"Shit! Why is none of my money left!"
On the deck of the Golden Dream, Danitz, his face flushed, grabbed Tie Pi Bridge's collar and shook him wildly.
"Why!"
"Hey! Yelling at me won't help! I'm not the one who got you to invest the money in the stock market!"
Tie Pi shoved Danitz away with a disdainful look.
"It was because you heard that Backlund's stock market was good and begged me to find an investment channel that I reluctantly agreed to help you!"
"And because I believed your nonsense, I also invested a few hundred pounds! Now I've lost everything, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet—"
Tie Pi muttered curses and left, leaving a despondent Danitz standing alone.
"Shit—why did the perfectly fine stock market suddenly crash—"
This time, Danitz's losses were unbearable. He poured almost all the remaining bounty from the last time into it—
—And the result—
Obviously, this financial storm originating from Backlund has already reached the distant seas.
"It's over—my money!" Danitz's face was filled with anguish as he finally collapsed to his knees, letting out a desperate wail.
He took advantage of the recent dip in Bayam's housing prices, reserved several more properties from fellow traders, notarized the deals, and even paid the deposits.
When the financial crisis hit, Backlund's private capital, desperate to recoup losses, dumped a massive amount of colonial properties at rock‑bottom prices, pulling cash to plug the market's holes, causing Bayam's housing prices to keep falling.
A month ago, Danitz thought he'd snagged a huge bargain, but now his underwear is almost completely paid off.
The key is, he's already paid the deposits. If he backs out now, those deposits will be lost.
But if you force him to bite the bullet and cover the remaining payments—let alone the fact that the market price is now lower than what he originally booked—he simply can't muster that amount of cash.
Actually, the biggest hassle is the notarization, which has Beyonder effect, preventing him from breaking the contract.
"What to do—what to do—should I borrow money from others on the ship?"
"But if they find out about this—" Danitz fell into deep turmoil.
Tie Pi also lost money, so he probably won't blab about it, but he can't lend more money either.
If word gets out that he lost everything, his "headless" reputation will spread across the ship and possibly become a new joke across the five seas!
Then his nickname will no longer be "Flame", but "Investment Genius" or "Bayam Stock God".
"How about—borrowing a little from the captain?" Danitz thought of the sensible captain. If it were her, she'd probably understand and advance a bit of his salary, right?
"No, that won't work!" The thought rose, and Danitz promptly abandoned it.
"If I tell the captain, she'll probably help, but she'll also lecture me, and my image in her eyes will plummet! Then I'll have no chance at all!" The thought of the captain's condescending stare gave Danitz a chill.
"What to do—what should I actually do—"
"Right! Brando!" Danitz's eyes lit up as he suddenly remembered someone.
Monqi Brando!
He's already back in Backlund, not at sea, so telling him won't spread across the ocean. Moreover, Danitz trusts Brando's character; he's not the type to leak information.
Most importantly, Brando earned a bounty of several tens of thousands of pounds from the Blood Admiral, so he definitely isn't short on cash!
We've shared life‑and‑death bonds! Now my brother's in trouble; borrowing a bit should be fine—
"Exactly! Let's go to Brando!"
Danitz sprang up from the ground, frantically grabbing paper and pen, racking his brain to write a letter to Lorne, each line dripping with urgency, embarrassment, and a pleading "brother, lend me a hand."
After explaining that he's an investor and a "friend" of Scott, and looking nothing like a villain, Hazel was summoned into the factory's office.
"What?! That guy James Scott got arrested?"
Upon hearing the news, Hazel was first shocked, then a hint of understanding appeared.
—
She recalled how he had once threatened her—suddenly a wry sense of schadenfreude rose in her heart.
He was never a good person, so his fate isn't surprising.
"Sigh—who knows what will happen to Mr. Scott. Those damned gangsters, and those damned police—" Old Kohler sighed beside her.
Hearing that, Klein lowered his head guilt‑ridden. After all, he also bore some responsibility.
"Do you really believe Scott is a good person?" Hazel asked, puzzled by their reactions.
?
Old Kohler stared bewilderedly at the tightly wrapped lady, his expression saying "Isn't it obvious?"
His expression.
Klein was also slightly surprised. Although Scott had once teamed up with Lorne Disenk to swindle him, there was a misunderstanding. This time, Scott entered the bureau to rescue kidnapped girls—a genuine act of kindness.
"Mr. Scott is a true gentleman, far better than those pompous aristocrats," Old Kohler said with conviction.
"He gave me a job that let me survive. Moreover, to keep the workers from losing their jobs, he'd rather see the factory go bankrupt than lay anyone off—"
"Bankruptcy—" the word made Hazel frown slightly.
It reminded her of her father, Councilor Macht. In recent days, he'd come home looking lost and frazzled; she'd never seen her usually steady father look so desperate.
Those damned swindlers!
"That kid knows nothing—"
"He wasn't the one who attacked us back then."
Back then, Heras, the strongest in Capin's villa who luckily escaped Klein's grasp, was bowing low, reporting to a certain Augustus before him.
"Has all the evidence in the villa been destroyed?"
"Already—completely destroyed—" Heras said, head down, avoiding eye contact.
—
"Capin's subordinates have all been dealt with."
"Hmm—" the half‑god of the Augustus family fell into a long silence.
"Now, the only one who's been to the scene is that mysterious phantom, and the minor character named James Scott."
"Should we—send a subordinate to take him—" Heras urgently needed a new chance to redeem himself.
"Enough!"
"I've already witnessed your incompetence. Stop acting rashly."
"Yes, yes, I overstepped," Heras stammered.
After the subordinate withdrew, the Augustus half‑god contemplated his next move.
"A minor character—"
"No need to strain relations with the Church over such a minor character—"
"But this minor character might prove very useful—"
Although Capin's affair was suppressed from the news, rumors have spread, and the recent financial crisis has everyone complaining; now it's especially crucial to have something to divert public attention.
"A hero would be great—"