novelhk Chapter 146 Debts and Commissions
Chapter 146 Debts and Commissions
The only thing that bothered Ina was the description of "flower field".
According to the description in the book, the nutrients absorbed by plant-based magical materials are not limited to the earth, but also the magic power in the atmosphere.
Therefore, most of them have the characteristics of long growth time and small quantity.
But even though low-level magic materials are widely distributed and in considerable quantities, there is a record that blue crystal flowers only bloom once a year.
She also found it difficult to imagine fields of flowers made up of clusters of blue crystal flowers.
Ina put away her expanding thoughts and asked another question that made her curious:
"But why are you considering going now?"
Unlike flower bouquets that quickly wither after their blooming period, the roots and stems of magical materials do not die.
Ina also did not rule out the possibility that Xilia did not know about it.
"I...I need money."
Xilia didn't dare to look directly at Rick and Ina, and spoke in a low voice.
Rick said nothing, his expression indifferent.
Ina looked at Mitaokol with a puzzled expression.
She said that if necessary, she could provide some help, after all, she was a classmate who had been in school together and had been absent from class under M.C.S.
But she needed a real reason, the amount was too big and there was nothing she could do.
"Xiliya...something has happened at home. To be more precise, there is a debt with high interest..."
Mitaukel pondered for a moment, as if he was considering his words.
"A debt?"
Ina was keenly aware of the peculiarities in Mitaukol's choice of words.
Debts and loans.
There is no clear difference between the two words in terms of meaning, but they are actually quite different.
In many cases, a loan refers to money that is formally lent to an individual by a chamber of commerce or nobles in exchange for certain collateral and which has the legal force of the kingdom.
The forms of debts are much more complicated, and even any debt can be classified as debts.
Mitaokel nodded and said:
"Didn't I tell you last time? There's only Xilia and her mother in her family."
"Nominally, her father has left the family, but he is an alcoholic, a real alcoholic. And he does more than just drink in the pub. I believe you two can guess what he does specifically."
"He borrowed several sums of money from the Vandel Gang, totaling more than thirty gold coins."
"In the absence of land deeds and house deeds, they were recorded in the herbal medicine shop opened by him and his wife, which is Xilia's herbal medicine shop."
Ina was also obviously stunned when she heard about the Vander Gang.
One is that I didn’t expect to hear about this gang again so soon.
Secondly, he was shocked that the creditor of the debt actually came from Lei Shi’s second gang, even if he was probably just a peripheral member.
“When will they come to collect the debt?”
Ina has decided to intervene. None of the gangs are easy to deal with. The debt plus interest may exceed fifty gold coins.
For her now, it is only one-third of her savings.
But for ordinary residents, it is several years or even ten years' income.
She looked at Rick intentionally or unintentionally and found that he was also nodding slightly at her, obviously also wanting to provide help.
"The Vandel gang has been here. They took away the money and all the valuable herbs, powders, and potions that were selling well in the herbal medicine shop..."
"And they claimed they could take ownership of the store in a legal manner."
Mitaokel sighed deeply and said weakly.
"what?!"
Ina did not hide her surprise.
Mitaokel rubbed his forehead:
"It was because of their arrival that Xilia learned about this huge debt and found me today..."
"In fact, Ms. Green has already repaid the interest and part of the principal due this year. By the way, Ms. Green is Xilia's mother."
After explaining this, Mitaukel added:
"But a sudden increase of more than a dozen gold coins in debt overwhelmed them and caught them off guard. The Vandel Gang also demanded that at least one-fifth of the total debt and the interest on the newly increased debt of three gold coins be paid before the deadline!"
"It's less than two months before the deadline. They stole the herbs and goods, so I can only repay them with five gold coins. The herbal medicine shop still has a shortfall of eight gold coins and twelve silver coins."
"I wanted to share this news with the herbalists..."
"They were kind enough to tell me about the herb-picking area and took me there...but...but my mother and I need more money anyway."
Xilia lowered her head and her voice was trembling.
"I see…"
Ina murmured.
The first person to respond was Rick, not Ina.
Before the white-haired girl was about to speak, he said:
"I can provide a loan of 60 gold coins, which should be enough to pay off the debt owed by Miss Xilia's family and reopen the herbal medicine shop without charging any interest."
"You can regard it as a commission... a token of your sincerity in cooperation."
"But I still suggest that you find a patrol soldier to resolve this issue as soon as possible."
This is undoubtedly a proposal that any debtor would find difficult to refuse.
Immediately afterwards, Rick touched the ring on his finger, and a stream of golden water flowed out from his hand, making a pleasant metallic collision sound.
The gold coins were printed with either the portrait of Fulham I or the patterns representing the royal family. They shone vividly under the bright orange-yellow firelight, attracting the attention of the two visiting guests.
The room fell into a brief silence for a moment.
The other three had their own ideas.
Ina was stunned and didn't know what Rick meant by this. In her opinion, if the family really couldn't make ends meet, she could pay the sixty gold coins herself.
Xilia immediately bowed.
There was no way she couldn't hear the kindness of the gentleman in front of her.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Lake. Goddess above, on behalf of my mother, I praise and thank you for your generosity."
In her opinion, sixty gold coins would take seven or eight years to pay off even if the herbal medicine shop operated normally.
Investing in a branch of a large chamber of commerce in a city would yield a return of at least one gold coin and six silver coins per year.
Lending a sum of money equivalent to a family's entire savings to others free of charge is itself a kind act.
After obtaining Rick's consent, Xilia immediately put the gold coins on the table into her pocket.
During this process, she roughly counted the number, and it was exactly sixty gold coins.
"About when will we go to the Starfall Mountains? We also need some time to prepare, so it would be great to have a specific departure time."
Rick turned his attention back to the commission.
"We were planning to leave today, but we weren't sure if Ina would agree at first, which might mean we have to seek help from other parties."
Mitaokel did not hide anything and explained everything in detail.
"Well, you guys should give the gold coins to Ms. Green first, and then we will meet at No. 10, Fourth Commercial Street, East District."
The two of them didn't say much. After thanking Rick again, they chose to say goodbye and leave.
When Mitokor and Xilia disappeared from the porch and the door opened and closed, Ina asked with a little confusion:
"Why not just give it to me? There are only 60 gold coins left, and I have some too..."
"Maybe it's because I feel like it's an insult to that strong woman and the hard work she put in."
"Moreover, people tend not to cherish those cheap gifts, and may even develop a mentality of taking it for granted because of dependence."
Rick picked up the cups on the coffee table and answered carefully:
"They have to solve this problem themselves. We can't always help them, Ina."
The sound of water rinsing cups came from the bathroom, and the only water pipe in the house started working.
Amid the sound of running water and the slight clash of porcelain and pots, Rick gently urged:
"Hurry up and get ready. Remember to put a warm fur coat in your space bracelet if there is enough space... We may have to camp outdoors on this trip."