"That's a blatant lie! If you just call a few bank agents and ask them about their past disgusting deeds or the current situation of the guild, you'll see that it's a complete lie!"
Rockefeller also raised his voice in response.
"I am aware of such immoral guild members. I also know that some bank agents acted that way in the past. However, since I became the guild master, I have been slowly erasing that shameful past."
"Lies! If we exchange all the promissory notes we have for gold coins right now, can your guild provide all those gold coins? You know better than anyone that it's impossible!"
Rockefeller just smiled at this.
"Why do you think it's impossible? If you're really suspicious, you can just come to us and take back the Dalants you've entrusted."
Sinclair's head also raised his voice, as if he couldn't lose.
"It's not just one or two people who should go, but everyone here! Going alone is meaningless! The same goes for the commoners who deposited gold coins!"
At that, Rockefeller laughed and spoke to him.
"Well said. Why worry about a few people coming to exchange gold coins when it's meaningless? Surely, everyone here won't be swayed by Duke Austin's words and come to me to exchange their gold coins, will they? What about the interest you won't receive during that time? Will Duke Austin pay for that later?"
One of the restless nobles asked Duke Austin a question.
"Duke Austin, if what you said turns out to be wrong, are you willing to compensate us for the lost interest during that time?"
Duke Sinclair thought to himself.
There was no reason for people to go through the trouble of going to the bank and getting all their gold coins back.
The Lyon Guild's credit was stronger than ever, who would doubt their solvency?
The experiment was doomed to fail from the beginning, and it was obvious that the participating nobles would end up paying a hefty interest to each other.
"It's not that... He is deceiving everyone! Don't fall for that nonsense. That man should be in hell..."
It would have been a valid argument in the past.
But with the newfound close relationship with the Pope and the increased status of the bankers, that argument no longer held any weight.
"I want to say that he's a very cunning usurer, deceiving others while playing with interest."
Rockefeller clicked his tongue and shook his head, as if he thought the man was pathetic.
"Tsk, how pitiful. I wonder how someone with such a mind became the head of a family."
"Who are you talking to right now? I'm warning you, you better watch your mouth."
"Duke Austin, why did you start a fight that you couldn't win from the beginning? Do you think the people here will listen to you and come to me with the trouble of taking their gold? Then what do you plan to do about the interest you won't receive during that time?"
"..."
Sinclair, the head of the family, swallowed his anger and felt suffocated.
He couldn't believe that these so-called nobles were so ignorant about finance and banking.
'Even if people don't know about banking, they know too little. They would be shocked if they knew how those people make money.'
"I know everything about how you work on your side."
It was a laughable statement.
Rockefeller, with a light smile, began to address everyone.
"In fact, we always try to be honest. But for the peace and prosperity of the Empire, sometimes it's better to deceive the public a little, as Duke Austin suggests."
The nobles stirred at the sudden remark.
"What are you talking about?"
"Is it good to deceive?"
"I don't know either."
"Let's just listen for now."
Rockefeller continued.
"Of course, that doesn't mean your gold will disappear or your interest payments will cease. Your money will remain the same, and if we issue Goblin Dollars backed by non-existent gold, we can use that money to hire an army to defend the empire, build bridges, or erect cathedrals."
At this point, someone with doubts asked a question.
It was a thought shared by almost all the nobles present.
"So, there's no problem with doing that?"
Rockefeller had an argument.
Except for a few people, the rest were ignorant about finance and believed that the less they knew, the better.
'It's funny that I'm the expert in this field. So here, my word is law.'
"Yes, there's no problem."
Everyone was shocked by Rockefeller's words.
There was no problem even though he was creating money out of thin air.
But there was hardly anyone who could immediately refute Rockefeller's words.
At best, it was the Sinclair family, but they didn't know more about finance than Rockefeller.
In fact, Rockefeller, who was to become the emperor's financial advisor and the minister of the newly established currency ministry, was the only expert in this field.
'Why wouldn't there be a problem? Of course, there's the issue of inflation. But you don't need to know that. Don't even try to know. I don't really want to tell you either.'
"I'm sure you all know that I have unparalleled skills in this area. I dare say that as long as we properly control the quantity of currency at an appropriate level, there won't be any major problems."
Rockefeller knew exactly what they were most concerned about.
"And even if I issue more Goblin Dollars backed by non-existent gold, your gold will be absolutely safe. So, Your Majesty."
Rockefeller looked at the emperor as he spoke at this moment.
And this was something they had already agreed upon beforehand.
"Please ensure a legal guarantee under imperial law that allows us to issue Goblin Dollars backed by non-existent gold. That way, we can avoid such unnecessary arguments, wouldn't you agree?"
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what a cunning guy lmao! i like the last one! the result of that debate become a law ahahah xD
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