Bishop Verkis clicked his tongue briefly.
"Look here. I don't trust people who just talk. There are many people around me who just babble about making me His Holiness like you. I see people like that when I'm bored. So tell me specifically about that so I can trust you. Explain it so I can understand how you're going to help me."
Rockefeller felt a sense of urgency at this point.
He realized that the outcome of this conversation could potentially determine Bishop Verkis' fate.
"First and foremost, what you need most, Bishop Verkis, is unfortunately church donations. Some may argue that donations from the congregation aren't that important."
Bishop Verkis interrupted Rockefeller's statement.
"Enough. Don't bother sugarcoating it. I know that church donations are the top priority."
"Right! Donations are crucial. But they won't be collected by force. The right environment must be in place for donations to naturally follow."
"So, what exactly are you proposing to do?"
"At the moment, Benjamin is not helpful to the Lyon Guild at all."
Seeing Rockefeller's determination, Bishop Verkis was slightly surprised.
"What do you mean? Are you saying that Benjamin is not fit to be the guild leader?"
"Yes, in my opinion, Benjamin is actually a significant obstacle to the guild's growth. Just look at the fact that he blocked the interest-paying business following the gold coin deposit."
"That interest-paying business is just a simple matter of personal interest between you and him. How does that reflect on his qualifications as a guild leader?"
"Do you really think so?"
Bishop Verkis wasn't fully aware of the bank situation.
Nevertheless, he wanted to hear Rockefeller out, so he gestured for him to continue.
"Continue."
"As you mentioned earlier, if the bankers here want to expand their lending business more than before, they need more gold coins to lend to others."
"That's true. The more gold coins you have, the more loans you can give."
"So, let me ask you this. Would people entrust their precious gold coins to a bank that charges a storage fee, or would they rather entrust it to a bank that pays interest as well? Assuming both banks are equally trustworthy."
The answer was obvious.
"Of course, they would choose the one that pays interest. If both banks are reliable, that is."
"Exactly. In this way, the interest-paying business is actually more beneficial to our lending business. Though I may not know all of them, if the bankers here start an interest-paying business, all the hidden money in Lyon will eventually flock to the banks. Then, there will be more money available for loans, and the lending business will prosper."
Bishop Verkis, intrigued by Rockefeller's words, stroked his beard.
"I see. I didn't know that."
"Of course, you might think that paying interest is a loss for the bankers, but that can be adjusted by controlling the interest rate. We receive a 6% loan interest every month when we lend gold coins. And I had offered you a 3% deposit interest."
Bishop Verkis nodded.
"That's right. It was 3%."
"In that case, you can offer others just 1% interest, or even 0%, if necessary. After all, they would still benefit from not having to pay the gold coin storage fee."
Only then did Bishop Verkis fully understand.
"I see. I didn't know that."
"By doing so, the bank will be able to lend more gold coins than before, and the resulting profits will also significantly increase. The interest income from lending is much greater than the meager storage fees."
Rockefeller continued.
"Bishop Verkis, please don't forget that the bank's main source of income is the interest from gold coin lending. There are many people who feel repelled by the gold coin storage fees, so it's impossible to make a fortune from that alone."
Bishop Verkis nodded in agreement once again.
"You're right. I was also quite annoyed by those gold coin storage fees."
"If you agree with my thoughts, then Benjamin is not helpful to the guild's growth at all."
Bishop Verkis, somewhat regretful, asked Rockefeller.
"Did you explain this to Benjamin thoroughly?"
"He refuses to understand even without my explanation. In fact, he advocates for the old system of collecting storage fees. And if someone like me starts an interest-paying business, the existing storage fee business would completely collapse. So, out of concern, he even issued a guild decree to prevent the interest-paying business."
There was no break in Rockefeller's words.
"I've met with a few bankers during my stay here. They all have different opinions, but some were willing to work with me on the interest-paying business."
"Really?"
"However, they couldn't dare to do so due to the guild leader's watchful eye. How many people in Lyon could stand up to a person from the Lyon family?"
"None. No one would dare to oppose our family."
"That's exactly what Benjamin is doing right now. At least in Lyon, he is an absolute authority. And who would go against his wishes when even you, Bishop Verkis, are from the same family? No one."
Listening to Rockefeller, it seemed that the Lyon Guild had no chance of growth due to the guild leader's closed-mindedness.
"Sigh..."
Still, Benjamin was a member of the same family.
With a heavy sigh, Rockefeller continued to press on.
"I understand that this is a difficult matter for you, Bishop Verkis. It may be better for a member of the same family to hold the position of guild leader rather than someone like me, who has no blood ties or roots."
At this moment, Rockefeller's gaze became infinitely sincere.
"But you must know this. As long as Benjamin Gong remains in that position, my interest business will be stagnated, and Bishop Verkis will also have to continue to be content with the current situation. How can the bishop think of regaining his former archbishop position and even going further to the Pope's position when the surrounding environment does not change at all? That is an impossible task."
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Ugh, kinda feels repetitive, move on already.
ReplyDeleteI swear, skipped so many sentences
DeleteIt's just verkis is understanding things but every time family is coming into his ming
Delete