Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 232 One Pound

   Ellen also found that the Navarre sisters ate very little.

   She didn't say anything, just exchanged six eight-week-old chickens for a bag of wheat, first pounded off the bran with great effort, and then ground it into flour.

  There is a mill at Mitchell Manor, but that little bit of wheat isn't enough to caulk the big mill.

   So Ellen used a hand mill and milled it all night, sifting the flour finely several times.

   By the time the Navarre sisters walked down the stairs the next morning, white bread was on the Mitchells table.

  Anna was very happy and thanked Mrs Mitchell for her concern.

  Catherine was also very happy, and there was still a lot of food left on the plate.

   Even Anna couldn't help taking her sister back to the room. She suppressed her anger and asked, "What? Is it not to your taste?"

   "Although it's still a bit rough." Catherine still didn't understand why her sister was so serious, with a light smile on her face: "But it's much more delicious than before, barely able to swallow."

   "Then why do you have so much left?"

  Catherine replied as a matter of course: "I can't let me finish it, can I?"

  Anna sighed, took her sister's hand, and asked, "Do you think Mrs. Mitchell is good to us?"

"very good."

   "Other people treat us well?"

   "Alright."

   "Why are they being nice to us?"

   This question stumped Katherine.

Anna said earnestly: "The people here are not kind to Anna Navarre, nor are they kind to Catherine Navarre. They are kind to 'his' fiancee and fiancee's sister. Here, we do not represent Navarre The Ray family, we represent... him. We behave inappropriately, we will not disgrace the Navarre family, but will only wear away the respect others have for him."

  Catherine teased and asked, "You haven't married him yet, so how come you have the mistress mentality?"

"Don't laugh." Anna squeezed her sister's palm and sighed again: "People here have high respect for him, I don't know what he's doing, and I don't understand why he stays here. But at least his reputation shouldn't be tarnished by me being here."

  Catherine lay down on the bed and rolled lazily: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Next time I'll be like that little girl and eat cleanly, won't I?"

  Anna couldn't help her sister, she beat her lightly: "If grandpa sees you like this, he will go crazy with anger. His old man hates wasting food the most."

   "Well, he doesn't like me anyway. Grandpa only prefers you, everyone prefers you." Catherine was a little sad when she was told.

   "But I prefer you the most."

   Katherine snorted softly, turned around, and showed her sister a back.

   A series of hurried sounds of going up the stairs came.

The    sound was violent, as if stepping up several steps in one step.

   The Navarre sisters were not given time to groom at all. Scarlett kicked the door open like a storm and rushed into the guest room.

   At this moment, Scarlett Giradevna is completely a little Dussack.

  The gentleness and tranquility inherited from Ellen has completely dissipated, and the wildness, impulsiveness and irritability inherited from Girard have been completely stimulated.

Scarlett was furious, she held Catherine's leftover white bread tightly, held it up in front of Catherine, and shouted and asked, "You sea blue bitch! Do you think I eat rough bread?! You think my mother eats rough bread!" Bread?!"

  Anna and Catherine were taken aback, the two sisters froze in place, unable to speak.

   Scarlett's expression was even a little grim, her eyes were wide open, and her anger was about to burst out of her pupils, nose and mouth.

"I also grew up eating white bread! I also had servants to serve my life since I was a child! Do you think I don't understand that there is food left on the lady's plate? Do you understand for me?" The furious Scarlett was like a fierce lioness , she growled shrilly: "But have you ever been hungry? Not to put on a tunic, but to starve for nothing to eat! So hungry that I want to eat my hands! Me and my mother, If you don't work, you'll starve to death! As long as you sit, there will be something on the table. How dare you leave it? How dare you leave it!"

  Catherine was completely stunned, and even Anna was at a loss.

But Scarlett became angrier the more she spoke. She tore the white bread with all her might, flattened and tore it apart, her eyes flushed red, and she asked sharply, "How dare you leave it? No rest at night?! I have to prepare breakfast for you again in the morning! How dare you leave it!!”

   "I will eat this kind of white bread when it falls into the soil!" Scarlett put a mouthful of bread crumbs in her mouth and asked with tears, "How dare you leave it?"

   Having nothing to say, Scarlett slammed the white bread in her hand into Catherine's face and walked away crying.

  It took a long time for Catherine to recover from the shock. How could she have seen such intense "quarrels", grievances, fears, unwillingness... All kinds of emotions flooded into her heart in an instant.

