Chapter 44 Blackbeard"s Investment
When Lin Qi dizzily awakened, it was already pitch-black outside the window; the only sounds inside the room came from the apple firewood burning inside the fireplace as they crackled softly. Two wax candles wrapped in silver were placed in the candleholders. Even though only one of them was burning, its light was just enough to illuminate the enormous bedroom.
The bedroom was quite enormous indeed. It was fifty times bigger than Lin Qi"s dormitory in the Fifth University. Just the bed covered with silks and satins that Lin Qi had lain on was still a bit bigger than his dormitory in the university. All around him were muslin curtains decorated with exquisite rose design embroideries.
This bedroom originally belonged to Lin Qi"s mother. A few years after she gave birth to Lin Qi, she died from illness. From then on, the bedroom had been occupied by Lin Qi. All the furniture were still the ones arranged by his mother when she was still alive. From these familiar furnis.h.i.+ngs, Lin Qi could more or less still find a little bit of the warmth and comfort that could never be obtained from Blackbeard.
After huddling under the thick goose-feather quilt for a while, Lin Qi reluctantly crawled out.
There was a small heater on the bedside cabinet; there was a decoction for sobering up on it. Lin Qi drank it in one gulp while wrinkling his brows. It made a surge of heat circulate around his whole body, swiftly dispelling the alcohol. He deeply inhaled and immediately felt his spirit soars and is filled with power all over.
After putting on a fine, black-coloured robe that was on the bedside, Lin Qi stepped on the thick carpet and quickly walked to a corner of the bedroom. There, he rapidly tapped on the wall nearly a hundred times, then pushed a secret door open. He walked through a corridor that was no more than three meters long to an enormous study beyond.
It was hard to imagine that in the core of Black Tiger Family"s main fortress, there was still a study like this. One could imagine granaries, fuel depots, or weapon storerooms here. But things like a study shouldn"t have any connections with the Black Tiger Family. Yet it indeed existed. Moreover, it was enormous; so enormous that it was shocking.
The study"s ceiling was a twenty meter-tall dome with a diameter of over fifty meters. Along the walls were a great number of bookshelves, piled up with books that were acc.u.mulating dust. Some books were slab-stones, while some were lead-plates and iron-plates. There were also some extremely rare and ancient mud-plate records that were safely protected by crystal casings.
The books inside the study were definitely not those commonly-known and popular ancient books and records. They were all handed down since ancient times and had records of various kinds of "evil views" that were just short of outrageous. There were several pieces of utterly dilapidated mud-plates which, according to former records, unexpectedly came from the later period of the Destruction Age of legends. They recorded the tale of "G.o.ds" causing a calamity that destroyed the world.
If these kind of ancient mud-plate records were carelessly taken out, the Church would immediately dispatch an army to raze the Black Tiger Family to the ground. That was why nowadays, these mud-plates were all safely concealed in the study and also protected with a large number of mechanisms and traps.
Carefully avoiding the bookshelves where those several mud-plates were stored, Lin Qi walked past several rows of bookshelves and arrived right in the middle of the study. The floor here was carved with a strange magic array that had a simple but contemporary style. It was totally different from the popular Multi-Tipped Star Magic Array of the West Continent. Lin Qi stepped on the magic array, then chanted an incantation in a low voice. The magic array emitted a bright light, and Lin Qi"s body suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Close to a hundred meters under the main fortress, in a s.p.a.cious secret room, Blackbeard was sitting next to a crystal coffin. He quietly gazed at a frail and delicate woman that was like a withered petal with her black hair and yellow skin. Judging from her appearance, she was also an Easterner of pure bloodline. Although life had left her body, she still had a soul-stirring charm.
She did not have a matchless beauty, but instead one that was gentle and kind, making people who saw her feel happy and involuntarily grow an intimate feeling. This woman was precisely Lin Qi"s mother. During her lifetime, she was generous and tender like a cup of warm water, making anyone unable to have any evil intentions towards her.
Lin Qi appeared from the middle of the magic array next to the coffin. He quietly looked at his mother for a while, recalling that gentle and amiable face. Compared with Blackbeard"s face that was full of black hair and was ferocious and ugly, it was truly a contrast between an angel and a magical beast.
"Mother was truly blind at that time for actually marrying you!" After looking at his mother"s corpse in a trance, Lin Qi finally couldn"t help but ridicule his own father. In front of his mother"s coffin, Lin Qi didn"t use the common language of the West Continent but the language of the East.
A strange look crossed Blackbeard"s eyes. He coldly snorted and said, "What bad quality do I have? My family background is rich, my behaviour upright, my character courageous, my righteousness as high as the skies, such an impressive and dignified man like me, where can you find another?"
Slanting his eyes, Blackbeard also spoke fluently in the Eastern language and scolded, "That year when your maternal grandfather brought a small company of travelling merchants to the West, he ran into some pirates on the seas. If it weren"t for your own father taking the initiative to help, how could a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like you be here?"
