Luke, Bourne, and James exchanged glances. What on earth did he mean by shell?
10% was not small money.
'These guys were just fools.'
Luke, who had given a harsh assessment of the captured smugglers, grabbed Bourne's shoulder and stepped forward.
"Look, you shouldn't look at us like water. Do you think we're just yesterday-born savages? Think about it. You guys make fake pearls by pounding and carving shells. I admit that it's a lot of work. It's amazing. Even your fingers are flying off. Huh? Like this, swoosh! Fortunately, we're still putting them on."
As he said that, Luke looked around, clapping his hands like a circus ringmaster who is drawing applause from the stage.
Bourne and James, who had no idea what he was going to say, just looked at Luke with blank and uneasy expressions.
However, the smuggler leader of Kensilom smiled vulgarly as if he had expected that, and slowly lowered his chin.
Luke said.l,
"But it's desperate, and we have to think about what we have to do. Are you going to sell that to country bumpkins like you said? How much would you get out of it? You have to find someone who is stupid and has no eyes but a lot of money, but it’s not easy to find someone like that. If you get caught wrong, we’ll all... You know what I mean? Then what do you do? You have to brush your teeth. You have to wag your tongue so flashily that you don’t even have time to come to your senses. Do you know how difficult that is? It’s easy to get rid of a country bumpkin’s spirit. If you just wave a piece of colored paper in front of them, their mouths will drop open! But nobles are not like that. Those guys love to talk so much that they don’t even listen to small talk. In the end, if we want to make both sides happy, we have to... well, if I may be a little humble, I could say this person. You have to calculate the labor cost of lubricating our tongues and making them spin around so fast that we can suck the souls out of the nobles. That’s what I mean. Right, your expression right now! If you want the nobles to hand you their purses with an expression like yours.”
Luke, who had been talking so rhythmically that it was almost mind-boggling, snapped his fingers.
Even the smuggler leader, who had been through a lot, lost his mind at his words and only then came to his senses.
There was silence. Luke, Bourne, and James braced themselves for the smugglers to pounce.
However, not a single one of the men loitering behind the trees rushed toward them.
“Hahaha!”
The smuggler leader suddenly burst into loud laughter. The sound was so loud that the birds in the branches fluttered in surprise.
The leader’s eyes lit up and said,
“Ha, good. Good, good. Then you should try to persuade our superiors yourself with your smooth tongue, right?
”Luke tried to hide his defeated expression and looked back at James and Bourne. His eyes seemed to say, “What are we going to do now?”
It was obvious that the captured leader was trying to screw them over by pretending to cooperate.
When the three remained silent, the smuggler leader of Kensilom raised his thick, dirty eyebrows.
“Why are your mouths attached?”
Just as Luke was about to say something, the calm Bourne spoke up.
“So. What exactly are you guys talking about? You’re not telling us to suck our fingers and wait until our fingers are attached, are you?”
“Oh, of course. But think about it. We also lost money because you broke your promise first. You know, making fake pearls is a lot of work. You won’t make much money selling them to a bunch of idiots. And your fingers were cut off.”
He smiled faintly and twiddled his perfectly good fingers.
Bourne nodded to Luke and James. Shells and fake pearls.
Now it wasn’t just smuggling, it was fraud.
Selling fake pearls made by Kensilom as real pearls at Vetor and making a profit...
They wondered who came up with the idea.
Bourne spoke again.
“Just tell me the conclusion.”
“We have to make up for our losses. As you know, the higher-ups are very meticulous about such things. Don’t you think? Let’s adjust the ratio a bit for this deal. We get 70%, you get 30%. Well, even if it’s a difference of 10%, it’s not much, right?”
When the three remained silent, the smuggler leader of Kensilom raised his thick, dirty eyebrows.
“Why are your mouths attached?”
Just as Luke was about to say something, the calm Bourne spoke up.
“So. What exactly are you guys talking about? You’re not telling us to suck our fingers and wait until our fingers are attached, are you?”
“Oh, of course. But think about it. We also lost money because you broke your promise first. You know, making fake pearls is a lot of work. You won’t make much money selling them to a bunch of idiots. And your fingers were cut off.”
He smiled faintly and twiddled his perfectly good fingers.
Bourne nodded to Luke and James. Shells and fake pearls.
Now it wasn’t just smuggling, it was fraud.
Selling fake pearls made by Kensilom as real pearls at Vetor and making a profit...
They wondered who came up with the idea.
Bourne spoke again.
“Just tell me the conclusion.”
“We have to make up for our losses. As you know, the higher-ups are very meticulous about such things. Don’t you think? Let’s adjust the ratio a bit for this deal. We get 70%, you get 30%. Well, even if it’s a difference of 10%, it’s not much, right?”
You’re talking nonsense. Luke thought.
As long as it was the same old smuggling business, there was a lot of money to be made by passing off fake jewelry as real.
As long as it was the same old smuggling business, there was a lot of money to be made by passing off fake jewelry as real.
10% was not small money.
'These guys were just fools.'
Luke, who had given a harsh assessment of the captured smugglers, grabbed Bourne's shoulder and stepped forward.
