Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 127 Golden Country Bank (8k2)

When the waiter heard the girl in front of him say the three words "Manston", a flash of surprise flashed across his eyes.

And the girl opposite her even said the word "cooperation".

That was one of the major shareholder families that founded the "Gold Country Bank", and the girl opposite was actually alone, coming to discuss cooperation with the big shot of the "Manston" family...

The Manston family did have family members stationed at the Golden Country Bank in Songyuan, but they were not direct descendants, but side branches of the family.

But even so, he is a person who can represent the Manston family and has a certain say outside.

Although the Manston family does have a certain influence in the financial world of the Nolan Empire, they have always been low-key and not many people know them.

Therefore, few people would come to the Golden Country Bank to propose cooperation with the Manston family. They were more like "behind-the-scenes" figures, and they were more inclined to draft contracts with contractual effect in a semi-casual and semi-formal manner in private wineries and manor houses regarding the details of some important cooperation.

The waiter of the "Gold Country Bank" heard that this was the first time that someone came to discuss cooperation with the big shot of the Manston family.

The waiter's first reaction was to doubt the truthfulness of what the girl said.

"This lady."

The waiter then said to the girl in front of him with professional politeness:
"This is an important notification. I need to know your identity and purpose."

At this time, the waiter's address to Index changed from "Miss" to "Ms."

This is a more formal and equal title. Index smiled and took out a beautiful emblem from her skirt pocket.

"I'm Index. Index Carlos."

Intis nodded and smiled, saying, "My brother is a close friend of Mr. Alaerdin Manston. This emblem should be enough to prove my purpose."

The waiter's face turned serious, and his gaze drifted towards the family emblem in Index's hand.

It was an exquisitely shaped "iris" emblem made with exquisite carving techniques. Its surface was decorated with platinum, which was plated tightly and reflected a dazzling silver-white luster in the sun.

As a waiter at the "Bank of the Golden Country", he could recognize at a glance the weight of this emblem.

This is the emblem of the first heir of the Manston family, and with it, one can enjoy the highest level of treatment in the Manston family's property. Although the holder of this emblem, Ms. Index Carlos, is an outsider to the Manston family, she has considerable privileges.

The waiter then realized that the lady from the "Carlos" family in front of him was not lying when she said about her cooperation with the "Manston" family.

As for the "Carlos" family behind her, although the waiter had never heard of the name of this family, they must be of great importance.

Intis's eyes revealed a smile as calm as the water of a lake in spring. Her expression was the same calm as that of her master, the brother she had fabricated, "Roshu Carlos", as she waited for the waiter's reply.

"I see, you are a friend of the Manston family."

The waiter's attitude became more respectful. He bowed deeply to Intis and said, "Please follow me. You are an important guest. Mr. Gonzalo Manston is in the office at the top floor of the bank."

……

Index then followed the waiter into the bank.

The interior of the "Gold Country Bank" uses the same luxurious decoration style as its facade. In the extremely spacious lobby, people in different clothes paced back and forth in the bank with nervous and anxious expressions. From time to time, they looked at the huge light gold crystal screen in the center, expecting to see what they wanted to see on it.

That is a technology unique to the "Golden Country". The inventors of the "Gongol College" under the "Golden Country" created the "Golden Window" that can communicate with other "banks" and update business intelligence in real time, and thus monopolized the huge financial market.

This technology also has extremely broad "cross-field" application prospects. However, the ruling families of the Golden Country are not willing to apply the "Golden Window" technology in non-commercial occasions.

The rulers of the "Golden Kingdom" classified the technology of the "Golden Window" as top secret, and placed its technological prototype underground in the "Gongol Academy", under the supervision of a dozen "Great Guardians" of the "Sevenfold Destiny", with extremely strict security.

Several major forces on the Fanol continent, including the Nolan Empire, are very jealous of this technology. The followers of [Intellect] of each force are trying to decipher the technology of the "Golden Window", but they have not achieved much success over the years.

Suddenly, a strong "spiritual electric current" passed through the "Golden Window", and the surface of the huge screen flashed, and then the light became brighter, and new content appeared.

Index then heard a wave of cheers that sounded like a heat wave.

"——Great! That's great! The catch of the Sea Wing Fishing Port this year is 1.3 million tons! The harvest of crops has also increased by 20% compared to last year... In this way, the profit of the restaurant will increase again, and there is no need to worry about the possible 'famine' prophecy!"

"——Ah! A new dragon crystal vein was discovered in the Tama Desert! This just solves the problem of mineral resources that my jewelry processing factory urgently needs to face..."

