Although the young man named Rockefeller was younger and had less experience as a goldsmith than the other guild members, the extraordinary rumors that followed him were the reason they agreed.
Furthermore, he had a close relationship with Bishop Verkis, so they thought it would be okay to give him a chance, even if he wasn't perfect.
"Since Benjamin cannot continue to serve as the guild leader, I will take the initiative to conduct a vote for a new candidate. Please quietly raise your hand if you support the young Rockefeller for the position of guild leader. According to the established rules, a new guild leader must have more than half of the votes."
As everyone held their breath, they began to raise their hands one by one.
Bishop Verkis and Carter were the first to raise their hands, followed by guild members who supported Rockefeller, either taking cues from their surroundings or making a quiet decision based on their personal judgment.
With the growing number of affirmative votes, Benjamin, who had been watching, eventually hung his head.
There were more guild members supporting the young Rockefeller than he had expected.
'How could this happen...'
Having nothing more to say, Benjamin maintained his silence.
On the other hand, Rockefeller, who received more than half of the votes, unknowingly revealed a satisfied smile on his face.
'I didn't even need to bring up the letter Carter received. Things have gone smoother than I expected.'
"Thank you, everyone. I will prove that your choice today was not wrong by showing you the results."
As the young and unique new guild leader was elected, Bishop Verkis, who had been watching, was the first to applaud, followed by the guild members who had occupied the conference hall, greeting the new guild leader with warm applause.
Amidst the noisy applause, Rockefeller spoke with a sense of mission.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that I came to this position today. I think it might be fate. Why? Until now, we have been going in the wrong direction. As I lamented earlier, we have been groveling before others even though we have the power. We were nothing but weaklings being pushed around by the strong without even knowing our own strength."
Rockefeller's gaze unintentionally turned toward the former guild leader, Benjamin.
"If we had turned things around sooner, things would have been better."
Feeling a resentful gaze, Benjamin sneered openly.
Rockefeller took his gaze off Benjamin and continued.
"However, the past is the past. What's important is the present and the upcoming future. From today on, we will."
Rockefeller's gaze met Bishop Verkis.
"With faith in God, the church, and our firm belief, we will enter a completely new era, different from the past."
Rockefeller raised his index finger.
"In order to welcome such an era, we must first grow our strength even more."
Wherever Rockefeller's gaze landed, the guild members nodded in agreement.
"In that sense, we will enforce new guild regulations from today onwards. This is something that all guild members must participate in without exception, in order to have meaning."
Everyone just listened with their ears open, waiting for Rockefeller's next words.
Rockefeller continued after catching his breath.
"We will abolish the gold storage fee business we have been receiving so far and enforce guild regulations that provide a certain amount of interest on gold deposits. This will be enforced on all banks belonging to the Lyon Guild."
At that, a few guild members who had been watching started to grumble among themselves.
The reason was their resentment towards the deposit interest.
Before Rockefeller could continue, a guild member raised his hand to draw Rockefeller's attention.
"I will grant you the right to speak. If you have something to say, please say it."
As Rockefeller pointed, a guild member who stood up began to express his discomfort with what Rockefeller had enforced.
"We've been living well by receiving gold storage fees so far. And now you're telling us to abolish it overnight? And if it's a guild regulation, there's no way to avoid it, right?"
"Of course, there will be dissatisfaction with this. It's completely closing a business we've been doing well. But you have to know this. By giving up something small, you gain something bigger."
Rockefeller continued.
"I promised you one thing when I was elected as the new guild leader. I told you I would repay you with results. And to achieve those results, you have no choice but to follow me."
"Do you have the confidence to handle it if you're wrong?"
"Confidence, you say? Of course, I do. Rather, this will be an opportunity for all of you here to trust and rely on me more."
Rockefeller confidently continued.
"Everything is determined by the results. If this goes wrong, I will leave this position cleanly, so please trust me and follow the new guild regulations I have announced."
"By enforcing this, won't new victims be created?"
At an unexpected question from a guild member, Rockefeller responded without being flustered.
"Of course, there will be new victims. But it won't be us. Why? Because we won't be receiving gold storage fees according to the guild regulations."
"Then who is the victim? I thought that one of us who doesn't do that would become the victim."
"You're wrong. The victim is not us, but the Black Label Union, who, like us, have formed a bank alliance."
Rockefeller subtly smiled at everyone.
"Watch and see. Whether there will be any gold left in the banks belonging to the Black Label Union. From today onwards, their gold will be ours."
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