"Look, you shouldn't look at us like water. Do you think we're just yesterday-born savages? Think about it. You guys make fake pearls by pounding and carving shells. I admit that it's a lot of work. It's amazing. Even your fingers are flying off. Huh? Like this, swoosh! Fortunately, we're still putting them on."
As he said that, Luke looked around, clapping his hands like a circus ringmaster who is drawing applause from the stage.
Bourne and James, who had no idea what he was going to say, just looked at Luke with blank and uneasy expressions.
However, the smuggler leader of Kensilom smiled vulgarly as if he had expected that, and slowly lowered his chin.
Luke said.l,
"But it's desperate, and we have to think about what we have to do. Are you going to sell that to country bumpkins like you said? How much would you get out of it? You have to find someone who is stupid and has no eyes but a lot of money, but it’s not easy to find someone like that. If you get caught wrong, we’ll all... You know what I mean? Then what do you do? You have to brush your teeth. You have to wag your tongue so flashily that you don’t even have time to come to your senses. Do you know how difficult that is? It’s easy to get rid of a country bumpkin’s spirit. If you just wave a piece of colored paper in front of them, their mouths will drop open! But nobles are not like that. Those guys love to talk so much that they don’t even listen to small talk. In the end, if we want to make both sides happy, we have to... well, if I may be a little humble, I could say this person. You have to calculate the labor cost of lubricating our tongues and making them spin around so fast that we can suck the souls out of the nobles. That’s what I mean. Right, your expression right now! If you want the nobles to hand you their purses with an expression like yours.”
Luke, who had been talking so rhythmically that it was almost mind-boggling, snapped his fingers.
Even the smuggler leader, who had been through a lot, lost his mind at his words and only then came to his senses.
There was silence. Luke, Bourne, and James braced themselves for the smugglers to pounce.
However, not a single one of the men loitering behind the trees rushed toward them.
“Hahaha!”
The smuggler leader suddenly burst into loud laughter. The sound was so loud that the birds in the branches fluttered in surprise.
The leader’s eyes lit up and said,
“Ha, good. Good, good. Then you should try to persuade our superiors yourself with your smooth tongue, right?
”Luke tried to hide his defeated expression and looked back at James and Bourne. His eyes seemed to say, “What are we going to do now?”
“I’ve done it.”
James let out a low sigh.
It was because of Luke, but it was easy to fool the leader by looking like he was struggling with a dire and troublesome situation.
The smuggler leader couldn’t have made such a suggestion in earnest.
I don’t know who the ‘higher-upper’ is, but there was no way he would personally come all the way to this secluded forest path.
In other words, to meet him, I had to sneak into Kensilom, which was a perfect condition for ending up like a dead body on the street if I made a single mistake.
‘Even if I had some guts and a little bit of eloquence, would I really dare do that? They’re all smugglers anyway.’
The smuggler leader of Kensilom looked at the three of them leisurely with a sinister smile. They
would probably back out and accept our terms by now… … He crossed his arms, expecting the three of them to back down.
Then Bourne said calmly,
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Luke and James’ eyes widened at his words. If their reasoning had been just a little weaker, they would have grabbed Bourne by the collar and yelled, ‘Are you crazy!’
The smuggler leader frowned.
“You’ll do that?”
“Yeah. If we go with you, you won’t have any trouble with illegal immigration, right? If you want to keep doing business in this industry, you should know the rules, right?”
“Oh, that’s true. Do you really want to meet him? You won’t regret it, right?”
Bourne looked back at James and Luke.
“We have other things to do. So Luke and I will meet him. As soon as this deal is over, that guy has to go help the captain with another deal, and that’s a bit complicated.”
He felt that he was getting more and more into trouble by trying to beat around the bush, but he pushed himself forward.
The leader made a face like, ‘Are these guys crazy?’ and then shrugged and took a step back.
“Wait a minute. We need to talk amongst ourselves.”
He sheathed his dagger and called his men together.
At that moment, Bourne, Luke, and James were talking quietly away from the smugglers.
“Bowles, are you crazy?”
“You’re in your right mind. You were the first to open your mouth, Russ.”
Luke—Rusmov—whispered, stomping his feet in frustration.
“Hey, you punk, that’s because they’re offering us unfavorable terms! If we just say, ‘Okay,’ they’ll think it’s weird, so we’re just bluffing! Ingrid, you say something too! Bowles is crazy!”
Then, James—Ingrid—who was furrowing his brows, glanced at Bourne—Bowles—.
“You pulled me out on purpose, didn’t you?”
Bourne nodded.
“Yeah. We had to get on their tails anyway. We caught the opportunity, so we grabbed it. So, Ingrid, you go straight to the castle and tell them this while keeping a close eye on them.”
Luke patted his chest.
“Oh, this kid’s crazy. Hey, did you put brains on your toast instead of jam this morning? Just the two of us going into Kensilom and what are we going to do? Who do you think is above them? If they have a hobby of skinning and displaying the skins of guys who come to ask for more money, you’re going to take responsibility for it?”
“Shut up, Russ. Think about it.”
