In the office, Lorne was reading a letter sent to him by Danitz from Bayam.
In the letter, Danitz, in his usual tone filled with boasting and excitement, briefly described the explosive success of the last arms sale, stating that the batch of arms in his hands was currently in short supply, and hoping that Lorne could take advantage of the good market conditions to ship another batch over quickly.
"So they were sold to the rebels in the Rorsted Archipelago—the ones who worship the'Sea God' Kalvetua—"
"Hmph, my weapons are definitely much better than that obsolete junk discarded by the military." The explosive sales did not exceed Lorne's expectations.
At the end of the letter, Danitz mentioned a figure—6,800 pounds.
This was the net profit Lorne received from the previous batch of arms after deducting all costs, shipping fees, and the commissions due to the captain and Danitz.
The captain had already remitted this money in batches through multiple anonymous overseas accounts.
"The same items, just shipped out to sea, and the price more than doubled."
"The arms market here in Backlund hasn't fully recovered yet. There's no reason not to do this business—but then again—"
In arms smuggling, there are two most important links: one is the sales channel, and the other is the source of the goods.
The captain could handle the channels, but there was a small problem with his own source of supply.
Even though he was now the owner of several arms factories, he didn't have that much ammunition in stock. The remainder in the warehouse wouldn't last for many more deals. If he rashly sold newly produced finished weapons, the official would definitely notice the anomaly.
It's very simple—the factory's raw material procurement records wouldn't match the finished product shipment volume. As soon as someone came to audit the accounts, the ruse would be exposed immediately.
"Although I could tamper with the production yield and secretly siphon off a portion, that would be too much trouble—" Lorne pressed his finger against his chin, pondering for a moment.
"Perhaps—I could try to acquire the inventory of other factories—"
Due to the financial crisis and intense market competition, many small and medium-sized arms factories had gone bankrupt. The weapons and ammunition they had in stock became a series of unidentifiable bad debts.
The factories were gone, and the ledgers were a mess; even if the official wanted to investigate, it would be very difficult to check in detail.
"I have some reputation in the Backlund arms industry now. I can completely use the excuse of 'acquiring bankrupt factories to expand business scope and industrial scale' to have Ted help me investigate—"
"Acquiring this inventory is definitely much cheaper than producing it myself."
"Reselling it to the sea, the price can at least triple again."
"Hmm, not bad, starting to get a bit of a 'Winner' feeling." Lorne chuckled, his mood becoming pleasant.
He took out a necklace he had prepared long ago, inlaid with a huge ruby, from his personal space.
"The most dazzling gem in Backlund, huh—"
There was a Beyonder gathering today. Xio told him that Miss Audrey would also attend.
Lorne thought that some time had passed since the incident with Dr. Allen, and the Nighthawks hadn't made any more moves. He could take advantage of the time he had now to use this opportunity to send out the thank-you gift he hadn't been able to deliver earlier and repay the favor.
He could also take the opportunity to see if there was anything he needed at this gathering.
"It's just that I feel like interacting with a real noble lady will be a bit troublesome—" He rubbed his temples. "And she's also a Beyonder—I need to be careful with my words and actions."
"Xio, you actually have a 'Fruit of the Elder Tree'!"
Before the gathering started, Audrey unexpectedly learned in a private conversation with Xio that she wanted to sell a 'Fruit of the Elder Tree' at this gathering.
She had just obtained the potion formula for the Sequence 7 'Psychiatrist' from the Psychology Alchemists. Among the main ingredients was the 'Fruit of the Elder Tree.' Her main purpose for attending this gathering was to try her luck and see if she could purchase the corresponding potion ingredients; she had already prepared to seek them out at the Tarot Club later. She hadn't expected that Xio would have it in stock.
"I'm also selling it on behalf of someone else," Xio replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Oh? Who is it?" Audrey asked curiously.
Xio lowered her head and said with some difficulty, "The other party—wishes for me to keep it confidential."
"I'm sorry, Xio." Audrey immediately realized she had spoken out of turn.
"In any case, I'll take the 'Fruit of the Elder Tree.' I can offer 650 pounds."
Miss Audrey is really rich—Xio sighed silently in her heart. She had originally planned to list it at the gathering for 600 pounds; she hadn't expected Audrey to offer 650 pounds directly.
She had no reason to refuse this price.
"By the way, will Mr. James Scott be coming today?" After the transaction was completed, Audrey changed the subject and asked casually.
"Yes," Xio nodded. "Scott has—always wanted to find an opportunity to thank you properly."
"Actually, I didn't do much—" Upon hearing this, Audrey's cheeks flushed slightly. In the matter concerning Scott, she really hadn't helped much.
However, she was indeed full of curiosity about this legendary 'hero of the east district.' At the last Charity Gala, she had wanted to use the opportunity of a dance to observe and talk to him up close, but she hadn't expected the young lady from the Mahert family to 'beat her to it.'
