Empire of Shadows
Author: 三脚架
Chapter 296
In the afternoon, downtown, at Basil Investment Bank, on the most bustling and prosperous street, the huge gold-plated sign shone with golden light under the sun’s rays!
Since Basil Investment Bank arrived here, it had created a lot of news for “Golden Port Today.”
They initially said their sign was made of gold. Then someone came in the middle of the night to steal the sign above the door and was injured by the falling sign.
One of his legs was broken, but he endured the pain of the fracture and, with his three companions, pushed the largest letter “B” onto a pickup truck and then drove it away.
The next day, when the people from Basil Investment Bank found that a letter was missing, they called the police.
As a result, not long after the police were called here, the three thieves also called the police because they found that this letter was not f—king made of gold at all!
It was just steel, with only a layer of gold foil on the outside!
The price the recycling station gave them was not even enough to cover their medical bills for the fracture. So the three stupid thieves not only called the police but also found the media to expose Basil Investment Bank for deceiving the public and intended to file a lawsuit against them.
Especially the stupid thief whose leg was broken. He not only demanded that Basil Investment Bank pay all his medical expenses but also demanded at least $50,000 in additional compensation for various losses.
The merchants on the street opposite them had also complained about them more than once, and there had even been disputes.
They used a large number of glass exterior walls, plus the “golden signboard.” Although the building was not very tall, the whole thing sparkled!
When the sunlight was strong, let alone the merchants in the stores opposite, even pedestrians would be blinded by the reflection of various lights and unable to open their eyes.
Many cars had even had accidents here. The drivers all said that when they suddenly drove to a certain section, the harsh light made it impossible for them to open their eyes. They subconsciously turned the steering wheel and crashed into the side of the road.
Various lawsuits and troubles soon made Basil Investment Bank famous in Golden Port, not because their financial products were so popular, but because they caused a lot of trouble.
But because of this, many people began to pay attention to this investment bank.
To this day, its exterior wall has been changed a lot, no longer causing light pollution, and the golden signboard has also been changed to an uneven, imitation stone texture, which also no longer reflects golden light.
It makes it look a bit mysterious and also has a bit of a noble temperament.
The cars parked in the not-so-large parking lot at the entrance are at least luxury cars worth over $10,000. The gentlemen coming and going still wear full formal attire and ties even in the 27 or 28-degree weather!
When Lance got out of the car at the entrance, someone quickly came up to greet him, “Sir, welcome to Basil Investment Bank. May I ask what kind of business you are here for?”
Lance looked inside, “I heard the financial products here are great?”
A look of surprise immediately appeared on the man’s face, which he quickly suppressed. He didn’t want to scare away a customer who was already in his hands!
While leading Lance inside, he said, “Do you have any understanding of our Basil Investment Bank?”
Lance shook his head, “Not very clear.”
The manager began to introduce the origin of Basil Investment Bank to him, “Count Basil is a Gallic nobleman. He was enfeoffed and commanded by the Gallic Emperor and once secretly managed the royal wealth for the royal family.”
“He has an investment ability that is difficult for ordinary people to understand and believe. In a very short time, he made the Gallic Empire the most powerful country in the world in terms of military strength!”
Lance couldn’t help but ask, “Why have I never heard of this?”
The manager quickly explained, “I said, this was managed secretly. The royal family didn’t want others to know about this…”
Without a doubt, it was a lie full of loopholes, but it had to be admitted that at first hearing, it was indeed very intimidating, and in this era of backward information exchange, no one could really verify the authenticity of this matter.
And they used the word “secret.” Even if someone really took a boat to Gaul and could find a local nobleman to ask, even if they couldn’t find out, they could say that this itself was a secret!
Lance did not expose him but continued to walk inside with him. There were many similar situations in the hall. Those young people were all surrounding one or several people, introducing Basil Investment Bank.
“After Count Basil retired, he passed on his secret to making money to the young Count Basil. The current Count Basil has inherited everything from the old Count Basil and is even more outstanding!”
