Section Forty-One: The Birth of the Bank (Part II)

"We can lend the funds that Your Highness is not currently utilizing to the city, to all those in Landia who are doing business yet lack capital. We charge them an additional ten, or even twenty percent. For instance, my business partner, Mr. Anthony, was very eager to purchase the operating rights for the post road a while back, but he was short on cash. We could lend him money from the institution—one hundred gold coins—repayable in three months. When he returns the funds, he must pay us one hundred and twenty. From these twenty gold coins, we could use five to cover the institution's daily operating expenses, another five to recoup the initial setup costs, and five would belong to the Feishi people; since we are using their capital, we should pay them a portion of the returns. However, Your Highness need not worry, for you only need to remember how much money you are entitled to. The institution is guaranteed by the Landian government, so your expenditures will not be affected. If there is ever a shortage of cash in the institution because it has been loaned out, Landia will guarantee the payment, and the state will then recover the funds from the borrowers to make up the difference. The final five coins represent the dividends that I and the Landian government are entitled to for assuming this risk, shared according to our initial capital contributions."

Helen was the first to applaud, and Philippi added in approval, "Expressed very clearly and plainly. It is a good idea."

Councilor Kidd seemed stunned, taking a long moment to collect his thoughts. "It is indeed a good idea, though I must still consult with Prime Minister Fahrenheit before we can implement it. Rest assured, Your Highness, if we proceed in this manner, I believe the chances of it passing are very high."

Philippi said impatiently, "Then contact your Emperor. If things can be done as this old man suggests, we will sign a magical agreement. The Feishi will immediately return the territory under their feet to you and provide you with markings made from seafloor crystals; from now on, they will not actively attack ships that fly the Landian flag and bear these crystal markings."

***

Discovering Cecily's whereabouts unexpectedly from the Munk tribe chieftain made Wei Wuji overjoyed. He immediately planned to head to the Katiler tribe to seek clues, but Grant stopped him. According to Roma, the Munk chieftain, Cecily had already followed that female Smy into the deep heart of the orc lands; by now, they might even have reached the vicinity of the Skyfire Plateau. Even if Wei Wuji went to the Katilers, it would be of little use, as he was unlikely to glean any information. On the contrary, the Katilers were incredibly savage; even the Munks and the Beers were reluctant to approach them. While Wei Wuji did not fear them, the result of going would surely be a futile confrontation. Being surrounded by thousands of Katiler warriors was no laughing matter, especially in the swampy regions.

In Gaul City, following several days of effort, the establishment of Grant's autonomous regional government proceeded quite smoothly, and various policies were being implemented. Based on data from Gaul City and statistics gathered during the grain relief efforts, the autonomous region had gained a general grasp of the population and land distribution within its jurisdiction. The Revolutionary Corps had also expanded into the Revolutionary Army. Gamio was ordered to continue recruiting and expanding the ranks in Gaul City, and people from all corners arrived daily to enlist.

The old aristocratic forces of Gaul City had already crumbled. What Grant had to worry about next was how to fulfill his promise: dismantling the deep-rooted feudal forces of the local gentry and landlords in the countryside. Only then could the land be reclaimed by the autonomous government to establish people's communes and distribute land and production tools to the farmers. Another critical issue was that the Revolutionary Corps was severely lacking in mages; whether for combat or daily construction, the support of magic was essential.

In this era, magic was no longer used solely for combat; money had altered its applications. Some mages who were not particularly outstanding in combat sometimes found other research directions. Although they might never advance to higher magical tiers in their lifetimes, it did not mean they lacked achievements in other areas. Fire mages could use temperature control to help the smelting industry refine metal ores; Earth mages could assist mine owners in locating veins and monitoring mine conditions. Certain spells, such as "Stone to Mud," could assist in mining if used correctly—though improper use could lead to disaster. Water mages could serve as emergency medics; while water-based healing spells were not a panacea, they were often more effective than doctors for stopping bleeding and treating wounds. If they could master a few white magic spells with purification effects, they could at least serve as half-doctors, even if they knew nothing of medicine. Pharmacology was now a hot topic in medicine, and doctors insisted that magical potions were a form of synthetic medicine. Furthermore, there had been ongoing research into using water-based magic for irrigation, which had seen small-scale success. The reason it could not be popularized was that mages could never let go of their noble pride. Magic could be applied in so many ways—such as the aforementioned smelting and mining—that were profitable and granted a certain status. But to ask mages to use magic to increase grain production—it wasn't that they couldn't, but as they put it, that was work for peasants.

Given all this, Grant's predicament was clear. He could rely on distributing grain and verbal promises of public ownership to attract support from the lower classes, but gaining the backing of mages, who occupied the middle and upper tiers, was extremely difficult. Take those few who were forced to flee during the assembly; they were educated and had the potential to become mage apprentices. Yet, even if they were grateful to the Revolutionary Army for liberating Gaul City from oppression, they still yearned for Valencia. Yes, because they believed that under that system, they could better utilize their talents. In their hearts, they unconsciously viewed themselves as different from the people from the countryside.

This psychology and situation were things Grant could not change in the short term. Gamio was recruiting, but most of those who joined were farm boys driven by poverty; some were illiterate, while others knew only a few characters. Grant had already ordered the original veteran revolutionary soldiers to form various educational classes within the army. In addition to standard military training, they were to teach these recruits how to read and write, with a focus on trying to help them recognize and write the runes used for modifying firearms. The lack of professional teachers was a major headache for Grant, while Valencia had no such worries. Grant could only rely on his veteran soldiers. Fortunately, during their years of guerrilla warfare, he had trained these veterans, though the one thing he couldn't teach them was how to teach others. But there was no alternative; for now, he had to rely on these amateur instructors.

Therefore, when Wei Wuji decided to leave to find Cecily, Grant was reluctant to see him go. He had actually considered persuading Wei Wuji to join the Revolutionary Army, using Eastern Daoist arts to replace the role of magic in the army. If he could not obtain large amounts of magical resources, he would build a separate system to replace them—that was Grant's idea. Unfortunately, although Grant was endlessly charismatic, Wei Wuji was not swayed in the slightest. For those who practiced Daoist arts, the process of cultivation was also a tempering of the mind. Once they reached the Golden Core stage or higher, their resolve became exceptionally firm; once their hearts were set on a goal, they were very difficult to shake.

Furthermore, this matter concerned Mr. Hegel's confidence in the Revolutionary Army, so Grant could not block him. He could only ask Wei Wuji to stay one more day, during which Grant personally summoned those among the Munk and Beer tribes who were familiar with the terrain. With them gesturing and explaining, Layard personally took up the pen to help Wei Wuji hand-draw a rough map, while also providing details on the environment and the route.