Thanks to Wicham, a friend of the priest who was a skilled craftsman in his own right. In just three days, a custom-made large ceramic jar with a smooth shape and sturdy walls was delivered to the priest's room behind the church by their "reliable friend."
When he handed over the finished product, he assured them they needn't worry about the recipient being a blabbermouth. Craftsmen were used to keeping their trade secrets to themselves, and the rules of their profession could be strict. They took secrecy very seriously.
On the strength of Wicham's repeated assurances about the jar's quality, the priest confidently added a large quantity of vitriol powder.
"It's been quite a few days since I last saw William. I've never known him to let anyone else pick up the liquor."
"He needs time to turn a single sentence of news into enough gold to last a lifetime, perhaps more. So please give him a little time."
The main reason he hadn't come was that the captain absolutely refused to leave the ship, but the business deal was taking up a great deal of time as well.
After the news was released, William began meeting frequently with brokers and colleagues, seeking introductions through his acquaintances in The Church, and even finding out whether The Church was interested in buying. The ins and outs of the connections and business dealings were hard for outsiders to understand. With a professional handling everything, the others had little to do besides split the profits.
"We'd better make a finished product while they're still arguing over there. That'll make it more convincing." Kraft covered the ceramic vessel, plugged and sealed the feed opening, then opened the room's window.
They had temporarily borrowed one of the glass bottles the priest used for liquor. They