199: Dining

Chapter 196: Dinner

Stimulated by the good news, Godwin's spirits instantly lifted. He didn't even have time to enjoy his dinner and hurriedly sent the selected refugees to the Bastet Temple.

This batch, including children, totaled thirty-six people.

They were the healthiest group among the refugee contingent.

This was also the agreement Godwin and Letizia had reached previously.

Before entering the temple, Godwin specifically set psychological expectations for these refugees.

But for these refugees, they had no choice but to comply.

Subsequently, Letizia had her subordinates lead the refugees to the back of the temple.

What they truly wanted were children and women.

The former could be trained from a young age, while the latter could create wealth for them.

Letizia was clearly very satisfied with this transaction, and she proactively invited Godwin to dinner.

This time, Godwin did not refuse.

He did have some things he wanted to discuss properly with the Priestess.

The two went together to Letizia's office.

But in Godwin's eyes, this luxuriously decorated room was less an office and more an entertainment room.

As for what exactly was 'entertained' here, the objects placed around the room were enough to explain everything.

"I've invited you several times, and you've always refused.

"Why did you accept today?"

Letizia was the first to ask Godwin.

"Constantly refusing a lady's invitation is hardly the behavior of a gentleman," Godwin replied.

The Priestess knew very well that this was just a polite formality.

Godwin choosing this specific time to approach her meant he was brewing something.

"You've kept our agreement, which is good," the Priestess continued. "Although these people all look very weak, they still have value for shaping."

"So, how many people do you plan to take?"

Godwin asked, silently calculating the number he could accept in his mind.

"Six children, four women, plus two men."

Close to half the number. Godwin thought to himself, this number was still within his acceptable range.

Reason told him not to ask about the fate of these people.

But perhaps it was from following Arthur for too long, or perhaps it was curiosity at play.

He still ended up asking, "What will become of them afterwards?"

Hearing this question, a flicker of undetectable surprise crossed the Priestess's face.

She retorted, "Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear a lie?"

"Why not both?" Godwin replied, "Anyway, I have all the time tonight."

"This is truly rare," the Priestess said slowly. "Our public statement is that these people will all receive proper care and afterwards they will learn relevant doctrines, eventually becoming reliable believers and participating in various religious activities."

"That sounds quite good. These words must have helped you attract many people, I presume?" Godwin commented.

"As for the truth," she paused, then continued, "the children will be sent to the Grand Temple for layered screening, and most of them won't survive the third round.

"As for the men, they will be kept as laborers to do odd jobs.

"Women can be used in more places, but the quality of this batch of women is really too poor, so in the end, they can only do rough work."

Godwin's eyes narrowed slightly.

If their Lord were here now, with his compassionate heart, he would never allow such a thing to happen.

But some things don't need to be known by the Lord.

On the path to success, some sacrifices are always inevitable. The Priestess keenly caught the change in her guest's expression.

She asked with a hint of teasing in her tone, "Don't tell me you're concerned about these people?"

"What? In your eyes, am I such a cold and heartless person?"

"No, that's not coldness; you're just a pure pragmatist," the Priestess stated bluntly. "If one life can be exchanged for several lives, you would not hesitate to give up that one life, wouldn't you?"

Godwin did not dwell on this topic. "Regardless, their lives from now on will certainly not be worse than they are currently.

"As for those children, if this is their fate, then so be it."

"It's amusing how you make excuses to comfort yourself, Godwin."

For some reason, the Priestess suddenly wanted to provoke her guest.

Perhaps it was due to her cat-like capricious nature.

Or perhaps, it was in retaliation for Godwin repeatedly refusing her invitations earlier. However, Godwin, just like the previous times, completely ignored her provocation.

He was like an emotionless stone, completely unaffected.

"Perhaps we could pursue further cooperation," Godwin suddenly said.

The change in topic was rather abrupt, but it was very much in his style.

He only ever put on a polite and subtle demeanor when it was necessary.

"Oh?" The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "I actually think our current relationship is quite good."

She neither directly refused nor showed enthusiasm.

"Don't you want more?" Godwin went straight to the point, without beating around the bush. "I don't believe a woman as ambitious as you would be content to stay in a place like this forever.

"Isn't that also why you've always actively approached me all this time?

"If we continue to fool each other like idiots, it would simply be an insult to each other's intelligence."

Letizia suddenly laughed after hearing this. "I do like men who are a little rougher.

"But regardless, necessary foreplay cannot be omitted.

"It helps lubricate our relationship so that the subsequent conversation won't be so painful."

With that, she picked up the bottle of wine that had already been decanted and poured a glass for each of them.

At the same time, the waiting servants outside came in with the appetizers.

Godwin suppressed the impatience in his heart.

He had forgotten that the person he was talking to was not only a shrewd politician but also a woman well-versed in the ways of the world.

He immediately changed his strategy. After the servants withdrew, he pulled a sapphire ring from his pocket and handed it over.

"This is for you," he said.

The Priestess unceremoniously took the ring, examined it for a moment, and then said, "How interesting. If this gift hadn't come from your hands, I'd probably be a bit happier."

"Why?" Godwin asked.

"Every one of your actions conceals calculation, doesn't it?" The Priestess looked up at him. "The ring itself is quite nice; I like it very much.

"Its craftsmanship is neither like the style of Amn nor the artistry of Calimshan.

"And judging by the color of the gem, this ring should be quite old."

Listening to the Priestess's analysis, a thought suddenly struck Godwin.

He asked, "How much do you think this ring is worth?"

"For Bastet's sake, are you serious?" The Priestess looked at him with some surprise.

Seeing Godwin's serious expression, not like he was joking, she continued to reply, "About thirty gold coins, perhaps. However, if you can explain the origin of this ring, certain collectors might be willing to pay a higher price."

"It seems you know a lot about jewelry appraisal."

"What I know is how to appraise valuables," Letizia corrected. "Honestly, are we going to discuss this topic all night?"

"I have a batch of goods that need someone to appraise.

"If you are confident enough, I'd like to ask for your help to take a look.

"And if you can help sell this batch of goods, according to industry practice, I will give you a commission."

"We can talk while we eat, Godwin."

The Priestess's eyes visibly lit up, clearly interested in the proposal.

"May I ask where these goods came from?"

"Let's focus on the dinner before us first," Godwin evaded the question.