Chapter 351

It wasn't just the family of Baron Devol whose sky had collapsed, but also the citizens of the Shengcheng, who had modest assets and lived fifty kilometers away.

Compared to the powerful rural nobles, the pain they felt from losing money was undoubtedly much more intuitive.

After all, it was their own money.

Many people had bet their entire savings on the land in the Bai Lu District, just to take a big gamble when the tide rose, to turn their lives around in one fell swoop and transform into people above others.

However, the development of events exceeded everyone's expectations; when the tide truly surged in, they suddenly realized that the wave was actually aimed at them.

At the "Golden Griffin" café on Sage Street, the aura of fear permeated everyone's brow like invisible smoke.

Although the citizens of the Shengcheng did not have all kinds of salons like the nobles in this city, a group of "like-minded" people could always find their own circle—and the Golden Griffin café was such a stronghold for "land speculators."

It is said that the guy who first excitedly shouted "Go to Bai Lu District to buy land" was a customer sitting in this café reading a newspaper.

However, unlike the greedy and excited clamor of yesterday, the air inside the café today was as if it had been covered in a layer of frost.

The customers no longer boasted loudly about which "high-quality investment target" they had captured, but gathered in groups of three or five to complain, or spoke fiercely in low voices, with visible anxiety written on every face.

Think about it carefully—

Treating suburban land as a high-quality investment target is inherently stupid.

Before Prince Kelin came to this city, they wouldn't have even glanced at the rotten land there.

How did it happen that just because this foreign noble walked over and took two looks, without even saying a word himself, they had gambled away all their savings?

It must be the devil's whisper!

They hated themselves for being bewitched, and they also hated the devil who whispered in their dreams and seduced them.

"Damn it! I knew things weren't that simple!" A pale-faced man crumpled the newspaper into a ball in frustration and cursed angrily, "Even Prince Kelin can't get a loan from the Royal Bank; I'm afraid all those gold coins we invested in the Bai Lu District are going down the drain!"

"Calm down, Martin!"

Sitting beside him, an older citizen reached out and gripped his shoulder, trying to persuade him while pretending to be calm, "What are you panicking about! Didn't the 'Bai Lu District Morning News' analyze it? This is just the consistent conservative style of the Imperial Bank; Prince Kelin will certainly not abandon Bai Lu Town!"

His voice had just fallen, and before the guy named Martin could say a word, someone nearby quickly echoed.

"Didn't you see that Spire Bank has already extended an olive branch to Sir Dantès? I think they are just waiting for a better price! This matter is far from reaching a dead end!"

Seeking a comfort zone is an instinct of animals.

Especially when a group of sheep faces a hungry wolf they cannot escape no matter what, huddling together feels safer than being alone.

Even if this sense of security is illusory and breaks with a light poke, what follows is the exact opposite extreme—

"But what if... what if Sir Dantès really is like what the 'Shengcheng Daily' said, heartbroken, and took the investment plan to another province? I always feel that there is more to this matter than meets the eye, and it might even involve unpleasantness between Prince Kelin and the big shots of the Shengcheng."

A trembling voice interjected.

People turned their gazes toward the person who spoke, only to see him shivering like a mouse scared out of its wits by a cat.

He swallowed his saliva and finally voiced the speculation in his heart that terrified him the most.

"... If that's really the case, the land deeds we hold, which we bought at a high price, might be too hard even to wipe our asses with!"

At this moment, how he longed for someone brave and wise to stand up and refute him, and to scold him awake... from the nightmare haunted by boundless fear.

However, he was destined to be disappointed.

Because what he feared was exactly what everyone present was fearing in their hearts.

His voice was like the last drop of rain extinguishing a raging mountain fire, completely extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in the hearts of everyone present.

The café fell into a suffocating silence, with only the sound of heavy breathing remaining.

Just in this oppressive silence, a businessman who had invested his entire fortune could no longer bear the pressure.

He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping backward due to his violent movement, making a harsh sound.

"I don't care anymore! I must sell the land in my hands before the news spreads completely and the land prices collapse, even if I lose a little! It's better than losing everything in the end!" His eyes were red, he roared at his companions beside him, and then hurried out the door.

News in the suburbs is always half a beat slower than in the city; theoretically, if they acted quickly, they might be able to throw the hot fire crystals into the hands of some confused fool.

His voice was like a match, instantly igniting the panic that had already accumulated to the limit in the entire café, and chairs flipped over to the ground with a clatter.

"Yes! Must sell immediately!"

"It'll be too late if we don't sell!"