As he spoke, the two had already arrived at the front counter. He took a set of materials, “Shall we go over there and sit for a while?”
He had already assessed that Lance had come in a private car. He had his own driver, which meant he could afford to buy financial products.
This was a potential, high-quality customer!
He had already seen many colleagues realize the Federation Dream, right here in this small hall. He had also closed several deals, but he was still some distance from the Federation Dream.
He tried his best to close every deal, taking one step closer to his dream every day, one step closer to the finish line.
The two came to a small sofa group where no one was sitting. There were many such small sofa groups here, with four or five individual sofas surrounding a small coffee table.
Then a staff member brought coffee and pastries. The manager briefly introduced himself, “My name is Wally, a client manager. Next time you come, you can ask for me directly.”
He opened the materials. There were not many words on them, mostly large photos, “This is our Basil Investment Bank’s global industry, spread across 87 countries, with a total of more than 3,000 large-scale investment projects and 10,000 small and medium-sized investment projects.”
“We even control the economic lifelines of some small countries. Many people call us the powerful ‘Gold Yuan Empire’!”
When he said these words, Lance could clearly feel that Wally himself believed everything he said.
Then he began to show Lance these investment projects, what royal farms, what royal pastures, what shares of internationally renowned companies…
Most of these industries were not in the Federation itself, and the few industries related to the Federation were not in Likalai State.
This made it impossible for them to verify, and Lance even believed that many of these industries were fictitious.
After introducing a large pile of investment projects that no one knew if they were real or not, Wally began to talk about joining, “…Mr. White (the surname Lance used), Count Basil believes that the next few years will be a very critical moment.”
“The global financial economy is facing a huge leap. If you carefully observe the financial and economic development of human society, you will find that every once in a while, it will usher in a huge increase.”
“Technological breakthroughs, technical exchanges, these are the core driving factors!”
“But, none of us know what to invest in to really make money. There are great risks involved!”
“Count Basil once encountered danger, and a Federation couple helped him, so in order to repay the kindness and love of the people of the Federation, Basil Investment Bank was born.”
“We will help you manage your wealth and help you achieve wealth growth. We have many high-quality investment projects around the world, which will bring you huge returns every month.”
“If you are interested, I can introduce them to you…”
After getting Lance’s permission, he began to introduce these with difficulty.
From financial product projects starting at $1,000 to projects starting at $200,000, the return rates of different financial projects were also different.
The return rate of the lowest tier was only seven percent, but even so, the income it brought was already a bit outrageous—
According to the current interest rate, you could get a long-term low-interest loan from the bank, and then use the money to invest in these financial products, and you could also have a stable profit.
As long as it exceeded $20,000, you could basically get a return rate of fifteen percent every month. If it could exceed $200,000, it would be a return rate of twenty percent every month!
These financial products were clearly full of all kinds of problems. As long as one’s mind was not blinded by greed, one would definitely be able to find the problems!
A business that is guaranteed to make a profit without any loss, why don’t they do it themselves? Why do they have to sell it to ordinary people? Just because… of gratitude?
Alright, the logic is self-contained. Although they are all inferior lies, at least their story can be self-justifying because Count Basil had received kindness and help from the people of the Federation, so he had to give back to the Federation society.
Not only did he expose the fact that he was secretly managing the royal assets for the royal family, but he also announced all the investment projects with great fanfare. Is this possible?
But under the temptation of high returns, everyone thought it was possible!
As for those who were not fooled?
They were screened out. This place only needed those who were stupid enough, not those who were smart enough.
If you don’t believe it, you can leave, but if you cause trouble, then it will be difficult to handle!
After listening to Wally say a lot, Lance asked, “Have you bought any products yourself?”
Wally was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “I have bought this ‘Gold Brick Three-Year Product’ myself. It has a return rate of nine percent every month.”
Lance asked again, “Have you broken even yet?”
