Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 313 Satisfactory Contract

Gonzalo froze in place.

"Go out, Gonzalo."

It was not until President Joe Dewen raised his tone and ordered Gonzalo to leave again that Gonzalo stood up blankly, bowed to his "teacher", as well as to Luo Xiu and Intis, and took his leave.

Then, as Joe Devin had ordered, Gonzalo left the room and closed the door quietly.

"You are indeed not an ordinary person, Mr. 'Waiter'." Intis smiled, she also stood up, lifted her skirt slightly, and bowed gracefully to President Qiao Dewen.

"I hope you enjoy your conversation with my brother, Mr. President."

She first spoke to Qiao Dewen in a clear voice, then turned to Luo Xiu and her voice became gentle:
"Please allow me to step aside, Onii-sama. I will wait for you outside."

After saying that, Index followed Gonzalo out of the room and gently closed the door again.

……

When only Luo Xiu and President Qiao Dewen were left in Gonzalo's office, Luo Xiu leaned back, shook the wine glass in his hand, and said:
"Now there are only two of us, Mr. President."

"We can now have a frank discussion about my proposal, the direction of our future cooperation, and...some other things."

While saying this, Luo Xiu still had a friendly, harmless smile on his face, but to Qiao Dewen, it seemed more and more dangerous.

But Qiao Dewen is the "bank president" after all - he has seen more dangerous scenes, and the current situation can only be regarded as one of the "dangers" he has been in.

In contrast to the smile on Luo Xiu's face, Qiao Dewen also forced a smile on his clean face and sat down in the seat in front of Gonzalo.

"Oh..." Qiao Dewen said with a smile, "Please believe me, Your Excellency the Bishop. I have always regarded you as my most important friend, no matter you are a 'businessman' or a 'bishop'."

"Of course I believe you, Mr. President." Luo Xiu raised his glass and gently sipped the red wine in the glass. His deep eyes fell on Qiao Dewen's face and said:
"But a 'deal' is always fair, right? If Mr. Gonzalo hadn't mentioned the 'Bishop of Red Maple City' Rosso Carlos, I really wouldn't have the heart to call out your name."

"After all, keeping the color of 'mystery' is safer for both parties. But since Mr. Gonzalo doubts my identity, I think, should I also throw in some of my chips?"

"..."

"Of course, it is the businessman's freedom to toss the chips." Qiao Dewen responded with a smile, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency. My student's curiosity has brought you a bad experience."

"Well, Mr. Qiao Dewen." Luo Xiu smiled, put the glass back on the table, and said, "I will assume that this is indeed just Mr. Gonzalo's 'curiosity'."

After saying this, he suddenly sat up straight, moved his face very close to Qiao Dewen's face, and said in a low voice, word by word:

"You are the 'delusional false face' of the fifth destiny of [Nothingness], right, Mr. Qiao Dewen?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Qiao Dewen, you should be one of the 'original masks' in the 'Funeral Mask'?"

"...?"

When Qiao Dewen heard Luo Xiu reveal his secret in a very small voice, his pupils suddenly shrank.

Luo Xiu's understanding of his background was beyond Qiao Dewen's expectations.

He didn't expect that Luo Xiu had already grasped such deep details. Not only his identity as the president of the "Golden Country Bank", but even his destiny belonging to [Nothingness], his profession, and even the secret organization he founded were all clearly investigated by Luo Xiu!

What else does he know...? This was Qiao Dewen's first thought.

What he certainly didn't know was that Luo Xiu had something called a "panel" - his destiny and extraordinary career were exposed by the "panel". As for the latter, it was purely some memories of Luo Xiu's previous life, as well as his investigation and speculation about him.

Seeing Qiao Dewen's reaction, Luo Xiu knew that his "guess" about him was confirmed to be true... If Qiao Dewen and the "Funeral Song Mask" actually had nothing to do with each other, Luo Xiu, as a bishop, would not mind calling a horse a zebra.

He was even prepared for this.

But that's not necessary now.

"I..." Qiao Dewen was about to say something, but Luo Xiu interrupted him and said:

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Mr. President. I'm telling you this only on the principle of equal bargaining chips in the 'transaction'. I have no ill intentions."

"Please don't be afraid, Mr. Qiao Dewen. I know that you are a citizen of the Golden Country. Your becoming a believer of Nothingness in the Golden Country does not violate the imperial decree."

