Insurance
In contrast to dwarves, humans weren’t fond of messy places. While humankind was also a social species, they needed quiet environments, too. Humanity’s bar’s ambience and environment was excellent. At the extravagant bar, there was only Edward and a few others at the bar counter. The bartender dressed in a straight formal uniform, assiduously cleaning the class cups. In spite of being a mere glass cup, one would think that the bartender was cutting diamonds given how serious he was.
Edward loved the luxury he now enjoyed. He was finally able to enjoy what he could only watch before. His career success was assured. He enjoyed his session on his own with the exquisitely crafted wine glass.
After hearing the bell rang, the bartender regarded the customer who just entered wearing a hood a face mask with a polite smile. He inquired, “What would you like to drink?”
The customer went and sat next to Edward. Edward glanced at him. The customer appeared about the size of a child. The visible parts of his body were pale white. His hands appeared obviously small for a man. He pointed at the brand on the most expensive shelf and then turned to Edward. Sounding raspy, he informed, “Mr. Edward? I have been searching for you. They said that you might be drinking near the bar.”
“Yeah?”
Edward chuckled. Nobody else could identify him, but maybe they never paid attention or forgot. Edward decided not to ask who the man was for he figured it’d be rude.
The young man cleared his throat and expounded, “Sorry, Mr. Edward. I have a bit of a cold at the moment.”
“It’s fine. What do you seek me for? It must be important for you to come see me instead of sleeping.”
Though presumably young, the young businessman was a generous spender, which meant that he must’ve had the money to support it and also indicated the he was a competent businessman. If he didn’t have the competence, yet spent lavishly, it was easy to see through his disguise right away. Howbeit, his composure was an indication that he was used to lavish spending and high-end environments. He, therefore, had to be the child of a noble family or a businessman associated with success. With such delicate and supple skin, it was obvious that he was no small-timer as businessmen had to run around all day. There was no way he’d have such nice hands. The fact that he could take such good care of his skin meant that his living conditions were top notch.
Edward started to develop an interest in the businessman. Actually, proud would be the better word for the reason that he had begun to consider business a pastime, not a scheme.
“I’m here to sell you something.”
Edward narrowed his eyes and laughed. He had a drink and replied, “Take out your goods, then. Let’s see what it’s worth.”
“Mr. Edward, my good is on you or, more accurately, you are my good. I know that you are currently the businessman with the most stones. The stones will make you extremely wealthy. I would estimate you could make around one million gold coins, correct? However, I know you would not have had enough money to obtain so much with you money alone. You must have taken a loan from the bank and a large sum, for that matter. So, have you considered that you would go bankrupt if someone else one day had more stones than you?”
“That’s impossible.”
Edward frowned. Despite the reasoning being sound, it wasn’t auspicious to hear.
“It is just a possibility. Can you guarantee that it will not happen? You can go and see if a group of dwarves have joyously left the city. If they found that place, what would happen?”
“That’s impossible! That place is n-”
Edward suddenly froze. The lord of the place had gone bankrupt. As a result, the place would be auctioned. Though the elves couldn’t participate in the auction, if they hired someone to bid on their behalf, then it’d be fine. Nobody mentioned him going to the North. With that said, given that the dwarves left the city so hastily, they must’ve found something. If the dwarves could get their hands on the stone, then… Nonetheless, Edward couldn’t confirm the authenticity of the claim.
Noticing Edward’s silence, the businessman proposed, “Would you like to have insurance for the risk you have taken on? I know that you are rich now. You can earn an enormous amount selling just a tiny number of stones daily. Let us do this: I want ten thousand gold coins daily over a period of five days, thereby totalling fifty thousand gold coins. If the stones plummet during this time and you go bankrupt, I will cover your losses. On the other hand, if you do not go bankrupt, then I will take the fifty thousand gold coins. What do you think?”
Such an insurance policy was the first Edward had ever heard of. Nevertheless, the conditions were acceptable. Fifty thousand gold coins was an insignificant amount to a businessman with a million. Howbeit, if he was to go bankrupt, then he really would be doomed. There was no question that the businessman he offered the deal had a gain to make. The price of the stones had only appreciated; there were no signs of it depreciating. If he could make fifty thousand gold coins in five days, he would be making a colossal amount of money…
“Didn’t you just say that some dwarves had left?”
“But do you really believe that they will be able to locate the stones?”
Edward stopped to think again.If somebody was willing to cover him, then it’d be a dream come true. The question was, could the businessman actually repay the losses.
“Do you really have enough money to help me?”
In response, the businessman took out several parchments.
“I have already received money from plenty of people who have entrusted me with their backs. Though they may not have paid as much as you, I have made money. The price cannot possibly drop at the moment. Even if it did, I have enough here to get back your capital. What do you think? I can easily pay back the small-timers.”
“Mm… All right, then. I’ll sign. As you mentioned, if the price doesn’t drop in five days, the fifty thousand gold coins will be yours, and you’ll also be able to earn from them, right? How much can you earn?”
“About a hundred thousand. I have not finished yet.”
The merchant proudly thumped his chest. Then, he grabbed a new parchment and wrote up a contract. Edward checked the terms and signed..
“Pleasure to do business with you, Mr. Edward.”
“A pleasure to do business, um, Mr. Douqin Lynn.”
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