Chapter 378 Whirlpool (5)

[White Eagle's reception night and late night]

[Nancheng District·Rose Hotel]

Mr. Ed put a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. He held the wootz steel dagger that Schmid gave Winters and inspected the peculiar texture of the blade at close range. He couldn't help but admire it.

The door was pushed open silently, and Winters tiptoed back to the small living room with the clay pot and cup in his arms.

"Before Rhode Island fell, the Knights would seize many Saracen Utz steel scimitars every year." Ed put the dagger back into the wooden box, his eyes filled with the brilliance of memories: "But the patterns are so gorgeous and delicate... This is my first time seeing you.”

Kaman moved his hips uneasily: "Knights?"

"Knights of Divine Grace." Carlo Ed's tone became cold, obviously not wanting to talk more.

Anna went directly back to the hotel from Este House and had already gone to bed. There were only three people in the small living room at the moment: Winters, Father Carman, and Mr. Carlo Ed.

"If you like it, I can give it to you. If you stay here, I can only cut paper." Winters said in a low voice.

He first placed a cup for Mr. Ed, filled it with hot milk, and then poured some for Carman. As for himself... he just used a clay pot.

Drinking hot milk is a habit Winters brought back from the wasteland. Charles was not here, so he had to serve the wine and pour the milk himself.

Winters has no servants, and even Anna's current personal maid was sent by Mr. Ed because he resented treating his subordinates as slaves. But he is not so pretentious that he must be self-reliant for food, clothing, housing and transportation. He also had orderlies, and he was also lazy, but when he was required to do daily chores, he didn't feel anything to be embarrassed about.

Carlo Aide saw everything in his eyes and shook his head with a smile: "I am a businessman. Bloodshed is harmful to business. [Gold will avoid blood]."

Winters sat back on the soft chair, holding the warm milk can, and pondered: "Maybe [blood will make gold go] is more accurate."

"So..." Ed took off his glasses and returned to his usual serious expression. He continued the previous conversation and asked, "Have the Schmids agreed to your bid?"

"Old Mr. Schmid said he needed some time to think about it."

"That's disagreement."

"right."

"It is still unclear whether the embargo will be implemented, and the Schmids want to wait and see."

"If it were me, I would probably choose to wait and see." Winters paused: "So I gave them another offer."

"What price?"

"Work for me for three years or sell me the workshop."

"Oh?" Ed said noncommittally, "Did they agree?"

Winters sighed, looking quite depressed: "I refused."

"To be precise, I almost fell out on the spot. When we left, old Mr. Schmid's face had turned from black to purple." Kaman added the details mercilessly.

"How can it be that exaggerated?" Winters protested dissatisfied.

Kaman smiled half-heartedly: "My description is already quite conservative."

"Of course that stubborn old man Schmid wouldn't agree." Carlo Ed showed a helpless smile that he knew would be the case: "He has experienced this kind of thing a lot."

Ed patiently explained to Winters: "Every blacksmith in Steel Castle must swear an oath to keep the 'secret between the forge and the anvil' when he joins the trade. Even if their forges and skills are sold, they will not be sold to us. Such outsiders will only sell to other steel castle blacksmiths."

"I know the guild oath of the Steel Castle blacksmiths." Winters still felt it was a pity: "So I offered them a particularly high price."

Carlo Ed said lightly: "Those who can betray your oath for your bid today will betray you for a higher bid sooner or later."

Winters understood that Mr. Ed was enlightening him, but he was not ready to give up on the Steel Castle blacksmith’s [secret between the forge and the anvil].

"Has there ever been a blacksmith defection or betrayal in the history of Steel Castle?" Winters picked off the milk skin, sipped the hot milk, and asked slowly.

Ed's expression gradually became serious: "When making a decision, you'd better think about the consequences in advance."

"I'm just curious, has anyone broken the guild oath in the past?" Winters was actually thinking of another person. He smiled and assured: "Don't worry, I don't intend to break the rules, nor will I use kidnapping or coercion. and other violent means to damage the reputation of the Veneta Chamber of Commerce.”

"Why do I feel that you have already gone through these plans in your mind..." Kaman muttered softly.

Carlo Ed held his forehead and thought about it for a long time, frowned and murmured to himself: "It never happened in my memory."

"What about before you came to Steel Castle?"

"I can help you find out."

"Mr. Ed, if you need anything in the future, please speak up." Winters swept away the confusion in his heart and was as high-spirited as a hunter who found hoofprints: "Please help me check the Schmid family again. Recent financial status. Do they have any debt? Do they have a mortgage? Are there any uncollectible payments?"

"This may take some time." Carlo Ed nodded slightly: "But it's not difficult."

Kaman couldn't help but frown and looked at Winters accusingly: "Can't you let Mr. Schmid and his family go?"

"What do you mean by letting go?" Winters was puzzled: "I want to help them."

"help?"

"I want to purchase their backlog of goods, why not help?"

"Forcing someone to buy a gun for the price of the barrel is called ganging?"

"I don't want to charge a price that they can't accept." Winters asked confidently: "How can they give me a price that I can accept?"

"Then you shouldn't let others lose money." Karman was sad and helpless, so he had to quote the classic: "[Those who are greedy in their hearts will stir up disputes]."

Winters rolled up his sleeves—not to fight, but to dig out strips of graphite and white paper.

He drew the map of Rose Lake and Steel Castle quickly and well, and made a fork in the Wupper Canal: "In winter, the canal is frozen, and freight from Steel Castle cannot go out, right?"

