radiothebook Chapter 172 Borrower X
Chapter 172 Borrower X
Chapter 172 Borrower X
Before leaving, Kendrick came to the library to say goodbye to Aaron.
He said he would travel by boat to the Principality of St. Angkor, and return to O'Brien Bay immediately after the assassination.
Aaron simply wished him good luck in battle and instructed him not to kill anyone other than his target unless absolutely necessary.
Honest Kendrick agreed, and Aaron hoped he would enjoy the delicious pastry.
Given Kendrick's current strength, Aaron isn't worried that he can't beat anyone; his real fear is that Kendrick will lose control and get himself into a big problem that he can't solve on his own.
But this is undoubtedly a valuable experience for Kendrick, and hopefully he can overcome the challenge.
It takes about two months to travel by sea from O'Brien Bay to the Principality of the Holy Envoy.
It's not a short time. Even if Kendrick's assassination was highly efficient, it would still be at least five months before he returned to the library.
Although Aaron didn't really want to see this man, he still asked Kendrick to do him a favor: to find some black and white parrots for him in the Principality of the Holy Envoy.
In this way, Aaron was able to communicate effectively with people outside the library.
It's not that Aaron is complaining about the pheasant, but now that he has more people to worry about, he needs to receive more and more accurate information.
Kendrick has been gone for more than half a month, and Harriet has been gone from the library for a month. I wonder if she has reached the plateau yet.
However, I've heard that getting to the plateau is a long process, so we should be patient.
In Aaron's heart, he didn't actually want Harriet's trip to be too smooth. If some unexpected things happened along the way, it would actually be more beneficial for Harriet's growth.
That day, if that mercenary named Jar hadn't made the request to bring Harriet along, Aaron might have killed him.
The power in "Eternal Life" is very suitable for fighting in cooperation with others, especially with martial artists.
The witchcraft involved, when combined, can often produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts.
However, no matter how much training she receives, Harriet cannot master the skills of coordinated combat, so she needs an opportunity to practice.
The fact that Jarl was able to gain the upper hand in his fight against Lola and Draco shows that his personal strength is certainly not bad.
Making him Harriet's practice partner is undoubtedly an excellent choice.
Once Harriet masters how to cooperate with others, she will gain a deeper understanding of the meaning between the lines of "Life Goes On," which will help her grasp the profound parts of the book.
However, Kathy still doesn't seem to want Harriet to leave.
Although he eventually agreed, Aaron could see his reluctance.
These days, Kathy often gets distracted and spaces out when she reads, and sometimes she even sighs for no reason.
It seems she's lovesick.
Just like now, Cathy has found Aaron again:
"Mr. Mosley, when will Harriet be back?"
"It won't be long," Aaron said. "Although I've assigned her tasks, most of her time will be spent traveling. I estimate she'll be back in the library in two or three months."
"Is she really not in danger?"
"Danger is unpredictable and impossible to eliminate," Aaron replied, "but a sword is forged through tempering, and danger can make Harriet stronger."
“But she doesn’t need to be strong,” Casey said. “I can protect her.”
Aaron shrugged: "But you're younger than her."
"But I can still grow taller!"
"Physical abilities are only one aspect. You say you want to protect her, but what do you intend to rely on? Extraordinary power? Money? Power? Or strategy?"
Kathy thought for a moment, then lowered her head:
"I don't have any of these for the time being."
Aaron admonished Henry, "Protecting someone isn't something you can achieve by shouting slogans; you have to make yourself strong."
"Sir, I'm not making excuses. I really try very hard to become stronger, but I don't seem to have any talent for anything."
Aaron had already seen through it: "Then accept your weakness. Even if you want to maintain your relationship, you need strength to protect it. Since you can't do it, Harriet has to."
Kathy buried herself even lower: "But if this continues, won't I just be constantly taking—I also want to give—"
"Accepting Harriet's protection is not a disgrace," Aaron comforted him. "Besides, you're not powerless to do anything."
Upon hearing this, Kathy suddenly raised her head and stared intently at Aaron.
"Harriet protects your body, so you should protect her heart," Aaron replied. "And the prerequisite for doing this is that you have a strong soul, Casey. You need to cultivate your character."
It was unclear whether Cathy truly understood, but he still nodded.
Although Casey is young, Aaron knows he must grow up quickly.
Just then, Aaron noticed someone pushing the door open and entering.
The newcomer was a man with an average build, and his hairstyle and appearance were equally ordinary.
She was wearing a plain light gray coat and a pair of khaki pointed boots.
