People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 475 Ying: Since we're wanted, let's do what wanted criminals should do.
Directly south of Hanamizaka, Inazuma Castle, Machi Street.

Carefully disguised with a wig and Inazuma clothing, she also slipped a highly recognizable white fluffy ball into the bamboo basket on Thomas's back.

Holding an Inazuma-style parasol borrowed from Shinrifu, Hotaru and Toma arrived at the most bustling area of ​​Inazuma with peace of mind.

Based on the stereotype left by the Wind God and the Rock God that "gods know everything about the entire country,"

At first, she wondered if she would be able to find the "General" sitting in the castle tower without having to ask for an audience, and that he would also be able to quickly see the truth about her attracting the abyss monsters.

But after waiting a short while with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Ying shook her head, finding nothing had changed in her surroundings.
Considering the phenomenon of "the gods being deceived" mentioned by the Shabōkyō, it can only be concluded that this god is indeed not very good at acquiring information over a wide range; at the very least, he doesn't have the habit of constantly investigating his surroundings.
"However, upon closer inspection, there are so many merchants from the Fool Clan and the Winter Solstice Clan. Hmm, Ying, is this really Inazuma?"

A small crack was lifted from the edge of the bamboo basket, revealing a pair of round, bright eyes.
After looking around, Paimon realized that most of the people in the shops were from the Winter Solstice. For a moment, Paimon even felt like he had come to the wrong place.

"Ha, Miss Paimon, rest assured, this is indeed Inazuma."

"It's just that these merchants who come here to work together are backed by preferential treatment from the magistrate, and most of the local chambers of commerce are about to collapse."

He also disguised himself, simply dressing up as a young man from Inazuma.
Having worked at the Shinrifu for many years, Thomas had learned a lot of special techniques from the ninjas in the final episodes, and now that he was using them, they did indeed appear flawless on the surface.

"Your magistrate's office doesn't seem like it's willing to suffer losses by suppressing its own residents and favoring foreign merchants. I really can't imagine what kind of agreement they've reached with the Fools."

Looking back on the journey, it was almost unimaginable that Inazuma was like any other country she had ever been to before.

"Ha, who knows? In any case, it will be a condition that further consolidates their power and position, and perhaps there will be some benefits from Zhi Dong's side as well?"

He shook his head, not quite sure what the Fools had sacrificed to get the remaining two magistrates to this point, but Thomas felt that their madness probably exceeded his imagination.

"Alright, we've arrived at the Northern Bank. Let's go ahead and observe carefully. The number of people they've been serving there recently is much higher than before."

"--People who come here to borrow money are usually those who have completely run out of options. Their tragedy is a reflection of the current situation in Inazuma."

As they talked, they were nearing their destination. Thomas greeted the two reinforcements beside him while looking at the large number of Hanamisaka residents with a slightly puzzled expression.

Although the recent living conditions are indeed very difficult, with the labor force in people's households being conscripted into the army, coupled with the endless stream of exorbitant taxes and levies, the magistrate's office even has to frequently distribute relief grain to the people.
But since borrowers usually don't gather in large groups, and borrowing money often requires mortgaging their own land and property, he wanted to know what had happened to make so many people decide to come and take out loans together.
However, one thing is certain: those who have reached this point must be experiencing immense sadness and pain.
"—Hahaha, take whatever you have, lend it all out to me and my underlings!"

"Phew, I've wanted to borrow money for a long time, but Ah Ren has always refused."

"—Just wait and see. Once I use the borrowed money to expand and strengthen the Arataki School, no matter how great that tengu who stole my God's Eye is, he'll still have to obediently come to Hanamizaka and have a sumo match with me."

fluorescent:"."

Paimon: "."

Thomas: "."

What's going on? Is there something wrong with the art style? Where's the promised pain and sorrow?

"Is the Ebei State Bank some kind of charity? Why doesn't it seem like it's worried about being chased for debts later?"

He blinked and communicated with Thomas in a very, very soft voice.
The ordinary people in line were fine, but looking at the tall man in front of them, excitedly borrowing money, and the henchmen around him shouting "Boss is brilliant!",

Having witnessed just how dangerous the Fools' ways were, Paimon was no longer quite sure what they were thinking.

"."

