Father and Son

With a little trepidation and a lot more curiosity, Enzo followed Lin Qi into the main fortress.

The fortress was built in a very traditional style. Just inside the entrance was a spacious foyer, with two steep, narrow, curved staircases running up along either side to the second floor. In Enzo's view, the staircases had been designed with great care. They were so steep and narrow that if a few skilled swordsmen stood at the top, even several hundred fully armed knights would have a hard time storming the second floor.

The oddly shaped metal joints and iron chains beneath the stairs set Enzo's imagination racing. Could the staircases be rigged with all kinds of hidden traps? Looking more closely at the floor beneath them, he saw that it did seem a little strange. If his guess was right, there might be deep pits under the floor, packed with sharp metal spikes!

Beyond the foyer lay an enormous banquet hall. Six long oak tables stood in neat rows, each large enough to seat a hundred people. In the bright candlelight, the oak gave off a metallic sheen like black iron. Clearly, the tables were at least several hundred years old.

Unlike the refined tables of other noble houses, the Lineage's dining tables had no tablecloths. Nor were the six hundred chairs along their sides the elegant high-backed kind favored by nobles. Instead, they were massive chairs carved whole from great blocks of oak.

The heavy tables and massive chairs, together with the black floor and crimson wall hangings, gave the hall a solemn, weighty feel, steeped in an atmosphere of blood and iron. Especially striking were the hulking suits of heavy armor in the four corners, and the great axes, greatswords, and cleavers hanging on the walls, their edges riddled with nicks. Their murderous air was enough to leave a timid person breathless.

As soon as they entered the hall, Lin Qi's gaze went straight to the dozens of huge candelabras standing on the tables. For an instant, Enzo saw a familiar golden gleam in Lin Qi's eyes—the greedy look he got whenever he saw a pile of coins. But this was his own family's home. Did he really have to look at it so greedily?

Still, the candelabras were truly impressive, and Enzo couldn't help swallowing.

They were pure gold, beautifully shaped, and studded with countless rubies and sapphires. Each must have weighed several hundred pounds, and there were thirty of them here, their value beyond measure. Under the light of hundreds of thick candles, they cast a dazzling, dreamlike glow.

Only the great noble houses of dukes and above could possibly own such precious candelabras, couldn't they? Enzo's gaze was drawn to them as well. After three years of Lin Qi's influence, he had learned to appreciate certain everyday objects. The candelabras were so beautifully shaped, and the patterns on them—rosemary leaves—were beloved by several royal houses across the continent.

They must have been crafted by master artisans for a royal family. Judging by their sheen, they were antiques, too. Why had they ended up here? Had a descendant of some fallen royal house sold off their ancestors' inheritance? Or had members of Lin Qi's family simply robbed a fallen royal house?

Who knew? Enzo gazed at the candelabras thoughtfully. A glimpse of the whole from a single detail: the Lineage's wealth and influence were truly formidable!

At the far end of the banquet hall, on a platform waist-high, stood a gigantic throne. Forged from an unknown black metal, it was shaped like a ferocious black tiger poised to pounce on its prey. In the middle of the tiger's knotted belly was a broad, sunken seat.

A burly man with a black beard sat on the throne, clad in a black silk robe. He was a head taller than Lin Qi, and an aura of Baleful Intent clung to him. A specially made cigar a full foot long dangled from his mouth as he drew in and blew out great clouds of smoke. Seeing Lin Qi and Enzo enter, Blackbeard's eyes rolled upward as he glared at them. Enzo felt as if two arrows had been shot straight at him and nearly threw himself aside to dodge.

What a terrifying man. Cold sweat seeped across Enzo's back.

Powerful—unimaginably powerful. This man was the strongest Enzo had ever seen. There was no comparison; he was simply the strongest. Compared with Blackbeard, Iron Hammer and Butcher Knife, even Aunt Lili, seemed like savage wolves beside a lion. Their presence and the feeling they gave off were on entirely different levels.

Even the most powerful professors at the Army Academy, those at the peak of the rank, couldn't match Blackbeard's terrifying presence.

Enzo took a deep breath and forced himself to stand straight under Blackbeard's gaze.

Blackbeard gave Enzo an approving look, then reined in the terrifying presence he had deliberately unleashed.

Lin Qi, however, paid his father's fearsome aura no mind. He strode over and threw his arms around Blackbeard. "Hey, you old bastard, it's been three years. You didn't miss me, did you? Ah, my dead mother ought to come choke you in your sleep. Three years—three whole years—and you didn't send me a single copper!"

Blackbeard's gaze softened for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. He stood and hugged Lin Qi hard, pinning his arms so he couldn't move. Lin Qi, whose two fingers had been reaching for the purse at Blackbeard's waist, went rigid, then angrily stamped on Blackbeard's toes.

Blackbeard gave a surprised grunt. Lin Qi was pinned down, yet he had still managed to strike back. His strength far exceeded Blackbeard's estimate of his current limits. Blackbeard let him go, covered his purse, and backed away several steps, laughing heartily. "Lin Qi, you little rascal, you're quite a bit stronger than I expected! Heh, heh, this is interesting!"

Lin Qi refused to let up and lunged for Blackbeard again, shouting, "Enough with the nonsense! My poor dead mother ought to come choke this bearded thug in front of me! It's been three years! Apart from the hundred gold coins he gave me when I first enrolled, he hasn't given me a single copper in three years!"

Blackbeard clutched his purse tightly and refused to let Lin Qi get near him. He shouted, "That's enough, Lin Qi! A hundred gold coins is enough for an ordinary, decent, well-behaved student to live in luxury for a year! You didn't come home for three whole years. That's your fault!"

Lin Qi's eyes widened. He gave a cold, hissing laugh. "My fault? If you'd let me gouge out that bastard's eyes and throw him into the sea to feed the fish, I'd never have gone to Berely!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned extremely strange. Iron Hammer and Butcher Knife both frowned.

Blackbeard was silent for a long while before finally shaking his head. "Arthur was in the wrong, but you weren't blameless either. All right, it's been three years. Do you have to start arguing with your old man the moment you see him? Enough. Tonight's your welcome-home banquet. Starting tomorrow, you're coming with me to visit those damned rich peasants! Hmph, your old man is running for mayor of Dunkirk this time. You'd better not cause trouble!"

Lin Qi and Enzo both swallowed. What? Blackbeard was running for mayor?

Lin Qi suddenly clutched his stomach and burst out laughing. He laughed until he was weak all over and sat down on the floor.