"——Look, Mr. Stav! The Empire is planning to increase investment in the medical industry, with the main investment area being the production of medical devices. Do you think we should…"

"..."

"This is all normal, Ms. Index."

The waiter who was leading the way noticed that the guest behind him seemed to have stopped, so he turned around and said with a smile:

"These are all sounds of joy, and this is the infinite charm of the 'Bank of the Golden Country'."

"But, Ms. Index, look. There are more 'downtrodden' figures hidden among the excited crowd."

As he spoke, the waiter pointed at the people squatting at the foot of the wall. They were clutching their hair with their hands, looking sad and desperate.

"Some of them are businessmen, some are investors."

The waiter said: "Although, I am not one of them, nor am I a decision maker of the bank. I am just a small waiter..."

"But every time I see such a scene, I still feel emotional."

This seemed to be what the "waiter" was looking for out of professional instinct, as a topic for conversation to relieve fatigue with Index.

Index nodded slightly at the waiter's words.

"Yes, I understand what you mean." Index agreed.

Her gaze once again fell on the corner, on those distraught businessmen and investors.

Their eyes were filled with dark red bloodshot, their faces were pale with fatigue, they all looked gloomy, their lips kept trembling, and they seemed to be mumbling something.

Intis extended her senses and heard clearly the tiny sounds coming from their mouths, as faint as those of mosquitoes.

"Why, why did the price of Dragon Crystal suddenly drop? Just because a new mineral vein was discovered! I spent all my money to stock up on so much Dragon Crystal because I read the news about the Dragon Crystal being depleted last time..."

"—this is a fraud! This is a scam! This can't be true..."

"——Why, why should the Empire increase its investment in medical care! Those poor people... those inferior people, why are their lives worth saving? I just opened a private clinic..."

"..."

"It is indeed a very desperate voice." said Index.

"But that's the reality."

The waiter shook his head. "This is a paradise for those who pursue profit. But it will never be, and cannot be, an utopia that satisfies everyone's wishes."

……

This brief chat ended when the waiter led Index to the door of Gonzalo Manston's office.

"Ms. Index, we are here. Master Gonzalo Manston is waiting for you inside."

The waiter then bowed slightly and saluted Intis, saying, "I hope you can get a perfect contract."

"Thank you for your blessing." Index nodded.

Suddenly, Index smiled and said:

"Mr. 'Waiter', you don't look like an ordinary waiter."

This is Index's intuition as a "civet cat".

Although she is a blood disciple of [Red Lotus], the ability given to her by the "Spirit Cat" that merged with her allows her to perceive extremely subtle and unreasonable details in other people.

Upon hearing this, the "waiter" simply smiled in response and then turned and left.

Index did not ask any more questions, but just gently knocked on the door of "Gonzalo Manston".

Before leaving Sina City, Luo Xiu told her the names of several people from the "Manston" family that she might meet.

"Gonzalo Manston" was also within Luo Xiu's prediction.

Index still remembered that, according to Luo Xiu's instructions, this was a relatively "kind" and "easy to talk to" person.

"Gonzalo Manston", his position in the "Gold Country Bank" in the main city of Songyuan is "Vice President".

In the authority system of the "Golden Country Bank", the "President" and "Vice President" of each bank are family members sent by the shareholder families.

The family that invests the most capital in each bank will have its members serve as the "president" of that bank.

……

"--Come in."

A gentle voice came from behind the office door of "Gonzalo Manston".

Index then opened the door and walked in.

In Intis's vision, she saw a figure holding a glass of wine in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

But Index did not observe the other person's appearance carefully. Instead, she turned around, closed and locked the door.

"……Who are you?"

Vice President Gonzalo Manston said in a gentle voice:

"The waiter didn't tell me which guest had made an appointment today."

"Hello, Mr. Gonzalo Manston."

Intis then lifted her long skirt slightly and bowed slightly to the person opposite her.

"On behalf of the 'Carlos' family, I am here to negotiate a valuable 'cooperation' with you."

The Carlos family...? Gonzalo searched his mind for a while, but could not recall any impression of this family name.

As the "Vice President" of the Golden Country Bank, Gonzalo instinctively wanted to refuse.

In his mind, Gonzalo quickly thought of the words to politely reject the other party, and prepared to express his "helpless" rejection to the other party in the kindest manner possible.

But Gonzalo's words were not spoken.

In Gonzalo's field of vision, he saw the beautiful lady in front of him taking out the "family emblem" that symbolized the "Manston" family!
Gonzalo's pupils shrank.

Gonzalo's mind raced, and he quickly tore up all the sentences he had prepared earlier, such as "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm sorry," and threw them into the trash can of his memory.