  Anna suddenly felt a stranglehold on her neck.

   "Why did she bully me!" Catherine hugged her sister tightly, crying sadly, tears shaved off her light makeup, and there were crumbs in her hair: "Why do they bully me!"

  Anna hugged her sister quickly, patted her back and comforted: "Don't be afraid, no one will bully you."

  Catherine cried even more sadly: "You don't help me either! You bully me too!"

   "I'll help you, I'll help you, I'm your sister."

"I want to go home!"

  Ana thought for a while, then nodded: "Yes, then you can follow Lieutenant Juan back to Hailan."

  Catherine's tears were like a flood over the levee, and it was completely uncontrollable.

   She cried and rolled on the bed like a child, refusing to let her sister come near her or say what she wanted.

   "Is little Miss Navarre okay?" Ellen stood outside the door.

   Ellen was picking vegetables in the garden on the west side, and immediately rushed back to the mansion after receiving a message from the maid.

   "Nothing." Anna replied to Mrs Mitchell with a wry smile: "Little child."

"I'm sorry, Miss Navarre." Seeing this scene in the guest room, Ellen immediately understood what was going on: "I'm the one who taught me a lesson, and I'll teach Scarlett a lesson. Please accept my apology to you and your sister on her behalf. ."

  Anna hurriedly waved her hand: "No, Scarlett did the right thing, you shouldn't teach her a lesson, don't."

   Unable to explain Anna, Ellen raised her skirt and saluted, and turned to leave.

   She kindly took the door and left the Navarre sisters alone in the room.

  …

   Later that day, Scarlett reluctantly came to Katherine to apologize.

   Scarlett still had tears on her face, her eyes were full of stubbornness, and it was obvious that she had no reason to apologize.

  Catherine also cried like a little tabby cat, her chestnut hair was messy.

   She turned her head angrily, not making eye contact with Scarlett.

   "You don't need to apologize, Scarlett." Anna replied on her sister's behalf, comforting Scarlett with a smile: "Catherine just lacks a little education, I think you're right."

   Catherine, who was beside her, slapped her sister angrily.

  Scarlett curtseyed and read, "I'm sorry, I did something wrong."

After   , she turned and left without looking back.

   "What kind of apology is that?" Catherine nearly fainted with anger.

   "Alright alright, what are you dissatisfied with? I also want you to apologize to Mrs. Mitchell and Miss Mitchell."

  Catherine threw herself on top of her sister, waved her pink fists indiscriminately, and screamed with tears: "Go find her to be your sister! You all help her, and you all bully me!"

   But before she could make more moves, she was easily subdued by Anna.

  Anna is not particularly strong, but she is much stronger than her younger sister.

   Katherine couldn't say it, and she couldn't beat her. She was extremely aggrieved, and couldn't help crying: "Why are you helping outsiders? Mom! Anna helped outsiders bully me!"

  Anna struggled again to coax her sister.

"Seriously, Kate." Anna patted her sister's back lightly: "You better go back to Hailan. If Lieutenant Juan leaves, you won't have a chance to go back. At least you can only stay here for a long time. "

   "I'm gone, what do you do?" Catherine snorted and asked, "Isn't it just you?"

  Anna smiled and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."

  Catherine wiped her tears and snot with her sister's clothes in vengeance.

Anna let out a long sigh: "Ms. Mitchell is right on one point, this is not a home, nor Hailan. If you don't work, you will starve. When grandpa started from scratch, wasn't it also very hard? He didn't always give us Tell the story of his twelve-year-old apprenticeship at sea, collecting cloth, dyeing cloth, and walking around the streets to sell cloth?"

  Catherine hummed angrily: "Grandpa doesn't tell me! He never tells Olivia, he only tells you! He's just partial."

   "All in all, I'm staying here."

   "What are you doing here? You have seen Mr. M, you should take him back. As long as you speak, he will definitely go back. Trust me, as long as you speak."

"He doesn't want to leave, I don't want to shake his will." Anna shook her head and whispered: "I don't know what he's doing here, I don't know what he's been through over the past year, and I don't know what's going on here. Why do people respect him. But I want to touch him, I want to know the real him, not indulge in the memory of him."

   "A idiot full of love, how can marriage and love be the same thing?" Catherine couldn't help but remind her sister: "Who have you seen marrying for love?"

   "I'm not leaving anyway, but I want you to go back to Hailan. You're sixteen, it's time to get engaged, you can't leave home for too long, what about your reputation?"

