I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 394: Ponzi scheme (8)

Orsini had now moved his base from Marseille to the capital of the Kingdom of Lyon.

It wasn't due to any problem in Marseille, but because the high-ranking officials in the Kingdom of Lyon were eagerly seeking him out.

“I’ll confirm one last time. Will Count Montmartre be investing 500,000 gold coins into our Namhae Company?”

“Indeed. If I had known your company would grow this much, I should have invested six months ago... that’s my regret.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Count.”

“Good things are good, and bad things are bad. Even though you’re a merchant, your demeanor reflects nobility, and your abilities are impressive.”

“I’m flattered by such praise, Count.”

Orsini smiled slyly as he looked at the fool who had just handed him 500,000 gold coins.

The man had completely dropped his guard.

With just a little more talking, it seemed like he could pull off an even bigger scam.

But just like with food—if you eat too much, you get indigestion—if you try to scam too much, you'll eventually get caught.

‘For now, I’ll stop here.’

“You even show humility; I feel like I’m looking at the heir of some noble family.”

Orsini, in fact, was from the now-fallen Orsini junior baron family.

And through his own efforts, he was managing to revive the family little by little.

“Sorry for keeping you for so long. Seeing a young man like you, diligent and capable, makes this old man ramble on. You must have a lot to do, so go on ahead.”

“Thank you, Count. We will use the money you entrusted to us wisely and repay you with even greater profits.”

Orsini gave a polite bow, then smiled slyly as he stepped out.

He had successfully reeled in another fish today.

Just as he was about to head back leisurely after his big score, a shabby-looking man approached him.

For a moment, Orsini thought he was about to be attacked by some suspicious character, and he reached for his gun...

“Sir, would you like a puff of tobacco? It’s tobacco that’s been nurtured under plenty of sunlight.”

That suspiciously odd phrase was a code used among members of the Rothschild family to meet secretly.

After confirming the man’s identity, Orsini put his gun back into his coat.

“...Did he send you?”

“No, not exactly. I’ve come to deliver an urgent message from Marseille.”

“Let’s ride in the carriage together. We’re in a hurry.”

As soon as they got in the carriage, Orsini spoke seriously.

“Is it bad news?”

“It’s good news. However, depending on how you handle it, the outcome might change.”

If it was either good news or bad news, just say it.

Why would you say it's good news but warn me that something bad might happen depending on how I handle it? Orsini couldn't understand at all.

But he was sure that the man didn't come all the way from Marseille just to kill time.

‘He must have important news.’

“The investment funds have already reached 12 million gold coins. If you add the ones from the Sforza Duke faction, it totals 14.34 million gold coins.”

“14.34 million gold coins... With that money, I could establish a country.”

“If the timing is right, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Lord Rothschild is someone who performs miracles, making money appear out of thin air. If someone told me that he had money, I’d believe it, even if gold coins fell from the sky.”

The Emperor of the Toscani Empire, along with Duke Visconti and others, thought Fabio Rothschild was just an incredibly rich man—by all accounts, the richest individual in the empire, outside of the Emperor himself. free𝑤ebnovel.com

But the reality was different.

Fabio’s network stretched far beyond the Toscani Empire, reaching into the Maasai Confederation in Ifriqiya and even the New World.

When you add the wealth coming in from the Maasai Confederation and the New World, Fabio’s annual income matched that of the royal family.

‘If Lord Rothschild really drew his sword, I can’t even imagine how ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ much money would be spent.’

Considering that 80% or more of that money was spent on maintaining his estates and paying salaries, practically speaking, Fabio was wealthier than anyone could imagine.

And now, adding 14.34 million gold coins on top of that?

Orsini gave up trying to calculate.

“I just secured an investment. This brings the total to 14.84 million gold coins. I can’t even grasp how much money that is. At this point, I’m sure Lord Rothschild will soon tell us to pull back. Have there been any specific instructions?”

“Lord Rothschild has told me to do as you wish. If you want to draw more money in, you can expand further, or if you think it’s time to stop, you can do that too.”

“I see. Alright, I’ll think about it for a moment.”

Orsini, though, had no idea what the financial situation in the Toscani Empire was really like.

But one thing was certain—there hadn’t been a time since the foundation of the Toscani Empire where so much money had been earned in such a short span of time.

And he was sure that such an opportunity would never come again.

‘This kind of chance only comes once.’

Thinking that, greed started to swell inside him.

Though the 14.84 million gold coins weren’t entirely his, knowing Fabio Rothschild’s nature... some of that would certainly fall to him as a bonus.

Even if he got just 1%, that would be 148,400 gold coins.

With that amount of money, he could buy a weak baron family outright, arrange a political marriage with their daughter, and inherit the title.

“Really, what should I do with this...”

Orsini lost himself in thought.

He was torn between his own greed and the interests of Lord Rothschild, the one who trusted him with this significant task.

‘If Lord Rothschild hadn’t picked me, I’d be just a clerk at some ordinary company.’

So, he prioritized Lord Rothschild’s interests over his own.

Just a little... no, a lot more.

After about 20 minutes of contemplation, he finally reached a conclusion.

“...I’ll report to Lord Rothschild. I’ll tell him that we’ll be withdrawing from business in one month.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll ride to Marseille tomorrow, quickly settle the money, and then you need to deliver my instructions to Marseille directly. As fast as you can.”

“Anything you say, sir.”

To Orsini, this felt like a war.

A siege by a million troops.

If he could escape, it would be a guaranteed victory; if he failed, it would be a definite loss.

“When we gather 1,000 vagabonds, we’ll make them soldiers in the name of conquering the New World, and train them in a public space where others can see. We need to create the impression that we’re training real soldiers all over the Kingdom of Lyon.”

“Understood. But won’t the Marseille market or other nobles be suspicious?”

“That won’t be a problem. They already know we’re training 1,000 soldiers to lead the charge in the New World conquest. If we train them near the city, a little bribe will make everyone turn a blind eye.”

If a guild trains 1,000 soldiers, the local lords won’t just watch idly.

If you lead 1,000 soldiers and try to decapitate the lord, it’s a serious issue.

‘Even if we don’t kill the lord, we won’t avoid a bloodbath.’

But Orsini had absolute trust from the King of the Kingdom of Lyon and many others, as he had received massive investments.

He was confident that unless he outright betrayed them, everyone would let it slide.

In fact, they would probably be pleased.

They would believe that this fool really meant to conquer the New World and take credit for it.

“Have the 1,000 soldiers order armor, spears, and matchlocks from the Marseille factories, and pay extra for fast delivery.”

“So, you’re pretending to go to war, huh?”

“Exactly.”

If anyone tried to chase them down?

Anyone who pursues them to the vast ocean would be sent to be with Deus.

Once they’re caught, they must be stopped from spreading the news.

The dead would go to Deus’s side and be at peace, so they wouldn’t be lonely.

“Mobilize all our resources and make it look like we’re going on the New World expedition.”

“Yes, understood.”

At that moment, the carriage stopped.

Orsini immediately entered his office and looked for his cigarette.

After taking a long drag, he exhaled and sighed.

“Deus, please let me succeed.”

Exactly one month later, Orsini and his crew successfully escaped Marseille without raising suspicion.