madnovel Chapter 102 Decision
Chapter 102 Decision
Chapter 102 Decision
Just as Leonard and Klein were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion at the door. Many merchants, not knowing what they had seen, rushed towards the door.
After a while, Klein discovered that the two candidates who often appeared in the newspapers—Mayor Dennis and Congressman Maynard—had come together.
There were even quite a few reporters who came along, carrying huge cameras, running back and forth on both sides, constantly taking pictures, hoping to find the best angle and take the best photo to make the front page tomorrow.
Klein and Leonard exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected that an investment presentation would attract two of Tingen's most powerful figures.
Leonard, having more information, quickly came up with an idea and spoke first:
"Could it be that Mrs. Sharon's affair has made their positions precarious, so they're using this most prominent investment conference in Tingen to showcase themselves and salvage their political lives?"
The joint report from the Punishers, Night Watchers, and the Mechanical Heart Squad regarding the Lady Sharon incident has been submitted to the high command of the Kingdom of Rune.
The three teams not only reported the whole story of Mrs. Sharon's incident, but also "unnecessarily" included a lot of information about her dealings with politicians and wealthy businessmen.
To prove that these people were not involved in Mrs. Sharon's cult of evil, the report detailed each person's interactions with Mrs. Sharon.
This includes, but is not limited to, how to collect political cash, how to circumvent the Election Campaign Act to bribe voters, and how to implicate journalists.
They fabricate news stories favorable to themselves in newspapers, how they embezzle public service funds, how they deliberately allow gangs to persecute loan sharks, how they get people out of prison, and so on. The list is endless and astonishing.
Some things may seem trivial, but once they're brought into the open, they become uncontrollable. Although these things are commonplace in high society, they become uncontrollable once they're brought into the public eye.
But don't forget, the royal family of Ruen controls the "arbitrator" process, and it is a "rule of law" country.
Therefore, rumors have circulated that someone is preparing to push out these two, who are ostensibly the most powerful and representative figures in Tingen City, as scapegoats, but there is no conclusion yet.
Therefore, it's understandable that they are trying to save themselves and make an effort to gain public attention.
Perhaps having heard of the arrival of an important person, Lanius hurriedly came from backstage with his fiancée.
Although Klein had long heard of Lanluus's reputation, this was the first time he had met him.
He had a full forehead, black hair, brown eyes, and wore round glasses. A mocking smile played on his lips. Apart from his glasses, he lacked any memorable features and looked very ordinary.
In contrast, the blonde lady beside him, radiating a happy smile, was more impressive. Even after meeting a witch like Mrs. Sharon, this girl still caught Klein's eye.
Klein frowned as he looked at the girl gazing tenderly at Lanluus. He felt a pang of pity, for Lanluus was a complete fraudster, and the girl's feelings were destined to be unrequited, only leading to tragedy. This caused Klein immense heartache and self-reproach as he could only watch helplessly as it unfolded.
Just as Klein was about to activate his spiritual vision to observe Lanluus's state, he suddenly remembered that Lanluus was a "fraudster" and his prerequisite sequence was "thief." These two sequence names sounded like highly vigilant sequences, and he was very likely to notice others spying on him. Therefore, Klein could only suppress his thoughts and even avoid looking directly at him.
"Who is that girl? She shouldn't be one of Lanius's accomplices, right?"
1
Klein subtly gestured with his chin in the direction of Lanluus, asking Leonard, who had been watching Lanluus closely.
"No, that girl's name is 'Megous.' Her relative was one of Lanluus's con artists, and the two of them became lovers through an introduction from a relative."
Leonard felt great sympathy for the beautiful young lady's plight and sighed with a pitying tone.
"We can't just stand by and watch her fall into a fire, can we? Can't we think of a way to help her?"
Klein still couldn't bear it and couldn't help but discuss it with Leonard.
Leonard remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head and saying, "There's nothing we can do."
Leonard also wanted to save a girl who was very likable at first glance, but the old man on his body had been talking less lately, which made him realize that the "old man" might have discovered something and was no longer willing to interfere.
Klein remained silent, and for a moment, they looked at each other in awkward silence.
Once everyone had arrived, Lanius took the stage to give a speech, telling the nobles and wealthy people his entrepreneurial story, how he found the largest iron mine in Rune, how he received his first investment in Tingen, how he found true love in Tingen, calling Tingen his second home, and how he had decided to settle there, etc.
