Rockefeller quickly interjected.
"It won't take long. I'll be back shortly to give you my answer."
From the conversation, it seemed like he wanted to talk to Bishop Verkis.
"Are you planning to talk to Bishop Verkis about this?"
"Yes, that's correct. I don't want to just give up on this business, but I'm also worried about the bishop's reaction. The church isn't an easy place, is it? I'll try to convince the bishop first."
"What if you can't convince him? From what I see, it's not going to happen. That guy is pretty stubborn, so it won't be easy to persuade him."
Who was talking about whom?
"I'll try to resolve this through dialogue. Please give me some time."
Benjamin had not even intended to give him time to think.
However, upon hearing this, Benjamin decided to exercise some patience.
"Fine. I'll give you exactly three hours. If you don't give me an answer within that time, you will no longer be part of the Lyon Guild. Keep in mind that a banker who is not part of the guild loses trust from everyone. So, you better hurry."
"Yes, I will keep that in mind."
After finishing their conversation, Rockefeller left the guild headquarters and narrowed his eyes in thought.
'I've managed to buy some time...'
Even if he went to see Bishop Verkis now, it didn't seem like anything significant would change.
Rockefeller had a good idea of how things would unfold at the church.
'Bishop Verkis won't easily give up on this. Receiving interest is much better than getting gold storage fees. In the end, I'll have to choose between the two.'
Choosing one meant potentially damaging his relationship with the other.
'I can't easily let go of either. I might even have to wage war with one of them.'
Regardless, Rockefeller decided to discuss the previous conversation with Bishop Verkis again.
He quickly returned to the Lyon Cathedral, where he easily managed to secure a meeting with Bishop Verkis.
In a private conversation with the bishop, Rockefeller began to speak.
"I've come to understand the concerns you had when we first met."
"Did you meet with Benjamin?"
"Yes, I met with the Lyon Guild Master."
"Hmm... I think I have a rough idea of what you're going to say."
Benjamin, the guild master, was the one who had made the biggest fuss about whether receiving interest from the gold storage business was a scam.
"He's part of the same family, but he's too greedy. There should be a limit to his greed."
Bishop Verkis chimed in.
"No, it's natural to be happy when a family member succeeds. But he seems to secretly want the church's assets to decrease. I, as a believer, naturally want to protect the church's assets, but he's trying to take them away. How can we get along?"
"I, too, only want to protect the church's assets as if they were my own."
"How wonderful it would be if Benjamin were like you. But he's not. He only cares about money. He's only thinking about putting the church's assets in his bank and ripping off the gold storage fees. If he weren't part of my family, I would have sent him straight to hell."
Bishop Verkis openly frowned.
"I don't like him. Even if we're part of the same family, this is too much, isn't it?"
Still, blood is thicker than water.
Instead of agreeing, Rockefeller simply smiled kindly.
"So, what did he say? It's obvious, but let's hear it."
"He told me to withdraw the business of giving interest to the church immediately."
"What? He said that?"
By this point, Rockefeller had a rough idea of which side he should stand on.
'Either way, my path will be a series of struggles. It won't be easy. I'll have to suppress the numerous vested interests that already exist.'
"Yes, he said that. So, I'm considering it."
Bishop Verkis raised his voice.
"What are you worried about? Are you holding the church's assets and still worried about that?"
"It's not that, but he threatened to expel me from the Lyon Guild if I don't withdraw the business proposal. It was quite absurd. However, I need the support of the Lyon Guild to become a goldsmith, so I can't easily refuse his offer."
"Hehe!"
Bishop Verkis furrowed his brow.
"You must protect the church's assets while standing by the church! Are you planning to make the church look bad because you're scared of what the guild master said?"
"But they're pushing me too hard, and I'm left with no choice. Being expelled from the Lyon Guild is essentially a final warning to quit being a banker."
"Ah! You shouldn't think like that! No matter what anyone says, you must protect the church's assets. This might even be a divine mission given to you. No one else has ever thought of this, only you have proposed it to the church. It's like the power of God is helping the church's assets grow."
Bishop Verkis immediately continued.
"To enter heaven, you must hold the church's assets. You shouldn't listen to what the guild master says. Are you going to be swayed by that?"
As Rockefeller had anticipated, Bishop Verkis was uncompromising in his position.
Knowing this, Rockefeller began to nod his head.
'Alright, I've decided. I'll side with the church.'
"Then I'll hold the church's assets, but I need your help, Bishop Verkis."
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Imperial Dalants Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with Dwarven Sovereigns Tier ($18). For every $15 collected on Ko-fi, I will release an extra chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Happy reading!
