BECMI Chapter 176 – Numbers Go Up!

Jyon Marcell Colbins had worked for the Royal Bank for most of his life, starting as a boy running private account statements to clients, graduating to actual contracts, and then to personnel and business operations that didn’t deal with actually making money decisions. He knew all the bank’s clients by sight and by name, he had an encyclopedic recollection of their dining and drinking preferences, their personalities, and he was fully able to cater to cantankerous gruff old soldiers and flighty arrogant twits with less brains than the custard pies they devoured.He’d seen this party was something unique, and if nothing else, had a dangerous style that bespoke the personally powerful, those whose arrogance came from being able to kill by themselves, not just merely order others to do so. The weight of their stares, their calm measure of the impeccable polish of the floors, the utter lack of cobwebs in even the darkest corner of the ceilings, the fresh flowers, the soft glow of the light to dull any flashes, even full-time musicians softly playing music in the background to ease the minds and troubles of those who walked in this door...

This was a place of succor, of calm and unchanging certainty against the chaos and risk of the outside world. The Royal Bank had been here for nearly four centuries, and intended to be here for four more!

This elfin screamed danger to his practiced eye.

Black eyes with blood-ruby pupils raked over his very soul, and it took all his experience not to quiver at the very real sensation afflicting him. She was at him, at HIM, on ways and levels he had no knowledge of, seeing who knew what, and he knew that if he dared get out of line or prattle something useless, she would know.

He was absolutely sure of it. This was an elfin with true personal power, an elf-queen or her equal, and he had best step very, very carefully!

He paused to catch his breath, taking the card discreetly offered him.

, in fine, very old script, the cardstock a very pure white and its make unfamiliar to him. He turned it over, and the blood almost drained from his face, it taking him a moment to actually count and recount the number he was looking at, thoughtfully scribed in to give him an idea of what he was dealing with.

That was a LOT of zeroes... Thıs text ıs hosted at ????????????????????⁂????????????????⁂????????????

“We are expecting to retain the services of a senior experienced manager who will have the Free Consortium as their ONLY client,” their lawyer went on, his strange accent so heavy one could almost hear the air creaking at how it weighed upon the ‘Common’ trade tongue of today, while Jyon concentrated everything on his breathing.

This was something like dealing with the heads of the Great Houses, only one of whom actually held their personal accounts at the Royal Bank. Gregor Caliador was still very old-fashioned in some ways, and his House followed him, but he rarely came to the Royal Bank, trusting them to do their jobs… which they did with the diligence and determination of centuries of experience and best business practices.

“A moment while I consider this,” he said carefully, holding the card and using it as a focus to concentrate, ignoring the eyes intent upon him.

This was a test. If he failed this test, he was absolutely sure this unknown elf, her business associates, and all their money was going to walk out the door and be gone from the Royal Bank, likely to one of the custom boutiques who would simply create a new Bank capitalized on the funds their lawyer had noted.

It was a lot of zeroes.

“Penelope!” he turned and called out. His aide, waiting calmly behind the main desk, looked over to him attentively. “You are in charge out front until further notice. Enselman, Delore, move my desk into the Queen’s Room and rearrange the seating for six chairs. Now.” The snap in his voice sent them into motion despite their confusion, and they raced off as quickly as decorum allowed. “Agnes, please confer with our guests for their choice of refreshments, and see that they are delivered forthwith.” The confused young woman stepped forward, and the Catcher stepped out to intercept her casually and professionally. She listened very attentively to his quiet words, nodding repeatedly to show that she understood.

“It will take a few minutes to prepare the chamber adequately. If you like, I will take you on a tour of the Royal Bank.”

His subordinates were floored. He hadn’t led a tour for anyone save Gregor Caliador in over ten years.

“Show us your business operations. Be convincing,” their lawyer said gravely.

Senior Manager Colbins bowed again to all of them. “Please, follow me.” He tilted his head slightly, and then smiled slightly. “Let’s start with the mail room, shall we?”

The interested light in the lawyer’s eyes, and elegantly arched eyebrow of the incredibly pale elfin, showed he had made the right choice.

He’d spent five years down there streamlining and organizing the outdated arm of the Royal Bank, and the changes he’d made had actually rippled out to the National Postal Service as a whole...

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“-and so the proper heirs managed to retain the estate in the end,” he finished one of the most-repeated and cherished tales of the high moral traditions of the Royal Bank, while they were coming back down the wide central hallway from the accounting chambers. “Ah, the Queen’s Room is right here. Your future offices will be located within.”

The attendants blinked in shock at that. The Queen’s Room was generally used to hold larger meetings of major shareowners and entire noble clans or families who needed to discuss things or be informed of major events going on. Senior Manager Colbins had just… requisitioned it? Without going through the President and Advisory Council?

These clients wouldn’t even have to go upstairs to any of the personal offices of the Account Managers? That was unheard of!

