Chapter 97: Stealing Fate
Chapter 97: Stealing Fate
Establishing a bank was not something that could be accomplished overnight with a mere whim.
One could say that while the dream was beautiful, reality was harsh.
When it came to actual execution, the sheer complexity and multitude of considerations became overwhelming.
Currently, Yu Sheng'an needed to address three major categories of challenges:
1. Banking Operations System
For Yu Sheng'an, who wielded the authority of the Contract Godhood, this was ironically the easiest to resolve.
Using the pay-to-win exchange design as a reference, he decided to directly utilize the core Magic Towers in each city of the Keville Empire as bank branches.
This not only leveraged the Magic Towers' reputation and authority but also ensured the security of the bank branches.
For account design, he simply replicated the Internet's points system.
2. Cashless Payment System
After carefully reviewing the known abilities of the Contract Godhood, Yu Sheng'an decided against copying a QR code-based payment system.
Instead, he utilized the godhood's ability to search for Believers. Users could directly search for nearby individuals, select their transaction counterpart, input the amount, and complete the payment instantly.
Even if the parties were not nearby, as long as one remembered the other's unique Soul ID, real-time payments could still be made.
3. Setting Standards for Deposit and Loan Interest Rates and Reserve Requirements
This was the area that truly stumped Yu Sheng'an.
After Dandell and Beixi opposed the issuance of national bonds, he realized that blindly copying existing models would be a prelude to disaster.
In this economically underdeveloped world, recklessly offering high interest rates to attract savings would inevitably lead to economic deflation—a scenario far more terrifying than inflation, potentially triggering an economic depression.
Moreover, deposit and loan interest rates, along with reserve requirements, were the monetary tools used to control deflation and inflation.
Even the slightest adjustment in decimal points could represent massive cash inflows or outflows from society.
If mishandled, it might bring short-term prosperity to Keville, but the cost could be a case of "borrowing against future resources" rather than "borrowing to generate profit."
After careful consideration, Yu Sheng'an decided… to swallow his pride and seek guidance.
He resolved to travel across the Primary Domain of Azerai to study the banking models of other nations.
Using these as a blueprint, and referencing various economic concepts from Blue Star, he would then synthesize the actual conditions of Keville—and even the Azarea Continent—before making a final decision.
However, the Keville Empire urgently needed funds to mitigate the effects of the war.
Thus, although some details remained unfinished, they could proceed with deposit services first to absorb capital.
After all, these funds would only be loaned to the empire, and given Keville's current situation, its debt repayment ability was hardly a concern.
Or rather, if Keville couldn’t repay these debts, the empire would already be on the brink of collapse.
And if the empire fell, would the bank even have a reason to exist?
In short, everything was ready—all that was needed was the final push.
The only task left for Yu Sheng'an was to recruit and train the first batch of bank employees.
Before Yu Sheng'an converted Keville into a preaching zone, the Keville Empire had only 16 cities.
With the Internet's centralization and reinforcement of imperial authority, the empire dispatched mages four times in large-scale efforts to construct Magic Towers and upgrade towns to cities.
As a result, the empire now effectively had 20 cities—two of which had already been destroyed in the war.
However, thanks to Yu Sheng'an's (Ajef's) gains in Sparda, rebuilding these two cities wouldn't be difficult.
In this magical world, production efficiency can be both astonishingly low and terrifyingly high.
Rebuilding a city sounds daunting, but in the hands of high-level mages, an earthen wall spanning dozens of kilometers can be erected within hours using Earth Magic.
The real challenge lies in constructing Magic Towers.
Magic Towers also come in different types and specifications, with vastly varying power levels.
Speaking of which, why didn’t the Five Great Righteous Gods directly implement the "heart-digging tactic" and strike at Willis?
Precisely because this city’s Ringed Magic Tower is the most powerful in the Keville Empire.
A direct siege might just bog them down before they even breach the city.
Back to the main topic.
Keville’s small population and limited territory actually worked in Yu Sheng'an’s favor to some extent.
With only 20 cities, assigning two clerks per city—pairing experienced staff with newcomers—would gradually build the bank’s workforce.
Now, Yu Sheng'an only needed to personally train 40 employees.
At his request, the first batch of employees would consist entirely of women, leveraging their workplace advantages to accelerate the bank’s development.
These recruits would be selected directly from the more educated female butlers and maidservants of noble households.
The task would be overseen by the three Gods of Magic, while Yu Sheng'an handled banking operations training.
However… plans rarely survive reality.
Unexpected changes ultimately arose.
