Chapter 303: Three Guests (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 303: Three Guests (1)
To the public eye, Hoffman was greed personified.
In people's imaginations, a man who stopped at nothing to amass wealth would naturally look the part. They pictured him as morbidly obese, with a bulging belly and a double or triple chin glistening with grease, framed by an unkempt beard—the very picture of a gluttonous pig.
But reality was quite different.
A well-groomed, middle-aged man pushed up his round spectacles and looked at Roman Dmitry.
"I was truly astonished by Dmitry's recent actions," Hoffman said. "Even Valhalla, known as the nation of warriors, hesitates to clash head-on with Kronos. Yet Dmitry defeated Kronos and even extracted war reparations. And now, the Swordsmanship Presentation. While the Golden Bank does not particularly like to go against the trend, we have decided to acknowledge the possibility that Dmitry might become the new dominant force on the continent."
He took a sip of his tea.
The Golden Bank was quick to calculate. Faced with the rapidly changing political landscape of the continent, they had reached a single conclusion after endless day-and-night meetings.
"Dmitry will grow into a power on par with Kronos and Valhalla. With your capabilities, Lord Roman Dmitry, you will surely achieve such a feat. However, wouldn't it be much easier if you had a backer like the Golden Bank along the way? That is why I have come to Dmitry today. The Golden Bank wishes to cooperate with you. If you agree to walk into the future with us, we will resolve all of Dmitry's financial concerns."
It was a highly confident statement.
The Golden Bank was the absolute symbol of wealth. Rumored to hold oceans of gold coins within their vaults, they had amassed unimaginable riches over their long history. It was an irresistible temptation. Furthermore, because Dmitry had recently spent vast sums on consecutive wars, the Redford Kingdom, and war reparations, even a tycoon like Dmitry was bound to be tight on funds.
The timing was perfect.
Just when Dmitry needed money, the Golden Bank had come offering a high valuation.
Hoffman added, "The Golden Bank does not ask much of Dmitry. Simply ensure that the Golden Bank is not excluded from the future you envision, and we will immediately provide you with an interest-free loan of one million gold. Isn't that an exceptional offer? An amount that the weak nations of the continent wouldn't dare dream of, we are willing to offer out of pure goodwill."
It was an incredibly attractive offer, one clearly advantageous to Dmitry. The moment Roman smiled and shook his hand, Dmitry would secure a surplus of one million gold.
However, Roman Dmitry's reaction was not what Hoffman expected.
"So, you mean to walk a tightrope between Kronos and Dmitry."
* * *
The atmosphere turned ice-cold.
Even as Hoffman's expression stiffened, Roman Dmitry continued without hesitation.
"The Golden Bank has always maintained a friendly relationship with the Kronos Empire. But beyond a simple symbiotic relationship, you blatantly assisted Kronos during the incident with the Redford Kingdom. Hoffman, as the president of the Golden Bank, that plan must have originated from your head. If the Redford Kingdom had collapsed because they couldn't repay the money they borrowed from you, do you think you would have come to Dmitry today to speak of cooperation?"
It was a sensitive topic.
When the riots broke out in the Redford Kingdom, the root cause had been the Kronos Empire and the Golden Bank. Their plan back then had been utterly inhumane. The Kronos Empire had murdered the King of Redford's children and forced him into a life of debauchery by holding his last remaining son hostage. The King drank heavily, indulged in women, and dragged the Redford Kingdom into the abyss with gambling debts. The Golden Bank fueled Kronos's scheme. By lending massive sums of money when there was no collateral left to offer, they gave the Redford Kingdom the final push over the edge.
If not for Roman Dmitry's intervention, the Redford Kingdom would have fallen, and the Kingdom Alliance would have collapsed.
Kronos and the Golden Bank were in the exact same boat.
At the accusation, Hoffman masked his cold emotions with a smile.
