A perfectly good conversation ended in a very unpleasant way.
——————————————
For more than a week afterward, Todd did not approach Alfonso again to discuss the alien powers. He focused his attention more on the breeding of the 'Dragon Bone' parasites and the establishment of the 'Twilight Mutual Aid Society'.
As Todd flipped through the register of relics compiled by the deacon, he found it increasingly strange.
The 30-day priority purchase period for holders of "Muxi Mutual Aid Fund" has not yet expired, but most of the 1,000 sacred bones of the mutual aid society have already been purchased.
He bought 50 himself, Rachel and Karin each bought 50, Hudgens and his 12 subordinates bought 70 together, Alfonso and his entourage bought 80, and Edgar and Jerry bought 50 together.
After carefully reviewing the purchase list and quantities, Todd realized that, in addition to the people mentioned above, several residents among the priority buyers were close to purchasing the maximum limit (the maximum number of holy bones that a single person can purchase).
Fifty silver months is not a small amount; where did these people get so much money?
After questioning the officiant, Todd finally understood the mystery behind it.
Many residents of Muxi Town reached an agreement with the priority buyers: the former would voluntarily give their money to the latter, and together they would pool their resources to purchase 50 Holy Bones. Profits would then be divided according to each person's share of Holy Bones. This involved a negotiation issue; the priority buyers naturally wouldn't sell their share of 50 bones—one Holy Bone for one Silver Moon—to others at the original price. Depending on their familiarity and credit history, the negotiated price was usually between five and ten times higher.
This might be a bit hard to understand, so let me give you a real example that happened in Muxi Town, and you'll probably understand.
There was a small tavern owner in town. He had once purchased a sacred bone from the "Twilight Mutual Aid Fund," but hadn't held onto it until the end, selling it to his in-laws halfway through. Therefore, he naturally wasn't eligible for the 30-day priority purchase period for the 1000 sacred bones from the "Twilight Mutual Aid Society." However, this tavern owner had money and wasn't willing to let go of this lucrative opportunity, so he approached his in-laws who were eligible to purchase. The latter were originally a poor elderly couple who made wooden cups, but because of their faith in the Holy Son, they ultimately received 14 silver moons and 79 bronze stars from the one sacred bone they purchased.
The two families sat down and discussed it. The elderly couple agreed to buy the relics together with the tavern owner, but considering the already inflated prices of relics, they decided to sell the relics, originally priced at 1 silver moon, to the tavern owner for 6 silver moons. Although the owner was unhappy, he reluctantly spent all his savings of 30 silver moons to reserve 5 relics. This gave the elderly couple 44 silver moons and 79 bronze stars. They then purchased 44 relics at once during the church's relic auction.
This practice, known as "personal shopping agents," isn't uncommon in Muxi Town, but it doesn't happen very often. After all, handing over real money to strangers is almost impossible for a normal person. "Personal shopping agents" are more often found between parents and children, family relatives, and in-laws.
Besides, there's another reason. The truly wealthy merchants in Muxi Town are still waiting for an opportunity; they believe the current price for "proxy buying" is too high. The price of the Sacred Bone will naturally decrease in the upcoming auction, without competition from priority buyers. After all, they are still the richest people in town.
Todd put down the register, rubbed his eyes, and walked out of the church, thinking about the relic auction that would be held a week later.
Rachel and Karin, who were supervising the construction of the "Sisters' Inn," happened to see him and walked over while greeting him. A small head peeked out from behind them, and Todd vaguely recognized the face—it was Pamela, the alien little girl he had rescued from Viscount Kennard.
"That's exactly what I was looking for." The head of the convent crossed her arms and looked at the priest with a smile.
Todd, whose sleeve was being pulled by the excited Karin, looked at the woman with some strangeness. In his memory, Rachel rarely took the initiative to approach him.
Rachel pointed to the hotel under construction next to the convent, her face showing an unusual innocence, and her words were full of pride: "It won't be long before the hotel that Karin and I funded will be completed."
Todd glanced at the construction site where bricks were being laid in the lobby and said with some confusion, "I still don't understand why you and Karin want to build a hotel..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw the woman's palm facing up, reaching towards him, with a document lying quietly in her hand.
Filled with doubt, Todd took the document from the other party and opened it. Inside, it was revealed that Rachel and Karin were voluntarily giving him one-third of the hotel's profits.
"What...what's going on?"
Upon hearing the question, Rachel's face revealed that sly smile that Todd knew all too well. She said, "As brothers and sisters under the Father's rule, shouldn't we extend a helping hand to one another?"
Looking at Rachel's alluring smile, Todd recalled how, when she first arrived in Twilight Town, he had always worried that she would interfere in affairs, or even engage in sabotage and espionage. But months had passed, and the woman had only been training Karin's abilities and teaching the girl to read and write, never doing anything excessive.
Shaking his head slightly at his previous actions, Todd pondered for a moment, then smiled and said to Rachel, "Do you want the recipe for 'MSG'?"
The woman paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Taking a pencil from his pocket, Todd squatted down, using his legs as a table, and wrote down the method for making MSG word by word on the back of the document.
Next, in front of Rachel and Karin, Todd tore the document in half, handed the half with the recipe written on it to the head of the convent, and put the other half in his pocket.
"Remember this. From now on, when I eat at a hotel, you're not allowed to take my money."
Watching Todd turn and leave, Rachel, holding the half-page of the document in her hand, put away her smile and stood there for a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com