After finishing his meeting with Leo, Rockefeller took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
'I need to hurry...'
More time had passed than he thought.
Rockefeller, who had been resting near the cathedral for a while, took the guide and hurried back to the Ghetto Nuovo area.
Then, he went to Lyon Banco, where the guild headquarters was located, and met Benjamin, the guild leader who was waiting for him.
"How did it go?"
Rockefeller showed a kind smile to him, who asked about the result right away.
'I probably won't get the result you want. But I'll have to follow your lead for a while. I need some time to prepare, too.'
"As expected, the bishop's reaction was similar to what I had expected."
Rockefeller continued.
"He mentioned faith and told me to monopolize the church's property."
Benjamin, the guild leader, responded to the conversation with a sneer.
"All the believers are like that. They are such narrow-minded people, and you want to indulge them?"
"Nevertheless, my only intention is to be seen favorably by the church and God."
At this, Benjamin frowned.
"You're just trying to get expelled from the guild in a roundabout way. So, you decided to side with the church?"
Rockefeller still had a smiling face in response to the question.
"Benjamin, sir. I said I wanted to look good to them, not that I would pledge loyalty."
"You little rascal."
"So?"
"Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw the interest-charging business for now. I can't continue the bank business without being a part of Lyon Guild, so it can't be helped, right?"
Finally, Benjamin showed a somewhat satisfied expression.
"That's right!"
Benjamin habitually slammed the table and stood up from his seat.
"No one can continue the bank business without being a part of this guild. This applies even to God. Trust is the life of a bank. But a bank that doesn't belong to the guild cannot gain trust from everyone. What will you do when it goes bankrupt? Where are you going to find the entrusted gold coins? It's all because our guild is here that the bank operators can continue their business with peace of mind."
Benjamin, who had been shouting excitedly by himself, sat back down and turned his chair slightly.
He then began to nod vigorously.
"I see. I understand, so go back now. Oh, since you decided to withdraw, do so promptly."
"So, does our bank remain in the guild?"
At that question, Benjamin unknowingly stroked his own beard.
'He's quite annoying. But he's not my own boss.'
"Since you listened to me, I don't plan on expelling you right away. If you hadn't listened, I would have considered kicking you out, but since you said that, I changed my mind a little."
Benjamin continued to think.
'I should tell Carter to just fire that guy. Somehow, it feels right. I don't know what he'll do later because he's annoying.'
"For now, I won't expel you and I'll leave you be. Later on, as long as you don't mess around, we'll need at least one bank in your territory."
Rockefeller also hid his true feelings.
'He's rolling his eyes all by himself. He won't be in that position for long. If an incompetent person like you continues to sit there, all the bank operators in the guild won't have any fun.'
The Bank Union.
It was a gathering formed by usurers who were once persecuted by everyone, in order to protect themselves and survive.
Now, the meaning has changed a lot, and it has become a profit group that seeks more benefits than simple survival. If someone can give more benefits to all guild members, Rockefeller thought that it wouldn't be difficult for that person to overthrow the current guild leader and become the new leader.
'The position you're sitting in now is not just for you. It's a position where only those who can truly indulge the greedy bank operators in the guild can sit. In that sense, you're a zero-point leader. You're a disgrace.'
"It seems we haven't been expelled from the guild yet. I'm really relieved."
Whether it was his original personality.
Or whether the position made him that way.
Benjamin, who started meddling on his own, continued to speak arrogantly.
"Since it's come to this, I think it's best to hold a guild meeting hosted by the guild leader and make sure it's nailed down. That your idea was definitely wrong. You will testify to that at the meeting."
"A guild meeting?"
"Yes, it's a place where we call all the bank operators belonging to the guild for a meeting whenever there's an issue or every few years. There, we elect a new guild leader, or we can issue new guidelines and force them on all guild members."
Benjamin continued.
"It's already noisy in the guild itself because of the interest issue. They're arguing with each other about whether it's right or wrong. You have to say it clearly there. Your idea was completely wrong. And I plan to ban interest payments on gold deposits forever as a guild guideline. What a ridiculous idea. Even a passing dog would laugh."
You're digging your own grave!
Rockefeller had a hard time holding back his rising smile.
'He's trying to bury my idea completely by holding a guild meeting. That won't be it. On the contrary, that meeting will be your grave.'
"That's not a bad idea. I want to testify for sure that my idea was wrong at that place."
Benjamin, who was intoxicated with satisfaction, spoke.
"Then just know that for now. It's probably difficult to gather right away. Considering the time it takes to inform all the scattered guild members and for them to gather... the meeting will be held at least two weeks later. Do you have time?"
"What time are you talking about?"
"Can you wait quietly here in Lyon until the meeting?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then I'm relieved. Stay here for a while before the guild meeting. I'll arrange a place for you to stay."
Not only digging his own grave, but also providing a bed for the person who will stab him in the back later!
"I didn't know that Sir Benjamin would take care of me so much."
Rockefeller tried his best to hide his true feelings and smiled kindly.
"Thank you very much."
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Wow… the lord and the guild leader are both cut from the same cloth… a bit brain dead
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