Although this person was unremarkable in appearance, new text appeared in the "Record of Forbidden Books" in Aaron's mind the moment he entered:
[Borrower, serial number ×]
Name: Leo Gibson
[Compatible with banned book: The Disqualified Contract]
[Level of Knowledge: Not Borrowed]
[Borrowing Time: Not borrowed]
[Return Date: Not borrowed]
The tenth borrower has also appeared.
Aaron stood up to greet the new visitor.
"Sir, I am Aaron Mosley, the manager here. How can I help you?"
"Excuse me, sir. My name is Leo Gibson, and I'm a businessman. I'm here to find someone."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"I heard there's a boy here."
Upon hearing this, Aaron knew that this person had come to see Cathy:
"What do you need him for?"
"It's like this, sir. I was robbed by bandits on the road, but I was rescued by a tall girl and a fully armed soldier. The girl asked me to bring a gift to the boy here as my way of repaying her."
Just from hearing "tall girl", Aaron knew that this person was Harriet.
In other words, she fought alongside Jarl?
It seems Harriet will have grown a bit from this trip.
However, since this borrower named Leo had come for Kathy, Aaron invited him to sit down in the library.
After hearing what Leo meant, Casey hurriedly asked:
"How is Harriet? Is she alright?"
"She's a kind girl, and she looks healthy, so she should be alright," Leo said. "Anyway, I was saved by her, and this is what she asked me to give you."
As he spoke, Leo took out a glass bottle.
Aaron recognized it at a glance, and Cassie blurted it out as well:
"Sugar cubes?"
Leo smiled and said, "That's right, you really are very knowledgeable."
"Reggie let me try it when I was a kid, but I don't get to eat it often."
"Yes, it takes a very high price to make just this many sugar cubes," Leo exclaimed. "But it is indeed delicious; it is sweeter than honey, even sweeter than a maiden's kiss."
"It's not that bad—" Casey muttered, her face flushed.
Leo continued, "That girl saved me, and I wanted to give her a sugar cube to repay her. She tasted it and loved it."
But she wanted me to give this to you to try, so I think you must be a very important person to her.
Upon hearing this, Cathy's joy was written all over her face.
He held the glass bottle in his hand, staring intently at the white sugar cubes inside, as if Harriet's face were etched on them.
Leo continued, "If you like it, I think she'll be very happy!"
"Of course I love it!" Cathy exclaimed excitedly.
"That's good," Leo smiled. "In that case, my goal has been achieved."
Aaron sensed that Leo was planning to leave, so he asked:
Is this really a good idea?
Leo looked at Aaron with a puzzled expression: "Sir, what are you talking about?"
"Sugar cubes are expensive, and this whole bottle must have cost a fortune," Aaron said. "And you're just a traveling merchant; this must be quite a sum for you, right?"
Upon hearing this, Leo nodded slightly:
"You're right, sir. This small bottle of sugar cubes alone costs nearly seventy silver coins."
"So, do you have inventory or funds on hand right now?"
"I just completed a transaction and now have three gold coins, but no goods."
Leo shrugged and explained.
"Sir, for traveling merchants, if they don't trade some goods during their journey, it's a waste of time and travel expenses, but there's no other way, and ultimately they don't see any business opportunities."
"Is the market bad?"
"Yes, the market is bad," Leo said. "There are two types of businessmen: the conservatives and the aggressives. The latter can often make a lot of money, but they can also lose everything."
"I belong to the former group. I won't easily take a step unless I'm at least 80% sure I'll make money, so this kind of thing happens occasionally."
Aaron asked curiously, "As a businessman, can you really resist the temptation of profit?"
"There are many such merchants, but most of them are older and have families. But there are very few like me, a traveling merchant with no ties. It's just a difference in philosophy."
"I just want to say, if you don't want to make a lot of money, why become a businessman? It's easier than not having to farm, and the journey is fraught with danger, you might even lose your life."
"Like this time, I almost lost my life."
Leo shrugged, saying with a hint of helplessness,
"Don't let my appearance fool you, I actually value my life very much, which is why I'm willing to give you a bottle of expensive sugar cubes as a thank you gift. After all, compared to my life, gold is nothing."
"But sir, you've hit the nail on the head. I did become a businessman because I wanted to make a fortune."
Aaron pointed out, "But your current behavior contradicts that."
"I just want to steadily accumulate a sum of money, then buy a ship and become a maritime merchant."
"Is this your dream?"
"No, this is still just an intermediate step."
Leo shook his head.
"I want to establish a chamber of commerce; that's my dream. I've long realized that businessmen are destined for a life of constant travel and toil."
Only those chamber of commerce presidents who sit leisurely behind their desks, sipping green tea and red wine, can be considered truly enjoying life.
