Chapter 68: Battle Report

The homeowner offered two brand-new outfits and two pairs of wide, warm, perfectly fitting boots made of bear fur. Lin Qi and Enzo, their faces deathly pale from blood loss, changed into their fresh clothes. Surrounded by the group in front of the fireplace, they held cups of medicinal tea made from the roots of ‘Bear-blood Flowers’, which greatly replenished blood and energy. Sipping the hot tea, they recounted their story to the others.

“Enzo and I are good friends. He’s a top student at the Imperial Army Academy! Sirs, you must know about that institution – the Army Academy that has supplied hundreds of generals to the Empire’s forces over the past thirty years after the war!”

Lin Qi gently patted Enzo’s shoulder while wincing and sucking in breaths through his teeth. “Enzo,” he declared, “is the best student at the Army Academy. Bar none, he is the finest. He’s the most chivalrous, most courageous, most fearless, and most loyal towards the Empire and its people of anyone I’ve ever met!”

Enzo’s cheeks turned appropriately rosy. Blackbeard had slashed him over thirty times. While Blackbeard’s Combat Qi had sealed the wounds, preventing significant blood loss, he hadn’t gotten away without bleeding quite a bit. Yet here he was, blushing after losing that much blood! To the onlookers, it painted a picture of incredible modesty.

Courageous, fearless, chivalrous, loyal… and so modest! And a top student at the Imperial Army Academy! Hmm, thoughts began to stir among some of Dun Er Ke’s prominent figures gathered there. Maybe they should select a young woman from their families, one with both fine looks and good upbringing, for some… preemptive investment in Enzo?

If Enzo became an Imperial General one day, wouldn’t their families have a powerful pillar of support for decades to come?

Lin Qi coughed. He shifted his body painfully, his expression darkening. “Enzo is our family guest. I went with him to the Golden Rose Lounge for a bit of leisure. There, we encountered a pair of incredibly rude, unreasonable women who claimed to be from the top families of the Vias Commercial Federation! But they were unbearably arrogant, conceited, and illogical. I saw no sign of noble breeding.”

He narrated the conflict that erupted in the Golden Rose Lounge, though certain details received… subtle adjustments. Clenching his teeth, Lin Qi continued, “Enzo, a kind soul, was beaten unconscious by that vile, low-life, cowardly, shameless middle-aged villain! As for me? My friend’s life was in their hands! I had no choice but to leave the Golden Rose in humiliation, seeking help from you, honorable gentlemen, to find justice!”

Baron Milo and Lieutenant Colonel Woto exchanged a glance. Certainly, under those circumstances, Lin Qi had no choice but to leave the Golden Rose. With Enzo’s life held hostage, recklessness wasn’t an option. Seeking assistance from Dun Er Ke’s officials was the most logical and reasonable action.

“So,” Baron Milo inquired curiously, “What happened after that?”

Lin Qi’s expression soured further. A cold sneer twisted his lips. “The moment I left the Golden Rose, I noticed every streetlamp along the Seafront Avenue had been smashed out. Several shifty-looking members of the Black Spirit Tribe were waiting to receive a passenger ship arriving at the harbor late at night!”

Lin Qi scoffed. “As everyone knows, during winter nights, ships are forbidden from entering the harbor zone of Dun Er Ke.”

Lieutenant Colonel Woto nodded gravely. “That is indeed the regulation. What did you see?”

“I saw those Black Spirit tribesmen helping a group of Beastfolk come ashore!” Lin Qi spat, slamming his fist down in fury. “And those two women – what were they called, Aya and Aling? Along with their thug, their lackey, that cunning, treacherous middle-aged man! They were actually following me as I left the Golden Rose! That middle-aged man caught up and tried to attack me!”

Enzo added, “They had left me in the snowdrift, so I managed to regain consciousness. I saw the Beastfolk who had just landed were actually helping that middle-aged man corner Lin Qi! They clearly knew each other. And from their words, they’d come to Dun Er Ke with a specific mission!”

Baron Milo and the assembled dignitaries of Dun Er Ke turned noticeably pale. A specific mission?

They had landed on the Seafront Avenue – less than two hundred meters from the Golden Rose Lounge! A single, determined rush could have sent them surging straight into the Golden Rose. And even more horrifying was the fact that many of these influential gentlemen’s own children were enjoying themselves there right now!

Their minds instantly leaped to a practice particularly popular among the Beastfolk of the Five Great Archipelagos and the Human tribes of the Odin Ice Plain during the Hundred-Year Land-Island War: “Grabbing Living Treasures”! “Grabbing Living Treasures” was the mocking term coined by those savage Beastfolk. Translated simply, it meant kidnapping for ransom. They would capture important figures from noble families, demand astronomical sums, and reap huge profits.

Everything suddenly made perfect sense! Those two women claiming noble birth? They were scouts, sent ahead. They entered the Golden Rose specifically to assess the wealth within, to see if it was worth a Beastfolk attack. Once they identified their targets, they intentionally provoked Lin Qi, deliberately breaking the Golden Rose’s unspoken rules. This got them kicked out by Jin, allowing them to escape and report back to their superiors.

Of course, why had the Beastfolk launched their landing raid while the two women were still inside the Golden Rose? Did that really need explaining? Beastfolk were stupid, dull-witted, and impatient – explosive tempers all around! The women likely went in first to size up the situation and maximize the haul. But the Beastfolk? They wouldn’t listen to orders!

Expecting two women to control Beastfolk? With their temperament? Probably the Beastfolk, tired of waiting impatiently on the ship, simply decided not to wait for the women’s report and charged ashore?

“What happened then?” asked Enzo.

Lin Qi sighed deeply. “Enzo proved himself a true soldier of the Empire! A true warrior! With me surrounded by those thugs, facing mortal danger, he drew his sword against over a hundred ferocious Beastfolk and charged alone to rescue me!”

Lin Qi slammed his hands together, letting out a roar. “He slew the Black Spirit Tribe guide who led them… single-handedly killed him with one strike! Then, he wounded eight Beastfolk!”

Enzo’s face flushed an even deeper red. He bowed his head deeply. The assembled gentlemen shared an unspoken thought: Bless his heart, such a simple-hearted young man! And so incredibly courageous! To charge alone against over a hundred brutally savage Beastfolk!

Lin Qi let out a bitter laugh, his whole body trembling. “But… we never expected it. That mean, shameless, cowardly, underhanded middle-aged villain… he was actually a Celestial Knight!”

Lieutenant Colonel Woto’s body jerked violently. “Gods!” he gasped, shocked. “Are you telling the truth? A Celestial Knight?”

Baron Milo’s face was equally ashen. “A Celestial Knight? How in the world did you two boys manage to escape?”