bakers were further obliged to provide more than the required quota of bread for all parties, celebrations, etc.).719 Shops provided dairy products at “low prices” and “on credit.” In the event of a refusal or an irregular supply, daily [2] health inspections of shops began, which in some cases resulted in the confiscation or destruction of goods. The effect was always the same: the day after such an “inspection”, the delivery was made with larger amounts.
However, the needs of a living man, especially as sophisticated as a dignitary of the Order Service, are not limited to bread and butter; a man so gentle must have a good piece of meat and some fruit. And where is he supposed to get sugar? Or cigarettes? And so on. In fact, it is high time to put an end to all that superstition: an intelligent man cannot live without money. “Others get richer; why can’t we get a small part for doing such a responsible job?” The issue was, therefore, approached quite objectively and without sentiment, and most importantly—the obscene word bribe, not befitting the dignity of a well-bred man, was artificially eliminated from one’s own consciousness: “We are not grafters, but partners in a good business.”
And here follows the third phase in the history of the Order Service. This is the time when smuggling flourished, when the district was surrounded by a wall and communication with the other side became impossible. The wealthy began to stock up, buying everything at any price. No wonder that prices went up every hour. Smugglers had no time to count their profits; they simply had no idea what to do with all that money. Top figures from the Order Service Command could not stand it; they could not watch such “social injustice” with indifference: after all, they were also directly harmed, for none other than the Order Service helped to hide the smuggling.
Thus, conferences and haggling commenced, which were to determine once and for all the amount of the Order Service’s share in the profits of smugglers. The negotiations were long and tedious, because smugglers, agreeing in principle with the position of the Order Service, demanded however that the latter’s involvement not be limited to turning a blind eye to smuggling; they