"Don't worry, there is a mother here! Mom will be able to handle everything." Catherine burst into tears: "I am going home now, she is angry, and she will definitely teach me a hard lesson. Besides, which man I want to conquer, also Isn't it right at your fingertips?"

   "But life here is really hard. Mrs. Mitchell has given us the best, and it's still hard."

Catherine was silent for a long time. After thinking about it, she made up her mind and said: "I'll stay... I don't care about Mr. M or this **** place, but I can't leave you here alone. Mom said we are Bing Tilian, and no one can leave. Who. I won't throw you here, I'm not that bad guy Mr. M."

  Anna smiled helplessly.

"As for my mother, isn't there that little idiot Olivia? She won't be lonely. Olivia will finally be able to monopolize her mother's favor, and she will be very happy." Catherine's eyes were swollen like peaches, looking at her sister, earnestly Said, "After all, I have to take care of you!"

  …

   On August 11th, Wolftown Church resumed its weekly services.

   A few days later, a school official came.

   This officer, who was always awake, spent most of his time dozing on the lounge chair in the living room. Lieutenant Juan respectfully called him "Lieutenant Colonel Van Nassau".

   After a few more days, Winters returned.

Pierre, who was greeted by    out of town, noticed Winters' almost unconcealed joy: "Who did you meet? So happy?"

   "Wait a bit later, I'll tell you carefully." Winters only has Anna in his mind. After a long absence, there is another small farewell. The urge to meet is almost unbearable: "Let's go, let's go to your house first."

   "I also have something important to report to you."

   "No hurry, go to your house first."

  Winters and Pierre galloped toward Mitchell Manor, and Pierre heard the clanging of the centurion's saddlebag.

When the two stopped at the door of Mitchell's mansion, Pierre couldn't help but ask, "What bottles did you buy from Gervodin?"

   Winters, a little embarrassed, spit out a word: "Bribery."

   The two dismounted, and Winters didn't even wait to tie the horse, and strode directly into Mitchell's mansion.

  The parlor, no one.

   Living room, nobody.

   Winters went all the way upstairs, and there was still no one in the Navarre sisters' guest room.

   "Where's the man?" Winters asked Pierre, staring.

  Pierre was also surprised: "I don't know either."

  Ellen heard the movement and came out of the study: "Mr. Montagne, Pierre, here we are."

  The layout of the Mitchell house has a study, but there are not many books in the Mitchell family.

  Gillard was illiterate, Ellen was doing embroidery in the small living room while processing the account books, and the study was idle.

   Winters' tense heartstrings finally relaxed. He smiled and walked towards Mrs. Mitchell: "Are you taking refuge? It's not safe upstairs. Someday, I'll dig a basement for you."

   Ellen also rarely joked, she responded with a smile: "Okay, I really want a basement as a storage room."

   Now it's Winters' turn to be at a loss: "Then I'll bring someone to chisel tomorrow."

   "You're joking."

   "What about Miss Navarre?"

   "In the study."

   "In the study?"

   "The ladies need a little space for their work, and the guest room is too small, so I brought them to the study."

   "Work?" Winters wondered.

   Ellen smiled but answered firmly: "Yes, work."

  The window of the study room faces south, and the lighting is very good.

   There is a wide oak table and two rows of bookshelves in the room, on which are the account books and documents of Mitchell Manor over the years.

  Anna sat at the desk and was busy.

   And Katherine snuggled up to her sister, cutting quills in boredom.

   Seeing Winters walk into the study, Catherine suddenly became interested.

Without waiting for the others to speak, Catherine frowned slightly and said blankly, "Mr. M, as far back as I can remember, I have never seen an account book that can do such a bad job as you. Are you letting the four hounds outside the door remember the account for you? ?"

   Little Navarre has a soft voice and a gentle gesture, but her words are ruthless.

  Anna hit her sister calmly.

   Pierre coughed softly to hide his embarrassment, who had so far been responsible for the accounts of the militia.

   "It's not that bad, is it?" Winters said with a smile to defend Pierre.

  Catherine ignored Winters, staring at Pierre with a pair of almond eyes: "What are you coughing? Is it your fault?"

   Inevitably, Pierre stepped forward and replied, "Yes."

"Then please come and tell me." Catherine supported her chin, changed a more lazy posture, and asked: "The first line of the account, [distribute military salaries, 39 ducats], [buy barley, 12 ducats]. Where did the money come from? Was it conjured out of thin air? And there was no date."

