Chapter 230, Bean Shop - Contract and Rewards for Attracting People
A box of money was quickly packed away, and to be honest, it wasn't much.
Not only was there not a single high-value gold coin, there were not even many inferior silver coins. In total, the total value is less than five gold coins. There are most copper coins, and there are also some iron coins in change.
"Mr. Steward, what do I call you?"
Kil asked. At this time, after the two of them sorted out the coins, Kil's speech was not as stiff as before.
The tall and thin middle-aged steward looked surprised and whispered hurriedly: "Raul, Raul Bint. My friends call me Broombeard!"
"Ms. Fenia calls you Raul, so I will also call you Raul. So, Mr. Raul, how many years have you been working and serving in this 'surplus pod'?"
"Reporting to the Lord Knight, I have been working in the store for more than four years, and I have been here to manage it almost since it opened. The fact that the store has been able to operate over the years and has a surplus of income every year is entirely dependent on my ability, and A lot of dedication.”
Kil looked at the man carefully and looked puzzled. Kil then asked: "So, are you a local? Or do you come here to do business from other places? How long have you been in Dorne Town?"
Smiling awkwardly, the middle-aged steward Raul explained hesitantly: "I am from the countryside in the northern part of the town. When I was young, I followed the caravan running business and came here by car. Although I am not from the local chamber of commerce, I I have worked in several chambers of commerce along the way and understand the details of many chambers of commerce and trade goods! To be honest with you, Lord Knight, I have been in this town for eighteen years. I am thirty-two years old this year. Time has lasted longer than time in my hometown."
Kil rubbed his chin with his fingers: "So, you are very familiar with the various chambers of commerce and various merchants in the town?"
Kil's question made the middle-aged steward Mr. Raul not know how to answer. He didn't know what the person in front of him was actually asking for, so he replied cautiously: "Sir, I dare not say anything about the five companies united by the Chamber of Commerce. I know each other, but other small and medium-sized chambers of commerce, as well as the owners and managers of various shops on several nearby streets, I am familiar with them. Usually when there is nothing better, everyone will get together, play cards or chess, and drink some cider from the north. , talk about their respective troubles and nearby business opportunities."
Keir's eyes lit up: "It seems like your relationship is okay. We can get in touch and talk, right?"
"Well, that's what I said. Although we won't notify you immediately if there are any business opportunities, when we really can't afford it alone, we will join forces and come up with some solutions."
Kiel raised his chin at this time and said with a smile: "Then you are lucky today. Although the refugees under my command lack everything, including food, self-defense, vehicles, livestock, tools, clothing, etc., there are still some things. of."
"have no idea?"
The middle-aged businessman asked tentatively.
Kil let out a disdainful breath: "Humph, all the way east from the White Stone City Wall Pass, although there are hundreds of people in my group, there are always some unsightly guys trying to rob us. What a bunch of idiots, alive Isn't it good? Although the bandits are a little poorer, when they raided their lair, they still found some goods that had been robbed in the past."
"The quantity is not too much, not too little. I wonder if some businessmen friends you know are interested in taking a look? The things are placed at the gate of the newly built open space in the south of the town. They are all products that I and the poor refugees will not use. If you pass the goods around, interested merchants can buy them at a low price."
The middle-aged steward blinked and seemed to be somewhat interested in this, but when he heard that he was a gangster from the gangster's lair, he already knew Barney the Mountain Wolf, but at this time he didn't know the relationship between this knight and Barney the Mountain Wolf. What is the relationship between Nepal and Nepal?
"Lord Knight, do you know Barney the Mountain Wolf?"
he asked tentatively.
Kil was here waiting for him to ask, and said the answer he had prepared in advance: "Ms. Fenia's old lover, I know, a very cunning guy, but don't tell anyone, I personally think that he He and Ms. Fenia are actually a good match, you know, they are actually the same type of people."
The middle-aged steward Raul and the young knight laughed tacitly for a while.
It's just that the middle-aged manager smiled a little cautiously, for fear of saying bad things about the bandit leader behind his back and being stabbed and causing trouble for him. But Keir smiled more casually, because that's what he thought.