Lin Qi unrestrainedly revealed Blackbeard"s scar. "But the pirates who robbed Grandfather"s company of travelling merchants seemed like our family"s subordinates, right?"
The attack hit Blackbeard"s weak spot. Blackbeard angrily glared at Lin Qi, then sensibly avoided the topic. The matter that year, indeed, the pirates who robbed Lin Qi"s maternal grandfather"s company of travelling merchants were the Black Tiger Family subordinates. After a big transaction, Blackbeard just happened to pa.s.s by with some brothers and suddenly caught sight of Lin Qi"s mother on the deck. Only then did he conveniently rush up as a courageous hero saving the beauty!
This old scandal was naturally not good to be discussed with his son!
Stroking the thick beard on his face, Blackbeard spoke in a low and m.u.f.fled voice, "Are you still concerned about the incident between you and Arthur?"
Lin Qi picked up three light-yellow sandalwood sticks from the altar in front of the crystal coffin. After lighting them, he placed them in the incense burner at the center of the altar, then respectfully gave his mother three kowtows. After standing up, he bowed deeply towards his mother three times. Only after that did he finally walk to Blackbeard"s side and coldly say, "One day, sooner or later, I will kill him!"
Blackbeard scratched his nose a little awkwardly, gave a hollow laugh, and said, "You know he"s the son of your old man"s die-hard ally, Red-Haired Demon. Old Demon was unlucky; he ran into a berserker fleet from the Five Dalian Islands and was killed. As old brothers, of course I have to adopt his only son!"
Sighing lightly, Blackbeard lowered his voice and said, "After a while, I will send him away and let him inherit his father"s territory. What do you think?"
Lin Qi rubbed his nose and still gloomily spoke, "Then, just pray that he won"t run into me in the future. Otherwise, I will kill him!"
Seeing that Lin Qi was h.e.l.l-bent on making things difficult for Arthur, Blackbeard could only change the topic once again.
"Oh, your Ironfist Brotherhood is not bad. But to expand it, you lack funds, right?"
Lin Qi"s eyes immediately brightened and glittered like gold coins.
He was pleasantly surprised and said, "Old man, are you going to give me operating funds?"
Blackbeard raised the corners of his eyes, gave a hollow laugh, and said, "I"m not giving it for free. I want to invest!"
Taking out a sheet of golden bank notes, Blackbeard stuffed it into Lin Qi"s hand.
Chapter 45 Dear Father, Clearly Settle the Accounts
Taking the golden note Blackbeard stuffed into his hand, Lin Qi carefully scrutinized it under the light.
He didn"t immediately pay attention to the amount of money written on the golden note. Rather, he first examined the paper. It was an extremely tough and smooth piece of special paper,. Despite exerting a little strength, it unexpectedly didn"t tear apart: It really was the empire"s unique and exclusive golden note created using special papers and made for selected banks.
The watermark on the golden note was also clearly visible under the light: three silvery-white-colored elephants in a line that were walking under a metasequoia tree. This was the symbol of the biggest, oldest, and most respected bank in the empire―the "Silver Fir and Elephant Bank". From the special secret marks on the bodies of the silver-colored elephants as well as the distinct leaves of the metasequoia tree, it was evident that this golden note was truly produced by the Silver Fir and Elephant Bank.
The writing on the golden note was clear without any traces of alterations. More importantly, there were no bloodstains or any other suspicious marks on the golden note; this proved that it indeed came from standard channels and was unlikely to be a stolen good or from the spoils of a robbery.
Only after determining that it was a true and reliable piece of consummable golden note, did Lin Qi focus on the most important box that contained the value of the money.
One hundred thousand gold coins!
The blessing came so suddenly that Lin Qi"s blood surged from his heart directly to his brain, and he was dizzy for a while. One hundred thousand gold coins, this was already worth several years pure annual income of some medium-sized aristocratic families in Borali City. Yet Blackbeard generously gave him an investment of one hundred thousand gold coins!
Then, when he thought about the word "investment", the blood boiling in Lin Qi"s brain rapidly returned to his heart. He regained his clear-headedness, then stuffed the golden note into his inner pocket while staring at Blackbeard. He sneered and said, "Dear father, investment? Did I mishear? One hundred thousand gold coins to be invested into my Ironfist Brotherhood? Go to h.e.l.l! Is this something a father should be doing?"
Blackbeard indifferently took out a small bronze bottle of wine from his sleeve, unscrewed it, and drank a mouthful. He grimaced and retorted Lin Qi in a loud voice, "Rubbish, I care for my only son. I take out glittering one hundred thousand crowing to invest in the faction established by my only son. This fully expresses the concern and care a father has for his child!"
