Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The Pliskin boy was strange in that he always managed to cause Winters a little trouble at subtle moments, like now.

With an extraneous person in the living room, it becomes difficult to talk about a more personal topic.

Winters sighed helplessly in his heart - it seemed that the conversation could only continue until dinner time.

The public reason for Mr. Leo's presence at Winters' residence was that Winters wanted to give him a farewell party.

Leo has already said goodbye to Winters, because the transshipment of wool still needs to be coordinated by him personally, and the partners of Navarre Trading Company will leave Tiefeng County in the near future.

But even at this juncture, Leo kept silent about Ms. Navarre's matter, as if nothing happened.

Leo was able to hold back, but Winters couldn't watch Anna continue to suffer while waiting.

Ever since she ran away from home, Anna felt a tightness in her chest every time she thought about how her mother might react.

Catherine, on the other hand, sneered at Anna's anxiety. Little Ms. Navarre, with her usual optimistic attitude, comforted her sister: "What happened has happened anyway, and we are our mother's biological daughters. What else can she do to us?"

When faced with a difficult and unsolvable problem, people's instinctive response is to "not think about it." It seems that as long as you don't face it for a day, the problem will disappear.

However, the arrival of Mr. Leo lifted the veil covering the scar, leaving the person involved with no way to continue to deceive himself.

Whether it is good wine or bad wine, one day the bottle will be opened.

Winters invited Mr. Leo to his home in the name of seeing him off, ready to sit down and face the problem head-on, and then solve it.

But Winters was vaguely worried that Mrs. Navarre's attitude might be sharp and might irritate Anna. Therefore, he took advantage of the opportunity before the dinner officially started to have a chat with Mr. Leo in advance.

As a result, before we could get to the point, an uninvited guest arrived.

Winters looked at the uninvited guest with a slight line between his eyebrows. He moved the collar a few times—the sweater was a bit constricting, and Ms. Navarre’s knitting skills clearly had a lot of room for improvement.

There was no sense of being an uninvited guest at all. When little Priskin saw the blood wolf's expression, the tips of his ribs trembled.

That action...does it mean wiping the neck?

Little Priskin's throat moved up and down, and his sitting posture became more upright. Little did he know that at this moment, the source of his fear was actually thinking about the customs and habits of the Platuan people.

Winters only regretted that his understanding of Plato culture was not deep enough. When it came time to use it, he couldn't think of any action that represented "That's it, get out of here and see guests off" in Plato culture.

"Mr. Priskin," Winters asked kindly, "Your horse is tied outside the yard? Bring it into the stable first to avoid frostbite."

"No." Little Priskin guessed the blood wolf's thoughts and quickly replied: "I came here on foot."

"How can this be done? I'll prepare a horse for you."

"This...are you going to exile me?" Little Priskin felt sad and refused repeatedly: "It's quite close, not far at all. I can just walk back."

Winters had nothing to do, so he stopped being polite and asked bluntly: "What do you want from me?"

Little Priskin glanced at the smiling fat man sitting on the other side, then at the blood wolf, and finally at the toes of his shoes.

He said coyly and vaguely: "My grandfather... oh, no, it's me... came to you to confess the murder... no, about the military merit certificate..."

"Military merit certificates? What's wrong?" Winters sat back and asked in confusion: "Isn't your head coupon business doing quite well?"

Winters raised his chin towards Mr. Leo: "Even Mr. Leo praised you very much and said he wanted to meet you. It's a coincidence that if you don't come today, you two will never want to meet again. It’s difficult.”

Hearing this "naked threat," little Priskin almost burst into tears. He stood up suddenly, shook his head desperately, and the cup in his hand fell to the ground and broke immediately.

Winters didn't understand how his words irritated the other person. He looked at little Priskin strangely, and then at the fragments on the ground.

Little Priskin hurriedly bent down to pick up the cup's body.

Winters burst into laughter. He reluctantly left his seat and stretched out his hand to help the Priskin kid clean up the mess: "What's wrong with you?"

Mr. Leo, who had not participated in the conversation, said with a smile: "I think... this Mr. Priskin regards you as a cruel person like [The Butcher Duke]."

"Is that so?" Winters asked little Priskin in surprise.

