From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Is it harder than smuggling it in?

Upon hearing this, the priest remained silent for a long time.

Finding a buyer to sell it is much easier than bringing it in.

Honestly, bringing in thousands of cases of wine without a word is theoretically impossible.

It's obvious that these goods couldn't possibly get in by land; the "Badlands" surrounding Night City are a true wasteland.

Radioactive contamination, desertification and extreme weather, gang warfare, and a nearly collapsed transportation network mean that unless Arasaka or military technology escorts the shipment, this batch of wine worth millions will be lost halfway there.

Maritime transport is also unlikely. Although some ports in Night City are still operating, marine pollution causes ships to corrode very quickly, and there are also those deadly "renewable torpedoes," making the risks no less than those on land.

That means air transport is the only option. Theoretically, it's feasible, but in reality... no one but the company has that capability.

Using the company's transportation network just to smuggle some wine? I don't understand. What's the point? Wouldn't smuggling anything else be more profitable?

He examined Leo's face again and quickly discerned a noble and elegant air about him.

And that button on the clothes, that damn button on the clothes...

Feeling that further silence would lead to a stalemate in the negotiations, the priest had no choice but to speak up: "25%, you all like compromises the most, so how about we each take a step back?"

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 102 A Big Deal (Part 8)

25%?

Leo could actually accept this share.

But when it comes to making money, the more the merrier. That 1% is 10 euros in profit, and it happens on every transaction, so we should try our best to make it.

Moreover, as the saying goes, the easier something is to obtain, the less likely it is to be cherished.

“I stand by my proposal; 20% is already high enough. Father, I need to add some information—this isn’t a one-off deal. My smuggling channels are already in place, and I can get at least one or two shipments every month. If this deal goes smoothly, we can cooperate again in the future.”

"Can it still be... brought in?"

"Yes, I am sure."

The priest looked down at the wine, but his mind was elsewhere.

It's confirmed: long-term, stable transportation channels have been completely shut down by civil aviation. There's only one truth—it's the company, and it has to be a big company.

Selling high-end food, yes, they do have a company there that specializes in operating food, and it's no smaller than Kangtao.

It's quite tricky...

This job should be taken, even if it's just to connect with a big company that's trying to get into Night City.

Making money or not is secondary.

However, it's not good to agree too easily. For a middleman, being too easy to talk to or too willing to back down are derogatory terms and will make him look down on.

If he comes into contact with other intermediaries in the future, such as... the queen of the Rebirth Bar, "Rogge," and then finds out that he has no influence, then it's foreseeable that he'll be kicked out of the partnership.

I wanted to agree, but I couldn't appear too eager—this whole thing was so frustrating…

The priest mentally prepared his response and continued to reason with the priest: "Child, have you ever thought about this—Night City is essentially an 'island'. There are many wealthy and upper-class people here, but their numbers are ultimately limited."

Goods need buyers to sell. This city can handle tens of thousands of bottles of high-end wine, but if you ship in two batches every month, the price won't stay stable.

Leo nodded: "What if I ship it to other cities in the new America?"

"..."

The priest paused for a moment,

"How do you plan to do that?"

"You really want to know?" Leo asked back.

The priest was taken aback, but quickly realized: "I don't want to know. The middleman only talks about money and doesn't pry into the client's secrets."

Especially these kinds of secrets that could shorten your lifespan if you heard them...

It takes real skill to transport goods into Night City, but considering that Arasaka is their neighbor, it's understandable that they were able to do it.

However, getting it into the new United States... that requires the approval of military technology.

Only a third-party force of equal strength can simultaneously subdue two opposing forces.

After inspecting the goods again, you can basically confirm the order.

"20%...that's fine too. Since it's a long-term business, I'm willing to compromise. Now, shall we talk about the money first, or inspect the goods first?"

Leo smiled and extended his hand to him: "I prefer to do it simultaneously."

The priest extended his slightly aged but still firm hand and shook it briefly, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement.

Later, the four of them set off together in two vehicles to the temporary warehouse.

Jack remained silent throughout the journey, seemingly in a daze.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, this dazed state spread to Diego.

Even the most knowledgeable priest couldn't help but twitch his cheek.

High-end liquor worth millions was just... thrown on the ground?

Even the landfill is cleaner than this...

However, the female mercenary who came to meet me looked somewhat familiar.

When V took off her hood and sunglasses, the priest looked at her in surprise: "V...?"

"Hey, Sebastian Ibarra—you're still as dashing as ever, my friend."

“Hehe,” the priest chuckled, “It’s strange today. Two acquaintances have called out a name I haven’t used in a long time.”

"A name is just for calling out, I..."

V raised his hand only to realize he was still holding the gun, and quickly put it away.

"I'm a mercenary hired by L, not here to rob, so don't worry."

The priest looked her up and down, focusing on the new gun and the prosthetic marks on her face. "Looks like you're doing well, that puts my mind at ease. To be honest, I heard you were back in Night City and I was wondering why you weren't coming to me for work. Looks like... you've found a new employer."

V followed his gaze to Leo, chuckling and nodding, "Yeah, it's not easy to get a big job, of course I have to do it well. Besides... I came back from Atlanta looking disheveled, how could I possibly face my acquaintances?"