"If the plan in Redford had succeeded, I naturally wouldn't have sought out Dmitry. The collapse of the Kingdom Alliance would have directly led to the rise of the Kronos Empire. However, I am a bit disappointed. I did not arrange this meeting to dwell on past ill will; I wanted to discuss the future with you, Lord Roman Dmitry. The Redford incident is already in the past. What matters now is that, in this very room where we face each other, there are things we can do for one another."
He didn't even try to hide his dirty laundry. He was completely shameless. The Golden Bank's strength was great enough to bury any sordid past.
"Look to the future. No matter how we were entangled in the past, you can secure one million gold in funding with a single promise to look in the same direction as the Golden Bank. We are not immature children, are we? We are past the age of harboring grudges for a year or a decade just because someone punched us in the face. I am certain we can build a good relationship."
This was no half-hearted persuasion. It was a clear, pragmatic transaction offering tangible rewards. Living as the president of the Golden Bank, Hoffman knew all too well how to handle those in power.
However, his opponent was an entirely different breed of human.
Pragmatic benefits aside, a single fact rubbed Roman Dmitry the wrong way.
"No. We cannot build a good relationship. I intend to bring down the Kronos Empire, and your Golden Bank will never be able to sever its ties with them. What you want is not a future with Dmitry. No matter who becomes the ruler of the continent—Kronos or Dmitry—you merely intend to prepare for any potential variables with a one-million-gold safety net. Hoffman, Dmitry allows no compromise with anyone who has shown us hostility."
"You shouldn't be so extreme!" Hoffman protested. "Look back at the history of the continent. The leaders who ruled the continent have always aligned themselves with the Golden Bank. The Golden Bank is a neutral power, a kingmaker. You could gain immense benefits with just a few pleasant words. Is there any need to ruin things like this?"
"A relationship with you is of no importance whatsoever."
Roman Dmitry exuded a fierce aura.
Ally and enemy. There was a clear boundary between the two. From the moment the Golden Bank actively aided the Kronos Empire, the fact that the Redford Kingdom—whom Roman had accepted as allies—could never reconcile with the Golden Bank had already decided Dmitry's path. Seeking an advantageous position through compromise with enemies was not how Roman Dmitry intended to reach the summit.
He would suppress them with sheer power and crush them. The stronger the opponent, the less anyone would be able to object when he finally reached the summit.
For Dmitry, compromise only happened when they could extract one-sided benefits so extreme that the word "compromise" itself became embarrassing.
"Golden Bank. I have disliked you from the start."
For a moment, Hoffman was speechless.
His face flushed red, looking as if it might explode at any second. He bolted up from his seat and shouted, "Remember today well! The Golden Bank will never forget this grudge!"
He spun around and took a step toward the door. As he tried to leave, a chilly voice arrested his steps.
"Stop."
Roman Dmitry looked at Hoffman, radiating pure bloodlust.
"You seem to be under some delusion. Do you truly believe you can walk out of Dmitry alive after showing me hostility?"
* * *
Hoffman panicked. It was pure, unadulterated bloodlust.
At the implication that he might not leave this room alive, Hoffman spoke, his eyes trembling.
"...Are you saying you will kill me right now? Lord Roman Dmitry. No, Roman Dmitry. I am the president of the Golden Bank. What do you think will happen if you kill me? This is not a simple matter of ending one life. All of the Golden Bank's capital will be deployed to starve Dmitry to death. The financial power we possess does not just mean gold and silver treasures. It represents every relationship connected to wealth, and those relationships can directly threaten Dmitry's survival."
It was a credible threat.
To make money, the Golden Bank was inevitably involved in every process requiring capital across the continent, not just private loans. For instance, what would happen if those associated with the Golden Bank severed their commercial ties with Dmitry? Even if Dmitry possessed high-quality iron ore, there would be no one left to buy it. Naturally, their funds would dry up, and even a tycoon like Dmitry could not survive a total collapse of commerce.
