The contract itself had no issues and was indeed an official contract produced by the Silver Baron Church.
Broadly speaking, there were three points to note:
First, once he accepted, he could not abandon the task halfway.
Second, he could not disclose any specific details about this transaction to anyone.
Just these two points alone were already very unusual.
What made Delicious Wind Goose cautious was the third point.
The compensation was... a whole three hundred pounds.
Although selling counterfeit alcohol could easily earn a few thousand pounds, Delicious Wind Goose believed it.
The flavor of this alcohol was indeed quite good; it could be counted as a high-quality product among the ones he had tasted.
As a knockoff brand of Heath Tower of Black, there was no need to worry about its market. Although a reward of three hundred pounds was surprisingly high, it could still be considered somewhat reasonable.
What truly alerted Delicious Wind Goose that something was amiss was that "ten samples".
What kind of samples? The counterfeit alcohol?
Why not clearly write it in the contract?
Moreover, even by this price, the value of a single sample would be at least thirty pounds... bearing in mind the principle of scarcity, its real value might even be doubled.
...But wasn’t the price of a bottle just five pounds?
He didn’t have time to think too much.
Delicious Wind Goose directly turned to the last page of the contract, briefly scanned it, and without hesitation signed his name.
His excessively decisive manner actually took Tait by surprise. "Aren’t you going to read the contents of the contract?"
Actually, I already sneakily read it.
Delicious Wind Goose thought so to himself, but a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"No need, bro. I trust you... and I feel that with this contract, it’s safer for me to sign it."
As he spoke, he shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the compensation section.
The message he wanted to convey was simple.
Now that I know your secret, I should sign your contract. That way, we are in this together.
No matter what the contract says... signing it is definitely safer than not signing.
Seeing this, Tait smiled, said nothing, and continued.
He first took out a thin jade piece, the size of three film rolls joined together, from his wallet and placed it over Delicious Wind Goose’s name.
"Old Goose, what’s your full name again?"
"Delicious Wind Goose."
Having already witnessed such a spectacle, Delicious Wind Goose responded with formal precision.
The jade piece flashed a light green, indicating the name was correct and the contract was validated.
At this sight, Tait finally laughed heartily, filling Delicious Wind Goose’s cup with alcohol.
"You’re a smart man."
Tait exclaimed, "It seems I’ve found the right person this time."
Then, with a smile, he began, "Let me tell you about it... right from the beginning.
"On the surface, we are sellers of alcohol. But everyone knows... even with your own vineyard, relying solely on selling alcohol really doesn’t make much money, and there’s no need to sell it in the Royal Capital.
"There are a lot of wealthy people in the Royal Capital, but there is also a rule—when a merchant caravan enters the city, they have to pay a security tax of 5% of the total value of the goods. This so-called security tax... is painstakingly taken from careful inspection of each carriage’s cargo, and only after completing the sample check and confirming everything is correct, the hard-earned money is collected. If I were really selling alcohol, then instead of selling it all in the Royal Capital, it would be better to distribute the goods around the Royal Capital area.
"To persuade Steward Shelley to get us a certificate for inspection-free entry into the city, I first had to convince him... that my goods could indeed make money, that they could generate profit."
As Tait spoke, he sipped from the "counterfeit alcohol" his company produced and said with a smile, "This alcohol is just a pretext."
"But you didn’t really come to the Royal Capital to sell this counterfeit alcohol."
Delicious Wind Goose realized something.
Tait nodded slowly, "Yes. Now is the most chaotic time for Noah, and of course, the most profitable time. If I sell counterfeit alcohol at this time, I could indeed make a fortune. Enough to last me for the rest of my life without running out... but what of it?"
At this point, Tait laughed at himself, "I would still just be a trade consul, after all.
"I would have money, but what use is having money alone?"
"So, take a look at this."
As Tait spoke, he gave Delicious Wind Goose a mysterious smile.
He took out a bronze reagent bottle from his chest, which appeared somewhat like a lighter or a military water bottle.
Delicious Wind Goose had a vague suspicion.
As he grasped the vial... a window popped up before his eyes.
