Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1555
"What 'loot'? Remember, we are a legitimate army of the government now. Haha. We are not space pirates in a robbery, but government soldiers settling a rebellion. Naturally, we will need to confiscate the belongings of the rebels after they are settled!"
The space pirates were all drunk, but Boss Bai was still toasting them while carrying a giant tank of wine.
The space pirates were all experienced, high-leveled Immortal Cultivators who were highly wary when they were sober. They would not be drunk even if they drank a thousand cups of regular alcohol. Also, they often forbade themselves from getting drunk and kept themselves a hundred percent sober every second.
But today was different. What Boss Bai offered today was the wine mixed with powerful excitants and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could paralyze the nerves and the soul of the high-level experts.
Everybody on the spot was aware of that. Even Li Wuji had given connivance.
Drinking and getting drunk was not because they were drunkards; it was only a demonstration of power.
I am the commander of the National Protection Army and the leader of the alliance of space pirates. When I offer you wine, what I want to see is how you make a fool of yourself after you get drunk. Will you drink it and get drunk?
If you don't, you will be showing no respect for me, violating my order, and not regarding me as a commander and your boss, won't you?
If you do not drink any wine and never get drunk, how can I trust that you will completely follow my command and carry out my orders without any hesitation on the battlefield in the future?
Chapter 2444: Arrogance of the Scoundrel! |
There was not much trust among the space pirates. They were merely gathered together because the Kurfürst families were powerful and gave abundant rewards.
Letting Boss Bai be the commander of the jumbled "National Protection Army" was also meant for him to take the bullet for everyone when things didn't go well.
The space pirates never hesitated to shift sides. While the Kurfürsten did look stronger for now, what if something went wrong and the reformists really defeated the Kurfürsten in the end?
Later, when the reformists assigned blames, the commander of the "National Protection Army" would naturally be the first to be executed!
For those heads of space pirates who had raged the sea of stars for decades, none truly agreed with Boss Bai's leadership.
However, Li Wuji, a legitimate noble of the Imperium and a powerful person of the Kurfürst families, was standing right behind Boss Bai. Further away, tremendous starships of the Imperium were also watching.
With that in mind, when Boss Bai toasted them with giant bowls, it was impossible for them to turn down the "kindness".
It couldn't be helped. For the sake of Li Wuji… and so many starships, they had to be drunk today.
"Brothers, the Blue Sky Market now completely belongs to the space pirates—no, the National Protection Army! There can't be a starship of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors or the reformists in the millions of kilometers around. Also, we have controlled all the space zones nearby that are suitable for space jumps. Even a feature would be burnt up immediately after it is teleported! So, just rest assured. This place is absolutely safe. You can put down all your concerns and enjoy the dinner. Whoever is still awake after the dinner can slap me in the face. If you think that the dinner is not enjoyable enough for you, and if you don't slap me in the face, it will mean that you are not showing any f*cking respect for Boss Bai! Haha! Hahahaha!"
Boss Bai was the first to get drunk and soon revealed his real appearance of a scoundrel who did not know who he was at all. He seemed rather restrained and batted the alloy tank of wine hard with the steel bowl, barely able to speak clearly.
His clothing was almost that of a textbook parvenu.
The battle in the Blue Sky Market was just over, and the temperature was still high despite manual adjustment. However, he was wearing a red leather coat that he stole from the warehouse as well as a chimney-like hat that weighed almost ten kilograms. At the top of the hat was a colorful, glittering marrow crystal that was glowing like a searchlight. He couldn't have seemed more extravagant.
It was a shame that the priceless leather coat and the hat were designed for the muscular men more than two meters tall living on the frigid planets. Boss Bai, on the other hand, was a skinny, emaciated shorty. When he was covered in such a huge coat, he was like a kid who had stolen the clothes of the adults. It was needless to say that the big hat was falling all the time and covering his face, turning into a headgear that did not have holes for the eyes and the mouth. As a result, he was forced to poke the hat with his fingers now and then in order to keep it steady. He did not leave the impression that he was a magnificent man at all, and even the most uneducated space pirate couldn't help but think that he was a monkey in the clothes of a human!
That was not all of it. In order to stuff the coat and the hat, Boss Bai had also inserted a lot of rarely-seen cloths into his coat. The things were great decorations, but they were of little use when he simply stuffed them into his arms.
He did not give himself away yet when he gave the "inauguration speech of the commander of the National Protection Army", but things gradually went wrong as he toasted the space pirates table by table. His face was redder and redder, and his movement was greater and greater. As a result, the cloths were either dropped to the ground or dragged behind him, making him look like a red-skinned mouse that had grown out variegated tails.
A few guys from the Big Bai Pirate Gang had noticed it, but they did not have the courage to remind their boss. Looking at each other in bewilderment, they could only follow Boss Bai while holding the cloths that had accidentally fallen. The scene was so hilarious that even the most experienced and heartless bandit would've burst into laughter.
As for the giant Cosmos Rings on his fingers, they were probably just stolen from the warehouses, and Boss Bai was so busy to show himself off that he did not have time to crack the retrieval code. It was needless to mention the trivia, such as his pockets that were brimming with crystals, with a few dropping to the ground after every step he made forward.