"I accept the money, but investment isn"t possible!" Lin Qi b.u.t.toned up the three b.u.t.tons on his secret pocket and sat on his mother"s coffin. Both of his hands caressed the ice-cold and smooth crystal coffin as he coldly said, "This kind of behaviour, it"s too shameless. You unexpectedly want to seize my property with a trifling one hundred thousand crowing. This absolutely won"t do. Mother will never forgive you! This is mother"s tomb, you are extorting her only child in front of her tomb, simply too shameful!"
Blackbeard was so angry that his face turned red. He bared his fangs, waved both of his hands, and roared with rage, "No crowing just fall from heaven! Every copper coin was painstakingly earned by your father! Father merely took a liking to your Ironfist Brotherhood"s growth potential. Moreover our Black Tiger Family need our own eyes and ears in Borali, so I invested in your small faction!"
Raising the wine bottle to his mouth and drinking the whole 250-gram alcoholic drink, Blackbeard loudly howled, "Otherwise, for your group of lawless students along with three hundred wandering ruffians and rogues, why would I, Blackbeard, take out one hundred thousand glittering crowing?"
Throwing the wine bottle to the ground, Blackbeard raised both of his huge hands and slowly counted with his fingers, "ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand… one hundred thousand! Look clearly, one hundred thousand crowing, not ten, not one hundred, but one hundred thousand!"
Waving his big fist, Blackbeard spat some saliva and roared in rage, "One hundred thousand crowing, do you know what this means? If you took out several crowing in a small tavern in the Borali Dock Area, you could make a group of men help you kill your enemy! There are one hundred thousand crowing here; they are worth twenty thousand human lives! I invested so much and only want so little in return, yet I still can"t invest?"
Strongly slapping Lin Qi on the head, Blackbeard roared, "I"m seizing your property? h.e.l.l! In the future, all the family properties will be yours! d.a.m.n it! You scoundrel! You idiot! Is this something a son should be saying? You just hurt me too much!"
Lin Qi rolled his eyes, then coldly snorted and said, "All of your properties will be mine? Then, should I go and kill Arthur first?"
Blackbeard"s breath hitched and he didn"t reply for a long time.
Strongly patting his chest and burping loudly, Blackbeard wrinkled his eyebrows and grumbled, "How did it come back to this problem? I"ve said it before, after a while, I will sent him away. Let him take over his father, Red-Haired Demon"s territory. The family"s properties would naturally be handed over to you entirely. Why do you always have to worry about this matter?"
Lin Qi narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. He raised a finger, sneered, and said, "Because I don"t trust him! Do you think he will go back to the territory of that deceased father of his? Will he obediently go back and risk meeting with pirates? h.e.l.l, if he can kill me, then he can take over the entire Black Tiger Family, he would then flouris.h.!.+"
Blackbeard strongly shook his head. He sneered and said, "How would he have that kind of opportunity? Don"t talk rubbis.h.!.+"
Firmly waving his hand, Blackbeard flatly said, "Forget about Arthur. In the past, you had bullied him enough; you even personally dug out one of his eyeb.a.l.l.s, what more do you want? Don"t raise this matter anymore. One hundred thousand gold coins, plus a group of experts from the family a.s.signed to Borali under your command, I want Ironfist Brotherhood to expand tenfold in two years."
Clenching his fist, Blackbeard muttered to himself for a moment before saying, "Since it"s the Ironfist Brotherhood, you will take sixty percent, father will take forty percent, you"ve gotten a big advantage!"
An investment of one hundred thousand gold coins, plus a group of experts from the family under his command? This kind of strength was enough to allow the Ironfist Brotherhood to rapidly expand.
Because Borali was the imperial capital, among the city"s secret forces, there were no big and powerful families like the Black Tiger Family. The tenfold increase in strength of the Ironfist Brotherhood could mean that they could even become superior to big and long-established powers like Cripple and Hunchback. Without a doubt, this will bring a huge profit.
Not to mention, now, Lin Qi could work with a Lord like Mister Ge Lang. After the Ironfist Brotherhood expanded tenfold, perhaps their business targets would be people like Barons, Viscounts, or even big shots with even higher positions, right? This would also be a benefit for Blackbeard"s plan!
Perhaps this was actually Blackbeard"s most fundamental goal - he wanted to develop his own group of lobbyists in the imperial capital!
After muttering to himself for a while, Lin Qi raised his finger and said, "Dear father, let"s clearly settle the accounts: The one hundred thousand gold coins shall be considered mine. If you want to invest in the future, you have to give me enough gold coins. The people a.s.signed by the family have to listen to my commands. You must not remotely control them! I will have the final say in the Ironfist Brotherhood!"
Unable to stop himself from looking at this shrewd son of his, Blackbeard gratefully and emotionally sighed, then said, "Fine, Lin Qi, you"ve finally grown up! You even know to bargain with your own father—you"ve indeed grown up!"
Blackbeard firmly shook Lin Qi"s hand and the pair of father and son officially concluded the contract.