Chapter 57 A Long-Planned Monopoly: Bad Men Speak Bad Words and Do Bad Things! ...

The next morning, when Lilith set off for work at the bank, news of the Padua War had already spread throughout Venice. Although this added a touch of worry to the faces of the Venetians who had just experienced their celebrations, the war had not yet reached the lagoon, and most people's lives continued as usual. Boats still came and went at the docks, and the market near the Rialto Bridge was still bustling with activity.

The Venetian sun blazed down in late July, leaving the already exhausted Lilith with no desire to dress up. She wore a simple, comfortable long dress, and thick dark circles clung to her tired eyes. Heinrich held a parasol for her as they hurried through the market, but stopped at the bustling entrance of the Condalini Bank.

Lilith couldn't help but wonder why such a large group of people had gathered at the entrance of their competitor. Although Condalini Bank was also called a bank, unlike Knarro Bank, which focused on reinvesting customer savings and engaging in foreign exchange transactions, they primarily used the free capital accumulated from other Condalini businesses as capital to conduct their insurance business.

Were these people here seeking compensation? Lilith clearly remembered that the contract she had carefully read explicitly excluded claims for goods lost due to war. Had these people not understood this before signing the contract, or were they trying to create a scene and gain some benefit even with the war claim?

Lilith gave Heinrich a wink, snatched the parasol from his hand and held it herself, letting him squeeze into the crowd to scout things out for her.

“There are two groups of people in line.” After a while, Heinrich emerged from the crowd. “One group is here to buy the Condarini family’s new product, ‘War Insurance,’ which is said to be insurance specifically designed for war losses. It covers both goods and personal safety.”

"Personal safety?"

"It seems to refer to a pension that would be left to the family if someone died in the war."

"This sounds like there are way too many traps. Merchants aren't registered soldiers. Even if they do meet with misfortune on their trade routes, most of the time their bodies can't be found. How can their families prove that they died from the reasons specified in the terms? It's utterly absurd. And what's the other group of people doing here?"

"Come and exchange your Ducat (Venetian gold coins) for Florentine (Florence gold coins)."

“At least these people used their brains a little, but unfortunately not many,” Lilith continued her merciless criticism. “When Venice and Padua were at war, they thought the Ducat was going to depreciate, so they rushed to exchange it for Florin as a safe haven. In reality, the commercial activities of Venice and Florence are highly interconnected, and the values ​​of their currencies are basically the same. Under such a small war that does not threaten Venice’s homeland at all, even if there are exchange rate fluctuations in the short term, the exchange rate will not be much different in the medium to long term.”

"How did you arrive at these conclusions?" Heinrich asked, seeing Lilith's unusual certainty, and began to doubt her judgment.

“Because wars like this are very common, I experienced them several times when I was a child. Back then, my mother worked at a casino, and I would run errands for the casino owner to get market information about the exchange rate of gold coins, similar to Tata’s work model. I taught her her current work methodology.” Lilith flicked her folding fan. “But compared to these, I used to be more interested in the rumors about the causes of the wars.”

What kind of rumors might there be?

"For example, the official reason for starting a war is to win honor and demonstrate power, but the real reason is that the lord wants to commission famous painters to create works. After being rejected by the painters many times, he gets angry and simply occupies the painters' hometowns and forces them to create works for him."

"So niche?"

"Well... but in most cases it's still due to economic factors."

"So you're saying... is the cause behind this war related to Lorenzo?" Heinrich followed up on Lilith's words with a hypothetical question. Lilith jolted, her eyes widening suddenly. She grabbed Heinrich's hand and hurriedly led him to her family's bank, pulling him into her office and closing the door behind her.

“What you’re saying doesn’t seem impossible. Do you remember? A while ago, when we went to handle some insurance matters, his people said that Lorenzo was in Florence. Was it because he predicted that the price of Florin would rise after the outbreak of war, so he went to exchange a lot of Florin cash in advance? And what about the so-called war insurance? Did they rush to make such a long contract in just one night?”

“It is indeed impossible to rule out such a possibility. Moreover, wasn’t Dante, whom he sent to steal the documents last time, a Paduan? Perhaps he has some shady dealings with Padua itself.”

"To make money, are you even willing to start a war?" Lilith took a deep breath. "Does one have to be this ruthless to continue playing the game of capital? Even someone as morally corrupt as me thinks this is going too far."

“In comparison, our response is far more noble,” Heinrich shrugged.

“Yes,” Lilith sighed. “Go and arrange the work. First, the war-related road closures have affected exchange rates, so we need to calculate our specific losses before negotiating a solution with our clients. Second, have William contact the Schmidl family’s agent in Zurich to discuss alternative routes for transporting steel to Italy. Steel prices have soared due to the war, so if we reorganize and coordinate future contract orders, we might be able to salvage some of the situation. Once you’ve arranged that, come back to my office, and we’ll work together to design the terms for underwriting the war bonds. Have them ready by noon today, and take them to the ten-person committee to negotiate this afternoon.”

"Yes, ma'am."

Heinrich recalled Lilith's arguments from the previous night. Padua, though a small place, would inevitably face a fiscal deficit and be forced to rely on loans from the people if the war with the Duchy of Milan were to continue. A similar situation had occurred during the Fourth Crusade, albeit with some degree of forced levies.

