Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Moreover, literally speaking, these people did not actually "attack" Mrs. Heimer.

"You just didn't hit her directly with sticks. You dragged Mrs. Hammer out of the shed, but left only a few people and Mrs. Hammer's two children in the house, preventing Mrs. Hammer from seeing her children. In the end, you only stopped when Mrs. Hammer had to slam her head against the door!"

Among the silent majority, a burly middle-aged man stepped forward. The people who claimed to be bank "staff" first glared at him, then noticed that there were several other middle-aged men with similarly strong builds and beards beside him. Judging from their attire, they were workers from a nearby factory, and this shantytown was also where many workers lived.

These workers were either local bachelors or came to Vienna from other places to make a living, so they often gathered together. The loan sharks were not very threatening to these workers, since they were basically all alone in Vienna. With the current household registration system, it was difficult to find out where their hometowns were, where their relatives and children were. In short, they were a group of "invincible people".

After hearing the whole story from the man, Hillary quickly realized that these guys weren't real members of the Mafia. Real Mafia members would never hesitate to use violence. These guys, whether dressed like other gentlemen or with tattoos that seemed to be casually showing off on their necks and cuffs, were essentially trying to create the impression that "we're not to be messed with."

Sylvie had heard some rumors about the banking industry from Mr. Jacob. Because of the poor economic environment after the war, bad debts of banks large and small throughout Europe had increased significantly compared to before the war. Many small banks without the ability went bankrupt as a result, but some capable and shrewd banks expanded their gray business on a large scale during this period.

The biggest difference between these gray-market businesses and the traditional Mafia is that these people in charge of gray-market businesses are indeed more "law-abiding" than Mafia members who arbitrarily trample on the law.

Having figured all this out, Hilt's eyes, which had previously held a mixture of anger and panic, now became calm and composed. Hilt went directly to the man in the lead and said, "Since you are 'employees' of the bank, and you've come to my house today to collect a debt for my mother's loan, then you must prove to me when my mother took out the loan from your bank. Given our family's circumstances, how could you possibly lend us money?"

The man in the baseball cap, who was in the lead, looked increasingly interested in the fearless Hillett. This was the first time they had ever encountered a girl like her in their work in the shady debt collection industry.

In the past, it was already considered commendable for young girls to even muster the courage to say a few words to them.

“You have a good mother…” The man in the baseball cap pulled an envelope from his pocket. Hillary’s eyes followed his movement, fixed on the envelope. The familiar gold lettering confirmed Hillary’s certainty that this envelope was exactly the same as the one she had seen at Mr. Jacob’s house earlier that day, the one addressed to Miss Lily.

Hildrie immediately realized that the letter was for her.

The words from the baseball cap confirmed his guess: "This letter is from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. To be honest, before coming to your house today, I didn't expect that Miss Sylvie would be able to get into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts."

As he spoke, the man in the baseball cap pulled out the acceptance letter that Hilwit had been dreaming of from the envelope. She instinctively wanted to step forward and snatch it, but the man in the baseball cap deliberately raised his hand higher: "Congratulations, Miss Hilwit, you have successfully been admitted to the architecture department of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts."

"Wait, architecture?" Sylvie was a little confused by the news. She clearly remembered that she had applied to the fine arts department. Although her teacher had said that her painting skills were more technical than artistic, she lacked inspiration, so he recommended that she study architecture at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

However, Sylvie clearly didn't want to paint houses for the rest of her life, so she didn't even consider her teacher's advice. Did she fail to get into art school because her grades weren't high enough?

Normally, Sylvie would probably be locked in her room at this point, contemplating whether or not to continue her studies, or even retake the exams for another year. However, the current situation didn't give her time to think about such things, because the person in the baseball cap continued, "Your mother previously used her family's traditional hand gesture as collateral to secure a student loan for you from our bank to cover your tuition fees. We approved the loan because of your mother's sincere attitude, and the annual interest rate is only 15% compounded, which is very favorable."

