Warning

Snowflakes fell heavily. The morning classes had ended, and students from Fifth University filed out of their classrooms. The air was filled with the aroma of food, especially the rich, rolling scent of fried bacon that made mouths water. The students formed neat lines, walking along the newly swept, clean paths towards the cafeteria.

In Berely University City, aside from the military academies under the Ministry of War, other schools also operated under a semi-military system. Most students were law-abiding, and their daily lives were extremely regimented and orderly. Thus, these students also marched in formation to the cafeteria, their movements carrying a distinct military bearing.

Lin Qi stood on the dormitory balcony, holding a wine bottle. He let out a belch, watching the students marching in formation in the distance.

Where there are those who make rules, there are naturally those who break them. Without a doubt, Lin Qi was the type of person who specialized in breaking rules. He raised the bottle and took a swig of strong liquor, mumbling indistinctly, "That bastard Father Balin! I need to settle things with him about that Talisman. He almost got me killed, that guy, he almost got me killed!"

Patting the bulging money pouch at his waist with satisfaction, Lin Qi let out three hearty laughs. Although he had risked his life, he had indeed come out of the Master Tower alive. Not only that, but a substantial income of thirty gold coins! And the winter holiday was just a month away. Thirty gold coins were enough to live incredibly comfortably during this month.

Especially with Mr. Grong's personal promise, he didn't have to worry about the year-end grand examination either. He and his good brothers could all enter their fourth and final year of study with excellent grades. With this excellent performance, after his brothers graduated, whether they looked for jobs in the Empire's administrative departments or became advisors to the great nobles, it would be extremely beneficial.

"So, I hope there are more fiery girls in those Gissian traveling troupes! That old geezer Grong likes that!" Satisfied, Lin Qi exhaled a breath of alcohol, swayed his hips, and swaggered back to the dormitory.

The previously clean single dormitory room was now a mess, with dark Rum bottles littering the floor. In the center of the small room sat a small square table, with several oil-paper wrappers haphazardly spread on it. Inside were remnants of delicious meats like smoked bacon, sausages, roast chicken, and steak, most of which had already been devoured.

Enzo sat on Lin Qi's bed, his legs propped up on the bedside cabinet, leisurely picking his teeth with a toothpick. Beside him was a tin cup filled with black tea, sweetened with sugar and milk. He squinted, humming with immense comfort, "After eating and drinking your fill, to savor a cup of good tea – this is the life of a noble lord!"

His stomach also bulging, and his fair face shining with oil, Yu Lian sat at the writing desk, holding a palm-sized mirror. He looked at himself from all angles, carefully wiping away a trace of food residue from the corner of his mouth with a white silk scarf. Hearing Enzo's words, Yu Lian couldn't help but roll his eyes at him, " Enzo, even noble lords can't all eat this well, drink this well, and then brew a pot of good tea!"

Letting out a satisfied burp, Yu Lian glared at the remaining smoked chicken wing in the oil-paper wrapper, contemplating with great struggle whether to finish it. He was already stuffed to the brim and truly couldn't eat another bite, but this smoked chicken wing was just so adorable.

Sighing softly, Yu Lian shook his head, "At least before I met the boss, I hadn't had a drop of tea in University City for three years!"

Enzo gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully, "That's natural, a fallen noble! But Yu Lian, I'm different from you. I'm going to earn a noble title with my own sword and my military merits! Nothing too high, a war medal is enough. Then, a manor of a few hundred acres, a fertile mountain forest, and preferably a small lake producing various freshwater fish, or a small stretch of river!"

Yu Lian glared angrily at Enzo. He was indeed from a fallen noble family, and Enzo was bringing up his sore spot right in front of him! If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't match Enzo in terms of combat strength, he would definitely make Enzo lose his ability as a man for the rest of his life.

Yu Lian viciously cursed Enzo in his stomach. Perhaps without that ability, he would give up the idea of becoming a noble? After all, they had been rascals together for several years, and everyone knew why Enzo was so fixated on becoming a noble. The reason this guy wanted to become a noble was perhaps the strangest in the world.

Feeling a bit tipsy, Lin Qi swayed and walked to the square table. He generously took out over a dozen gold coins and threw them onto the table.

"Dear treasurer, take good care of the brothers. Hmm, for the brothers who are having a particularly hard time, send their families two sets of warm clothes. For the brothers with children, winter is not easy, so give each of their children a few sturdy breadsticks. This will make it much easier for the brothers to get through the winter!"

Besides Enzo and Yu Lian, the last person in the room was Gram, who was still eating and drinking by the table. Gram, not tall in stature, weighed twice as much as Lin Qi. He was a typical example of the parasitic physique of Fifth University's accounting majors. With his stout body sitting in the small dormitory, he immediately occupied half of the room's space.

With a pig's tail in his mouth, Gram saw the gold coins Lin Qi had thrown down. His small eyes, squeezed into mere slits by the fat on his face, suddenly widened. He nimbly snatched the dozen or so gold coins, affectionately rubbed them on his face, and then, with difficulty, swallowed the small pig's tail.

"Boss, don't worry, I won't waste a single copper!"

Gram had zero personal combat ability, but he was the most trusted treasurer of the Iron Fist Brotherhood.

Gram was a remarkable person, an absolutely remarkable person. Lin Qi got to know him because Gram had once been extorted by thugs from the Military Academy. However, those two unfortunate thugs searched Gram from head to toe and only found two copper coins. Gram, with zero combat ability, instantly leaped up as if possessed by a demon the moment those two copper coins left his money pouch, and broke over thirty ribs of the two burly soldiers.

Such a glorious feat amazed Lin Qi, and from then on, Gram became an indispensable member of the Iron Fist Brotherhood.

With Gram, who treated money as his life, managing the Brotherhood's finances, everyone felt at ease, very much at ease.

Watching the gold coins slowly disappear into Gram's money pouch, Lin Qi's heart twitched violently. The intense pain almost brought tears to his eyes. He mumbled in a low voice, "My lovely Ooh-ooh-call, you're leaving me!"

Just as Lin Qi was feeling heartbroken, the dormitory door was violently pushed open.

The obese Father Balin squeezed through the door frame. He wiped the sweat from his brow and cried out in distress, "Damn it, this has nothing to do with me! Lin Qi, your brother Vik has been captured by the Round Table Knights!"