Chapter 32: The Social Club (1)

Chapter 32: The Social Club (1)

A large high-rise hotel in the centre of Underdog City.

On the 69th and 70th floors, a large club is located.

'Burning suspension'

An exclusive social club where the best and brightest of Underdog City gather.

It's where the rich and powerful gather to burn off their youth.

Champagnes costing as much as 100 million gold a bottle were being flown in, and fast-paced, upbeat music was blaring.

Hookahs of an unknown variety send up clouds of smoke and colourful lights bathe them in colour.

The atmosphere was so lavish and extravagant that it could have been an imperial court ball.

"Here, pile it up!"

"Bring it all in!"

"Let's build a tower today!"

A room tucked away in the deepest recesses of the club.

Seven young apprentices were hanging out in this room, which costs 10 million gold for six hours and is only accessible to VVIPs.

Champagne, costing more than 100 million gold a bottle, is being brought in on ice.

In the centre of a large table, champagne glasses were stacked high in a pyramid.

At the bottom, 100 glasses are arranged in the shape of a 10*10 square.

On top are 81 champagne glasses in a 9*9 shape.

On top of that, 64 champagne glasses in the shape of 8*8.

49 on top of that, 36 on top of that, 25 on top of that, 16 on top of that, 9 on top of that, 4 on top of that...

One last glass of champagne was placed on top, completing the pyramid-shaped champagne tower.

The seven assembled masters chuckle and pour the 100 million gold champagne, Don Quixote Perignon 666, from the bottle into the top champagne glass.

And then.

cackle cackle...

After filling the top glass, the champagne begins to drip into the lower glasses, gradually filling them up.

When the bottle of champagne was halfway empty, the masters ruthlessly threw it away and ordered a new one.

And so on.

The champagne that filled the glasses at the top would trickle down and fill the glasses below.

Thus the 385 glasses that made up the tower of champagne were all full.

The master laughed and said

"Hey, drink what you spill on the table."

Just then, the waiters standing at the entrance to the room rushed over.

"Thank you, brothers."

"Thanks to you, I've tasted such precious liquor, and I'm properly pampered."

"We will serve you with all our souls today."

The waiters smile and lick the drops of champagne that have spilled onto the table.

The masters chuckle and sprinkle gold coins on their faces.

"This is the trickle-down effect."

Champagne dripping from the top, filling the glasses below, soaking the table, and seven men laughing at the sight of it.

These men were the core members of the local government's Youth Autonomy Committee.

It's just a civilian organisation made up of second- and third-generation local tohu, yujiu, and sedo, but their influence in the community cannot be ignored.

They had enough money and power to hold some low-level government positions, but they were still aristocrats, lording it over the common people.

They had lived in the region for a long time, so they were aware of the situation around them.

As such, the Baskervilles also gave them some power and allowed them to handle troublesome matters on their own.

In exchange for a small amount of tribute and taxes, they were granted some autonomy by the Baskervilles.

...In fact, historically speaking, all of the masters here are descendants of families that were defeated and relegated to the margins of the Empire's central power struggles.

With the exception of the Baskervilles, who have been sent by the Emperor to expand the borders of the Empire, all of them are nothing special.

But the young people gathered here don't seem to think so.

"It's better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon."

"It's better to play here, away from the prying eyes of the imperial family?"

"Yes. I went to a club in the imperial capital the other day, and it was much more luxurious here."

"Besides, we're guarded by those Baskervilles. How safe are we?"

"Giggle giggle – aren't the Baskervilles our hounds at this point?"

The masters were not without their faults.

While the Baskervilles were preoccupied with expanding their borders, they were rotting away inside.

So where did the money come from to pay for all this luxury and debauchery?

The main source of income for local tax collectors is actually quite modest.

At best, the water taxes from the reservoirs that water the fields, road use taxes, tolls, and the proceeds from the sale of livestock... are just a small amount of money to pay the butlers and serfs.

Both the money going out and the money coming in are small, but... in fact they had a hidden source of income.

Illegal slave auctions.

This is the kidnapping, imprisonment, and sale of unauthorised persons into slavery.

In recent years, the Baskervilles' aggressive territorial expansion has displaced an increasing number of barbarian peoples, so they've been sneaking around the world, luring them in with tricks or kidnapping them by force to sell them.

In other words, they would work for free for the Baskervilles and pick up the crumbs.

With no taxes and a steady flow of business, money naturally accumulates.

With the black money they earned, the masters were able to spend their youth on fire.

They can't put it in the bank because it's illegally earned, so they burn it all in cash machines.

"What, what, you!"

Three or four waiters pounced at once, but it took less than a second before they were all on the floor.

The masters' faces hardened slightly.

"What's with you, kid? What are you doing here? Do you know who your brothers are?"

"I know."

The boy's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"They're the idiots from Xiangcheng."

No respect, no fear, no cowering, not even a hint of contempt.

The masters were stunned for a moment.

Then, with a single, hearty laugh.

"That's right. We're the idiots from Xiangcheng."

"He must know who we are."

"Then we only need to know who he is."

"Kid, who are you?"

The masters were debating whether this was funny or not.

But it was.

The boy's next words wiped the smiles off their faces.

"Vikir."

The new Deputy Magistrate.

Vikir van Baskerville is here.

The apprentices slid their feet off the table.

Then he rose to his feet and asked.

"Vice... Exarch? What brings you here....?"

"You called for me."

At Vikir's words, the masters exchanged another blank look.

Then.

"Wahahahahaha- this is hot, Deputy! I didn't think you'd come so soon!"

The mood is not good.

Moreover, the masters had just been insulted, and their pride had been bruised.

"Shall we start taming the new recruits right away?"

"Sure. Let's buy some liquor."

"What if we roast them, boil them, sit them down, and then ask them to pay for their drinks later at the end of the party...?"

But... their cute little plan didn't quite work out.

...Thud!

Vikir slammed his hand on the table.

And.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

The black aura of the Baskervilles emanated from him.

The mana in Vikir's body radiated through his hand and into the table.

A ferocious resonance, a violent vibration.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

On the table, in the glasses, the champagne suddenly began to boil.

And then.

The great tower of champagne in the centre of the room changed.

...Pow!

A single glass at the top of the champagne tower suddenly exploded.

Numerous glass shards and champagne drops sparkled and scattered below.

...Boom!

...clink! ...clink!

...clink! ...clink! ...clink! ...clink!

...clink! ...clink! ...clink! ...clink! ...clink! ...clink!

The four glasses that were downstairs,

nine glasses downstairs,

16 glasses downstairs,

and 25 glasses downstairs,

36 glasses downstairs,

49 glasses downstairs,

64 glasses downstairs,

81 glasses downstairs,

100 glasses below that, all exploding and shattering one after the other.

The champagne tower had collapsed.

It didn't collapse from the bottom, it exploded backwards from the top.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Countless glass shards and champagne drops rained down on the VVIP room.

Under the rain, the masters of Sedoga could only say one thing.

"We were going to pay for the ...."