"No, although the Northern Bank advertises very low interest rates, everyone who has borrowed money from them has ended up losing both the property and land they mortgaged."

The contract review yielded no explanation; the bank claimed that all terms were clearly stated from the beginning.

"However, I've heard of this Oni clan called 'Ichidou' and the Ara-Taki faction. They shouldn't have any fixed assets, right?"

Given their circumstances, the collateral would most likely be themselves; if they couldn't repay, they'd have to work in the mines or be sent to some kind of winter "job."

"—Isn't that terrible?! We need to hurry!"

Just listening casually, it became clear that the so-called loan was a complete trap. Out of conscience, I didn't want to see this happen to me.
Paimon, whose voice had risen several octaves, was about to ask Tuotuo in the basket to remind him, but was immediately pushed back under the basket by a hand.

? ?
Before Paimon, full of questions, could even ask, a friendly-sounding voice reached everyone's ears:

"—Ah, are you two also here to apply for our 'friendly assistance'?"

"—By the Queen, this is absolutely the wisest choice you have ever made."

"I'm sorry, we have so many guests today, we don't have time to invite you in for tea right now."
Here, this is our loan agreement. You two can take a look at it first. We guarantee that every detail is exactly the same as in the contract.

"—By the way, don't worry about not having assets to use as collateral."
Upholding Her Majesty's consistent benevolence, now, as long as everyone leaves their address and signs this "Service Settlement Contract," everyone can enjoy our assistance without discrimination.

We had so many visitors today; the unprecedented success of our business is something I'll be laughing all the way to the bank tonight.

There simply wasn't enough energy to spend on every single person. After greeting them with a smile, the Northern Bank employee handed the loan agreement to the two "Inari women."
He waved his hand and continued to greet the "fat sheep" from Hanamisaka.

"."

"Phew, he's already gone? I almost suffocated, Paimon! Please don't press so hard next time."

"But... the contract? They just gave it to us like that? Ying, did you notice anything wrong?"

Peeking out again, Paimon realized the situation had been somewhat dangerous.
She noticed that Thomas and her partner were both engrossed in the contract, and she also wanted to know what the loan terms were.

"I'm not really good at this kind of thing, but it surprisingly looks like a great deal? Miss Ying, have you noticed anything?"

After reviewing it several times, I finally realized that both the interest rate and the so-called "labor settlement contract" were generally much more favorable than Inazuma's previous local lending platform, and there were no major problems.

"Unfortunately, I didn't find anything unusual either. It looks like a normal contract. Perhaps the problem lies in some supplementary clauses."

Hearing Thomas's question beside her, Ying shook her head.

"Huh? How could this be?"

"Monthly installment payments? Relatives can renew the loan on your behalf? Job opportunities can be provided to ease repayment pressure?"

"Hmm, apart from the repayment period being clearly stated, there doesn't seem to be any problem. Could it be that the Inazuma Fatui have really reformed?"

Scratching his head, he realized that none of the three of them seemed to have any major problems with this thing; at least in terms of procedures, the Northern Bank was undoubtedly a "legitimate" organization.
"Let's wait and see. When it's our turn in line, we'll take a look at the official contract. It would be great if Scholar Lin Feng were here too."

A mixture of kindness and a touch of resentment made the blonde girl decide to stay a little longer. She felt these guys couldn't possibly be that kind, yet she couldn't quite see the problem.

Recalling everything from her previous journey, she had never so wished that scholar Lin Feng could come to Inazuma with her.
"Hmm, you two are indeed very kind. But if we can find problems on the surface, how can the Northern Bank continue to operate?"

"All of this is certainly 'legal,' but with those who practice protectionism, the scope for 'legality' is exceptionally large."

It was discovered long ago that the blond-haired guy had come to Inazuma City and gotten involved in the Northern Bank's affairs.
It was quite easy to figure out those guys' methods. Lin Feng could only say that Little Yellow Hair still needed to improve his knowledge in this area.

On the other side, inside the Northern Bank, in beautifully decorated offices.

A merchant, beaming with joy, was reporting the situation to a portly official:

"—Captain Vitaly, today's loan applicants already equal our total for the previous month, and the vast majority are stable residents with property and land, ready to be 'collected' at any time."
The rest are all strong and capable "slave laborers," and we'll have people watching them to make sure they don't run away.