Wally shook his head, “These financial products haven’t been around for long, so it will still take some time to break even, and I’ve reinvested all the profits I’ve received!”
Looking at his sincere smile, Lance felt… he was actually quite happy, at least for now.
“Mr. Lance, almost all our employees have purchased products, including our boss. You can completely trust us.”
“If you have some spare cash, I recommend you choose this $100,000 product. It has a seventeen percent return rate. You can get $17,000 in interest every month.”
“In just six months, you can break even, and then every month after that, it’s all net profit.”
“After the contract ends, the principal will also be returned to you in one lump sum. In two years, you will receive a total return of $500,000 including principal and interest!”
Many people were dumbfounded when they heard so many numbers. Their minds were all muddled. How could they still be concerned about whether it was a scam or not?
Lance observed the entire hall. It was magnificent. Everything seemed exceptionally high-end and normal. It was full of light and spaciousness, which made people believe from the bottom of their hearts that this was not a place for filth.
“It’s a bit forward, but may I ask how many people have purchased your financial products?”
Lance even specifically explained, “I believe the choice of the majority should be correct, so I hope you can give me a real number. If this number moves me, I will consider buying the top-tier product!”
Wally almost jumped up!
If this Mr. White really bought a $200,000 financial product, he could get a commission of $40,000 just from that!
This was more than the sum of all the money he had ever received since he was a child!
“Mr. White, I have to say, your vision is unique. At least 7,000 people have chosen to trust us and entrust their funds to us for investment and profit.”
“I know some people outside are questioning us, but think about it, it’s not strange to have one fool, but to have at least 7,000 rich fools, and all foolish together, isn’t that strange?”
“So this is not a scam. The reason why the rich get richer is because of their courage and wisdom. Your courage and wisdom make you different from them!”
Lance nodded slightly after listening, “Can you use cash here?”
“Of course, we support both cash and transfer!” he said, full of expectation!
At this moment, in his eyes, Lance was a living $40,000!
Lance took out a cigarette. Wally quickly bent over and bowed to light the cigarette for him, “I’m investing so much money. Can I meet Count Basil?”
“I believe $200,000 should be enough to exchange for an opportunity to meet him, don’t you think?”
Wally was stunned for a moment, “I have to ask for instructions. Please wait a moment.” He was becoming more and more convinced that Lance was really going to invest!
He quickly went from one door to another room. After waiting for a few minutes, he had not yet returned, but he saw a familiar person, Barbara.
Barbara felt a little strange when she saw Lance. Lance had said before that he was not interested in these things, so why was he here again?
And recently… but she had also heard that Lance was very rich now!
She walked to Lance’s side and sat down, “Alone?”
Lance nodded, “There’s a manager named Wally, but he’s not here right now.”
Barbara looked at Lance, “Didn’t you say…”
Lance smiled mysteriously and also made a shushing gesture, “It’s a secret!”
Barbara was a little unclear about what this meant. Just as she was about to ask something, Wally came out from inside.
He saw Barbara at a glance and also knew her. He hurriedly walked over, “Mr. White is my client!”
He anxiously stated his position. He knew very well that these beautiful girls were more likely to win the favor of male clients. Barbara glanced at him, then stood up, “I knew… Mr. White before. You’re a lucky boy.”
“Remember to treat me to coffee later!”
She stood up as she spoke and left here. This made Wally breathe a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the distinguished guest in front of him would be seduced away by Barbara.
“I have asked my superior. If you confirm that you will purchase a $200,000 product, we can arrange for you to meet with the president.”
He added, “But only for ten minutes.”
Lance slapped the armrest and stood up. Wally thought he had messed up. Just as he was thinking about how to remedy the situation, Lance suddenly extended his hand, “Deal!”
“I will bring the money to meet with Mr. President, and hand it to him in person. You go and arrange it. When it’s arranged, call this number.”
“Tell him, I’m very interested in the history of the Basil family. If he can satisfy me, I can invest more!”