This was a comfort to Qiao Dewen.

But Luo Xiu then changed the subject and said:

"But, about the 'Funeral Mask'... you should know, Mr. Qiao Dewen."

"That is an illegal hidden organization in the Empire, and I, as the 'bishop', have the power and duty to judge them."

A secret organization called "Funeral Mask" - according to the definition of the Holy See, it seems to be an organization established by many fourth and fifth-level believers of "Nothingness" in order to seek traces of the existence of the pillar god of "Nothingness" "World-Eating Serpent" in the mortal world.

But as the traces of the "World-Eating Serpent" disappeared, the "Funeral Song Mask" gradually deviated from its original purpose, and the believers gradually thought that they should do something to attract the attention of the pillar god "World-Eating Serpent" - they created chaos in various cities or towns, and carried out "meaningless" activities that were completely illogical but had a huge impact and seriously disrupted the normal order, trying to gain the attention of the god.

It is unknown whether they have obtained the attention of the "World Devouring Serpent", but their rampant activities have been classified as a cult by the Department of Justice, the Holy Court and the Tower of Sages.

"..."

"…I am indeed one of the founders of 'Funeral Mask', but the subsequent members deviated from our original intention of creating it, and I have withdrawn."

Qiao Dewen sighed, looked at Luo Xiu, and asked:
"What do you want me to do, Your Excellency?"

It was visibly that Qiao Dewen's attitude became more cautious and respectful.

This is the result after Luo Xiu threw out his "chips" - each party revealed their true identities in the extraordinary world, and the balance of the negotiation now tilted towards Luo Xiu's side.

Qiao Dewen has fully understood what Luo Xiu meant - he is the "bishop" of the Holy See, and whether to "judge" or "cooperate" with Qiao Dewen will entirely depend on Qiao Dewen's attitude.

This was a naked threat, but Qiao Dewen had to bear it.

"Let us return to our original proposal, Mr. Jodwin."

Looking at Qiao Dewen, Luo Xiu said:

"Regarding what I said at the beginning - the investment I plan to make, the chamber of commerce I want to establish, and the 5% stake in Songyuan City-Gold Country Bank that I hope to obtain." "And now, I want one more thing - President Qiao Dewen, perhaps at some point, I need you, as a believer in Nothingness, to do something for me."

"I will facilitate the church's cooperation with you, provide you with some intelligence that only I know, and strive for your interests in Red Maple City within the scope of my authority. This is enough to be equal to the price I ask for."

"What do you think, President Qiao Dewen? You can think about it carefully."

"..."

"Now that you've said that... Mr. Luo Xiu, I think the process of 'negotiation' is no longer necessary."

Qiao Dewen smiled helplessly, and then said:

"Okay, I can promise you. You have indeed grasped my weakness, and this is what you need to endure as a 'businessman'."

"I am a believer of the Void, and I am the original mask of the 'Funeral Mask'. I hope you can keep it a secret for me. This is all I ask of you."

"I'm honored that you will be able to use me... As long as you come to the bank, if there is anything I can do, I will do my best to help you."

After saying all this, Qiao Dewen sighed and said:
"As for your cooperation with the bank..."

"Gold Country Bank will help you make the best investment plan in the field you choose; and for the chamber of commerce you want to establish, I will help you raise funds in my name and hire the best financiers to run it for you."

"And the 5% stake in El Dorado Bank that you want... To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed. Just like Gonzalo said, if we follow the normal process, we really need to hold a shareholders' meeting with more than half of the shareholders to decide on this matter."

"But I still promise you that I will transfer my 5% stake in Songyuan City-Gold Country Bank to your name."

"..."

"It is a real pleasure talking to you, Mr. Jodwin."

After Qiao Dewen agreed to Luo Xiu's series of requests, Luo Xiu nodded with a smile.

Luo Xiu knew that as the "president", Qiao Dewen held a 40% stake in Songyuan City-Golden Country Bank.

As a banker, he was willing to transfer an additional 5% of his shares. If his equity assets invested in other fields were taken into account, it would be equivalent to giving Luo Xiu about one-tenth of his total assets.

This is already a heavy loss. Looking at Qiao Dewen's current expression, Luo Xiu understood this.

