Black Label Union #3(4)
"Hmm..."
The chancellor's silence continued for a while.
During his deep thoughts, Rockefeller spoke up.
"That's an excellent condition. I don't see any reason why you, Chancellor, would refuse?"
"The one thing that bothers me are the bankers belonging to the Union. If I grant the monopoly of the bank business to the Lyon Guild alone, there will undoubtedly be backlash from the Union side."
Rockefeller smiled faintly.
"I'm curious as to why you're concerned about that. Can't you, as the chancellor, exercise your discretion to grant a monopoly to a specific faction?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"The reason we're offering such a generous deal is solely to obtain the monopoly of the bank business. You won't find a lower loan interest rate of 3% anywhere else."
"I'm not unaware of that."
"You'll probably come to the same conclusion after more thought."
As Rockefeller spoke with certainty, the chancellor's inner conflict deepened.
'Granting a monopoly to one side means completely severing the previous relationship with the Union.'
"Will I experience any shortcomings if I work with the Lyon Guild?"
Rockefeller's smile remained unchanged.
"We're not lacking in any way. Would you, Chancellor, be inconvenienced by dealing exclusively with us? After all, our business is merely lending money and getting it back with interest."
"Hmm..."
After waiting for a while, the chancellor seemed to agree and began to nod.
However, he had his thoughts as well.
"Alright. Let's do that. But there's one condition."
"What's the condition?"
"The monopoly will be granted to the side that offers the lowest interest rate."
The chancellor made an unexpected proposal.
Rockefeller slightly narrowed his eyes.
'If the Union reacts, we'll end up in a bloody competition.'
Rockefeller thought further.
'Due to the deposit interest, a considerable amount of the Union's funds have come to us. If there's an interest rate battle between us, ultimately, we'd be in a better position in terms of stamina.'
"Then, since we proposed 3% first, will you grant the monopoly exclusively to us?"
Finally, the chancellor answered with a smile.
"That's right. For now, I'll grant the monopoly to the Lyon Guild. However, if the Union side proposes a lower interest rate, the monopoly I granted to you will return to the Union."
The chancellor had thought it through.
Rockefeller decided not to argue further.
He had played his own trick, so what could he say?
'After all, everyone has seemingly plausible thoughts.'
Until they're proven wrong.
'Once the Union is dead and we're the only ones left, we'll have to lower the 3% interest rate even more.'
"Alright. Let's do that. Since we now have the monopoly of the bank business, you, Chancellor, should prevent other bankers from doing business in the Black Label who are not affiliated with our Guild. Since they don't have a monopoly, it would be illegal, wouldn't it?"
Although it wasn't exactly what he wanted, the chancellor agreed without any objections, as he himself had led to this situation.
"I was planning to do that anyway."
After finishing the conversation with the chancellor, Rockefeller left the chancellor's office with his secretary, Ellis.
"Do you think the Union will propose a lower interest rate?"
As Ellis asked, Rockefeller nodded affirmatively.
"Since the monopoly is at stake, they probably will."
"Isn't that bad for us? If they propose a lower interest rate, we won't be able to do business here, right?"
To that, Rockefeller answered without any worry.
"That won't happen. They don't have the financial power to do that anyway."
Rockefeller continued.
"Although the chancellor's debt is quite solid, its scale is so large that it's impossible to tackle it with mediocre financial strength. While they clumsily lower their interest rates, we'll secure enough financial power and deliver a fatal blow to them."
What could that fatal blow be?
Ellis wondered but decided not to ask at this moment.
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