His words were very persuasive, and coupled with his harmless appearance, he easily gained people's trust, so the audience kept applauding this seemingly "very nice" young man.
Finally, Raoult repeatedly reviewed the importance of steel in industrial activities since Russell initiated the Industrial Revolution.
They also discussed the kingdom's recent defeat in the war in the southern continent and the newly launched and commissioned ironclad warship, the "Pritz".
The Kingdom of Prophecy will not accept defeat, nor will its army. Sooner or later, Rune will seek revenge on the Fusak Empire, and the best way to expand its military strength is to continuously launch new armored aircraft.
He promised all the investors present that he would definitely secure orders from Pritzker Shipyard and start production immediately after receiving the investment. He also promised that he would bring investors at least a 43% return within two years, in whole or in part.
He even produced a letter of intent for investment from Pritzker Shipyard and a contract for the purchase of iron ore.
All the investors were lured by the prospects described by Laneus; everyone seemed to have eyes only for themselves, eager to invest a single share, fearing they would miss out.
Even Klein, listening to Lanius's words from below the stage, had to admit that the prospects he described were real, and the return on investment was meticulously calculated, extremely tempting and not an exaggeration. Apart from the fact that he didn't own any iron ore, it could be considered a perfect investment.
Just after Lanius finished outlining his company's prospects, Mayor Dennis and Councilor Menason took the stage, guaranteeing Lanius's company on behalf of the city government, and announcing that in order to expand the funds directly controlled by the city government, it would invest 2...
The company purchased a 10% stake in the iron ore mine from Lanruws for £10 million and awarded Lanruws the "Tingen Outstanding Citizen Award" in recognition of his contributions to the economic development of Tingen.
The words of the two officials caused an uproar, because the city government's investment not only boosted the valuation of Lanius Company to £20, but also served as a guarantee that the investment would be profitable.
Suddenly, even some of the people who had just managed to stay calm started to get red-eyed.
Watching the nobles and wealthy merchants constantly sending assistants to register and verify their purchase of shares, and hearing the ever-increasing share purchase price, Klein estimated that the shell company in Laneus's hands could raise at least 27 to 8 gold coins.
This is to ensure the success of the scam; Lanius had to keep at least 10% of the shares, otherwise he might have been able to raise even more money.
Of course, if he sold all his shares and withdrew from the company, even the most foolish person would sense that something was wrong.
After hearing all this, do you still maintain your previous view of cautious investment?
A voice came from behind Klein. He turned around and saw that it was Buck, the butler who had previously disregarded his opinions.
Butler Buck's eyes were also fixed on the people in front of him signing and paying, while he frowned as he stared at the mayor and councilors who were constantly supporting Lanius.
Klein hesitated for a moment, then decisively said:
"I still stand by my previous opinion!"
"reason!"
"To this day, I still haven't seen a single piece of ore produced from the iron ore mine, nor have I completed any business deal. Right now, everything is just talk. Without an iron ore mine as a foundation, all the attractive investment returns are just castles in the air."
"You may be right. As the great Roselle once said, 'Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.' Now that everyone is greedy, it means it's time to be fearful."
Butler Buck remained silent for a long time, but eventually agreed with Klein's suggestion.
"So you're planning to withdraw this investment?" Klein asked excitedly, his heart leaping with joy.
He was naturally overjoyed because there was a prior agreement that if he offered helpful investment advice and avoided investment losses, he would receive a larger commission.
Moreover, the frenzied state of the people present frightened him, and he hoped to pour cold water on these hot-headed people by having the steward, Buck, stop the investment.
Although Klein knew that the investment by the butler Buck was approved by Evan and was actively promoted by Evan to disrupt the mastermind's script, his kind nature still made Klein want to prevent the tragedy from happening.
"No, I won't stop investing; on the contrary, I'll increase my investment!"
"ah???"
To Klein's surprise, the butler, Buck, made the opposite decision.
"This investment is either the best investment opportunity the kingdom has had in the last decade or so, or it's a huge scam."
If it's the former, then the Earl of Akhova's House, as the leading family in Akhova County, did not expand its investment and reap the corresponding benefits.
It will become the biggest laughing stock of Tingen's upper class for decades to come.
However, if it is the latter, then the person who failed in the investment will eventually vent their anger on the Earl's Mansion, which was the first to invest heavily in the project and played a leading role.
"The reputation of the Earl of Akhova's manor will be ruined in my hands, and I will absolutely not allow that to happen."