   "It's all Captain Montagne's money."

   "What about you?" Catherine looked at Winters again: "Where did your money come from?"

Where did    Winters get his money from?

  There is only one answer: Anna gave it.

  The night of the castles, Winters exchanged a thousand gold coins from the goldsmith.

   All the way from the castles of the kings to the wolf town, plus a hundred pieces for the old pirate as travel expenses, and the rest are left in Winters' hands.

  It is all thanks to this money that the militia team can persist until now.

   Winters' cheeks suddenly became very hot, he looked at Anna, embarrassed to speak.

  Anna also felt her lover's gaze, she immediately wanted to understand what was going on, and her face blushed.

  Catherine looked at her sister and then at Winters, and suddenly realized.

   "You..." Catherine stared at Winters, her eyes were strange, her eyebrows were raised, and her voice was full of disbelief: "So you eat soft rice!"

   There were five people in the study, and Mrs. Mitchell also covered her lips and chuckled, leaving only Pierre standing bewildered and at a loss.

   "I still have something to do, please allow me to say goodbye first." Pierre quickly left the place.

   "I won't disturb you either." Ellen also walked towards the door.

   "No, Mrs. Mitchell, please stay." Catherine hurriedly hugged Mrs. Mitchell: "If you leave, he will definitely bully us both. How can unmarried men and women get along without elder supervision?"

   Ellen glanced at Winters strangely, then at Anna, smiled helplessly, and sat back at the desk again.

   "Your sister really lent me this money," Winters explained. "It helped me a lot, and I'll pay it back."

   "How much will I lend you?" Catherine blinked.

   "A thousand ducats."

   Hearing this number, Catherine walked up to her sister angrily and pinched her back waist hard: "You haven't married yet! Have you started raising a lover? You bad woman!"

   Ellen was also slightly surprised by this number.

   "Don't make trouble!" Anna maintained a polite smile on her face and slapped her sister's knee hard.

"If it wasn't for Miss Navarre's support, I wouldn't have today's stall..." Winters hesitated for a moment, but still used a concept familiar to Veneta people to describe what he was doing: "...this 'business', so You are actually my original shareholders."

   Catherine became serious when she heard the words, her emotions gradually subsided, and she put on the mask of [Little Navarre].

   She smiled and shook her head politely: "No, I have already roughly seen what 'business' you are doing. We don't want to get involved in **** business. If you succeed one day, don't forget that my sister helped you."

"What are you talking about?" Anna was anxious and shy, she pulled her sister behind her, looked at Winters, and asked seriously, "You mean, your private property and the funds of this business are mixed up together?"

   Winters thought for a while, then replied with a wry smile: "Probably so."

   Katherine said before her sister: "How can this work? How can public accounts and private accounts be mixed together?"

   "Do you want two accounts?"

   "Of course!" Catherine frowned: "For the expenses of the Navarre Manor, do you still need to go through the accounts of the Navarre business? Of course, there must be two accounts!"

   Not only Winters fell silent, but even Ellen, who was listening in, was thoughtful.

"One account and two accounts are not the main problem." Anna showed Winters the account book: "Mr. Mitchell uses the single-column checkout method, and the expenses and income are recorded together. It is very primitive and difficult. It reflects the specific figures of the assets.”

   "You're still from Veneta, and you don't even understand the double-entry bookkeeping method." Catherine chased after the victory, chasing after Mr. M.

   In fact, Winters still knew a little bit, but he didn't have the energy to be responsible for bookkeeping, so he threw it all to Pierre.

Anna gently led Winters to sit at the table and continued to question patiently: "I also saw some very strange items, [distribute a ox], [distribute a plow cart], these are all gray hairs going down Is it?"

   Winters explained: "It's not white hair to them, they will pay me grain when they harvest."

Anna held her lover's hand and said softly, "I don't know why you do this, but if it goes on like this, it will be a net loss in the accounts. A business that keeps losing money, no matter what it is, must be It won't last long."

"Then what should I do?"

  Winters Montagne was trained as a pure soldier since childhood.

  If he was asked to train soldiers and fight, he would never be afraid. But in the current situation, he is really not good at dealing with it.

   And Winters can't think normally now, because Anna is holding his hand, he is full of Anna's body temperature, and his cheeks have been flushed uncontrollably.