Then he responded to the matter raised by the knight: "Sir Knight, it seems that the operation of the store cannot be carried out for the time being. I will go out in a while to help you contact the friends you know."
Keir sat on the strong wooden barrel, shook his right index finger vigorously, and made a no-good gesture: "I'm not helping me, I'm helping you. In this way, there will be ten businessmen present, who can really buy me Merchant of the seized goods, if you can come at least ten, I will give you a gold coin. I can sell half of my goods. No matter whether your contact person buys them in the future, as long as half of the goods are sold, I will sell them again. I’ll give you one gold coin. If they’re all sold out, regardless of whether you contributed or not, I’ll give you another gold coin.”
"Think about it. Although these three gold coins are not much, I will pay you directly in person. Unlike the store where you have to pay the bill, it is not your gain, and you don't have to be taxed by the town. As long as you use your local connections, you still have many years. The eloquence of the business owner who runs the shop helps me contact businessmen who want to make a fortune at low prices. I can easily make this money in the two or three days when I take people to stay outside the town for repairs. "
It was obvious that Raul, the middle-aged manager, was moved. His salary for managing the store for a year was only a few gold coins. This was after he had been doing it for many years. The store had always been profitable, and he knew the backer behind the store owner, Ms. Fenia. , the result of Barney the Mountain Wolf.
In just a few days, he could easily earn three gold coins, well, not bad at all. Especially the first gold coin was a piece of cake for him. After all, the knight only wanted ten local businessmen who bought his trophies. One piece of goods was also considered a purchase. Ten people, each with one piece, could be considered a different kind of knight. It's a requirement.
Although it is just a loophole, and it will definitely annoy the other party.
"Sir Knight, raising funds for the resettlement of refugees is what a believer in the God of Wealth like me should do. In order to help those poor people as soon as possible, please leave this matter to me!"
Kil chuckled and waved his hand: "Although a verbal agreement is also acceptable, in order to ensure your dedication, please find a blank piece of paper. How about we enter into a written contract that is satisfactory to both parties?"
"If it is your wish, then I must respect it."
At this time, the middle-aged manager changed from the vaguely resistant attitude that Kil had had when he first arrived at the store. Not only did his attitude change drastically, he was looking for paper and quills and ink with a smile, but the other thugs and gangsters who had just heard about it were eager to make such a fortune.
Although they are in the store, they still get paid even if they don't work.
But no one thinks they have too much money. Of course they are jealous of three gold coins. After all, everyone's annual salary is only a few silver coins or hundreds of copper coins.
Because the store covers food and accommodation, the money given out is of course less.
But they wanted to intervene but couldn't. They scratched their heads and scratched their heads anxiously while working.
Smart shop assistants already know how to take advantage of the manager and share some of the gains from the other party's efforts. The unsmart guy, on the other hand, was so anxious that he couldn't think of a solution and was sweating profusely.
I don’t know if I was tired from carrying the beans or if I was in a hurry.
Kil looked funny.
He estimated that the value of those goods was about three hundred to five hundred gold coins. They mainly contained some high-value goods that were difficult to sell. However, they were hurriedly sold to local merchants in Dorne Town. The final price of the transaction must be Much lower than the expected price.
After all, in the context of the gradual chaos in the southern provinces, food, weapons, protective gear, horses and carriages are the real hard currency that you can buy no matter where you go.
Several foreign businessmen he rescued from the bandits' lair saw this opportunity and came all the way to try to make a fortune.
But in a chaotic situation, if you want to trade, how can you do it without sufficient strength?
If the other party eats your goods, they won't pay you. If it is normal times, perhaps you can find management agencies similar to the government offices in various cities and towns, and you can rely on evidence to claim the due income.
but now?
If the local businessmen did not unite with the powerful people in the local towns, all their goods would be eaten. This was considered a result of the people being soft-hearted and extraordinarily merciful.
Of course, Kiel is not afraid. If anyone wants to give him a hard time, he will lead a wave of attacks on Dorne Town. Even if there are heavy casualties, he will not lose. After all, the armed refugees under his command are all in vain, and the security guards of the other party are all It's the result of spending a lot of money on training and equipment.