"Please feel free to sit down, Ms. Carlos," Gonzalo said gently, putting down the newspaper in his hand.

Intis then sat down in front of a sofa at the side and began to observe the image of the Vice President "Gonzalo".

Gonzalo Manston was a respectable middle-aged man with a square face and a clean-shaven beard.

He was wearing an elegant black peak-lapel suit with a gray-blue patterned silk covering the collar, revealing the aura of a business elite; at the same time, he was holding a wine glass in his hand, which was a high-end style.

Gonzalo Manston put down the newspaper in his hand but not the wine glass, as if to show his taste and status.

When Gonzalo walked to the opposite side of Index and sat down, Index greeted Gonzalo:

"Hello, Mr. Gonzalo. Excuse me, do you also like the red wine produced by the 'Roquetier' winery?"

Hearing this, Gonzalo raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise on his face: "How do you know? That is indeed my favorite wine estate..."

"Because that is also my brother's favorite."

Intis smiled and said:
"Mr. Gonzalo, your room is filled with the faint fruity aroma of the red wine from the 'Rocktier' winery. My brother often said: 'People who like the red wine of the 'Rocktier' winery must have very good taste.'"

"That's right! Your brother is a very noble man."

Gonzalo was not stingy with his praise, and during this brief exchange, Gonzalo felt that the distance between himself and the young lady from the "Carlos Family" in front of him seemed to have suddenly shortened a lot.

What Gonzalo didn't know was that all of this was actually a line of speech that Index observed on the spot and designed in advance.

Inside the room, in the window on the other side, a bottle of red wine produced by the "Claude" winery was placed in a slightly protruding position; and there were signs of prying at the position of the cork.

Although Index didn't actually know anything about wine, it didn't stop her from saying these words.

This was Index's way of survival before she met Ross. She was quite good at observation.

And her first "social" failure also came from Luo Xiu.

"So, this distinguished lady of the Carlos family."

Gonzalo greeted Index in a friendly manner, "I haven't asked for your name yet?"

"Index Carlos, sir." Index replied with a smile, "Please just call me Index."

"Okay, Ms. Index." Gonzalo nodded. "May the golden wind bless you, Ms. Index. You said you came here to cooperate with us this time?"

"Yes." Intis nodded. "To be honest, I still hope to seek your help. Otherwise, I would not show you the Manston family crest that my brother treasured."

"I understand." Gonzalo responded gently, "You hold this family emblem, which means you are an important guest of the family. It should be my honor to help you."

The Manston family emblem given by the Lord is really useful...Intis thought, with a faint smile on her face, she said:
"Thank you so much! The thing is, my brother asked me to come to the Golden Country Bank to handle an investment..."

"My brother has done business with merchants from the Golden Kingdom through some personal channels. The transaction went smoothly, but the 'weight' that the merchants used to pay was the Golden Kingdom's trade notes..."

"As you know, these commercial notes are difficult to circulate in the imperial market. Although many banks in the empire have the business of exchanging commercial notes for Norland gold coins, they need to collect a high tax of nearly 20%."

In fact, the main reason is that the Lord does not want to get financially entangled with the Empire over this matter...Intis added in her heart, but did not express this to Gonzalo.

"So, you want to deposit those 'commercial bonds' with me into the 'Bank of the Golden Country'?" Gonzalo quickly understood the subtext of Intis' words.

"Yes, Master Gonzalo." Intis said with a smile, "This is exactly the 'help' I'm looking for from you."

"As you hold the Manston family crest, it is my duty to arrange these for you."

Gonzalo responded mildly:
"This is a very simple matter. It only requires a deposit certificate. It is within my authority to help you complete it. Do you need to deposit these 'commercial bonds' into an existing account, or open a new account?"

"I want to open a new account," Intis replied, "in my own name."

"Yes, Ms. Index." Gonzalo nodded, "I will meet your request."

"So, the other thing about your visit here..."

Gonzalo changed his tone to inquiring, and asked Index: "Ms. Index, what do you mean by 'cooperation' with us?"

"That is about the investment in the 'commercial bonds' deposit I mentioned earlier."

Intis said: "According to my brother's instructions, he hopes to invest in three areas and establish a long-term cooperative relationship with the Manston family's businesses."

"So that's it..."

Gonzalo's expression was calm. He raised the wine glass in his hand and took a sip. "I may not agree to this rashly. I need to know how much you want to invest."

"Although you are a distinguished guest holding the Manston family crest, according to the Manston family's investment bottom line, a single investment cannot be less than 10,000 commercial bonds..."