   "It can be counted as a loan, so that your assets are still in balance." Anna has not noticed the change in her lover's mood, she explained carefully: "Although the net assets on the account will decrease, it is not a simple loss."

   "But they don't have any money," Winters replied with difficulty.

"It doesn't matter, you can pay it back slowly. It doesn't matter if you pay it back in 20 or 30 years, it doesn't matter if the interest rate is set a little lower. For you, you always have to pay everyone. But on your debt and loan sheet, there will be reflected." Anna looked at her lover tenderly.

  Suddenly, Anna also noticed Winters' emotional change, and she released her hand as quickly as she touched a soldering iron.

   Winters breathed a sigh of relief and coughed a few times.

   Ellen and Catherine may or may not have noticed, but they were silent.

Anna picked up a pen and paper and began to calculate for Winters: "If the debt can be repaid stably for 20 or 30 years. Even if the annual interest is only 5%, the final interest will be more than the debt itself. Debt is profitable and can even be sold. You can even use the debt as collateral for cash if someone is willing to take it.”

   "This...isn't this a tax collector?" Winters was suddenly startled.

"You can also go out without mortgage, this is just a way of using debt." Anna continued to ask methodically: "There is another very important asset, land. Land is a very important and important asset, why do you want to How about releasing the land for free?"

   Winters sighed and briefly talked about the situation of the newly cultivated land and the difficulties of the refugees who escaped from the famine.

  In Winters' view, there are large areas of wasteland in the newly cultivated land, why is it not allowed to open up wasteland without permission? In the final analysis, it is because of profit.

  Because of the interests of the manor owners and the new land reclamation army, land reclamation was restricted, land prices were pushed up, and all landless farmers were forced to become tenant farmers and hired laborers in disguise.

  If private land reclamation is allowed, the price of land will drop to the bottom, and it will be impossible for the major estates to recruit long-term workers and tenants - there is no farmer who does not want to own his own land.

   This status quo is not necessarily deliberate, but it is not surprising that people with power are chasing interests and gradually evolving into the status quo of new land.

  Anna, Catherine, and Ellen listened attentively, especially Ellen—the wife of a manor.

   But Ellen did not defend the manor, she just listened quietly.

   This is the first time Winters has told other people what he thinks, and he hasn't even told Pierre.

   "You think the interests of the farmers are more important than the interests of the manor and the legion?" Catherine hit the nail on the head, although she didn't know the history of the new land.

   "I think everyone's interests are important." Winters thought for a while and replied: "But the powerful should not extract the flesh and blood of the powerless, they are also people who try to live."

Anna thought about it and concluded: "In the final analysis, it is the land, and the land is always an important asset, for anyone. Then you can put all the wasteland in Wolf Town into your account. In this way, your business will be With a large net worth and principal. Even a real estate mortgage.”

   Winters thought for a while, this was an upright embezzlement of the property of the New Reclamation Army, but it was exactly what he was doing, so he nodded.

   "Land should not be distributed for free. If something has no price, it will not be cherished." Anna suggested softly: "Land debt can be held for a long time and can also bring profits."

   Winters was happy at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

  Suddenly, he woke up and realized that he was really thinking about everything as a business gradually.

   "No, this won't work." Winters felt uncomfortable, and he asked sadly: "They have just come out of the quagmire of extreme poverty, are they going to be squeezed to nothing by me again?"

  Anna was also a little surprised. It is human nature to pursue interests, and she never felt that there was anything wrong with chasing interests.

   But altruism is also the spirit of human sing-along, even Hailan people who advocate profit-seeking have the feat of "breaking a family into a city".

  Anna understood Winters a little bit. She was moved, but also very distressed.

   She came up with an alternative: "Then you can set the price of the land a little lower, as low as a silver coin. But don't give it away for nothing, at least let everyone get used to the price and the contract."

   Winters was lost in thought, still unable to nod his head.

  Anna was close to her lover's ear, hugged her lover's shoulder, and said sadly, "Darling, no one can save everyone, but... I will accompany you."

   This is the first time she uses the title "Dear".

  Winters seemed to be poured down by a bucket of ice water, and the physical and mental shock was indescribable in words.

   "What are you talking about?" Catherine protested dissatisfiedly: "If there are other people present, you will bite your ears and ignore Mrs. Mitchell and me too much!"

   "Sorry." Anna apologized to Mrs. Mitchell.

   Ellen smiled and shook her head.