“Don’t say that. Haywood is your home forever, Mi Hijo (kid). True family and friends won’t laugh at you for a temporary setback. Maybe it’s a little late, but I still have to say it—welcome home.”

V smiled generously and stood quietly to the side.

She knew that she wasn't the one in charge of this big deal.

After they finished talking, Leo led the priest to the mountain of wine crates and casually opened one: "The goods are all here. Although there are no labels on the bottles, the shapes are quite different, so they are easy to distinguish."

The priest nodded and randomly inspected the merchandise.

Ten minutes later, he stopped, turned to Leo, and said, “No problem, these wines are from the same batch and are in excellent condition. Now we should talk about the price. If you want me to sell the wine and we can split the profits, you have to give me a reference price.”

"It has been prepared for a long time."

Leo took out a handwritten quote, which was revised after Mrs. Wells reminded him of the price.

【低档酒150-200欧，中档酒300-500欧，高档酒750-1000欧。】

That's right, he didn't dare change the upper limit, fearing he wouldn't be able to sell them. Raising the base price by 50% would allow him to make more profit.

The priest barely understood what was written in that single line.

He stared at the blank space for a few seconds before realizing: That's it?

This is a deal worth tens of millions, and the price list is just one line of text. Isn't this a bit too frivolous?

At least provide a price list and a business plan; this is incredibly disrespectful to a big deal like this.

And this price...

For the first time, Leo saw an expression on the priest's face, a kind of dazed look similar to that of Jack and Diego.

Was it sold too high or too low?

He searched online and found that the price should be reasonable.

"How about it? Selling it at this price should... definitely no problem!"

Leo changed his interrogative sentences into affirmative ones to enhance his presence.

The priest raised his eyes, gave him a deep look, and nodded: "Indeed, the price is fine."

"Shall we make a deal?" Leo was about to reach out his hand.

"Wait a minute, I have a new suggestion."

The priest stopped him and continued,

“I think the original cooperation method has a drawback—you only receive payment after I sell the goods, and I can't possibly give you the real accounting records, exposing my sales channels and interpersonal relationships. How about we change our cooperation approach…”

"I'll be your distributor, buying all your products directly, and I'll handle everything else. You'll get the money quickly; all you need to do is manage the smuggling channels. What do you think?"

A Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 103 A Big Deal (The End)

Leo thought...it was pretty good!

Being able to quickly obtain money means that his business empire can get off to a fast start and enter the snowball stage.

Even if it means earning less money, it's acceptable.

Judging from the priest's change in attitude, the price was clearly too low. He saw huge profits in the price and dared to pay for all the wine himself.

But what does it matter... a profit of 30 to 50 times can offset a negligible loss.

Sharing profits can also help you win over a potential ally.

After thinking it over, he slowly nodded: "That sounds good. What price are you offering?"

The priest looked at the note and finally managed to pull his wandering thoughts back: "I'm very sincere about making this deal, so I'll give you a fair price. I can buy this batch of wine at your highest price, but you have to give me a 10% discount."

Leo thought about it and realized that this was better than he had imagined, as it meant that the priest was only given 10% of the profits.

Before he could answer, the priest continued, “Next time, if you can really get this wine to other cities in New America, I can buy it at the original price and even help you raise the price.”

This time it was Leo's turn to look at him intently: "Do you have sales channels in other cities?"

The priest smiled enigmatically: "God's people are found in every corner of the world, and faith is our best bond. When there is sufficient reason or interest, we can always unite."

"make a deal!"

Leo no longer hesitated and readily extended his hand.

The two hands clasped together again, but this time it was no longer a ceremonial handshake; both palms were filled with an extraordinary "strength".

"You've got the Wells family as guarantors and you've also found a mercenary I know, V, to make contact. I appreciate your sincerity. Now it's my turn—"

The priest's eyes lit up, as if he were communicating with someone.

A minute or two later, Leo received his transfer notification.

[Your personal account has received a transfer of €38,400,000 from the priest. Do you wish to accept it?]

【take over. 】

[Transfer successful. Current account balance: €39,800,000.]

While Leo was still in a daze, he heard the priest say, "To round it up for you, I should pay you 1620 million euros, but that's too big a figure. Even if we use the Ibarra family's reserves, we can't pay it all at once."

"Then let's follow the distributor's rules: a down payment of 500 million, another 500 million after inspection within three days, and the remaining balance within seven days. I assure you, with my faith and the reputation of the Ibarra family, that I will not default on my debts."

This amount had already made Leo somewhat distracted. He felt he should leave quickly to avoid revealing anything due to excessive excitement.

“Father, I chose you as my partner because I trust your reputation. I’ve received the down payment, so I’ll be going now. I think… you’re probably not in the mood for small talk right now.”

The priest looked at the goods he had just received and nodded slightly: "Indeed, I would love to discuss the list of goods for the next shipment with you, but not now. I need to take care of things here first."

"Let's talk later then." Leo turned around with a flourish, waving to his friends. "This place is yours now, Father, God bless you!"

"God will also bless you, my child. Your merciful Heavenly Father loves everyone."

The priest made the sign of the cross: "Amen."

When he opened his eyes again, Leo and the others were already in the car, speeding away in a flash.

Diego stared blankly at his uncle: "Uncle, we just gave him the money like that? We didn't even check the goods carefully, this isn't right..."