Chapter 145: The Conspiracy Unfolds

Dawn Era, Year 145. Chapter 145 of the Dawn Era: The Conspiracy Unfolds.

Lin Qi was chattering away, describing the magnificent spectacle of Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue in vivid detail to Long Cheng.

When Long Cheng heard that the estate actually housed antiques passed down from the Dark Age, everyone saw his eyes light up instantly—shining with the exact same brilliant gleam Lin Qi always had whenever he laid eyes on gold coins.

Julian, meanwhile, was burning with anxiety on the side. Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue held more than just those valuable items; it also housed the two beauties that Archduke Titian had his heart set on. Even if Lin Qi completely sacked Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue, Julian wouldn't be worried in the least. Knowing Lin Qi's character, if that luxurious mansion were truly plundered clean, Julian was certain to secure a handsome profit from it.

The problem was that Long Cheng, who clearly wasn't a gentleman by any stretch of the imagination, might harm Ya and Ling. What would happen on Titian's end then? If they failed to obtain those two lovely young maidens, wouldn't Julian's family miss out on those five coveted official posts?

Looking pitifully at Lin Qi, Julian blinked desperately, moisture welling up in his beautiful eyes, cutting a truly pathetic and endearing figure.

Lin Qi glanced at Julian and, with a cheerful smile, laid out his entire plan.

Long Cheng nodded offhandedly, offering no critique of Lin Qi's strategy. To him, it was nothing more than breaking into some estate and going on a massive looting spree, which posed no difficulty whatsoever. In his eyes, this was merely a minor operation. Back in the day, he used to lead tens of thousands of troops in industrialized, large-scale pillaging campaigns; Lin Qi hadn't even witnessed how terrifying Long Cheng had been during those times.

"That's how it is. Since we reached an agreement with Archduke Titian yesterday, they must be having a miserable time right now. The moment they come out to seek help, our opportunity arrives!" Lin Qi took a large gulp of wine and said with a calm expression, "We're only after wealth, not lives. We'll slip in as quietly as possible without alerting a single soul. After all, this is the imperial capital, and its defense forces are still quite formidable!"

Long Cheng nodded thoughtfully, humming, "So it really is the capital of you barbarian folks. Hmm. Does this Titian fellow hold a high position?"

Julian smiled. He had heard Lin Qi's plan loud and clear, and since the strategy would not harm the two lovely maidens, his mood improved dramatically. Smiling, he nodded to Long Cheng and said, "Yes, Archduke Titian's father is the current Imperial Vice-Chancellor. The Hua Li family is the highest-ranking nobility in the empire, second only to the imperial family. Although he does not hold any official office, his influence in the imperial capital is extraordinary."

Long Cheng smiled with satisfaction. He stroked the stubble on his chin, gazed deeply at Julian, and asked with a smile, "In that case, he should know the whereabouts of your empire's Emperor? That old fogey who refuses to stay honestly tucked away at home and runs off to the south to escape the cold every winter?"

Julian froze. His pupils turned as dead and glassy as a fish's.

The wine glass in Lin Qi's hand was suddenly crushed to pieces. He, too, stared in shock at Long Cheng. What on earth was this fellow doing inquiring about the Emperor's whereabouts? That nearly seventy-year-old emperor, the very emperor who kept the empire standing proudly among the top major powers of the Western Continent—why was Long Cheng asking about his movements?

"Lord Long Cheng, what are you planning to do by asking this?" Lin Qi asked cautiously.

Enzo had already straightened his face, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. As an outstanding cadet of the Imperial Military Academy, Enzo's loyalty to the empire was beyond reproach. If Long Cheng posed a threat to the safety of the Emperor, then even knowing he was no match for Long Cheng, Enzo would be forced to launch an attack.

Feeling the eerie atmosphere in the private room, Long Cheng spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Alright, alright, what's all the fuss about? I'm not going to assassinate your emperor; that old man has nothing to do with me. I just need a credential—specifically, proof that I successfully arrived in the Western Continent!"

Squinting his eyes, Long Cheng said, "I need to borrow his imperial seal. Well, it's just a matter of stamping it."

The tension in the private room instantly dissipated. Lin Qi rubbed the cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head repeatedly. "Good grief, if you were actually going to assassinate the Emperor, I would immediately sever all ties with you. To be honest, I wouldn't dare hang around with a thug like that. I am a law-abiding, by-the-book person; I have no desire to be associated with such a brute in the slightest."

Long Cheng, Enzo, and Julian all rolled their eyes simultaneously. Law-abiding and by-the-book? Who was the one chattering away just moments ago, mapping out an entire scheme to sack Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue? It had to be said that on certain occasions, Lin Qi's thick-skinnedness was every bit a match for Long Cheng's.

After polishing off a few more bottles of fierce liquor in the tavern, a slightly tipsy Lin Qi and his companions secretly left the establishment and split up to carry out their respective tasks.

Enzo headed outside the city to rendezvous with Baal, Aunt Lily, and a group of elite thugs from the Black Tiger Family, while Julian hurried excitedly toward Titian's mansion. Fearing that Long Cheng might pull off something completely uncontrollable, Lin Qi helped disguise him thoroughly, altered his own appearance as well, and after swapping outer garments, the two of them strolled around Holy Glory Avenue.

Taking Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue as their center point, the two men circled it block by block, thoroughly scouting out the surrounding terrain and geography.

By the afternoon, Lin Qi and Long Cheng were already seated inside a luxury restaurant several hundred meters away from Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows and watching the activity over there from afar.

It seemed Julian had managed to meet with Titian in time, and the plans Lin Qi had proposed to Titian the previous night were also playing a major role. Just as Lin Qi and Long Cheng finished a portion of herb-crusted pan-fried fish fillets inside the restaurant, they saw a few men dressed in black with solemn expressions ride up on horseback to the gates of Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue.

These men wore mid-length black trench coats and looked neat and sharp from head to toe—the typical attire of imperial civil officials. They wore tricorn hats with a thin golden border stitched along the brim, and right in the center of each hat hung a golden badge: a hand tightly grasping a tiny pair of scales, with three or five coins and a lemon resting on the two pans of the scales respectively.

This badge clearly displayed their identities—they were officials from the Imperial Tax Department. Judging by the gold borders on their hat brims, their ranks were obviously quite high; they were clearly figures with substantial authority within the tax bureau.

Several men dismounted in front of the gates of Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue. The middle-aged man in the lead raised a gold-plated cane and pounded heavily on the main gate of the mansion.

"In the name of the Imperial Family, open the gates! Tell your master that you must pay the Imperial Special Sanitation Tax and Greening Tax today! In the name of the Imperial Family, open the gates, and hand over the taxes you owe."

Special Sanitation Tax and Greening Tax?

The group of young nobles guarding the gates of Number 1, Holy Glory Avenue were completely dumbfounded. Did the empire even have tax categories like these?

Dawn Era, Year 145. Chapter 145 of the Dawn Era: The Conspiracy Unfolds has been updated!