---
"If you admire Ajef, I can arrange for you to meet him. Why must you join that bank clerk training program? I’ve already inquired—bank clerks are no different from tavern bartenders! You’re an imperial princess—how could you stoop to such a lowly role?"
Kexian, the eleventh monarch of Keville, pleaded earnestly with his sister Clairement, his expression pained.
At this moment, he was on the verge of collapse.
It must have been those damned noblewomen who carelessly mentioned it to Clairement—otherwise, how would she have known?
"Who told you it’s like a tavern bartender?" Clairement rolled her eyes and continued directing servants to pack her belongings.
Several large trunks were already piled at her feet.
Outside the window, a row of carriages stood ready.
In the hallway, groups of servants bustled about.
"Hadi! It was Hadi who said it—he’s Dandell’s personal assistant. No one understands this role better than him."
"No one understands it better? Better than Dandell? Even better than Ajef himself?" Clairement’s retort left Kexian momentarily speechless.
"If bank clerks truly resemble tavern bartenders, then the ones they serve must surely be gods."
Clairement lifted her chin, locking eyes with her brother as she spoke solemnly:
"My beloved monarch of Keville, wake up. Haven’t you seen the discussions online? Ajef is very likely a follower of the Internet God! What summoner could command legions of demonic figures to besiege Sparda the way he did?"
"If we don’t forge ties with him now, when will we? Or do you plan to use me as a bargaining chip for marriage alliances—wedding me off to some mage? Or even a white-haired old man?"
Her words struck Kexian like a thunderbolt, his pupils trembling.
He desperately wanted to roar out that Ajef was the Internet God!
But he couldn’t.
Because he didn’t want to tell his sister this truth, and more importantly, because of the contract binding him.
In the recently concluded war, the power displayed by the Internet God had utterly shocked him, making him no longer resist the deity from the depths of his heart.
Yet, when he saw his sister actively drawing closer to the Internet God, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.
After all, that was a god.
No one could say for certain whether getting too close to such a being was good or bad.
He only wanted to protect his sister.
But her words made him suddenly realize—he had no real power to protect her at all.
Rather than saying Clairement worshipped Ajef, it was more accurate to say she wanted to take control of her own fate.
In the end, Clairement left.
Her departure sent shockwaves through the noblewomen’s circles of Willis.
Countless maids and female butlers, who could have changed their destinies, found their fates inexplicably stolen by a group of noble young ladies.
Establishing a bank was not something that could be accomplished overnight with a mere whim.
One could say that while the dream was beautiful, reality was harsh.
When it came to actual execution, the sheer complexity and multitude of considerations became overwhelming.
Currently, Yu Sheng'an needed to address three major categories of challenges:
1. Banking Operations System
For Yu Sheng'an, who wielded the authority of the Contract Godhood, this was ironically the easiest to resolve.
Using the pay-to-win exchange design as a reference, he decided to directly utilize the core Magic Towers in each city of the Keville Empire as bank branches.
This not only leveraged the Magic Towers' reputation and authority but also ensured the security of the bank branches.
For account design, he simply replicated the Internet's points system.
2. Cashless Payment System
After carefully reviewing the known abilities of the Contract Godhood, Yu Sheng'an decided against copying a QR code-based payment system.
Instead, he utilized the godhood's ability to search for Believers. Users could directly search for nearby individuals, select their transaction counterpart, input the amount, and complete the payment instantly.
Even if the parties were not nearby, as long as one remembered the other's unique Soul ID, real-time payments could still be made.
3. Setting Standards for Deposit and Loan Interest Rates and Reserve Requirements
This was the area that truly stumped Yu Sheng'an.
After Dandell and Beixi opposed the issuance of national bonds, he realized that blindly copying existing models would be a prelude to disaster.
In this economically underdeveloped world, recklessly offering high interest rates to attract savings would inevitably lead to economic deflation—a scenario far more terrifying than inflation, potentially triggering an economic depression.
Moreover, deposit and loan interest rates, along with reserve requirements, were the monetary tools used to control deflation and inflation.
Even the slightest adjustment in decimal points could represent massive cash inflows or outflows from society.
If mishandled, it might bring short-term prosperity to Keville, but the cost could be a case of "borrowing against future resources" rather than "borrowing to generate profit."
After careful consideration, Yu Sheng'an decided… to swallow his pride and seek guidance.
He resolved to travel across the Primary Domain of Azerai to study the banking models of other nations.
Using these as a blueprint, and referencing various economic concepts from Blue Star, he would then synthesize the actual conditions of Keville—and even the Azarea Continent—before making a final decision.
However, the Keville Empire urgently needed funds to mitigate the effects of the war.
