Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

"Hosea, Arthur, I have a job here that might interest you."

"What job? Which idiot offended you this time? Tell me quickly, and I'll take him down for you."

Arthur was quite interested to hear that Henry had another commission. Henry's commissions were generally excellent, not only high-paying but also easy, legitimate, and comfortable to work with. Sometimes they were even better than Hosea's.

Because of Henry's influence, he has recently started to use his somewhat rusty brain. He no longer takes on just any job, and after taking one, he reflects on how to do it better, feel more at ease, and whether the job will have any impact on the gang.

Moreover, he recently saw his ex-girlfriend again, which brought back many memories for him. The two of them clearly loved each other, but they couldn't be together openly. Besides Mary's father's initial opposition, the main reason for this was his social status.

When he heard that Mary's husband had died, he almost laughed out loud, quite indecently. He had a strong urge to get back together with her, but he couldn't abandon the gang, nor did he want to leave Hosea and Dutch. Just as Mary didn't want to leave her family.

Arthur couldn't bring himself to make a decision right now, but he was already trying to slowly change himself, following his true feelings. Although he hadn't figured out how to improve himself, at least he knew how to prevent himself from becoming worse. For example, he had stopped maliciously robbing and killing people or extorting money from the poor at exorbitant interest rates. He had even privately talked to Dutch about loan sharking, only to be dismissed by Dutch with the excuse that the gang needed money to survive.

Dutch teaches them the spirit of chivalry, yet he borrows money from the poor—how ironic! How different is this from simply robbing the poor? Oh, at least that has a legal justification.

This is one of the reasons why Arthur has become increasingly dissatisfied with Dutch lately. However, he knows that Dutch is doing it for the gang's sake, and he can't stop it. He can only find more work himself to earn more money for the gang. Once he has enough money, Dutch might stop this disgusting lending business.

"Shut up, Arthur, you idiot. Ignore Henry. Just tell us what you need, and we'll help if we can."

Hosea was indeed very clever and observant. He knew that Henry was definitely not looking for them to kill someone, otherwise he wouldn't have called him first.

"I went to Strawberry Town to rescue Micah a while ago, but actually I didn't go there to rescue him. I had other things to take care of. Rescuing him was just a side thing."

I bought a large piece of land there and opened a zoo.

"So that's why you agreed to rescue that rat, and with your skills, it took you so long to get it out. So that's why you want us to come and look after the zoo for you?"

"Get out of here, don't interrupt, you idiot." Hosea looked at the slightly tipsy Arthur with disdain. Strawberry Town belonged to West Elizabeth State, and they were still wanted by the authorities, though not as strictly as in Blackwater. Going there occasionally was fine if they kept a low profile, but to stay there long-term was definitely a sign of mental instability and a death wish.

“Henry, go on. He had a minor head injury when he was a child and tends to talk nonsense.”

"A zoo, of course, needs exotic animals."

Henry looked at the map on the table.

Hosea understood immediately.

"Understood. This job is great for us. We'll make sure it goes smoothly for you."

"What are you talking about? What do you understand? Why can't I understand? Speak like a human being."

Arthur, however, was still a bit dazed from drinking too much horse urine and couldn't quite process what he was hearing. He hated these riddle-makers the most.

Henry and Hosea both glanced silently at the bewildered Arthur, as if caring for a mentally challenged child, and then suddenly burst into laughter, displaying remarkable tacit understanding.

“Arthur, you and Hosea will help me capture these legendary animals and send them to Lake Ovanjira. I will pay you $500 to $1000 for each animal, depending on its rarity. Of course, I need them alive and as intact as possible.”

"Is this true? Each one is so valuable. There are at least a dozen here. That must be worth at least tens of thousands of dollars."

“I’m afraid not, Arthur. The animals I want are not limited to those on this map. Other animals are fine, as long as they are rare and beautiful enough. Legendary horses, legendary fish, even legendary birds are all acceptable, as long as you can catch them.”

"Wow! This is much better than those bearer bonds that old Dutch stole. If we had known there was such a job, why would we have bothered robbing a train?"

"Shut up, Arthur!"

Hosea quickly stopped Arthur from talking nonsense in the tavern.

“We’d love to take the job, but Henry, you know we have a bounty on our head over there, so it’s not easy to go in. Could you catch the animals and take them outside of Strawberry Town so someone can come and pick them up?”

"Don't worry, Hosea, I have a good relationship with the Strawberry Town authorities. They won't make things difficult for you when you deliver the goods. If there are any problems, I'll take care of them. Of course, except for Micah. Don't let him show his face in front of me again, or don't blame me for not giving you face."

Speaking of Micah, Henry felt he had been too 'polite' to him before. How dare he come back and cause trouble? If it weren't for keeping him around to separate Dutch from the others, he would have already paraded him through the streets.

"What happened to Micah? Did he offend you again? Tell me, and I'll make him apologize to you when he gets back to camp!"

Hosea was initially pleased to learn of Henry's power in Strawberry Town and his ability to guarantee their safety. However, upon hearing Henry mention Micah in a rather unfriendly tone, Hosea felt uneasy. Had this camp rat offended Henry? Henry was no longer just his friend and benefactor, but also their breadwinner.

"I had just let him out and told him not to cause any more trouble, and the next day he brought people to Strawberry Town and killed more than a dozen people, including a deputy sheriff and seven officers. This is clearly a slap in my face."

I'm not afraid to tell you, I put a $2000 bounty on him in Strawberry Town. If it weren't for your sake, I would have led a group and stormed there directly.

Although Henry disliked Micah's methods, he didn't really care much about those unrelated people, especially the deputy sheriff who frequently demanded bribes and treated those who filed reports differently. Henry had long disliked him.

However, it's essential to show your attitude, otherwise anyone can act arrogantly in front of him and gain a good reputation, making things easier for him in the future.

"Shit! I knew he was a scoundrel, I've disliked him for a long time. Don't worry, Henry, I'll definitely get revenge for you when I get back to camp, even if old Dutch tries to protect him."

Before Hosea could speak, Arthur generously assured Henry.

Hosea's expression was also grim. He disliked the rat too, but he hadn't decided what to do with it yet. He knew Dutch valued the rat and would protect it. If things escalated, everyone would suffer.

"You're a true brother, Arthur! Come on, let's keep drinking. Don't let one jerk ruin our friendship..."