He picked up the cup holder, wrote a number on it with a fountain pen, and left it for him. Then, while Wally was still in a daze, he shook his hand and then left.
Today it was Ennio driving for Lance, “I just heard someone say they can give a few percent, a dozen percent, every month. Is that true?”
“This is almost catching up with our usury, isn’t it?”
Lance shook his head and said, “It’s actually more ruthless than usury, if they can honor it.”
“If you lend out $200,000 for two years, the most you can ask for is $10,000 a month. Otherwise, no one would take so much.”
“But they dare to take as much as you give. Do you know what that means?”
Ennio was driving seriously, and at the same time shook his head, “I didn’t go to school much, I don’t really understand this.”
“This has nothing to do with how much school you’ve attended, Ennio. Not having gone to school doesn’t mean you have to be a fool. None of us have gone to much school.”
“The only possibility that they can take in an infinite amount of capital and still give such a high interest rate is that from the very beginning, they never intended to really let you make money.”
“No legitimate financial company would dare to guarantee that their annual interest rate is above this number. On what grounds do they guarantee that their monthly profit is above this number?”
Ennio was a little confused, “But didn’t some of them already get the rebate?”
This was perhaps the reason why so many people were fooled, because they really saw some people get the rebate.
“You give them $100, and they give you fifteen every month. This means they can at least honor the contract for half a year.”
“After half a year, they have two choices: either run away with the remaining ten dollars, or have more people join in.”
“The former is unlikely, the latter is more likely, and you’ve already seen it, so many people!”
Ennio gradually began to understand. The speed of the car even accelerated for a moment, “You mean, he’s using the investors’ money to pay the investors’ interest?”
“My God…”
“They are committing fraud!” Then he became nervous, “Then did you fall for it?”
Finally understood, but not completely.
“I didn’t come here for their scam, nor did I fall for it. What I’m after is the money in their pockets!”
“Anyway, this money will be lost sooner or later. It’s better for me to take it and put it in my account.”
“At that time, I’ll set up a foundation and can use this money to help more people!”
Ennio sighed with sincere admiration, “A noble ideal!”
Since Basil Investment Bank arrived here, it had created a lot of news for “Golden Port Today.”
They initially said their sign was made of gold. Then someone came in the middle of the night to steal the sign above the door and was injured by the falling sign.
One of his legs was broken, but he endured the pain of the fracture and, with his three companions, pushed the largest letter “B” onto a pickup truck and then drove it away.
The next day, when the people from Basil Investment Bank found that a letter was missing, they called the police.
As a result, not long after the police were called here, the three thieves also called the police because they found that this letter was not f—king made of gold at all!
It was just steel, with only a layer of gold foil on the outside!
The price the recycling station gave them was not even enough to cover their medical bills for the fracture. So the three stupid thieves not only called the police but also found the media to expose Basil Investment Bank for deceiving the public and intended to file a lawsuit against them.
Especially the stupid thief whose leg was broken. He not only demanded that Basil Investment Bank pay all his medical expenses but also demanded at least $50,000 in additional compensation for various losses.
The merchants on the street opposite them had also complained about them more than once, and there had even been disputes.
They used a large number of glass exterior walls, plus the “golden signboard.” Although the building was not very tall, the whole thing sparkled!
When the sunlight was strong, let alone the merchants in the stores opposite, even pedestrians would be blinded by the reflection of various lights and unable to open their eyes.
Many cars had even had accidents here. The drivers all said that when they suddenly drove to a certain section, the harsh light made it impossible for them to open their eyes. They subconsciously turned the steering wheel and crashed into the side of the road.
Various lawsuits and troubles soon made Basil Investment Bank famous in Golden Port, not because their financial products were so popular, but because they caused a lot of trouble.
But because of this, many people began to pay attention to this investment bank.
To this day, its exterior wall has been changed a lot, no longer causing light pollution, and the golden signboard has also been changed to an uneven, imitation stone texture, which also no longer reflects golden light.
