Bonus chapter thanks to @alckrn subscribing to Dwarven Sovereigns Tier on Ko-fi!
Guild Meeting #2(9)
Upon inspection, the store's layout was similar to before, confirming that they had come to the right place.
Only the store's atmosphere and sign had changed.
One of them raised their voice after checking the store sign.
"I told you! A guild leader came from a commoner family called Rothsmedici."
Another one immediately argued, thinking that they couldn't be sure just by the sign.
"What are you talking about! It's probably just an unknown noble family or a fallen noble family."
"Are you still insisting that it's a commoner family? Have you ever heard of the Rothsmedici family? Stop being stubborn without even knowing."
"Let's just be quiet for now. We can ask when we go inside."
The two bickering men finally entered the store and met the new owner.
"What brings you here? The store isn't open yet."
Rockefeller asked them again, as if he remembered something.
"By any chance... did you come here after seeing the store's recruitment advertisement?"
As Rockefeller, who was busy tidying up the store, asked them while rolling up his sleeves, one of the two visitors cautiously asked him.
"Um... I heard that the guild leader changed recently. Is that... Rothsmedici place really a commoner family as rumored? Or is it an unknown noble family?"
They didn't know.
They didn't know that the young man, Rockefeller, who was busy organizing the store, was the new guild leader.
They thought Rockefeller was just an assistant hired by him.
Rockefeller then smiled and answered their question.
"That's the third time I've been asked that question today. The Rothsmedici family you mentioned has been a commoner family until now."
One of the visitors was satisfied with the answer.
"See! I was right! I told you that the guild leader came from the commoner family called Rothsmedici."
"How... How can that be? This place has been managed by the Lyon family for generations. How can someone from an unheard-of commoner background... Sigh..."
As he sighed deeply, feeling a strong sense of defeat.
The one intoxicated with a sense of victory asked Rockefeller another question.
"Where is the new guild leader, by the way?"
As he asked, looking over Rockefeller's shoulder, Rockefeller replied with a smile.
"It's me."
"Excuse me? What did you just say...?"
"I am the new guild leader, Rockefeller Rothsmedici."
The two visitors couldn't hide their surprised expressions.
They couldn't believe that such a young man was in charge of the entire Lyon guild!
"How...?"
"I don't understand. How can someone so young become a guild leader?"
"I feel the same way."
One of them asked again, just in case.
"You're not lying, are you?"
Rockefeller just smiled in response.
"Many people don't believe it. I understand, though. I'm quite young."
"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
Rockefeller hesitated to reveal his age because he was so young.
It was quite surprising that he became the leader of a group at an age not even reaching twenty.
"I'm still young. That's all you need to know."
"You're not lying, right?"
"What's there to lie about? It's all true. I'm the new guild leader, and as of yesterday, I've taken over this store."
"What happened to the previous guild leader?"
"I'm not sure. I only know that he's at home. He must have been quite betrayed."
"Home?"
Another one interrupted.
"Well, it makes sense. If I were him, I'd be too embarrassed to go out after being removed from the guild leader position."
The previous guild leader, Benjamin de Lyon, became listless right after the guild conference, where the guild members voted to oust him.
Rockefeller went to find Benjamin to inherit the guild headquarters, but Benjamin, who didn't want to see Rockefeller, only gave him the store key through a servant.
"Anyway, that's the situation."
As the two visitors were about to leave the store, Rockefeller couldn't let them go just like that.
"Did you two just come here because you were curious about the rumor?"
At his question, the two visitors who were about to step outside turned their heads back.
"Yes, do you have something to say?"
"Since you're here, why don't you have a consultation with me? The store is not in the best shape to receive customers, but I can still handle pawnshop business."
One of them, seemingly having thought of something, asked Rockefeller a question that had piqued their curiosity.
"Come to think of it, the sign for your shop says 'Bank' instead of 'Banco.' Is this a mistake?"
"Ha ha, no, it's not a mistake. In the future, all Bancos belonging to our Lyon Guild will be integrated into a single Bank. This will give us a completely different image from the existing Bancos."
"Exactly... how will it be different?"
"Whereas the existing Bancos have been operating independently without any connections, from now on, all Bancos belonging to the Lyon Guild will become one and be called a Bank."
Since the new Guild Master said it, the two did not doubt and began nodding their heads.
"That's pretty innovative."
"I think so too. Bancos integrated into one? Heh... well, then, can we repay the gold coins borrowed from other Bancos here?"
It was an offhand remark, but the answer that came back was truly surprising.
"Yes, it's possible. That's the meaning of becoming one."
Having finished speaking, Rockefeller asked again.
"By the way, have you not heard this rumor recently?"
"What rumor are you talking about?"
"The one about us giving interest if you entrust us with gold coins."
At this, the two visitors began to show great interest in what Rockefeller had said.
They had been unsure about the rumors they had heard.
"Is that true? Do you really give monthly interest if we entrust gold coins here?"
"I was curious about that too. If it's true."
Rockefeller showed a deep smile.
"Of course. The rumor is true. If you entrust gold coins to any Banco belonging to the Lyon Guild, we will give you 1% interest every month."
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