Chapter 180: Fat Bird Kirk

The scent of perfumed hair and the sound of light music and dancing filled the air. The young nobles belonging to Lartus’s faction indulged themselves in the aroma of fine wine and beautiful women.

Fifteen minutes after the party began, some young men and women cautiously began to disappear. They went down to the second floor in pairs, where there were plenty of small rooms for them to enjoy a passionate night. Gradually, only about thirty people remained in the third-floor hall.

Lin Qi saw Long Cheng, who was disguised as a servant, attending to a gaudily dressed young lady as they went downstairs. As for what they were going to do, Lin Qi didn’t want to bother with it. What did it have to do with him? It was just Long Cheng getting himself into another romantic entanglement, at most he would spend all his money again.

But what about that noble lady? Long Cheng was wearing a servant’s uniform, so how could she follow him downstairs?

As the crowd thinned, Ya and Ling, who had been indifferent to Tixiang’s invitations all along, finally relented. They each danced one song with Tixiang. Of course, they could not have any physical contact with him. They chose the most rigid, conservative, and criticized dance among the Imperial Capital’s young nobles—the ‘Square Circle Dance.’

Some people joked that the Square Circle Dance was like two serious old men meeting on the street and nodding to each other. The dancers remained at least four feet apart, moving in stiff steps along a rigid path. Every time the music changed, they turned and nodded to each other, with absolutely no physical contact.

Ya and Ling chose to dance this conservative and stiff dance with Tixiang. Lin Qi, who was standing nearby watching their rigid movements, almost laughed out loud. Just by looking at Tixiang’s strange expression, as if he had swallowed a big fly, one could tell how frustrated he felt.

Yulian sneakily approached Lin Qi and whispered his thoughts about the two women: “Damn, these two ice mountains, really damn it. They are so beautiful, but with such cold personalities. Whoever marries them will have a hard time.”

Lin Qi shook his head. He didn’t see any difference between Ya and Ling and other women. In the end, Lin Qi didn’t yet understand the appeal of women. Mysterious women, cat-like elusive women—compared to unfathomable women, shiny gold coins were much more endearing. Lin Qi preferred gold coins—their captivating color, the breathtaking visual impact, those precious gold coins!

With a bitter expression, Tixiang accompanied Aling back to her seat. Ya and Ling sat side by side again, maintaining their ice-queen demeanor without saying a word. Ling Jia laughed so hard his face twisted. These two ice beauties were quite a challenge for Tixiang to handle.

Tixiang looked helplessly at Ya and Ling. These two captivating beauties were truly like ice mountains, or like two glass marbles coated in oil—there was simply no chance to make a move. Yet, the more unapproachable they were, the more his heart stirred. The greater the difficulty, the stronger his sense of accomplishment would be once he succeeded.

He sat on the sofa opposite the two women, smiling as he looked at them. He decided to follow Lin Qi’s plan. He had to force the two women to willingly throw themselves into his arms. That would be the most wonderful experience in the world!

Lin Qi leisurely walked back to Tixiang’s side and whispered, “Earl, there are fewer and fewer people here. It’s too quiet. Why don’t we find a lounge and have a good drink? This weather is really cursed, absolutely terrible.”

The young noble couples had all gone off to enjoy their private small worlds. The spacious hall was nearly empty, and it did feel too quiet. When there were more people, it wasn’t noticeable, but now that there were fewer, the hall felt chillingly cold and unbearable.

Lin Qi’s suggestion perfectly suited Tixiang’s hidden intentions. A private lounge could facilitate communication and interaction between people. A closed, intimate environment would also help lower Ya and Ling’s guard against outsiders. Tixiang immediately stood up, flicked his fingers lightly, and several maids hurried over, standing attentively beside Ya and Ling.

“Aya, Aling, I remember I still have two bottles of Dream Fruit Wine from the Goblin Continent,” Tixiang extended the invitation. “That wine must be savored quietly. May I have the honor of inviting you both to appreciate this supreme delicacy from another continent?”

Ling Jia stood up with a laugh. He casually wrapped his arm around a very tall Black Spirit maid and cheerfully went downstairs. Tixiang was clearly planning to use patient methods to woo Ya and Ling, so why should he stay and get in the way?

Ya and Ling pondered for a moment. They exchanged a glance and stood up silently, clearly accepting Tixiang’s invitation.

Tixiang was overjoyed. He hastily led the way, taking Ya and Ling to a small door on one side of the hall. After walking through a corridor about ten meters long and descending a spiral staircase, they arrived at the lounge Tixiang had specially prepared for his closest friends.