Indeed, as they swept inside, it was plain the room was far too large for its current purpose. However, true to form, his office furniture had been urgently moved into the chamber, set up properly, and six of the most comfortable chairs hastily moved into position with tables set up among them. Glasses were in place, ice water and wine glittered on coasters, and positions were indicated as the Catcher had instructed, elves to center right, dwarves to center left, and he, Danielle, and Alamos on the outsides.

Once all were ushered to their chairs and seated, Alamos brought his chair out from behind his desk, set it before them, and seated himself with no desk in front of him.

“Now then, shall we talk, trade a few dozen stories between us, or would you like to get down to business?” He waved right and left. “We have the room, I will requisition and recruit manpower as deemed fit to service your accounts. I freely admit I may not personally have the financial acumen and legal requirements you require, but I have all the management experience to run your accounts as a bank within the Royal Bank. Please, tell me how to proceed.”

The elfin in red looked at the dwarf with the golden beard, who harrumphed. “Well, the first matter ov business bin that we’d like to deposit some precious metal with you, und have you bin charge ov selling it off.”

Manager Colbins took a deep breath. Not unexpected of dwarves to have raw metal. “How much raw metal are we speaking of?” he asked plainly.

A casual wave was made at the Lady Edge from the Prince Ukker. “She has a personal account of a cubic yard ov gold she would like to open with, 99.9999% pure,” the golden-bearded dwarf stated calmly.

Manager Colbins blinked. The math came a bit slowly.

That was… about sixteen tons of gold. A hundred gold coins per pound, two thousand per ton, sixteen tons…

3.2 million gold crowns worth of gold...

“I see.” The consequences of suddenly releasing that much gold into the financial system did not escape him.

“We would like you to start selling this off, probably to mints und other bankers as part of their reserves, converting the gold into other assets. Our lawyers have some recommendations on what kinds ov real estate, but we bin like to start with virgin und harvestable timberlands, to bin cut down, replanted, und regrown on a human generational cycle,” the regal dwarf went on.

Manager Colbin blinked. “That… is a surprising requirement from elves, my Lady?” he asked cautiously, glancing between them, unsure of the racial dynamics at play here.

“We do not require old growth forests, which are beloved of our people, Manager Colbin,” she informed him in the most dangerous Transyvian accent he had ever heard. “This is, in essence, creating rotating young border forests, which are replete with far more natural wildlife than old growth forests, which are more suitable for habitation. Young growth forests are much better for hunting and growth of natural plant life.”

“I see.” His thoughts turned to a great number of wilder lands that could be developed that way, and they didn’t even border Sidheduiche. “By your coming here, am I to infer that the lands so purchased should NOT border the Relarin Forest?”

“That bin correct,” Prince Ukker stated calmly.

“Very well. Brokerage and acquisition services for requiring and managing real estate for purposes of lumber; sales of large amounts of gold bullion to interested parties backing the purchase of such real estate,” he made a mental note. Off to the side, young Tancaster was hurriedly making notes.

“Regent Himmel und I between us are investing a half-cubic yard ov platinum,” Prince Ukker went on conversationally, and Manager Colbin had to fight very hard to avoid a nervous twitch.

Half a-! Of platinum-! Five times the value of gold! That was… another eight million gold pieces in value!

Eleven million gold in investments! More precious metal than the reserves of the entire banking system in Federyn!

Manager Colbin closed his eyes for a moment in thought, opening them after he steadied himself. “This much metal must be dispersed across the economy of both here and Siricil gradually, and we will probably have to sell to Delpha itself to accommodate matters fully. It would probably be wise to consider what manner of assets you want in trade from them for such a massive amount of metal?”

The dwarves grunted in unison. “Mining rights,” the darker-skinned, fiery-bearded Regent Himmel declared in a thicker accent than the dwarven prince. “Ve vill earn our metal back ten times offur!” he stated confidently.

“Perhaps the government should consider paying off its debts und wonder what magical services it might acquire from the Delphans in exchange for such sums,” Prince Ukker suggested sedately, the matter obviously not of great import to him.

“I see.” Almost helplessly, he turned to the other fair elven woman with more typical pale gold hair and green eyes, dressed in far more traditional if exotic garb, and with the air of an experienced trader. “And your personal accounts, Lady Feiahan?” he asked with mixed humor, resignation, and curiosity.

“I have a cubic foot of high-grade and cut beryl and spinel gemstones of assorted colors and high-quality, all of them Energized and doubly suitable as arcane spell components,” she responded smoothly, making his heart spike again. “Yes, I am aware I could have sold them in Zanzyr, and they might well be traded there. But what I will want to acquire will be here in Federyn, and I saw no reason to make two trips for the price of one.” She smiled something that reminded him far more of a cat ready to pounce than a charming sylvan woman. “Business loans and bonds, rental properties, and a steady flow of income thereby, Manager Colbin.”

That… was definitely not something he’d ever thought he’d hear come out of an elf’s lips…