“This kid always picks on me.”
Luke made a motion to kick James’s ankle. Bourne, lost in thought, said.
“The goal is to find out who’s running these guys and come back as close to this deal as possible. If he can’t change the ratio—Luke’s tongue might not be as well-greased, right?—we can just accept the terms and walk out.”
“What if we get stabbed in the back when we walk out?”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Of course not. Luke grumbled. James, lost in thought, said.
“All right. Then I’ll go back as fast as I can and come up with a plan. If those guys accept our offer, we’ll set a date and meet here again. We have to push through that.”
Bourne nodded.
“Hey!”
The leader of the Kensilom smugglers called out to the three.
He looked like he was a little worried, but he eventually said,
“Yes, let’s do what you say. Just don’t expect me to help you out.”
Bourne said.
“It’ll be bad if you make us look like idiots.”
The leader grinned, his lips parted wide.
The cheap dentures that had been inserted in place of his upper canines stood out.
“Yes, Yes. Let’s get going right away. Before we delay and lose track of time.”
Bourne nodded to James.
James, who had been watching his two friends crossing the Kensilom border with concern among the smugglers, hurriedly turned around, cursing.
James let out a low sigh.
It was because of Luke, but it was easy to fool the leader by looking like he was struggling with a dire and troublesome situation.
The smuggler leader couldn’t have made such a suggestion in earnest.
I don’t know who the ‘higher-upper’ is, but there was no way he would personally come all the way to this secluded forest path.
In other words, to meet him, I had to sneak into Kensilom, which was a perfect condition for ending up like a dead body on the street if I made a single mistake.
‘Even if I had some guts and a little bit of eloquence, would I really dare do that? They’re all smugglers anyway.’
The smuggler leader of Kensilom looked at the three of them leisurely with a sinister smile. They
would probably back out and accept our terms by now… … He crossed his arms, expecting the three of them to back down.
Then Bourne said calmly,
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Luke and James’ eyes widened at his words. If their reasoning had been just a little weaker, they would have grabbed Bourne by the collar and yelled, ‘Are you crazy!’
The smuggler leader frowned.
“You’ll do that?”
“Yeah. If we go with you, you won’t have any trouble with illegal immigration, right? If you want to keep doing business in this industry, you should know the rules, right?”
“Oh, that’s true. Do you really want to meet him? You won’t regret it, right?”
Bourne looked back at James and Luke.
“We have other things to do. So Luke and I will meet him. As soon as this deal is over, that guy has to go help the captain with another deal, and that’s a bit complicated.”
He felt that he was getting more and more into trouble by trying to beat around the bush, but he pushed himself forward.
The leader made a face like, ‘Are these guys crazy?’ and then shrugged and took a step back.
“Wait a minute. We need to talk amongst ourselves.”
He sheathed his dagger and called his men together.
At that moment, Bourne, Luke, and James were talking quietly away from the smugglers.
“Bowles, are you crazy?”
“You’re in your right mind. You were the first to open your mouth, Russ.”
Luke—Rusmov—whispered, stomping his feet in frustration.
“Hey, you punk, that’s because they’re offering us unfavorable terms! If we just say, ‘Okay,’ they’ll think it’s weird, so we’re just bluffing! Ingrid, you say something too! Bowles is crazy!”
Then, James—Ingrid—who was furrowing his brows, glanced at Bourne—Bowles—.
“You pulled me out on purpose, didn’t you?”
Bourne nodded.
“Yeah. We had to get on their tails anyway. We caught the opportunity, so we grabbed it. So, Ingrid, you go straight to the castle and tell them this while keeping a close eye on them.”
Luke patted his chest.
“Oh, this kid’s crazy. Hey, did you put brains on your toast instead of jam this morning? Just the two of us going into Kensilom and what are we going to do? Who do you think is above them? If they have a hobby of skinning and displaying the skins of guys who come to ask for more money, you’re going to take responsibility for it?”
“Shut up, Russ. Think about it.”
“This kid always picks on me.”
Luke made a motion to kick James’s ankle. Bourne, lost in thought, said.
“The goal is to find out who’s running these guys and come back as close to this deal as possible. If he can’t change the ratio—Luke’s tongue might not be as well-greased, right?—we can just accept the terms and walk out.”
“What if we get stabbed in the back when we walk out?”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Of course not. Luke grumbled. James, lost in thought, said.
“All right. Then I’ll go back as fast as I can and come up with a plan. If those guys accept our offer, we’ll set a date and meet here again. We have to push through that.”
Bourne nodded.
“Hey!”
The leader of the Kensilom smugglers called out to the three.
He looked like he was a little worried, but he eventually said,
“Yes, let’s do what you say. Just don’t expect me to help you out.”
Bourne said.
“It’ll be bad if you make us look like idiots.”
The leader grinned, his lips parted wide.
The cheap dentures that had been inserted in place of his upper canines stood out.
“Yes, Yes. Let’s get going right away. Before we delay and lose track of time.”
Bourne nodded to James.
James, who had been watching his two friends crossing the Kensilom border with concern among the smugglers, hurriedly turned around, cursing.
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