"Saint Xisi above, that's my entire fortune... I... I might as well be dead!"

"For the sake of the Emperor, calm down! If you act like this, not one of you will be able to run!"

"Let go of me! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking; you're trying to persuade us to stay while you sneak away yourself, right?"

Panic spread rapidly like a plague.

The speculators who were still hesitating and watching could no longer sit still.

They stood up one after another, the sound of chairs colliding with table legs rising one after another.

People pushed and shoved each other, in a mess, scrambling toward the door, as if they were a step late, their lifelong wealth would vanish into thin air.

A sell-off wave triggered by panic thus opened its curtain in a corner that no one noticed... just like when this crazy speculation had just begun.

And unlike the clamorous panic inside the "Golden Griffin" café, the study of the Duke of Castillion was quiet and peaceful at this moment, as if no giant wave could shake this towering castle.

Leaning on the velvet armchair, André sipped the mellow red wine in his glass in a leisurely manner, while his gaze fell on the newspaper spread out on the table.

It was exactly today's "Shengcheng Daily."

Unlike yesterday, the focus of media attention had shifted from the quarrel between Sir Dantès and the bank president to the speculators flying beneath the spire.

Looking at the disheveled speculator in the magic photo, there was not a hint of sympathy on his face, and a mocking smile even hung on the corners of his mouth, as if he had just finished watching a wonderful circus.

After about half a moment, André praised sincerely, talking to himself toward the forest outside the window.

"I didn't expect you to have prepared this hand... it seems I underestimated you."

With his experience and discernment, he had naturally seen through everything long ago. And this young Prince Kelin's methods were even more seasoned than he had imagined.

First, using false prosperity and huge profit expectations to push the land price in the Bai Lu District to an absurd high point, attracting those greedy rural nobles and speculators to enter; then using a carefully planned "financing failure" to cleanly pull the rug out from under them and ignite market panic.

This Prince's true target was naturally not those small fish and shrimp following the trend, but the "middlemen" like Baron Devol, who were greedy and aggressive, had eaten up large tracts of land but were unable to get off the tiger's back.

This was a precise hunt.

He first used the power of the rural nobles to complete land annexation, and then cleanly threw away these dirty rags.

He didn't even take action himself in this process, but used a distant relative as a chess piece... clearly, he had calculated it from the first day he stepped into the Shengcheng, arranging this "thought-provoking quarrel" when he was about to leave the Shengcheng.

As for those who were accidentally injured... André did not sympathize with them.

If they believed from the bottom of their hearts that land in the suburbs of the Shengcheng was more worth investing in than the Shengcheng itself, then they should give up the position under their feet to those "rural people who dream of moving in," and then obediently roll out of here themselves.

They didn't realize at all that being born in this city was in itself a great grace... and they still hoped to get more.

André shook his head with a smile, feeling satisfied, and set the wine glass in his hand aside.

And just at this moment, the door of the study was pushed open violently.

His youngest daughter, Miss Ophie, trotted in like a startled little deer, rarely even bothering to knock.

Her brilliant long golden hair was slightly disheveled from running, and her fair cheeks were full of anxiety, as if something big had happened.

"What's wrong, my dear Ophie, what made you panic like this?" André teased, crossing his index fingers on his knees, facing his beloved youngest daughter kindly.

"Father!" Ophie couldn't bother to explain, slapped the "Shengcheng Daily" in her hand on the table, and pointed anxiously at the report, saying, "Prince Kelin is in trouble! That hateful bank president, how could he say that about him! He is our ally, you... you must help him!"

Looking at his innocent daughter, André couldn't help but laugh out loud, but after laughing, he felt it wasn't quite right; why did his little darling always run toward others.

He reached out his thick palm and rubbed his daughter's hair dotingly.

"My dear Ophie, you are too simple. If you really want to capture that Prince's heart, you should first learn how to guide him to pay for you, instead of being anxious about small things like this, wishing you could take out your heart and liver to offer to him."

This was an experience André had summarized himself; whether it was a gentleman or a lady, as long as they were human, they could not escape a rule—that is, people always tend to have a good impression of those they have helped, rather than being grateful to those who have helped them.

"I, I didn't... and what are you laughing at!" Ophie stomped her feet anxiously, her face flushed with anger, completely not understanding why her father could still laugh.

Could it be that the friendship they promised on the day of parting was just empty talk? She could not accept that her father was a person who went back on his word.

It's a pity that she was still too young, having just reached adulthood; let alone understanding that one thing is one thing, even distinguishing two different things was difficult.

