More than an hour later, Acharin and Pierce, who were riding in the luxurious carriage, finally arrived late.

Mr. Reynaud gathered the white men of the entire estate to greet him at the gate of the wolf.

Lorraine did not join in the excitement, and after joining Henna, he only asked the ensign to lead the sailors out of the house first, and formed the Acharin's escort at the fork.

As for himself...... The guest room on the third floor, a glass of wine, and the huge floor-to-ceiling windows have an excellent angle for watching the play, the only fly in the ointment is probably that you can't hear the actors' lines anyway.

But it really didn't matter, Lorraine knew exactly what they could say anyway.

The faint sound of the door swinging behind her made Henna walk in, grinding her coffee by the bar.

Lorraine glanced at it in surprise: "Why do you suddenly remember hand-ground coffee?" ”

"The head maid."

"The head maid? Renault's? ”

Henna nodded slightly, and her eyes did not leave the small balance in her hand for a moment: "The head maid said that nobles like to mix coffee when talking, and different topics have different proportions, as a metaphor for reserve, it is closer than tea and wine." I want to try. ”

Lorraine listened with a strange face: "That...... When did you get acquainted? ”

"Not familiar, she wants to know Yacharin's dietary preferences, and if she takes the initiative to find a ride with me."

Probably having all the coffee beans ready, Henna finally let go of the scales, poured the three beans into the hand mill, and then spun the crank.

The fines of the coffee beans trickle out of the mortar and accumulate on the snow-white filter paper, one black and one white, which complements each other perfectly.

Lorraine put down her glass with interest: "What kind of coffee is it with this time?" ”

"Fruity mocha. 40% Guatemala, 30% Kilimanjaro, and Hala of Mocha Plateau, which is obviously the main ingredient, but not the highest proportion, has a strong but obscure aroma, which is most suitable for those who do not show off the situation in front of the stage. ”

She installed the siphon stove, spread the filter cloth, added water, lit the fire, and saw that the water in the pot was slowly sucked into the filter tank, and then poured in the coffee powder, every 15-20 seconds, gently stirring with a stirring rod.

When the heat source is removed and the hearth is cold, the brewed coffee flows back into the pot through the filter cloth, leaving only insoluble residue on the filter cloth, and a cup of orthodox hand-ground coffee is finally completed, poured into the cup and saucer, and then filled with cream foam, and placed steadily in front of Lorraine.

Henna's hands are skillful.

Although it is the first time to brew coffee, there are no bells and whistles on the floating cream, but the clean rim and even liquid surface can still convey the attention and concentration of the maker.

Lorraine smiled and took a thin glass rod and slid it a few times, drawing a light impression of Assasin on the cream layer, and then felt satisfied.

"The first cup of coffee that Henna made me will be called Asasin Mocha from now on."

"Assasin...... Mocha? ”

"Don't you like it? That is what the maid master taught you, or should you call it the maid Mocha? ”

"I'm going to pour it out."

"I'm sorry ......"

As Henna said, the fruity mocha has a very unique characteristic, obviously the strong fragrance is like the top fragrant tea, but it is covered by the heavy foaming cream, except that the drinker can leave a fragrance on the cheeks, even if you get close to smell it, you don't want to smell the second taste other than bitterness.

Low-key and reserved.

Lorraine finished her coffee beautifully, crossed her fingers, and looked at Henna with a smile.

"I'm done drinking, can you tell me what's on my mind now?"

Henna subconsciously turned her head: "It's not a matter of mind...... It's just that the medicine is bitter. ”

Lorraine frowned: "You're worried I'm doing something wrong?" ”

"You're gambling too much." Henna put away her cups and saucers, "Unlike cliff climbing and raiding, you left too much unrest in Leloland. Storm the manor, what if the guards fight back? ”

"Kill a few, or a dozen? They are not professional military men, and deterrence, coupled with enough blood, is enough for them to abdicate their duties and send Mr. Renault to me. ”

"What about 4,000 pounds? Why are you sure that 4,000 pounds will allow Renault to help us deceive the natives? What if ......"

"Do you think £4,000 is a commission?" Lorraine looked at Henna's eager face with a crying smile, "From Mr. Renault's point of view, 4,000 pounds is his reward for playing this scene?" ”

"Isn't it? Zigger's identity is fake, and as you said, Renault made it clear that he doesn't remember teaching this student. ”

Lorraine watched Henna quietly, waiting for her to calm down.

"I vaguely feel that maybe you should be given more exposure to the affairs of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Chamber of Commerce?"

"Yes, the day-to-day affairs of the Drake Chamber of Commerce, such as finances, assets, personnel, systems, etc."

"Don't shy away from the topic."

"I'm not avoiding the topic, in fact if Carmen was here, she would have been a better explainer than I am, she's very good at persuasion."

Lorraine scratched her hair in embarrassment.