However, whether or not to purchase bonds is a personal choice that is not forced. Not only can it help the Republic government raise funds smoothly, but the creditors can also benefit from it. Lilith can also earn commissions through underwriting, which can alleviate the pressure brought by the war. It can be said to be a choice with all the benefits and no drawbacks.

However, when Lilith went to the Finance Minister, who had been chatting and laughing with her the day before, with her carefully prepared bond underwriting proposal, he declined her offer with just a few words.

“Your suggestion is good, but we have already found Condalini Bank to be the sole underwriter for the bonds.” The portly minister frowned deeply as he spoke and reviewed the documents, not even glancing at Lilith, as if it were a great favor that he had taken the time to see her amidst his busy schedule.

Lilith didn't press the matter further, silently leaving the office and returning to her bank by boat. She suddenly felt an indescribable emptiness. The conjecture that Lorenzo had started the war had almost become an undeniable fact in her mind. Her rival was too greedy, too insidious, too cunning. He had no intention of letting her go; he wanted nothing more than to kill her.

What could Lilith do now? She looked up through the window at the twilight on the distant horizon. The sky was ablaze with a fiery red, and she suddenly regretted burning down the Condalini's storeroom. In the moment, it seemed like a helpless act born of desperation, but if she could return to that state and think things through calmly, it seemed there were actually many other options available.

However, assuming that the spices hadn't been set on fire to drive up prices, given Lorenzo's equally aggressive style, would his business expansion have been allowed to continue? The answer is probably no.

What's past is past, and there's no use regretting it now. The most urgent thing is to come up with a solution to deal with the current crisis.

"Think of something...think of something...think of something..." Lilith slumped onto her desk, clutching her head in anguish. She was drenched in cold sweat, her mind a complete blank, utterly incapable of thought. A feeling of helplessness seeped into her very being, almost causing her to faint from the pain. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. She tried her best to stifle her sobs, not wanting anyone else to hear.

Not long after, Heinrich knocked on the door and brought in a newly written report. Seeing Lilith's state, he locked the door behind him, walked over to her, picked her up, and carried her to the sofa.

"What's wrong, madam? How can I help you?" Heinrich took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Lilith hugged Heinrich tightly around the neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and tried to calm herself down with deep breaths.

“I went to the ten-person committee, but the bond underwriting method didn’t work; Lorenzo beat me to it.”

If this road is impassable, there are always other roads to take.

“Where there is demand, there is supply. War has created a demand for financing and insurance, and the supply of both of these needs is monopolized by the renowned Condalini Bank. What other options do I have? I am indeed too young and inexperienced.” Lilith sighed blankly, not expecting Heinrich to provide an answer.

Heinrich, cradling his mistress, hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to utter the lines he had prepared beforehand. Lilith's career had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, constantly faltering, while his plans were progressing smoothly, causing him to feel a pang of sympathy for his enemy. However, reason quickly prevailed over emotion. Having come this far, there was no turning back. So, he sighed softly and slowly pointed Eve toward the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden:

“I vaguely remember that when we were in Padua, we didn’t see any decent banks there.”

“Yes. I only vaguely remember seeing some branches of other regional banks, but they were all very small, with at most a single agent stationed there to handle small-scale foreign exchange transactions. Why did you bring this up?” Lilith frowned.

"So, if the war continues, and the old nobles of Padua also need financing, what methods will they take?"

Lilith suddenly shoved Heinrich away and stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting I lend money to Padua, to Venice's enemies? But I don't believe they have the ability to win this war at all."

“You’re right, they’re just a decoy. Venice’s real enemy now is the Duke of Milan.” Heinrich gently pulled Lilith’s arm and back into his arms, whispering in her ear in a gentle and calm voice, “Even if we lose the war, the Milanese won’t be unable to repay their loans.”

“If this is discovered, it would be treason. The risk is just too great.” Lilith frowned and blinked.

“Compared to those who start wars for their own selfish interests, forcing Venice to suffer losses and exhaustion, your decision is nothing more than an economic one made in accordance with the market,” Heinrich argued, carefully observing Lilith’s reaction. “Besides, if things are done discreetly, no one will suspect you.”

"Are you confident you can escape the scrutiny of the money changers' guild?" Lilith asked with a hint of doubt, her resolve beginning to waver.

"It can be disguised as a bill of exchange, used for short-term small loans, and the money can be lent to weapons companies or mercenary leaders through black market channels, rather than to people directly associated with the Duke of Milan."

“That’s certainly possible, but what if we get caught? Heinrich, you’re the legal representative of the bank. If things are exposed, not only me, but you too will be hanged or exiled.”

“If you get caught, just pretend you don’t know anything and put all the blame on the Schmidl family,” Heinrich said casually. “Anyway, you’ve already killed your husband, so it won’t hurt to implicate his family as well.”

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Author's note: Next update will be on Wednesday!

Just a heads-up: starting this Thursday, September 11th, chapter 21 will be available for purchase (VIP). There will be 10,000 words per day on the first day of purchase. There will be no anti-piracy measures; those who have been following along can simply buy the chapters as they go. [pity][pity][pity] Thank you all for your support!!!

And I recently commissioned an absolutely gorgeous illustration... I'm going to use it as the new cover... It's drawn by the same artist as the current cover, and I absolutely love it... The original illustration is on xhs, feel free to check it out!!