Following the unfrozen Seine River north led to Dunkirk, the Gallic Empire's only ice-free port in the north. As the empire's third-largest port and its most important trade center linking it with the northern nations of the Western Continent, Dunkirk was populous and prosperous, one of the empire's handful of commercial hubs.
A few miles south of Dunkirk lay a vast stretch of Black Pine Forest. The oldest trees there were over a thousand years old. It was said that bandits and brigands often lurked in the forest, so few law-abiding folk dared venture deep inside.
The terrain in Black Pine Forest rose and fell unpredictably. Behind a hill overlooking the Seine River stood a cluster of wooden buildings built among the pines. They were rugged and primitive in design, each one broad and spacious, connected to the others by enclosed walkways that shut out the howling wind.
The buildings had clearly stood for many years. Thick layers of fallen leaves and moss covered their exteriors, and countless strands of lichen clung to them. They were so well concealed that even someone standing beside them might never realize the buildings were there, unless they knew what to look for.
The buildings were also arranged at varying heights according to some deliberate pattern, each sheltering and protecting the others. Every building lay within bowshot of the rest, making the place astonishingly well-defended.
As dusk fell, nearly a hundred burly men stood perfectly still in the hall on the ground floor of the central wooden building.
Blackbeard, vice president of the Dunkirk Merchants' Association, Dunkirk's biggest miller and largest flour supplier, was renowned in Dunkirk and the surrounding region for his generosity and devotion to public service. Draped in a black bear-fur coat, he sat with his legs spread wide in the hall's only golden-carved chair, a huge cigar between his teeth. He looked with smug satisfaction at the nearly hundred towering men, their faces brimming with arrogance and defiance.
Blackbeard had a strikingly enormous beard. His jet-black whiskers covered almost half his face. Like Lin Qi, he had strongly defined features, black hair and eyes, and slightly dark yellow skin. He, too, was of pure Eastern blood. But like Lin Qi, he was an exceptionally imposing man, taller than many Westerners.
Unlike Lin Qi's somewhat bulky build, Blackbeard was tall and powerfully built, without an ounce of fat on him, only dense, hard muscle. Seated in his chair, he looked like an iron statue, radiating a savage, scorching presence that left people gasping.
"Some bad news!" When his cigar had burned down, he tossed the stub to the floor and ground it to pieces under his heel. Only then did Blackbeard growl darkly, "Very bad news! The empire had another year of favorable weather and bumper harvests. Damn it, favorable weather! The wheat in my twenty warehouses is almost sprouting, and I haven't sold a single sack of flour!"
The nearly hundred men sighed in unison, then cursed the Gods in the heavens, demanding to know why they had blessed the empire with such good weather and bountiful harvests for the past few years. Their curses came in every flavor, spilling out in a stream of foul language. Anyone familiar with regional dialects would have realized that these men came from at least seven different countries and regions across the north of the continent.
"But there's good news, too!" After the men had vented their frustration in a storm of obscenities, Blackbeard broke into a beaming smile. "The inn's doing well, and so is our business at sea. Most importantly, the brothers risked their lives and got their hands on two gold-bearing ships belonging to the Vias Commercial Federation. That haul more than makes up for what we lost on the flour trade."
He clapped his hands. Dozens of men came out from the back of the hall, carrying heavy bronze chests. They set the two-foot-wide chests down with a thud. When they lifted the lids, the boxes revealed gleaming gold coins and bright silver coins.
"So the brothers will still have a prosperous year! But make sure everyone knows: during the three-month winter break, they must pray devoutly every day for a drought, a flood, or even a locust plague next year. Anything but another year of good weather and bumper crops!"
The men clapped, stamped their feet, and shouted, then burst into laughter. Gleaming gold coins, bright silver coins—Blackbeard was still as generous as ever! And, of course, the brothers had risked their lives. Without them, they never would have gotten those two gold-bearing ships. How else could they have such a prosperous year?
As the men divided up the coins according to how many men they commanded and how much they had accomplished that year, the door suddenly swung open. Iron Hammer strode in heavily and shouted, "Master, the young master's gotten into a bit of trouble in Berely. He crossed one of the Bavier Family's useless sons, and that brat actually went to the Dragon Cavalry and the Copper Hats to cause trouble for him. The young master was clever enough to send them packing, but I'm afraid they'll come after him again!"
The men, who had been shouting merrily, stopped at once and turned to look at Iron Hammer. Then, at some unspoken signal, nearly a hundred men drew their cleavers and axes and roared in fury, "Cut down the Bavier Family! Kill them all!"
Among the crowd were several beastmen whose faces were unmistakably nonhuman. The snarling beastmen bellowed, "Blackbeard, let us take the brothers! Beastmen attacking a noble's estate and slaughtering the whole family—ha! That happens all the time!"
The men brandished their weapons, their Killing Intent surging. They didn't take a mere viscount's family seriously. A thief could only be caught after many days, but guarding against thieves every day was impossible. These men were old hands at wiping out entire households and looting their wealth.
Only Blackbeard calmly rose to his feet and gave a few tooth-baring laughs.
"The Bavier Family? The same Bavier Family as Hausen, the man hailed as the light of the imperial army?"
Iron Hammer gave a muffled grunt and nodded. "Hausen's a major general now, with a standing army of ten thousand. The young master crossed his family, and I hear he caused them a lot of trouble. I'm afraid they'll try to harm him!"
Blackbeard waved a hand dismissively. "No need for the brothers to get involved. Go home and enjoy the New Year. Hmm, didn't Hausen do business with us thirty years ago—slaves and weapons? Find the ledgers from back then. If they really dare go after Lin Qi, send the ledgers and the witnesses to the Imperial Inspectorate. After that, we won't have to lift a finger!"
The men in the wooden building stared blankly for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.
Blackbeard was Blackbeard. He even had a major general of the empire in his grasp. What a man!
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