Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 50:

She had already heard reports of a bizarre flash of light occurring near the market a few days ago. The story was that Isaac, the Grail Knight she had commissioned, was pursuing Yukhar when it happened.

The news of Isaac being ambushed made her heart sink, intuiting it was Yukhar’s doing. She hadn’t expected such a public spectacle to unfold in just two days.

Both Isaac and Yukhar seemed out of their minds.

But she had thought it was directly unrelated to her until merchants affiliated with the Golden Idol Guild began to announce their departure en masse.

“As I said, we want to clear out the remaining stock and focus on our original wheat trade.”

Vihik looked somewhat despondent.

Caitlin grew anxious. She had no authority to force merchants to deal in specific goods, only to advise and warn them. The worst she could do for truly unacceptable actions was expel them from the corporation or ban their trade.

But the problem was that the whole of Soer seemed to be withdrawing from the Loracus trade.

Just a few days ago, Loracus prices had hit their peak, especially after rumors that the Granth family of the White Empire had shown interest in Loracus. There was widespread speculation that investing in Loracus was a lucrative venture, but suddenly, everyone wanted out, and Caitlin couldn’t understand why.

‘Did rumors of what Yukhar did spread already? But even then, selling to other cities should still be profitable…’

The issue was that once the trend in Soer, the epicenter of the fashion, cooled, the enthusiasm in other cities also began to wane. The market atmosphere had already turned bleak, with many who were late to the trend turning back upon sensing the mood.

Once the bubble of such trends bursts, it collapses swiftly. Caitlin, who had been slowly planning an exit strategy, was understandably nervous.

“Alright. I won’t dissuade you, but you’re aware of the penalties for breach of contract and the damage to your credit rating, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

Vihik’s calm response took Caitlin aback again.

She didn’t want to be harsh to a fellow corporation member, but penalties were used to deter merchants from leaving and causing a crash in Loracus prices.

Yet, Vihik was willing to bear significant losses to cancel the contract.

“Vihik, aren’t you in debt because of the Loracus trade? Can you afford the penalties?”

“I’ve already received some payment for the trades… And I had a personal stock, which someone has agreed to buy.”

“Someone agreed to buy?”

In these times, when the market was frozen because there were only sellers and no buyers for Loracuss?

“Yes. Thanks to them, I’ve incurred a loss, but I still have enough to recover.”

“May I know who they are?”

Caitlin felt a sense of foreboding.

***

“Mr. Isaac!”

Caitlin rushed towards Isaac, who was staying at a lodging.

Isaac, who was having breakfast, calmly waited for the breathless Caitlin to speak.

“Ah, Director Caitlin. What’s the matter?”

“What is this… Is it acceptable for a Grail Knight to engage in such merchant-like activities in the market?”

Outside Isaac’s lodging, his agent, Jacquette, was buying up Loracus roots in bulk. Jacquette, who had acted as Yukhar’s errand runner, was nominally permitted to engage in market transactions, thus enabling the purchase. Already, several carts were loaded with Loracus roots in front of the lodging.

“A merchant? That’s a bit harsh. I’m merely helping those in need.”

“Helping…?”

“Indeed. I’ve heard that the frenzy for Lorucus has cooled down. Nobody wants to buy, but everyone is rushing to sell, leading to an oversupply. Moreover, with spring approaching, there’s a mountain of worries about Lorucus bulbs that were not planted on time rotting away.”

Isaac crossed his arms and looked at Caitlin.

“Blinded by foolish greed, they squandered their fortunes, so they should bear the responsibility. However, if all the merchants go bankrupt, won’t it disrupt the region’s logistics flow? Especially since the Loracus craze has already damaged it, we should now provide a foundation for recovery.”

Isaac was currently purchasing Loracus at pre-surge prices, based on Yukhar’s hidden funds in the sanctuary.

It was a terrible loss for the merchants, even considering the money they had made, but it allowed them to lay a foundation for recovery. Those who could not accept the loss and clung to Lorucus would end up with nothing as their stock rotted away.

Caitlin was at a loss for words because Isaac’s reasoning was sound. Actually, it was something she should have done in the first place.

If the merchants went bankrupt en masse, the trade network would collapse. If the merchants who distributed goods to various regions disappeared, it would be a long-term loss for the Golden Idol Syndicate. Although the merchants were also swayed by greed, they needed to be given a foundation for recovery.

But to buy more Loracus, risking the existing stock in the warehouses to rot? That was also difficult for a merchant to bear. It would mean throwing away the profits made from the Lorucus surge.

Then, a thought flashed through Caitlin’s mind.

‘Why is the Holy Knight buying Lorucus?’

Was it just a simple act of charity? It could be.

Isaac’s action to aid the merchants at his own expense was commendable. The merchants would surely spread his fame.

But was that all?

“Sir Isaac, surely not…?”

“Not what?”

“That, that you plan to resell it to us?”

Caitlin asked with a look close to tears. Isaac smiled faintly.

“Why not? I’m but a poor Paladin. What money do I have to carry out such charitable acts?”

