Chapter 133: A Small Wager for Fun

Having decided what to do that evening, Lin Qi and the others shared a refreshing lunch.

Dozens of top-quality wines from various continents, rich foie gras, black caviar from the Far East, rare birds from the primitive rainforests of the Black Spirit Continent, and dozens of rare ingredients even Lin Qi had never heard of—this lunch made Lin Qi feel they were not eating food, but rather Gold Coins. With every bite of food and every sip of wine, Lin Qi felt as though he were swallowing a handful of shiny Wowo Calls.

“Oh, this is pure bliss!” Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, savoring the rich and smooth texture of the foie gras melting on his tongue, while every fat cell in his body trembled with delight. Such premium delicacies cost him not a single Copper Coin. In that moment, Lin Qi felt as if he were in the legendary paradise of the Gods, as if everything around him glowed with an enchanting golden hue.

A small plate contained over thirty thumb-sized, grayish-white brains of the rare bird called the “Howling Lark” from the Goblin Continent. Seasoned with precious spices and sauces, the raw lark brains had a strangely intoxicating flavor. These Howling Larks, prized for their melodious calls, were exceptionally rare ornamental pets on the Western Continent.

A Howling Lark with good appearance and a tender voice could fetch a high price of several thousand Gold Coins in the pet market. Yet here, for just one dish in this meal, the chefs at the Old Rooster Inn had used the brains of thirty-six larks to create this supremely delicious, though slightly sinister and bloody, delicacy.

Setting aside the inflated market prices, the cost of transporting these Howling Larks across tens of thousands of miles of sea from the Goblin Continent to the Western Continent was over five hundred Gold Coins per bird. These thirty-six larks alone were worth eighteen thousand Gold Coins, and they were merely one dish in Tixiang’s meal.

“Luxury, sheer luxury! But this is my dream!” Lin Qi’s pupils shimmered with a faint golden glow. This was his life’s goal—to live in a palace made of pure gold, eat gold, drink gold, and rest in a mausoleum of pure gold after death. That was the life a successful Lin Qi deserved.

With a sigh of emotion, Lin Qi dropped his napkin and wobbled to his feet, heading to the washroom. A beautiful maid in a sheer gown immediately attended to him, pressing herself close to Lin Qi as she led him with soft, cooing words to the adjacent washroom.

Encased in large transparent glass panels, the lavishly decorated washroom made Lin Qi’s eyes turn red with envy.

A pure gold toilet, intricately carved with fine patterns and inlaid with various gemstones; a pure gold sink, also carved and inlaid with gemstones; and even a large pure gold fish tank, about three meters long and wide, with walls an inch thick, radiating a mesmerizing brilliance that drove Lin Qi wild.

On the walls of the washroom hung small portraits, no larger than a human face. The brushstrokes were simple, but the figures were vividly rendered, clearly the work of master artists. The signatures below revealed that these were portraits of noble ladies and famous beauties painted by the most renowned master painters of the past two hundred years on the Continent.

More than fifty private portraits of high-born ladies and celebrated beauties from the Western Continent hung in the washroom. The small room was instantly filled with a golden glow, and Lin Qi was intoxicated by that golden radiance. Even a casual painting by one of those masters could now be worth tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Gold Coins on the Continent, and here, more than fifty were displayed!

“This truly captivates me!” Lin Qi murmured softly. He barely remembered how he finished urinating or how he left the washroom. He only had a faint impression that the lovely maid had taken care of everything for him—even washing his hands! As Lin Qi exited the washroom, he generously slipped a one-thousand-Gold Note into the maid’s bosom.

Lin Qi’s extravagant tipping quickly spread among the maids in the warm pavilion. Those serving wine, bringing dishes, or sitting close enough to be touched now wore more intimate and charming smiles. They brushed against Lin Qi and the others intentionally or unintentionally, their seductive allure nearly driving them mad.

Lin Qi smiled and, in front of Tixiang, handed out one-thousand-Gold Notes as tips to the maids, while his hands roamed over the waists and abdomens of those nearby. Yet, clearly, his gaze held only the noble golden gleam, not the blush of sensual desire.

Tixiang couldn’t help but look at Lin Qi in surprise. In the short span of a single meal, Lin Qi had given away tips totaling at least fifty thousand Gold Coins. Tixiang’s interest in Lin Qi grew steadily. A young man who was both extravagantly generous and shrewdly clever—undoubtedly, such a person was exactly what Tixiang needed. Whether as an ally or a subordinate, this was the kind of person Tixiang sought.

After all, every great Noble needed vassal families. Tixiang’s interest in Lin Qi was indeed growing stronger.

The meal ended with everyone pleased. After the maids cleared the dishes and served light tea, Lin Qi cleared his throat and said casually, “Lord Tixiang, according to my plan, we need to visit those two lovely ladies again tonight. From now until evening, we still have several hours. Why don’t we find a little amusement to pass the time?”

Tixiang glanced at the sky outside. Indeed, there were at least four or five hours until nightfall. Normally, Tixiang might already be in bed enjoying himself with a few maids, but now, his mind was occupied with the pair of sisters. He had no interest in such distractions at the moment.

Nodding cheerfully, Tixiang suggested, “Since there are four of us, how about a game of Land and Island cards? Ah, the minimum bet is one Gold Coin, no maximum limit. It’ll help us pass the time.”

Naturally, Yulian and Enzo had no objections to Lin Qi and Tixiang’s proposal. As for Lin Qi, he had intended to suggest playing Land and Island cards himself, so he readily agreed, smiling and nodding at Yulian and Enzo.

“That pure gold bathtub must be worth a million Gold Coins, right? Your uncle is the Imperial Minister of Finance!” Lin Qi muttered to himself internally.

A uniformed manservant brought a set of Land and Island cards made of ivory. Lin Qi took the cards and began shuffling and dealing them deftly.

Tixiang nonchalantly sipped his tea, his right hand already slipping under the skirt of a maid beside him.