Chapter 210: Support from Lartus

Night fell, and a few guards dressed in tight outfits with white masks came in carrying two baskets. Inside were red cloth strips. Under Lin Qi’s orders, all the thugs willing to die for him because of the attraction of money tied a red strip around their foreheads and one on each arm.

As it was still early, the Iron Fist Brotherhood prepared lots of drinks and food for them.

There were solid chunks of black bread with wheat bran, hard as stones. Big pieces of greasy stewed pork, and strong liquor that felt like a punch in the stomach with each gulp. Over a thousand thugs squatted in the yard, drinking and eating greedily, oil dripping from their mouths.

For these thugs struggling at the very bottom of society, when did they ever get a chance to eat and drink like this?

The ones without families had it easier; if they earned some money they could at least binge. But those with families, especially with children, carried the burden of supporting everyone. Most of the money they got through threats and extortion went to their bosses above them; how much could they keep for themselves?

Not only did they not get to feast, they couldn’t even fill their stomachs with black bread regularly.

So, these thugs ate and drank their fill, their faces shiny with grease, burping repeatedly until they couldn’t eat any more and reluctantly stopped. Luckily, Lin Qi didn’t provide too much liquor; otherwise, they’d be drunk and unable to fight, or even hurt themselves by stumbling into blades.

After ordering the full thugs to rest in the yard, Lin Qi followed a guard and quickly left the slaughterhouse.

Right next to the slaughterhouse, in a simple small building, Lartus and Tixiang sat in a small attic on the top floor. Through the window there, they could see the slaughterhouse’s backyard a hundred meters away. Their faces were slightly flushed; they’d realized the benefits these thugs could bring.

Before, Lartus and Tixiang looked down on these street thugs. Were these lowly people, like ants, worth their attention? Look at their tattered clothes, ugly faces, and fierce eyes. You couldn’t even squeeze a copper coin out of them; why care?

But just yesterday, Lin Qi sent Yulian to their door with some requests.

Using channels Lartus controlled and the influence Tixiang’s elders had in the Empire’s administration, the two noble young men suddenly discovered something scary—these ordinary thugs, these ant-like beings, generated over twenty million gold coins in profit each year on the streets of Borelly!

By the Gods! Twenty million gold coins—enough to form two elite heavy infantry legions of a hundred thousand each!

Although these street folks didn’t dare provoke nobles, aside from that, even the top merchants in the capital were targets of their threats, extortion, and even kidnapping. Every shop in the capital, aside from official taxes, had to pay protection money to these thugs. Some even refused to pay taxes to the Empire and chose to pay double to them.

They monopolized many businesses in the capital. For example, cargo transport and storage in the Dock District, eighty percent of the taverns and inns, thirty percent of luxury hotels, as well as carriage services, livestock trade, night watchmen, ditch cleaners, and even those who cleaned out the nobles’ cesspits—they were all part of this huge network.

They had eyes and ears all over the capital. Controlling them meant knowing everything that happened in the capital. Which duchess secretly met her lover behind her husband’s back? Which noble lady gave her purity to her lover before marriage? Even which lady the Emperor spent the night with—none of these escaped their notice.

Such enviable income and a terrifying intelligence network—all of it was incredibly tempting!

So Lartus and Tixiang immediately gave the most direct and efficient response. They enthusiastically offered Lin Qi all kinds of help; even this slaughterhouse was transferred to Yulian’s ownership in just a quarter of an hour through Tixiang’s personal intervention.

Located on the edge of the capital, it covered a large area and could house hundreds of people. Anyone with half a brain knew what having hundreds of fearless, bold men meant in the unpredictable capital!

With this force alone, Tixiang and Lartus could cause trouble for Beya anytime! Making trouble for political opponents was the most delightful thing for any qualified politician.

Lin Qi steadily climbed the steep stairs to the attic. He bowed to Lartus and respectfully greeted, “Your Highness, you came here yourself?”

Lartus nodded gently and sighed softly. “Yes, the capital hasn’t been peaceful lately. A few days ago, something else happened at Victory Palace. To be honest, the crown my grandfather loved most and all his seals—except the private one he kept on him—were stolen!”