"No." Little Priskin's eyes widened in horror, and his head shook like a windmill: "No."

Winters couldn't help but sigh when he thought of Anna's words.

After picking up the sharp porcelain pieces one by one and putting them on the plate, he looked at the tearful face of little Priskin and patted the other person's shoulder: "The past is in the past, you don't have to You're so afraid of me. It's just a pity that I have this cup, I only have this set of tea sets that can serve guests."

"When I get to Maple Stone City, I will send you another set." Mr. Leo said with a smile.

"Forget it." Winters fell to the bench in frustration: "Give me the porcelain cup. Sooner or later you will have to drop it again."

"It doesn't matter, I'll prepare a set of enamelware for you." Mr. Leo responded with ease: "The iron body and porcelain surface will not break no matter how you drop it."

Being compared to the Butcher Duke always made Winters feel a little uncomfortable. He asked himself that he had never gone on a killing spree like the Butcher Duke, and he could still be considered tolerant and kind.

He wanted to ask little Priskin, "Why are you so afraid of me? Where did I scare you?" However, he knew that he would not get a true answer if he asked, so in the end he could only sigh helplessly.

"Rich people will always be afraid of people holding swords." Mr. Leo seemed to understand Winters' inner injustice, and explained with a smile: "There is no way around it, and it has always been like this."

Rich people are afraid of people who hold swords. Winters chewed on these words and couldn't help but smile: "What about you? You are also afraid of people who hold swords."

"Of course." Mr. Leo said frankly: "Otherwise, why would I follow 'Colonel Cabo Chino' to Tiefeng County? It's not because I don't dare to go on the road myself."

"So after getting rich, people will start to pursue power?" Winters recalled historical allusions: "Like Crassus?"

Leo tilted his head slightly, because he didn't know who Crassus was. Winters briefly talked about the life of Marcus Licinius Crassus.

After listening, Mr. Leo was silent for a while: "That's probably it. Once you have money, you will start to pursue power. There is no way around it. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Mr. Leo pointed to little Priskin: "Why do you think he is afraid of you?"

Little Priskin, who had been left hanging for a long time, was shocked.

"Didn't you say that?" Winters glanced at little Priskin: "Because I hold the sword."

"On the surface, it's because you hold the sword." Mr. Leo said slowly: "Essentially, it's because you can take away his life, property, and status at will. No reason or explanation is needed, just rely on the sword."

There was no smile on Mr. Leo's fat face this time. He looked at little Priskin and asked, "Mr. Priskin, do you think that's the case?"

Little Priskin said nothing, but his expression said it all.

Winters defended himself: "I had no intention or reason to do that."

"Whether you have the will is one thing, whether you have the ability is another." Mr. Leo paused for a moment and said sincerely: "Unless this 'insecurity' can be completely eliminated, he - and thousands of others Ten thousand of them—will always be afraid of you, forever.”

After saying that, Mr. Leo shrugged and returned to his smiling appearance: "But... maybe what the man holding the sword wants is 'fear'. Crazy King Richard borrowed the money from the federal banker and dared to directly Isn't it because he holds a sword that he refuses to pay back his debt? How can anyone in power be willing to castrate his own power?"

Mr. Leo's last words were actually said casually to comfort Winters, but he found that Winters was deep in thought.

"I thought about it." Winters laughed cheerfully: "It's really difficult."

"I have something to ask little Mr. Priskin." Leo blinked: "Is that okay?"

"Of course." Winters leaned back in his chair, indicating that he was withdrawing from the conversation: "He just happened to be here."

Little Priskin was confused by the conversation between the blood wolf and the round-faced, fat middle-aged man, until he heard that he wanted to ask him something.

Little Priskin cheered up and sat down properly.

"According to Mayor Priskin, your commercial bank has not invested much money in head coupons." Mr. Leo asked with interest: "So I am curious, how did you accumulate so many head coupons?" ?”

Little Priskin did not dare to hide anything and told the whole process of [mortgage-purchase-remortgage].

He originally wanted to conceal the fact that he had lowered the price of the ticket, but he remembered his grandfather's warning - "Don't be smart," so he told everyone about his efforts to lower the price.