"Hmph, of course. Our offers are far more generous than those of local banks. There's no reason for people not to choose us."

He nodded in satisfaction and took a sip of the "fire water" in his cup.
A burning, tingling sensation slid down his throat. The seemingly harmless, overweight middle-aged man with a small mustache also spoke up and gave the order:

"—Tolly, it should be almost a month since the last loan, right? Are they making repayments on time every day?"

"I already said 'monthly installments,' so missing even one day is not allowed."

"Hmm, how about the bank just take a day off tomorrow? Giving them a one-day grace period for repayment would be a huge benefit, and it would also give you a break so you can prepare to collect the 'late payment fees.'"

"."

"—Ha, thank you for your understanding, sir. What if someone has arranged to repay the loan?"

The young businessman smiled, feigning reluctance.

"You've made an agreement? Ha, does our contract state that the bank can't close down?"

"The breach of contract is their own fault, it has nothing to do with us."

"—The mines on Bayun Island are short-staffed again. With so many crystallized bone marrows lost recently, we're also running low on 'consumables'."

If we don't fill the gaps with these ignorant masses, are we supposed to fill the "research field" with our own people?

The fate of a group of people can be decided at will.
Captain Vitaly, seated at the long table, smiled contentedly, remarking that life in Inazuma was far more comfortable than in other countries.

"Floating interest rate", "family repayment", "debt reduction through industrial investment".
With the government's active cooperation, even if the contract appears normal on the surface,

Those fools are nothing but expendable resources if they fall into any of the traps hidden in the contract.

He casually set the daily cost of meals, insurance, and accommodation at the mine at 20,000 moras, ensuring that labor expenses far exceeded wages.

Thinking of those other guys who were incompetent and even managed to be ambushed by a few abyssal monsters, Vitaly was certain that he had a very high chance of receiving the Executor's commendation.

？ ！！

"—Huh?! Those are abyssal monsters in the distance?! And they're all species I've never seen before?"

"—Waaah! It's already dark! We finally got to line up! Ying, let's run! We don't want to be spotted again!"

A warehouse-like area in the distance was suddenly enveloped in a dark aura, and then a large group of strange, dark purple monsters, each covered by a barrier, emerged from within.

The person who discovered the bank instantly changed his expression. Paimon poked half his head out of the basket, thinking that it might be something very important.

"Walk"

"Hmm? Ying, why aren't you leaving? What are you planning to do?"

Paimon reached a hand out of the basket and tugged at his companion, but couldn't budge it. He looked puzzled.

"."

"Phew, you guys go ahead, I'll go grab those contracts from earlier."

The girl, disguised as an ordinary Inatsume, took a step forward, but then thought of the plight of everyone except the young oni from the beginning.

Finally, he hesitated for a moment and turned back to look at the contracts that the fools had gathered together, ready to be taken inside.

"Eh? But..."

Paimon was also tempted when he heard that he could cause trouble for the Fools, but he was worried that it might be too risky.

"The people of Inazuma are already in dire straits. Many of those borrowers were elderly people living alone."

"Although I don't understand these things and can't pinpoint the specific problems with the contract, my intuition tells me that these fools won't do anything good, and there's a deep malice beneath their smiles."

"—Besides, since we've already been turned into wanted criminals by the Fools, it would be a shame not to do something that wanted criminals should actually do."

"Hanamisaka, Thomas, I'll trouble you to take Paimon with you."

Having been wanted for so long, his resentment towards the Fools had long since become uncontrollable.

Ying thought about the origin of her current predicament and felt that it would be a waste of her status as a wanted criminal if she didn't give anything in return.

"."

"My young lady's judgment was indeed correct."

"Friend, be careful. If you get caught, I'll find a way to get you out."

"Let's meet at Hanamisaka. When you come back, I'll definitely treat you two to a big meal."

While the appearance of the abyssal monsters in the distance seemed somewhat coincidental, the character of this Mondstadt "Knight of Honor" was far more remarkable.
I have the utmost respect for such a noble person who is willing to take risks for strangers.

Watching Ying walk alone into the night, seemingly intending to destroy all the data,
Amidst the lingering tension, Thomas caught a glimpse of two other dark figures. Still clinging to a romantic notion of Mondstadt, he took a deep breath and did his best to make his promise.

(End of this chapter)