Chapter 1962 - 533: The Demon King Places a Bloodsucking Sword in the Hero’s Brother’s Hand (Part 4)

This is not just a bank.

It is practically an unstoppable "Light of Praise"!

It's even more formidable than the Light of Praise because the latter can only pierce the Demon King's chest, while the former can gather everyone's strength to make the whole Duchy prosper!

Those emerald green eyes flashed a captivating gleam for a moment, and the fist on the armrest of the chair involuntarily tightened.

"This idea is brilliant!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, so I have decided to offer this unstoppable sword to you! Only you are worthy of it!"

Andes had long prepared for this. The fist grasping at air quickly pressed against his chest, not daring to linger for even a moment.

As the wealthiest merchant of the Campbell Duchy, and Edward's adviser, he knew that this ambitious Grand Duke would certainly understand his words.

Even without Prince Colin's reminder, he knew this was not a "private item" to be locked in a bank vault.

Seeing Andes' "Swift as the Wind" action, Edward was slightly taken aback, his fist on the armrest unconsciously loosening, and he chuckled.

"You... what is this?"

"I am sincerely offering you a suggestion; this sharp sword is too fierce, if held by private hands, it would only cause panic among the citizens."

Andes' voice was respectful and sincere, without a hint of deceit.

"I implore Your Majesty to establish a Royal Bank to inject capital into the Central Bank. Only when the trident emblem is branded on the sword hilt can it truly become a Divine Artifact guarding the Duchy."

Edward stared into his eyes, observing the fear hidden behind his humility, his lips slightly curled yet shaking his head.

"A Royal Bank? Let my steward and servants sit at the table with Thunder City's bankers to account together? You know those people are not as good at accounting as I am, they are only good at decorating my garden, and probably can't help you much."

The key thing is, they are easy to invite but hard to send away. The royal servants, like the nobles, almost have no exit mechanism.

They can act as brakes on a downhill when the speed is fast enough you don't see their clumsiness.

But once it's time to go uphill, they can immediately exert their "subjective passivity," forcing everyone off the cart to lift it... although it's a bit exhausting, at least the cart won't roll downhill.

Edward had no solution for this, his reputation in high society was already bad enough, if he became any more "barbaric" it might really attract the Judicial Court.

"But—" Andes paused, seemingly surprised that the Duke would reject him, could it be he needed to give in again?

Just as he pondered what to say, Edward thought for a moment and came up with a compromise.

"However, you are right, this sword indeed cannot be held in private hands. In that case... let the Royal Mint handle it."

Andes was somewhat surprised.

"The Mint?"

Edward nodded with a smile.

"Correct. I plan to let the Royal Mint invest in this 'Central Bank', holding enough shares to exercise veto power at the shareholders' meeting... this is the way to play the game, right?"

Andes immediately replied.

"The board can stipulate veto power in the bylaws, it's technically not difficult!"

"Then that's settled."

Edward leaned back into his chair, his tone flat yet with an unyielding authority.

In the Campbell Duchy, the Royal Mint is not an authoritative agency but an executive body, mostly populated by administrative bureaucrats responsible for carrying out orders.

Those folks are similarly slow and unresponsive, rigid in their work without flexibility, but as long as compliant documents are presented, they will get things done.

And most importantly, these people are different from the royal servants. They are citizen employees, selected through exams and have an exit mechanism.

The Campbell family doesn't need to make money through the Central Bank; he, as Duke, only needs this unstoppable sword to be used compliantly.

From this perspective, this is precisely the place for those bureaucrats.

"I don't need them to help me make money, they just need to sit there, ensuring this sword is secure. As for how to wield it, how to let it generate wealth for the Duchy... that is up to you people skilled in using it."

"My only requirement is," Edward's voice deepened, staring unblinkingly at the man standing before the desk, "when the Duchy needs it sheathed, it must return to its sheath immediately, do you understand what I mean?"

Andes felt a chill in his heart, bowing deeply once more.

"Of course... we all hope our Duchy thrives, I will definitely remember your advice."

"Haha, Andes, you are too tense," Edward chuckled, standing up from his desk, walking over to pat Andes' shoulder, "I appreciate you handing this sword to me, I see your loyalty."

"No, Your Majesty, this is my duty..."

"Many have said this sentence to me, but you are the one who actually keeps it in your heart. I still remember Earl Derek's smile while toasting with me, and have seen his ugly face when the dagger is revealed at the end..."

When Edward paused here, it seemed he thought of the guy locked in the dungeon, letting out a light sigh.

Actually, he didn't want things to be too absolute, but sometimes when the atmosphere is right, he has no choice but to follow through as per the protocols.

"Andes, I have another important task for you, you can take my sword to accomplish it."

"Your orders, please."

Andes felt solemn, respectfully lowering his head.

He already guessed what the Grand Duke was going to say, yet even so, dared not show an 'I guessed it' expression.

Even though he knew all too well, his Majesty was not like the neighboring King.

Because this blade would pierce the artery of the nobles—

"...I've always thought, our ancestors delegated too much power downward. We had no choice before, otherwise, we couldn't manage our Duchy; however, now, those unchecked powers have become troublesome tails."

Knight of the Ryan Kingdom are raiding Roland City residents with copper coins, and poor-quality copper coins will soon flow down to Thunder City.

Every loaf of bread here is subsidized by the Campbell Royal Family, and the money comes from the pockets of Thunder City citizens.

Theoden attempts to mobilize the nobles' power to mint copper coins, using a pile of scrap to exchange for Campbell people's labor achievements and return them to sustain the Devalu family.

And now—

It's time to block this pipe!

Edward did not doubt that the decision he was about to make was precisely awaited by everyone in the Duchy.

That only the sweat of the Campbell people could exchange for another Campbell people's sweat!

No one could demand them to underprice their sweat using scrap!

Nor use republican blood to nourish the wolves in feudal castles!

"We need to issue 'copper pounds', to replace the increasingly unreliable copper coins as the 'silver pound' auxiliary currency! Its value will stay stable at 100:1 with the silver pound, and recognized by the tax bureau!"

"The establishment of the 'Central Bank' is a good opportunity; it's time to reclaim the 'coinage rights' from the minor nobles into our Duchy!"