When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#737 - It is my duty, Your Majesty!

Looking at the two men suddenly kneeling before him, Horn was somewhat at a loss.

“The Holy Union abolished the kneeling ceremony, didn't you know?” Horn quickly gestured for the privy monks on either side to help them up.

“Slipped, slipped.” Old Eddie hurriedly explained, but looking at the carpet on the floor, he awkwardly stopped talking.

Brandon, on the other hand, honestly patted his knees and stood up, saying nothing more.

“Bring two chairs for them, let’s talk sitting down.” After instructing the privy monks, Horn stood up and walked to the tea table, “Coffee or tea?”

“Black tea will do.” Thinking about the sudden kneeling just now, Old Eddie's face was a little red, and he quickly coughed lightly, pretending to be serious as he sat up straight.

The previously boorish Brandon stood honestly aside, head bowed and not saying a word.

No matter how much they bragged in the coffee shop, Old Eddie and Brandon would still feel weak in the knees when they actually saw the ordinary-looking black-haired young man.

While Horn poured tea for the two, Old Eddie and Brandon secretly sized up the office.

The office originally had no windows, but the image of the Holy Father on the wall had been broken through and replaced with a transparent crystal glass window.

Before them was a desk carved from a whole piece of oak, with scribes in monk robes sitting on either side.

Eddie noticed three things on the desk: an envelope sealed with the Cheka wax seal, a structural diagram of the Megerdie Merchant Guild's equity, and the city hall's yearbook.

“Mr. Crawford, your black tea.”

Respectfully standing up, Old Eddie took the black tea from Horn's hand.

After returning to the desk, Horn cleared his throat: “Don’t be nervous, you two, I invited you here not for a banquet, but not for an execution ground either.

What I want to do is to rectify the current chaos in the insurance and lottery industries.”

Old Eddie and Brandon's hearts sank, but Old Eddie was the first to cautiously ask: “How do you want to rectify the chaos?”

“My requirements are not high, let’s take the insurance industry as an example, I want to promote standard insurance contracts.” Horn handed over the city hall document stamped with the wax seal, “All insurance must be notarized by the city hall, and the compensation reserve is managed by the Saintess Bank.”

Old Eddie, who had originally relaxed and was drinking tea, was instantly shocked: “No, no, Your Excellency, insurance is a private commercial activity, if you regulate it like this, the city hall will definitely force us to pay out.”

“You and the citizens are all children of the Holy Father, why can’t the city hall make fair judgments according to the law?”

“...Sometimes, judges don’t understand the complexities of commercial operations.”

“The judge will entrust other neutral businessmen as consultants, or simply hire notaries who specialize in commercial law.”

“Your Excellency, the insurance industry is a very young industry, it is so young…”

“Mr. Crawford’s ‘ten-draw-one-insurance’ and ‘insurance broker’ model are very interesting.” Seeing that Old Eddie was unwilling to budge, Horn opened the city hall's yearbook, “Last year, nearly forty widows and mothers of sailors came to the city hall to complain that they couldn’t get compensation.”

“Because they don’t meet the requirements.”

“Is it because they don’t meet the requirements, or because they simply weren’t sold normal insurance policies.” Horn suddenly opened the ledger, with several insurance policy stubs clipped between the rough paper pages, “For example, in your marine accident insurance, you set the highest compensation amount for dying at sea from being hit in the center of the eyebrow by a sand lizard.

Then reduce other accidents, such as the compensation rate for drowning, thereby leveling out the average compensation amount, making people think they can get a lot of money.”

Sweat flowed from Old Eddie's cheeks, and he chuckled: “It must be those bastards below who did it!”

“For example, in the Hotham County Crown Town fire this February, you suddenly forcibly canceled all fire insurance for houses on the edge of the fire and returned the amount of insurance purchased.”

“Uh… this is…” Old Eddie felt like the stool under his butt was full of magma, making him restless.

“Who has the authority to make this level of large-scale insurance withdrawal, let him come and talk to me.” Horn still had a smile on his face, but Old Eddie was already sweating profusely.

“You know, this is a timely stop-loss behavior in business…”

“Then if I announce the pardon of your sins after I hang you, wouldn’t that be a timely stop-loss?”

