11. The Four Great Families (Seeking Votes~)

Equally anxious about the value of the “relics” that was dwindling day by day, and increasingly difficult to sell for a good price, Lin Ke agreed without hesitation. At the same time, she shared her speculation with me about “which family had snatched this piece of fat meat from her.”

With that, I no longer needed to wait. We quickly dressed up as Lin Ke’s subordinates—black suits, black gloves, hats, and sunglasses as “bodyguards”—and set off together to the headquarters of the “family” in the United Kingdom of Meili that Lin Ke suspected, to engage in “negotiations.” No, it would be more appropriate to say “to demand.”

After all, first come, first served; it was only right. The relics were indeed discovered by Lin Ke first, so we had nothing to feel “guilty” about.

At this moment, we passed through a trading area in the capital of the kingdom and arrived at what appeared to be a “wealthy district.” Unlike the sprawling castle complexes of Lin Ke’s family, the buildings before us looked luxurious, rising straight from the ground, intricately decorated, but…

There was always a hint of nouveau riche about them.

“This is the territory of the ‘Pigg’ family.”

At this moment, while enduring the vague, watchful eyes that seemed to come from nowhere, Lin Ke lowered her voice to tell us, “The United Kingdom of Meili is basically divided into four great families, each occupying some private territory within the federation. Their headquarters are in the capital, where they engage in intrigue. Unless their external interests align, it’s usually a matter of life and death. The Pigg family is one of them.”

“Recently, my spies discovered that some unidentified collectibles have appeared in the Pigg family’s assets. Combined with the fxxking things I’ve encountered lately, it’s very likely that the fat Pigg is looking for bounty hunters. Son of a b*tch, where did he get his leads…”

This suspicion was easy for me to confirm.

As I waited in a room within the “family headquarters,” being watched with ill intent by the other party’s subordinates, I had already found the answer in the script.

“Don’t think about it anymore, Lin Ke. It was him.”

【The Pigg family has stolen part of the relics.】

The script was clear; we had come to the right place this time. Coupled with the way the Pigg family members looked at us, like they were facing an enemy, their nervousness and wariness clearly indicated they had done something against Lin Ke and were afraid of her retaliation.

However, it was bold of this family to act. After all, Lin Ke was the Grand Commander of the kingdom, and she also appeared to be the so-called “head” of a family. So…

“By the way, Lin Ke, which family are you from?”

Watching Lin Ke pretentiously hold her coffee without drinking it, I whispered to her from behind, disguised as a bodyguard.

“Ah, haha~ well…”

I didn’t have time to ponder why Lin Ke had such an awkward reaction, as the next moment, footsteps approached from outside, followed by someone pushing the door open!

[The head of the Pig family, Pig, appears.]

In my line of sight, a rotund man with a balding head, dressed in a suit that was nearly bursting at the seams, walked in with a cigar clamped between his teeth. His eyes, nearly obscured by fat, darted over to Lin Ke before he plopped down across from us, the sofa sinking under his weight.

It seemed clear that this was the “Pig” from the script; after all, his appearance was quintessentially Merri United Kingdom, very much… like a family patriarch. I could judge that without even glancing at the script.

Following him was a group of men in black suits and sunglasses, similar to Lin Ke’s bodyguards, but they all halted at the door. Meanwhile, Lin Ke waved her hand.

“You can go outside.”

Kefir and Nilu, also dressed as “bodyguards,” nodded and left; after all, the act had to be complete. It seemed to be a rule in the Merri United Kingdom that the patriarch could discuss matters in detail once the bodyguards had exited.

“He’s my ‘strategist.’”

I stayed behind.

Just as there was someone following behind Pig, the role of a “strategist” was one that could participate fully in the exchanges of the patriarchs.

Then, without any sort of “signal,” Pig, taking advantage of his position, began to tease Lin Ke.

“The Grand Commander of the Kingdom graces us with her presence; how it brightens my humble abode!” Pig set down his cigar, his gaze unabashedly roaming over Lin Ke.

This sort of thing seemed to be something Lin Ke was used to, and she didn’t react too strongly. However, the next moment, Pig’s words made her visibly uncomfortable.

“But your ‘strategist’—why does it seem like you’ve changed personnel?”

“!”

Isn’t that because the bounty hunter you sent killed him!?

This was undoubtedly what Lin Ke wanted to shout out the most! It was pointless to dwell on this now; Lin Ke knew what she had to do.

“Stop pretending to be so fxxking innocent, you fat pig.”

Lin Ke ripped off her sunglasses and tossed them aside. “You hired a bounty hunter to seize my territory and kill my people, and you really think I’m too stupid to find you here!?”

However, our appearance today was clearly something Pig, who had indeed taken the goods, was prepared for; after all, he was also the head of a family.

“What people? What goods? Grand Commander, your baseless accusations could lead to a defamation suit.”

“Fxxking your asshole! I want your damn evidence! You messed with my goods, broke the rules—do you still want to do business in the kingdom!?”

In the United Kingdom of Meili, a trade nation composed of several prominent families, they probably have their own rules as well. However, the one who clearly should be “breaking the rules,” this Pig, looks incredibly confident, almost as if he is… completely unafraid!

“…Hmph, then go ahead and report me?”

Pig appears utterly fearless, seemingly certain that Lin Ke wouldn’t dare to “speak up” about this matter, which is why he is so aggressive. “Go ahead and use your supreme authority? You wouldn’t dare, Lin Ke. You know very well that what you did is not fit for the public eye. And even if you want to go down with me, go ahead and try, let’s see if anyone will pay attention to you~”

【The Pig family colludes with two other families to commit murder and smuggling.】

The script unfolds, and I can only smile bitterly in my heart.

This is truly the United Kingdom of Meili. Deceit and treachery among the major families, it’s not surprising who collaborates with whom. If it were ordinary business, Lin Ke could still use her supreme authority to make it public, but “digging up graves” is indeed something that cannot be seen in the light. Lin Ke has lost her greatest weapon, and it seems she can only remain silent and suffer.

No wonder Pig is so brazen.

“Do you still have any capable hands left? So, you’re just a little girl who got lucky and snagged the position of supreme leader, coming here to flaunt in front of us old families.”

“Family heritage, huh? Who cares about that in the kingdom now? Just look at how little power you actually have, a ‘supreme leader’ wrapped in paper?”

Glancing over, I see Lin Ke’s fists clenched, silent and unresponsive.

To be honest… Lin Ke’s emotional reaction is a bit too swift and strange at this moment.

At the end of the month, everyone remember to give me some monthly votes~ Otherwise, they’ll expire.

Next month, I’m also planning to create new pillow illustrations. What characters do you all want this time? You can let me know.