Chapter 135: Meeting an Old Acquaintance on a Snowy Night

No.1 Shenghui Street truly was a top-tier mansion in the Imperial Capital. Within the huge estate stood three buildings that looked ancient and heavy but also lively and beautiful. From a distance, the three buildings lay quietly among old trees like three small hills. But up close, with light coming from inside, you could see the huge floor-to-ceiling windows on their walls and the statues of mythical figures between the windows.

The main building in the center had over a hundred statues of male and female deities from top to bottom. Their shapes showed they were members of the Dawn Pantheon, led by the God of Dawn. The left building was taken by deities of the Fate Pantheon, and the right building belonged to the Victory Goddess’s group.

Hundreds of deity statues hid in the darkness, looking down from above. Each statue had a faint magical glow around it. Snow and wind vanished dozens of meters away from them. Even the grass around the three buildings was still green, just like grass in early spring.

In front of the buildings was a flower bed where bright white lilies were blooming. Inside the flower bed were three fountain ponds in a row. Three tall male statues from the War Pantheon, surrounded by many beautiful female warrior statues, lay lazily in the ponds. Water shot up several meters high from their sides.

More than ninety percent of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the three buildings were covered by thick curtains. Only a few windows on the third floor of the main building showed bright light. This glass was still Magic Glass made in the Vias Commercial Federation. People outside could only see the light from the windows, not what was inside.

But according to Lin Qi’s sharp senses, someone was watching them from behind one of those windows. That presence felt as sharp as a sword tip. Lin Qi had only felt this kind of presence before on Enzo when he was about to draw his sword and strike. It was the kind of presence only a very skilled swordsman could have. Clearly, there was a highly capable expert inside this building.

And not just behind that floor-to-ceiling window. Heavy, fierce presences like mountains and wild beasts were also hidden in the side buildings. At least ten powerful warriors of high skill were hiding in the darkness. Having grown up in the Black Tiger Family and spent his days with rough people, Lin Qi knew that kind of presence well. It was the bloody killer intent that only warriors who had chopped people into mincemeat and been badly wounded by enemies themselves could possess.

“Oh, what a grand display!” Lin Qi, whose face was covered by a pure gold mask and whose eyes were hidden behind pale gold crystal pieces, softly exclaimed. “No.1 Shenghui Street. I heard the entire botanical garden is its backyard? Hmm, how much is this mansion worth?”

Tixiang nodded thoughtfully. “So, those two young beauties aren’t short on money? What a pity. I originally planned to use money to make them willingly climb into my bed. It seems unless I use the family fund, my own wealth won’t impress them.”

Counting on his fingers, Tixiang sighed with some emotion. “Thirty years ago, on the day the Hundred-Year Land-Island War ended and the peace agreement was signed, this mansion began construction. Its first owner was the Empire’s Minister of Internal Affairs at that time.”

Listening to Tixiang’s introduction, Lin Qi learned that No.1 Shenghui Street took a full eight years to build. The cost was said to be over ten million Gold Coins. Back then, right after the Hundred-Year Land-Island War, all countries on the Continent had used up their money and resources. The Continent’s economy was almost broken. At that time, with just one Gold Coin, you could buy several pretty young girls to keep in a private house and do as you pleased with them. Spending ten million Gold Coins to build a mansion at that time showed how incredibly luxurious and decadent this place was.

The good times didn’t last long. The Imperial Emperor began to strictly manage the country’s affairs. The Minister of Internal Affairs who spent ten million Gold Coins on a mansion was found guilty of secretly dealing with Alien Races, embezzling state funds, and stealing Royal Family assets. In the third year after No.1 Shenghui Street was completed, that unlucky Minister of Internal Affairs was beheaded. His wife and children were exiled to the Black Spirit Continent.

An unknown buyer spent a huge amount of money to buy this extremely large and luxuriously indulgent mansion from the Empire’s government. That money gave the post-war imperial government a large fund. The First University and Second University were built using that money.

As for how much this mansion was worth now, no one even thought about that. Not to mention other things, just the over ten thousand rare flowers and trees in No.1 Shenghui Street’s own garden were worth a fortune. Among them, a copper beech with a thousand years of history once had a rich merchant offer a million to buy it, but the mansion’s mysterious owner flatly refused.

Right after the Hundred-Year Land-Island War ended, people on the Continent were still worried about feeding their families. That Minister of Internal Affairs used just a little money to gather over ten thousand ancient rare flowers and trees from all over the Continent. Back then, a thousand-year-old tree might only cost a dozen Silver Coins. But now, their value had increased by who knows, a million times?

“Family is rich, very wealthy twin sisters!” Tixiang touched a hidden pocket on his chest and groaned softly. “Alright, getting them into bed would be quite an achievement. Mr. Lin Qi, will you make my wish come true?”

Lin Qi, who wore a black Cloak with only his golden face showing, slowly nodded. He chuckled softly and said, “For the two million Gold Coin reward you offered, I will do my best. Hmm, the plants here are really nice.”

Tixiang waved his hand dismissively. “If I succeed, you can dig up any plants here you want.”

Lin Qi smiled. According to what Tixiang just said, some of these ancient plants were worth a million each? These thousand-year-old trees no longer looked green to Lin Qi; they had taken on a charming golden color.

Just as the two were softly talking and laughing, the carriage drove up the gentle slope in front of the main building’s main entrance. Two male servants in pale white uniforms quietly came forward and opened the carriage door for Lin Qi and the others.

Elham, dressed in a black robe with no decorations at all, clean and neat like a mysterious winter night, stood at the door. He bowed slightly to Tixiang as he got out of the carriage, neither humble nor pushy, and said, “Sir, it seems you are not the honorable Empire’s College of Arms Dean, Empire’s Noble Elders Council Elder, former Empire’s Prime Minister Hualishi.”

Following the story Lin Qi had prepared for Tixiang earlier, Tixiang pridefully lifted his pale, white face and said arrogantly, “Of course, I am not. But I am fully qualified to represent his will.”

Elham’s eyes flickered. He looked at the proud Tixiang, at his pale face and thin body, smiled and nodded, then solemnly invited Tixiang and Lin Qi into the main building.