"15% annual compound interest? Is that what you call a discount?!" Sylvie was not one to be trifled with. Most of the poorly educated people in the shantytown couldn't even calculate interest rates properly. When Sylvie heard about the so-called student loan interest rate, she knew her mother had been scammed.

The man in the baseball cap claimed the interest rate was very favorable, but Sylvie found it utterly absurd and laughable. She was certain her mother didn't even know the difference between simple and compound interest, and had been fooled into taking out such a loan without any understanding of the implications. Even if she managed to complete her studies with this money, she would probably spend half of her life struggling to repay this student loan.

"You won't find a lower interest rate in Vienna."

"That's because you banks are all in cahoots!" Sylvie shouted, raising her voice. "And according to you, my mother just got a loan, so what are you doing here now? What kind of loan has such an early repayment date?!"

“Hehe, Miss Sylvie, we didn’t mean to be so heartless, but the jewelry your mother mortgaged with our bank was later found to be fake, so of course we have to come and get back the money we lent you.” The man in the baseball cap glanced at the middle-aged woman lying on the ground: “It’s just that this woman refuses to admit it and refuses to pay back the money, which is why this situation has arisen.”

The man in the baseball cap shrugged again. If his nonchalant attitude were in the internet age, he might even become an internet celebrity. Sylvie bit her lip tightly. She knew that no matter what tricks the other party played, the chances of her family winning a lawsuit against them were extremely slim.

Sylvie turned to her younger siblings and asked in a low voice, "Did you see Mom bring money back?"

The slightly older brother, sniffling, said to his sister with a wronged expression, "Sister, Mom has already given the money back to them..."

"You've already returned it to them?!" Sylvie knew these guys were troublesome, so she originally planned to find out where the money was from her younger siblings and then return it to them. She didn't want these guys to disturb her family's life; if necessary, she would just skip the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

But to her surprise, her younger siblings said that their mother had already returned the money to them. So she turned around again and glared at the man in the baseball cap: "My mother has already returned the money to you?"

“She only paid back part of it.” The man in the baseball cap grinned. “Your mother still owes 200 crowns; she took out a loan of 600 crowns in total.”

"Mom only got 400 crowns!" Sylvie's brother suddenly shouted, while the man in the baseball cap said impatiently, "Little guy, that's because your mom had to pay a 200 crowns processing fee for the loan."

Sylvie really wanted to smash this guy's face with a hammer. Her mother had taken out a loan for her, and not only was she tricked into signing such a loan agreement, but what's worse, she only borrowed 600 crowns, and then had to pay a 200 crown fee!

unacceptable! ! !

The man in the baseball cap's words naturally provoked strong dissatisfaction among the onlookers, especially the workers who had just spoken up for Sylvie. While these workers might not be able to calculate the exact interest rate, it was clear to everyone that charging a 1/3 fee on a loan was a question of whether it was a loan or legal robbery.

Moreover, it seems that after Mrs. Heimer returned the 400 yuan she brought back, the other party also demanded that Mrs. Heimer return the 200 yuan service fee that had been deducted from her at the beginning.

The workers began to stand around Sylvie. After seeing these workers stand up, some of the nearby residents who had previously been too afraid to speak up also stepped forward. Some were shoemakers, some were tailors, and some were blacksmiths. They stood together around Sylvie. The collective action gave them courage, allowing them to say no to these villains they had previously dared not look at.

Just then, the sound of a carriage bell came from not far away. Everyone looked in the direction of the bell and saw Liangpi's beautiful black horse pulling a magnificent black and gold carriage.

Whether it's the expensive, cold-blooded horses or the carriages that look like they cost a fortune, these are clearly items belonging to the nobility and seem so out of place in this slum.

