Is That Even Possible? (2)
One of the many things people often misunderstand is the belief that someone who is well-educated and intelligent would never fall for something like a scam.
But what does reality look like?
It’s no longer news to see people in all sorts of prestigious professions—even professors who spend their entire lives wrestling with books and studying—fall for phishing scams that, in hindsight, were incredibly amateurish, losing thousands in the process.
Stock trading rooms, coin information groups—they are so rampant on every social media platform and app where people gather that they are impossible to count. Even traditional methods of fraud have become so sophisticated and "mainstream" that it’s become rarer to find a modern person who has lived their whole life without being scammed at least once.
So, this is all just an excuse for Jamie.
"Is it really true that I can invest in a merchant guild that hasn't been listed on the stock exchange yet?"
He was the kind of guy who lacked enough financial sense to buy a house he barely visited once a week, and who constantly got nagged about why he bothered wasting time on stock trading when he only ever lost money.
Anyway, because Jamie was that kind of person, the temptation reaching out to him in secret didn't feel like a devil's whisper. Instead, he firmly believed it was finally the Goddess of Luck, who had never once smiled upon him, answering his prayers.
Honestly, what’s wrong with being a believer?
The one who’s wrong is the guy trying to pull the scam.
Well, if Aiden saw this, he would have said, "A subordinate falling for such an obvious scam is just as bad as the guy who pulled it," but Aiden doesn't come to the exchange.
And he certainly doesn't come to the smoking area behind it.
There was no one here to stop Jamie.
"But if it's a merchant guild that isn't listed on the exchange, doesn't that mean it doesn't have much value?"
"To be honest, it’s hard to guarantee a rosy future. Isn't that how investing works, anyway?"
"Well... I suppose so."
He had tried to bluff a little to back out, but to his surprise, the stranger didn't argue—he just agreed.
'Doesn't seem like a scam...'
Jamie felt relieved by the man's attitude.
He had assumed that a real con artist would be saying things like, "This is a guaranteed success," or "It’s safe, so don't worry."
"Instead, the guild is well aware of the risks to investors, so they’ve set one condition, and I found it quite attractive."
"A condition?"
"Ah, let’s just pretend you didn't hear that."
When Jamie craned his neck to ask, the man suddenly looked like he’d made a mistake, hurriedly tapped the ash out of his pipe, and prepared to leave the smoking area.
He looked like he was regretting saying too much.
"Hey, haven't you heard that there are two ways to make a person angry?"
"What do you mean...?"
"One is to start a story and not finish it, and the other is—."
"And the other is?"
"......"
"......?"
When Jamie stopped mid-sentence and clamped his mouth shut, the man rolled his eyes, wondering what was going on, before bursting into laughter as if he’d realized the intent.
"Haha, well played... You got me there."
"Hehe."
"Actually, high-level information like this shouldn't spread too far."
"Hey, what kind of person do you take me for! My lips are so sealed that, uh... our Lor—."
"?"
"No, I mean, at my workplace, I’m second to none when it comes to discretion."
"Hmm..."
"Has this guy only lived a life of being deceived?"
Jamie was dying of curiosity about the 'information' the man supposedly had. Just from what he’d heard, it sounded like enough to easily make up for all the losses he’d suffered at the stock exchange so far, but the man kept his mouth shut like a clam, making Jamie incredibly impatient.
That’s how people are. When they can't have something they think they’re about to get, they start to feel like something that was rightfully theirs has been stolen—even if it was never theirs to begin with.
"Alright, fine. This is fate, after all... But keep in mind, you can't just go telling this to anyone!"
"Hey, I told you not to worry about that from the start."
When Jamie pounded his massive chest with his fist, telling the man to trust him, the man glanced around cautiously before finally opening his mouth.
"This guild is preparing to list on the stock exchange, but it seems their track record is a bit lacking."
"If their track record is lacking, doesn't that mean their profitability isn't great?"
"Where would you find a guild that’s successful from the very start? You start small and grow bigger. And I’m telling you, this business is a guaranteed success."
"What kind of guild is it that you’re so confident?"
"It’s a postal business."
"A postal business? You mean those mail carriages?"
It was a business Jamie was familiar with.
"Exactly! You know how well the Northern Postal Bureau is run, right? You know, dozens of carriages roaming the entire North every single day."
"I know, I know. But the postal business is already well-covered by the Postal Bureau's carriages, so it’s probably hard to make much profit, isn't it?"
"What if it’s not the North?"
"Huh?"
"It’s a guild planning a postal business connecting other territories to the North. They’ve started on a small scale, and where they’ve already implemented it, it’s caused a sensation and the profits are astronomical."
"Oh!"
Jamie’s eyes grew wider as he listened to the man. Even at a glance, it sounded like a solid business model.