Thus, although some details remained unfinished, they could proceed with deposit services first to absorb capital.
After all, these funds would only be loaned to the empire, and given Keville's current situation, its debt repayment ability was hardly a concern.
Or rather, if Keville couldn’t repay these debts, the empire would already be on the brink of collapse.
And if the empire fell, would the bank even have a reason to exist?
In short, everything was ready—all that was needed was the final push.
The only task left for Yu Sheng'an was to recruit and train the first batch of bank employees.
Before Yu Sheng'an converted Keville into a preaching zone, the Keville Empire had only 16 cities.
With the Internet's centralization and reinforcement of imperial authority, the empire dispatched mages four times in large-scale efforts to construct Magic Towers and upgrade towns to cities.
As a result, the empire now effectively had 20 cities—two of which had already been destroyed in the war.
However, thanks to Yu Sheng'an's (Ajef's) gains in Sparda, rebuilding these two cities wouldn't be difficult.
In this magical world, production efficiency can be both astonishingly low and terrifyingly high.
Rebuilding a city sounds daunting, but in the hands of high-level mages, an earthen wall spanning dozens of kilometers can be erected within hours using Earth Magic.
The real challenge lies in constructing Magic Towers.
Magic Towers also come in different types and specifications, with vastly varying power levels.
Speaking of which, why didn’t the Five Great Righteous Gods directly implement the "heart-digging tactic" and strike at Willis?
Precisely because this city’s Ringed Magic Tower is the most powerful in the Keville Empire.
A direct siege might just bog them down before they even breach the city.
Back to the main topic.
Keville’s small population and limited territory actually worked in Yu Sheng'an’s favor to some extent.
With only 20 cities, assigning two clerks per city—pairing experienced staff with newcomers—would gradually build the bank’s workforce.
Now, Yu Sheng'an only needed to personally train 40 employees.
At his request, the first batch of employees would consist entirely of women, leveraging their workplace advantages to accelerate the bank’s development.
These recruits would be selected directly from the more educated female butlers and maidservants of noble households.
The task would be overseen by the three Gods of Magic, while Yu Sheng'an handled banking operations training.
However… plans rarely survive reality.
Unexpected changes ultimately arose.
---
"If you admire Ajef, I can arrange for you to meet him. Why must you join that bank clerk training program? I’ve already inquired—bank clerks are no different from tavern bartenders! You’re an imperial princess—how could you stoop to such a lowly role?"
Kexian, the eleventh monarch of Keville, pleaded earnestly with his sister Clairement, his expression pained.
At this moment, he was on the verge of collapse.
It must have been those damned noblewomen who carelessly mentioned it to Clairement—otherwise, how would she have known?
"Who told you it’s like a tavern bartender?" Clairement rolled her eyes and continued directing servants to pack her belongings.
Several large trunks were already piled at her feet.
Outside the window, a row of carriages stood ready.
In the hallway, groups of servants bustled about.
"Hadi! It was Hadi who said it—he’s Dandell’s personal assistant. No one understands this role better than him."
"No one understands it better? Better than Dandell? Even better than Ajef himself?" Clairement’s retort left Kexian momentarily speechless.
"If bank clerks truly resemble tavern bartenders, then the ones they serve must surely be gods."
Clairement lifted her chin, locking eyes with her brother as she spoke solemnly:
"My beloved monarch of Keville, wake up. Haven’t you seen the discussions online? Ajef is very likely a follower of the Internet God! What summoner could command legions of demonic figures to besiege Sparda the way he did?"
"If we don’t forge ties with him now, when will we? Or do you plan to use me as a bargaining chip for marriage alliances—wedding me off to some mage? Or even a white-haired old man?"
Her words struck Kexian like a thunderbolt, his pupils trembling.
He desperately wanted to roar out that Ajef was the Internet God!
But he couldn’t.
Because he didn’t want to tell his sister this truth, and more importantly, because of the contract binding him.
In the recently concluded war, the power displayed by the Internet God had utterly shocked him, making him no longer resist the deity from the depths of his heart.
Yet, when he saw his sister actively drawing closer to the Internet God, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.
After all, that was a god.
No one could say for certain whether getting too close to such a being was good or bad.
He only wanted to protect his sister.
But her words made him suddenly realize—he had no real power to protect her at all.
Rather than saying Clairement worshipped Ajef, it was more accurate to say she wanted to take control of her own fate.
In the end, Clairement left.
Her departure sent shockwaves through the noblewomen’s circles of Willis.
Countless maids and female butlers, who could have changed their destinies, found their fates inexplicably stolen by a group of noble young ladies.
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