If Kelin couldn't handle this problem well, it meant he wasn't worthy of being an ally of the Castillion family at all, so how could there be any talk of friendship between them? On the contrary, it was precisely because André valued the friendship between the two families that he promised to give "Roxay Kelin" a chance to prove himself—

The Kelin family not only possessed honor and tradition but also possessed the present.

Looking at his daughter who was at a loss, André didn't tease her anymore, and those eyes that had seen everything became deep.

"Don't worry, he will be fine."

He paused and stated his judgment word by word.

"Not only will he be fine, but even... this small drama before us is something he arranged himself."

The report of the "Shengcheng Daily" was still fermenting, and now the citizens of the whole city were heatedly discussing which big shot Prince Kelin had offended.

As for how those truly noble big shots saw it?

They naturally saw it as a joke.

In this matter, the Shengcheng and the Demon Capital were surprisingly similar, even like the two sides of the same coin.

Inside the study of the Dantès villa, the atmosphere was completely different from the clamor outside, quiet, with only the slight crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace.

Edmond Dantès sat behind his imposing desk, his expression complex.

Like Duke André, those two newspapers that stirred up the entire Shengcheng were also placed before him, but what he was thinking about now was no longer the superficial public opinion storm, but his gaze crossed the chessboard and saw the hand that was playing the game.

And his two "guests"—Titch and Lumier—were sitting leisurely on the sofa opposite, as if everything was under control.

"I understand..." Edmond finally let out a long sigh, muttering to himself, and a trace of clarity finally appeared in his cloudy pupils.

He finally understood what Lumier meant by "letting this loan 'first' not be approved," and couldn't help but sigh that there was still much he needed to learn.

It was just that there was one thing he had thought about for a long time but couldn't figure out—that is, how this storm would end.

Now the nobles in the Bai Lu District were forced into a dead end by the speculators selling off land, and one foot was already standing on the edge of the cliff.

But not to mention whether he had the chance to push them down, even if he pushed them down, what good would it do for Prince Kelin?

So far, it seemed that only the townspeople of Bai Lu Town were happy; those bumpkins who knew when to stop had really made money.

After thinking for a long time without a result, he finally asked the confusion in his heart.

"I mean if, if those barons... for example, Baron Devol, they have strong capital, even if the land price falls, they choose to hold the land tightly in their hands, preferring to hold on hard rather than sell it to us? Do we really just give up like this and move the plan to another province?"

He didn't understand the intention of Prince Kelin doing this, and he didn't think there was any place in the Empire more suitable for carrying out that plan than the Shengcheng.

This isn't something you can do just by having a piece of land.

As if guessing he would ask this, Titch laughed and leaned back on the sofa, replying in a teasing tone, "Change place? Why change place? Now the entire Shengcheng probably can't find land with a better price-performance ratio than the Bai Lu District."

Hearing Titch's words, Edmond became even more confused.

Lumier didn't laugh at him, just shook the "Shengcheng Daily" in his hand gently and said in a leisurely manner.

"President Hogan Nora said you were 'empty-handed white wolf,' and what's ridiculous is that the person who is truly empty-handed white wolf is currently at large... don't you think we should represent Saint Xisi and punish this gang of lawless vermin?"

This seemingly casual remark was like a bolt of lightning tearing through the fog in Edmond's mind. He suddenly woke up, widened his eyes, and said: "You mean... the funds Baron Devol used to buy those lands are problematic?"

Lumier showed an approving smile and nodded gently.

"That's inevitable. Since he knew early on that the land price in the Bai Lu District was going to rise, how could he be willing to mortgage it to President Hack of the Bai Lu District branch at the initial price of the land."

"But... even if it's a mortgage, they wouldn't be unable to pay back even this little money, right?" Edmond swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty.

That's a baron!

"I guess you must be thinking, that's a baron, right?" Looking at the stunned Edmond, Titch said slowly, breaking his humble fantasy about the powerful in one sentence.

"Everyone thinks he must be able to pay it back, including President Hack, whom you have met, and this is also the reason why he was able to get a loan from the Imperial Royal Bank so easily. You can't imagine how easy it was for him to get the loan; maybe it was just a meal, maybe it was just a greeting, and the price was just a promise. I say it and you might not even believe it; I bet the land deeds of the Devol family are now in their own safe, not in the bank at all."

"This is impossible!" Edmond exclaimed subconsciously, "This does not conform to the credit procedures of the Imperial Royal Bank, and... why would he do this? That's just a piece of paper!"