Lin Qi widened his eyes “in shock” and exclaimed “Gods!”

Lartus sighed deeply, deeply, then smiled happily. “So Beya is in trouble. As the captain of the Dragoons, it’s their dereliction of duty! These past couple of days, we’ve been enjoying the show. Before, they watched us because of Elham’s death. But now it’s good…”

Tixiang added, “Very good, extraordinarily good. The Emperor’s crown and seals going missing has spread across the entire Continent. All the emperors, kings, and dukes are laughing at our Emperor, so Beya and his men are under a lot of pressure. I heard that just this morning, all the Dragoons in the capital were sent out to search every inch of land within three hundred miles!”

Only today they started searching within three hundred miles?

Lin Qi secretly laughed. With Long Cheng’s speed, he was probably almost out of the Empire’s borders and entering Caesar Empire territory by now! Not to mention sending out all ten thousand Dragoons stationed in the capital—even if they mobilized the entire Empire’s army and people, they wouldn’t find a single strand of Long Cheng’s hair.

Clenching his fist tightly, Lin Qi angrily condemned the audacious thief.

Then Lin Qi asked the two, “So, are there any clues?”

Lartus and Tixiang glanced at each other mysteriously. After a moment of silence, Lartus spread his hands.

“The latest intel from the Military Department says that several marshals from the Alien Race United Military of the Five Great Archipelagos claimed they sent warriors to steal my grandfather’s crown and seals. But according to them, all five marshals sent their strongest and best warriors for the task, so now the five alien marshals are preparing to duel to decide who gets the honor of stealing the crown and seals!”

Lin Qi felt blood rush up his throat, but he forced it back down!

Those alien races from the Five Great Archipelagos—Lin Qi adored them. They willingly took the blame for Elham and his companions’ deaths, stopping the Church from investigating further. And now, Long Cheng breaking into Victory Palace—those aliens took the blame again. Lin Qi considered whether he should make a bronze medal to give to those aliens, to praise their fearless spirit of helping out and taking the fall.

Lartus sighed deeply and cursed angrily.

Those damned aliens—taking the first blame to get them out of trouble was fine, but why take the second one too? Making Beya suffer was such a joyful thing, and now they ruined it.

Shaking his head, Lartus looked seriously at Lin Qi.

“We all now know the power these street thugs hold. So, Lin Qi, I hope you can help us control this force.”

Lartus handed Lin Qi a ruby ring. Between the clear gem and the band was the Imperial Royal Family’s emblem—a rooster standing proudly and making a wowo call.

“Take this ring, and you will be my subject, Lin Qi!”

Lin Qi took the ring and smiled reservedly. He remembered Long Cheng’s words: he needed Lartus’s help because he was still weak. A retainer to a direct royal family member? That title sounded good; maybe he could get Blackbeard a noble title sooner?

Seeing Lin Qi take the ring, Tixiang happily clapped and cheered, “Well, that’s excellent. Lin Qi, you have a bright future. I truly believe that.”

Clapping a few more times, Tixiang said seriously, “Tonight, not a single Dragoon will appear in Southern City because all of them were sent out of the city. Even less will there be any Copper Helmets, because the Garrison Office’s top official is on my side. You have a full hour to solve everything, because I can only get you an hour. At most an hour and fifteen minutes, and the Empire’s Garrison Army will arrive in Southern City!”

An hour? Lin Qi smiled easily and waved his fist. “An hour is enough! Your Highness Lartus, Lord Tixiang, prepare the victory wine. When I return, all the capital’s underworld power will be in our hands.”

Lin Qi turned to leave, then suddenly looked back and asked, “Just who is Cripple working for anyway?”

Lartus looked at Lin Qi and smiled leisurely. “The mansion your people tracked him to belongs to my cousin Picius. But, don’t mind him. My second uncle has been dead for years; he has no backing in the palace. You don’t need to worry about him!”

Lin Qi immediately felt relieved. A grandson of the Emperor with no support—might as well crush him too!