"However, the guild is currently so small that it’s hard to expand the routes. To list on the stock exchange, they have to meet a minimum scale, but it takes too long to earn enough to expand the routes until then."
"So they’re recruiting investors?"
"You catch on quick."
"But what did you mean earlier about a condition for investors?"
"That’s the important part. If you invest now, they’ll give you a whopping 10 percent of your investment as a dividend every week."
"O, o, one-tenth every week!"
"Shh! Shh!"
"Hup!"
Jamie shouted in shock at the unbelievable return rate, and the man flapped his hands in surprise.
"I told you to be quiet!"
"Oh, I, I’m sorry! I, I was just so startled..."
If it’s 10 percent of the investment per week, that’s 40 percent a month, excluding compound interest. Wouldn't the principal double in two and a half months!
"It seems they’re trying to be aggressive with initial investments."
Grab-!
Jamie’s thick hands grabbed the man’s hands.
"Lead the way, friend!"
"W, what...?"
"Let me invest in that too!"
Jamie, who had the goal of proudly boasting to Kalisa that he’d achieved a monthly return of roughly 50 percent, began to follow the man with a wide grin.
He failed to notice that the man’s face was also wearing a wide grin.
Investor: Jamie
Status: Silver Grade
Terms: 10% Weekly Dividend
"Well, with this, the investment contract is complete. Thank you, investor."
They had arrived at a warehouse on the outskirts, guided by the stranger. When the guild staff mentioned that the office was a bit shabby because they were spending all their money on purchasing carriages, horses, and expanding routes rather than on office decor, Jamie actually thought it sounded reliable.
'Usually, con artists would have decorated a place like this to look flashy. Yeah, what’s the point of spending money on that? The guild should focus on the business! Exactly!'
Just as he was about to stand up after finishing the satisfying investment contract,
"Here. This is a gift from our guild to our initial investors."
"Oh, you shouldn't have!"
Inside the box was a bottle of wine. Jamie, who liked to drink but had no particular expertise in wine, took the bottle without even knowing where it was from.
"Here, this is a gift for you, Mr. Bob. Since you introduced such a good investor, we’ve renewed the contract. You’ve become a Sapphire grade!"
"Already? Haha, my goodness! To think I’m already Sapphire!"
"......?"
The man who had introduced him to the guild beamed with a smile at the news that he had become a 'Sapphire grade' and even started clapping. The other staff members nearby all stood up in unison, clapping and bowing to express their gratitude.
"Excuse me, what is a Sapphire?"
"Ah. It seems Mr. Bob hasn't explained it to you yet?"
At Jamie’s question, the staff member pulled out a chair, telling him to sit down.
"It’s something that could be a bit insulting in a way, so it seems Mr. Bob didn't mention it."
"Is there something you’re hiding?"
"Rather than hiding it, I think he felt there was no need to mention that there are grades among investors."
"There are grades among investors?"
"It’s a kind of token of our guild’s appreciation for the VIPs who introduce good investors. Mr. Jamie, you just signed up, so you’re currently Silver grade."
"......"
"It’s not quite right to call it a reward for introducing an investor, but we pay an additional 2 percent dividend for every person you introduce."
"......Additional payment?"
"It’s 2 percent of the amount invested by the person you introduced. Thanks to this policy, our investors and our guild have become as close as family, haven't we? Haha! Isn't that ideal?"
"Family... fa... mily... fa... mily-like. Oh!"
At those words, Jamie’s eyes sparkled.
- Family-like, my foot. Why look for family at work? Should I treat you like real family, then?
For a moment, the words his superior always kept on his lips flashed through his mind, but Jamie was someone who genuinely had the talent for saying absurd things—like how it’s good to blur the lines between professional and personal life if you can—because he liked people.
This phrase, which perfectly struck Jamie’s preference for a 'guild that’s like family to its investors,' completely erased any sense of discomfort regarding the Sapphire or Silver grades.
"I really like that, a guild that’s like family!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Uwahahaha!"
"Hehehehe!"
For now, it was an investment contract that made everyone happy.
***
"It, it came in, it really came in! It came in!"
Still, Jamie wasn't an idiot.
It was true that in one corner of his heart, he had felt a sense of anxiety, wondering, 'What if this is a scam?'
After all, he had thought it was strange no matter how he looked at it, receiving a dividend of a whopping 10 percent every week.
But on the exact day one week after signing the investment contract,
A maid brought an envelope to Jamie’s desk, saying mail had arrived, and inside was a promissory note for the dividend, exactly equal to one-tenth of the amount he had invested.
"What came in?"
Roland asked Jamie, who was jumping up and down with excitement, holding the promissory note high in the air with both hands.
"If there’s good news, share it. What is it? Something happen?"
Jamie looked his friend straight in the eye and thought for a moment.
"Hey, keep this to yourself."
Believing it was his duty to share good things, he lowered his voice.