In facing a question he had pondered for days himself, Mr. Herbs offered his view, "I think Mr. Lynch has already taken a position in the Foreign Exchange market, though I am not sure about the amount, it matches his behavioral motives."
"He doesn't rely on the currency rate fluctuations of this cash to make money; he relies on his Foreign Exchange account. As long as he operates appropriately, he can earn just as much, and it's a more stable approach."
"He has a large amount of cash on hand, allowing him to do anything he wants, including influencing exchange rate changes."
At this point, whether agreeing or disagreeing with this view, everyone shifted their focus. Someone asked, "Mr. Herbs, up till now, you haven't told us how much Lynch wants to borrow?"
Mr. Herbs smiled slightly, "Ten billion Gallier!"
Everyone in the room slowly straightened their backs, each inhaling sharply, like fresh bamboo shoots sprouting high overnight in a bamboo grove after rain, visibly growing taller.
People immediately found reasonable explanations for some of Lynch's unusual actions, like perhaps he doesn't have that much money!
Ten billion Gallier requires about seventy to eighty million Federation Sol, even a world-class financial magnate can't produce that much cash quickly!
It's not that they don't have it, but they can't mobilize it in a short period, otherwise, it would affect their normal operations.
Big Consortiums can't do it, and neither can Lynch, so he has to borrow, not exchange!
The problem was solved, and people naturally calmed down, shifting their attention to what Lynch would pledge and the interest terms.
"Lynch holds a batch of bonds, I'm not sure if you know..." Mr. Herbs briefly explained the origin of these bonds and why they are in Lynch's possession.
Listening to his explanation, everyone couldn't help but admire Lynch's sharp foresight; he successfully bought them at their lowest value.
Even if he doesn't demand face value and promised interest now, redeeming them at sixty percent of face value still means around fifty to sixty million income here, though it takes a long time.
Gafura's Royal Bank handing out so much money at once would also hurt them financially for a while, and they reportedly launched several military projects recently.
The Ruler's Hall of Gafura and the Federation's Congress Hall are known as the cleanest and most transparent places globally, where no secret can be hidden; a meeting in the morning means the whole world knows by the afternoon.
But even if they only exchanged a bit each year for Lynch, it's still a remarkable income.
"If Mr. Lynch uses these bonds as collateral, I think it's appropriate!" As soon as someone agreed, the details of the amount became a matter for further discussion after they made a decision.
"What about the interest, Mr. Herbs?"
At this moment, a flicker of greed and cunning flashed in Herbs' eyes; he licked his lips, "While discussing the valuation of these bonds with Mr. Lynch, we had some disagreements about their worth, which led to a hedging agreement that I must make you aware of."
"I think the value of these bonds cannot be calculated based on their face value, but Mr. Lynch believes I'm wrong. Thus, we each presented our views."
"In the end, I agreed with Mr. Lynch's view and will lend him money based on face value..." He noticed someone couldn't help but speak, raised his hand to stop them, and continued, "Moreover, we signed a hedging agreement."
"Before fulfilling the loan contract, if the Gafura announces it's willing to unconditionally redeem these bonds, at least those in Mr. Lynch's possession, the loan will incur no interest!"
Surprised whispers filled the room as no one expected Mr. Herbs to make such a foolhardy decision, but immediately their exclamations grew louder.
"But likewise, if after fulfilling the loan contract, Gafura has no new policy regarding these bonds, they will be transferred as interest entirely to me, or to us!"
Everyone's breath became rapid in an instant; a group of vampires wasting time sitting together definitely wasn't for art and beauty discussions, they only talk about interests!
"All of them...?", the person who wanted to speak earlier asked, "Bonds worth tens of millions of Federation Sol, all of them?"
Mr. Herbs nodded, confirming once again, "Yes, all the bonds pledged to us will be paid to us as interest!"
