Chapter 97: The First Close Encounter

On the dock waiting for the return of the Sea Windmill were the big boss of the Whaling Company and the major shareholders, followed by medium and small shareholders, but most of the crowd consisted of idle onlookers. Some were lazy hooligans and ruffians, some were unemployed vagrants with nothing to do, and others were rich young men who had come to marvel at the spectacle.

Not far from the berth where the Sea Windmill docked, several strong men in neat clothes stretched out their arms and held back the surging crowd, creating a quiet little space. A delicate carriage stood silently there, and from inside came the soft, charming voice of a young girl.

Wearing a light-red dress and a white fox fur coat, Angel frowned as she stared at the Sea Windmill not far away. Sitting opposite her was Anlin, dressed in a pink-blue gown and wrapped in a fiery-red fox fur coat. The two girls were close friends who told each other everything. Hearing that the Sea Windmill would return today, they excitedly brought their guards to watch the scene.

When Lin Qi smugly slipped down from the deck, Angel groaned painfully as if she had seen a ghost.

“God, wasn’t he slashed over a hundred times by those brutal Beastfolk and almost died? Am I seeing a ghost in broad daylight? Why didn’t he die? Why is he still alive and well?”

Thinking of the tens of thousands of Gold Coins she had lost a few nights before, Angel felt a sharp pain in her heart. She angrily twisted a poor white handkerchief, twisting it until it looked like a twist of dough. Those Gold Coins were the allowance she had painstakingly saved up—more precisely, it was her secret savings for her future marriage. As everyone knew, any Noble lady needed to have some private funds; otherwise, many delightful pleasures would be forever out of her reach.

But Lin Qi had mercilessly taken away her hard-earned savings!

This meant that if Angel were to get married within the next two years, she would not be able to freely buy luxurious clothes and jewelry, host intimate salon tea parties and art gatherings, or participate in fun, secret but expensive activities with her close friends.

“This Demon! He should be nailed to a Stake and burned forever in flames.”

Furious, Angel tore the handkerchief to shreds, and the scattered pieces of cloth fluttered all over the carriage.

Anlin frowned as she watched Lin Qi warmly embrace Blackbeard. She nodded thoughtfully and said, “It really is strange. Let someone go and ask around. I’m curious—he was supposed to be recuperating at the mountain villa, so why did he show up on the Sea Windmill?”

With a soft hum, Angel stretched her slender, snow-white hand out of the carriage window and casually made a gesture. A guard immediately squeezed into the bustling crowd on the dock. After quite some time, he squeezed back out, panting, and respectfully reported the information he had gathered to Angel.

Just then, those ecstatic middle-aged men raised high the horn of the Unicorn Whale King. The brilliant golden light, the unique spiral patterns, and the extraordinary length all indicated what an incredible catch Lin Qi and his companions had obtained.

When Angel heard from the guard’s report that Lin Qi and his group had only caught one prey, she let out a mocking, cold laugh.

But when the identity of the prey was revealed, Angel, who had been somewhat smug, turned pale with fury. Clenching her fists tightly, Angel gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath, “Unicorn Whale King? God, why didn’t that terrible monster swallow this Demon whole?”

Suddenly, the crowd on the dock surged, and countless people clapped and shouted in unison. They roared at Lin Qi and Enzo, shouting something like ‘the man among men’ and other such phrases. Amid the cheers and applause, Lin Qi waved proudly, looking utterly triumphant and arrogant. His manner was so infuriating that Angel felt her heart might burst from anger.

Amid the cheers, a group of Whaling Company employees in neat uniforms lined up in an orderly row on the dock. They separated the crowd, creating a wide path between the Sea Windmill and the Whaling Company warehouse. One specially made carriage after another arrived at the berth of the Sea Windmill. The sailors laughed and cheerfully used mana-powered unloaders to take down the materials extracted from the Unicorn Whale King one by one.

Each time a huge, golden-glowing piece of meat from the Unicorn Whale King was unloaded, a cheer erupted from the dock.

When barrels of the Unicorn Whale King’s blood were brought down, the cheers on the dock rose to another level.

By the time the internal organs, tongue, and bones of the Unicorn Whale King were unloaded, the people on the dock seemed to go crazy. Especially the Unicorn Whale King’s skeleton, which shone brilliantly as if cast from Gold Coin, exuding an aura of luxury and mystery—this item would drive the great Nobles of the Imperial Capital wild.

Finally, even barrels of the Unicorn Whale King’s feces were brought down. This was not mere waste; it was super fertilizer worth hundreds of Gold Coins per pound. Whether they were the unloading sailors or the Whaling Company employees, they handled these stinky treasures with extreme care and caution, their expressions as tender as a mother holding her newborn baby.

Countless people on the dock clapped, cheered, and jumped up and down excitedly.

But Lin Qi pulled Enzo and Long Cheng into the crowd. He discreetly made a few gestures to the idlers mixed in the crowd, and soon the information he wanted was delivered by a repulsive-looking middle-aged man. Lin Qi slipped two Gold Coins to the man, called out to Blackbeard, and then quickly disappeared into the crowd with Long Cheng and Enzo.

Inside the carriage, Angel was so angry that her face turned pale. She knew very well what a Unicorn Whale King meant. Lin Qi had gone to sea for just a week and returned with a Unicorn Whale King—it was simply unbelievable. Why would the Gods protect such a scoundrel? Angel angrily shouted and ordered the coachman to take her away from this damned place immediately.

She wanted to go to the Golden Rose Lounge; perhaps that would improve her mood.

But the carriage didn’t move. Furious, Angel leaned out of the window, ready to yell, but her curses froze on her lips.

With a mysterious smile, the nightmare-like Lin Qi appeared before Miss Angel. Their faces were less than a foot apart.

Lin Qi bowed politely to Angel and said with an exaggerated laugh, “Honorable Miss Angel, allow me to introduce a distinguished guest from afar. An exceedingly noble guest, as esteemed as a Prince of our Empire. May I present Long Cheng, from the mysterious, rich, and powerful Eastern Empire, a land overflowing with Gold Coin!”

Long Cheng, wearing a rare Blue Fox Fur Coat, appeared gracefully before Angel. He was handsome, extraordinary in demeanor, and exceedingly arrogant, with his nose held high. He smiled at Angel, a smile full of the charm of a mature man, far surpassing what a callow youth like Lin Qi could muster.

With an air of undeniable command, Long Cheng spoke slowly in his magnetic voice, “Beautiful young lady, you must be interested in having dinner with me, right?”

Angel suddenly saw Long Cheng’s alluring smile and, for a moment, felt utterly captivated.