Thousands of sparks

Chapter 10 Kindness
People who have no money to pay their bills need to spend money to declare bankruptcy.If he had borrowed money from nobles, he would not even be eligible for bankruptcy.

This magical reality is a very natural and common phenomenon in Newsail, and even in the entire empire.No one will sympathize with bankrupts anyway—it's their own trouble.

People without money are not eligible for bankruptcy.

"So, you want to sell the machine tool in order to raise money to file for bankruptcy?" Du Sande signaled the dedicated guard to put him down, and then asked with a frown, "Why did you come here to find a buyer?"

"There will be two auctions today, and there will be six machine tools." Rosen's face was covered with traces of soot, and he explained in a nasal voice, "I...I think, if Someone, someone is willing to come and buy a cheap second-hand machine tool, maybe he can buy mine too."

Rosen took a deep breath, and then pleaded, "Master, master... would you like to buy it? My machine tool, only, only, only... just the starting price of those auctioned machine tools!"

"If your machine tool is in good condition, I will buy it at a more suitable price." Dusande decided to do a good deed, at least to do something for this young man who looked about his own age.

To buy a well-maintained steam machine tool at a reasonable price is the purpose of Dusand's trip.If the purchased machine tool can also bring some help to a struggling family, then the business will be more cost-effective.

"Master, there may be a problem here." The guard lowered his voice and said, "I suggest you think again."

Du Sande thought for a while and said, "After Teacher Polina and Todd come back, you go back to the manor right away—and bring twenty more guards over." Todd is the other of the two guards.

"And..." Dusande added again, "Tell mother about this, and bring two steam carriages with family crests."

·
·
·
Dusand came to Albyn Bankruptcy Court in order to buy a cheap steam machine.It would be nice to be able to help others when buying a machine tool—but only if I didn't put myself and Paulina in danger and trouble.

Therefore, Du Sande, who has only been in this world for ten years, decisively chooses to rely on the strength of his mother and noble status.Twenty guards and two steam carriages with the family emblem of Baroness Androni are enough to wake up all the people living in Upper Albyn.

The guards of nobles can carry weapons.

"Master...Master..." Ever since he saw the two carriages and twenty guards, Rosen realized that he might have encountered a great person.He was a little apprehensive, but he didn't dare to ask directly, "Where are you from?", so he could only keep apologizing. "Can you let me go back first, I will tell my sister and grandma to change their clothes first so as not to be rude..."

"According to what my guards said, if you have any special actions now, you can directly think that you are planning some kind of conspiracy against us." Dusande sat on the seat of the carriage and looked at An atlas of auction items in my hand.

He closed the manual in his hand, looked at Rosen with a half-smile and asked, "So, this whole process is a conspiracy?"

"No, no!" Rosen's dirty face turned pale with fright, and he quickly explained, "I...we...our house is a bit messy."

"Then it doesn't matter." Du Sande lowered his head again and began to look at the auction catalog. "Steam machine tools are not delicate products that cannot be used normally because of the chaotic environment. It doesn't matter if the environment is chaotic."

Polina asked from the side, "Are you sure the machine tools in your home are Tollsmith's products?"

"That's what my father said." Rosen nodded and said, "The nameplate on the machine is also the same as what you drew before."

Rosen remembered the pattern engraved on this nameplate. After all, when his father was still alive, he would wipe the metal nameplate with a coarse cloth at least five or six times a day.

Every time my father finished wiping the nameplate, with a satisfied smile on his face, he stroked the wanton and piercing golden beard on his chin, and then said to Rosen, "This baby will make our family a real respectable."

However, now Rosen only has his grandmother and younger sister to depend on each other.And the only way for their family to survive is to dispose of all assets as soon as possible, and then take the old man and younger sister to abandon their family and business, and spend the rest of their lives anonymously on a certain border planet.

Tollsmith's steam machine did not make them respectable men, but made them money-running prisoners.

Rosen began to cry again.

"If it's a Tollsmith product, as long as it maintains factory precision, then it's a good deal," Polina whispered to Dusand, "Tollsmith's machine tool is the representative of imperial industrial precision. , the starting price of the machine tool in the bankruptcy court is only [-] gold pounds ... and a functioning Tollsmith machine tool is worth at least [-] gold pounds."

"I will buy it at a reasonable price." Du Sande nodded towards his teacher and partner, "You can also go and see those metal ingots piled up in the warehouse. If you can use them, we will Just buy it in one go.”

With five hundred gold pounds in their pockets, Dusande and Polina are very confident in shopping.

Sitting on an obviously very expensive steam carriage, Rosen was so nervous that he couldn't even breathe.

Three steam carriages slowly drive into the industrial area of ​​Oberalbing.Bypassing the large factories made of gray stone bricks and terrazzo, rows of iron houses came into Dusand's eyes.