However, compared with his previous life, the several forward-looking investments that Luo Xiu proposed to the bank allowed the bank to earn far more than the "5%" figure within half a year. Therefore, for Qiao Dewen, such concessions were still acceptable.

"On the principle of exchange, Mr. Joe Devin."

Looking at Qiao Dewen who was in a gloomy mood, Luo Xiu smiled and said:
"I won't let you suffer in vain. Please believe me, I am not a person who only knows how to rob others."

"Let me tell you something. There is an undiscovered dragon crystal vein at the foot of the Frode Mountains, thirteen miles north of the town of Onsika. Soon, the empire will issue a decree to levy high-purity dragon crystals, and the price will be 1.3 times the market price."

"Please send someone to investigate, Mr. Qiao Dewen. This is my gift to you for our new cooperation."

When hearing Luo Xiu say this, Qiao Dewen, who was originally still feeling pained, suddenly had a bright light in his eyes.

"A new dragon crystal vein?" Qiao Dewen almost shouted out loud, "You mean a new dragon crystal vein? That's a vein worth at least tens of millions!"

"That's enough to make up for your 'losses', right?"

Luo Xiu crossed his arms and said kindly, "Please organize an exploration team. The mining revenue of this vein will be 70% for you and 30% for me."

"Haha, of course that's no problem!" Qiao Dewen suddenly laughed, and the haze of being forced to transfer money just now was swept away. "The same words, I want to pass on to you - it's really a pleasure to talk to you, Mr. 'Roxiu Carlos'."

……

Afterwards, Luo Xiu and Qiao Dewen went to the "president's" office to sign new contracts.

Luo Xiu originally had assets of 120,000 in the bank. Under Qiao Dewen's operation, two-thirds of it will be used for investment, and the remaining one-third will be used as the starting capital of the Chamber of Commerce to start preparations.

For the chamber of commerce that was about to be established, Luo Xiu named it "Iris" - the name was taken from the family flower of the Manston family, as a kind of commemoration.

The "Iris Chamber of Commerce" is registered under the name of "Index", and Index is fully responsible for its management.

As for the transfer of the 5% equity, Luo Xiu looked at the contract drafted by Qiao Dewen and signed the name "Qiao Dewen" with trembling fingers, and that was it.

After actually holding this 5% stake, Luo Xiu can get a dividend of about Nolan gold coins every month, and these dividends will be directly converted into the empire's currency, shipped to the "Iris Chamber of Commerce" on a monthly basis and delivered to Intis.

About half of this money will be used for the daily turnover and expansion of "Holy Abyss", and part of the other half will be used for continuous investment and increased returns. As for the rest of the money, it will fall back into Luo Xiu's pocket, and he will be able to do more things with more confidence and boldness.

Finally, the contract for the dragon crystal vein in "Wongsika Town" has not been signed yet. We need to wait until Qiao Dewen organizes the exploration team and completes the exploration and valuation before we can draft the terms of the contract.

But that was Qiao Dewen's business. Luo Xiu had achieved his goal of coming to Songyuan City - Golden Country Bank, so he prepared to say goodbye to Qiao Dewen and leave.

Qiao Dewen personally took Luo Xiu to the first floor of the bank, where Luo Xiu saw Gonzalo and Intis who had been waiting there, so he walked towards them.

Seeing Luo Xiu coming, Index stood up from the tea seat and came to Luo Xiu and Qiao Dewen.

She lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, bowed gracefully to Luo Xiu and Qiao Dewen again, and said:

"It seems that my brother and the president get along very happily. Even I am a little jealous."

"You're joking, Miss Index." Qiao Dewen smiled, "Mr. Luo Xiu is still a great 'businessman'. After this in-depth conversation, I am more convinced of this."

Behind Index, Gonzalo also walked over, his face still had a look of confusion and puzzlement, but most of it had faded.

While Luo Xiu and Qiao Dewen were chatting, Intis also talked to Gonzalo about something, which made Gonzalo understand some things about "supernormal", but as an ordinary person, he could not understand more.

But that was enough - for Luo Xiu, Gonzalo's rank was indeed not enough to qualify him as an agent for future cooperation with "Songyuan City-Golden Country Bank".

He will work directly with Qiao Dewen in the future.

As a saint of the [Void], Joe Dewen might use his own methods to "erase" or "beautify" Gonzalo's memory, but that has nothing to do with Luo Xiu anymore.

……

(End of this chapter)