The Lyon Guild (7)
"It's not that big of a deal. Just rest until the meeting is held. I'll call you when it's time."
Rockefeller suddenly thought of something and spoke again.
"Oh, I almost forgot. The reason I came to Lyon was to join the guild and become a goldsmith."
"That's right. You're not a goldsmith yet, are you?"
A strange smile appeared on Guild Master Benjamin's face.
It wasn't a very pleasant smile for Rockefeller.
"To become a goldsmith, you need a special permit from the royal family, but to get that special permit, you need to join the Lyon Guild or the Black Label Union, as far as I know."
"That's right. You need to belong to one of the two banking union to get a special permit because the royal family doesn't review it directly."
Benjamin continued.
"Why would the royal family issue direct orders for something as trivial as a goldsmith? They're already dealing with hellish matters."
"So, I'd like to join the guild."
At that, Benjamin subtly started to make excuses.
"Hmm... It's not difficult to that extent, but from what I see, you seem a bit inexperienced?"
"I'm confident in gold coin forging."
"Confident in gold coin forging... Well, wait for now. Depending on the results of the meeting, I might be able to make you a goldsmith."
To Rockefeller's ears, it sounded like he would be used during the meeting and then discarded.
'You're so obvious, you know.'
Goldsmith.
In fact, it was a trivial job when you really looked at it.
But even that trivial thing could only be achieved with the approval of one of the two alliance representatives.
"If you were my acquaintance or the child of a guild member, it would have been done right away. That's a bit unfortunate."
All that was in Benjamin's head was resentment towards Rockefeller.
'I don't like this guy from the start. Even if this matter is resolved, I don't know what he'll do later on, so I need to nip it in the bud from the beginning.'
Goldsmith?
'It's absurd. You won't be able to set foot in this field.'
"Anyway, don't worry too much about that and focus on the guild meeting for now. I'll take responsibility for making you a goldsmith."
Rockefeller, who knew the words were false, didn't show any reaction.
"Then I'll trust Master Benjamin and wait quietly until the guild meeting."
"If you stay here doing nothing, you'll be bored, so take a look around. This place is much bigger than the Montefeltro territory you were in, so you won't be too bored during your stay."
"Thank you for your advice."
After finishing the conversation, Rockefeller immediately went down to the first floor of the guild headquarters.
As soon as he arrived on the first floor, the old man approached and spoke.
"How did it go with Master Benjamin?"
Rockefeller informed him of the agreement he had made with Guild Master Benjamin.
Hearing Rockefeller's story, the old man also nodded his head.
"That's right. Following Master Benjamin's instructions will be good for your reputation. He's not only the leader of the Lyon Guild, but also a member of the great Lyon family. You, a country bumpkin, can't win against him without fear."
After completely leaving the guild headquarters, Rockefeller looked up at the shop sign.
The name "Lyon Bank" was written in large letters.
'Lyon Guild...'
A moment later, Rockefeller turned his gaze and scanned the narrow alleyway.
There were countless banks crowded in the Ghetto Nuovo Street.
'Now that I have a goal, I should take some action.'
Two weeks remained until the guild meeting.
It wasn't time for Rockefeller, who was aiming for the guild master position, to stand idly by.
First, Rockefeller decided to listen to the opinions of other bank merchants doing business in Ghetto Nuovo.
He was curious about their thoughts on the interest business he had done.
'If most of them are positive, I'll have an advantage in the guild meeting.'
Rockefeller visited a nearby bank.
"Welcome, sir."
A banker, who mistook the well-dressed Rockefeller for a minor noble, greeted him with a bright smile.
The bank he visited was a small shop of a few square meters, and the owner appeared to be a middle-aged man.
"What brings you here? Are you here to deposit gold coins or borrow them?"
"No, I wanted to ask something, so I took the liberty of coming here."
The owner showed strong curiosity.
"What do you want to ask all of a sudden?"
"Do you know about a small bank in the Montefeltro territory called Carter Bank?"
"Carter Bank?"
Rockefeller didn't expect much when he asked, but the response was more than he had imagined.
"Oh, I know Carter Bank very well. There's a lot of talk about it among the bankers these days, especially about the commotion caused by that incident."
Seeing the banker show so much interest, Rockefeller asked again.
"What incident are you talking about?"
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