"By the way, is Fors not coming today?"
"Fors," Xio scratched her head. "She—she's at home rushing to finish a manuscript—"
Having changed into an inconspicuous dark coat, Lorne arrived at the gathering location in the guise of James Scott.
It was a seemingly ordinary residence located in the Empress Borough.
After meeting and greeting Xio, Xio brought him to a quiet compartment, where he saw Audrey Hall dressed in elegant casual wear.
That dog wasn't near her—her spiritual reaction was restrained and stable, not particularly strong. She should be a low-Sequence Beyonder, and not the type skilled in direct combat—leaning towards support or social interaction?
Between the index finger and the web of Mr. Scott's hand, there were calluses of a certain thickness, indicating that he frequently held something, most likely a firearm—this fit his heroic persona of having broken into a gang villa alone.
His expression wasn't completely relaxed; he was slightly restrained. Was he nervous because of the status gap—
But the way he looked at me was very calm. There was no awkwardness or obsequiousness that ordinary citizens often had when facing nobles, nor was there any unease; on the contrary, it was quite natural—this indicated that he had considerable confidence in his own strength and did not feel pressured by my status.
Taken together, the other party should be an experienced and capable Beyonder.
In the very first moment of meeting, both of them made corresponding assessments of each other in their hearts.
"Good afternoon, Miss Audrey. It is an honor to meet you here." Lorne spoke first, bowing slightly and performing a standard Gentleman's salute.
"Good afternoon, Mr. James." Audrey also elegantly lifted her skirt and returned the salute, a sincere smile on her face. "I have also been very eager to meet you, the legendary 'hero of the east district'."
"Those are just exaggerated reputations in the newspapers." Lorne smiled modestly. "Speaking of which, I am truly very grateful for your help regarding the last incident. Otherwise, I might still be locked up in the Police Station right now."
"You are too polite. Actually, I only helped a little bit." Audrey's emerald eyes gazed at him. "You are a hero yourself. I believe that even without my help, you would definitely have been safe."
The two exchanged a few more polite remarks on topics such as 'heroes' and 'reputation,' the atmosphere being harmonious and polite.
At this moment, Lorne took out the beautifully wrapped small gift box he had prepared long ago.
"This is a small token of gratitude. It is not much, but please do accept it." He handed the gift box over.
Audrey had intended to decline politely, but through her observation and conversation just now, she judged that Lorne was the type who did not like to owe favors.
A direct refusal might make the other party feel uncomfortable or awkward. Moreover, deep down, she held a trace of curiosity about what kind of gift this mysterious hero would give.
Therefore, she accepted the gift with a smile.
After opening the gift box, a simple yet exquisite necklace lay quietly on the velvet lining. The pendant of the necklace was a teardrop-shaped ruby with warm golden light flowing inside as if alive. Just looking at it made one feel an inexplicable warmth.
"This—" Audrey's eyes widened slightly. She could feel a kind of pure spirituality from this gem.
This was not just a piece of jewelry, but a Beyonder item. Moreover, its design was very much to her aesthetic—exquisite but not ostentatious.
"A small token of my appreciation. I hope it brings you good luck," Lorne smiled.
He then introduced the warding and purification effects of the necklace, as well as its special flashlight mode.
To be honest, during the introduction, Lorne felt inexplicably awkward. He suddenly recalled those glowing plastic trinkets he had seen when he was a child before transmigrating.
However, Audrey behaved quite appreciatively, very much in line with the image of a wealthy young lady full of curiosity about mysticism.
Just then, Xio walked in from outside the door, came to Lorne's side, and whispered, "Scott, Miss Audrey just bought that 'Fruit of the Elder Tree'."
Lorne appropriately showed a trace of surprise on his face, then looked at Audrey, his tone filled with a hint of surprise and realization: "So that's it—Miss Audrey, that fruit was actually entrusted to Xio by me to sell on my behalf. I didn't expect that after going in a circle, you ended up buying it."
Audrey was also a bit surprised, but she glanced at Xio's somewhat embarrassed expression and quickly figured out the reason.
"Perhaps this is fate, Mr. James." She elegantly closed the jewelry box, carefully put it away, her smile unchanged. "It seems I am very lucky today; I have both received a beautiful gift and bought the materials I needed."
"If Miss Audrey needs any more Beyonder materials in the future," Lorne said, taking the opportunity, "I might be able to help."
"Of course, I might have to charge a small handling fee," he made a small joke.
A flash of surprise crossed Audrey's eyes, but it was quickly covered by a polite smile.
Getting to know a capable Beyonder with special channels was not a bad thing for her.
Moreover, James Scott was well-acquainted with Fors and Mr. World; as the saying goes, a friend of a friend is also a friend.
At least this 'hero of the east district' didn't look like a bad person at the moment.
She nodded elegantly: "Very well, if I have any needs in the future, I will trouble you."