It makes it look a bit mysterious and also has a bit of a noble temperament.
The cars parked in the not-so-large parking lot at the entrance are at least luxury cars worth over $10,000. The gentlemen coming and going still wear full formal attire and ties even in the 27 or 28-degree weather!
When Lance got out of the car at the entrance, someone quickly came up to greet him, “Sir, welcome to Basil Investment Bank. May I ask what kind of business you are here for?”
Lance looked inside, “I heard the financial products here are great?”
A look of surprise immediately appeared on the man’s face, which he quickly suppressed. He didn’t want to scare away a customer who was already in his hands!
While leading Lance inside, he said, “Do you have any understanding of our Basil Investment Bank?”
Lance shook his head, “Not very clear.”
The manager began to introduce the origin of Basil Investment Bank to him, “Count Basil is a Gallic nobleman. He was enfeoffed and commanded by the Gallic Emperor and once secretly managed the royal wealth for the royal family.”
“He has an investment ability that is difficult for ordinary people to understand and believe. In a very short time, he made the Gallic Empire the most powerful country in the world in terms of military strength!”
Lance couldn’t help but ask, “Why have I never heard of this?”
The manager quickly explained, “I said, this was managed secretly. The royal family didn’t want others to know about this…”
Without a doubt, it was a lie full of loopholes, but it had to be admitted that at first hearing, it was indeed very intimidating, and in this era of backward information exchange, no one could really verify the authenticity of this matter.
And they used the word “secret.” Even if someone really took a boat to Gaul and could find a local nobleman to ask, even if they couldn’t find out, they could say that this itself was a secret!
Lance did not expose him but continued to walk inside with him. There were many similar situations in the hall. Those young people were all surrounding one or several people, introducing Basil Investment Bank.
“After Count Basil retired, he passed on his secret to making money to the young Count Basil. The current Count Basil has inherited everything from the old Count Basil and is even more outstanding!”
As he spoke, the two had already arrived at the front counter. He took a set of materials, “Shall we go over there and sit for a while?”
He had already assessed that Lance had come in a private car. He had his own driver, which meant he could afford to buy financial products.
This was a potential, high-quality customer!
He had already seen many colleagues realize the Federation Dream, right here in this small hall. He had also closed several deals, but he was still some distance from the Federation Dream.
He tried his best to close every deal, taking one step closer to his dream every day, one step closer to the finish line.
The two came to a small sofa group where no one was sitting. There were many such small sofa groups here, with four or five individual sofas surrounding a small coffee table.
Then a staff member brought coffee and pastries. The manager briefly introduced himself, “My name is Wally, a client manager. Next time you come, you can ask for me directly.”
He opened the materials. There were not many words on them, mostly large photos, “This is our Basil Investment Bank’s global industry, spread across 87 countries, with a total of more than 3,000 large-scale investment projects and 10,000 small and medium-sized investment projects.”
“We even control the economic lifelines of some small countries. Many people call us the powerful ‘Gold Yuan Empire’!”
When he said these words, Lance could clearly feel that Wally himself believed everything he said.
Then he began to show Lance these investment projects, what royal farms, what royal pastures, what shares of internationally renowned companies…
Most of these industries were not in the Federation itself, and the few industries related to the Federation were not in Likalai State.
This made it impossible for them to verify, and Lance even believed that many of these industries were fictitious.
After introducing a large pile of investment projects that no one knew if they were real or not, Wally began to talk about joining, “…Mr. White (the surname Lance used), Count Basil believes that the next few years will be a very critical moment.”
“The global financial economy is facing a huge leap. If you carefully observe the financial and economic development of human society, you will find that every once in a while, it will usher in a huge increase.”
“Technological breakthroughs, technical exchanges, these are the core driving factors!”
“But, none of us know what to invest in to really make money. There are great risks involved!”
“Count Basil once encountered danger, and a Federation couple helped him, so in order to repay the kindness and love of the people of the Federation, Basil Investment Bank was born.”
