Davey needed a new moonshine production site, and it had to be large enough.
On the eastern side of Caliga Hall, near the small bridge closer to Saint Denis, there was an abandoned slaughterhouse.
The slaughterhouse was massive—more than sufficient for producing moonshine. It belonged to the Gray family, and Davey would need to purchase it.
This matter was critical, because the upper class of Saint Denis was already waiting on Davey's moonshine business.
However, what he had assumed would go smoothly ended up being flatly rejected by the Gray family.
"I'm very sorry. Please convey this to Mr. Land: this slaughterhouse is ancestral property of the Gray family, a symbol of our former glory. In those days, it was this very slaughterhouse that gave our family a chance to survive."
"Therefore, I regret to inform you that even though it has been abandoned, we will never sell it to outsiders."
That was the message Davey received.
He had to admit, when his subordinate brought back this response, he was genuinely surprised.
After all, his relationship with the Gray family was fairly good, and they should have been well aware of his strength. All that talk about ancestral legacy was nothing but nonsense.
"Oh, fuck. Those drunken Gray bastards—shouldn't they just hand the slaughterhouse over? You even offered them thirty thousand dollars, Davey."
"Do they really think we're no longer a threat just because we've moved into Saint Denis?"
"Davey, my brother, I think we should teach those alcohol-soaked idiots a lesson and show them what we're capable of."
Mac was furious. He had already been unhappy about offering thirty thousand dollars in the first place—he could've had a great time in Saint Denis with that money.
And now the Gray family had outright refused. That was a complete lack of respect.
Davey, however, showed no anger at all.
"Don't just look at things on the surface, Mac. Sometimes you really need to use your head."
"The Gray family doesn't actually have the authority to refuse us. Standing behind them is the Saint Denis government—namely, the mayor."
"This kind of abnormal confidence means someone is backing them. That's why they dare reject us so bluntly."
Mac asked, confused, "But isn't the mayor supposed to be working with us? Why would he interfere with our moonshine business?"
Davey smiled.
"Of course we're going to work with the mayor. But how the profits are divided is a key point in negotiations."
"Bronte was involved in moonshine as well, and that abandoned slaughterhouse is clearly the best location near Saint Denis. Yet it's still in the hands of the Gray family."
Hearing this, Mac began to understand.
"So we need to settle the profit split with the mayor first before we can get the slaughterhouse, right?"
Davey shook his head.
"No, Mac. If this were a normal business deal, then yes, the mayor would have leverage over us. But who do you think we are?"
"The Gray family dared to oppose us, so they'll have to pay the price. That slaughterhouse is in the hands of the Gray family—not the mayor."
"If the Gray family is facing the risk of being wiped out, do you think they'll still listen to the mayor? Selling the slaughterhouse would only upset him. But if they refuse to sell it to us, then the Gray family might not even exist in Rhodes Town anymore."
Mac scratched the back of his head, feeling a dull ache coming on.
"So, Davey, after all that, we're still going after the Gray family in the end, right?"
"Fuck, my brother. You've successfully twisted my brain into a knot."
"Let me take twenty employees and pay a visit to the Gray family mansion. I'll teach them how to behave."
"Next time, Davey, don't explain so much. Just tell me the result."
In Mac's mind, it felt like Davey had said a lot—but also like he hadn't said anything at all.
Davey could only smile helplessly.
"We do need to deal with the Gray family, but we can't do it ourselves. That would be undignified and would put the mayor in an awkward position."
"Saint Denis's upper society would see that kind of behavior as barbaric."
"So we can't get our hands dirty."
Mac fell silent for a moment before saying, "So what, we hire bounty hunters? Or bring in some bandits? How's that any different from doing it ourselves? There's no way people wouldn't figure out it was us."
Davey replied calmly, "Listen to me, Mac. According to the information we have, Dutch has been playing both sides. Hosea secretly cooperated with the Braithwaite family to burn down the Gray family's tobacco fields."
"And recently, Arthur and Sean MacGuire stole the Braithwaite family's purebred stallion."
"Both the Gray family and the Braithwaite family are trying to deal with Dutch and his people. The Grays have released word that they're recruiting family guards, and Dutch won't miss that opportunity—he's after the gold passed down between the two families."
"This is a trap. The Gray family is gathering men to ambush Arthur and the others. You just need to pass this information on to Arthur so they can be prepared."
"Once Arthur's side wipes out the Gray family guards, you can go visit Mr. Tavish and have a proper discussion about purchasing the slaughterhouse."
"Of course, this time, I'll only put up ten thousand dollars."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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