Ten thousand commercial bonds were equivalent to approximately one thousand Nolan gold coins, which was equivalent to the total income of the middle class in nearly a year. This was an amount that needed to be considered for investment.

"I understand, Mr. Gonzalo." Intis smiled, "This is our first time cooperating with the Manston family, and our investment is sincere."

"——We plan to use all of the '100,000' commercial bonds in storage for investment."

"..."

Hearing this, the wine glass in Gonzalo's hand suddenly stopped shaking.

Gonzalo's eyes suddenly became deep.

——One hundred thousand commercial coupons.

This is indeed a considerable investment amount.

Although it does not reach the level of "huge" in Gonzalo's eyes, an investment of this size is still very rare.

Even if Intis did not hold the "Manston" family crest, an investment of this amount in the "Gold Country Bank" was enough to make her a distinguished guest.

"Okay, I think I've sensed your sincerity, Ms. Index."

Gonzalo smiled and said:
“This is indeed an exciting cooperation proposal.”

"Then, please allow me to ask a question. What field do you...or your brother, plan to invest in?"

"'Magic Stone Military Industry', 'Plague Prevention', and 'Edible Monsters'."

According to the "investment plan" that Luo Xiu had told him before, Index said, "According to the investment ratio of 2:3:5, this is exactly the investment plan my brother told me to make."

"This..." Gonzalo was confused.

"Although the Manston family does have relevant industrial channels, these are not promising areas."

Gonzalo kindly reminded:

"The 'magic stone military industry' you mentioned is just a theory that has not yet been accepted and has not yet been proven to have 'market value'. Although we have just discovered a new dragon crystal vein, the newly excavated dragon crystal should be supplied more to handicraft workshops rather than military factories;"

"As for 'plague prevention', the Nolan Empire has not had a major plague outbreak for more than a decade, and this industry has been forgotten by the market. Now, the public opinion about the impending outbreak of 'plague' in the empire has been labeled as rumors and heresy, and the market environment will not change because of this;"

"As for 'edible monsters', to be honest, I personally don't think highly of them. Although many nobles are interested in this, for most people, they will probably never accept the meat of 'monsters' appearing on their tables."

"……so."

Gonzalo asked Intis for the final confirmation: "Are you sure you want to invest in these areas?"

"Yes."

Index nodded firmly and said, "This is also what my brother told me. No matter what, we all believe in our choice, and it will definitely bless our future."

In fact, Index didn't know much about these "investments".

But before she left, Luo Xiu had told her: "No matter who the Manston family member you are about to meet is, and no matter what kind of questions he raises to you, just be firm in your beliefs and show them a confident face..."

Index then strictly and faithfully carried out Ross's instructions.

As expected, when Index expressed her persistence, Gonzalo immediately showed an admiring expression and said:

"I should apologize to you, Ms. Index. Perhaps you and your brother both have the potential to be true 'great businessmen'."

“I really shouldn’t make decisions for you. Any great investment with disruptive significance is not favored at the beginning.”

"Profit-seeking is the nature of businessmen, but it should not be a shackle or constraint for businessmen. Any profit is accompanied by considerable risks. I respect your judgment."

After saying that, Gonzalo stood up, extended his hand to Index and said, "Then, I wish our cooperation will be smooth sailing."

“Best wishes for our cooperation.”

Index also stretched out her hand and gently shook hands with Gonzalo.

……

Afterwards, Intis and Gonzalo discussed the details of the "investment".

Index interjected that - "One hundred thousand trade notes" were not something she could carry with her alone.

She had temporarily stored all the money in a secret warehouse in the Woupo grassland, and Gonzalo understood this.

At the same time, Index commissioned Gonzalo to move these assets, which was not a difficult task for Gonzalo.

That afternoon, a convoy set out from the main city of Songyuan and drove rapidly towards the Woupo grassland.

Two days later, the convoy returned with 100,000 commercial bills, and under Gonzalo's operation, they were successfully deposited into the account under the name of "Index Carlos" in the "Bank of the Golden Country".

At the same time as the money was deposited into Index's registered account, Index signed the contract with Gonzalo in the name of "Index Carlos".

These 100,000 commercial bonds were invested in the three fields of "Magic Stone Military Industry", "Plague Prevention and Control", and "Edible Monsters" in a ratio of 2:3:5.

If the industries in these areas can be profitable, Intis will receive generous returns based on its investment proportion.

Gonzalo managed to secure some guaranteed dividends for Index. As long as the industries in these three areas had not gone bankrupt, Index would have half of its "investment property protection".