Most of the space pirates were too greedy to care about their image, but even they felt that the "superstar" Boss Bai, who miraculously rose to fame in the past two years, was too humiliating!
It also proved the opinion of many seasoned thieves on him. He certainly had his capabilities, but he was too arrogant and ostentatious. Such people were like firecrackers, who would fall as fast as they rose. So, he was the perfect choice for them to use as a shield.
He could be the commander of the National Protection Army if he wanted to. After all, if the coalition army of the nobles won, they would earn benefits by the way. By then, if the few experienced space pirates joined their hands, would it be a problem at all to make the arrogant little boy a figurehead? Shooting the back of his head on the battlefield and carving up his Big Bai Pirate Gang wouldn't be too hard either!
Should the coalition army of nobles fail and the reformists won, they would immediately "rectify their behavior" by tying up the "commander of the National Protection Army" and sending him to the guillotine of the reformists. By estimation, the followers like them who were "forced to rebel" but who had a "battlefield uprising" later would not be punished severely.
The seasoned thieves had both fought and collaborated in the past decades. As both enemies and friends, they knew each other too well to say it out and understood what each other was thinking only with eye contact. For a moment, all of them were wearing mocking and weird smiles.
Of course, the smiles quickly disappeared and would never be discovered by Boss Bai. Since the man was so hotheaded and thought that he was the king of the world, just let them adulate him and exalt him to even higher places.
Therefore, the atmosphere of the dinner couldn't have been warmer.
"Captain Zhao, do you remember the last job we did together with your 'Tiger Devil Pirate Gang'? Hahahaha. It felt so good! So good! I was thinking back then when we could ever do a job again together. Today, the opportunity has finally come. We are about to work together to rob—no, to settle the rebels in the Seven Seas Grand Market, and I, Boss Bai, am your commander now! Come on, bottoms up! I know that you have a great alcohol tolerance. This keg—this keg is all yours. When the day comes, I will let your 'Tiger Devil Pirate Gang' march in first. The… the… the sexiest women will all belong to you. All of them!
"Captain Sun, we—hehehehe—we wouldn't have known each other without the fight, right? I'm truly sorry for the business in the Black River Space Zone last time, where you lost so many hands. However, for the space pirates, business is business, and friends are friends. Boss Bai almost admires the unparalleled fame of 'Ghost Blade'! That's enough talking. These three cups are to show respect for you and to apologize for my offense last time. After this, we will be brothers. If you are still not satisfied, just vent your anger in the Seven Seas Grand Market with us!"
"Master… Master Qian, you are a well-respected senior in the circle of space pirates, and you started the business more than a hundred years ago, right? It must've been a tough journey. When you began your career, I was still using diapers, haha, hahahaha! The commander of the National Protection Army was supposed to be a place for a renowned senior like you, and it shouldn't have been my turn at all. But I was told that you were having health issues because of previous injuries and that you offered to give the place away? The way I see it, you look rather vigorous. What injuries can possibly hurt you, the 'Ocean Saber'? Come on, this is the best medical wine, 'Tiger Collapse', which is made of the marrows of dozens of ferocious animals. Although the alcohol is tough and you will be drunk for the night, it will be the best treatment to warm up the bones, boost the spiritual energy, and repair the damaged body! Come on, I'll pour the wine for the senior in person. Senior, please!
"Brothers… Brothers, may I have your attention?"
Boss Bai staggered and toasted everyone at the dinner. Naturally, he talked more than he drank, but he had poured buckets of wine into the throats of the space pirates. The lesser space pirates dare not disobey him, while the powerful space pirates, intending to build up his arrogance, also drank plenty of wine to show respect for him.
As a result, even the most tough-looking and quick-witted thieves were more or less drunk now.
Right then, Boss Bai suddenly jumped to the top of a wine bucket and raised his cup high like a drunk bear. "I have a question for everyone. Whose men do you think we are right now?"
The space pirates looked at each other in bewilderment. Some shouted that they were the men of the Imperium's army and the four Kurfürsten.
"Yes, we are, of course, the men of the army and the four Kurfürsten. However—"
Looking around, Boss Bai suddenly bulged his eyes and shouted aloud, "Space pirates are the most disgusting wolves and the greediest swine in the eyes of the regular nobles. None of them would bother to look at us unless it was absolutely necessary. It was all thanks to Marquess Yongchun's negotiation and mediation that the four Kurfürst families finally accepted us!
"Are humans any different from jackals if they are ungrateful? So, remember clearly now. Just leave the Imperium and the four families behind. We are first and foremost men of the Marquess Yongchun. We are the lord's loyal subordinates!
"Whoever the lord tells us to attack, we will attack. Whoever the lord asks us to bite, we will bite. That is exactly the 'National Protection Army'. If who can't do that, don't blame me for cutting him into pieces!
"Come on, let's give our lord a toast to show our respect. No, no, no. One cup is far from enough to express our admiration and gratitude for our lord! One bucket! One bucket for everyone! Fill it up! Fill it up! Here's to the lord!"
