"People will come here to borrow money due to the earthquake damage. You know exactly how to proceed as we discussed before, right?"
"Of course, I know. I'll keep the interest low, but I'll be sure to thoroughly check the credit."
"You certainly know it well."
"And I'll replace the outgoing money with these promissory notes."
This was the most important thing.
Rockefeller nodded alone and opened his mouth.
"That's the most important thing. Give promissory notes instead of gold coins, no matter what. That's advantageous for us."
'Protect the real money' and lend the 'fake money (promissory notes)' to collect interest.
That was the reason Rockefeller insisted on promissory notes.
Then, it became like doing business with non-existent money, so whether the loan interest was 1% or 3%, it was always a profit for the bank. And since promissory notes could be issued infinitely, it was possible to lend more than the amount of gold coins held by the bank.
'It's the miracle logic of banks.'
"Do you know that?"
Joshua showed a confident smile.
"Of course I do. That's how we benefit."
"And get the fortress repairs done in advance. It will cost more if you repair it later."
Knowing the future, Rockefeller knew when the dwarves would attack.
"Enemies inside are important, but the ones we should be most wary of are the enemies outside, not the inside."
"Is that because of the dwarves?"
"Right. Originally, the owner of this land were not humans but dwarves."
"Got it. Then I'll also replace the repair cost for the fortress with promissory notes."
Rockefeller smiled brightly at Joshua.
"Yes, it's not too difficult, so you should be able to do it well on your own."
* * *
Rockefeller, who hurriedly left for Lyon, arrived in Lyon, one of the most prosperous commercial cities in the empire, a few days later with a guide.
Lyon was a metropolis incomparable to the Montefeltro territory located on the outskirts of the empire, and there were many people living there.
Upon arriving in Lyon, Rockefeller headed straight for the cathedral.
It was the place where his younger brother Leo, who was working hard in a distant land, and Bishop Verkis, whom he had come to know through Father Peter, resided.
'I should meet Bishop Verkis before meeting the Lyon Guild leader.'
The Lyon Guild leader was also a member of the Lyon family.
And Bishop Verkis was also from the Lyon family.
For this reason, Rockefeller sought to meet Bishop Verkis before meeting the Lyon Guild leader.
Upon arrival at the Lyon Cathedral, the entire building was covered in metal as if it were armored, and the towering spires were quite impressive.
In terms of scale, it was truly overwhelming compared to the small church building in the Montefeltro territory.
'Didn't they say that an archbishop used to come from here?'
Now it's just a bishop.
The reduced status of Lyon within the church was largely due to political reasons within the organization.
'That also changes with time.'
Rockefeller, accompanied by a guide, entered the cathedral and first looked for his brother Leo.
Leo was not difficult to find, and contrary to his worries, he was doing well as a priest.
Upon seeing Leo, who had grown from a child into a respectable priest, Rockefeller broke into a bright smile.
"Leo!"
"Rockefeller hyung!"
Leo, who seemed much brighter than before, hugged Rockefeller and expressed his curiosity about his sudden visit.
"What brings you to Lyon, brother?"
"What do you mean? I came to see our Leo. Don't tell me we've become strangers just because you've become a church member?"
"How could that be? Even though I've entered the church, I'm always a member of the Rothsmedici family."
"That's right, it's good to see you doing well."
After meeting Leo, Rockefeller quickly finished their conversation and immediately requested a meeting with Bishop Verkis.
Since they had a good relationship, Bishop Verkis had no reason to refuse Rockefeller, and the meeting was quickly arranged.
A moment later, Rockefeller, who was alone with Bishop Verkis, spoke.
"I'm truly sorry for intruding so suddenly."
"No, not at all. I was actually delighted to hear that you had come."
"Haha, thank you for saying that."
The conversation then moved on to the main topic.
"What brings you here? I hope there's no problem?"
When Bishop Verkis asked with a slightly worried expression, Rockefeller immediately shook his head.
"No, it's not that. I came here because I have some business."
"Business? What business?"
"I came all the way here to join the Lyon Guild."
"The Lyon Guild?"
"Yes, I want to meet the Lyon Guild leader who is here."
Contrary to Rockefeller's thoughts, Bishop Verkis' expression was not very good.
"Suddenly... why?"
"You came here to meet Benjamin? Hmmm..."
"Yes. Is there any problem?"
As Rockefeller asked worriedly, Bishop Verkis shook his head.
"No, not really. It's just that..."
Despite his words, there seemed to be something going on.
"Excuse me, but may I ask what the issue is?"
"It's nothing big. The relationship between the guild here and us has become a little bad because of an incident that happened when you were with us."
At that, Rockefeller expressed his confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"It's just a family matter. It's a part you don't need to know."
"But I'm still a family member, aren't I?"
"Well, yes... but you're only closer than a stranger."
Rockefeller couldn't help but tilt his head at the ambiguous words.
'What on earth is going on?'
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