Chapter 3: The Deal

Following a hidden passage behind the wine cabinet, Cripple carefully moved without making a sound. He went around large piles of Rum jars and liquor jars, then climbed over two large crates filled with smuggled tobacco and white sugar. At the end of the passage was a stone wall.

In the dark passage, only a thin line of light shone from the stone wall. Cripple pressed against the stone wall and put his eye to the line of light to peer through. On the other side of the wall was a small, comfortably furnished room. Over a dozen white candles lit up the small room brightly. A circle of large chairs covered with animal skins surrounded the room. Lin Qi sat on one of the big chairs, wearing a strange grin that made people want to punch him in the face, and gulped down large mouthfuls of wine.

Cripple’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints. He recognized the bronze wine bottle in Lin Qi’s hand—it was one of the few bottles of Rum left from a hundred years ago in the whole Cripple’s Tavern. A hundred-year-old fine wine, its value could no longer be measured by money; it existed more as a legend of Cripple’s Tavern.

“That damned brat, how did he find this treasure?” Cripple trembled with anger all over. But as his eyes swept over Lin Qi and he saw Enzo standing not far from Lin Qi like a sharp sword, Cripple couldn’t help but grimace and shake his head helplessly.

He pressed a spot on the stone wall, and a section of the wall slid open silently. Cripple walked out with a bright smile.

“Hey, hey, what good stuff has my favorite little friend brought me?” Cripple rubbed his hands vigorously, deliberately not looking at Lin Qi who sat there drinking. His greedy eyes only roamed over the cloth bundle under Enzo’s arm. He knew Lin Qi’s nature well—without enough benefit, don’t expect him to take a single step into Cripple’s Tavern. He was a young man, but shrewder than any old-timer in the business!

‘A kid with a limitless future, his father truly has a remarkable child,’ Cripple sighed inwardly.

Seeing Cripple enter, Lin Qi shook the wine bottle vigorously, letting the last drops fall into his mouth. He exhaled a comfortable breath of wine air, then casually threw the bottle onto the ground, creating a loud noise that made Cripple’s heart ache. Satisfied, he let out a loud burp and clapped his hands cheerfully, calling out, “Dear Uncle Cripple, every time I see you, I feel like seeing many golden Wowo Calls and shiny silver Zhazha Calls. You’ll give me a satisfying price, won’t you?”

Cripple stared hard at the bronze wine bottle rolling on the floor, then slowly pulled out one Gold Coin and one Silver Coin from his belt.

The Gold Coins currently used in the Seventh Empire had the face of Saint Louis XIII on the front and a proud, spirited rooster on the back. Everyone involved in the underworld tacitly called Gold Coins ‘Wowo Calls.’ As for the Empire’s newly minted Silver Coins, they had a soaring skylark on the back, hence the nickname ‘Zhazha Calls.’

Putting on an indifferent air, Cripple tossed the Gold Coin and Silver Coin onto the only small square table in the room, then raised his head and laughed. “Uncle Cripple has many lovely little roosters and little larks here. As long as my dear little friend can bring out something that interests me, the price won’t be a problem.”

Lin Qi let out another burp. Enzo silently stepped forward and heavily placed the cloth bundle from under his arm onto the square table. Cripple nimbly unwrapped the bundle, revealing six Rapiers coated with anti-rust oil. The hilt was just the right size for one hand, and the blade was four feet long. The slender blades had uniform cloud and water patterns, clearly indicating excellent steel quality. The tips shimmered with a dazzling blue-green light, and a sharp, cold aura pressed forward, making it hard to look directly at them.

“Oh, oh, what lovely little treasures!” Cripple’s eyes lit up. He swiftly pounced on the square table, his fingers lightly brushing over the six Rapiers, like a passionate playboy caressing the body of a peerless beauty. His fingertips trembled slightly as he carefully traced every cloud and water pattern on the blades. The steel was dense and tough—truly first-rate swords.

Picking up one Rapier casually, Cripple gave a flick of his hand. The candlelight in the room dimmed all at once. A hissing sound, like that of a Poisonous Snake striking, filled the air. Several cold glints, too fast for the eye to follow, tore through the air and struck a suit of armor standing in the corner of the room.

The armor was mainly made of thick cowhide, with palm-sized steel plates embedded in key areas. Under Cripple’s sword thrust, the cowhide tore like paper, and the steel plates, as thick as a finger over the heart and underarms, emitted sharp creaks as the sword tips pierced through them.

As the candlelight flickered again, Cripple withdrew the Rapier and examined it closely. There were only a few friction marks finer than hair strands on the blade; the sword was basically undamaged. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. This set of armor, placed in the corner as a decoration, was a standardized suit he had spent a fortune to acquire from the Empire’s regular army Supplies warehouse—a sophisticated battle armor that only mid-level officers could wear.

Faced with these Rapiers, the armor meant for mid-level officers was utterly vulnerable, showing just how formidable the piercing power of these Rapiers was.

Seeing the results of Cripple’s sword test, Lin Qi laughed heartily, “Huo huo!” He, too, excitedly rubbed his hands, as if countless Gold Coins and Silver Coins were dancing before his eyes. He grinned at Enzo and said, “I told you, I told you this batch would satisfy Uncle Cripple. Isn’t that right, Uncle Cripple? We went through a lot to get these out of the military academy’s storage room!”

Cripple snorted coldly. He carefully placed the Rapier back on the table, narrowed his eyes, and stared silently at the six Rapiers.

Lin Qi raised his eyebrows and tucked both hands into his sleeves. Enzo silently placed his hand on his waist, where there was a hidden pocket containing a long sword identical to the Rapiers on the table. Enzo calculated the distance between himself and Cripple. With one thrust, he was ninety percent sure he could pierce Cripple’s throat.

The candlelight in the room trembled slightly as something moved inside, stirring the air and disturbing the flames.

The hairs on Cripple’s neck stood up, and he broke out in goosebumps all over, feeling like a frog being watched by a Poisonous Snake.

After thinking for a moment, Cripple sneered and shook his head. “The military academy’s storage room would have such excellent weapons? Damn, being able to pierce a palm-thick uniform steel plate—these Rapiers are real treasures. Plenty of people would pay a high price for them. But I want to hear the truth—where did you get them from?”

Enzo’s hand firmly gripped the hilt, his sharp gaze locked intently on Cripple’s throat.

Lin Qi crossed his legs carelessly and said with a playful laugh, “Does their origin matter? Anyway, they won’t stay in your hands!”

Cripple frowned, pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed and shook his head.

Pretending to be generous, he pulled out an oily money pouch from his chest, grabbed a handful of Gold Coins from it, and tossed them onto the square table.

Lin Qi’s eyes instantly turned golden. He cheered and pounced on them.