Chapter VI Solicitation
"That's right, wherever you are, it's glamorous. Harlot said with a salivating face. Unexpectedly, this guy who doesn't learn and doesn't know how to do it is quite elegant when he flatters women.
It's a pity that Charlotte didn't plan to pay attention to this guy at all, and she didn't glance at Harlot: "I'm sorry, you guys came too suddenly, so I didn't have much preparation." Please be aggrieved for the time being, and I will find someone to clean it up as soon as possible. ”
With that, she and Morini prepared to take their leave. At this time, Rickett walked up to Raymond and whispered: "Your Excellency, if you don't object, for the sake of the long term, I think you should..."
After listening to Rickett's suggestion, Raymond couldn't help but secretly say that he was worthy of being the assistant of the city lord of Praza, and he thought it through. He nodded: "Just do as you say." ”
"Rest assured, I know what to do. Rickett nodded and followed him after Charlotte and began to talk to her.
Rickett's suggestion to Raimanti was that they offered Charlotte to pay a certain amount of rent if they lived here. Payments are also made to those who come to clean the premises, and it is possible to hire some people on a permanent basis to do chores such as cleaning and cooking to keep the entire premises running.
In short, they will be paid money for anything such as food, clothing, and housing during their stay. This may seem like a bit of a novelty, but the benefits are obvious.
First of all, there is a reason to stay in Headington without being said to be cheating, so as not to cause the trouble of complaining, and for Raymond's side, it is very cost-effective to win the favor of Charlotte, who is worried about money and employment, for a small amount of money.
Of all the people, Rickett was the only one who thought of this. The internal affairs skills he developed in Plzak allowed him to handle these matters with ease, saving Raymond a lot of trouble.
Sure enough, after a moment of conversation with Rickett, Charlotte smiled for the first time. She has always looked cold, this smile is like a flower, everyone feels the charm of it, and Harlott is even more drooling.
After talking to Rickett about some things like rent, Charlotte and Morini took their leave. In this way, after some twists and turns, Raymond and the others finally settled down in Headington.
In the evening, Charlotte brought food, as well as some sheets and bedding. The group of thieves who had been hungry for a long time ate and drank at sea, and then entered their dreams early.
On the second floor of the building, Raymond had not yet slept, and he, Rickett, Freddy, and Rutz stood on the balcony, watching the sparse lights of Beddington at night.
"Hey, what do you think of this place?" Raymond said after a moment's pause.
Rickett sighed: "It's far worse than Plaza... Well, I mean, it's terrible compared to any town. But it's a great location, there's a lot of business potential, and of course, if it can be redeveloped."
Lutz said in a deep voice, "Although it is a good commercial town, it is very bad militarily. Located on the plains, it is difficult to defend against attacks on land, and although there are good ports, they lack protection and are vulnerable to attacks from the sea. ”
Freddie said coldly, "I'm more concerned than anything about what makes this town what it looks like." Unfortunately, there is so little information available for analysis that it is difficult to speculate. ”
From the answers of the three people, it is clear that they have their own characteristics and areas of expertise.
Raymond shook his head and smiled, "yes, although Reed warned me, I didn't expect the situation here to be so bad. ”
Freddie snorted, "Merchants are all the way, even the famous Reed. ”
Knowing that this guy doesn't like anyone, Raymond doesn't care. He said: "I'm afraid we can only wait for Charlotte to tell us." ”
Freddie complained: "Someone has to tell me everything, that's the last thing I want to see." ”
It is worthy of being started with secret work, and this answer is really professional. Ever since the argument on the ship, Rickett and Freddy have been a little at odds, and he teased: "It's a pity that you're no longer the senior intelligence officer of Hidden Mine, so let's get used to it quickly." ”
"I want to congratulate you on not having to run errands for the city lord of Praza anymore. Freddie immediately retorted.
"You—" than mockery, Rickett, who has a good aristocratic education, will be Freddy's opponent.
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Raymond waved his hand: "I said, it's only the first day of coming, you better stop." In any case, we have finally found a place to stay, and as for whether to leave or stay in the future, we will wait to find out the situation before deciding. ”
Raymond spoke, and Rickett and Freddie had no choice but to stop arguing. Subsequently, the two said goodbye and left.
After the two left, Luz said to Raymond: "Young master, there is one more thing that I am worried about. ”
"You mean the robbers?"
Lutz was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "So you also thought of it." Those guys were undisciplined and lawless, and when we fled from Modina, they were managed to control because of their scruples. Now that you've settled down and you're in a completely unfamiliar place, you're likely to relapse into your old ways. ”
"So, please hand them over to me, they are useless if they can't be disciplined. ”
Raymond nodded: "I see what you mean, those guys are the first subordinates we have, and they must be fully mastered." I'm sure if you train them, they'll be obedient. But that's just the surface, what I want is their complete obedience from the bottom of their hearts. ”
Luz couldn't help but say, "What do you want to do?"
Raymond patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I have my own plans, with the temper of those guys, soon they will be sent to the door by themselves." Now, I have to go see another person. ”
"Who is it?"
Raymond pointed to the side, only to see that on the balcony on the other side, the captain of the Cangyun, Drea, was leaning on the railing and looking up at the sky, dazed.
"What are you thinking?"
Hearing this, Dreia glanced back at Raymond: "I'm thinking about what to pay my sailors next month." ”
Raymond was surprised: "Don't be so pessimistic, isn't your ship still there." ”
Dreya sighed, "Actually, apart from owning the Cangyun, I'm basically bankrupt. ”
"Isn't it, it's so bad?"
