Money is Faith (4)
Rockefeller wanted to object to the man's words, but decided against it.
Would there be any benefit in further conversation with a magician who had a clear vision?
He absolutely disliked the idea of getting tired.
'It was fun meeting the heroine of the novel, but it seems there’s not much more to gain from this conversation for me?'
The man's polite inquiry followed, trying to persuade the girl.
"What will you do?"
Though he could not stop her if she still wanted to stay, he believed he had already given enough explanation and waited quietly for the girl's response.
As the man waited, the girl, after a brief hesitation, turned away with a reluctant expression.
'Did I... see it wrong?'
She was still a young girl.
Her innate talent might be the best, but her lack of experience could make her judgments immature.
That's why she had reluctantly turned away, influenced by her teacher's persuasion.
'Maybe.'
Could a simple commoner from a fiefdom easily take money from the lord of the land he belonged to?
"If you have the power, it's certainly possible, but not otherwise."
The image of Rockefeller from earlier still hadn't faded from her mind.
The audacity of a commoner to show such confidence was a somewhat fresh shock.
"I probably won't see him again, but..."
Though she wasn't entirely without regret, the girl shook off her disappointment and followed the man on her own path.
As the two of them left, Rockefeller let out a short sigh.
"Phew~"
At the same time, Carter, who had been closely monitoring the situation, approached Rockefeller and spoke.
"Was that a magician just now?"
Perhaps to an ordinary territorial resident, a magician could be more frightening than even a lord.
That's why Carter, who had prudently kept himself hidden, appeared as the magician was leaving.
"Yes, probably."
"That's a relief. We almost had a big problem dealing with a magician."
Watching Carter visibly relax and pat his chest in relief, Rockefeller couldn't help but smirk.
‘He really is a scaredy-cat.’
Carter then asked Rockefeller.
"By the way, our business wasn't discovered, was it?"
"Don't worry. They just had suspicions and left."
"That's a relief then. If those wizards had figured out our plan and snitched to the lord, we would have been in big trouble, wouldn’t we?"
Rockefeller showed off a confident smile.
"What trouble could we possibly be in? After all, any wrongdoing would be on the lord's part, not ours. The real issue is with the lord taking his debts lightly."
"Well… that's true."
"And don't worry too much. Our plan isn't something that happens overnight. It needs enough time to unfold."
Rockefeller continued.
"Moreover, when the lord has accumulated enough debt, that's when we hit the jackpot, just like in their situation."
Rockefeller was right; their plan wasn't something that would come to fruition immediately.
It could even take years.
That was the challenge of a less powerful individual trying to collect debts from someone more powerful.
"The wizards who just arrived won't be able to figure out our plan. There's no immediate issue that might arise, and even if it does, those people will have long forgotten about this place by then. Time will have passed significantly here."
"That's what I think too."
"So, don't worry too much. There won't be any problems."
"Ah, I need to brace myself for this, but this tiny heart of mine."
Carter, feeling frustrated, pounded on his chest and then asked something else.
Waiting was another problem for him.
"Anyway, waiting until the time we want seems like an eternity. How long do we have to wait? It looks like people are starting to use the new gold promissory notes we created."
Rockefeller showed no signs of impatience in response to that question.
Patience was something that those aiming for a big success definitely needed.
"The longer our wait feels, the sweeter the fruits it will bring will be beyond imagination. Keep waiting. Until the people here start using our gold promissory notes as if they were money."
Rockefeller continued speaking.
"And this is not something that happens overnight. It could take a few years at least, or even up to 10 years in some cases."
Rockefeller was still only 15 years old.
Even if it took several more years from here, Rockefeller was at an age where he didn't stand to lose much.
He was that young.
'I won't mind if it takes 3 or 5 years from here. After all, I'm too young and need some time until I become an adult.'
Reaching the age of majority was very important for him to step out of Carter's shadow and become independent.
According to the customs of the empire, one had to be over 18 years old to be treated as a proper adult.
"And if you're worried about needing money right away, don't worry too much. We have ways to rake in money aside from what we've already planned."
At those words, Carter's ears perked up.
"What did you say? What did you just say?"
"I said, Uncle, there's another way to make money, a way you'll like."
Carter felt his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
That's how much he liked making money.
"How exactly do you mean? We're already making a decent amount as it is, are you saying we can make even more?"
"Yes, when the time comes, in order for us to reap a big profit, the lord must be in a lot of debt, right?"
"Exactly! That's what we should do."
"To do that, we first need a lot of money ourselves, right? That way we can lend a lot of money to the lord."
Carter's head nodded rapidly.
"Of course. But how on earth can we earn more? With my knowledge, there's no way to make more money than this."
At that, Rockefeller just smirked.
'It's time to move on to phase three.'
"Uncle, so far you've only lent your own money and collected interest, right?"
This is phase one.
Carter did not deny it.
"That's what I did."
"Then, after I came, we secretly started lending out the customers' money as well."
Phase two.
"Right, so what are you proposing we do now?"
The cute trick of modern finance that deceives everyone.
Rockefeller was not unaware of it.
With a more pronounced smile on his face, Rockefeller mentioned the final phase three.
"From now on, we will lend not only the customers' money but also money that doesn't even exist."
Upon hearing that, Carter was unable to erase his dazed expression for a while.
What, what did you say?
What kind of insane talk is that?
"What do you mean? You're saying you'll lend money that doesn't even exist."
Rockefeller was still smiling.
“Let's just say, it's a kind of surprise in this industry.”
