Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

Ashley and his two companions arrived shortly afterward.

“Come, sit down, Carter, Carl, you should try our moonshine too.”

"Ashley should have already told you about my arrangements, right? Now I'll explain them to you in detail."

First, let's discuss our division of labor. I'll provide you with the cocktail recipes, alcohol, and key raw materials. You'll be responsible for purchasing the remaining common ingredients. You'll manage the moonshine-making camp; I won't interfere in that aspect. Once the moonshine is made according to the requirements, you'll be responsible for its transportation and sale. Find someone you trust, and I'll send someone to teach you how to mix the drinks.

I have a requirement here: the blended liquor must be made strictly according to the requirements, and someone must taste it after it is produced. Only if the product tastes good and meets the quality standards can it be sold.

Is it possible to do these things?

“No problem, Boss Henry, we guarantee there won’t be any mistakes.” The three men patted their chests to assure him. Ashley and Carter, in particular, thumped their chests loudly.

"Then there's the issue of cost and profit distribution. Currently, we're mainly promoting two types of liquor: one is similar to brandy, which I've named Lafite, and the other is similar to whiskey, which I've named Shrewy. You've just tasted both of them; what did you think of the taste? Do you think they'll be bestsellers?"

"Of course it will. As long as it's not too expensive, I believe many people will buy it, especially Shrewynn. The flavor is absolutely amazing."

"The cost of Lafite and Shrewynn is about the same, less than 50 cents per bottle, of which 10 cents is the cost of the bottle. We chose a nicer bottle, so it's a bit more expensive. It should be cheaper if you order in bulk. Also, when you sell, we offer bulk service. If they bring their own bottles, we can charge 5 cents less."

Then there's the pricing issue. On the market, premium brandy costs $3 a bottle, and whiskey ranges from $2.5 to $3.75. I plan to sell them all at a retail price of $2 a bottle. If other pubs are buying wholesale, I'll price them at $1.8 a bottle, with a minimum wholesale order of 50 bottles. Then there are the pubs under my own name; I need to buy them at $1.6 each.

Are there any problems here? If so, please point them out so we can discuss and resolve them. Let's not wait until the implementation is compromised.

“Boss, we’ve all tasted this liquor just now, and it’s no worse than those $3 liquors on the market. Isn’t $2 too cheap for us? Besides, I don’t think we need to pay such a high price for the liquor we supply to our own bar. We should just cover the cost and labor.” Carl said. The other two nodded in agreement.

"This is, after all, a blended liquor. Our costs are low enough that there's no need to sell it at a high price, as that would hinder promotion. As for the bar's purchase price, just do as I say. This isn't just my business; everyone gets a share."

Next, I'll talk about the profit-sharing arrangement. It's similar to what we discussed before, but I'll break it down further. First, I'll take 50% of the profits. Then, the three of you will each take 10%. The remaining two portions will be allocated as follows: 10% for pharmacist Rafael Dick's lab research funding, and 10% for the members you recruit. I'll also take a portion from my share to grease palms with the police. Do you have any objections to this arrangement?”

"No." X3

"Boss, where should we set up camp, and where should we buy the equipment we need for brewing?" Carl asked the crucial questions.

"Good question. Now let's talk about the brewing site and equipment. You all know about the bandit territory in the west, right? It's been occupied by the Howling Wolf Gang for a long time. In reality, it's their secret brewing base. If we take it down, we'll kill two birds with one stone. The geographical location there is excellent. I've been eyeing that place for a long time."

"To be honest, besides the location being good, I had another ulterior motive for going there. Remember a month ago when my father was transporting supplies to Armadillo Town and was brutally murdered in the bandits' territory? I had someone secretly investigate, and it turns out the Howling Wolf Gang in the bandits' territory is definitely involved."

"As expected, these are scumbags. Boss, let's gather our men and take them down right away."

"Ashley, calm down. I'm not in a hurry, so why are you? I've told you so many times to use your brain and not to act recklessly."

Tomorrow, send out those men you recruited to investigate the bandit territory and assess their character. Remember to tell them that when they're gathering information, it's better to find nothing than to expose themselves by doing so.

We'll act after dark the day after tomorrow. Remember to keep it a secret; it's best to take them out quietly.

Okay, if there are no problems, go back and make the arrangements.

“Li Yi, go find Raphael and ask him what equipment is needed to prepare moonshine. Then write a letter to Trelawney and ask him to purchase it in Saint Denis and send it over in the next few days. Oh, and when you mail the letter, check if there are any mails for me. Grant should have responded by now.”

“Okay, boss,” Li Yi replied.

"Antora, go find William the butler and have him bring me the information on the talents I asked him to keep an eye out for."

“Okay, boss.” Ever since Henry took them to see Beecher’s Wish and won them over with his words yesterday, Antora has started calling Henry “boss” like Li Yi has.

"Paul, come up here for a moment." After dismissing Li Yi and Antola, Henry called Paul over. He wanted to find out if there was any noteworthy intelligence recently.

"How is the intelligence gathering progressing recently? Is there any valuable intelligence?"

"The intelligence progress is alright, but there's not much exciting news. It's mostly ordinary stuff. For example, someone said that while adventuring in New Hanover, they discovered a Civil War-era field hospital near the Clingman Hill Fire Lookout, where the bodies of four soldiers could still be found."

For example, someone discovered an excavated treasure under a tree on a cliff in Cumberland Forest. Two bodies were found next to the treasure, which remained inside a chest, untouched. The discoverer claimed that the two men likely became greedy after unearthing the treasure, fought over it, and ultimately perished together.

Next, there are three potentially valuable pieces of information. First, someone saw that the Movery family, who were entrenched around the Ronok Ridge, were wiped out by unknown individuals. It is said that dismembered bodies were scattered everywhere near Beaver Rock Cave. There are also rumors that the treasure accumulated by the Movery family through years of robbery and murder has been looted. Recently, the remaining members of the Movery family have become particularly insane, killing anyone they catch.

The second is that the daughter of a Saint Denis councilor was kidnapped by the infamous Lemoine raiders, but was quickly rescued. According to insiders, it may have been a conspiracy by the underground emperor of Saint Denis against the councilor.

The third one is about our police chief, which was mentioned by a police officer who was drunk here. Our police chief has a penchant for collecting expensive watches. He also said that he has many treasured at home.

These are the more useful ones; there are many other drunken ramblings of unknown veracity. For more details, boss, you can check the archives we regularly compile.

Furthermore, I felt that gathering intelligence solely within our tavern was too limited, so I took the liberty of approaching beggars and homeless children in the nearby streets. I told them that if they discovered any valuable information, they would be given supplies or alcohol depending on the importance of the information.

"Good job, you did a great job. You were able to analyze things independently and knew how to take initiative. From now on, you will be in charge of managing this tavern. Also, we will be selling our own moonshine in a while, so please prepare in advance."