Sylvie spotted a familiar figure from the carriage. She saw Miss Lily leaning out of the carriage and waving at her. This scene was also observed by the man in the baseball cap. He looked at the magnificent carriage, then at Sylvie responding to Lily, and a more intriguing expression appeared on his face. He never imagined that Sylvie could be connected with that important person.

Moreover, it seems that the important man's daughter and Sylvie have a very good relationship.

The carriage stopped in front of the crowd, and Mr. Jacob stepped down from it, leaning on his cane. The onlookers spontaneously made way for him, for every simple artist felt ashamed in the face of Mr. Jacob’s elegant custom-made suit.

As Mr. Jacob walked, he casually covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, probably because he found the pungent smell of the place somewhat unpleasant for someone accustomed to perfume.

"Do you know me?"

Mr. Jacob went directly to the man in the baseball cap, who smiled and nodded, then bowed deeply to Mr. Jacob: "Of course I know you, Mr. Jacob. If you need anything, I would be happy to help."

Mr. Jacob nodded, then casually gestured with his walking stick: "Since you know me, that makes things easier. My daughter happens to have a good personal relationship with this Miss Sylvie, so..."

The man in the baseball cap immediately said, "We'll leave right away."

Chapter 243 The Great Battle Ends (4)

After the man in the baseball cap left, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd. Not only those who had been standing behind Sylvie, but even the silent citizens seemed to share in the glory, their faces beaming with joy.

For these people living at the very bottom of society, the pressure of daily life often made it hard for them to breathe. Whether it was officials, nobles, factory owners, or soldiers and police, they were all people who deliberately stood above them. The resentment that had accumulated from being subservient and humble in front of these people in the past seemed to burst out all at this moment.

A vacuum was formed among the cheering crowd. Although everyone was celebrating, these ordinary people dressed in coarse cloth always kept a certain distance from Mr. Jacob, who was wearing an expensive woolen coat.

After all, those expensive clothes seem to be completely out of reach for people like us. If we accidentally got some stains on them, it would be terrifying.

However, although they maintained a respectful distance from high-society figures like Mr. Jacob, the people looked at him with kindness and admiration. The common people in this world are essentially the same; most of them are vulgar and crude but simple in character. Even when they suffer all kinds of oppression in life, most of them just fantasize about a just and righteous official coming out to uphold justice for them.

And now, Mr. Jacob is undoubtedly playing the role of the upright and just official in their eyes.

Jacob first picked up the admission letter from the University of Vienna from the ground, then slowly walked up to Sylvie and handed it to the girl. Sylvie respectfully accepted the letter with both hands. She looked at Mr. Jacob with some confusion. Even now, Sylvie still didn't understand why Mr. Jacob had come to the neighborhood where she lived.

Neither the clothes Mr. Jacob is wearing nor the luxurious carriage that Mr. Jacob and Miss Lily are riding in should be here.

Have you ever seen wealthy American businessmen drive their Maybachs into slums? Only Batman in fiction would do that; in reality, most rich people would rather have reproductive isolation from the poor.

“Mr. Jacob, thank you so much for everything that happened today.” Sylvie sincerely thanked Jacob. “Without you, our family would have…”

"Help your mother inside first." Mr. Jacob put the handkerchief he had taken out to wipe his face into his pocket. Although he put the handkerchief away, there was still a slight, almost imperceptible furrow in Mr. Jacob's eyebrows. This subtle movement did not escape Sylvie's notice.

As expected, Mr. Jacob also seemed somewhat disgusted with the environment, which further convinced Sylvie of her earlier judgment—Mr. Jacob's visit to her today was indeed for a reason.

But wasn't Mr. Jacob supposed to take Miss Lily on a trip? They had just left when I left Mr. Jacob's house this morning. I bought some things on the way and took a detour, but it wouldn't take too long to come back. But Mr. Jacob has already arrived here, which means that he turned around and headed back home shortly after setting off.

