Upon hearing Dutch's words, Hosea's inner worries lessened. Instead, his anticipation for the future grew.
Just as Arthur had said, they all dreamed of living a normal life. They also looked forward to living a truly free life under Dutch's leadership in the future.
But again, these people would never be idle; they had grown up in an environment of wandering, robbing, fighting, and fleeing. Their minds had long adapted to this so-called gang life. Their lives had long become the lives of wanted fugitives.
If they were given a farm and made to shovel manure every other day, they would riot within a week.
Among these main characters, only three could truly adapt to a stable life, enjoy it, and find joy in it.
The first was Abigail, the second was Mary Linton, and the third was Kieran.
All of them had followed the gang life for too long, especially Arthur, Dutch, and Hosea.
However, at present, their hearts were still filled with anticipation, because what they hadn't obtained yet was, to them, the best.
Hosea and Dutch walked into the bank.
The bank in Valentine was bustling with people; after all, it was a small ranching town, and its foot traffic was quite high.
Dutch and Hosea approached the front desk, and the staff standing behind the counter immediately gathered around.
"Hello, gentlemen, how may I help you?" a Bank employee asked indifferently.
"Oh, sir, we'd like to inquire about farms or ranches. Do you have any farms for sale here right now?" Dutch chuckled twice, then reached out and pushed a one-dollar tip forward.
The employee, who had just been indifferent, immediately had his eyes light up, quietly reached out, and put the tip into his pocket, his smile instantly blooming like a chrysanthemum.
"Oh, gentlemen, dear respected gentlemen! You've come at just the right time; we happen to have three farms that have just been repossessed by the bank. Oh, dear sirs, allow me to introduce you to our bank manager!"
The employee's eyes narrowed with a smile, then he walked out from behind the counter, knocked on the door of the adjacent office, and then entered.
"Please wait, gentlemen!"
Dutch nodded and stood waiting with Hosea.
A dollar, which seems insignificant and not worth picking up when players play the game, was actually very valuable at this time. John earned only three dollars a day working on a ranch eight years later. In 1900, an office clerk's monthly salary was only 28 dollars. Although the gap between the two seems very large, this is the West, and the intrinsic value of the dollar would be higher.
(one dollar in 1899 was equivalent to 40 dollars in 2025, and the current dollar will only depreciate further, but the conversion still holds).
Damn, a 40 tip. If I were the author, I'd directly kneel and serve them.
The conversation inside was even faster. Buying a ranch was originally a large transaction for the bank, so upon hearing that a generous wealthy person wanted to buy a farm, the bank manager almost immediately rushed out.
"Gentlemen, oh gentlemen, esteemed gentlemen, please follow me. We have detailed information about these three farms here.
Moe, why aren't you quickly serving tea to the two gentlemen!" Bank Manager Bandel bowed and led Dutch and Hosea into the inner room.
"Gentlemen, these are the only three estates currently available in Valentine. Two are large ranches, and one is a small farm. Here is their detailed information.
Oh, gentlemen, please have some tea."
Bandel smiled and invited Dutch and Hosea to sit on the chairs behind the table, and then two cups of hot tea were brought in and respectfully placed beside them.
And a detailed farm dossier had already been laid out.
"Oh, dear Mr. Manager, you are too kind. My name is Arthur, Arthur Callahan. I don't know your name yet." Dutch gave Arthur's commonly used alias.
"Oh, my name is John, John Tacitus." Hosea gave John's alias from the side.
The two exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes full of smiles.
"Oh, dear sirs, my name is Bandel, Bandel Massif. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Bandel stood beside the two with a smile, his tone respectful.
Although he made a good profit in this place, it was limited to him embezzling money and then lending it out privately, but he still had to return it. However, the commission from one farm could basically offset the profit from a dozen or even dozens of his loans.
This made him respectful, or rather, respectful of the wealthy.
This was the main melody of America.
"So, Mr. Bandel, could you tell us the specific differences between these three farms? Perhaps we'll come back tomorrow to finalize the transaction once we've made our choice." Dutch pulled out a cigar, and Bandel, standing nearby, immediately bent forward and lit it with a match.
"Oh, Mr. Callahan, it's like this: our current three estates are two large and one small—two large ranch estates and one small farm estate.
One of the large ranch estates is located at the intersection of the Strawberry and Valentine roads, covering an area of four hundred acres . The asking price is 1300 dollars.
This place is very suitable for grazing, with lush grasslands and suitable temperatures, so the price is a bit higher.
The other one is located between Rhodes and Valentine, covering an area of four hundred and fifty acres, but the price is much cheaper, only 1200 dollars.
Although this place is larger, half of its area is in the Gobi Desert, with sparse pasture and not suitable for grazing or cultivation. If Mr. Arthur wants a large ranch, we still recommend the first one.
As for the small farm, there is currently only one, which is the Downs farm, but we still need to give the poor Mr. Downs two days to move out. The Downs farm is not very large, only one hundred and fifty acres, and it is located in a remote area, so the asking price is even less, only 500 dollars.
If, Mr. Arthur, if you wish to purchase, perhaps we can have someone take you to see it first."
Dutch nodded, his gaze sweeping over the regional map.
The ranch between Strawberry and Valentine was called "Hope's Dream." Its location was precisely between Strawberry and Valentine, not near the snowy mountains, with year-round temperatures fluctuating between fifteen and twenty degrees Celsius, neither too cold nor too hot, and abundant vegetation, making it very suitable for grazing.
The area of the second ranch, "Vulture's Sculpture," was slightly worse. Half of its area was in the Gobi Desert behind Horseshoe Overlook, and the other half was near Emerald Ranch. The vegetation was decent, but the temperature was slightly higher, and its main advantage was the plains.
As for the Downs farm, there was no need to look at it!
"Arthur, perhaps we need this Vulture's Sculpture ranch, because it is closer to Valentine and Rhodes, and even not far from Saint Denis. The location of Hope's Dream ranch is a bit too remote."
Hosea looked at the regional divisions on the map and offered his suggestion.
Dutch shook his head and said in a deep voice, "No, John. I think we can buy both ranches."