To salvage his precarious steward's allowance, the Old Devil instantly sold out every scrap of information he had just gathered about Levis's various moves over this short period:
"Miss, according to the intelligence we have collected so far, they have already let the various factions 'snatch' away at least twenty thousand of these membership application flyers by this method. If they continue distributing them tomorrow—"
"They really dare to give everyone a copy? Interesting."
Xia Lan Veloss could not help but smile with interest. Seeming to recall something, she asked, "I heard that Luskan sealed off Gerson's trade route to the surface as early as thirteen years ago."
"That is correct."
"Then that means they currently have at least thirteen years' worth of goods stockpiled in their territory. No wonder they dare to be so utterly unscrupulous."
Xia Lan Veloss could not help but marvel. Looking at the membership application form in her hand, she asked, "But according to the calculations on their form, won't they be operating at a loss?"
The old steward dipped slightly, then, as if performing a magic trick, produced a so-called fox-fur snow boot. "I do not know how they control costs for the other items, but at least for these snow boots given away as gifts, I compared them with fox pelts from the Hidden Forest. What fox fur is this? It is plainly the hide of Cavens rats, which flood the Underdark without end.
"Furthermore, according to intelligence from the Underdark, Cavens rat meat and related leather goods have been present there since more than a decade ago.
"So they most likely control a Cavens rat nest and have already mastered artificial breeding methods.
"I simply do not know how they solve the matter of feed. But regardless, compared with fox pelts that