Sylvie didn't say anything more. With the help of her younger siblings and Uncle Carter, who had spoken up for her earlier, she helped her mother back into the house. An old doctor from a nearby clinic also came to help check on Mrs. Heimer's condition. Although she was very worried about her mother's safety, Sylvie quickly arranged everything and came out of the shed to Mr. Jacob's carriage.

Sylvie knew very well that she had escaped danger today entirely because of Mr. Jacob's influence, and that Mr. Jacob must have come here today to see her about something. So she said frankly, "If there is anything Mr. Jacob needs me to do, as long as it is within my ability, I will do my best to help."

Mr. Jacob nodded in satisfaction. His choice was indeed correct. Sylvie was indeed an exceptionally intelligent child. In such a short time, and with her mother still injured, she was able to make such an accurate judgment with great composure.

If the child were a boy, Mr. Jacob would certainly want to take him as his son-in-law.

“I came to you because I have something to ask of you, but I didn’t expect to encounter what just happened…” Mr. Jacob looked at Sylvie: “Miss Sylvie, I have to go to the East immediately. I originally wanted you to accompany my daughter to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but I never expected that Miss Sylvie, who works as a maid in my house, would be able to pass the entrance exam for the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. It’s simply God’s will.”

Are we going to the East soon?

Are you asking me to accompany Miss Lily to her registration?

Sylvie's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Mr. Jacob must have been hiding some important information from her. Of course, this was perfectly normal. Given the difference in their social status, how could Mr. Jacob tell her everything?

But why did Mr. Jacob want to find himself?

Although Mr. Jacob's wife is no longer here, can't Miss Lily be taken care of by either Mr. Jacob's housekeeper or by asking other relatives and friends?

What's even stranger is that they would condescend to come to me for such a trivial matter?

This doesn't make sense.

Even if Mr. Jacob wanted her to accompany Miss to the start of the semester, he could have waited until she went to Mr. Jacob's house to work later. Why did she have to make a trip there in person? The Vienna Academy of Fine Arts still has some time before the spring semester starts... Surely Mr. Jacob isn't interested in her looks?

However, these were clearly not questions she should be asking, but Mr. Jacob seemed to have seen through what Sylvie was thinking: "I'm about to leave, and my butler will be coming with me this time, so I'm afraid I can only ask you, who have a good relationship with Lily, to take care of her for me."

As he spoke, Mr. Jacob cast a gentle glance at Lily, who had been silent all along. Lily was very timid and introverted, but her eyes were red, indicating that she had been crying.

Leaving immediately? Sylvie was even more certain that Mr. Jacob must have encountered something, met someone, or received some news after setting off.

After all, Mr. Jacob originally planned to take his daughter out for a trip, but now he's suddenly going to the East, on the other side of the world.

"Mr. Jacob, are you here to discuss business?"

“Yes,” Jacob nodded. “A very big deal.”

Mr. Jacob and Sylvie talked for less than 10 minutes in the carriage before leaving. As Sylvie watched the carriage disappear into the distance, she felt that today's experience had been quite dramatic.

Mr. Jacob did not explicitly state why he came here or why he was going to the East, but from his words, Sylvie could sense that Mr. Jacob truly loved and cared for his daughter. Considering Mr. Jacob's wealth and social status, it was quite "unconventional" of him to come all the way here to see her so that his daughter could receive comprehensive care and companionship in the coming period, rather than simply being served by servants.

“Mr. Jacob is such a kind man.” Uncle Carter came to Sylvie’s side and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s rare to meet such a kind-hearted rich man as Mr. Jacob. Before I left, I said goodbye to him and he wished us all a better life in the future.”

"Huh?" Sylvie paused for a moment before nodding. In her memory, Mr. Jacob was indeed a gentle and kind man, always treating everyone he met with kindness and gentleness. Moreover, Sylvie knew that Mr. Jacob also liked to donate to orphanages and churches.

By any worldly standard of judgment, Mr. Jacob was indeed a good man and a good father.