Chapter 2445: He Can't Be That Insane, Right? |
After hearing that, the space pirates were obliged to drink now. While his words were vulgar, he did have a point. Space pirates were nothing but chamber pots and cleaning cloths for the nobles, who were only giving them the name "National Protection Army" in order to strike the reformists. But thieves were always thieves. Who knew whether or not they would be the next after the reformists were indeed annihilated someday, and they would be kicked away like the filthy, stinky chamber pot?
Therefore, if they could win the support of the powerful persons in the four families, say, Li Wuji who had come to recruit him in person, it would certainly be for the best.
On the other hand, for Li Wuji, if he had a bunch of strong and obedient space pirates at his disposal, it would be quite beneficial for him to expand his influence in the four families and the Council of Elders.
Now that both parties needed each other, they were obviously full of sincerity. Led by Boss Bai, the captains of all the pirate gangs, as well as the lone bandits, raised their wine buckets high and poured the liquids in. The amber-colored wine poured down like a waterfall. Thankfully, as Immortal Cultivators, they were capable of controlling their internal organs and vaporizing the water. Otherwise, their stomachs would've been broken when the buckets of wine were filled into them.
But as a result, when the water was vaporized, the nutritional tonics in the wine was diluted faster too, making them drunk even more quickly.
Seeing that the heads of space pirates were all blushing because of drinking, and the atmosphere was rather heated, Li Wuji slightly nodded his head to show satisfaction.
With his mysophobia, he would certainly not drink the same way as those pirates, but since so many people were toasting him at the same time, it would be inappropriate to not do anything. Therefore, he took out his personal cup and drank a cup of wine, which immediately raised a round of cheers. Naturally, Boss Bai's voice was the loudest and most excited of all.
"In the next—"
Seeing that everybody had chugged a whole bucket of hard liquor, Boss Bai smiled and said, "The battle of Seven Seas is about to come. This is the end of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors but the first battle of the National Protection Army, which will be the beginning of our journey to the top of all the troops in the Imperium. Let's drink another bucket of wine to celebrate the triumph of the battle in advance!"
Both the space pirates and the regular soldiers were most superstitious before great battles. Many things were best left unsaid, but now that Boss Bai had proposed to "celebrate the triumph in advance", they naturally had to drink the second bucket of wine.
Otherwise, it would've been a curse that they would fail or die in the battle.
Immediately, a lot of soldiers of the Big Bai Pirate Gang carried hundreds of buckets of hard liquor over. After the seals and the covers were removed, it turned out to be translucent ambers and gems inside the buckets. When the heaters were aimed at the ambers and gems and shined on them for a while, they were immediately "unfrozen" into fragrant wine.
Then, a few metal balls that could adjust temperature were thrown into every bucket, setting the temperature of the wine to the best level. It felt like the wine could crawl into their mouths on its own without them drinking as long as they raised their heads.
"Come on, let's drink up and fight bravely on the battlefield. We are not to humiliate our lord!"
Boss Bai batted the bucket hard and shouted.
He was already staggering, his tongue blurred, and he could barely raise the wine bucket now.
While he was unable to raise the bucket, other people certainly could not follow his example, because Li Wuji and other nobles were watching them coldly!
All the space pirates knew that the dinner was, in fact, a test for them to see if the disobedient space pirates were docile and loyal.
Then, what else could they say? They'd finally found a chance to join the four families. Besides, the Blue Sky Market had been looted by them, meaning that the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists hated their guts right now. They had no choice except to be loyal right now. So, just drink it up!
Therefore, the second bucket of wine was poured in.
But this time, many people were drinking obviously more slowly than previously. Their bellies were rising, and they were surrounded in mists, as if they were in the middle of a sauna bath.
After they finally poured the hard liquors with tremendous drugs that were specifically refined for the Immortal Cultivators into their stomachs, the wretched Boss Bai, out of their expectation, exclaimed again, "Everyone, everyone, I was told that our new emperor will ascend to the throne after the rebels of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors are annihilated. While we are all unrefined folks, since we are 'National Protection Army', we certainly cannot forget our loyalty to His Majesty! It is not a tradition to toast only twice. The third bucket of wine is to our future emperor. May the Imperium of True Human Beings thrive and unite the sea of stars!"
All the heads of space pirates looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling a headache.
Although they had committed tremendous murders and other crimes, they barely touched hard liquors, which were essentially powerful aesthetics.
Since they barely drank anything, it was particularly troublesome when they did get drunk. Now that they were drinking such a great quantity of wine, which was also a mix of multiple different kinds of hard liquors, they felt that furious flames were burning their internal organs and flowing into their brains along the veins and nerves, corroding and paralyzing their souls.
If they were to activate their strength, they could naturally resolve the alcohol with their Cultivation.
However, how could they sit cross-legged and press out the alcohol right in front of Boss Bai and Li Wuji?
Many people were already seeing colorful stripes or even stars before their eyes.
Now that Boss Bai announced a third round of toasts, they all cursed in their hearts that the pretentious boy was too boring.
