The Brothers were Brave (4)
After their conversation with Rockefeller, the two headed back to the mercenary camp.
As they walked in silence, their minds were more complicated than before.
There's no need to live too honestly, but Andrew, the younger brother, was only filled with the thought of losing their hard-earned job with a small mistake.
'Being too honest doesn't make money. That's right. People are not fools, so if we act too honestly, we can't take the money they possess.'
On the other hand, Joshua, who was trailing behind Andrew, was filled with this thought:
'How can I do what Rockefeller said? A way to make money without being caught by the old men….'
No brilliant idea came to mind right away.
So, Joshua called Andrew, who was walking ahead.
"Andrew, listen."
Upon hearing his voice, the younger brother turned around quietly.
"What?"
"Do you think we've done something wrong?"
Rockefeller had clearly pointed out their mistakes.
It was up to the two of them to reflect on it and move in a better direction.
"Didn't you hear? Rockefeller said you tried to con too directly. We can't do it that way. What if the mercenaries came to the market and checked one by one how many ingredients we bought? What then?"
"I know that. But to make money, we must do more here, right?"
"Well, yeah... but I don't blame you either. I was just more worried about losing our hard-earned job by getting involved with these ingredients. But not anymore."
Andrew's eyes lit up.
"Because it's foolish to be too honest."
"So, you agree that we should act a little dishonestly?"
"I mean, as long as it makes us a lot of money, I don't care. Money is the best, after all. But not in the way you suggested. That's too direct."
"You're right. My initial proposal was too direct. If we got caught doing what you said, we would have been cut off right away. We broke their trust."
"In the end, both of us made mistakes."
Joshua asked again.
"So, what would be a way for us to deceive those old men that both of us can agree on?"
"Like Rockefeller said, it can't be too direct."
"So?"
The two brothers, forgetting their errands, stood together and brainstormed.
"What's the difference between conning someone directly and doing it secretly? Is it just a matter of legality?"
"Maybe?"
"So, what's a legal way to make money here without directly touching these ingredients?"
At that moment, an idea flashed across Joshua's mind.
The problem with his initial idea was the consequences if they got caught.
But what if they don't get caught?
"Andrew, I just had a great idea. What do you think?"
"What is it? What's your great idea?"
"Yes! We can't secretly tamper with the ingredients here because the mercenary men can come to the market and ask how much we bought, right? So, what if we don't hide it alone but collude with the market vendors who sell the ingredients? We deceive them together!"
"You mean let's con them with the market people? Increase the prices of the ingredients?"
"That's right. For example, if it's 1 shilling for 20 potatoes, we'd talk with the vendors and make it 18 potatoes for 1 shilling in the mercenary camp. Then we'd have 2 extra potatoes compared to the original deal, right?"
"So, we share those 2 leftover potatoes with the person who sold the potatoes?"
"Yes! What do you think? Isn't it a good idea?"
Andrew thought about Joshua's words carefully.
"It seems possible, but…."
Andrew thought it was possible, and Joshua's face brightened even more.
"Right? You think it's possible too, right, Andrew?"
"But will the people in the market do as we think?"
"There's no reason for them to refuse since a potato is being added for free, right?"
“So, you’d like to collude with the market people who sell the ingredients, and hence trick them?”
"Still, some people might not like it since it's technically a scam."
"Well, how about this? We just do it with the ones who are okay with it and leave out the ones who aren't. This way there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
Joshua continued.
"Anyway, at the end of the day, all we have to do is save whatever food we have, whether it's potatoes or carrots. And we're going to fool the market stall owners along with us, so there's no way for the mercenaries to find out our secret even if they come here. After all, the prices of the ingredients are determined by the stall owners, and all we did was buy the ingredients at those prices, right?"
Andrew couldn't help but agree with his youngest brother's statements.
'Maybe this was what Rockefeller wanted us to do? Trick others, but do it more carefully and intricately. If we follow Joshua's plan, we probably won't get caught.'
There was no way to know if this method Joshua had thought of was what Rockefeller wanted, but it certainly seemed to be a better idea than the one proposed initially.
"Let's give it a shot. Even if we get caught, we won't be the only ones who tricked them, right?"