"Let's start with the predicament of the Renault family. Because Mr. Renault's second son-in-law was an early pioneer, and the second daughter was not good at socializing, the New World Intelligence Service paid little attention to them. We have no way of knowing the size or condition of the chamber, the only thing we know is that they were in financial trouble when they encountered pirates a few months ago, losing men, ships, and cargo. ”

"Why take advantage of this crisis?" Lorraine asked, "This news should have told us enough." ”

"The Drake Chamber of Commerce also started as a penniless small chamber of commerce, and you should remember the situation in Elgan, in Southampton."

"As a maritime chamber of commerce, we live on the difference in prices in different places, and the small chamber of commerce without strength can not get the privilege of credit, and after having a certain strength, we will try to avoid incurring debt, because the interest on debt will increase costs and expenses, which is contrary to the principle of profit maximization."

"This is the principle of limited trade, goods and ships are the assets of the Chamber of Commerce, only personnel come from employment, even if they are lost, they will only break their muscles and bones."

"However, the intelligence tells us that the chamber's predicament includes the payment of goods, and they go beyond the principle of limited trade."

"Under what circumstances would a chamber of commerce abandon the principle of safe limited trade? The answer is naturally opportunity, in the face of huge interests, the Chamber of Commerce decided to fight hard, success is a big increase in scale, defeat is a big loss of vitality, at such a time, businessmen and gamblers are no different. ”

"We have also experienced such big gambles, as far away as the decisive battle between Cantabrian and the combined fleet of French and merchants, and as close as the New Orleans smuggling contract that we just signed, they are all beyond the strength of the Drake Chamber of Commerce itself at that time."

"The same is true of the Chamber of Commerce of the Renault family, it can be guessed that they have obtained a batch of high-demand commodities by chance, with manpower and capacity, and once they make a move, the Chamber of Commerce can make huge profits, but they have no funds."

"So they used the method of credit, which pressed the future of the chamber of commerce and the credibility of the family, but in the end they ended up in a bloody end."

"Assuming that their ship is the Skuna which is common in the Inland Sea, or the main force of the oceans, Brigenting or Brig, then all the goods they gamble on must be worth more than five thousand pounds."

"At least five thousand pounds of cargo, as well as the bereavements of the personnel and the daily expenses for the maintenance of the Chamber of Commerce, but the loss of the main merchant ships has caused their income to drop considerably...... Their financial gap was so great that four thousand pounds was simply not enough to solve any problems. ”

Lorraine came to a categorical conclusion, smiling more and more smugly in front of Henna.

Henna opened her mouth slightly: "So...... Four thousand pounds just a gift? ”

"Yes. An ordinary meeting gift, the appropriate value given to a teacher by a student who has been absent for a long time and is not short of money. Money is only the most appropriate form of expression at this stage, and if Mr. Renault had not suffered such an unwarranted disaster, the effect would have been no different if it had been exchanged for fine wine or handicrafts. ”

Henna became more and more confused when she heard this: "In this way, doesn't Renault have no reason to help us?" ”

"Who said he was helping us?" Lorraine sneered, "First of all, Egnarhou of Porto, this family is real, he is a side branch of the royal family, and there is nothing false about it. ”

"Mr. Renault's glorious past is just as real, and the loss of power and exile are also real experiences."

"The intelligence also says that he is highly respected in Martinique, that he is the first choice of the high society of Martinique, that he has a huge network of contacts and influence, but, are they real?"

"A man with a glorious past and great influence is not a member of the Martinique Council, and even in a poor country like Leloland, he has not been able to join the regional council and has no say in local affairs."

"After more than 20 years of immigration, his assets are not abundant, his in-laws are not obvious, and his second son-in-law has encountered a small crisis, but he is helpless about it."

"There are too many things to prove that he may really have a huge social circle, but whether it is connections or influence, it is fake."

"For the squires of Martinique, his manners and learning were indispensable decorations for their children, and he himself ...... Nothing. ”

Lorraine stood up in a mocking tone, and drew two semicircles with her hands outstretched.

"Let us put ourselves in the shoes of Mr. Reynolds, who has been glorious and honorable, but who has been here with a prideful and undignified, and who has recently been threatened even the basic point of food and clothing."

At this moment, a student who claimed to be a royal nobleman appeared, and the arrogant and powerful guards first rejected his refusal, and the expensive greeting immediately ruled out the possibility of cheating. There was also the big ship on the dock, and he probably knew about the existence of the Golden Deer by now. ”

"Is Ziggy's identity real? Does he want Zigger's identity to be real? Or to put it another way, is it good or bad for him to admit that a student associated with the royal family has traveled thousands of miles to the deserted city of Leloran to care and help him? ”

Hearing this, Henna finally figured out all the joints.

"Acknowledging Ziggy, Renault can gain great prestige and huge benefits, and the only risk is whether Ziggy is true or false. But you've already told him we're only staying for a few days...... Even if there is a good person to verify the identity, by the time the results come back, we will have disappeared long ago, he is only one of the victims, and even if he is operated properly, he can become the most injured one, and continue to reap a wave of sympathy and comfort......"

"Nothing harms......," she muttered, "Renault's character is not an employee who cooperates with us at all, he genuinely hopes that Ziggy is real." Even if not, he will do everything in his power to make Ziggy real in the next few days, because he has been our accomplice since he accepted Ziggy's existence. ”