"Are you the ones who want to do business with ?" About half an hour later, a middle-aged man in a suit, with a scar on his face and a sowhat weathered appearance, entered the tavern, followed by several subordinates. He walked briskly over to Lynden Schneider and said to him.
Yes, it was Lynden, not Josh.
At that mont, Josh, acting as an assistant, was standing behind Lynden.
Dealing with the Mafia was better left to soone like Lynden who had experience, and since smuggling was ultimately a gray area, it was best for Josh to stay out of the spotlight.
"Are you Thomas Shelby?" Lynden asked as he assessed the man.
"That's right. My friends call Tommy. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" The man smiled and confird his identity before asking Lynden.
"I have so goods, a large quantity, and I need a reliable partner for distribution!" Lynden said, taking on an air of arrogance.
"Well, you've co to the right place. If you're looking for soone in all of Britain who can distribute goods nationwide, you won't find anyone but our Shelby family... But let's get one thing straight: we don't deal in 'powder'!" Tommy smiled slightly. "Peaky Blinders" is what the outsiders call them, but like most gangs, they call themselves by the boss's last na.
Tommy didn't mind Lynden's arrogance; he was a smart man who knew that the world's political situation was becoming clearer. Arica's rise was unstoppable, and after the heavy blows of "MustacheMan", Britain had long since lost the grandeur of the empire on which the sun never set.
Now the presence of boastful Arican soldiers in every British town confird it.
"Naturally. We don't deal in dangerous goods. In fact, the goods we have to distribute are exactly what all of Britain and even Europe desperately needs right now," Lynden nodded and then looked at Josh.
Understanding the hint, Josh placed the box at his feet on the table and opened it.
Inside were a few simple items: several packs of various brands of cigarettes, so loose tobacco, and so canned at.
In fact, Josh had brought a much larger variety of goods, but these items weren't quite suitable for legitimate trade.
Normally, only the cigarettes would be considered unsuitable for legal sale, while the canned at was fine - at least in theory. But with the current state of things, those cans of "dinosaur at" were...
When Tommy saw the contents of the box, he was quite surprised. He had expected to see sensitive materials, but cigarettes and canned at? That was totally unexpected.
In peaceti, tobacco might have been considered slightly sensitive, but in the current warti situation, where Britain was selling everything from household goods to weapons, it was far from a problem.
Now, in Britain's current situation, anything useful that could be brought in was considered legal, and there were no tariffs - no smuggling at all.
"I don't quite understand... These goods, sir, could easily be sold through trading companies. There's no need to co to us!" Though tempted by the offer, Tommy hesitated. As soone who had been in the criminal underworld for decades, he didn't believe in free lunches. Could there be sothing wrong with these goods?
"Mr. Shelby, you're thinking too much. You and your n can taste these goods. I guarantee they are all top quality, just like these samples!" Lynden noticed Tommy's concern, smiled slightly, and didn't imdiately make an offer, but instead took out a box of cigarettes and a can of at and offered Tommy a taste.
Seeing this, Tommy looked at one of his subordinates. The man didn't hesitate, opened the can and imdiately grabbed the at and shoved it into his mouth.
After just one bite, his eyes lit up and he began to devour it hungrily.
Lynden and Josh couldn't help but smile at the sight.
In truth, the canned at, like the military rations for Arican soldiers, was very ordinary - so would even say unpleasant. It was too salty and greasy, and without heating, it was hard for the average person to swallow.
But the fact that the man ate it so eagerly showed only one thing: he hadn't eaten anything so greasy in a long ti.
Seeing his subordinate's embarrassing behavior, Tommy's face twitched and he discreetly kicked him.
The last few years in Britain had been tough, and even those involved in the underworld had it bad, often going hungry. Still, this kind of behavior was rather embarrassing.
Even though the man had been kicked, he didn't stop eating. He ate the entire one-pound can and then licked the remains clean.
The rest of Tommy's n watched, their mouths watering.
"Ha ha, country boy... Please excuse that behavior in front of our honored guests!" Tommy could only smile awkwardly at Lynden.
"Mr. Shelby, you're being too modest. Britain is simply going through a difficult ti. As the war situation becos clearer, I'm sure things will improve soon," Lynden said, raising his hand to ease the awkwardness. "As for your earlier concern, it's simple. My boss is not looking for a one-ti deal. He hopes to establish a stable partnership that will continue after the war."
As soon as Lynden said this, Tommy understood imdiately.
Yes, at the mont Britain was a buyer's market, where anything could be sold. But once the war was over, the situation would change completely.
Canned at would quickly lose its value, while tobacco, though still valuable, would soon be targeted by the governnt as soon as they regained control.
So if they wanted to continue selling contraband like tobacco or other illegal items, working with a strong gang like the Shelby's was definitely the way to go.
"I was too hasty! We, the Shelby family, are more than willing to accept this deal. When can we get the goods... and the paynt..." When it ca to paynt, a hint of embarrassnt appeared on Tommy's face.
These days even the landlords had no reserves. British prices had skyrocketed, and if Josh and his people brought in too much rchandise, even the biggest gang in Britain, the Shelby's, might have trouble paying for it all at once.
"This is easy. We can deliver the goods first, and as for paynt, we'll accept physical goods - gold, jewels, land - anything, as long as it's clean!" Lynden smiled.
This week goals,
50 PS = 1st Extra Chapter. (Smashed)
125 PS = 2nd Extra Chapter. (Hurry up! Only 52 PS left for the next extra chapter
200 PS = 3rd Extra Chapter.
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