Chapter 16: Chapter 16: If You Can’t Refuse, Then Lie Down and Enjoy It,
Chapter 16: If You Can't Refuse, Then Lie Down and Enjoy It,
Hastur, with a dark expression, said earnestly, "Gray , you should trust my aesthetic and morality."
This kind of inexplicable blame absolutely cannot be accepted! "Do you really have no involvement with Mrs. Gemanie ?"
"No!"
"But when someone asked Mrs. Gemanie about you, she said with a satisfied face: 'He is a man far more mature and reliable than he appears.'"
"…"
Hastur didn't know what to say for a moment. Mrs. Gemanie 's answer was truly an art of speaking!
Even if he was dissatisfied, he couldn't make a fuss about this matter. After all, from the literal meaning, Mrs. Gemanie was praising him.
But with a satisfied expression, it was easy for people to have wild thoughts and misunderstandings. He didn't believe Mrs. Gemanie was unaware of this.
Hastur didn't want to discuss this issue anymore. In this matter, he was simply no match for Mrs. Gemanie .
"Gray , don't you have matters to attend to today?"
"After having lunch with you, I'll go back to deal with those matters in the afternoon."
"I don't have a chef here at the moment…" Hastur said, a bit embarrassed.
Gray laughed, "I just wanted to try the Intis-style lunch."
"…Gray , are you trying to burden my already not-so-rich finances?"
"As a qualified noble, it's worth paying a little price to maintain the necessary dignity," Gray said, his smile even brighter.
"Gray , do you know where to sell blood?"
"There should be such a service in the East District."
"Sigh…"
…
The two chatted for a while longer, and during this time, many wealthy merchants and minor nobles living nearby came to visit.
Gray had no intention of avoiding them; instead, he warmly received the visitors together with Hastur.
Hastur knew what he meant. This was to let others understand that even though the Campbell family had declined, there was still Gray Negan as a solid backing.
As noon approached, the two sent away all the visitors and rode in Gray 's luxurious carriage to the extravagant Intis restaurant.
Gray was obviously a regular here, skillfully ordering a large table of luxurious dishes, while Hastur modestly ordered two desserts.
This Intis restaurant was said to inherit the hometown flavors of Emperor Roselle, offering cuisine different from the culinary desert of Ruin.
Hastur really liked the taste of these dishes, especially with a few delicate side dishes and a bowl of rice, which made him very satisfied.
After enjoying the lunch, Gray naturally had his attendant go to pay the bill, not adding to Hastur's fragile financial situation.
"I'll arrange a legal advisor position for you at Bavat Bank. You don't have to go to work every day, just go when you feel like it."
"As for the weekly salary, well, let's make it 10 pounds for now."
"Don't be in a hurry to refuse. I have my own selfish reasons for this arrangement."
Gray had realized that Hastur's financial situation was far more dire than he had thought. As a friend, he must offer help within his means.
"No, Gray , you still overestimate my financial situation. I really wasn't thinking of refusing…" Hastur sighed inwardly, his gaze complex, and he remained silent.
He had figured it out. Since he couldn't refuse, he might as well lie down and enjoy it.
A weekly salary of 10 pounds would amount to over 500 pounds a year. That was already enough for a family of three to maintain a relatively decent life, and he could go to work whenever he wanted without having to ask for leave or notify in advance.
Such a job was like being served a bowl of soft rice, carefully fed to him.
Seeing that Hastur didn't refuse, Gray smiled, but he also regretted that he should have increased the weekly salary several times to better help his good friend through these impoverished days.
But if he did that, Hastur might not easily accept his kindness.
Ah, Hastur was good in every way, just too proud to lower his face.
Otherwise, he could also give him a set of houses in the Queen's District and a plantation that could generate a fixed income every year.
…
After Gray left, Hastur checked the time. It was 2:20 PM, still time to go to the court to listen to the trial.
But before that, he needed to buy two stained glass windows; he was still accustomed to sleeping in his original bedroom.
After shopping around, he bought them, spending a total of 6 pounds and 8 sules!
No matter how expensive, he had to pay.
After paying, he led two workers back home to install the glass, then he locked the doors and windows and left.
Sitting in the carriage, Hastur pondered his next actions.
Digesting the lawyer's potion was the most pressing matter to resolve.
Attending Professor Wayne's lectures and observing trials at the court could speed up the digestion of the potion, but it was ultimately not as fast as playing the role of a lawyer himself.
Today's arrangement by Gray , he didn't refuse also because of this consideration.
Bavat Bank was one of the major banks in Ruin. Becoming a legal advisor there would obviously allow him to handle some business cases.
