CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: WATER SELLS LIKE WILDFIRE!

About an hour later, Nathan came back through the warehouse gate with four young men walking behind him. They moved with the easy confidence of people who had learned to survive on tough streets.

"Alex, I’m back!" Nathan called, smiling like he’d just pulled off something impressive. "Meet the crew these are the guys who’ve had my back more times than I can count."

He pointed as they stopped in a loose line. "Over here are Tommy and Rory we grew up on the same block, and we’ve been through plenty of fights together. On this side are Rick Blackwell and Sam. Rick has his own group down in the south quarter about a dozen guys who’d follow him anywhere. Sam’s fast, knows every alley in the city, and can vanish before you even realize he’s gone."

When the four saw all the water and supplies in the warehouse, they just stared with wide eyes, clearly shocked.

"This is Alex, the one I told you about," Nathan said proudly.

The men immediately nodded and said together, "We’re ready to help in any way we can!" Then they gave Alex a short, respectful bow.

Alex looked a little surprised by how formal they were. Nathan explained, "They see me as their leader. Since you’re my leader, they think of you as the one in charge of all of us."

It was simple logic, even if Alex wasn’t sure how he had ended up in that role.

"Alright," Alex said finally, standing a bit straighter. "If you’re here to help, you shouldn’t leave empty-handed. Nathan, give each of them a bottle of water."

Nathan looked pleased with the order and quickly handed out bottles. The men took them with grateful smiles, clearly not expecting such a welcome.

"Water!""This is so pure, it’s sweet!""I haven’t had anything this clean in years...""Thank you, boss! Thank you!"

The four men took their bottles and each took a sip. Their faces lit up instantly, and their gratitude toward Alex was obvious.

For the twins, Tommy and Rory, the moment hit even harder. No one had ever shown them this kind of kindness before, and tears welled up in their eyes.

"As long as you work hard, life will get better from here," Alex said with a smile. "And today, I’ve got a job for you. Nathan, explain it to them."

Nathan stepped forward. "It’s simple we’re going to take this water to the black market and sell it. Alex says if sales go well, you’ll get a reward."

Alex nodded. "That’s right. If the business is good, each of you can take a bottle of water home and get a pound of pork. If you’d rather not take the water, you can have two gold coins instead."

The words sank in, and all four men froze, staring at him in shock.

They had never imagined getting such a good deal for something as simple as selling water.

Joining this crew was worth it.

For treatment like this, never mind selling water, they’d be willing to go through any danger without hesitation.

------

That evening, Nathan was at the head of the group, all of them carrying wooden carts. They went to the black market, put up a wooden sign with the price and started shouting to sell water.

"Clean water, best price in town!"

"Half a gold coin for a bottle of water!"

The yelling immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

"The cheapest water in the black market is two gold coins—yours is only Half a gold? Is that true? Or a scam?"

"Yeah, and what’s this odd packaging? Is it even water? Or something else?"

Everyone crowded around, looking at one another, whispering, and pointing at the water in Nathan’s cart.

The odd packaging and the cheap price put them on their guard.

"Don’t worry, guys!" Nathan shouted."This water is absolutely clean! Absolutely fresh!"

"If I’m lying, I’ll be the one to blame!"

He pounded his chest defiantly.

A well-dressed middle-aged woman with a rich appearance walked forward and, opting to test it, decided to give it a try.

"You look sure I’ll purchase one to find out."

She handed over Half a gold coin and grabbed a bottle.

"This is such a weird jug. How on earth do I open it?"

Frustrated, she suspected that Nathan was playing a trick on her.

"Here, I’ll show you, it is simple, just twist it like this."

He opened the bottle and handed it back to her.

"What a strange way of opening it," she said. "Let’s see if this water is really good as you say."

She took a large gulp and opened her eyes wide.

It was fresh, sweet. Really clean water.

She hadn’t drunk water so good in ages. Delighted, she cried out, "This is wonderful! So pure! So smooth! I still have seven gold coins—give me more jugs!"

"Coming right up," said Nathan, collecting the gold and adding seven bottles to her bag.

"Give me one too!"

"I’ll have one!"

"And me!"

The spectators all knew the woman she was honest and never lied. If she told them the water was good, they trusted her.

Seven or eight, one after another, paid gold coins for bottles.

When they twisted off the caps and drank, they quivered slightly, their faces glowing with delight.

"Sweet, clear water! Real clean water!"

"Delicious!"

They could not help it, emptying each bottle in one gulp.

They brought it up against other water on the black market, which was worth two gold coins and that tasted horrid. This was sweet, refreshing, and half the cost.

It was a great deal.

Having emptied their bottles, the same seven or eight individuals returned to purchase more, using every last coin they possessed.

Having witnessed this, the remainder of the horde stampeded forward, fighting to purchase.

There were five wooden wagons hawking water that evening, all of them with very long queues in front of them. Some of the customers purchased one bottle, others two, while others purchased a whole box.

In no time, the cloth pouch that Nathan was using to hold receipts was full to the brim with gold coins. Each coin that struck the pouch emitted a clear clink.

So much gold.

He had never seen gold to this extent before.

His eyes sparkled—

Much more gold than to count.