This protection is backed by the "Golden Country Bank", which means that in the worst case scenario, Index will only lose half at most.

This is a fairly friendly contract clause. In addition, Intis can obtain "deposit income" distributed monthly.

This is also Gonzalo's secret operation. "Deposit income" and "investment income" are calculated separately. If the investment is profitable or flat but not losing money, then as a deposit in the "Gold Country Bank", Intis can still receive a monthly deposit income of 0.5%, that is, 500 "Gold Country Commercial Notes", which is converted into 50 Nolan gold coins!
And all these profits will eventually go into Luo Xiu's pocket.

As of now, as long as the investment in these areas can maintain a "break-even" state, Luo Xiu will be able to obtain a total of 250 Nolan gold coins including the "holy salary" every month!

This has transcended the income of the "middle class" and become the income level of an "aristocratic" family.

The three fields of 'Magic Stone Military Industry', 'Plague Prevention', and 'Edible Monsters' are the "dark horse fields" that only Luo Xiu knows about.

——They represent the Empire’s response and preparation to the “War of Judgment”, “September Plague” and “October Famine” respectively!
Although the industries in these fields are still dull in the short term, in a few months, the "value" of these fields will explode!
Among them, the earliest to arrive was the "September Plague".

Now, it is the end of August, and there are initial signs of the "September Plague", which is already showing signs of an outbreak.

And these are the information that only Luo Xiu knows.

These are huge advantages.

……

After completing the signing of the contract with the "Golden Country Bank", Index prepared to leave the main city of Songyuan.

She had just completed a task and was feeling very excited.

Index could not wait to return to the city of Sina to redeem her life to her "lord" Luo Xiu and tell him all the gains.

She hopes to receive a reward from Luo Xiu - the secret of becoming stronger, more freedom, or even higher power...

Intis has vaguely felt that the trust of "Lord" Luo Xiu in her is constantly increasing.

Index's intuition was that the "Lord" seemed to be planning something.

And her Lord... Luo Xiu Carlos, seemed to have become even stronger during the time when she left him and went to the Woupo Grassland.

Index desperately wanted to know what had happened to her "Lord" Luo Xiu.

……

Gonzalo Manston arranged all the identity and travel formalities for Intis and personally saw her off.

After watching the carriage carrying "Index Carlos" drive out of the gate of Songyuan City, Gonzalo slowly walked along the trail and returned to the Golden Country Bank.

And just at the door of the "Golden Country Bank", Gonzalo saw a familiar figure.

A "waiter" was looking at him with a smile.

"——Good morning, Vice President Gonzalo Manston."

The waiter bowed slightly to Gonzalo and said, "Have you signed a perfect contract with the lady from the 'Carlos' family?"

“…That’s a pretty perfect contract.”

Gonzalo said:
"She invested in three unpopular fields, and the total investment reached 100,000 commercial bonds. To be honest, although I did 'praise' her courage at the time, in my opinion, it is still just 'courage'..."

"Who knows, Vice President Gonzalo?" The waiter said with a smile, "Any great investment is accompanied by great risks."

"That's what I said at the time." Gonzalo shook his head. "And she is a distinguished guest holding the crest of our Manston family, so I can only follow her wishes."

"That's not what you really want." The waiter said, "'Fulfilling other people's wishes' is a manifestation of 'win-win' in the eyes of us businessmen. Others gain joy and expectations, while we gain real benefits..."

"Yes, that's true."

Gonzalo nodded. "But, after all, she is a distinguished guest of our Manston family. I cannot imagine the consequences of neglecting her. Therefore..."

"So you used your authority to provide her with a 'safety net'?"

"——Yes." Gonzalo nodded, "This way, when she really suffers from the loss, it won't damage the reputation of the Manston family."

"Nice idea."

The waiter nodded and said, "It seems that as a member of the Manston family's branch, you have indeed grown a lot since being assigned here... Well, I am very pleased."

"…That's because you're not doing your job."

Gonzalo's tone was quite helpless. He spread his hands and said:

"Originally, this kind of contact should have been completed by you..."

"And you even chose to bring her directly to my office after seeing her present the Manston family crest..."

"So, when are you going to get some real work done?"

"My beloved teacher Qiao Dewen, and..."

"——My respected 'President'."

"..."

Thanks to Tian Tianzhang for feeding 4500 coins!
Thanks to Xiaoxiao Axia for the 500 coins!
Also, to add to what I said before, thank you Zhu Yan for the 500 coins!
This chapter is 8k long, so it can be considered as an extra chapter for reward (right?)!
qwq
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
(End of this chapter)