Caitlin felt like she might faint. Although the Golden Idol Guild had a large stock of Loracus, it was nothing compared to the unsold Loracus in the entire market of Seor. And if other guilds began bringing their stock to Isaac in a panic, the amount would be enormous.

What if he then resold the Loracus at the prices from the peak of the surge a week ago?

‘Bankruptcy.’

It wouldn’t just mean losing the profits from the Loracus surge. The Seor branch could go bankrupt. No, beyond that, this loss could be a bomb that would shake the entire Golden Idol Guild.

Struggling to breathe, Caitlin gripped her chair tightly.

Isaac poured her a glass of water. Caitlin drained the glass in one gulp and looked at Isaac pleadingly.

“Please save us, Paladin.”

“It’s a phrase I’ve been hearing quite often lately.”

“We cannot handle it. Absolutely not…”

“Do you have the confidence to break a contract guaranteed by the Golden Idol, Caitlin?”

Isaac asked as he wiped his mouth, looking at Caitlin.

Caitlin had no such confidence. The Golden Idol guild was where she had spent her life working hard. To betray it now was unthinkable, and she was sure to be cursed and left destitute.

“No. Please, I beg you…”

“My thinking is that you shouldn’t be begging me but that there’s still something the Golden Idol Syndicate can do.”

It was only then that Caitlin started to think clearly again. The shock had been too much for her to make a proper judgment, but as Isaac said, there was something they could do.

It was just that it, too, would entail a massive loss.

She soon held back tears and bowed her head.

“Understood. Thank you for the advice. Then, the Loracus you’ve purchased so far…”

“Just so you know, what’s on the streets now isn’t all of it.”

Isaac had already rented several warehouses to store Loracus. Caitlin felt like she might faint again, but there was no time to hesitate. She quickly made her way out of the lodging.

As soon as Caitlin left, she instructed her secretary.

“Buy up all the Loracus on the market right now! Immediately!”

“What? Loracus? But, at what price…”

Caitlin glared at her secretary with a ferocious look and shouted.

“Make sure it’s more expensive than what the Holy Knight is willing to pay!”

A month later, on the day promised with Isaac, most of the Loracus stock that had been released into the market of Seor was absorbed by the Golden Idol Guild at slightly above the pre-surge cost. The Golden Idol guild had rented every warehouse in Seor to store the Loracus, which prevented the detonation of a bomb that could have crumbled the guild. Nevertheless, the amount Isaac possessed was still substantial. Therefore, when Isaac visited the Golden Idol guild branch office, Caitlin had to greet him with a particularly haggard complexion.

“You’ve arrived, Sir Isaac.”

“Your face looks quite worn. Caitlin.”

“I haven’t laid down to rest in the past three days… Calculating the losses and figuring out how much we need to cover, borrowing hands from other branches everywhere…”

She murmured as if pleading.

Isaac smiled at Caitlin’s state.

So, it would be pointless to ask if she was ready.

The Golden Idol guild strictly honors its credit, especially when contracts are signed under the name of the Golden Idol. Although it’s unclear how far the mobilization went, at least a few of the top brass would be looking into this matter with interest.

“When I calculated the amount for the stock you claimed to have, based on the Loracus prices from a month ago… it came to approximately this much.”

Caitlin presented a paper with calculations on it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the numbers. It was an amount that would flip even the nobility’s eyes. It was nearly the annual budget of a large estate.

Isaac didn’t bother to check if the calculation was correct. In a transaction under the Golden Idol’s name, there couldn’t be any mistakes.

He just knew it was an absurdly large sum, without knowing the exact amount, so he didn’t bother to verify it.

“Then the Golden Idol guild will pay this amount, and I will deliver all the Loracus stock I have. That will conclude the contract.”

“Yes…”

“Good.”

“Yes. With this, the contract is established.”

Caitlin and Isaac repeated the declaration over the contract. A golden glow enveloped the contract, emitting a presence as if it were watching them. However, the contract wasn’t fully concluded yet. The energy of the contract would protect Isaac until he received the money.

“Shall we go to collect the money? The gold is stored in the vault. We can bring a carriage to…”

However, Isaac didn’t stand up but continued to look at Caitlin.

“Sir Isaac?”

“With this amount, it would be hard to carry around.”

Caitlin looked at him as if he made an obvious statement. Indeed, the amount converted into gold coins could crush a person to death.

Isaac looked at Caitlin with a sympathetic eye and teased her.

“Too tired to understand what I’m saying?”

“Excuse me? What… Oh. Oh? Ah, you don’t mean?”

Caitlin’s eyes widened as she looked at Isaac. A vigor that one wouldn’t expect from someone who hadn’t slept in three days returned to her.

Isaac, holding the paper Caitlin had given him, said,

“I will invest this entire amount in the Golden Idol Guild. And in exchange for putting this investment as a deposit, I would like the Golden Idol Guild to assist me in unlimitedly utilizing the guild’s assets in all my future endeavors.”

By assets, he meant the information networks, transportation means, lodging facilities, etc., that the Golden Idol guild owned across the continent.

Isaac didn’t forget to mention one last important thing.

“As for the interest, we’ll negotiate separately.”