Roman Dmitry crossed his legs. Looking up at Hoffman, he let out a smirk.
"Why do you think I formed the Kingdom Alliance?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
"While declaring war on the Kronos Empire, I formed the opposing Kingdom Alliance. That was not merely to create a safety net for weak nations, but a calculated move to prepare for the machinations of your Golden Bank. Even if a commercial collapse occurs because of you, we can recover through our relations with the Kingdom Alliance. As you said, we will face a crisis at first. But once we fill the void left by you, the Golden Bank's standing will never be the same again."
Roman Dmitry had read the entire board. Whenever he made a decision, he factored in all of its ripple effects.
"Hoffman. Let me ask you once more. Do you believe there is any particular reason for me to spare your life here?"
"...T-that is..." Hoffman stammered. Roman Dmitry was insane.
If he said the wrong thing now, Roman was a man who would truly slice off his head without a second thought, exactly as the rumors said.
The Demon of the Battlefield. That was Roman Dmitry's reputation. Just as Hoffman was known as greed personified, Roman Dmitry's bloodlust was the real deal.
"...I misspoke."
He bowed his head. There was no other way out. Having lived his entire life as a man of power, Hoffman had never prepared for a situation where the Golden Bank's influence could not protect him.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"I will make you a proposal. I will sell you your life for one million gold. Since the Golden Bank holds so much wealth, write a pledge right here to pay one million gold to save your life. What do you think? I believe this is the only reasonable 'transaction' that can suppress my urge to kill you."
"One million gold! That is absurd!"
"I will be the judge of what is absurd. The price of the Golden Bank president's life should naturally differ from ordinary standards."
This was crossing the line. Hoffman felt like his face would burst from rage, but when his eyes met Roman Dmitry's, he swallowed his pride and gritted his teeth.
He had miscalculated from the very beginning. Dmitry was a death trap. From the moment he stepped foot in this place without realizing that fact, there was no way for things to go his way.
In the end, he surrendered. "...I accept the transaction."
* * *
Hoffman left.
The transaction just now had been reckless, completely crossing the line. Although this would make their hostile relationship with the Golden Bank irreversible, Roman Dmitry did not care. If there had been any tangible benefit to killing Hoffman, the man would not have left Dmitry alive.
The Golden Bank is a parasite feeding on power. Compromising with a parasite will only rot my own body.
In any case, future commerce would have to exclude cooperation with the Golden Bank. Even if they tried to interfere by any means necessary, Dmitry had to establish its own independent economic system. This was why the formation of the Kingdom Alliance was so significant. Even if they lost massive trading partners like Kronos and the Valhalla Empire, the remaining kingdoms could sufficiently fill the void to some extent.
Of course, a perfect replacement was impossible. However, from the moment he resolved to go to war, he had known—guided by the experiences of his past life—that some things simply had to be sacrificed.
To the Golden Bank, a written pledge is more important than life itself. Hoffman will pay the one million gold if only to save his pride, and they must have already prepared that money to trade with us anyway. We can use that one million gold as a fund to counter the Golden Bank's sabotage. By the time we exhaust it, Dmitry and the Kingdom Alliance will have created an environment where we can survive without the help of the Golden Bank or the Empire.
He had completely overturned the board. Now, having secured a ceasefire with Kronos, it was the perfect opportunity to build a new order centered around Dmitry.
Step by step, he laid the foundation.
The Swordsmanship Presentation.
The Golden Bank.
The Kingdom Alliance.
Every choice intertwined, bringing him one step closer to his grand objective.
Thus, Hoffman left Dmitry.
And a few hours later, the second guest arrived.
"Young Master. Prince Edwin Hector has requested an audience with you."
Edwin Hector. He was an unexpected guest. Having last met him at the previous Kingdom Alliance meeting, the Prince had sought out Roman Dmitry with a look of firm resolve.
And then, he stated his purpose point-blank:
"Could you teach me about the Upper Dantian?"