"Rules are used to constrain you; of course he can do this, and easily. As for why he would do this, because with that piece of paper, he can do the same thing, he can mortgage the land that has already been mortgaged for a second time, or even a third time... and this is why he can live in a spacious manor, without a bit of copper smell on him, yet can possess everything. And you, you can only hold gold coins whose quality is constantly declining, and a whole family squeezed into a slop bucket on Loyalty Street."

When it came to this, Titch's voice carried a hint of mockery, but it was not mocking Baron Devol, and even less mocking Edmond, but mocking his former self.

"If you have to ask me why I know so clearly... because nobles all play like this, and a friend of mine fell into the pit just like this."

After hearing that "I have a friend," Lumier couldn't help but chuckle, not exposing this guy who wanted face.

Baron Cossia in the book was ultimately embarrassed to say that he lost his land because of heavy debts, only generally stating that it was because of his own greed, because of the treacherous schemes of villains... after all, this was obviously more likely to gain the sympathy of readers.

However, after Edmond heard it, he only felt a chill rising from his spine, and it took him a long time to swallow the saliva in his throat.

He finally saw the full picture of the entire plan, and the role he was about to play became obvious—

Sir Dantès, representing justice, would publicly call out the president of the Imperial Royal Bank in the newspaper: "Why would an enterprising reformer hit a wall with rules, but when it comes to the barons in the Bai Lu District, the copper-walled and iron-walled principles are like they don't exist."

He could even guess the reaction of that bank president—that would inevitably be a big surprise, pretending to know about this for the first time, then exclaiming "How unreasonable!", and kicking this ball to the Senate.

He didn't dare to make things big, offending real nobles as a commoner, but isn't there a "Sir Dantès representing justice" here?

Those rural nobles who were rolling snowballs in the Bai Lu District were completely finished.

It's true that nobles don't need to care about public opinion, but this is not a public opinion problem at all.

Their titles are only barons after all, and they are not noble enough to openly take money from the Emperor's pocket... even if all the powerful people in the Empire are doing this.

By the last episode of the "story," the ownership of the land in the Bai Lu District will come to an end, and Sir Dantès will shake hands and make peace with President Hogan Nora in the newspaper.

As for why it's in the newspaper, it's naturally because they never quarreled in reality, and when they met, they were as intimate as brothers.

And the ending of all this might be triggered by "supplementing sufficient collateral," or it might be triggered by "Prince Kelin coming forward to mediate"... but this actually doesn't matter at all; after all, whether it can be done is a matter of one word from that Prince.

They don't even have to go to the Imperial Royal Bank; there are many people willing to take the initiative to offer them favors. Including powerful nobles, or private banks controlled by them behind the scenes.

"Then..." Edmond's voice was a bit dry. Having guessed the follow-up plan, he didn't know what to say instead.

Lumier didn't mention the follow-up plan, just suddenly spoke out of the blue.

"How is your relationship with President Hack Alton? That's the president of the Bai Lu District branch."

Edmond was stunned for a moment and answered truthfully.

"Only met a few times... to be honest, you helped me introduce him."

Lumier nodded and said lightly.

"That's good, don't associate with him in the future."

Edmond nodded nervously, silently feeling sorry for Mr. Hack in his heart.

He actually had a pretty good impression of that branch president.

After all, he had just completed his identity transformation at that time and had never been treated so politely by any bank president.

Just at this moment, a light knock came from the door of the study, interrupting the momentary silence in the room.

After getting permission, the butler walked in respectfully, bowed slightly, and said.

"Master, Mr. Buckley is asking to see you."

"Buckley?" Edmond heard this, searched for this name in his memory, but found nothing, frowned and asked, "Who?"

The butler maintained a respectful posture and reminded softly: "He is the president of Spire Bank, Master. A few days ago he sent a letter to you, but at that time... you instructed me to throw it away."

Edmond remembered that it seemed there was indeed such a thing, let the butler go to greet the guest first, then cast his inquiring gaze toward Titch, who walked to the window and stood still.

I saw a smile on the latter's face.

His index finger gently pulled aside the curtain, looking at the carriage at the gate of the courtyard, the expression on his face was just like when he watched President Hack rushing to the door.

That was the look of an eagle seeing its prey.

"... A vulture that smelled blood, seeing the traveler who fainted in the desert, can no longer restrain its claws and teeth."

He said leisurely, turned back to look at Edmond, and continued.

"Since someone guessed what we were going to do, you can go meet him on behalf of our Prince."

(End of chapter)