Mystery: But the Witch's Path

Chapter 81 Arms Deal Completed

After sitting down next to Benson, old Clayton smiled broadly at him and said, "Mr. Benson Moretti, it's nice to see you again."

"Good morning, Butler Clayton." After finishing his care, Benson added, "Yes, Mr. Butler, I remember the last time we met was a year and a half ago. Thank you so much for your generosity back then, which allowed me to bury my mother's remains in Raphael Cemetery."

Upon hearing this, old Clayton silently shook his head and said, "No need to be so polite. Taking care of you military orphans is a task left to me by the Sheffield family."

"Benson, your mother, with her hardworking hands, supported your family. The burden of life weighed heavily on her shoulders, but she never flinched. This breed deserves the world's praise."

"But it's a great pity that she didn't get to see you all get married, start your own families, and grow up completely. Also, the grave next to your father's is already occupied by other people, so they can't be buried together."

"However, based on my understanding of the two of them, I believe they will meet again in the goddess's kingdom."

After he finished speaking, old Clayton looked at Benson and sensed his low spirits, so he explained, "It's rare for a descendant of an 'old friend' to come to this castle, and I can't help but feel sentimental."

"I'm not young anymore, and the end of my life could come at any time..."

Benson then said with a touch of humor, "Butler Clayton, are you saying this to shame us young people? You're more energetic than many of us right now."

"Ha~ha~ha~cough~cough"

After hearing Benson's words, old Clayton burst into laughter. But age had taken its toll, and his health wasn't what it used to be; he coughed after only a few laughs. After patting his chest to catch his breath, he said to Benson:

"The main reason I called you here is because I gave you a brief introduction to Earl Altair. Although I personally believe you are a promising talent, you could bring the Sheffield family a substantial return with just a small investment."

"But please don't get carried away, because the final decision on your investment still rests with Count Altair. If the Count disagrees, this meeting will be meaningless, or even a disaster."

After explaining, old Clayton began to impart his experience to Benson: "During the audience, you must try to remain calm. Answer whatever the Earl asks, and keep your words brief and concise... Also, during the conversation, you must demonstrate your unique qualities, such as your personality, your sense of responsibility towards your family, and other excellent qualities—these are all valuable assets. And most importantly, you must cater to what Earl Altair says..."

After saying this, old Clayton patted Benson on the shoulder and then said with a serious expression, "I think you should understand what this meeting means."

"Your current job is stagnant and you can't get out of it because of your 'diploma'. At most, your weekly salary is only 1 gold pound and 10 soles."

"If you were living alone, that would be manageable. But you also have to rely on this money to support your younger brother and sister. So now you can only live in a shared apartment on Tieshi Street, where even the most basic bathroom has to be shared with others. It's extremely inconvenient for men, let alone your sister Melissa."

"Furthermore, I believe your family has never set aside any reserves to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. If anyone in your family were to fall seriously ill, there's no guarantee they would receive adequate medical care."

After listening to old Clayton's words, Benson nodded heavily, thinking to himself, "This is an undeniable reality. My mother died for this very reason: long-term malnutrition and typhus, which is essentially a 'poor man's disease.' If only we had enough gold pounds back then, my mother wouldn't have died."

After seeing that Benson fully understood the significance of the meeting, old Clayton smiled and said to Benson:

"Don't be nervous. Did you have breakfast this morning? When I came in, the kitchen was cooking some delicious food..."

After regaining his composure, Benson said to old Clayton, "You're too kind. I already had breakfast this morning before I left."

"Oh, right. This is a little gift our family prepared for Count Altair, mashed potatoes that the three of us siblings made together."

"Actually, I think the best gift would be fresh flowers grown in my own garden, but as you know, my family's circumstances are not suitable for growing them, so I can only send the Earl a serving of mashed potatoes made by hand."

After accepting the gift, old Clayton said to Benson, "I will explain for Earl Altair."

He then added, "However, I think the Earl will understand your family's original intention without me having to explain."

As the two chatted, the teacups on the table were emptied and refilled repeatedly. After finishing the third pot of black tea, Benson glanced at his pocket watch and asked curiously, "Butler Clayton, I wonder if His Excellency the Earl is dealing with important matters? When can we meet?"

After accepting the fresh tea and pastries from the servant, old Clayton poured Benson another cup and said, "Before you arrived, Earl Altair suddenly remembered that he had some important matters to attend to, so he asked me to entertain you first."

"This cake is a brand new creation that just came out of the kitchen. Please try it."

Benson was surprised to see the cake that old Clayton handed him. It was almost winter, yet so many summer fruits were still used for decoration.

...........................

Meanwhile, Altair, who had originally planned to meet Benson, was now snuggled in her bed. But she wasn't sleeping... no... or rather, Altair's consciousness wasn't asleep, but rather conducting this arms deal within Adam's Church of Bones.

Altair, using Adam's trumpet, addressed the people before him: "A rifle will cost at least 8 gold pounds, no lower. To prevent you from replicating firearms without authorization, I will also limit the number of bullets: 500 bullets per rifle. Of course, if you are willing to pay 10 gold pounds for the replication fee, I can lift the bullet limit."

The person sitting opposite her said, "That's impossible. Your price is still too high. According to our engineers' budget, the labor and material costs for manufacturing one gun will only be 7 gold pounds at most. That way, you can make 1 gold pound profit per gun... We can pay the weapon imitation fee."

Altair looked at him disdainfully and explained, "I'm dealing with deadly business right now. After you use these weapons on the battlefield, Rune will definitely try to find me and take care of me immediately..."

"However, I can give you a suggestion. You certainly don't lack basic resources like steel and timber. You can sell these resources to me, and I would be happy to accept a portion of them."

"Furthermore, I won't care where these resources come from. In other words, once you facilitate the arms deal, you can keep all of this hidden transaction for yourself. How about it?"

After hearing Altair's suggestion, the person on the other end thought for a moment and said, "I need to discuss this with the others."

Altair nodded, choosing not to reply, and then the figure in front of him gradually disappeared. But then another new person appeared.

The newcomer said directly to Altair, "They have agreed to your deal. First, they are willing to spend 10 gold pounds to buy weapon imitation technology, but they require you to give them priority in the supply of bullets and are willing to buy the weapons produced by your factory at 8 gold pounds per rifle."

"Of course, they are willing to make the transaction regarding your primary objective, the purchase of the extraordinary features. All of this can be signed in a notarized agreement."

"I think we should now talk about the steel resource acquisition deal."

Altair smiled and looked at the person opposite him, saying, "Of course... steel can be purchased at market price..."

..............

After all the arms deals were completed, Altair asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly ask me to sell them weapon blueprints? Aren't you afraid they'll suddenly have a technological breakthrough?"

Adam remained calm and explained, "Don't worry, the fundamental principle of these weapons is still 'gunpowder gas propels the warhead forward.' As long as we block some key technologies, they will not be able to enter the era of technological explosion."

"And I'm keeping a close eye on those researchers right now."

Altair nodded and said to Adam, "Then I'll have to trouble you. Now you not only have to keep an eye on them, but also help me transport weapons."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. I still have things to take care of in the real world."

Adam did not reply, but smiled and said goodbye to Altair.