Everyone's expressions changed; if earlier they felt the loan between Mr. Herbs and Lynch seemed somewhat like child's play or had evident suspicious elements, now they understood why Mr. Herbs insisted on inviting them here to discuss this project.
Everything became insignificant in that moment, only the final hedging agreement mattered. Once successful, their returns would be at least fifty percent or more!
In an era where an annual return of less than twenty percent dared to call itself king, having a chance within a few months to bet on a return over fifty percent, even with some risk, was worthwhile!
If lost, at worst it's the loss of interest; to be honest, this money sitting in their own banks now doesn't generate profit from nothing, but if placed on a bet, it could instantly lead to immense riches!
"I have roughly seven to eight billion Gallier in cash here..." After a brief calm, someone began calculating immediately, "I think this deal can work, count me in!"
By this time, no one considered whether those unreasonable behaviors held significant meaning, because this was a gamble where losing was almost impossible!
If they won, they would have no stress over returns for at least two to three years.
If they lost, it's merely about lending the money for a while, and it could even earn some from currency appreciation when returned, a zero-risk profitable business, why not do it?
As to why there'd be fools in this world, in truth no one is foolish; for Lynch to raise that much money, he must make some sacrifices, or who would lend him such an enormous amount of cash?
All unreasonable aspects became reasonable, excitement spread among everyone, even the one who kept saying this place was unbearably stinky, had a genuinely happy smile on his face.
Good news reached Lynch a bit later. The cement plant was already being built, and he also received a message from Mr. Truman that Preton had been apprehended.
This news was indeed very exciting, and even more so, Preton not only didn't resist but actively cooperated with the Security Committee's work, significantly raising the success rate of Lynch's series of plans afterward.
Even if Preton hadn't been captured, it wouldn't matter because there were countless "Pretons" in the Security Committee, and many with connections to Preton in the Federation had also been caught.
Also, given how some people privately valued Preton, reconnecting wouldn't be hard.
And even if they couldn't reconnect, there are other ways to make Emperor Gafura compromise, politics never only offers one path.
Of course, having Preton willingly cooperate yields better outcomes.
The simultaneous arrival of two good news made Lynch very happy, the saying 'one feels spirited when blessed with joy' roughly captured the sentiment, even making Mr. Herbs' old face more agreeable.
"I can raise roughly eighty to ninety billion Gallier cash, anything more would be difficult," Mr. Herbs spoke very plainly and directly, as there's nothing to hide about the numbers, "You've invested so much here, neighboring countries are all watching."
The Federation's development of Nagariel seems like plunder to some, yet others are envious of Nagariel being exploited.
Sometimes the facts, or truth, can be startlingly eye-opening but also so real.
Previously, worthless Gallier was unwanted, and if not for trade with Nagariel, hardly anyone would stockpile such worthless currency.
But now, it's stabilized with potential for growth, previously ever-eager to sell banks now declare their funds insufficient, initially believing he could gather one hundred billion Gallier, Herbs realizes now it's unattainable.
Though not a full hundred billion, it's close enough; Lynch nodded, "The transaction will take place in the Federation, is that okay?"
Because major banks hadn't stored enough Gallier, when Lynch needs cash, converting among banks isn't feasible, they can't directly increase numbers in his account, cash transactions are mandatory.
Lynch's requirement increased risks, but to these international bankers, it's manageable.
They have their armed forces; delivering a batch of cash to the Federation is something they've done frequently!
"Of course, let's discuss some of the upcoming matters..."
This negotiation was merely a rough construction of the contract's outline, further meetings would delve into more specific details.
This period gives Herbs and others time to raise funds.
This money isn't stored in one place, it could scatter across several places, or be in some individuals' hands, requiring withdrawal, integration, and then tabulating a detailed number and how to divide interests internally.
If Lynch loses the hedging agreement, discussions on how to split his bonds, who gets more or less, require negotiation.
Before settling these matters, Mr. Herbs couldn't advance more detailed discussions with Lynch; it merely informed him of the progress and generality, nothing more.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.