And he was also planning for his future. For him, the real way to make money should be the investment industry.
After all, he knew the major events that would happen in Ruin and the countries of the Northern Continent in the next few years. Few places were easier to get the latest news than banks.
Confirming the barbarian potion formula should also be done soon, maybe tonight. It's better to determine its authenticity early so he can start collecting extraordinary materials.
The latest news from Chief Reed had not caught Andrew Wilson, which was a matter of concern.
He had a premonition that Andrew Wilson might very well be an extraordinary person.
With a stable weekly salary, it was time to hire a suitable butler to arrange all the miscellaneous matters at home. As for maids, two or three would suffice, but a chef was the most important.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the courthouse entrance. After paying, Hastur took out his pocket watch to check the time, then, following past experience, stood away from the crowd until he heard the familiar voice of the chief justice from inside the court, and then he slowly walked in.
"Eh…"
Hastur glanced at the last row and found that all the seats were taken.
This time, it wasn't just noble ladies who came; there were also many male nobles.
It seemed that something big was going to happen today.
Hastur looked around and finally found a spot in the third-to-last row.
After listening for a while, Hastur understood why so many nobles came to court today; both the defendant and the plaintiff were nobles.
One represented the interests of the old nobility, the Conservative Party, and the other noble represented the interests of the capitalists, the Liberal Party.
With this layer of relationship, even the smallest friction could escalate into a major event.
The problem revolved around a coal mine.
The cause was a coal mine that appeared on the territory of the Conservative noble. He leased the mining rights to a capitalist to open a factory, earning a handsome profit, which was originally a mutually beneficial matter.
But the problem arose over the rent for the mining rights.
The Conservative noble had previously hired professionals to survey the scale of the coal mine and set the corresponding rent for the mining rights based on this.
Later, as the coal mine was exploited, its scale turned out to be twice as large as estimated, and the Conservative noble no longer wanted to lease it at the original rent. The Liberal noble produced a contract, insisting on respecting the spirit of the contract, conducting affairs according to the contract, and not arbitrarily raising the rent.
After multiple negotiations, neither side could reach a resolution on this issue. In the end, the Conservative noble directly sealed the coal mine on his territory, and the Liberal noble sued the Conservative noble in court.
This case was like a landlord renting a house to a businessman for business. Later, seeing the rapid rise in house prices, he wanted to significantly increase the rent, but the businessman was unwilling and wanted the landlord to execute according to the previous contract.
On the key issue of the contract duration, because the businessman was shrewd, he directly rented the house for twenty years, and less than ten years have passed now.
Naturally, the landlord did not want to miss out on making so much money. When communication failed, he locked up the businessman's shop, preventing the businessman from continuing to do business. The businessman was not easy to bully and directly sued the landlord in court.
Understanding this point, Hastur already had a guess about this dispute.
Basically, it was a muddy verdict, each party getting fifty big boards, and then compromising until both sides accepted.
To calm things down, to make a big issue small and a small issue disappear, this was a very normal solution.
But what Hastur didn't expect was that the chief justice finally declared the Conservative noble the winner, with the reason being: "The noble has the right to all property within his territory, a sacred right that cannot be violated, even if a commercial contract is signed, this right takes precedence."
In short, the rights of the nobility are above all else.
When the verdict fell, some were happy, some were sad, and some had a solemn expression, already sensing that there would be even more fierce competition between the two parties in the future.
The Conservative noble was the happiest, as this verdict meant he could re-lease the coal mine mining rights at a significantly higher price.
The Liberal noble's face was very ugly. Naturally, he did not accept such a verdict, but he also had no power to change the decision. Now he was left with two choices.
One was to admit defeat, end the transaction, and close the coal mine factory. The other was to apologize to the Conservative noble, submit to his terms, and agree to the previously proposed price increase.
But regardless of the choice, he would inevitably have to concede more benefits.
In the end, he chose the second option.
Shutting down the factory would mean his initial investment was in vain. To sacrifice benefits over a moment of pride was not a rational choice.
As the court session ended, Hastur also gained a clearer understanding of nobility and law.
The current conflicts between the new and old nobility might be resolved with concessions for the sake of benefits, but in the future, the old nobility would inevitably be purged. This was the trend of history.
The law, after all, serves the tides of the times, and in the future, it will surely place greater value on the spirit of the contract.
If a dispute like today's were to occur again, it might declare the businessman the winner and require the landlord to strictly follow the contract.
"What a fulfilling and interesting day."
Hastur felt the potion within him continuously dissolving, a smile on his lips as he walked out of the courthouse.
(End of Chapter)
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