There are also residents living in the industrial zone.Most of these "residents" are the owners of family factories, hired workers, or family members of these two types of people.

Bypassing the outermost iron house, a large piece of rusted iron house appeared in front of the convoy.On both sides of the narrow and muddy street, you can directly see the dangling gate of the iron house, and the hostile gazes cast wantonly on the convoy from the gate.

"The residents here don't seem very friendly." The guards took the initiative to strengthen their vigilance, while Dusand was trying to ease the atmosphere in the carriage.

Polina glanced at the outside environment, and then said, "The residents here don't usually deal with people like you, master. When a group of hyenas break into the flock, the sheep will always pretend to be unfriendly." expression."

The carriage circled the narrow road for a while, and then stopped in front of a rusty metal hut that was almost invisible.

An old woman with a metal crowbar burst out of the cabin.

She wore the most common linen dress among old women in Newsale, and her bare arms were small and blue-veined.A rust-coloured crowbar is gripped firmly in two wrinkled hands, as if ready to fight a dragon.

Her gray hair was disheveled by the cold wind in Newsail. She squinted her eyes and said nothing, but her eyes were full of vigilance.

"Grandmother!" Rosen rushed out of the carriage first, but when he got out of the carriage, his feet slipped and he fell directly into the mud on the ground.

But Rosen didn't care to wipe off the mud on his face first, or look at the wounds on his body that were knocked open by the small stones in the mud.With all his strength, he came to the grandmother holding a crowbar as quickly as possible, and explained to her the purpose of the three steam carriages behind him.

Dusande and Polina got out of the car together.As soon as the boots on Dusand's feet stepped on the ground, a layer of mud mixed with engine oil and coal ash, exuding a pungent smell, covered his feet directly.Polina on the side seemed to be at least more experienced than Dusande—she had been lifting her skirt above her knees with both hands since she got out of the car.

"Master, please come in!" Persuading his grandmother as quickly as possible, Rosen ran back to Dusand and said, "Grandma thought someone came to collect debts, so she was a little nervous—it's okay, I've already Explain it to her."

The guards spread out in a tacit understanding, and began to deploy defenses around the entire hut.The two guards who followed Dusand at the beginning—Todd and Tom put their hands on their waists and followed Dusand and Polina into the metal room.

The metal room is still warm, and the floor is made of a thick black metal plate.It can be seen that the people who live and work in this house often take care of the ground.

It's no easy feat to have a floor made of rough black metal without a hint of rust.

"You two wait here for a while." Rosen pointed to the muddy water on his body and the wound on his leg and said, "I'll go and deal with it, and then change into clean clothes." He paused, and then explained, "The machine tool is just behind the house, sir, you can take a look first."

The old woman who had put down the crowbar was making tea.A tin teapot pours tan tea into a pair of cups that vary in pattern and shape.She walked towards Dusande and Paulina with a teacup in her trembling hand, "Tea, please, sir...Miss."

Du Sande took the teacup handed by the old woman, smelled the peaty smell in the teacup, and then took two sips of tea without changing expression or heartbeat.

"When my short-lived son was still alive, he valued that machine tool very much." The old woman put down her teacup and rubbed her hands sadly. "Now, this has become the most valuable legacy he left us."

"Mr. Rosen is a little too eager to sell this machine tool." Du Sande said, putting the teacup on the side table made of scrap metal, "He said that he is willing to use the starting price of other machine tools auctioned by the bankruptcy court to ask me Sell ​​this inheritance."

The old woman showed a more intense expression of grief.She lowered her head and said after hesitating for a long time, "Rosen is the only man in the family, these things... he can make the decision."

"I brought a great technician to evaluate." Dusand pointed to Paulina who was hesitant to drink tea beside him and said, "She will conduct a detailed inspection of this machine tool. As long as it can In normal use, I would have made an offer to Mr. Rosen at a price well above the bankruptcy court opening bid."

Du Sande took another sip from the peat-scented teacup, "Mr. Rosen is a very responsible person, but he just messed up a bit, so some decisions...are not very wise."

"Mr. Merciful!" The old woman seemed to have completely lost the courage to hold the crowbar before. She saluted Dusande tremblingly, and then sat down on the stool.Lips moved, but no sound came out.

The tin house was a bit dim, and Dusande sat here for a while before gradually getting used to the surrounding darkness.He was about to ask to go to the back to look at the machine tool, but Tom and Todd suddenly stood in front of him, and took out a revolver from their waists, pointing the muzzle towards the door without any concealment.

A few stones flew towards the gate, but because of poor aim, they directly hit the rusted iron sheet outside the house.

The iron sheet hit by the stone made a loud noise, and at the same time shook down countless smoky rust dust.

"Repay the money!" Several young men shouted loudly outside the door, "If you don't pay back the money, your daughter will be sold to the miners' brothel!"

Dusande narrowed his eyes slightly.

(End of this chapter)