MTL - Astartes of the Bear School-Chapter 16 The perfect balance between ethics and utilitarianism

 Chapter 16 16. The perfect balance between morality and utilitarianism

By the time the village elders of Oriden led Lan out of the tavern, it was no longer raining, but the heavy dark clouds were still hanging low.

When old Allen was leading the way, his face was ugly, as if he had lost his wife at the gambling table.

 But when he turned around to face Lan En, he immediately became attentive and eager.

 Conflicting feelings.

It was like he had obtained a treasure that was hot and difficult to cash in, but he was reluctant to give it up.

 The village is not big, and it only takes a few steps to reach the place.

 That is a slightly better house than the average in the village.

 The wooden piles that make up the foundation are taller and therefore farther away from the wet water, and the walls of the wooden house are visibly stronger than those of the surrounding houses.

 It is the house of the village elder.

 But to be honest, Lan En didn’t expect much.

“This is my house. We can add another bed inside. You can rest here in the future.”

Old Allen said, opening the door and bringing Lan En in.

 The situation in the house was not what the young man had expected.

There are only two connected rooms in total, one is the living room and bedroom, and the other is the kitchen and storage room.

The so-called bed is nothing more than a pile of hay mixed with rags, cotton wool, etc., with a high-quality rag as a sheet covered on top.

This is already the bed used by the elder and his wife. Thinking about it, the bed he added for himself will not be better than these two.

If Lan En had just arrived in Willen not long ago, he might not be able to imagine that he would rest on this kind of "bed".

 But now, after looking around with his cat eyes, the young man nodded naturally to express his acceptance.

This place is simple, but at least clean.

There is even a fresh and beautiful garland hanging on the wooden wall, which represents the belief of the goddess Meliteli.

　　also means that the hostess here is a careful person who works quickly.

 Being in Willen, what more could you ask for?

Just now in the tavern, Lan reached an agreement with Old Allen, who represented the village.

 In the name of the so-called "sacred tradition of witchers", the Bear School will make compensation.

 But Lan En patted his cotton armor, which was so worn that it burst into cotton, and said that he shouldn’t even think about giving him money. Everyone is living in a tight situation these days.

But it’s okay for a witcher to work hard.

Oriden is a fishing village, and the entire village's income mainly depends on the lake they are next to.

The nobles only use this place for the horse-drawn carriage competition held here. It is impossible for the villagers to take this opportunity to sell things to the nobles or receive financial subsidies.

If you want to support your family, you still have to work hard.

But the harsh ecological environment of Velen has resulted in the lakes not only containing fish that can be sold for money, but also man-eating water ghosts and swamp witches.

These monsters severely restrict fishermen’s working areas and working hours.

For example, fishing at night is like feeding food into the monster's mouth, which limits the village's income.

It's just that people don't usually die often, and the villagers can barely survive starvation based on the current scale of the fishery, so there's no need to pay a witcher to kill monsters.

 But Lan En’s arrival brought a change to the status quo.

 In the tavern not long ago, the shimmering cat eyes looked at old Allen calmly.

 “You are a rare knowledgeable person in this village.” Lan En complimented first, and then continued.

“Based on the market price, the right ear of a water ghost can be exchanged for three orens, and the head of a swamp witch can be exchanged for five. Do you agree?”

Old Allen was holding a pipe in his mouth, his cloudy eyes instantly became cunning, and he subconsciously wanted to lower the price.

 The nobility cares about prestige, the church cares about piety, and everyone cares about money. This saying is simply true.

 It has become instinctive to lower the price first when talking about money. But when old Allen glanced at those slightly bright cat eyes again, the determination and calmness in them inexplicably made him dare not play tricks.

 So he could only nod his head blankly.

“You are right, Master. But, what does this have to do with the ‘compensation’ you mentioned?”

"Of course it does matter!" Before the village elder could finish speaking, Lan En interrupted him unceremoniously.

“The compensation the Great Master sent me to give you is [Discounted Hunting].”

“During this period, you are responsible for my food, accommodation and logistics, and I will only receive one-third of the market price for my hunting results.”

"The water ghost only needs one oren, and the swamp witch only needs one and a half. Think about it, elder, one-third of the cost."

Lan En's tone was obviously calm and cold, but to the old Allen, it sounded inexplicably seductive.

 During this process, Lan En just spoke without even using any magic.

"In less than two months, your village's fishing ground will be doubled. If you are lucky, you can find a few water ghost nests and uproot them. Your expanded fishing ground can even last for three or four years. How much will it cost?" "

Not only old Allen, but every one in the tavern is a fisherman.

 The temptation of doubling the fishing grounds was too great for these people, and their eyes turned green.

“And all this can be accomplished as long as you meet the conditions for ‘compensation’.”

 “What conditions?!”

“As long as the price for killing monsters remains the same, we can negotiate!”

Without the elders having to say anything, the onlookers standing nearby couldn't wait to ask questions.

Lan En turned to look at them. This time, even under the slightly bright amber cat eyes, people only felt excited.

"My one-third of the hunting reward must be paid in cash, without any arrears or half a penny less. Moreover, your village must ensure the livelihood of the two victimized families."

 Lan En spread his hands seemingly indifferently.

“After all, the so-called ‘compensation’ is largely for the two victim families, and your village is just incidental.”

Such a simple request is not even a problem at all.

That is, the cash settlement required by Lan En put a bit of pressure on the village's depleted cash flow.

 This is also the reason why the village elders put on a dead horse face when the young people cannot see them.

 But under the prestige of old Allen, it is not a problem for every household to squeeze out a little. After all, the expansion of the fishing ground will also benefit the entire village.

So the agreement was reached smoothly, and old Allen even took the guy he usually called a "mutant" into his home in order to express his gratitude and attention to the generous compensation from the master witcher.

 It served as Lan En’s residence and canteen for a period of time.

Old Allen went out to find hay to make a bed, and his wife was said to be picking raspberries and berries nearby to supplement the food.

 In this clean hut, only Lan and Mentos were left.

As soon as I thought of this, a neutral intelligent voice came to my mind.

 “I have to admit, sir. First-class businessmen create demand.”

“Safe practice objects, stable provision of food and shelter, and income. Whether your plan is based on morality or utilitarianism, in terms of results, what you get is more comprehensive than the plan I gave.”

"so so."

 The young man smiled modestly.

 But in my heart—

  I am a real genius!

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 (End of this chapter)