CH 21

Eisel laughed inwardly, but Bethmere’s eyes flashed seriousness.

“I don’t know what’s causing the world to end, but you’ve come here for a reason. I understand.”

He believed her. Eisel swallowed hard and squeezed his hands together.

“Okay. First, I need your help.”

“What kind of help do you need? As you can see, I’m just an informant who buys and sells information without much ability.”

“That’s good enough for me. I have a place where you can put your skills to effective use.”

Bethmere tilted her head, wondering if there was such a place. Eisel patted him on the shoulder, telling him to trust him.

“First of all, when do you finish work? I have somewhere to go today. As soon as I’m done, I’ll be there…….”

“It’s over now.”

“What?”

Bethmere quickly removed the apron he was wearing. Eisel gave him a dumbfounded look, and Bethmere’s eyes flashed with mission.

“You’ve come to me for world peace, and I’m not willing to sit around waiting tables. Let’s go.”

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

Bethmere stood up and opened the door to reveal a middle-aged woman, a waitress, and a man who appeared to be an aging boss who had watched the unrest outside.

“What do you think you’re doing? Suddenly kidnapping a child…… what is this?”

The owner shouted angrily, then narrowed his eyes at the paper Bethmere held out. After opening the neatly folded envelope and reading its contents, the owner looked at Bethmere in disbelief.

“Resignation?”

“It was unclean to meet you, and we shall never meet again.”

With a brief bow, Bethmere took Eisel’s hand and walked away. Eisel glanced back at her master, who shouted in disbelief behind her.

“You carry your resignation with you?”

“Don’t all employees carry one close to their chest?”

When Eisel gave him an incredible look, Bethmere picked her up gently and held her close.

“More than that, let’s go. Which way?”

Eisel wondered if she’d gotten herself into trouble, but what was done was done. She looked at Bethmere, who raised his mouth in amusement, and snapped his fingers.

“That way.”

* * *

A place where thousands of names change hands every day. Where hundreds of signs go up and down. And where more money is collected than anywhere else.

“Is this the right place?”

Bethmere looked at Eisel as they stood in front of the capital’s largest investment firm. Eisel nodded briefly and waved for him to get in. Bethmere didn’t understand why Eisel would come to an investment firm when she was supposed to save the world. However, he figured it all meant something, so he walked into the building.

The building was filled with people from all walks of life. People with a lot of money, people who looked like aristocrats, people looking for a quick buck, and people who were poor. They were all different, but they were all here for the same reason.

‘Money.’

They were all there to make money, and Eisel was no different. Eisel thought the task Bahidman had given her was crazy, but if you think about it, it wasn’t so terrible. The gold in her pocket was a lot of money, even for someone who didn’t know the price. It was enough to buy a house.

To call it double was difficult. Bahidman knew that. Given the economic concepts Bahidman had taught him all along, Eisel did not feel that doubling his money in a short period of time was a challenge.

Besides, Bahidman said: if you lose all your money, don’t return, not if you lose your principal. Eisel figured out the ruse, took a chunk of gold, and came here with the rest.

“A …… lion.”

“Call me Eisel.”

“Yes, Eisel.”

“…….”

Do I need to add the word ‘Sir’?

Eisel nodded wordlessly, knowing it would hurt her feelings if she said it. Bethmere looked back at the table full of staff and furrowed her brows.

“Are you thinking of investing here?”

“I will.”

“Why?”

“Because I need money.”

“Why do you need money? If you’re saving the world, can’t you just get a sponsor?”

Eisel wondered if this man, asking with such innocent eyes, was really the cynical, dry character he appeared to be. It was difficult to believe that this was a man who had lived in the darkest of places, roaming the stinking streets since he was a child.

No one would pay her to save the world. Besides, who would believe her?

Eisel swallowed hard, trying to keep the words out of her mouth, and smiled calmly.

“I told you before, I have to hide such things.”

“Ah……!”

“And it takes more than faith and conviction to save the world. After all, it’s money that saves the world.”

“Again…….”

Bethmere’s mouth dropped open as if he had just realized something. Eisel turned away from him and looked at the stacks of investments in front of her.

Eisel could only see into the distant future, not the near future. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t pick the right investment.

‘Famine.’

The end of the world didn’t happen overnight. Just like the 1:10:100 rule, where 10 events and 100 things happen before the big one, famine was the first thing that came to the forefront.

Particularly in the provinces, adverse years occurred. In the original story, it was often mentioned that many people suffered from the famine, so that’s where Eisel would invest.

[Levendell Cooperative Guild]

A guild that bought and sold grain, fruit, and vegetables on a large scale. Eisel tapped Bethmere on the shoulder and pointed to a small office where the Levendell Cooperative Guild operated. As they entered the office, the young woman filing papers looked up.

“Can I help you?”

The woman looked at Eisel and Bethmere and responded dryly. Eisel dismounted from Besmir, walked over to the woman, and sat down opposite her. The woman glanced at Bethmere, then Eisel.

“I’m here to invest.”

“You would be better off talking to someone at the table over there, not here, about your personal investments.”

Eisel spoke, but stared at Bethmere. Bethmere crossed his arms and pointed at Eisel with a frown.

“This lady will invest, not me.”

“Boon?”

The woman’s eyes widened at Bethmere’s answer. It was rare for a grown man to use the honorific “Boon” to address a young woman.

And when they did, they were usually rich or noble. The woman’s eyes lit up as she flipped through the papers with a dry face, then smiled broadly.

“Are you, a noble?”

“For now.”

The woman’s eyes lit up as Eisel nodded. The woman immediately put away the papers and placed a brochure on top, introducing Revendell. She immediately put the papers away and placed the brochure on top, explaining the city’s history and what was available for investment.

Eisel was unhappy with the sudden change in demeanor, but ignored it, thinking such treatment was common in money.

“Besides, if you look this way, you’ll see the granary in the southern part, which, as you know, isn’t very famous….”

Listening to the woman’s explanation, Eisel fidgeted with her hands in her pockets, then placed a golden pouch on the table.

Thump!

With a heavy thud, the pouch collapsed sideways under the weight of the table. The gold inside gently slid down onto the table.

“…….”

“…….”

Everyone’s mouths dropped open, except Eisel’s, at the sheer volume of gold. The woman, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the gold, gaped, narrowed her brow, and shifted her gaze cautiously.

Would you mind telling me what you want to invest in?”

“I didn’t come here to invest.”

“Then how about……?”

‘If you’re not here to invest, what are you? ‘

At the woman’s puzzled look, Eisel pointed to the southern grain fields listed in the brochure she held out.

“With this gold, I would like to purchase grain from the Southern Granaries first.”

“What?”

“I mean, at the price of grain now, I’ll buy the grain available next month.”

Eisel sighed as the woman tilted her head blankly. Eisel leaned back in her chair and crossed her small, chubby arms.

Following a time-honored tradition, Aizel put on a haughty face.

“Go get the man in charge.”

In times like these, it’s wise to get a superior.

* * *

“I just want to say I’m sorry.”

Eisel shook her head at the man, who bowed repeatedly. The man, who had been called the woman’s superior, understood the situation as soon as it was explained to him. He understood exactly what Eisel had said and drew up the contract in a flash.

Thanks to him, it didn’t take him long to sign the contract.

“HANDE…….”

The last man to sign looked up from the contract with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Are you a Basquiella family member?”

“It mentions Basquiella’s lineage, if you know what I mean.”

Simply put, he wanted her to think about how Levendell would be shattered if she tried to scam him into believing she was younger than she was.

He smiled weakly at Eisel’s smile.