[Type: Consumable/Poison/Ritual Material/Offering (Gold)]
[Description: A specialty of Nata County, made from the concentrated extraction of living demons. Upon opening the bottle, one can hear the howls of souls, and consuming it can maximize the concentration of curses within the body.]
[Effect: After drinking, Corruption +89%, LV+6 (depending on the current level)]
[Special: Only when used by those below the Bronze rank can it increase levels]
...Corruption +89%, LV+6?
Gourmet Goose was slightly taken aback and quickly opened his own panel:
His current Corruption was 11%, and his level as a "Swordsmanship Instructor" was... fourteen.
This meant that after drinking this, he could directly advance to the peak of the Bronze rank.
Looking at the description, it seemed that a normal person could also reach this level by drinking it—jumping directly from level 1 to level 20.
But the side effect was... the Corruption would also reach its limit at once, shooting up to the maximum.
Seeing this item, Annan, who had been silently peering at the screen, was also slightly startled.
Peak of the Bronze rank, maximum Corruption... what was this thing for?
If Corruption maxed out, wouldn’t that turn someone into a mindless demon?
Or was it really meant to be used as poison?
Thus, Annan quickly sent an anonymous message asking:
"—Ask him where did he get this from?"
"Be careful not to actually drink it."
Tait warned, "This is Demon’s Blood... have you heard of it?"
"The one from Nata County?"
Gourmet Goose paused for a moment and tentatively asked.
Tait looked at him with some surprise, "Not bad... what else do you know?"
Gourmet Goose honestly replied, "I only know that much."
"Simply put, it’s a poison that will turn anyone who drinks it into a demon. For Transcendents, it’s an absolutely irresistible deadly toxin, and the best outcome from drinking it is mental derangement."
Tait smirked, "What we’re selling... is actually this.
"Now, in the Royal Capital, a bottle of this goes for eighty pounds."
Gourmet Goose was somewhat surprised.
"But the cost price is less than ten pounds."
Tait said with a sly smile, "If you’re interested, you could try visiting Nata County yourself."
Annan, of course, knew what he meant.
But Gourmet Goose, who wasn’t very familiar with the geography, could only remain silent—not speaking was a smart move on his part.
The less said, the fewer mistakes made.
However, even though Gourmet Goose knew nothing, he realized from the item’s description that he might have stumbled upon a main quest line that hadn’t begun yet.
—Who was buying these things?
The words reached his lips, but what he said turned into this.
Tait chuckled, "It’s simple. Our honey wine is packed in different crates and sold to different people.
"Even if we get a pass for inspection, it’s just to ensure we can enter the city. The goods still have to be checked by them... but at that moment, in Sir Steward’s records, our cargo is labeled ’Honey Lips’. You just sit in cart number five, and I’ll give you twenty-four bottles of Demon’s Blood.
"After the inspectors leave, you do not get off... just take out the only black crate, which is crate number three, retrieve the goods, pour out a cup of Honey Lips, and pour a bottle of Demon’s Blood into it. Remember, you can pour out more or less wine. But only one bottle of Demon’s Blood must go into a bottle of wine."
Tait smiled as he said, "You’ve already signed a Silver Baron-certified contract; in any legal system, you are our accomplice. It’s best not to make any particular moves... Once the job is done, I’ll give you three hundred pounds, or ten bottles of Demon’s Blood. You choose. I’m just warning you—if you’re caught, the minimum penalty is also the death sentence."
Gourmet Goose’s heart stirred, and he asked tentatively, "On what grounds? Simply because we’re smuggling poison?"
Tait replied, "On the grounds that we’re selling poison to the royal family. Or, you could also tack on the charge of conspiring against the royal family. But that’s beside the point now.
"Anyway, you’ll find out when you deliver the goods—that cart number five, crate three’s two dozen poisoned wines, is the Prince’s order. I’ve always been his most loyal supplier."
The bald merchant smiled and said, "So I say, now is the most chaotic time for Noah...
"—It is also the moment for us ordinary people, who have nothing in our pockets but money... to rise."