As long as the managers of Dorne Town have sense and insight, they will understand that young refugees who have nothing but their lives are the most dangerous and the ones who need to be comforted.
This kind of thing will not happen to him.
-
After tinkering for a while, the middle-aged steward Raul prepared the paper and pen. He melted the ink and found the blank, sturdy paper used in the store for accounting.
Keir checked it and found no tricks that often appear in bard stories, such as double-layer paper or cryptic paper. There are no trap contracts deliberately prepared by the devil to deceive humans in heroic legends, with squiggles decorated like patterns.
Just ordinary paper, ordinary ink, ordinary quill.
"I say, you write. Come on, Mr. Raul-Bent."
The smile on the middle-aged steward's face was like a blooming chrysanthemum, and he quickly entered into a simple but effective transaction contract in accordance with the requirements stated by Knight Kiel.
He himself wants to contact the merchants in the town of Dorne for the Knight of Kil, and the knight will reward him with coins. The three levels of remuneration are also clearly written down.
After checking that there were no problems, he first wrote his name on the blank space at the end of the paper.
The middle-aged businessman Raul handed the quill with a suitable amount of ink to Knight Kiel, but the knight directly pushed it away and refused. The young knight said: "Let you understand one thing. When a real knight signs a contract, he does not rely on his signature to indicate his identity. It is like this."
When Kil said this, he took off the steel armor protective glove on his right hand, revealing his right palm with thick joints and a thick palm.
He stretched out his fingers, held his breath and pondered for a moment, and then the tip of the index finger on his right hand flashed slightly.
Kil pursed his lips tightly, and it was very easy to do it with Crow Knight. When he did it by himself, it was not easy for his own life energy to gather at the top of his fingertips.
He then carefully wrote his name on the contract with his index finger. Wherever his fingertips touched, a mark of life energy that exuded a strong presence and faint light was left on the paper.
"Phew, it's done."
Kil exhaled a long-held breath, leaving his life energy on a piece of paper for the first time.
"Is this the knight?"
The middle-aged steward Raul opened his mouth and realized the difference between knights and ordinary people.
"Of course, this is what makes knights different from ordinary people. You don't really think that powerful people like priests, magicians, and knights will be the same as ordinary people, right? Remember, these are knights, Anyone who doesn’t do this is just a liar with no real ability.”
Kil satisfactorily picked up the contract and admired it. Although it was his first time doing this, the glowing name he wrote with his fingertips looked so beautiful.
"Take it and put it away yourself."
When Kil was satisfied, he handed the paper with the contract to the middle-aged steward.
"Lord Knight, won't you write another copy? You take one, and I'll take one. If someone witnesses or vouch for it, will there be a third copy?"
Kil stood up straight and smiled, and responded to the other party with the words of Knight Crow: "I am a knight, you are a civilian, the contract is to guarantee your interests, and my interests are not a piece of paper, but force and strength. Come to guarantee it.”
The middle-aged steward was stunned after hearing this, and then he suddenly understood. He bent down and made a solemn courtesy: "Sir Knight, shall I contact my friends now?"
Kil waved his hand: "You are free to do as you like. I will wait here for Ms. Fenia to come back. If she comes back and asks, I will say that you went to do something for me."
"My Lord Knight, take your leave."
After saying that, the middle-aged businessman stuffed the contract tightly into his clothes and put it away, then returned to the back of the store to pick up some things, and then strode out of the store door.
He didn't forget to take a boy and a thug with him when he went out. The rest of the people were left absent-mindedly in the shop, busy taking out bags of beans stored in the store from the store cellar.
The guys used up and down rope boards with pulleys to take out the beans stored in the cellar under the house. Then the strong thugs picked up the whole bag of beans that had not been opened and carried them to the horse-drawn carriage outside the store. .
A waiter wiped his sweaty face with an old and torn cloth, bowed again, and bent down to approach Keir who was sitting bored: "Sir, the various beans in the store can probably load the carriage outside. There are so many three carriages, and now the first carriage is full. Where should I send the rented carriage? Where should I unload it? Who should I give it to?"
