Chapter 194: Loan
Iron Fortress, the fishing lake in the suburbs.
Kaito sat on a wooden stool by the water, holding a fishing rod. The lake was as still as a mirror, reflecting the afternoon sky.
"Sigh."
Kaito sighed for the seventeenth time that day. As the Sovereign of the Evernight Empire, ruler over tens of billions of subjects, he was currently stumped by a tiny fishing hook. It wasn't that he truly wanted to catch fish; it was just that the Empire's affairs had been so overwhelming lately that he needed a quiet place to organize his thoughts.
He had already handed the matter of the wraiths over to Lust. Though that woman had been a bit unreliable lately, her execution was impeccable, and she was always dependable when it mattered.
What truly gave Kaito a headache was something else: a proposal Skele-Avarice had just submitted via soul link.
Avarice. That tech-geek who lived buried in his laboratory, obsessed only with magic and undead construction, oblivious to the outside world—he had actually taken the initiative to report his thoughts to Kaito. It should have been a good thing, a sign of growth for a subordinate, but the suggestion itself left Kaito unsure whether to laugh or cry.
In the soul link, Avarice's voice had been uncharacteristically hesitant. "My Lord... I... I have an immature idea. I feel the Empire's welfare system might... perhaps be refined further."
Kaito had been intrigued—a research-obsessed maniac caring for the welfare of the people?
Avarice stammered for a long while before finishing. "Some residents live very diligently, but due to accidents like illness or curses, they fall into hardship. They need help, but don't quite meet the Empire's existing relief standards. So... I suggest, for potions like Emerald's Respite, could we... 'use first, pay later'?"
Kaito's soulfire had pulsed violently at the time. Use first, pay later? Isn't that just credit? While the intentions were good, the practical application was riddled with issues. The Empire wasn't short on money—if Kaito wanted, he could redefine the value of currency right now, or even have every subject hand over a single copper coin. But medicine wasn't money; it was tangible material. If it was gone, it was gone, and it took time to produce. If he opened up credit, who's to say someone wouldn't just have a minor cold and, out of curiosity, go and get a bottle just to taste it? The cost of Emerald's Respite wasn't high, but the Imperial population was an astronomical number. Ten billion people—if everyone took a sip, the inventory would hit rock bottom.
Yet, Kaito had agreed to Avarice's proposal. The reason was simple: this was the first time that child Avarice had taken the initiative to share his own thoughts. As a "parent"—cough, as a Sovereign—he couldn't just throw a bucket of cold water on a subordinate's newfound enthusiasm for work. Moreover, Avarice did have a point. The Empire's welfare system did have gray areas. While the Empire guaranteed basic food, clothing, shelter, and transport, ensuring no one starved or froze, a sudden serious illness or disaster could still devastate a household.
Kaito stared at the float on the water, his brain racing. A word suddenly popped out from a corner of his memory: Loan.
Right, loans! Hadn't Greed, that fellow, excitedly proposed this concept to Kaito a while back? Greed had been spitting everywhere, talking about pushing some "financial business" within the Empire. Kaito had thought the guy was just bored and looking for new ways to rake in cash. Now, it seemed like the perfect solution.
Kaito immediately diverted a thread of his consciousness toward the soul link with Greed. "Greed, that loan business you mentioned before—you can start the preparations."
Greed was clearly stunned for a moment, followed by an explosion of fervor. "My Lord! You've finally seen the light! I've been saying all along—"
"Focus it on medical relief," Kaito interrupted Greed's dramatics directly. "Any resident needing to purchase Emerald's Respite or other high-priced medicine can apply for an interest-free loan from the Empire. The term is three years, and the funds will be allocated directly by the State Army. However, the audit must be strict. You must verify the applicant's information to ensure every cent goes to someone truly in need."
"Also, add one clause: if anyone is discovered to have the ability to repay but deliberately defaults, send the Punishment Legion to their doorstep. Clean out their assets, pack them up, and send them to the mines for three months. Let them reflect deeply on what 'contractual spirit' means."
Greed was silent for a few seconds, then shouted in a tone nearing an aria. "My Lord is wise! This is the most perfect closed-loop model in financial history! It helps those in distress, establishes the Empire's credit system, and cleans out the social parasites in one fell swoop! I will do it immediately! I guarantee—seven days! No, within five days, every citizen in the Empire will be able to enjoy this great grace of yours!"
"Enough, go do it." Kaito waved his hand and decisively cut the link. The world was finally quiet.
Problem solved, Kaito returned his attention to the lake. Sadly, the fish still wouldn't bite. Kaito stared at the motionless float, sighed again, and felt his soulfire dim a shade. "Without Bochi, these fish really don't give me any face."
He thought of the little blue jelly he had sent to the Evernight Academy. Last time he brought it here, the little thing went insane the moment it saw the water and jumped in without a second thought. It was like throwing a giant magnet into the lake; fish from all directions rushed toward it like they'd lost their minds. Although the process required zero technique, the feeling of flipping fish onto the shore one after another was undeniably stress-relieving.
"I wonder how that little thing is doing at school. Has it swallowed any of its classmates' lunches?" Kaito muttered to himself, lifting the rod. Empty. Forget it, I'm done.
The more he fished, the more annoyed he became. Kaito stood up, grabbing the cheap, broken rod, and swung his arm, preparing to toss it into the center of the lake to be done with it. The rod traced a parabola in the air, about to hit the water.
Just then, Kaito stopped. Wait.
The Imperial City Management Regulations clearly stated: Discarding waste of any kind into public waters and surrounding areas is prohibited, punishable by a fine of five hundred copper coins and one day of community service.
That law... it seemed Kaito himself had personally approved and promulgated it.
Kaito's soulfire flickered, and a wave of inexplicable embarrassment surged up. As the Empire's supreme legislator and enforcer, setting a precedent by breaking the law—if any patrolling Punishment Legion soldier saw this, the scene would be far too spectacular.
Kaito extended a bony hand, mana condensing into an invisible giant claw in the air, and at the final moment before the rod hit the water, he grabbed it firmly. Then, as if nothing had happened, Kaito took the rod back into his hand. He placed it gently on the wooden stool beside him, even considerately patting the dust off it.
Having finished this, Kaito smoothed out his cloak as if nothing was amiss and turned to leave. Better head to the Evernight Academy. If I don't go check on it, that little rascal Bochi might really think it's been abandoned by this heartless master.
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