Lin Qi and Yulian only glanced inside the lounge before tactfully moving to a side room outside the door to rest. This lounge was Tixiang’s place to woo Ya and Ling, and Lin Qi and Yulian had no intention of getting in the way of his efforts.

The spacious lounge was not very large, only about ten meters square. Everything in sight was gilded, with master craftsmen having applied gold leaf to every item, creating exquisite Tulip patterns. Even the surface of the large mirror on the ceiling was coated with an extremely thin layer of gold leaf. This layer did not affect the mirror’s clarity but gave the massive mirror a magnificent golden hue.

Tixiang eagerly invited Ya and Ling to sit on a comfortable large sofa, while he himself sat smiling beside them. With a wave of his hand, he had the maids bring two bottles of fine wine in amethyst containers.

Lin Qi sat in the side room, where maids naturally brought fine wine and delicacies for him and Yulian to enjoy. The pretty maids even kept batting their eyes at Lin Qi and Yulian. Yulian’s mouth began to water, and unable to restrain himself, he grabbed two maids and went into a nearby small room.

Unfortunately, Lin Qi was completely immune to the maids’ flirtatious glances. He paid no attention to their advances and simply enjoyed the expensive wine and food. He casually propped his legs up on the sofa, tilting his head to listen to the sounds coming from Tixiang’s lounge.

After all, Tixiang was alone in a room with two young girls, so he didn’t dare to close the lounge door completely. He left a gap about two feet wide, so every word and action inside could not escape Lin Qi’s ears. Listening to Tixiang flatter the two women, Lin Qi couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

They were just two slightly more beautiful women. Was it worth it for Tixiang to lower himself like this to curry favor?

Gulping down vintage wine that cost hundreds of gold coins per bottle, Lin Qi quietly calculated his next plans.

First, the Iron Fist Brotherhood had to expand as quickly as possible. This was related to the future development of his family.

Second, Tixiang and Lartus had acted strangely toward him. Did they really just hand over that huge bet to him? Why? Although Lin Qi was greedy for money, he also knew his limits. He didn’t think he was truly worth such an investment from certain people.

Third, after the new school year began, there was the bet between Enzo and Black Horse Haus. Combat drills had casualty quotas. Lin Qi had to help Enzo win this round cleanly. As for Black Horse Haus, the battlefield was unpredictable—he could easily die due to some accident.

After dealing with these matters, the next step was to figure out how to deal a fatal blow to Elham and his group. No matter what, Lin Qi couldn’t let Elham and the others live. Collaborating with Arthur, intending harm against him—Lin Qi had to squeeze out their last bit of value before eliminating them completely.

Aside from these troublesome matters, there was one pleasing affair: Master Kocha.

Three thousand Moonflower Herbs—quite a few Moongrass could be mixed in. Of course, Lin Qi no longer cared about the small profits from adulteration. What he valued was currying favor with Master Kocha, which would bring him a large, unexpected income.

The potions Master Kocha failed to refine were useless to him, but to Lin Qi, they were real treasures.

Just as Lin Qi was muttering to himself about these calculations, a man in black suddenly rushed in. Without even glancing at Lin Qi, he stood directly in front of the lounge door and reported softly, “Earl, the owner of the Silver Crescent Trading Company, Mr. Kirk, is here to see you. He brought all the detailed records of the Silver Crescent Trading Company!”

Inside the lounge, Tixiang, who had been telling jokes to amuse Ya and Ling, clearly froze for a moment. After a while, he hesitantly gave the order, “Well, ask him to come in. Aya, Aling, I’ll be back after dealing with that guy. Wait for me, and don’t leave.”

Tixiang stepped out of the lounge and entered the small room. He casually closed the lounge door, his face darkening as he waved his hand repeatedly. “Have him come quickly. It’s strange—why is he showing up at this time? Does he already know his master has changed?”

It didn’t take long before heavy footsteps approached, and a round, ball-like figure slowly walked in, carrying a large stack of account books.

As soon as Lin Qi saw this round figure, he almost cried out.

Fat Bird Kirk, one of the thirteen Black Attendants of the Night Alliance—wasn’t he supposed to be returning to his base via Dun Er Ke? Why was he here?

Moreover, wasn’t he the biggest smuggler on the Northern Coastline? When did he become the owner of the Silver Crescent Trading Company? What was going on? Could it be that the Silver Crescent Trading Company was Fat Bird Kirk’s front for selling stolen goods? Could it be that Fat Bird Kirk had the support of Marrs behind him?

But no matter what, Fat Bird Kirk should not have appeared here!

What in the world was happening? It was truly cursed!