Chapter Forty-Four: A Tangled Web (Part One)

The Crow accompanied Congressman Kidd and Mr. Spielberg on their journey back to Valencia, faithfully reporting the Fei Xi people's requests along with Mr. Spielberg’s proposed plan for their liberation to Warrenheit. What happened next was beyond his involvement. Warrenheit first convened the highest government council and invited several of the most influential members of the Democratic Party—Congressmen Kidd, Achilles, and Aubrey—to attend. These three were the Democratic Party's leading figures in the upper house, and securing their approval would significantly diminish opposition within the assembly.

Though the details of the negotiations were unknown, the plan was ultimately approved, as the government appointed Congressman Kidd as Foreign Minister, officially placing him in charge of the matter. Upon assuming office, Kidd first met with Mr. Spielberg, a close friend of Warrenheit. They engaged in a negotiation unseen by the Crow, which culminated in an agreement: Spielberg would invest a substantial sum as initial capital to establish an institution dedicated to serving the Fei Xi people. However, the astute Spielberg would not part with his money without compensation; it was originally agreed that costs would be shared, and the interest from loans extended to the Fei Xi would gradually repay the investment.

Yet, with opposition from two other Democratic congressmen who argued that too much public revenue should not be allocated solely to serve the Fei Xi—after all, it was taxpayer money—Warrenheit had to adjust the budget temporarily within the year’s approved spending. According to Warrenheit and Kidd’s vision, Valencia must firmly control this institution and maintain dominance in its collaboration with merchants. However, the merchants providing most of the funding sought only a minority stake, a proposition difficult to accept. As a compromise, the government agreed that Herdasin would provide a piece of land at a reduced price for the institution’s establishment, easing the financial burden on the investors. Another middle ground was that although the institution’s primary purpose was to serve the Fei Xi, since merchants would contribute over half the capital, they would have the right to expand the institution’s business scope.

Spielberg secured this opportunity not only for himself but also for the interest group behind him. Upon government approval, the institution was granted the authority to open branches within Landia; it could accept deposits from non-Fei Xi individuals and issue loans, with the interest on such loans split equally between the institution and the merchants, a distribution separate from the equity arrangements between the government and merchants.

Simply put, the merchants provided the bulk of the funding, the government guaranteed with its credit and held majority control, and both parties dispatched representatives to oversee operations. Profits from lending against Fei Xi deposits were divided according to shareholding, while merchants gained future benefits as compensation.

Thus, all parties were satisfied. The Crow once again accompanied Congressman Kidd and Mr. Spielberg back to Herdasin, though the entourage had grown considerably, including members from both the government and merchant sides tasked with setting up the institution, all well-versed in accounting to ensure mutual oversight. Following principles of decentralization, they debated at length over the appointments of their respective representatives but eventually reached a compromise.

Oh, and by the way, the institution was named “Bank,” a suggestion from Mr. Spielberg that earned the nods of both Warrenheit and Congressman Kidd.

With the Landian government’s consent, Herdasin’s local support, and the swift deployment of personnel from both sides, the institution was established rapidly. Meanwhile, Congressman Kidd approached Crown Prince Philip to request a census of the Fei Xi population to facilitate account openings. Of course, there was a hidden agenda: if the Fei Xi divulged detailed information about their people to Kidd’s side, it would be invaluable intelligence for humans, who knew little about the Fei Xi’s true state.

However, this hope was dashed. Though the Fei Xi agreed to establish the bank in exchange for trade, Philip was undoubtedly cautious—not a fool. As the heir to Emperor Sargon, he was shrewd and refused to reveal too much about his people. Only a few high-ranking Fei Xi, such as Pompey and Sadis, were permitted to open accounts. Unable to obtain detailed information on lower-ranked soldiers or the Fei Xi’s military strength, Kidd had to abandon his investigation.

The institution, named the Landia National Bank, officially opened five days later. Besides safeguarding the Fei Xi’s funds from land-based transactions, it accepted deposits from other city residents under one condition: depositors had to guarantee their funds were legally obtained, with no suspicion of violating Landian law. Should any funds be proven illicit, the bank reserved the right to freeze them.