Kiel watched them busy and knew of course that the first car was full. He replied: "The open space in the south of the town where an army stayed a few days ago, do you know the location?"
"I know, I know. The warning bell was ringing just like today. I have been in the town for several years, and this was the first time I heard the warning bell. Later, everyone curiously ran to the south of the town and quietly took a look at the police stationed there. The army. It seems to be coming from the north of the kingdom. There are many carriages. It seems that although the equipment is not as good as the guards in the town, their momentum is much stronger than those bullies!"
Kiel smiled and did not say that he was also a member of Kendall's army: "It's the same place where the refugee people I led were placed there by Mr. 'Dry Oriel'. You go there with the carriage and tell The captain of the armed people guarding the gate of the clearing said that the food was brought by the Kiel Knights and asked them to help unload it at the gate of the camp."
"Yes, Lord Knight, I understand."
After receiving the instructions, the shop assistant quickly ran to the truck at the door of the shop with the envious eyes of others. He pointed the direction to the driver of the truck he rented, and the carriage slowly walked onto the street with the crack of the driver's whip.
Everyone else in the store was envious of the waiter just now. He was able to chat with a knight for a few words. Although it was nothing, at least when he was drinking and bragging later, he had one more deed that no one else had.
-
After a while, all the beans in the cellar were brought up and filled up a lot of space in the shop, and the first carriage came back empty.
"Sir Knight, a cart full of beans was unloaded at the gate of the clearing as you ordered."
The guy who just jumped out of the carriage and ran over to report.
Keir nodded: "Then everyone, please continue to work hard and start transporting the second car. In order to give everyone some strength, come over and everyone will receive a sum of money."
All the shop assistants and thugs were stunned. They all looked at the young knight, as if they couldn't believe their ears.
Kiel nonchalantly banged the cash box in the shop beside his feet with his combat boots: "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Come here. Come here. Regardless of the clerk or the thug, everyone can receive a small pile of copper coins."
Seeing that the young knight was not joking, everyone was moved. The guy who had spoken to the knight before was the first to come over. He bent his legs and knelt directly on the ground. Then he lowered his head and held up the palms of his hands.
Kiel lightly kicked the opponent's knee with his foot: "I don't like others to kneel to me. Only enemies who have been defeated by me are qualified to kneel to me. You are not qualified yet, just stand up and stretch out your hands."
Upon hearing this, the guy blushed and got up amidst the laughter of others. He still stretched out his hands, but his legs stood straight.
"Great, your job is important, so I'll give you a little more."
There was a beautiful ringing sound of coins, and Keir grabbed twelve copper coins, put them into a pile, and piled them into the opponent's hand.
The clerk happily accepted it and quickly put the twelve copper coins into the inner pocket of the clothes he was wearing.
Although it's not a lot, the money is free. Who can be unhappy?
Then another boy came. This man imitated the movements of the previous boy and stretched out his hands to take the coins rewarded by the young knight.
"You were in charge of carrying the pulley up and down just now. Yes, eleven copper coins. Take it."
Without any words of thanks, the guy accepted the money with a smile on his face.
Then another guy came, and this guy was a bit sneaky. Although he came to collect money with a smile on his face, Keir was rude: "You seemed to have done a good job for a while, but in fact it was all fake. So eight copper coins, take it.”
The guy had an awkward smile on his face, but he still licked his face and took the money. After getting the money, he was no longer embarrassed. Although it was less, not twelve copper coins than the first waiter, it was still a lot, enough for him to spend a whole day in the tavern.
Cheap pubs, of course.
Then came the thugs, who worked very hard. Each of Kiel was rewarded with nine copper coins. They were all happy and whispered about where to play together in the evening.
The thug who was helping Kiel look after the horses at the door of the shop was also called in temporarily. Unexpectedly by the others, Kiel rewarded him with a small handful of copper coins at one time, at least twenty!
"Go find a brush and brush the horse's body when you have free time to look after the horse for me."
Well, others put aside their envy and hatred. It was not complicated to farm a horse, but the Lord Knight's prairie horse was two heads taller than their common horses. It was not only difficult, but also dangerous.