69novels Chapter 246 Financial Crisis
Chapter 246 Financial Crisis
Chapter 246 Financial Crisis
"Thank you, Mr. Rustig! Thank you so much!"
A slightly overweight, richly dressed businessman gripped Klein's hand tightly, his face glistening with oil from excessive excitement.
Because he heard "insider information" from the other party, the stocks he bought skyrocketed in a short period of time, making him a net profit of several thousand pounds, which was equivalent to half a year's profit from his factory.
"You're welcome, Mr. Sean." Klein smiled politely and gracefully withdrew his hand. "Rather than thanking me, you should say you had excellent judgment and seized this opportunity."
"Do you have any other stock recommendations, Mr. Rastig? I'll listen to you this time!" The wealthy businessman Sean asked eagerly, as if afraid of missing the next opportunity to make a fortune.
"Since Mr. Sean is so interested," Klein paused deliberately, showing just the right amount of hesitation, before speaking in a relaxed tone, "I do have some stocks that I'm very optimistic about—"
"Okay, okay! Please wait a moment!" Sean quickly pulled a fine pen and a small notebook from his pocket. Klein said slowly as he jotted down notes rapidly.
Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation about stocks, other guests around them cast envious and curious glances their way.
"Sir, there is a telegram for you."
A soft, melodious female voice rang out. Irene, dressed in an expensive gown and looking like a true noblewoman, swayed gracefully as she approached and handed a telegram to Klein.
"Okay, I'll be right there." Klein understood immediately, stood up, and asked Mr. Sean to let him leave.
"Mr. Sean, I wish you all the best on your path to wealth."
"Thank you, Mr. Rustig, I will never forget your kindness!"
Inside a top-tier luxury suite at a hotel in Backlund.
Having shed all pretense and changed back into ordinary clothes, Klein sighed wearily. He glanced at Irene, who was reclining on the sofa, exuding an aura of languor and allure.
The latter seemed to notice his gaze, raised her head, and looked at him with her watery eyes, a captivating smile playing on her lips.
Klein's heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of heat rose uncontrollably within him.
Calm down! I need to calm down! She's a "witch"—think of Roselle's joke, Klein, you absolutely cannot repeat that mistake—
He frantically warned himself in his mind, and only after forcibly calming himself down did he turn his gaze to the other side, where Charles was sitting on the sofa, quietly watching the report.
"How is it?"
"Everything is going well." Charles nodded, closing the report in his hand. "Next, we will begin repurchasing that stock at five sulphurs per share."
"This—the increase has already exceeded forty percent, are you really sure there are no problems with funding?" Klein couldn't help but ask.
"Hmph—don't underestimate our economic strength." Charles's voice was full of confidence. "As for you, you've been doing a very good job lately, Mr. Rustig."
"Sigh—" Klein sighed again.
This is his latest mission: to impersonate a wealthy businessman named "Lastig" and enter the Backlund stock market as an investment genius.
The specific job involved posing as a successful person and "selflessly" recommending stocks to other wealthy businessmen and stockbrokers in Backlund at various high-society salons and gatherings.
Initially, few people believed him. Only a handful of people, either to test the waters or simply for fun, followed his advice and bought some stocks.
To everyone's surprise, within just a few days of those people buying in, the value of these stocks began to soar, with gains quickly exceeding 30%. Those who had only bought in with a casual attitude made a fortune.
So when he recommended the stock a second time, many people who had previously been observing jumped in. Sure enough, the stock price soared again.
This happened several times in a row.
The nature of the matter then underwent a fundamental change.
The entire upper class of Backlund knew that there was a man named Rustig who had inside information, and that following him would make you rich.
As a result, the character "Rustig," played by Klein, became a highly sought-after figure. Countless wealthy people and nobles tried every means to visit him, hoping to obtain his "guidance."
In fact, Klein knew very well that the Society was secretly manipulating those stocks. The Society would sell those stocks at low prices to lure targets into the market, and then buy them back at high prices, artificially creating a false impression of market prosperity.
The society has already paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for this.
He could roughly guess the purpose of forming the association: to snowball the bubble through huge initial investments, attract enough funds to enter the market, and then "harvest" the profits when the bubble reached its maximum.
"Take a few days off. You'll have a new assignment soon," Charles instructed. "A new mining company is being established in Backlund. You need to hint to them that this company has discovered a gold mine with enormous reserves in its southern colonies, which is a major boon—"
"This time the targets are politicians and nobles; I'll tell you the specific details later."
"This—" Klein's face instantly darkened. To be honest, his conscience bothered him for doing such a thing.
"Stop making that sour face." Charles noticed his change in mood.
"You should be grateful you can participate in a mission with no life-threatening risks," Charles paused, then added, "Besides, playing the role of a wealthy merchant will benefit your potion digestion and future promotions. Don't take your good fortune for granted."
"But—but—a lot of people will go bankrupt because of this, won't they?" Klein hesitated before speaking.
Many people have mortgaged their entire net worth to buy stocks.
He knew that, in other cities in Rune, many other teams were doing similar things.
It's even possible that they're just using a smokescreen; these maneuvers aren't particularly sophisticated. They might just be a small part of an operation, or some kind of cover that's out in the open.
He didn't know the specifics of how to operate it; he didn't understand finance, nor did he know the plans that followed.
Furthermore, even if a stock's price increase exceeds 40%, countless people will still go crazy for it, even if it's a trap. Similarly, when the bubble bursts, countless people will lose everything because of it.
He has seen many people mortgage their real estate and factories to buy stocks.
"They can only blame themselves for being greedy. If they weren't greedy, how could they have fallen for it?" Charles advised patiently.
"It's not that we're bad, it's that they're too greedy. Besides, those stocks have entry barriers, they're irrelevant to ordinary people. In the end, it's always the wealthy merchants, factory owners, and those arrogant nobles who go bankrupt. Why are you worried about them?"
"They usually live a life of luxury, bullying and exploiting workers. What's wrong with making them pay a price now—"
"Yes, yes," Eileen chimed in with a coquettish laugh. "The thought of those arrogant and rude guys who are usually so high and mighty finally facing such a miserable end makes me really excited."
An unnatural flush rose on her cheeks, filled with an unusual pleasure.
As witches who bring calamity, their actions perfectly suit her role. For her, this not only accelerates the digestion of the potion and allows her to assume a higher-order role ahead of time, but also brings her rewards from the society—it's all beneficial.
"But if a mining company doesn't actually have any mines, it'll be easy for them to be exposed," Klein voiced his concern. "Once someone with connections notices something amiss and sends someone to investigate, or if the kingdom's relevant departments intervene—"
"You don't need to worry about that." Charles waved his hand casually, a mysterious smile on his face.
"If there's minerals in the mine, the higher-ups will naturally take care of it."
Solve it? How? Klein was puzzled. Could they really conjure up a gold mine out of thin air?
Seeing that Charles had no intention of explaining, he could only sigh slightly, pick up the newspaper on the table and flip through it, trying to distract himself.
After ignoring several articles about the booming stock market that made his conscience ache, he suddenly discovered a news item that piqued his interest.
"Russell Memorial Exhibition"
A desolate, uninhabited area.
A male figure appeared out of thin air.
His features were handsome, with deep-set eyes, which should have given him a very charming face. However, tufts of coarse, dark hair grew on his cheeks, giving him an extremely contradictory look that was both old and young, rational and crazy.
"Is this the place?" He looked around, surveying the barren environment.
He raised his head, looked up at the gray sky, and said slowly, in a tone as if stating a fact:
"I make a wish—"
"I hope there is a priceless gold mine here."
"Clatter".
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers softly in the silent wilderness.
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