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Originally Posted by Oxtail
Love the series, but I thought this episode was lackluster. The Horo/Lawrence interactions were great, as usual, but everything else seemed off.
The whole story is about the adventures of a wandering merchant. I was hoping they'd find some crazy business scheme to get him out of debt. Instead we're left with gold smuggling. If it were that easy and lucrative to smuggle gold and if Lawrence really had as few qualms with it as he appears to, then it makes me wonder why he wastes his life earning pennies on furs and wheat when a few gold transactions could buy him the house he dreamed of. It just seemed off in the context of the story. And the fact that he instantly knew how to sucker poor Nora into the plan seemed all too convenient and a bit out of character. Smuggling gold is a pretty serious crime, but it seems to be treated as just another business venture.
Maybe I'd be more OK with it if he spent more time debating the morality and difficulty of it, but the whole scheme seemed to pop out of nowhere.
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I can understand what you mean by, "hey, why can't he put gold in sheeps stomachs more often" if it's just that easy.
The answer I came up with is that it's not about the method, it's about the people that are involved along the way. Lawrence did say when he was bringing the idea to the company, that it was a method already tried. That means it was a method already failed. BSS subbed it as "there've have been people in the past that tried the same method." tried being indictive of not succeeding. In this case, Lawrence knows of someone who wouldn't betray the smuggling effort, he himself rests on it's succeess, so he's telling the company he can't betray it, as he needs it to succeed, and the company has no reason to betray it as their motive is profits, and this is a huge + to everyone, that the people involved won't betray the effort, and they will do their best to see it succeed.
Second, the method. Not as important, but still thought about. Utilizing THE ONLY shephard that can take the road to Ramtra, (the short way, where short means less time for information leaking, less time for problems, and "more" time for success.) It's also a harsher road, so less people use it, raising success against discovery or other such things.
Add all these up, and this is one huge luck fest after another. Nora was never in any of the scams before, where betraying occured often I am sure. (Look at the guy that told Lawrence he wanted to help with the $, but wouldn't because of Lawrences morals or lack thereof) I'm sure one person involved would go to the church. Though Lawrence has done a good job of eliminating that.
As for talking to her in the open about it instead of saying something like, let's go to Ramtra, theres a job. Then on the road, where NO ONE is around, telling her the details, that's a huge problem...chance of discovery or problem rose highly. He also gave her all the facts, dangers, concepts, and pay off. No one is being decieved, so has a smaller reason to do any deceiving. but someone else may have overheard.
So believe me Oxtail, this is that grand scheme. There is nothing "grander" than gold smuggling. The profits are immense, (the dangers are immense...) so it's the biggest gig since VanGoh invented paint =). It's not easy, and it is extremely crazy. It's never been successful before. But like Oceans 11, 12, 13, all the key players are assembled, no run will run out and betray, and a solid route for the smuggling has been developed. Que road to Ramtra. Haunted by Wolves and beasts. If one sheep gets eaten or taken away, etc, that's the end of probobly a huge amount of gold and a huge profit. This is big, so don't think it's not grand. ^_^ Again, this is huge.
Last thing, as to why Lawrence "wastes" his time on pennies and pelts instead of gold gigs. Lawrence has talked before "to Chloe" for one, about the dangers of huge jobs. Lawrence said he wants to steadily gain wealth, (again think about his "soft" nature) all he does is take items from one place to another for a slightly larger profit, continuing this again and again to increase his finances. He wants the least danger, and the best relations. Simply taking goods one place to another isn't a huge money maker, but think of the people that will be glad for the goods he can bring, and how doing this again and again can build relations between a merchant and the places they go. It's security also. Now throw in gold gigs, and eventually Lawrence will end up broke, dead, or a combination of the two. It's a huge risk, gold smuggling. And Lawrence has always taken the least risky road, except once, and look what it did to him. There is also a slight bit of desperation in him now, but Horo makes sure that doesn't cloud his thinking.
Okay, I'm sorry for the size of this post, I know its huge =) Read it if you have the time ^_^