Richard immediately said: "I know two young Bruce elites from Canada. Henry, if you ever go to Pittsburgh, you must visit me. I'll host a grand banquet to welcome you."
"Of course, we're comrades who fought side by side," Henry said sincerely.
"You're absolutely right, Henry." Richard was very happy.
Madeline said with lingering fear: "Henry, fortunately you appeared in time today. It's just a pity about our six guards and the McKinley family's 31 guards - they were left forever on this wild land."
"Did the McKinley family send people to escort you?" Henry immediately asked.
"Yes, Brendan McKinley even temporarily added 11 more guards today because he was worried about our safety, and something really did happen," Richard said regretfully.
Henry exchanged glances with Linda.
Worried that Linda might not know the truth about Bryan's murder and cause problems later, Henry had briefly shared his suspicions with her.
However, Henry didn't plan to discuss this matter in front of so many people, so he changed the subject.
——
At the same time, Carlos, Pizarro and others who had been ambushing at Guillotine for half the day were very frustrated - no one came from Fresco Town's direction.
They had no choice but to find a suitable place to camp.
"What do we do if Henry doesn't come tomorrow either?" Carlos asked.
"Wait one more day. If he still doesn't come, we'll send someone back to Denver's black market to understand the situation. We need patience. The family has waited almost two hundred years - the more critical the moment, the more patient we must be," Pizarro said.
"Sigh, the brothers left on the Caribbean are having hard times. I hope this goes smoothly, and after we get the gold we can expand the ranch and let them come ashore too," Carlos sighed.
"They may not be able to adapt, but expanding the ranch is right. The cattle trade volume in Dodge City is large now with good prices," Pizarro agreed.
"Being a pirate in the Caribbean now is a dead end - all countries are cracking down too hard. Whether they adapt or not, they have to. There are obviously more opportunities here in America," Carlos said eloquently.
"Right, Francisco is even involved in the conflicts near Santiago - too dangerous. If we succeed this time and expand our operations, we'll need lots of manpower. Let's have them come over. We can suggest this to the boss together," Pizarro agreed again.
"Yes, Texas was originally established by us Hispanics - it belongs to us," Carlos nodded affirmatively.
After dinner, the women began cleaning up the dishes while Henry walked aside with Richard.
Henry had never been a businessman - he was better at getting straight to the point.
So he asked directly: "I remember you said you were going to visit Mayor William in Fresco Town. You were commissioned by the McKinley family, weren't you? Are you business partners?"
Richard replied: "I was commissioned by Brendan McKinley, the big boss of the McKinley family in the West. I met him at a ball, we got along well, and he's a major client of our Mellon Bank."
Henry smiled and said: "I think Brendan didn't explain clearly why he commissioned you, otherwise you wouldn't have reacted this way when you met me."
Richard's pupils visibly dilated as he said: "I don't understand. Why?"
"Linda's husband Bryan was like a brother and mentor to me. He was murdered by Brendan and their branch clan leader Sean in Fresco Town, who colluded with over 120 bandits from the Doolin and Dodge gangs to ambush us."
"Caught off guard, all other 24 people at the police station died. I killed all the bandits in return. Now you know where that ten-thousand-dollar bounty on my head comes from, right?"
Richard was tremendously shocked and momentarily speechless.
Henry said gently: "So Richard, you're a lucky man to have encountered me under these circumstances. You know what? Before I left today, I heard that all 458 private soldiers from Sean's manor and the McKinley family's mountain operations have gone to meet Satan."
Richard looked at Henry with some alarm - as a business elite, understanding implications was a core skill, so he somewhat understood.
"I think Brendan certainly didn't tell you about these situations, so your luck is really very good."
Richard now also felt his luck was very good.
Damn Brendan, that son of a bitch! Trying to get me killed!
If this was the situation, even if he had agreed to come broker or mediate, the price would definitely be completely different, and he would have made thorough preparations.
More likely, he wouldn't have participated at all.
Richard cursed Brendan thoroughly in his heart.
Now he was like a blind man stupidly charging empty-handed into a battlefield full of gunfire!
One careless move and he would be the 459th!
459!
Richard said decisively: "When I return to Denver this time, I'll go straight back to Pittsburgh. We can travel together for part of the way."
Henry patted Richard's shoulder and said with a smile: "Wise choice, Richard. We'll have opportunities to cooperate in the future."
Richard also smiled and said: "Of course, I'm looking forward to it."
The two then chatted casually for a while, mainly Henry learning about Pittsburgh's situation, the banking industry, and basic information about the Democrats, Republicans, and President in Washington from Richard's perspective.
Through this conversation, Henry learned quite a bit from Richard's viewpoint, and Richard was rather surprised to discover that Henry had basic knowledge of many things and wasn't just a pure warrior.
He attributed this to Henry's birth, thinking it was due to good family education, and felt even more that Henry was a member of his own social circle.
Soon, the women had finished cleaning up and gathered around the campfire again to chat.
Campfires in the wilderness always gave people an inexplicable sense of warmth and security.
It was already past ten o'clock at night. Both men walked over, Richard sitting next to Madeline while Henry began explaining tomorrow's arrangements.
"Everyone rest early tonight. I'll go scout the dangerous section ahead called 'Guillotine' around 5 AM tomorrow. At that time, except for Becky and André, you should all get up and stay alert."
"If I encounter bandits, I'll eliminate them before returning, which might take several hours like today."
"Don't panic, just wait like you did today. I'll be fine. We'll leave after I return."
Everyone nodded.
In fact, Ruth, Madeline, and Edith were all physically and mentally exhausted today, and now that they had relaxed, drowsiness was overwhelming them.
Linda, Becky, and André were also tired from the long journey.
So everyone returned to their tents to rest within a few minutes.
(End of Chapter)
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