at least ten Zhazha Calls just to take us to University City! Dear Enzo, ten Zhazha Calls! On a normal day, it would only cost one. I won’t let them make that kind of money off us!”

“But!” Enzo sighed helplessly and rolled his eyes toward the gray sky. At that moment, Lin Qi’s figure seemed to merge with Gromm’s. Both were so stingy, so miserly. In this state, no one could squeeze a single Copper Coin out of Lin Qi’s grasp.

But the chests they were carrying were incredibly heavy. Each chest contained ten thousand Gold Coins and fifty thousand Silver Coins, neatly wrapped in oil paper. In total, that was twenty thousand Gold Coins and a hundred thousand Silver Coins in cash. This was the first round of funding Lin Qi had brought from Dun Er Ke to help the Iron Fist Brotherhood grow and expand.

Originally, they should have brought Gold Notes. Lin Qi did carry a large number of Gold Notes with him. However, after carefully considering the exchange fees between the banks in Dun Er Ke and the Imperial Capital, this miserly fellow resolutely chose to exchange for a sum of cash in Dun Er Ke and bring it along.

“Saving a little is still saving!” Those were Lin Qi’s exact words.

Clearly, the Iron Fist Brotherhood needed cash. Not every situation required the use of large-denomination Gold Notes. Twenty thousand Gold Coins and a hundred thousand Silver Coins would be more than enough to allow the current Iron Fist Brotherhood to live comfortably for two or three years. Even if the Brotherhood expanded tenfold in a short period, this sum would still cover expenses for several months.

However, if they had exchanged Gold Notes issued by banks in Dun Er Ke for cash at banks in the Imperial Capital, the fees for twenty thousand Gold Coins and a hundred thousand Silver Coins would have amounted to at least a hundred Gold Coins. This was something Lin Qi absolutely could not tolerate.

Although Lin Qi had a Gold Note worth a hundred thousand Gold Coins issued by the Imperial Capital’s Silver Fir Elephant Bank, he certainly couldn’t withdraw all the Gold Coins at once. Carrying too many Gold Coins would significantly increase the risk of theft—how could Lin Qi possibly make such a mistake?

But if he didn’t withdraw the entire hundred thousand Gold Coins from the Gold Note and instead deposited the remaining Gold Coins back into the Silver Fir Elephant Bank to issue a smaller Gold Note, he would still have to pay fees!

So, Lin Qi simply brought the cash from Dun Er Ke. This way, he could save several hundred Gold Coins in fees—a very cost-effective decision.

As for Lin Qi’s Ankle Chain, which could store items as large as a carriage, it was currently filled with contraband provided by Blackbeard for the future use of the Iron Fist Brotherhood members. This included items like swords, Powerful Bows and Crossbows, and even two large, highly lethal ballistae. Such things couldn’t be openly brought into the Imperial Capital. Compared to that, Lin Qi would rather carry the Gold Coins and make the long journey.

“Or maybe, Boss, you should have given these things to Uncle Bar!” Enzo grumbled weakly. “He’s much stronger than we are!”

“Damn it, what do you mean by ‘these things’?” Lin Qi snapped angrily. “These are adorable Wowo Calls, adorable Zhazha Calls! They’re my precious treasures. What do you mean by ‘these things’? Enzo, even though Uncle Bar wouldn’t embezzle a single Copper Coin from me, these lovely little yellow and silver treasures need to be by my side to make me feel at ease. Do you understand?”

Waving his arm vigorously, Lin Qi declared proudly, “Even my own father wouldn’t lay a finger on my property!”

Enzo slipped and nearly fell. He shook his head, having gained an even deeper understanding of Lin Qi’s money-grubbing nature.

But the problem was, over the past three years, Lin Qi had indeed been quite strapped for cash. However, after returning to Dun Er Ke this time, aside from the profits he gained from other sources, the Gold Notes he seized from Ya and Ling alone amounted to several million. Enzo couldn’t understand why, as Lin Qi’s wealth increased, he seemed to become even more obsessed with money.

With a bitter laugh, Enzo lifted his foot with difficulty, gritted his teeth, and stumbled alongside Lin Qi as they made their way toward the Fifth University.

A journey that would normally have been completed quickly took Lin Qi and Enzo a full four hours today. Struggling through the wind and snow for four hours, at the cost of completely ruining two pairs of boots, they finally managed to drag themselves back to Lin Qi’s single dormitory at the Fifth University.

It was only then that Enzo realized Lin Qi had indeed been foresighted. When they disembarked from the ship, Lin Qi had insisted that Enzo change into a pair of worn-out felt boots that cost only ten Copper Coins per pair. Now, it turned out to be an incredibly wise decision. Both pairs of boots were completely ruined, but their loss amounted to only twenty Copper Coins. Compared to the ten Silver Coins it would have cost for a carriage, what was twenty Copper Coins?

With a sullen face, Enzo changed into dry trousers and warm boots in Lin Qi’s dormitory. He helped Lin Qi stuff the two large chests under his bed.

Lin Qi maliciously set up three deadly traps in the room before carefully closing the door and smugly clapping his hands.

“Let’s find some warm food, and then we’ll go take a look at Shenghui Avenue.”

“I have a feeling that these two women will bring us a large sum of Gold Coins!”

Lin Qi, beaming with joy, slung his arm over Enzo’s shoulder. Side by side, they walked out of the empty dormitory building.