223 SCAMMED?
Another owner pulled out a document. "Here's the agreement. It's already signed by Lilleo Gullee himself."
Easiese examined the paper and muttered, "This is authentic. That fool is really paying ten million silvers per farm."
Selassie pulled Liama aside. "This will cost us hundreds of millions of silver dinari. We don't have that kind of money," he whispered.
Liama's eyes narrowed. "We don't have the cash now, but we could offer to pay later."
When Selassie relayed the proposal to the landowners, one shook his head. "No, we'll sell to the Gullee family. They promised us cash. Cash in hand is better than a promise, even if you double the price."
"Wait, just a moment!" Liama interjected, thinking quickly.
"This is insane", Selassie said.
"No, it's not. Imagine we can control the production and sale of the potion, what kind of money we will be making?" Liama asked before he turned to Selassie. "What about a guarantee from the Assassin Guild?"
At the mention of the Guild, the landowners hesitated. "A guarantee from the Assassin Guild?" one repeated. "That would be as good as cash."
-----
[Guild Bank of Sodom City]
The group made their way to the Guild Bank of Sodom City, the Assassin Guild's sole financial institution. They were ushered into a grand meeting room where the bank's director, Kiran, greeted them.
"How may we assist you today?" Kiran asked, clasping his hands.
"We want to purchase these farms," Selassie said, gesturing to the landowners, "but we don't have the liquid funds to complete the transaction."
Kiran nodded. "That's not uncommon. Our bank can finalize the agreement on your behalf, with the appropriate fees. What is the total amount you're discussing?"
The lead landowner spoke up. "Three hundred million silver dinari."
Kiran's professional demeanor cracked momentarily as his jaw dropped. "Three hundred million? That's... substantial."
Liama stepped in. "Can the Guild Bank handle this transaction?"
Kiran straightened. "We can consider it, but you'll need to provide adequate collateral."
"Our pharmacies," Liama said quickly.
Kiran shook his head. "Ongoing businesses are not acceptable as collateral. We require land, buildings, or other fixed assets—do you have any farms or estates?"
"We do," Liama said.
After an extensive discussion, Kiran completed his calculations. "Based on your collaterals—all of your family's medicine farms, five pharmacy buildings, and three mansions—we can agree to finance this transaction. The loan will cover the full three hundred million silver dinari."
Selassie hesitated, the weight of the decision clear in his eyes.
Easiese leaned in. "Chief, this collateral represents almost all our family's assets. Are we sure these farms are worth it? Before this, they weren't even considered that valuable."
One of the landowners tapped impatiently. "Make your decision quickly. If you can't commit, we'll sell to Lilleo Gullee."
Selassie looked at Easiese and Liama. "Are you certain about the potion?"
"I saw Megane brew the potion myself using Spike Cactus as the main ingredient, that cannot be wrong," Easiese confirmed.
Liama added, "If we can mass-produce that potion, we'll recover the money in no time."
"If we don't have such a potion to compete our business would decline enormously," Easiese added.
Selassie inhaled deeply, then nodded. "We'll do it. I'll take a gamble with this."
He picked up the quill and signed the loan agreement with the Guild Bank of Sodom City, sealing the deal.
----
[The House of Cergontyn]
"What's the problem? Why can't we replicate the exact potion like that bitch did last time?" Liama growled, pacing back and forth.
"We followed her every step perfectly," Easiese protested, frustration etched on his face. "We used the same ingredients she listed, brewed it the same way, but the potion won't turn out right."
"Something's off," Selassie muttered, deep in thought.
Liama slammed his fist on the table. "That Megane must have hidden something! She wouldn't reveal everything to the Pharmaceutical Association. She must have held back on a crucial step."
"We need to get our hands on her," Easiese suggested.
"She's untouchable," Liama said, shaking his head. "She barely leaves her fortress now. And even if she did, her bodyguards are elite fighters."
Their heated discussion was interrupted by the hurried arrival of a servant. "Master, the bank is foreclosing on our properties!"
"What?" Selassie's face paled. "Why so soon? We're not ready to sell the potion yet!"
"It's been over a month since we took the loan," Liama said grimly. "The Guild Bank is calling in the payment."
Selassie slumped in his chair. "What do we do now?"
Liama hesitated before saying, "We could... sell the farms to Lilleo Gullee. They need the Spiked Cactus to brew the magic gathering potion, at least we'd recover something instead of losing everything to the bank."
Before they could act, a sharp voice echoed through the hall. "I am Petunia, the collection agent from the Guild Bank of Sodom. I'm here to collect your loan installment."
Selassie rose to his feet. "We need more time!"
"You've already had enough time," Petunia said, her expression cold and professional. "If I leave here empty-handed, the bank will take possession of all your collateral."
"Wait!" Liama blurted, desperation in his voice. "We still have the ten Spike Cactus farms. They're worth hundreds of millions! The ingredient from these farms is used to produce Magic Gathering potions!"
Petunia raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really? I think you've been misinformed."
"What do you mean?" Selassie demanded.
Petunia's grin widened. "The main ingredient of Megane's Magic Gathering potion isn't Spike Cactus. She recently announced that to the Pharmaceutical Association. The formula she demonstrated earlier was void—an intentional misdirection. The real formula remains a secret."
Easiese staggered back, his face pale. "Did... did we get scammed?"
"I'd bet on it, morons," Petunia replied with a laugh. She gestured to her guards. "Seize the property."
Selassie, Liama, Easiese, and the entire household were unceremoniously evicted from the grand Cergontyn family mansion.
They stood on the street, defeated and humiliated, as the Guild Bank took possession of all their assets.
The once-mighty Cergontyn family had been brought to its knees.
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