Through conversation, they learned that the four noble girls who came to the open-air courtyard were all potential marriage targets with a lot of wealth, and when they learned about Aldrich Triss's status as the deputy head of the Night Watchman, they couldn't help but show such a look.

However, when Phyllis Ball introduced the Knights of Tris to create a scavengers' guild and own his own property in the docklands, he immediately attracted the interest of a young girl from the Schultz family, which gave Mrs. Lovett, who had been ordered to approach Aldrich, to have a bad idea of one more competitor.

The young girl, who was close to marriageable age, looked at Aldrich Triss with the eyes of a husband, and avoided talking about the rich dowry and the family annuity, but was extremely curious about the whole wheat quality bakery under the name of the Scavengers' Union.

"In order to maximize profits and make more profits, most bakeries usually mix flour with edible sundries, such as wheat bran and bran, and of course unconscionable traitors will add sawdust and waste paper to mash the pulp in order to maximize profits and make more profits. Of course, they also have a market, after all, the price is cheap enough for the poor to afford, and gradually a bad atmosphere has formed, and has influenced some low-end taverns to follow the trend and shoddy, which inevitably makes the daily food standard in the dock area decline as a whole. The bad reputation spreads, and it is hard to guarantee that it will not deal a certain blow to the trade of Eastwood City, after all, we benefit from the deep water port and the convenience of trade transit, and the docklands are a window for outsiders to know us. ”

Dyneth Schultz pondered for a moment and immediately understood Aldrich's good intentions, but she was concerned and deeply concerned about the profitability of the whole wheat bakery.

"In terms of profits, it's true that there is not a lot of revenue. Because I have to ensure quality, keep prices down and compete with customers, expand my own market, and only earn a meager profit that can barely keep the bakery running, but I have the income of the scavenger union as a subsidy, and the ordinary bakery is not my opponent. In a short period of half a month, most of the black-hearted people in the dock area have quit this business, and their brains are flexible to find another way to make a living, and they are engaged in new industries, while those who stubbornly insist on sticking into the profits of previous years and are on the verge of closing down. ”

"In other words, you have crushed more than half of the competitors in the dock area, and most of the remaining market after they leave is estimated to fall into your hands. After all, Dynes Schultz came from a family of business investors, and with a touch from Aldrich, she understood the trick.

The people talking next to them lowered their voices and pricked up their ears to listen to the conversation between the two, obviously showing such a peculiar business skill and clever business tactics to compete for the market, which had deeply attracted their curiosity.

"How can it be so easy? The cake on the table remains the same, and the number of people who share it has decreased, which means that the number of people who want to share more has increased. Besides, due to the limited access of flour suppliers, my whole wheat bakery is only a monopoly on the market in the Shiying neighborhood, thanks to the help of the enthusiastic members of the warehouse management committee I founded, and the strong scavenger union. ”

To put it lightly, Aldrich's tone was calm as if nothing had gone wrong, but none of the people present were stupid, and they clearly understood the competition of interests, which was inevitably bloody and bloody, but the scavenger union of the 'Fourth Horseman' could collect smugglers' taxes in the sewers and gain a firm foothold in the underground world, even in the chaotic docklands, there must be no difficulty.

"I know what you're thinking! If the scavengers are just ordinary adventurers' unions, and it is difficult to gain a foothold in the muddy docks, thanks to my status as the deputy head of the Night Watchman, I am free from the harassment of tax collectors, clerks, and gang members. Of course, it was inevitable to follow the rules of the dock area, and in order for the small business to grow smoothly, I could see all these messy things, so the whole wheat bakery successfully monopolized the market in the Shiying neighborhood, and with the help of friends, began to expand to other neighborhoods. ”

Dénice Schultz doesn't have any property under her name, but she has followed her father and brother in commercial places since she was a child, and she quickly understands Aldrich's good intentions: "Since the surviving competitors can't attack you with secret tricks, they can only follow your pace in order to stay competitive." ”

"Yes, because of the good name of the whole wheat bakery in Shiying Neighborhood, my competitors in the same industry had to be consistent, and in doing so, it drove down their profits, but the overall quality of bread in the dockyard increased dramatically, and my industry did not stop expanding. ”

"Diversify!" Phyllis Pol uses a new term he has learned not long ago to clear up the doubts of his partners.

"That's right!" Aldrich nodded in agreement, "in addition to the sweet whole wheat bread, we have introduced unfiltered brown bread, and slightly less coarse grain bread, which is usually mixed with bean flour, chestnuts, and plant tubers, which are quite popular because they are cheap enough for anyone to buy land." ”

The bard Angus looked at Aldrich Triss and said in admiration: "I see a merciful sage, not a merchant with a swift hand like a swimming fish and a fierce beast like a beast." ”

"One by one, competitors have fallen, and more and more shares of the cake can be shared, but I am not rushing to kill all the markets in the docklands, I promise to the losers who have been out of the fierce competition, and even help them return to the market, at the cost of taking out 50% of the shares, becoming a part of the whole wheat bakery, and I have made a contract with them to become allies. Subsequently, the number of workshops joining the team gradually increased, after all, I was able to keep the price of flour a little lower in the name of group buying. ”

The owner of the scavengers' union did not tell his friends who had known him for a long time what was under the table: by consuming large quantities of flour, he established long-term friendly ties with several grain merchants, which would help revive the family business.