"Alright, go home and spend some time with your mother. Mrs. Thomson just said that you don't need to worry about food these next few days. You can go to her house to get bread and beet soup. As for the part of your shed that was torn, I'll help you repair it this afternoon with some friends. The old doctor went home to get medicine. Go to the old doctor's place to get your medicine after noon."

Sylvie looked grateful upon hearing this. Although not all of her neighbors had stood up for her in front of those thugs, Sylvie could understand them very well, since most of them had their own unspeakable difficulties.

Take Mrs. Thomson, for example. She was a widow and a devout church believer. Although she was a bit sharp-tongued when selling things, she was essentially a good person. Over the years, she raised more than a dozen orphans on her own. Another example is the old doctor at the clinic. Although many people in the neighborhood knew that this old fellow had some charlatanism involved in his medical practice, his medicines were the cheapest in all of Vienna. For most people living in the shantytowns, the only place they could afford to see a doctor was at the old doctor's clinic.

This was the first time Sylvie had felt such warm care since her father's death in battle.

After nodding emphatically to Uncle Carter, Sylvie secretly vowed to herself, "Architecture is fine, at least an architecture degree will make it easier to earn money than an art degree. After graduating from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, I will definitely help those who have helped me to live in real brick houses, so that these simple and kind people can live a better life in the future."

-------------------------------------

"What are you doing?"

Today, Li Che discovered that Zhu Miaoyun was compiling a list, so he curiously went over to her. To his surprise, the list that Zhu Miaoyun was writing by hand was not the princess's shopping list. On the contrary, the list contained many companies in Europe.

"Of course I need to find a way to earn my own dowry." Zhu Miaoyun rolled her eyes, but Li Che couldn't help but chuckle at her words.

"When did you start preparing a dowry for yourself? And what about this dowry... are you planning to use it to acquire these companies?"

Li Che glanced at the list and found that it mainly consisted of companies in Letania or what is now South Letania. Some of these companies were industry leaders that were very important in Europe and even the world before the war broke out.

"That's right, I don't want to be just a pretty face in your harem. As the saying goes, beauty is for showing off, but once beauty fades, favor is gone... Ouch!" Zhu Miaoyun covered her head and glared at Li Che: "Fine! You're going to commit domestic violence before we're even married, huh?"

"You big dummy, are you trying to be abstract? How much money do you have in your slush fund to buy these companies? Even if these companies are struggling right now, it's not like you can just buy them off like that. Where did you get the money?" Li Che pinched Zhu Miaoyun's nose and tugged at it, which made the girl punch his chest with her small fists. Li Che didn't bother to block them; anyway, they didn't hurt and were actually quite comfortable.

"Can't I use the dowry you gave me?" Zhu Miaoyun punched the glasses until it didn't work, then stomped on them. "I'm thinking about how to help you make money, and instead of encouraging me, you're making sarcastic remarks!"

"Are you planning to buy up Letania and South Letania after the war?" Li Che shook his head: "My dear princess, if you are planning to make a move now, then I'm afraid you've miscalculated. Although Letania and South Letania are not doing very well because of their defeat, the economic situation of these two countries has temporarily stabilized. The Mark and Crown have only depreciated to a fraction of their original value compared to before the outbreak of the war."

"That's all?" Zhu Miaoyun's eyes widened. "You call this level of devaluation 'that'?"

"At least bread hasn't reached the point of costing 50 marks yet, has it?" Li Che shrugged.

Zhu Miaoyun had heard of the famous speech about a loaf of bread costing 50 marks. Our princess nodded in sudden realization, but then quickly realized, "But wouldn't it be many years before we reach the era of a loaf of bread costing 50 marks? I want to become a rich woman as soon as possible."

“It will indeed take many years to get a loaf of bread for 50 marks, but there are still opportunities in the next two years,” Li Che said. “You can continue to keep an eye on those companies in South Letania. You can consider whether to make a move by the end of next year or the year after.”

