Faith Creates Wealth (2)
The situation seemed quite urgent.
As Carter thought about the possible amount of gold coins he could loan immediately, he saw Rockefeller secretly gesture at him.
'In this kind of situation?'
How could he think of making money here, when the fate of the fief is uncertain?
He was someone truly crazy for money, beyond measure.
Although he had been a goldsmith all his life, he did not feel inferior, but this was different.
Maybe he was even more vicious than a goblin, who was known for being the best at making money in the world.
'Really scary guy. What will he become when he grows up?'
The lord, who hadn't noticed Rockefeller's gesture, stared intently at Carter, eagerly waiting for his answer.
"I'd like to borrow as much as possible. In addition to the Hound Mercenary Corps, I need to call in additional mercenaries, and keeping the participating wizards from the punitive force will require more money. I didn't know I'd need so much money all of a sudden, but given the circumstances, I desperately need your help."
"How will you deal with the villagers living near the border?"
"I've evacuated them inside the castle for now. Since we can't defend from within the village, we will build a small fortress behind it and keep an eye on the situation. We must somehow hold on until His Majesty sends support."
"The situation is indeed urgent. In that case, it seems right that I should do my best to help you as well."
"If you don't want the territory to fail either and end up closing your business involuntarily, you'll have to fully support me."
"Of course."
Carter nodded while flipping through the shop's ledger, dragging out the conversation for a while longer.
"Let's see..."
Rockefeller kept thinking about the gesture he had received from Carter, whose voice trailed off.
'Maybe this is an opportunity. Such cases aren't common.'
The primary income of goldsmiths came from interest on gold coin loans rather than actually making gold coins.
In other words, one could make more by lending more.
'As long as you pay back the borrowed gold coins, you can make a fortune with this loan.'
The lord had the best credit within the fief.
If Carter could lend him as much as possible within a range he could pay back, it would be the best outcome for Carter.
'Considering the taxes collected from the territory last year...'
He could lend the lord at most approximately 2,500 dalants with the 1,000 dalants of gold coins he possessed and the 1,500 dalants left by customers who had visited the bank.
'I can lend up to 2,500, but the risk is too high.'
Carter was extremely wary of the possibility that the lord would use his power as ruler to not pay back the borrowed money, as he had said to Rockefeller before.
The lord was the master of this land.
Although people trusted him and did business, no one knew what attitude he would take later on.
That's why Carter decided to loan about 1,500 dalants rather than the maximum 2,500 dalants he could offer.
He wouldn't have loaned that much initially, but considering the urgent situation in the territory, it was a result of him taking the risk to the maximum extent in his own way.
"The amount of gold coins I can lend you at most is about..."
Before Carter could finish his sentence, Rockefeller interrupted him.
"You can lend up to 5,000 dalants."
When the sudden and unreasonable amount of 5,000 dalants was mentioned, Carter involuntarily opened his eyes wide.
He had only 2,500 dalants’ worth of gold coins altogether, so how could he lend twice that amount?
Is this guy out of his mind?
Looking right at Carter, Rockefeller just slightly nodded with an emotionless face.
The explanation was already over.
Carter simply didn't have the nerve to do so, while he did.
Rockefeller then flashed a smile at the lord who had been staring at him.
"Of course, assuming you borrow the maximum amount."
"Did you just say 5,000 dalants?"
The amount surpassed the lord's expectations, and he seemed quite flustered as well.
No matter how much money a goldsmith in charge of a bank had, he never would have thought that Carter had that much gold.
The lord couldn't hide his confused expression and soon stared at Carter with an unpleasant look.
"You... turned out to be much richer than I thought."
The amount of Carter's wealth he had estimated was around 1,000 dalants.
He had planned to borrow about 1,000 dalants in a hurry, but this was a whopping 5,000 dalants, five times more.
Could the lord be happy to find out that something unexpected happened in his territory, which he was supposed to control?
At least, he wasn't.
"It seems you made quite some hidden money. I thought you'd have about 1,000 dalants or so. But I never expected it to be 5,000 dalants."
As flustered as the lord, Carter waved his hand reflexively and decided to ask for his permission to have a moment to discuss with Rockefeller.
"Uh, Lord. Could you give us a moment to talk with my assistant here?"
"Why? Are you going to scold him for speaking too candidly?"
"Oh, no, that's not it at all. I'm just wondering if there's anything else we can help with, so I need to have a quick talk with this guy here."
The lord reluctantly granted permission.
What could they do even if they discussed more?
After already hearing about the 5,000 dalants, he was determined to borrow 5,000 dalants no matter what.
"Fine. Just make it quick. I'm not the most patient person."
"Thank you. I'll be back soon."