Dreaa smiled wryly: "I have always been an unlucky captain, since the past few years, the business has been in poor shape, sometimes good and sometimes bad, basically not making any money. So not long ago, I used all my capital to buy a batch of goods, planning to take advantage of the piracy rage and risk shipping to the continent of Veronica to make a last-ditch effort. Before he left the port, he was held hostage by Kure's men, and not only was the goods thrown away, but even his life was almost lost. ”
"To be honest, this time we were able to get you to Headington thanks to the supplies that the pirates brought onto the ship before. Now I am worthless except for an empty ship. ”
In fact, Raymond's condition, from some subtle situations before, Raymond had somewhat expected it, but he didn't expect it to be so bad. There is really no better explanation for the fact that there is a merchant ship that has fallen to such a point except that it is too unlucky.
"So, do you want to do it with me?" said Raymond.
Dreaa was stunned: "Follow you?"
He hesitated for a moment, with an expression that wanted to say something, but it was not easy to speak: "But I..."
Raymond understood his concerns, and no matter how desperate Drea's fortunes were, he still had the captain of a merchant ship. As for Raymond and his party, it seems that there are many people, but the origin is unknown, even Headington is reluctant to accept them, to put it mildly, I am afraid they don't even know if they can stay here in a few days, for now, I really don't see anything worth investing in.
It's just because Raymond saved Dreya's life that he can't say it clearly.
At present, there is a lack of corresponding strength, of course, there is no way to recruit talent, and Raymond does not care about this. He laughed, "I mean, I'm going to hire you." ”
"Oh?"
Raymond walked up to him, looked down and said, "As you can see, we plan to use this town as a base in the future, and we will inevitably use its harbor for business in the future, and we also need to keep in touch with Reed, which requires a good ship." So I'd like to hire you to do things for me, and as for commissions, I promise to give you a good figure. ”
As soon as he heard this, Dreya breathed a sigh of relief, and he nodded without hesitation: "Since this is the case, of course there is no problem." ”
Now that the mountains of Dreya are exhausted, he urgently needs to earn a sum of money to maintain the expenses of the merchant ships, otherwise he will not be able to buy supplies, and he will not even be able to leave the port. So as long as he wasn't allowed to get on the "thief ship", Raymond's proposal, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
And what about Raymond? In fact, when he arrived in Hedington, he had already made up his mind that he would not easily "let go" of Dreya. Because whether it is from the current situation or in the long run, there is a ship that can be mobilized at any time, which can easily do a lot of things, but with their current situation, even if they have money, they may not be able to find the cooperation of the merchant fleet.
Moreover, compared to the lawless robbers, Drea's sailors showed good discipline. No one complains about even if they suffer even a lot, and if they can make their crew so loyal, such a talent can't be easily let go.
Although it is only an employment relationship now, as for the future... Hehe, with Raymond's old scheming, aren't you worried that you can't pull Dreya into the water?
As a result, the two sides solved their urgent needs, and the atmosphere was very happy. Dreya said with some eagerness: "So, regarding the terms of the employment contract, when can were..."
Raymond said very simply: "I'll ask Rickett to talk to you tomorrow." ”
Dereya was finally relieved, and he said gratefully, "You saved me again, and I can't express my gratitude." Please rest assured that I will do my best to fulfill all your requests in the future. ”
How did he know that Raymond, a "well-wisher", was putting a long line and catching his own big fish.
"Hehe, don't say that, I believe we will have more cooperation in the future. Raymond shook Drea's hand and smiled with a pun.
The next day, Charlotte visited again, brought some of the residents of Headington, and began to clean up the area thoroughly. Since Raymond had promised to pay the rent in advance, and it was possible to hire some people to work for a long time, the enthusiasm and dedication of the people were extremely high.
While the residents were cleaning the premises, Raymond, Freddy, Lutz and a few other leaders were invited by Charlotte to Headington's town hall. Rickett, as for him, was sent by Raymond to negotiate employment with Drea.
Compared to yesterday, Charlotte's spirit and attitude have changed. Obviously, the arrival of Raymond and his party gave her a glimmer of hope.
The town hall, on the north side of town, is a small two-storey building with a beautiful lawn at the door, and although Headington is in decay, it is well maintained. It shows that Charlotte, as the mayor of the town, has not given up her determination to rebuild the town.
Charlotte led the three of them to the door of the reception room, and before opening the door, she turned her head and said, "I'm sorry, although I have tried my best to convince you, the other members still don't trust you, so they don't want you to meddle in Beddington's affairs." I invite you here today in the hope that you will convince them. ”
Thinking of the men who were arguing with Charlotte on the beach yesterday, Raymond was relieved. He nodded: "Understood, I'll do my best." ”
Charlotte's eyes flashed with gratitude, and she led the three into the reception room. There were already people waiting inside, and in addition to Morini, there were several other men, apparently the ones she was talking about.
"This is Mr. Depero, this is Mr. Lambert, this is Mr. Fanning. Charlotte introduced the three of them to each other.
Depero was a stocky, middle-aged man who ran more than half of the town's food stores, Lambert, the oldest of the three, was also an assistant to the former mayor and had a high reputation in Headington, and Fanning, a lean, bronzed man who controlled the fishing industry in Headington.
Together with Morini, they form a committee and run Headington with Charlotte.
Yesterday, when Charlotte made the decision to let Raymond and his party stay, the three men left on their own, apparently not welcoming the outsiders.
This was still the case, except for Morini, who was more friendly, and the other three only nodded reluctantly when Charlotte introduced him, which counted as a greeting.
After the introduction, the servant served refreshments and followed the door and left. Then the whole reception room fell silent, and the two sides sat facing each other, and did not speak for a moment.
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