Kaman nodded slightly.

Winters asked Mr. Ed: "So even in a normal year, Steelfort blacksmiths often lower prices for each other in the spring, right?"

"You know Steel Castle better than I thought." A flash of surprise flashed in Carlo Ed's eyes: "Yes, the workshop cannot completely stop work in the winter, and a quarter's worth of goods are in hand, and it is normal to lower prices from each other. . But the reality is that some years the price is high, some years the price is low, and it fluctuates."

Winters said with certainty: "It might have been high in previous years, but this year it will only be low, and much lower. Because throughout the winter, the workshops in Steel Castle have been working hard to produce weapons. Why are there so many hired workers on the streets now? That's it. Because in previous years, when winter comes, the employees will be dismissed. But this winter, they all stay in Steel Castle."

Winters outlined the outlines of Monta, the Shade Mountains, Vann, the Empire and the Wasteland in just a few strokes: "The current situation is that going south, as long as the embargo is still there, the trade route will be impassable. Going north, going East, west... Regardless of whether there is a buyer or not, these three directions have to travel through mountains and rivers, and the freight will double."

"Do you think the embargo will be lifted?" Winters asked Mr. Ed.

"I don't know." Carlo Ed looked calm: "But I know one thing - the people of the United Provinces will not just watch weapons flow into Plato."

"That is to say, all the goods prepared by Steel Castle for Platon are now in your hands." Winters drew a sealed circle on Steel Castle and threw away the graphite strip: "So with the real Baron Granach, who comes to Steel Castle with gold and silver, is the savior.”

Kaman shook his head in confusion: "You still can't convince me, because you are always taking advantage of others' danger."

Winters retorted: "The sword strips and barrels cannot be eaten or used. It is better to sell them at a loss than to let them rust in the warehouse."

Kaman originally wanted to say something, but Carlo Ed coughed.

"Father Carman, we are businessmen." Mr. Ed reminded: "Buying low and selling high is a matter of course for us."

"And this gold was obtained with the lives of many people. It is not my personal property. You know that. You have witnessed it with your own eyes." Winters sighed: "I don't have the power to waste."

Kaman was speechless.

The door of the small living room opened with a creak, and Anna appeared outside the door wearing a robe and holding a candlestick with sleepy eyes: "Mr. Ed, Father Carman... Good evening, when did you come back?"

"I just came back not long ago." Winters stood up and stoked the fire in the fireplace more brightly, and offered his seat to Anna: "Did I wake you up?"

Anna sat down on Winters' chair, and calmly picked up the can and took a sip of slightly cold milk. She wiped her mouth and then remembered that there were other people present.

Anna blushed instantly and bowed her head apologetically to Mr. Ed and Carman.

"Good evening, my lady." Carlo Eide greeted him calmly. Kaman also bowed solemnly.

When Anna entered the door, she felt that the atmosphere in the living room was tense: "I dreamed that someone was quarreling..."

"It's not a quarrel." Winters waved a poker in the air: "It's a shocking education."

Kaman almost went berserk on the spot.

"By the way, I have one more thing to ask you." Winters stood in the middle of the living room holding a poker, looking at Mr. Ed with piercing eyes: "Please tell me the truth."

Mr. Ed nodded: "Please tell me."

Winters narrowed his eyes slightly and asked word by word: "In the general election of the blacksmiths' guild, does Paul Wooper have a threatening opponent?"

"Yes." Carlo Ed replied without hesitation.

Winters doesn't waste time asking nonsense like "Why didn't you tell me before?" White Eagle had White Eagle interests, and Mr. Ed had Mr. Ed's interests—and he had accepted that.

Winters' second question: "What's it called?"

"John Servetus, a member of the blacksmiths' guild and now a state legislator."

Winters’ third question: “Can you help me get on the line with him?”

Carlo Eide showed some hesitation for the first time. The old man frowned slightly and reminded kindly: "Congressman Servetus has a very deep friendship with our dear allies."

"I guessed it." Winters said with a smile: "Veneta can support a mayor, why can't the United Provinces?"

"Then you still want to get on the line with him?" Carlo Ed asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Winters replied easily: "I want to do business with him."

Carlo Ed's expression became solemn, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Winters revealed the secret: "White Eagle helped Paul Wooper bribe the election and used my money as a bribe. It was too easy for the broker to do it!"

"If it weren't for Colonel Berne, I would still be grateful for White Eagle's charity." Winters thought silently: "But since the chess pieces know the player's thoughts, the chess players should not be able to manipulate the chess pieces at will."

"The blacksmiths in Steel Castle want to wait until the dust settles before buying and selling, but I can't afford to wait. Once the canal is open, Monta's border blockade will definitely become more stringent day by day. By then, no matter how cheap it is to buy ordnance, it will be It can't be shipped out." Winters stated his core interests straightforwardly: "I don't care who purchases weapons from, but I must use the gold before the canal is unblocked."

Carman could no longer understand what Winters was saying, Anna frowned slightly, and Carlo Ed was thoughtful.

"Since old Schmid and other forge owners are watching, let's put a fire under their butts."

"Do you want to..."

"Introduce competition."

[Steel castle-style sword hilts (fish skin, spiral pattern, silver wire) appear in volumes 1, 2, and 4, respectively, for a certain dagger, a certain saber, and a certain Damascus knife...]

[No one seems to have noticed this yet, but if I say it it seems like it will break the story (face covering)]

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