After their long talk, Idiot stared at the terms and numbers written in the snow, sinking in his thoughts. Blood Extinguisher stayed quiet too, waiting patiently for the boy to finish his thinking.
After a moment, the beggar's misty eyes turned frosty with coldness. The devil knew that the brat had figured out what to do.
"Brat, you now know how that Baron will make money. But let's look at your situation. You have to use 13 gold coins and 2 silver coins to buy a train ticket worth 50 gold coins or 310 silver coins by 6:00 PM the day after tomorrow."
"If there are no accidents, the baron will make huge profits through this method. Of course, you will be the 'accident'. But how do you use this hidden scheme to achieve your own goals? "
The Blood Pupil shone with devil light and sneered.
"...I'm expecting"
After getting Blood Extinguisher's help to calculate the number of silver coins he needed to buy the train ticket, he stood up and erased the drafts in the snow with his foot, hinting at the destruction of the town.
…
The sky gradually became gloomy.
Snowflakes all over the sky began to fall on this small town that was still unaware of its misfortune, and on those people who were excited with the money they had exchanged.
Would the cold snowflakes calm them down?
No, these snowflakes, under the agitation of the crowd, quickly turned into water on people's foreheads and disappeared.
...
On the second floor of a tavern next to the square, a corpulent middle-aged man sat. He held a glass filled with red wine, leisurely watching the bustling crowd outside with a smile on his lips.
"Mr. Baron," a waiter approached and called out softly.
The plump man turned around, "What is it?"
The waiter bowed slightly and humbly said, "A child wishes to see you, sir. He says someone sent him to deliver a letter."
"A letter?" The fat man tilted his head and inquired, "Who sent him with a message?"
"He was unwilling to say, sir. But the child mentioned it's about business," the waiter informed.
The man with the wine glass pondered for a moment. After some thought, he gestured to let the beggar child in. The waiter nodded and departed. Shortly, a ragged boy with black hair, holding a baby and about ten years old, appeared before the man.
"Good day, honorable Baron Frode," the little beggar bowed clumsily as if he had only recently learned how.
Baron Frode snorted, sipped his wine, and said, "What's the matter? Kid."
The child bowed again and then took out a rolled-up letter from his chest, holding the baby with one arm and extending the letter with the other. The Baron signaled his waiter to take the letter and hand it to him.
The Baron read the letter carefully. It was not just a letter, but a piece of advice.
It said that a well-informed foreign merchant named Lawnold was aware of the situation in the town and understood the Baron's real intentions. Therefore, he had also brought a large sum of gold coins to join the game, wanting to make profits from his substantial gold reserves.
However, he warned that delays could lead to changes, and he had heard from his nepotism that the town's complexity might prompt the government to issue sudden policies that may affect the Baron's plan.
He proposed a plan to rapidly devalue silver coins, and then he could immediately exchange his stockpiled gold coins for a much larger amount of silver coins in this town than in any other place.
This would not only allow for quicker and more efficient earnings but also ensure a swift departure from this war-torn borderland, helping the Baron to safely transfer his assets. The Baron's original plan was too slow and prone to unexpected policy risks.
Baron Fold looked at the letter, then at the beggar child in front of him, and scanned the letter once more. The handwriting was beautiful, clearly not that of a commoner who could afford the time and effort to practice such penmanship. It seemed to come from an adult, someone steady, patient, and not prone to haste.
"Who gave you this letter?" The Baron asked, holding up the letter to the child.
"I don't know, sir,"
The sniffling child coughed and replied
"A person in a cloak, with their face covered, gave me two silver coins to bring this letter to you."
After speaking, the child sniffled again. What would a ten-year-old know? The Baron stopped looking at the child and focused on the letter instead.
The Baron laughed, a laugh of complete satisfaction. This suggestion required no investment or risk on his part and indeed seemed very feasible. This merchant must be a formidable businessman; meeting him might be beneficial.
"Little fellow, today is truly your lucky day"
The Baron said as he neatly tied the letter with a golden string and handed it to the waiter. The waiter, knowing what to do, took out four silver coins and gave them to the little beggar.
"Go back and thank the man named Lawnold for me. Tell him the Baron would like to invite him to dinner. Businessmen should always help each other out. Haha!"
The fat man picked up his wine glass again. Amid his somewhat ungraceful laughter, the little beggar kept thanking him while backing out of the tavern, eventually disappearing.
The beggar's humble expression turned icy as he stepped out of the tavern. The snow from the sky grew denser, leaving the bustling square behind, it gradually seemed to become another blizzard, taking the numerous lives of the nobodies.
Idiot walked down the street, and his steps seemed to freeze the path behind him slowly, the ice extending with his every move…
"Wow, you really have the courage to do that"
A voice, still laced with its usual mockery, asked. The blood-red pupil was so standing out in the white world.
"This plan is indeed vicious. But it will lead to the whole town ruin. I suppose there will be more people cutting their wrists, jumping from buildings, hanging themselves, and committing suicide than if they had gone through a war"
The voice said these as if it was quite relaxed, clearly enjoying the prospect.
The boy glanced at the dark figure of the sword with cold eyes and said coldly.
"It's rare for you to worry about the lives of others."
"Ha, brat, I'm just reminding you, letting you know the consequences of your actions. I don't want to see you later, regretting and crying foolishly, upset about being too harsh. The point of my words is to make you aware of what your actions will cause."
The brat said nothing more and continued his walk through the snow. The blood-shining pupil began to sparkle with excitement.
"Hahaha, how interesting! Go on, do it! Let me enjoy watching how you execute the plan that ruins others' lives as long as it's beneficial to you. Hahaha, you are on your way, Mr. Idiot. "
The cold blizzard began to intensify, the northern wind showing no fear of the warmth of spring, keeping warmth far away.
The town was slowly freezing over, and unknown to its inhabitants, the icy ground had spread beneath everyone's feet for the exchanging…