Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

After sending the pharmacist to experiment with the moonshine recipe in the pharmacy's basement, Henry went to the tavern to drink with Ashley. He hadn't come over to greet his childhood friend since he'd been back for so long.

Ashley wasn't there; only the bartender was constantly wiping glasses, a few scattered drunken customers, and a group of people playing Texas Hold'em at a table in the lobby, surrounded by a circle of idle onlookers. Every now and then, bursts of laughter, angry howls and curses like "Oh my god!" and "Shit, fuck you, fuck you!" could be heard.

"Hey boy. A brandy, please! Where's Ashley?" The bartender naturally recognized Henry; after all, they lived next door, and Henry was a good friend of his young master, often drinking together.

"Yes, Master Henry. Master Ashley will be very happy to know you're back. But he hasn't been to the tavern today; I wonder if he's gone hunting with his bounty hunter friends."

"Is there something you need? The master is working upstairs. You can go and ask him."

“Okay, thank you! I understand. When he comes back, please tell him I was here and that he should come find me. Here’s your tip.” Henry then gave the bartender 20 cents.

"Yes, thank you for the reward, Young Master Henry. I will pass on the message when I see Young Master Ashley."

After finishing a glass of brandy, and seeing that Ashley hadn't returned yet, Henry decided to go upstairs to say hello to Mr. C.J. Capp (Ashley's father).

Mr. Cabbe had a small private room on the second floor of the tavern, used for resting and working. The door wasn't closed at the moment, and Henry could easily see it after going upstairs.

Mr. Capp was dressed in typical British aristocratic attire, sitting at his desk with a gentlemanly air, holding an old-fashioned quill pen in his hand, gesturing occasionally, and sometimes frowning, looking hesitant.

Henry knocked gently on the door. When Mr. Cab looked up, Henry nodded slightly and said to him, "Mr. Cab, Henry sends his greetings!"

When Kejian Kabu saw that the person who came was Henry, he quickly got up, walked over, and patted Henry on the shoulder.

"Henry, when did you get back? You didn't even tell me beforehand. I had Ashley pick you up. I heard about what happened with old Allen. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

"I just got back not long ago and came to say hello to Uncle Cab and Ashley. Uncle William is taking care of things at home, so everything's fine for now. Thank you, Uncle Cab."

"When you first came in, did you see Uncle Kabu looking troubled about something?"

"It's mainly about business. It's good to talk to you about it, since you're a top student and have a lot of experience. I'm sure you can offer some advice."

"Recently, an old friend told me that Desmond Bryce, the 'King of Socks' (the one in Chapter Four who played cards with Arthur on the cruise ship and was cheated out of a very expensive watch by Arthur and others), has a hosiery factory in Blackwater that he's planning to sell. It's the factory on the north side of town, near the Upper Montana River. I visited it before; the location is good, right next to the Upper Montana River, and the equipment was only purchased last year, so it's still very new."

According to my friend, Mr. Bryce wouldn't have given up on this valuable asset if he hadn't recently lost a lot of money in the stock market and had all his funds tied up.

I'm planning to take over this factory. But Mr. Bryce insists on a one-time payment, and only cash. I don't have that much capital right now. I was just hesitating about whether to sell the tavern and focus on managing the sock factory. Otherwise, even if I take over the sock factory, I won't be able to manage it all. Ashley's heart isn't in this tavern; he doesn't want to be stuck here. He'd rather go out and make his own way in the world, to carve out a bigger empire than his father. That brat!"

Hearing this, Henry's eyes lit up. He had originally planned to subtly inquire with Ashley about whether Old Cab had any plans to sell the tavern. Unexpectedly, someone had offered him a pillow just as he was about to doze off. After a moment's consideration, he asked Old Cab:

"Uncle Kabu, I wonder how much money you're short right now. To be honest, I'm planning to take over this tavern. I wonder how much you're planning to sell it for."

“We’re still short over $8. But Henry, are you serious? You really intend to buy this pub? It’s not cheap. After all, the location is excellent, the facilities are well-maintained, and I even renovated it earlier this year.”

"Yes, Uncle Kabu, tell me your expected number."

"Alright, I won't ask for much from you. You're like a child I've watched grow up. How about $6? But I have one request: I don't plan to take the bar's staff with me. I hope you can make sure they're taken care of."

The price was indeed reasonable, even a thousand or two cheaper than Henry's budget. He'd heard that Old Cap had spent about $800 earlier this year to completely repaint and decorate the place. The tavern could also generate four or five hundred dollars in revenue each month, and once they switched to moonshine obtained at their own internal prices, the profits would at least double. However, what Henry valued wasn't the profitability, but rather the tavern's intelligence-gathering capabilities.

That's right, Henry plans to gradually build an intelligence network in the West, and what place is easier to gather intelligence than a tavern?

Once Henry's taverns have spread throughout the West, and even across America, his network of informants will be global. In this turbulent West, what's most valuable isn't guns or land, but intelligence. Without grasping the upper echelons' movements, by the time you learn about things from the newspapers and try to act, it's too late.

Of course, Henry doesn't yet have ambitions to influence the upper echelons of capitalist society. Establishing an intelligence agency is also for better understanding the Van der Linde gang's movements, better intervening in Arthur's gang activities, and making him realize Dutch's selfish and self-serving nature more quickly. The goal is to escape the gang's shackles as soon as possible and live happily with Mary Lington. (Back in my first playthrough, I quite disliked Mary Lington, thinking Arthur was just a sycophant, and Mary only thought of Arthur for help when she needed it. Later, I directly refused subsequent missions. It wasn't until my second playthrough that I realized the biggest problem was actually with Arthur; they had love, and Mary had been waiting for Arthur, even asking him to leave with her. It's just that Arthur was too deeply corrupted by Dutch and couldn't let go of his gang members and family, so in the end, it all came to nothing.)

Henry's thoughts drifted a little far away, but when he came back to his senses, he returned to:

“That’s no problem. I get along very well with Paul (the bartender) and the others, and we have a great working relationship. Mr. Capo, we can go to the real estate bureau this afternoon to do the notarized handover.”

"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Old Cab said, shaking Henry's hand with a complex expression. He had poured his heart and soul into building this tavern, spending most of his early life there. A sudden pang of reluctance washed over him. But he knew selling it to Henry was the best option.

Henry also grew up near the tavern, often playing and laughing with little Ashley there as a child. He has strong childhood memories of that place and will take good care of it. Besides, his home isn't far from here. After he retires in a few years and hands over the factory to his children, he can often come here to spend his peaceful old age.