"If you have money, you can even command ghosts."
This is an extremely common and universally accepted piece of knowledge, so much so that similar sayings exist wherever you go in the world.
Even the notoriously hard-to-enter Harvard University will allow you to 'legally' enroll if you donate billions in cash.
In America, if you spend an immense amount of money, a lawyer might even create a new mental illness called 'rich person's syndrome' to help get you off the hook with a judge.
And I, too, am doing something that would normally be impossible using money and power.
"Mayor Guillaume, I was hoping you could grant me citizenship in the Kingdom of Lyon. Can you do that?"
Upon hearing my words, Mayor Guillaume responded as if he were about to wag his tail.
"Normally, it would be impossible, but since it's between you and me, Lord Rothschild, I’ll personally make an exception. Please wait a moment."
Medieval citizenship can be broadly divided into three types: serfs, citizens who can live in cities, and nobles.
Among these, becoming a noble is almost impossible for someone like me, a foreigner, no matter how much money I pour into it, and gaining serf status is also unexpectedly difficult.
To become a noble, you need to bribe someone of higher rank, such as a baron or above.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
As for becoming a serf, you need to have your name added to the baptismal list at a village church, and for that, I’d have to go all the way to a village, negotiate 'appropriately' with the local priest.
However, citizenship for living in a city is legally guaranteed to anyone who stays in the city for 366 days.
"All you need to do is bribe a low-level bureaucrat with a silver coin, get a certificate proving you've stayed in the city for 366 days, and you're done."
In countries with vast land areas and a majority poor population, people trade residence permits for cities like Beijing and Shanghai for huge amounts of money.
If they heard this, they'd be green with envy.
"Then let’s get on with the minimum required questions for issuing citizenship. First, what will your name be?"
"I'll go with Pierre Macaron."
"Pierre Macaron, I’ll list your profession as a merchant."
Mayor Guillaume asked a few more random questions, then handed me the legally valid citizenship.
"With this, you now hold the new status of Pierre Macaron. As of this moment, you are eligible to run for a seat in the Guillaume City Council, and you can own real estate and land in the Kingdom of Lyon in your own name."
He must have misunderstood the reason for me obtaining citizenship, because he seemed to think it was purely for acquiring land or property for speculative profit.
While it’s not unusual for people to use citizenship in this way, it’s not the real reason for me.
"Since I personally prepared the citizenship, it will be officially registered in the Guillaume City citizens' list, and apart from me, no one will know that this citizenship is not legally granted."
This was the exact reason I came to see the mayor.
The bond between me and the mayor is far stronger than what you'd call 'partners' in some games. We are connected by money, a bond that is even tighter than having fought side by side through life-or-death situations.
Some might say that connections made through money can be cut at any time. But what kind of ridiculous nonsense is that, when love itself doesn’t last forever in this world?
How can they make such a statement without realizing the mess they would get into if someone ran off after borrowing millions, all due to a broken promise?
"Thanks."
Mayor Guillaume tilted his head and asked.
"But what exactly are you planning to use this citizenship for?"
It’s for causing some chaos in the Holy Empire.
If I were to say that, I’d be giving them a reason to trap me later.
Even though I’m itching to tell him, I need to be careful and change the subject.
"Why do I need to tell you that?"
The mayor, hearing my words, was left speechless.
"Don’t worry. I won’t do anything harmful to the Kingdom of Lyon with this citizenship. In fact, it may even help."
The enemy of my enemy is my ally.
Communists and capitalists fought hand in hand against Nazi Germany, after all.
Your enemy is also the Holy Empire, and I’ll be draining its lifeblood...
Though I can’t promise what will happen in the future, you can trust me for now.
"I will trust you, since you say so, Lord."
Thanks to me, the mayor's social standing will have risen, and his family's wealth has likely grown by several times.
If I say something, he’d probably believe it even if I told him I was making miso out of sweet red bean paste.
How could he oppose the words of someone who’s made his money multiply several times?
If I tell him to flip over, he’d probably do it without question.
"Then let’s buy a warehouse and dock in an appropriate place. The name will, of course, be registered under Pierre Macaron."
The reason I’m passing through Guillaume City to sell tulips to the Holy Empire is simple.
If the tulips being exported to the Holy Empire pass through the Tuscany Empire...
After I launch the Tulip Coin in the Holy Empire, I’ll be branded the cowardly culprit, causing diplomatic problems.
But if the citizens of this city, Pierre Macaron, are the ones involved, the Holy Empire will likely mistake it as the crime of the evil Lyon Kingdom.
"The true mastermind never leaves a trace."
"Lastly, since you’ve handled this matter well..."
In organizations like the Yakuza, surprisingly, they often pay their employees generously after the probationary period.
That’s because if they don’t pay well, no one will do that dirty work.
I handed him a pouch containing about 30 gold coins.
"This is a gift from me. Please continue to assist me in the future."
Though I now have the false identity of Pierre Macaron...
My face is known by a fair number of people, at least in the Holy Empire.
If I were to run off with the Tulip Coin scam after pulling a big haul in the Holy Empire?
Even if I managed to escape, it would be obvious that the noble from Tuscany Empire had orchestrated the whole thing behind the scenes.
"That’s why I can’t go myself."
"I would have preferred to leave it to Sebastian, but his face is probably known too..."
As a second option, I have no choice but to use another person recommended by Sebastian.
"Orsini, I’m giving you a very important task for our family."
Orsini, a man who joined our merchant guild and quickly proved his worth, rising to become Sebastian’s right-hand man in no time.
He’s the kind of person who’s crazy enough to work overtime seven days a week to climb the ranks.
No, he’s a fallen noble with a grandfather who sold off their fief.
"If it means restoring my family’s honor, I’ll do anything."
"You can’t just restore your family by gaining my trust."
If it were someone like Sebastian, I’d give him a separate fief, but our family operates on a salary and performance-based system.
Most of the income for our retainers and guild executives comes from performance bonuses...
It’s basically structured like a large corporation.
There won’t be any land grants like when we were nobles.
"Our family was always just a poor baronial house. Rather than have land, it’s much better to be close to Lord Rothschild. After all, you’re not going to stay as just a 'baron,' right?"
As long as I don’t fight against being promoted, my title will eventually rise.
Duke Visconti and the Emperor will try to elevate me to strengthen their own power.
"That’s something no one knows. But if you follow me, I can promise you untold wealth and glory."
Compared to other families, our Rothschild baron family gives double the pay to our servants and attendants.
We also provide performance bonuses of at least three months' worth of salary and various welfare benefits.
"Some people even quit their jobs in the Farnese Count family to join ours."
That’s why the loyalty and cohesion of our family are unmatched compared to others.
It turns out, money can buy loyalty.
"If you can’t buy loyalty with money, it’s because you didn’t pay enough."
"Your job is to sell these tulip flowers in the Holy Empire."
"Then, should I sell them just like in the Tuscany Empire?"
That way, I won’t be able to scam anyone.
"At first, just like I did in Tuscany Empire, use a beautiful woman to show the noble ladies the beauty of the tulips."
The trend of growing tulips needs to catch on before we can start scamming them.
Oh, not scamming, 'planned delisting of the coin.'
"And when the beauty of the tulips is known, sell the rare tulips I’ve prepared at a very high price."
While single-colored tulips are nice, nobles go crazy for things they can show off.
If they see striped tulips, they’ll go wild.
"And then, sell the tulip bulbs at a slightly higher price. But mix in the rare bulbs at a ratio of about 1 in 2,000. Adjust the ratio based on market conditions."
With this, we can surely destroy the Holy Empire’s economy.
It’s a combination of gacha and coins—who can beat that?