Mystery: A Spark

Under these circumstances, the fat manager quickly developed greed.

He withheld the wages that should have been paid to the workers and replaced them with cheap black bread and water, so that he could embezzle a portion of the profits.

Furthermore, the brewery's profits are not static.

With the repeal of the Grain Act, grain prices have decreased, which will significantly increase the profits from brewing.

This portion of the money was naturally embezzled by the fat manager.

Although Baron Rhys pays him a salary every month, who would complain about having too much money?

Anyway, these workers were farmers who went bankrupt because of the repeal of the Grain Act, and they would definitely starve to death without work.

The fat manager felt that since he had given them a bowl of rice, they should be grateful. How could they dare to have any complaints?

Even if the workers were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do, after all, he was Baron Rhys's subordinate, someone with noble backing.

Originally, no one would have known about this, and the workers at the brewery didn't have enough knowledge to discover it.

However, the short woman in front of him exposed his lie on the spot, which immediately threw the fat manager into a panic.

Seeing the fat manager's expression change drastically, Hugh's lips curled slightly, and he slowly said:

"It seems I guessed right, you really did embezzle your master Baron Rhys's money."

She leaned forward slightly and said in a voice only she and the fat manager could hear:

"Sir, you don't want Baron Rhys to find out about this, do you?"

"What do you want?" The fat manager stared intently at Hugh, his voice sounding as if it were seeping out from between his teeth.

Ignoring the fat manager's hateful glare, Hugh continued slowly and deliberately:

"You have three days to pay the workers their full wages and provide them with a certain amount of compensation."

"Don't tell me you don't have money. Someone like you could easily make up for the unpaid wages owed to the workers by selling just one piece of furniture, and there would definitely be a lot left over. As for what happens next, someone will come and talk to you again."

"Of course, you could try absconding with the money, but I don't think you would do that, right?"

The fat manager's face twitched involuntarily. He had indeed considered absconding with the money, but most of his assets were difficult to take with him in a short time.

Moreover, he only enjoys his good life because he is dependent on Baron Rhys. If he goes to a place where he knows no one, he will have to start all over again.

A person like him would naturally not be able to make such a big decision.

Hugh saw this, which is why he was certain that the guy wouldn't dare to run away.

After all, those who have stable assets have stable minds.

People with families and businesses gradually settle down and are less likely to engage in risky activities.

Therefore, for a society to be stable, most people need to have their own families and property, so that people's minds will be at ease.

Even if they suffer some injustice, they will have concerns about their family and property and will not do anything too extreme.

However, if many people in a society do not have stable jobs, do not have enough assets to make them reluctant to give up, and do not have enough conditions to form families with others.

So if they can't survive, they'll definitely roll up their sleeves without hesitation and rebel against the devil.

Such a society would be like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

After agreeing to Hugh's conditions, the fat manager slunk away, knowing that he had been caught red-handed and that refusing would have resulted in even worse consequences.

"Letting him go like this is too good for him," a member of the security team muttered quietly.

The security team was established by Hugh, and most of its members were originally poor people, so they naturally couldn't stand people like the fat supervisor.

“He’s still somewhat useful for now, let’s keep him for the time being.” Hugh turned around and looked at Klein and the other two. “These two look unfamiliar, what are your names?”

“Hello, Miss Hugh, I’m Mike Joseph, a reporter from the Daily Observer. I’m here in the East End for an interview. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mike introduced himself politely.

“I am Sherlock Moriarty, the private investigator he hired, and this gentleman next to me is our guide, Old Kohler,” Klein said, introducing himself and Old Kohler.

"So you're reporters and detectives. Well then, I won't disturb your work. I hope you can report the hardships of the people in the East District truthfully." Hugh stepped aside to make way.

“We definitely will,” reporter Mike nodded solemnly.

Reporting truthfully is a basic professional quality of a journalist, and he has always strictly adhered to this principle.

Hugh watched them leave, then said to the other members of the security team:

"Keep patrolling."

She glanced at the homeless people watching the situation from a short distance away, sighed softly, and then left.

……

7 Downsend Street, Queens.

"You're here. Please have a seat and a Coke to calm your nerves." Arthur invited Hugh, who had just arrived, to sit down, and then poured her a Coke as usual.

Hugh didn't speak, but just stared at Arthur with a deep gaze.

Arthur felt a little uneasy under her gaze, and coughed lightly, saying:

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hugh gently shook the can of cola in her hand and said in a tone tinged with resentment:

"I was tricked by you into running around everywhere, working three jobs at the same time. I had to take on tasks from MI9, serve as a special advisor to the police station, and help you lead the security team. I was so busy every day that I didn't have time to rest."

"And you..."

Hugh looked Arthur up and down expressionlessly and said:

"You spend your days leisurely drawing comics at home, drinking cola, and petting your dog. You're living such a carefree life."

