The Arms Deal Was Completed

After sitting down next to Benson, Old Clayton smiled broadly at him and said, "Mr. Moretti. Benson Moretti, it's nice to see Benson again."

"Good morning, Clayton Butler." After finishing his care, Benson added, "Yes, Mr. Butler, I remember the last time we met was a year and a half ago. Thank you so much for your generosity back then, which allowed me to bury my mother's remains in Raphael Cemetery."

Upon hearing this, Old Clayton silently shook his head and said, "No need to be so polite. Taking care of you military orphans is a task left to me by the Sheffield Family."

"Benson, your mother, with her hardworking hands, supported your family. The burden of life weighed heavily on her shoulders, but she never flinched. This kind of person deserves the world's praise."

"But it's a great pity that she didn't see you all get married, start your own families, and grow up completely. Also, the plot of land next to your father's grave is already occupied by other people, so they can't be buried together."

"However, based on my understanding of the two of them, I believe they will surely meet again in the Goddess's divine realm."

After speaking, Old Clayton looked at Benson and sensed his low spirits, so he explained, "It's rare for a descendant of an 'old friend' to come to this castle, and I can't help but feel sentimental."

"I'm not young anymore, and the end of my life could come at any time..."

Benson remarked with a touch of humor, "Clayton Butler, are you saying this to shame us young people? You're more energetic than many of us right now."

Ha~ha~ha~cough~cough

After hearing Benson's words, Old Clayton burst into laughter. But age had taken its toll, and his health wasn't what it used to be; he coughed after only a few laughs. After patting his chest to catch his breath, he said to Benson:

"The main reason I called you here is because I briefly introduced you to Count Altair. Although I personally believe you are a promising talent, requiring only a small investment, you could bring the Sheffield Family a substantial return."

"But please don't get carried away, because the final decision on your investment still rests with Count Altair. If the Count disagrees, this meeting will be meaningless, or even Catastrophe."

After explaining, Old Clayton began to impart his experience to Benson: "During the audience, you must try to remain calm. Answer the Earl's questions concisely and to the point... Also, during the conversation, you must demonstrate your unique qualities, such as your personality, your sense of responsibility towards your family, and other excellent qualities—these are all valuable assets. And most importantly, you must flatter Count Altair..."

After saying this, Old Clayton patted Benson on the shoulder, then said with a serious expression, "I think you should understand what this meeting means."

"Your current job is stagnant and you can't seem to break free because of your 'diploma' requirement. At best, your weekly wage is only 1 Gold Pound and 10 soli."

"If you were living alone, that would be manageable. But you also have to support your younger brother and sister with this money. So now you can only live in a shared apartment on Iron Ten Street, where even the most basic bathroom has to be shared with others. It's extremely inconvenient for men, let alone your sister Melissa."

"Furthermore, I believe your family has never set aside any reserves to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. If anyone in your family were to fall seriously ill, there's no guarantee they would receive adequate medical care."

After listening to Old Clayton's words, Benson nodded heavily, thinking to himself, "This is an undeniable reality. My mother died for this very reason: long-term malnutrition and typhus, which, to put it bluntly, is a 'poor man's disease.' If only we had enough Gold Pound back then, my mother wouldn't have died."

After seeing that Benson fully understood the significance of the meeting, Old Clayton smiled and said to Benson:

"Don't be nervous. Did you have breakfast this morning? When I came in, the kitchen was cooking some delicious food..."

After regaining his composure, Benson said to Old Clayton, "You're too kind. I already had breakfast this morning before I left."

"Oh, right. This is a little gift our family prepared for Count Altair; it includes mashed potatoes that the three of us siblings made together."

"Actually, I think the best gift would be fresh flowers grown in my own garden, but as you know, my family's circumstances aren't suitable for growing them, so I can only send the Count a serving of homemade mashed potatoes."

After accepting the gift, Old Clayton said to Benson, "I will explain for Count Altair."

He then added, "However, I think the Count will understand your family's intentions without me having to explain."

As the two chatted, the teacups on the table were emptied and refilled repeatedly. After finishing the third pot of black tea, Benson glanced at his pocket watch and asked curiously, "Clayton Butler, I wonder if His Count is dealing with important matters? When can we meet?"

After accepting the fresh tea and pastries from the servant, Old Clayton poured Benson another cup and said, "Before you arrived, Count Altair suddenly remembered he had important business to attend to, so he asked me to entertain you first."

"This cake is a brand new creation from the kitchen. Please try it."

Benson was surprised to see so many summer fruits used as decorations for the cake that Old Clayton handed him. It was almost winter, yet they were still using so many Summer Fruits.

Meanwhile, Altair, who had originally planned to meet Benson, was now huddled in her bed. But she wasn't sleeping... no... or rather, Altair's consciousness wasn't asleep, but rather conducting this arms deal within Adam's Bone Church.

Altair, using Adam's trumpet, addressed the people before him. "A rifle will cost at least 8 Gold Pound, no lower. To prevent you from copying the weapons, I will also limit the number of bullets: 500 bullets per rifle. Of course, if you are willing to pay 100,000 Gold Pound for the copying fee, I can lift the bullet limit."

The person sitting opposite her said, "That's impossible. Your price is still too high. According to our engineers' budget, the labor and material costs for manufacturing one gun will only cost a maximum of 7 Gold Pound. That way, you can make a profit of 1 Gold Pound per gun... We can pay the weapon imitation fee."

Altair looked at him disdainfully and explained, "I'm dealing with deadly business right now. After you use these weapons on the battlefield, Loen will definitely try to find me and deal with me immediately..."

"However, I can give you a suggestion. You certainly don't lack basic resources like steel and timber. You can sell these resources to me; I'd be happy to accept a portion."

"Furthermore, I won't care where these resources come from. In other words, once you facilitate the arms deal, you can keep all of this hidden transaction for yourself. How about it?"

After hearing Altair's suggestion, the person on the other end thought for a moment and said, "I need to discuss this with the others."

Altair nodded without replying, and then the figure in front of him gradually disappeared. But then a new person appeared.

The newcomer immediately told Altair, "They've agreed to your deal. First, they're willing to spend 100,000 Gold Pound to buy weapon replicating technology, but they require you to prioritize selling them bullets and are willing to buy the weapons produced in your factory at 8 Gold Pound per rifle."

"Of course, they are willing to proceed with your primary objective of purchasing the Beyonder Characteristic. All of this can be documented in a notarized agreement."

"I think we should now discuss the steel resource acquisition deal."

Altair smiled and looked at the person opposite him, saying, "Of course... steel can be purchased at market price..."

After all the arms deals were completed, Altair asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly ask me to sell them weapon blueprints? Aren't you afraid they'll suddenly have a technological breakthrough?"

Adam, however, remained unfazed, explaining, "Don't worry, the fundamental principle of these weapons is still 'gunpowder propelling the warhead forward.' As long as we shut down some key technologies, they won't be able to enter an era of technological explosion."

"And I'm keeping a close eye on those researchers now."

Altair nodded and said to Adam, "Then I'll have to trouble you. Now you not only need to keep an eye on them, but also help me transport weapons."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. I have some things to take care of in the real world."

Adam did not reply, but smiled and said goodbye to Altair.