“I… I…”

Old Eddie picked up the coffee cup with a trembling hand and took a light sip, but this sip didn't clear his head, but instead made him squint his eyes.

Horn didn't urge him, but leaned back in his chair and leisurely drank his tea.

Taking a deep breath, as if making a decision, Old Eddie opened his eyes and looked at Horn with determination and resoluteness: “If you say so, then I will definitely support your proposal, the insurance industry is so chaotic, it should have been managed a long time ago.”

“It’s great that you can support our work.” Horn smiled and poured another cup of black tea for Old Eddie, “In fact, we are preparing to promote mine accident insurance in mountainous areas, perhaps we need a professional like you to help us?”

Old Eddie's face, which was originally enduring the pain, froze, and after a moment he cautiously asked: “Can you convince the mountain people?”

“Not convince, I will use the newspaper to create momentum for ‘blood-stained ore’, and cooperate with the Council of State to tighten peat supply and steel orders, and the mine owners will honestly come to buy insurance.”

Old Eddie was overjoyed, but at the same time, his expression became stern. If Horn wrote an article in the *Truth* newspaper called *Blood-Stained Policies*, Old Eddie's insurance company would be severely injured even if it didn't die.

Seeing Old Eddie yield, Horn revealed a knowing smile.

The old man seemed to dress plainly and didn't love money, but in fact, he was the most greedy, as long as you hit his weakness, he wouldn't be able to resist.

After solving Old Eddie, Horn looked at Brandon.

Seeing Horn's gaze slowly turning towards him, Brandon lowered his head, curled up his body, as if trying to become invisible.

“I am willing to accept the supervision and notarization of the city hall and deposit the lottery prize reserve in the Saintess Bank.” Meeting Horn's smiling eyes, Brandon, whose scalp was numb, immediately stated.

Horn shook his head: “Not enough, how much profit you make from the lottery, do you think I don’t know?”

“Your Excellency, I just started making money, I didn’t make much money…”

“Starting from next quarter, 60% of the lottery profits will be allocated to public welfare funds.” Without letting him finish, Horn slapped the newly printed sample of the “Education Lottery” on the table. The ticket face was printed with the township elementary school under construction, “You can divide the remaining 40% yourselves.”

Under the illumination of the fluorescent stone lamp, Brandon's baby face instantly turned pale: “Your Excellency, I am different from Old Eddie, I have always been operating fairly and legally.

If someone really wins the prize, I will sell everything I have to issue the prize, you are suppressing our living space.

If you do this, you don’t need to hang me, I will hang myself, this business can’t be done!”

In fact, whether out of consideration for profit or just starting out, the Cheka really didn't find much black material on Brandon.

Even if there are citizens who starve to death buying lottery tickets, most of them are people who try to gain without working. Brandon's lottery shop will not actively persuade people to buy.

But Horn also has a way to deal with the unruly Brandon: “First of all, you must understand that the lottery is on the edge of gambling. I tolerate the lottery because it is beneficial for raising funds and public welfare.

Secondly, if there is no Brandon lottery, won’t there be Megerdie lottery or Rapid Current City lottery?

Finally, making the lottery public benefits you as well.

If you can make enough contributions to public welfare and education, perhaps someone will nominate you to enter the Council of State because of your reputation.

With your experience in related fields, perhaps you can get the position of chairman of the Education Committee or Minister of Public Welfare?”

The flesh on Brandon's face, which was getting more and more collapsed, suddenly lifted up, as if the whole person had suddenly aged ten years and then suddenly became ten years younger.

“Can you nominate me?”

“That’s not within my job scope.” Horn tapped the hard tabletop with a hard rubber fountain pen, “It’s the responsibility of the Lower River County magistrate and the priest.”

Then it’s still Saint Son who has the final say, Brandon immediately cheered up.

If one day, the gambling shop manager becomes a minister, see who dares to look down on him.

Compared with the precious position of minister, it seems that the lottery's little profit is not worth mentioning.

“Mr. Brandon, what are your thoughts?”

“You know me, I have always been concerned about the education of the common people, and I am obliged to spend money to build schools, Your Excellency!”