Chapter 1448: Chapter 25: Negotiation (Part 2)

“Gessa Adonis,” with a thundering sound, suddenly stood up from the bath, and the hot water overflowed from the pool, reaching under Winters’ boots.

In the steam-filled bathroom, the Officer of White Mountain County stood shirtless, hands on hips, eyes bulging rounder than his head.

The Colonel’s ashamed and angry voice echoed in the bathroom like a powerful bell: “Of course, it’s damn about making money!”

No matter where he went, Gessa Adonis couldn’t go a day without two hot baths, so even though the Officer’s apartment in Maplestone City didn’t have a bath, one was quickly built after he moved in.

Winters really had no interest in a man’s naked body, so he turned his head away in advance, “Please dress first, don’t catch a cold.”

“Give me the towel,” Gessa, his mood spoiled, reluctantly stepped out of the bath, and asked irritably, “Who told you about this?”

Gessa’s answer was honest, so Winters’ response was straightforward too. He took the towel from the rack and handed it to the Colonel, uttering a name, “Kai Morland.”

As soon as Colonel Gessa heard this name, he burst into a verbal flood of Paratu curses: “[Extremely angry Paratu profanity]! That [strong character insulting term]! Always bothers me![Profanity]! That little [general character insulting term], must be those old [general character insulting term] in the city giving him hints, otherwise his information wouldn’t be so timely!”

Winters tried his best to let the profanity flow in through his left ear and out his right, keeping only the useful information.

Gessa dried his body, donned a robe, and led Winters to the resting area outside the bathroom, suddenly changing his tone.

“I’ve wanted to discuss the awarding matter with you for some time, but couldn’t find you? Plus, I hadn’t finalized the plan here,” Gessa feigned an elder’s sincerity, “Now that the plan is ready and you’ve returned, found out, it’s perfect, saves me from explaining again.”

He looked expectantly at Winters: “What do you think? Awarding?”

“Giving medals to the officers and soldiers who fought in the battle of River Valley Village, I see no issue,” Winters changed his tone, “But I don’t quite understand why you’d want major guilds in Maplestone City to pledge donations?” he cautiously asked, “Are you… short on money?”

“Nonsense!” Gessa’s face turned red with sudden anger, “Who in this world doesn’t need money? Let me tell you, even the Emperor himself has to worry about money!”

After venting his anger, Gessa began listing grievances, counting on his fingers as he recounted to Winters, “Let me ask you, the pensions for those who died in battle, the severance pay for soldiers who lost arms and legs and can’t work anymore, the losses of warhorses, the scrapped munitions, the consumed supplies, and the daily food and drink… which isn’t about money?”

“War indeed requires money everywhere,” Winters maintained his cautious stance, “But relying on ‘donations,’ which can only be used once, only temporarily solves the issue, does not address the core problem.”

Gessa stood up, fetched two wine glasses and a large jug of beer, casting a “you’re still too young” glance sideways at Winters, “Who said you can only donate once?”

Winters had no reply, while Gessa poured them both a glass of beer and drank happily.

After a moment of silence, Winters calmly remarked, “This will push the upper-class citizens of Maplestone City to oppose us.”

Gessa put down his glass, belched contentedly, and sneered, “They can also choose not to donate.”

Winters picked up his beer glass, it was cold and bitter.

Gessa poured himself another glass of bitter beer, complaining, “Do you think everyone is like you? Running your territory like a watertight barrel. You ask for something, someone obediently gives it to you without delay? Do you know how hard it is for us to carve some meat from these elites?”

Winters sipped his beer, “I can’t tell if you’re praising me or criticizing me.”

“Nonsense, of course I’m praising you.” Gessa tilted his head back, downing another glass of cold beer, “Take the current matter—making military uniforms, for example!”

“Shouldn’t the New Army have new uniforms? Even if we don’t issue a new set for everyone, we should at least dye them the same color, right?”

“But as soon as they hear we’re making new uniforms, look at Maplestone City’s market, cloth, yarn, dye, buttons… the prices are all damn surging!”

“Who’s raising the prices? It’s these ‘upper-class citizens’ raising the prices!” Gessa slapped the glass heavily on the table, “And ‘pushing them to oppose us’? I tell you, they weren’t on our side to begin with!”

“We fight life and death battles, is it just for them to profit? They want to carve our flesh, can I not carve theirs?”

“Hence, I’m forcing them to pledge donations. If not gold and silver, then donate goods. Like raising prices? I’ll make them earn not a single copper!”

Seeing Winters frown tightly and remain silent, Gessa comforted the latter, “Don’t pity them, it’s just some petty wealth, a drop in the ocean for them!”

“Besides,” Gessa poured another glass of beer, spat disdainfully, “it’s not like we’re asking for their lives, just some money, what’s the big deal?”

Winters sighed lightly, “Sometimes, asking for money is harder than asking for life.”

Gessa gulped down another glass of bitter beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and continued pouring beer, “You’ve crawled out from heaps of corpses, in this world, the only thing more terrifying than death is dying and then coming back to life. If anyone doubts this, let him try it himself.”