Why wait until then?

"That's because, based on the experience of the other side, the South Leitanian krona will depreciate by 140,000 times over the next two years on top of its current level of depreciation."

Chapter 244 The Great Battle Ends (5)

14 is just a number when spoken, but for the people of southern Letania in the future, it will be a mountain falling on their heads.

In another world, the most classic line in the movie about the mustache is probably "50 marks for bread." But in reality, currency devaluation is even more crazy. In the end, the mark almost really becomes worthless, and it's not uncommon to see bread worth hundreds of millions.

Li Che knew very well what kind of rollercoaster ride the world's economy would experience in the next ten years after the war ended, such as the sharp devaluation of Letania's currency and the Great Depression in the United States of Colombia...

Who can guarantee that the Tang Dynasty will be the country that can weather the financial storm safely? For the Tang Dynasty, which has a population of 6 million on its own soil, any economic fluctuation could affect all aspects of the country and society. If it is just a simple currency devaluation or market depression, that is not the worst outcome.

A wisp of wind carrying a hint of winter chill blew into the room through the window. It had started snowing in Yingtian Prefecture last night. Although compared to the heavy snowfalls in the north, the fine snowflakes in Yingtian Prefecture, which resembled silver dust, were so light that they barely accumulated on the ground, it was enough to cover the rooftops of all the buildings in the vast prefecture with a layer of silver frost.

Whether it was due to the change in weather or her own psychological factors, Zhu Miaoyun suddenly felt a little cold.

"We...we shouldn't encounter such a terrible disaster, right?"

Zhu Miaoyun suddenly realized that what South Letania would suffer in the future was not accidental; such a disaster would be like the white plague that ancient grassland tribes suffered for modern nations.

The economic chill can really kill you!

Fine snowflakes drifted outside the carved window made of golden nanmu wood, and Zhu Miaoyun's slender fingertips unconsciously caressed the blue-and-white porcelain cup. The silver-boned charcoal in the gilded charcoal brazier crackled, but it couldn't dispel the chill that lingered between her brows.

"I really don't know." Li Che shook his head, his eyes filled with worry about the uncertain future. The gap in progress between the two worlds was now too great, making it difficult for him to accurately predict the current situation by referring to the other world: "However, the economic problems that will affect the world in the future are not isolated cases of any one country. If we don't do something, then no one can guarantee that the Tang Dynasty will be able to escape unscathed in the tsunami. What South Letania will experience in the next two years may happen to us many years later."

"If the Dragon Yuan were to depreciate 140,000 times..." Princess Yongning wrung her silk handkerchief around a gilded teaspoon. Her past life's experiences and the refined manners cultivated in this body by the previous dynasty's court ultimately couldn't suppress the slight tremor in her voice. She seemed to see in a documentary the bonfires burning bonds in front of the Berlin Stock Exchange. If that scene were to unfold on this land...

"By then, it might not be 140,000 times; 40 trillion is a possibility." Li Che's knuckles tapped softly on the sandalwood table. The twelve imperial symbols on the Crown Prince's everyday robes gleamed dark gold under the palace lanterns. "The nation seems to have weathered the storm, but in reality, countless undercurrents are surging in the shadows. Grandfather used military victories to suppress the ambitions of countless opportunists, but if the economy falters, even to the point where morning wages, if not saved for lunch, wouldn't even buy a bag of bread, then, putting aside everything else, do you think your relatives will still be as obedient as they are now?"

Zhu Miaoyun stared at the Junshan Silver Needle tea leaves floating in the tea soup. She had witnessed many tragic scenes when the previous dynasty collapsed—layers of frozen corpses in front of the soup kitchens on the outskirts of the capital, and palace maids in the imperial kitchen exchanging gold utensils for half a bag of stale rice. But when these words came from the mouth of the person in front of her, it still made her balsam-colored nails dig deeply into her palms.