Aaron smiled and said, "I can see that you have a good plan for your future. However, establishing a chamber of commerce requires considerable wealth and a wide network of connections."
Leo nodded in agreement: "That's natural."
"However, relying on a conservative strategy to achieve this goal seems too difficult."
“Businessmen are all gamblers, sir,” Leo said, “but how much money a gambler can make is directly linked to how much he bets.”
"Even if I gamble now, I won't be able to achieve my goal in one go, and even if I fail, I won't gain any real experience in making big money."
"So I must first accumulate a certain amount of wealth, so that even if I fail, I can fail on a higher stage."
Regardless of whether Leo's views were right or wrong, Aaron could tell that Leo was a mature and opinionated person.
It was precisely because of this quality that Aaron concluded that Leo was by no means a short-sighted person who would lose his mind for a little bit of petty gain.
Aaron asked, "In that case, when do you plan to begin the second step of your plan, which is to become a maritime merchant?"
“Once I’ve saved enough money, I’ll buy a small trading ship,” Leo said. “Then I’ll be a maritime merchant.”
"How much?"
"I only have a general idea of the prices. Even the smallest trading ship costs 150 gold coins. Older ships should be cheaper, but they will definitely not be less than 80 gold coins."
Upon hearing this reply, Aaron said:
"So, what if I invest in you?"
Upon hearing this, Leo's eyes sharpened, and he immediately sat up straight:
"invest?"
"That's right, I'll give you fifty gold coins to speed up your carriage so you can immediately own a trading ship and become a maritime merchant."
Baron Alves of Vulture City paid 500 gold coins to the Block Alliance to assassinate a patriarch.
Aaron, as the consultant, will receive 10% as commission, which is fifty gold coins.
With his previous savings, Aaron could barely scrape together eighty gold coins.
As expected of a businessman, Leo asked:
What do you want to gain?
"I need to take a cut of your future income," Aaron replied.
"How many."
Aaron thought for a moment: "Fifty percent."
Without hesitation, Leo replied, "Twenty percent."
Is this an instinctive bargaining tactic? Aaron laughed, looking at Leo; his business acumen wasn't bad either.
Interesting, then let's play along:
"You can't give me any guarantees; my money might be lost."
"But there must be something about me that makes you willing to take the gamble," Leo replied, "30%."
"And I also cannot verify whether you will later deny my investment."
"We can sign a contract."
“If you escape abroad,” Aaron said, “the contract will no longer be valid, and with your ship, you can do that easily.”
I assure you.
Aaron laughed: "A merchant's promise?"
"All I can promise you on this is," Leo said, "and a concession of forty percent."
"4.5".
"make a deal!"
Aaron instantly understood that as long as the price was lower than Aaron's original offer, Leo would probably accept it without hesitation.
He raised an eyebrow and shook his head: "I'll get the money for you later."
"And I will certainly keep my promise," Leo said with a smile. "But, sir, do you have any recommendations for goods suitable for maritime trade?"
"What, you're a professional businessman, and you're asking me, a librarian, what kind of trade I should engage in?"
"Being open to suggestions is an essential quality for a qualified businessman," Leo said. "Besides, I have no prior experience in maritime trade, so I need to listen to all kinds of advice."
Aaron didn't complain too much, but instead began to think.
He then realized that how could someone who hadn't left the library in years possibly know about the current trends?
Just as Aaron was wondering how to answer, Cathy spoke up:
"How about Golden Wine?"
"Golden wine?" Leo frowned. "Golden wine from the Blois peninsula?"
"Yes," Casey said, "the golden grapes will be ripe next month, and the weather this year has been fantastic, so the quality of the grapes and the wine will definitely be extremely high."
"The first batch of gin will be ready in another month. By the time you arrive at the Blois peninsula and select a ship, it will be around that time."
"And pre-ordering products often gets you an even lower price!" Leo said with a laugh. "How do you know that much detail?"
Kathy proudly declared, "It's a secret!"
"Isn't that what Harriet told you?" Aaron shook his head. "What's there to hide?"
However, judging from Kathy's description, this year's Golden Wine might actually be profitable.
Since Kathy had made the suggestion, Aaron remained silent.
He left his seat and took a small bag of gold coins.
The transaction was officially completed after both parties signed and sealed the two written contracts, and Aaron handed over eighty gold coins to Leo.
Before Leo left, Aaron handed him the "Disqualification Contract".
Looking at the forbidden book in his hand, Leo asked in confusion:
"This is?"
"Study this book carefully; it will definitely help you."
Leo seemed somewhat skeptical: "I understand, sir. I'll give it a try."
"After you finish learning,"
Aaron instructed,
"Remember to return it to the library..."