   Winters suddenly asked seriously: "Anna, are you willing to help me?"

   This was also the first time he used the title "Anna".

   "What are you talking about?" Catherine jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on: "My sister is an unmarried lady, how do you show up? Have you considered her?"

"I do." Anna smiled and nodded, but shook her head again: "But no, not only because it is against etiquette, but also because it will make your subordinates and everyone lose respect for you. We still live in this world, Still bound by it. I don't want your reputation to be damaged by me."

   "It doesn't matter." Winters showed a row of teeth: "I have the final say here."

   "I only keep accounts, check accounts..."

   "That's better than everyone else, too."

"Do you want my sister to manage all the accounts for you? Do you want to wear her to death?" Catherine was anxious, and she came up with a compromise solution: "Anna and I can teach other people to keep accounts, if you have a general ledger , just leave it to my sister. She doesn't have to show her face to cause criticism. Even my mother doesn't keep every account book in person."

  Winters laughed, and he laughed cheerfully, and said to the ladies, "Everything has gone so well since Miss Navarre came here, like the monsoon on the sails of a boat."

   "How shall I repay you, Anna?" Winters asked.

  Anna wanted to say "stay with me forever", but she didn't say it after all.

   She smiled lightly and said, "Will you make an easel for me? Make a light and sturdy easel that can be taken out of the studio."

Pierre did not wait at the door when    Winters came out of the study.

   Winters searched the first and second floors of the mansion, but couldn't find Pierre.

   Finally, he found Pierre in the attic.

  Mr. Mitchell is hugging another lady affectionately.

   Spotting someone walking up the attic, the lady ran down the escalator in a panic, nearly knocking Winters over.

   Winters didn't see the lady's face clearly, but saw the black veil in her hair.

   There are just a few people in the Mitchell Manor, and it is easy to guess who it is.

   Tie up her hair with black gauze, which means she is a widow.

   There is currently only one widow in the manor, Mrs. Medellin, the widow of a refugee soldier who had been forced into a corner by Big Bentine before.

   Ellen contributed money to help Mrs. Medellin pay her taxes, and hired Mrs. Medellin as a maid to take her and her young daughter to the Mitchell Manor to take care of.

   Mrs. Medellin was four or five years older than Pierre, and Winters didn't notice whether she was good-looking or not.

   Being smashed by the superior, Pierre scratched his hair embarrassedly and asked with a smile, "Are you done over there?"

   "It's over." Winters looked delicate, looking at Pierre with a complex look.

   When he was Pierre's age, he still lived the life of an ascetic.

   Every week, he was in class and on duty, and he also served as a sparring partner for Ike.

  The only women in life are cooks and washerwomen, with arms and thighs stretched out stronger than him.

   There is no such thing as Mr. Mitchell... colorful.

   "Let's go, let's go back to the barracks." Winters sighed: "You said something important earlier, what is it?"

   Pierre replied word by word: "Heishui Town, willing to provide food, please be their protector."

   In September, the autumn grains will come down, mainly barley, oats and beans.

  A person of sound mind can already predict that when the autumn crops are mature, there will be a new round of ruthless [grabbing] and [forced recruitment] waiting for the new land.

  Through word of mouth, the people of Blackwater gradually learned about the actions of Montagne's resident magistrate.

   They learned that the food requisition team sent to Wolf Town was ambushed;

   Knowing that the town officer in Montagne killed all the bandits near Wolf Town;

   also knew about the massacre and trial in St. Ghis Valley - the corpse of the bandit leader is still hanging at the entrance of St. Ghis Valley, deterring any thugs with evil intentions.

   So the people of Heishui Town came up with a bold idea: to invite the resident officer of Wolf Town to be the protector of Heishui Town.

   Not only protect them from the bandits, but also from the food collection team.

   Of course, this is a secret agreement, and Blackwater Town still owes allegiance to Gervodan on the surface.

   But if the food requisition team was robbed, then no one can blame Heishui Town.

   "That's what happened." Pierre hesitated a little: "Although we are very short of food, being their protector... is almost equivalent to confronting Gervodin head-on."

   "Okay!" Winters laughed loudly: "Just what I want!"

   [I, a Veneta businessman, pointed out the skill of "double-entry bookkeeping", which is obviously very reasonable]

   [Today is also a big chapter, 8589 words, equal to plus more]

   [[Thank you for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment, thank you all]]

   (end of this chapter)