Samir visited the storeroom before he left. He put some greens, air potatoes, and saltfish in a bag before going to the town hall.
It was a very wise move. The clerk who received the food became very helpful. Samir had the mint certificate in his pocket before an hour had passed. He also got some unasked-for advice from the clerk.
"You will have to work very hard to make your mint a success, my friend," the clerk told him. "There are over three hundred mints registered in our area. I believe the total for all of Mumbai is over fifty thousand mints. You aren't going to find any scrap metal for your mint, either. Not around here, and probably it's the same everywhere else."
"I have a source," Samir told him.
"I hope it is a good source," the clerk said. After a pause, he added:
"Last week, the army shot three men who were trying to steal a drum of cable."
"I don't need or intend to steal anything."