While explaining, little Priskin secretly glanced at the expression of the blood wolf. However, Xue Lang had a pensive face the whole time, as if he was still thinking about the previous conversation, so he didn't notice anything.

It wasn't until he heard everything that Mr. Leo asked: "It sounds a bit contradictory to use the head coupons as collateral and to lower the price of the head coupons."

"Lowering the price is the first thing." Little Priskin defended himself: "I can't do it anymore even if I want to."

"The price of head tickets is already very high, aren't you going to sell some?" Leo asked again.

"I have too many head tickets in my hand, so it's hard to sell them." Little Priskin answered honestly: "And if I sell them now, I always feel like I'm losing money."

"Do you think the headcount coupon will continue to rise?"

"Um."

"Why?"

"A head ticket is one hundred acres of land. Even if it is converted at the cheapest price, the current price is not high."

Mr. Leo asked playfully: "Are you so sure that a head ticket can be exchanged for a hundred acres of land in the end, instead of weaving baskets and getting nothing?"

Little Priskin took a deep breath and seized the opportunity to flatter the blood wolf: "It can definitely be exchanged for a hundred acres! I believe this wholeheartedly."

Unfortunately, the blood wolf still had no reaction.

Mr. Leo glanced at Winters and laughed.

"In general, the head bonds you hold are clearly owned by you, and the actual owner is the investor who accepted your mortgage?" Mr. Leo concluded.

"That's not the case." Little Priskin had to explain: "I originally wanted to repay with head coupons, but they didn't agree. So I finally made an agreement with them to repay with hard currency."

Leo raised his eyebrows, confused at first, then laughing uncontrollably again. Leo laughed so hard that Winters felt a little baffled.

"Mr. Priskin, I thought you were just brave." Leo wiped his tears and shook his head and said, "It turns out you are really not afraid of life and death."

"Why?" Little Priskin was a little unconvinced.

"It's very simple." Leo directly cut open the opponent's vital points: "The pond in Tiefeng County is too small to withstand your torture."

"But the price of head tickets will continue to rise." Little Priskin shouted.

"That's right." Mr. Leo said with a smile: "But as long as there is a decline, it will be enough for you to lose everything - note, not only you, but also your family. After you lose everything, the price of the head coupon will rise again. High, what’s the point?”

Little Priskin fell silent.

"In a small place like Tiefeng County, there are not many people who can participate in speculation. Once the market starts to move blindly, the situation will change faster than you imagine." Leo kindly warned little Priskin: "You You can get a mortgage not because you have credit, but because your grandfather has credit, so you will drag your grandfather into trouble."

Little Priskin said nothing because he was not convinced. At his age, there was no way he would be convinced. The more direct the criticism, the more dissatisfied he was.

Leo's smile remained unchanged, but he stopped mentioning the other party and ended the topic with a few indifferent compliments: "But bold actions can often achieve amazing gains, and risks and benefits always coexist."

Winters was also a little impatient when he saw little Priskin looking like he needed a beating.

But while Leo could sit back and watch, Winters couldn't - not even for the sake of old Priskin.

Winters kicked the table and asked, "Are you not convinced?"

Little Priskin's neck suddenly collapsed. He tucked his invisible tail and groaned: "No, no..."

"I know why you took the initiative to see me." Winters picked up the cup.

Little Priskin winced.

"Your grandfather was rich. He was afraid of me holding the sword, and you were afraid too. Your grandfather thought you were pulling out the lion's beard, so he ordered you to admit your mistake." Winters still liked to talk straightforwardly: "But you are sure You feel like you didn’t do anything wrong, right?”

Little Priskin didn't answer. But deep down, he did feel that he was not guilty.

Winters said seriously: "I also think you did nothing wrong!"

Little Priskin was so surprised that even Mr. Leo's smile stopped for a moment.

"It's very reasonable for you to discover business opportunities and use them to make profits. Maybe you took advantage of a loophole, but in the final analysis it's because I didn't set the rules - except for the part of lowering the price." Winters' eyes were blazing, and Priskin couldn't help but look at it. Dare to look at each other: "Maliciously purchasing the head at a low price is equivalent to lying on a soldier's wound and drinking blood. It makes me extremely angry. If you were my subordinate, I would have sent you to the gallows long ago."