To the continent’s inhabitants, this was a novel concept—entrusting money to others for safekeeping, which naturally entailed risk. However, first, the institution was backed by the Landian government; second, the bank promised interest payments on deposits according to agreed terms. This was appealing: money left at home earned no profit, while business ventures held both risk and reward. Depositing with the bank guaranteed interest payments upon maturity.

Simultaneously, Mr. Spielberg, representing the bank, announced that city merchants or those aspiring to conduct business but lacking funds could borrow from the bank, provided they passed credit assessments and offered sufficient collateral. For Herdasin’s trading community, this was groundbreaking news. Many merchants occasionally lacked cash, and having sufficient funds sometimes meant greater profits. Mortgaging houses, land, or rare collectibles to the bank could temporarily secure substantial capital to boost earnings. Though interest was charged, merchants welcomed the opportunity. Only the usurers despised the bank, as it stole a portion of their business. Previously, merchants seeking loans turned either to friends or usurers. But this institution, backed by the Landian government, was too powerful to confront openly, especially with Spielberg’s considerable influence and rumored deep ties to the underworld.

After the bank’s establishment, the Fei Xi finally relented. Mr. Spielberg hosted a grand banquet, inviting the Fei Xi and their senior commanders. Crown Prince Philip and Princess Helen attended, while General Sadis stayed behind to guard their forces. The fortunate Fei Xi accompanying Philip feasted luxuriously, drinking copious amounts of fine wine, said to come from Spielberg’s private vineyard. Each year, he personally cultivated grapes to produce wine never sold, but carefully stored in a secure cellar, only served years later to Spielberg and select friends.

The gifts prepared for Princess Helen were a lavish collection of the most fashionable clothes and jewelry from Valencia and Hawthorn, custom-tailored by specialist designers. Dressed in these garments, Helen outshone even the princesses of Hawthorn, radiating noble elegance.

Crown Prince Philip received a different gift, essentially the first official trade following the commercial agreement: the Fei Xi supplied whale bones and other sea monster remains harvested from the ocean depths, along with rare underwater materials. Herdasin’s weapon smiths would forge a batch of specialized weapons for the Fei Xi. This was their request; although their self-made weapons were effective, they appeared crude and unsightly. The Fei Xi admired human craftsmanship but lamented that human metals rusted quickly at sea. Now, with trade established, humans could produce and supply these weapons.

What the Fei Xi did not know was that during the crafting process, clever merchants from the armories secretly withheld some of the weapons and shields, citing defects, and later sold these underwater-material creations as art pieces, making profits many times over the original weapon prices. For example, shields crafted from the shells of ancient sea clams became treasured items among martial ladies and noblewomen skilled in the arts.

Unfortunately, these items could not yet be mass-marketed, as the Fei Xi remained wary of trade and commerce. The rare materials resembling art more than weapons were exclusively supplied by the Fei Xi and prioritized for their own use. Still, this development was promising; having taken the first step, the Fei Xi would likely increase their trade deposits in time.

This transaction involved the Fei Xi providing raw materials and payment partly made with aquamarine gems, which were not only valuable as jewelry but also rare magical crystals imbued with potent water-elemental magic. Wizards prized them as essential ingredients for water and white magic scrolls. The gems were converted at an agreed rate into Landian silver coins, first covering the design and production costs of the weapons, with the remainder deposited in the newly established Landia National Bank under accounts jointly held by Philip, Helen, Sadis, and Pompey. These four—or any Fei Xi holding specially issued magic crystal cards linked to them, combined with prearranged passphrases—could withdraw funds from the bank.

After finalizing the trade agreement, the Fei Xi lingered a few days, collecting the weapons hurriedly crafted by the city’s armories before withdrawing from Herdasin. Their destination remained a mystery, though some bold sea vessels claimed to have seen the vast Fei Xi fleet sailing northeastward.