A spark of thought flashed in Dyneth Schultz's eyes, and she sincerely admired Aldrich Tris's business talents, and if at first she was just curious and interested, it was now necessary for her to reevaluate the deputy head of the Night Patrol who had single-handedly created the Scavengers' Guild.

'A business upstart who is on the rise in his life, and who has the private name of the Fourth Knight of Eastwood, may be a good husband. It is said that the knights have good health and stamina, and they are brave fighters in any battlefield. ’

Mrs. Lovett noticed the strange sparkle in the eyes of Miss Dynys of the Schultz family, and a hint of affection had replaced favorability, and she was shocked to regard this young girl from a wealthy business family as her number one enemy. It's a pity that she doesn't know much about business matters, otherwise if she had interjected at the right time, she might have 'hooked up' with Aldrich Tris.

'When did it be, even the traditional manor knights were so familiar with business. Could it be that the way of the world has really changed, it has become unrecognizable, and everyone's roles have begun to blur the boundaries and can no longer be distinguished. ’

The slightly serious and dull topic came to an end for a while, and Phyllis Ball, who was accustomed to creating a good social atmosphere with a rhythmic rhythm, amused the ladies with a few humorous quips, Aldrich quickly adapted to the relaxed atmosphere and did not mind relinquishing the lead, Dynice Schultz's attention was drawn to the connection between painting skills and makeup, and the Knight of Triss, who had just fallen to ease, was soon pestered by Mrs. Lovett.

The bard Angus published his new work, a noble girl with whom he was acquainted, and ordered the waiter to take a harp, thirty-six strings, and gently play Ying and his poems, staring at each other tacitly from time to time, attracting the applause of all present, and the two were a recognized couple.

The cool night breeze gently blows through the open-air courtyard, and the hanging lamps of the copper-clad pillars swaying in the wind, like the guests in the dinner hall, dancing to the accompaniment of the band.

"It seems that the big guys are here, and we should also show our faces. Phyllis Pol clapped his hands lightly, attracting the attention of his companions, and his proposal was accepted by all the ladies present.

Dynice Schultz kept a certain distance from Aldrich Triss out of etiquette, but Madame Lovett did not take into account so many cumbersome tacit understandings, her widowhood was the best shield, she took the initiative to hold hands, and sure enough, she did not refuse, she was proud like a successful rat wolf, and regarded Triss as her own prison.

The banquet presided over by Baron Federi, because of the taste of the carefully selected guests was recognized by the high society, the main hall that can accommodate 500 people, the candlelight of countless beeswax candles jumping, through the beaded curtains of crystal chandeliers, the guests walked in in groups one after another, arranging their seats according to the difference in status. The waiters were busy until everything was ready, and the baron, as the host, came to the most prominent position at the front desk and opened his mouth to announce the beginning of the feast.

Everyone came to their place, and when Baron Federi stretched out his hand to sign for a seat, Aldrich pulled out the backrest seat for Mrs. Lovette, who was beside her, and when she sat down, she gently pushed the chair into its proper position, and then returned to her seat.

Due to the carpet on the floor of the main hall, the chairs did not make an embarrassing sound when pushed, especially for young people who were not very old and lacked strength, of course, they were all with their parents or introducers, and they could take proper care of these little ones.

The first dish is smoked salmon, thin slices, dark red flesh and dense mottled streaks, like olivine, thrown into the mouth and chewed slowly, the smoky flavor slowly blooms between the lips and tongue, and it will soon be appetizing. Then there was the routine soup, according to the taste of each person, Aldrich chose vegetable soup, light taste, had to add half a spoonful of salt, the coarse particles made his heart move, suddenly found that fine grinding frost salt may be a way to make money, but he quickly pressed his mind to deal with the clear soup made of parsley and shallots. In the side dishes that followed, Triss decisively chose strawberry jam and white bread, a silver knife without a blade, and skillfully smeared bright red jam on the slices of round bread. The main course is a smooth and shiny steak fried in oil, half a grilled fish with deboned and deboned, and a chicken cutlet that is charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

After serving the main course, Baron Federi stood up at the chief and addressed the guests attending the dinner, first singing the praises of the Earl of Eastwood, who was not present, and praising his close companion, Quincy Rodney, Grand Master of the Knights of the Cold Mountain, and then focusing on the names of the guests above him, recalling interesting anecdotes from the past, and appropriately easing the atmosphere to warm up the atmosphere.

Aldridge found that the speech of the head of the department in his previous life was exactly the same, and endured it until the baron finished speaking, and everyone stood up in unison and raised their glasses to congratulate their master.

After taking their seats, the atmosphere became relaxed and pleasant, and Triss and Mrs. Lovett chatted: "Haha, the weather is nice today. ”