Winters continued: "But you are not the only one who buys at low prices, and I have never banned head transactions. In the end, it is still my responsibility. I underestimated people's greed. But I don't plan to use a sword. To solve the problem, otherwise there would be no need to 'exchange coupons'. As for whether your business strategy is reasonable, I don't know and I won't judge."

Little Priskin was stunned by Xue Lang's words and just listened blankly.

"You, and old Mr. Priskin, don't have to be afraid of me. Although I hold the sword, I have no intention of abusing it. Believe it or not, it's up to you." Regardless of whether the other party understood it or not, Winters was already ready to see the guest off. : "Go home, I still have something to discuss with Mr. Leo."

Little Priskin stooped down and bowed, walking out as if he were stepping on cotton.

Before he could touch the door handle, the door was opened and Anna stood outside.

"Oh?" Anna was only surprised for a moment. She quickly recovered her emotions and greeted politely: "Good day, Mr. Priskin."

Hearing that someone had smashed a cup in the living room, Anna, who was busy in the kitchen, rushed back to the apartment immediately.

With a slight glance, Anna saw that the cups in front of Mr. Winters and Mr. Leo were intact, and only the plates in front of the empty seats contained fragments of the cups.

It turned out to be Mr. Priskin who threw the cup, Anna thought happily.

Little Priskin froze on the spot. Facing the famous Wolf Queen, he became at a loss: "Hello and good day, Mrs. Montagne."

"It's getting late, please stay for dinner." Anna invited politely.

"Okay." Little Priskin, whose mind was in chaos, subconsciously replied: "Okay."

The blood vessels on Winters' forehead instantly swelled by three points, and he cleared his throat: "Mr. Priskin, do you want to stay for dinner? Huh?"

"No, no, no." Little Priskin ran away in despair.

Anna was worried about little Priskin's condition, so she asked Charles to escort the former home.

After taking care of everything, she returned to the living room and said to Winters with a hint of anger: "Why are you so harsh on Mr. Priskin?"

"Me? Harsh?" Winters felt extremely aggrieved: "That kid is just here to cause trouble for me."

"Adults should not argue with children."

"Adult? Child? I'm not much older than him!" Winters felt even more aggrieved.

"But." Anna said seriously: "Your responsibility is much greater than his."

Winters's bristling mane was smoothed and his mood suddenly became comfortable.

"Okay." He happily admitted his mistake: "I won't argue with him anymore."

Anna pulled on her shawl, nodded to Mr. Leo, and left the living room again.

Not long after Anna left, the door of the single officer's apartment was opened again. Just hearing the footsteps, Winters frowned.

"What are you doing?!" Charles's angry shout echoed in the corridor: "Stop!"

The door was pulled open, and half of little Priskin's body suddenly squeezed in, while the other half remained outside the door - held by Charles.

"Your Excellency." Little Priskin rushed to shout: "Are you saying that if I were your subordinate, you would have sent me to the gallows long ago?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Please make me your subordinate."

…

Old Preskin's study.

"What did the blood wolf say?" the old man asked his grandson with concern.

"Grandpa, I think...Your Excellency the Tribune..." Little Priskin looked complicated and blushed: "Maybe it's more than you think..."

"What more?" Old Priskin frowned.

"I can't tell." Little Priskin gave up the organizational language and gritted his teeth: "Anyway, I'm going to Maplestone City with Mr. Leo."

…

The dining room of the bachelor officers' quarters.

It's said to be a dinner party, but it's actually a family dinner.

There are no servants in the officer's apartment, so there is no process of serving each dish in turn. The sea-blue delicacies are directly placed on a long table for six people, just like an ordinary dinner for a family.

The only people sitting at the table were Winters, Anna, and Leo.

Catherine should have been present, but little Madame Navarre was so dainty that she would not appear on such a potentially embarrassing occasion.

Anyway, I eat the same in the kitchen - Catherine said.

"Mr. Leo." Winters went on the offensive directly: "I want to propose to Ms. Navarre. Will Mrs. Navarre give us her blessing?"

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[Late...but it should be considered a big chapter...]