“We will help you manage your wealth and help you achieve wealth growth. We have many high-quality investment projects around the world, which will bring you huge returns every month.”
“If you are interested, I can introduce them to you…”
After getting Lance’s permission, he began to introduce these with difficulty.
From financial product projects starting at $1,000 to projects starting at $200,000, the return rates of different financial projects were also different.
The return rate of the lowest tier was only seven percent, but even so, the income it brought was already a bit outrageous—
According to the current interest rate, you could get a long-term low-interest loan from the bank, and then use the money to invest in these financial products, and you could also have a stable profit.
As long as it exceeded $20,000, you could basically get a return rate of fifteen percent every month. If it could exceed $200,000, it would be a return rate of twenty percent every month!
These financial products were clearly full of all kinds of problems. As long as one’s mind was not blinded by greed, one would definitely be able to find the problems!
A business that is guaranteed to make a profit without any loss, why don’t they do it themselves? Why do they have to sell it to ordinary people? Just because… of gratitude?
Alright, the logic is self-contained. Although they are all inferior lies, at least their story can be self-justifying because Count Basil had received kindness and help from the people of the Federation, so he had to give back to the Federation society.
Not only did he expose the fact that he was secretly managing the royal assets for the royal family, but he also announced all the investment projects with great fanfare. Is this possible?
But under the temptation of high returns, everyone thought it was possible!
As for those who were not fooled?
They were screened out. This place only needed those who were stupid enough, not those who were smart enough.
If you don’t believe it, you can leave, but if you cause trouble, then it will be difficult to handle!
After listening to Wally say a lot, Lance asked, “Have you bought any products yourself?”
Wally was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “I have bought this ‘Gold Brick Three-Year Product’ myself. It has a return rate of nine percent every month.”
Lance asked again, “Have you broken even yet?”
Wally shook his head, “These financial products haven’t been around for long, so it will still take some time to break even, and I’ve reinvested all the profits I’ve received!”
Looking at his sincere smile, Lance felt… he was actually quite happy, at least for now.
“Mr. Lance, almost all our employees have purchased products, including our boss. You can completely trust us.”
“If you have some spare cash, I recommend you choose this $100,000 product. It has a seventeen percent return rate. You can get $17,000 in interest every month.”
“In just six months, you can break even, and then every month after that, it’s all net profit.”
“After the contract ends, the principal will also be returned to you in one lump sum. In two years, you will receive a total return of $500,000 including principal and interest!”
Many people were dumbfounded when they heard so many numbers. Their minds were all muddled. How could they still be concerned about whether it was a scam or not?
Lance observed the entire hall. It was magnificent. Everything seemed exceptionally high-end and normal. It was full of light and spaciousness, which made people believe from the bottom of their hearts that this was not a place for filth.
“It’s a bit forward, but may I ask how many people have purchased your financial products?”
Lance even specifically explained, “I believe the choice of the majority should be correct, so I hope you can give me a real number. If this number moves me, I will consider buying the top-tier product!”
Wally almost jumped up!
If this Mr. White really bought a $200,000 financial product, he could get a commission of $40,000 just from that!
This was more than the sum of all the money he had ever received since he was a child!
“Mr. White, I have to say, your vision is unique. At least 7,000 people have chosen to trust us and entrust their funds to us for investment and profit.”
“I know some people outside are questioning us, but think about it, it’s not strange to have one fool, but to have at least 7,000 rich fools, and all foolish together, isn’t that strange?”
“So this is not a scam. The reason why the rich get richer is because of their courage and wisdom. Your courage and wisdom make you different from them!”
Lance nodded slightly after listening, “Can you use cash here?”
“Of course, we support both cash and transfer!” he said, full of expectation!
At this moment, in his eyes, Lance was a living $40,000!
Lance took out a cigarette. Wally quickly bent over and bowed to light the cigarette for him, “I’m investing so much money. Can I meet Count Basil?”