“Uh… I’m not always this relaxed.” Arthur chuckled dryly and winked at Arthas, who was lying next to him. “I just happen to have nothing to do today.”

Arthas, quite astutely understanding Arthur's meaning, quickly snuggled into Hugh's arms and rubbed against him affectionately.

"Look, now you can drink Coke and pet your dog at the same time," Arthur said with a smile.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She wasn't actually dissatisfied with her current life; she just felt psychologically unbalanced by the fact that her friend and boss were both lazybones.

She now works three jobs at the same time. Although her life is busy, she is also earning a lot and no longer has to rely on accepting bonuses to make money little by little as before.

Although MI9 missions are not frequent, the rewards make it easier for her to purchase the materials for the next stage of potions.

Serving as a special consultant for the police department gave her a legitimate identity, allowing her to handle matters in the East District more easily.

This identity was suggested by Arthur and obtained through connections within MI9. It brought her great convenience and allowed her to receive a monthly salary from the police station, which was a stable income.

Leading the security team to patrol the East District allows her to digest the sheriff's potion. Based on her feelings, she should be able to digest the potion in about two or three months and then advance to Sequence Seven, "Interrogator".

Xiu took a few sips of Coke, and then started petting the dog in his arms while talking about what happened to him that day.

"You ran into a reporter who came to interview the East End?" Arthur poured himself a Coke.

“Hmm, that reporter seemed alright, kind-hearted.” Hugh nodded, then asked with some confusion, “I don’t quite understand, why do you want this brewery?”

Today's events were not a coincidence, because Arthur had recently set his sights on this brewery and wanted to buy it.

However, if Arthur were to rashly go to Baron Rhys's door, not to mention whether Baron Rhys would be willing to sell, even if he were, he would definitely offer an exorbitant price.

So Arthur instructed Arthas to occasionally keep an eye on the brewery and see if he could use some means to acquire it at a relatively low price.

That's why things turned out this way.

Through a series of persuasive words, Hugh easily got hold of the fat manager's weakness.

Once you have leverage over something, things will naturally become much easier.

Arthur was extremely adept at using leverage against others, after all, he had drawn many such plots in his previous life.

He had already figured out how to use this leverage to gradually corrupt the fat manager—no, wait, to turn him into a mole.

If this manager becomes the mole, then taking over the brewery will be much easier.

“Next, we’ll start setting up a workers’ mutual aid society. An organization like this needs money to operate. Although membership fees can cover some of the costs, it would be best to have a stable income,” Arthur said, sharing his thoughts.

That's only one reason; another reason is the emergence of high-yield grains.

Frank recently sent word that a batch of wheat is about to ripen.

However, if the wheat is simply transported here to be sold as grain, it will not only have a huge impact on the grain market in Rune at this time, causing farmers to go bankrupt even faster, but may also arouse the hostility of Rune nobles and big grain merchants.

At this stage, Arthur naturally wants to avoid making too many enemies.

Therefore, these high-yield grains cannot be allowed to enter the market rashly.

While grain cannot enter the market, alcohol can.

Since alcohol was not a necessity of life, no one sought to monopolize the industry at that time.

Moreover, almost everyone with some assets will dig a wine cellar underground to brew some wine, either for their own consumption or as gifts.

Just like Arthur once found a lot of wine in his own cellar, which he still hasn't finished drinking.

Even for alcohol intended for commercial use, there are quite a few people involved in this industry, and their social statuses vary widely.

For example, landed nobles, high-ranking officials, merchants of all sizes, or even any random beer hall on the roadside.

In this situation, Arthur's entry will not cause any ripples in the industry, and there is no need to worry about it causing any trouble or attention.

Furthermore, since we can now produce our own wine, then...

“By the way, Hugh, is that block of the Zgerman Party still vacant?” Arthur asked.

“Yes, we’ve used one of the houses as a base, but the others haven’t been used yet. Do you have any plans for these houses?” Hugh asked curiously.

“I do have some ideas. What do you think… what if we turned a few houses into taverns?” Arthur asked, stroking his chin.

"A tavern?" Hugh raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right, turn that place into a tavern, so that once we’ve brewed our own drinks, we can take them directly to the tavern to sell.”

"Moreover, after the workers' mutual aid association was established, the workers also need a place to rest and relax." A meaningful smile appeared on Arthur's face.

Hugh, oblivious to the smile on Arthur's face, thought for a moment and said:

"It seems like a good idea. A tavern can also be a place to gather information and exchange items, so it has quite a few uses."

When she was a bounty hunter, she frequented various taverns and was very familiar with the place. Going to a tavern felt like coming home.

"So, what's the name? The houses there are all pretty good; they don't need much renovation to be used as a pub. It shouldn't take too long." Hugh finished his Coke in one gulp and then asked.

"Let's call it the Peace Tavern. I'm a peace-loving person," Arthur said after thinking for a moment.