In a dim bar in the slums, three people sat opposite each other.
The bar was very shabby, with only three or four lights on, and the drinks ordered were only low-quality ones, mostly to satisfy the spiritual needs of the lower classes, and they were by no means delicious.
The wine was on the table, but no one touched it.
Hope was in a very relaxed posture, with one arm resting on the chair, and asked, "If you have anything you want to ask me, just ask directly."
"I think..."
"I want to know about the situation in the slums. Why are there so many poor people gathered in the holy city and how do they survive?" Father Soljie asked before Lai Gou'er finished speaking.
Hope said, "Is it strange that there are so many poor people in the Holy City? These slums are inhabited by the descendants of the craftsmen who built the Holy City. They live in the slums during the day and go into the inner city to sweep the streets or help people repair houses at night. This is how they have survived, generation after generation."
"Then... the church has so much wealth, but hasn't thought about helping these people improve their lives?" Father Solger asked, "Besides, there are people like you in the slums, and their lives shouldn't be so bad."
"Improve?" Hope sneered. "The church depends entirely on people like this. If they live well, how can the church survive?"
"I came here to do charity just because of an accident... Two months ago, an organization called the Mutual Aid Society appeared in the slums of the holy city. The Mutual Aid Society has been helping the poor in the slums to build prefabricated houses and clean up garbage without asking for anything in return. I heard about it and was curious, so I came to take a look."
"I didn't expect it to be true. I'm quite impressed. The slums you see now are much better than they were two months ago. At that time, the streets were full of feces, urine and garbage. If it weren't for the mutual aid association, there would be no place to stand."
"Later, I saw that they were really working hard, so I gave them some money and took some time to come and see how they were doing and whether they were wasting my money."
Lai Gouer felt happy after hearing this.
The Mutual Aid Association is just a cover for the Brotherhood. They arrived in the Holy City earlier, and Xiao Shuai has already reported it.
Da Zhuang and Fo Bole were active in the city.
I didn't usually ask much about how they did things, but I didn't expect that they would actually achieve some results here.
"It seems that hygiene is not easy to maintain? How do they do it?" Lai Gouer asked curiously.
Hope seemed to remember something and chuckled, "The people in the mutual aid society are a bit weird. Originally, these poor people had no rules at all and urinated and defecated everywhere on the street. Even when toilets were built, no one went there. Later, the mutual aid society organized a group of people to wander the streets. When they saw someone relieving themselves, a group of people would go up to watch. Over time, no one dared to defecate anywhere."
"Later, they distributed food and medicines, which attracted many people to join. Now they are very popular in the slums."
"Father, if you want to feel more comfortable in the church, then make friends with the mutual aid society. They can help you solve many problems. Those poor people look pitiful, but sometimes they are very hateful. Don't blame me when something goes wrong."
Father Solger nodded and took a sip of sour wine.
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Lai Gou'er said, "I came from an Eastern country. In the future, I will have to deal with the Holy See when developing my business. I wonder what the relationship is with the Church in this Holy City..."
Hope knocked on the table and said, "Friend, I can drink with you, but if you want to inquire about this matter, it will be a high price. However, I am interested in some goods from the East. What are you selling?"
Lai Gouer took out a jade pendant from his arms and handed it over.
"How about this?"
Hope glanced at it and said, "Stones are worthless."
“This is jade.”
"I don't care what you call it. Only gems can be sold at a high price here. If your thing is not recognized outside, what else can you do?"
Lai Gou'er hesitated for a long time and asked, "How about porcelain?"
Porcelain! ?
Hope's eyes suddenly widened, and he leaned forward with his hands on the table: "You have oriental porcelain... You are from Feika, and the porcelain from Feika was sold from you?"
I found it, I found a treasure!
That thing is now completely priceless, circulating very quickly on the black market and in huge demand.
Now that he had unexpectedly touched the thread, Hope was overjoyed.
Lai Gou'er thought about it for a while, felt that it would be okay to say it, and said yes.
Hope burst into laughter. "Great! Great! You've met the right person. You shouldn't have talked to the church about this. If they knew, they would at least skin you alive. Fifty percent is an understatement."
"You must have been instigated by the people who sell goods on the black market for you. This business is communicated openly with the church. If you don't cooperate, you will definitely be hit. If you want to make more money in the future, you can only rely on his channels. But you are lucky to meet me. If you cooperate with the church, he eats meat and you drink soup. If you cooperate with me, we all eat meat together!"
Lai Gou'er frowned.
He believed most of what Hope said, but after entering the Holy City and seeing the behavior of the Taifu Church, he no longer wanted to talk about it.
But I didn't expect that Duke Alvis would quietly do this behind the scenes.
But I just met this person, his identity is unknown, and he is not trustworthy.
"Mr. Hope, we just met, why should I trust you?"
Hope slammed his hand on the table and said, "To do business like me in the Holy City, you can't do it without connections. My business is spread across many countries. You can ask around in the Holy City. Everyone knows me, Hope!"
"Aren't you a furniture seller? How can a furniture seller be so famous?" Lai Gou'er said indifferently.
Hope chuckled: "When I, Hope, go shopping, I always bring at least five girls with me, and they're all different every time. Do you think anyone wouldn't recognize me?"
What kind of person is this...still so energetic in his fifties?
Lai Gou'er was silent for a moment: "Then you are really awesome."
Hope spread his hands and said, "I can prove myself. I don't believe your empty words. If you can prove that you can produce porcelain, then come to my house and we'll talk in detail. Even if the deal doesn't go through, I promise to tell you everything I know. You should be able to see that I'm a straightforward person."
Lai Gou'er was not afraid, but he looked at Father Soljie hesitantly.
Father Solger was still drinking. When he saw him looking at him, he said, "Go ahead. I'll stay here. I'll go see the Pope when he has time."
Hope looked at Lai Gou'er and pointed at the priest, showing his two rows of white teeth: "I like him, people like him are rare in the Holy City!"
......
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