Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

In the afternoon, after withdrawing some funds from the old butler, and with his assistance, Old Kabu successfully completed the handover of the tavern. Back at the tavern, Old Kabu publicly announced the change of ownership, then left with a heavy heart. He needed to raise the final two thousand dollars as soon as possible to secure the sock factory; the future belonged to a time of rapid industrial development, and he couldn't live in the past.

Paul at the tavern never expected that Henry, who was drinking there as a customer at noon, would become his big boss in the afternoon. Although he was familiar with Henry and thought that Henry would not let him go, things were still unknown until the answer was confirmed.

After Old Capo left, Henry took William, the butler, to the second-floor office and asked Paul to gather all the tavern staff for a quick meeting. He glanced at the tavern's records; there were currently five employees: Paul the bartender, two bodyguards, and two waitresses. Since trouble often broke out at the tavern, bodyguards were essential. Although they weren't usually busy, their main task was simply throwing drunks out the door. It seemed like a leisurely job, but if someone caused a disturbance, one could easily get punched, and in serious cases, even have a gun accidentally discharged.

After deducting wages and daily expenses, the pub currently generates approximately $450 in revenue per month.

Seeing the old butler's hesitant expression, Henry waved his hand, signaling him to wait a moment. He knew without a doubt that the old butler wanted to ask why the tavern had been bought so suddenly.

A short while later, Paul returned with the others, all of them extremely cautious, afraid that the new boss would be unhappy and fire them. These days, a stable job is hard to come by. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't resort to robbery or starve to death on the streets. It's a tragedy of our times, but things are slowly getting better.

Given Blackwater's rapid development, it will soon grow into the second largest industrial city in the West. Looking back, Blackwater (Houston) will become one of the world's energy centers, renowned as the fastest-growing city, surpassing many major eastern cities and eventually becoming the fourth largest city in the United States.

We've digressed again. Henry looked at the five people in front of him and instructed, "Paul will be in charge of the tavern for the time being. In addition to your regular work, I need you to pay more attention to the interactions between the customers. Don't try to make the customers think you have ulterior motives."

Keep a close eye out for any useful information and record it. Submit it to Paul daily, and he will compile it. If there is no important information, he can give me a summary every three days or every week. If there is important information, report it in time. If you can't find it, report it to Butler William and have him notify me.

Of course, this isn't about you working for free; it's paid. Depending on the importance and amount of intelligence, each person will receive an extra few cents to a few dollars per day. If any major intelligence is discovered, I will provide a separate reward.

"Do you all understand? Are there any questions?"

"No problem," they replied happily. Not only had they kept their jobs, but they also didn't have to do anything. They could even earn extra income by paying a little more attention each day. How could they not be happy?

Seeing their expressions, Henry felt it necessary to remind them again: "Don't try to pry into the guests' secrets, or the tavern won't stand up for you if you get beaten up."

Of course, we don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either. Anyone who deliberately causes trouble will be thrown out of the pub. If necessary, call the police and let them handle it. In critical situations, you are allowed to use firearms; I will go to the police station to bail you out.

"And in the next few months, a group of bandits might enter Blackwater Town, so keep an eye out," he said, then told them the physical characteristics of the Van der Linde gang members and the names they might use, making sure they remembered them, before continuing:

"Apart from that guy who looks like a rat, try not to provoke them. If you spot them in town, immediately send someone to inform me. There will be a separate reward for that."

As for the rat-like guy, unless he does anything outrageous, try not to provoke him. He's a brutal madman. Just send someone to tell me, and then quietly record his every move.

Did you all hear me clearly?

"Did you hear that?" Everyone was very excited.

"Okay, if you understand, you can go back to your posts." Henry waved his hand, indicating that they should return to their work. In the short time it took to say those few words, some drunkards downstairs had already grown impatient and started shouting.

After they had all left, Henry gestured to the old butler that he could say whatever he wanted to say.

“Young Master, why did you suddenly decide to take over this tavern? After deducting the expenses for increasing the purchase of alcohol and smallpox vaccine as you instructed, plus the additional $6000 spent this time, our working capital is almost depleted.”

"This is a rare opportunity. Uncle Kabu is planning to sell this tavern to raise money to take over that sock factory in the north. I also happen to want to use the tavern to gather intelligence, so we hit it off immediately. Don't worry about the money; it'll be fine after this month. I've already arranged for Rafael to research the moonshine recipe, and it's expected to be ready next month. Then we'll give the recipe to someone else to make moonshine, providing the alcohol and other necessary ingredients, and then we'll take a cut."

Even if we get caught in the end, the moonshine agents can't do anything about it. We don't make moonshine ourselves, so at most we'll just get a fine. The risk is low, but the profit is high. Plus, we can supply our own tavern at low cost. The tavern's profits will start at least a thousand per month; how much more depends on how well Lafayette handles things.

Also, please prepare some food, weapons, healing medicine and other supplies for me later. Make sure you have plenty. Once you're ready, move them to the second floor of the pharmacy and put them there. I'll pick them up later. I need to go out for the day after tomorrow. I'll be back in about ten days if things go smoothly, but within a month if things go slowly. Don't worry about me; I'm capable of protecting myself.

As for Raphael, I'll have him specialize in researching moonshine recipes or something else; he won't be in charge of the pharmacy anymore. Hire another honest and reliable servant to assist Dom (the former pharmacy employee and guard) in managing the pharmacy. I'll be away from home frequently, so you can oversee things from the center.

"Yes, young master." Hearing Henry's well-organized arrangements, the old butler suddenly felt that young master Henry had matured a lot and was gradually becoming capable of standing on his own and taking on the responsibilities of the family. He replied with satisfaction.

"By the way, Uncle William, could you keep an eye out for any outstanding bounty hunters or people with special abilities like good skills or excellent reconnaissance skills in the area? Of course, they should be trustworthy and preferably have families."

"Gather all the information first. When I return, I plan to organize an armed force. Once we find the murderers of my father, I will personally lead the team to wipe them out."

"Okay, I've got it. If there's nothing else, I'll go and make the arrangements now."