“I believe $200,000 should be enough to exchange for an opportunity to meet him, don’t you think?”
Wally was stunned for a moment, “I have to ask for instructions. Please wait a moment.” He was becoming more and more convinced that Lance was really going to invest!
He quickly went from one door to another room. After waiting for a few minutes, he had not yet returned, but he saw a familiar person, Barbara.
Barbara felt a little strange when she saw Lance. Lance had said before that he was not interested in these things, so why was he here again?
And recently… but she had also heard that Lance was very rich now!
She walked to Lance’s side and sat down, “Alone?”
Lance nodded, “There’s a manager named Wally, but he’s not here right now.”
Barbara looked at Lance, “Didn’t you say…”
Lance smiled mysteriously and also made a shushing gesture, “It’s a secret!”
Barbara was a little unclear about what this meant. Just as she was about to ask something, Wally came out from inside.
He saw Barbara at a glance and also knew her. He hurriedly walked over, “Mr. White is my client!”
He anxiously stated his position. He knew very well that these beautiful girls were more likely to win the favor of male clients. Barbara glanced at him, then stood up, “I knew… Mr. White before. You’re a lucky boy.”
“Remember to treat me to coffee later!”
She stood up as she spoke and left here. This made Wally breathe a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the distinguished guest in front of him would be seduced away by Barbara.
“I have asked my superior. If you confirm that you will purchase a $200,000 product, we can arrange for you to meet with the president.”
He added, “But only for ten minutes.”
Lance slapped the armrest and stood up. Wally thought he had messed up. Just as he was thinking about how to remedy the situation, Lance suddenly extended his hand, “Deal!”
“I will bring the money to meet with Mr. President, and hand it to him in person. You go and arrange it. When it’s arranged, call this number.”
“Tell him, I’m very interested in the history of the Basil family. If he can satisfy me, I can invest more!”
He picked up the cup holder, wrote a number on it with a fountain pen, and left it for him. Then, while Wally was still in a daze, he shook his hand and then left.
Today it was Ennio driving for Lance, “I just heard someone say they can give a few percent, a dozen percent, every month. Is that true?”
“This is almost catching up with our usury, isn’t it?”
Lance shook his head and said, “It’s actually more ruthless than usury, if they can honor it.”
“If you lend out $200,000 for two years, the most you can ask for is $10,000 a month. Otherwise, no one would take so much.”
“But they dare to take as much as you give. Do you know what that means?”
Ennio was driving seriously, and at the same time shook his head, “I didn’t go to school much, I don’t really understand this.”
“This has nothing to do with how much school you’ve attended, Ennio. Not having gone to school doesn’t mean you have to be a fool. None of us have gone to much school.”
“The only possibility that they can take in an infinite amount of capital and still give such a high interest rate is that from the very beginning, they never intended to really let you make money.”
“No legitimate financial company would dare to guarantee that their annual interest rate is above this number. On what grounds do they guarantee that their monthly profit is above this number?”
Ennio was a little confused, “But didn’t some of them already get the rebate?”
This was perhaps the reason why so many people were fooled, because they really saw some people get the rebate.
“You give them $100, and they give you fifteen every month. This means they can at least honor the contract for half a year.”
“After half a year, they have two choices: either run away with the remaining ten dollars, or have more people join in.”
“The former is unlikely, the latter is more likely, and you’ve already seen it, so many people!”
Ennio gradually began to understand. The speed of the car even accelerated for a moment, “You mean, he’s using the investors’ money to pay the investors’ interest?”
“My God…”
“They are committing fraud!” Then he became nervous, “Then did you fall for it?”
Finally understood, but not completely.
“I didn’t come here for their scam, nor did I fall for it. What I’m after is the money in their pockets!”
“Anyway, this money will be lost sooner or later. It’s better for me to take it and put it in my account.”
“At that time, I’ll set up a foundation and can use this money to help more people!”
Ennio sighed with sincere admiration, “A noble ideal!”