The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 93
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 93】
President Rikel’s son Ersen had set up a temporary tent in Opleng and opened a simple loan warehouse.
It was because his father had instructed him to gradually learn the banking business.
“I’ll send someone to help you, so start by handling small matters.”
Since there happened to be many customers requesting loans for commercial property purchases, Ersen had established himself there to understand the local situation in Opleng.
‘I don’t know about work, but I’m burning with frustration inside!’
The more he understood the situation, the more frustration washed over him, causing him to raise his voice.
“It’s obviously a scam, so why don’t you understand?”
“But they said this area will be developed…”
“So when is that? When exactly will this so-called development happen?”
This time another person interjected. A woman who said she ran a shop in the Imperial Capital pointed to the pamphlet distributed at the investment briefing.
“Look here, it’s all written out! Look more carefully! The Empire will first lay roads, then development will proceed sequentially.”
“Ah?”
“Once a road connecting to the Imperial Capital is built, accessibility will improve, the village population will naturally increase, and the Temple will probably establish a branch school too. Then a Treatment Center will be built, and also…”
“I’m asking seriously, but how do you trust the plan that a road will be built there?”
Ersen crossed his arms.
“See that Hill Path over there? Turns out that’s the pilgrimage route that Saint Opleng walked in the old days. Who would neglect a neighborhood with such tourist attractions? Once word spreads a little, everyone will flock there, right?”
“Really?”
This is the first I’m hearing of it?
“Given the recent surge in believers, the Temple rather than the Empire might lay the roads.”
“…”
“And if Saint Opleng is involved, that essentially means God is connected to it. How could there be failure in such matters?”
“…Right. Since you’re also a god, that investment will definitely succeed.”
Idiot.
Ersen’s head was throbbing.
Mindlessly giving out loans doesn’t help the bank’s finances.
For a few months or years right now, they’ll pay interest expecting future profits. But the moment they realize they’ve been deceived, their hope will immediately be crushed.
They’ll postpone principal repayment saying they don’t have the means. Eventually they’ll tell us to take the commercial property used as collateral.
But that commercial property doesn’t have enough value to repay the loan. Its value was inflated from the time of purchase.
Then the bank becomes insolvent by the amount of funds that couldn’t be recovered.
So naturally, the loan was rejected.
“Geez, how rude. Shouldn’t you listen to what people have to say before rejecting them?”
“I’ll listen if it’s worth listening to. Would you feel good sitting here continuously listening to nonsense like you?”
Ersen was smart, but his method of conveying knowledge wasn’t wise. Having grown up protected as the youngest child, he didn’t know how to consider others.
“I know this neighborhood better! What does some brat who just pitched a tent know? I came here a week ago to survey this area for investment!”
“Then you should have withdrawn long ago knowing it’s a worthless place. Why are you staying around expecting to see something good?”
“Ah, I’m telling you it’s a real proper opportunity!”
“Where in the world is there a guaranteed investment? Anyway, I can’t give you a loan, so get out.”
A skilled banker would have sent them away with appropriately nice words like ‘I’ll review it’ or ‘The screening seems like it will take time.’
But Ersen hadn’t mastered that level of Social Maneuvering.
“Just listen once!”
“I’ve been doing business with Arman Bank for how many years!”
When the tent became noisy with people angered by Ersen’s manner of speaking and people trying to restrain them.
“…What’s the matter?”
The situation changed when Rianel appeared.
“Wow, damn… really fucking glad to see you, really.”
Ersen gestured to Rianel while holding back tears that were welling up.
“But what brings you here again… no, never mind. Sit down first. You have the qualifications to enter.”
People stirred at the noticeably discriminatory treatment.
‘What?’
‘Why is his attitude different only toward that person?’
Isn’t she someone who came for a loan screening just like us?
Among them was Benny, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs civil servant.
‘Why is the assistant here? Did the assistant also sense the definite aura of gold?’
She had been looking around to assess the situation.
“Right, father’s condition has improved a lot too. I thought you might be curious.”
“Is that so.”
She was greatly surprised to see Rianel, who seemed to have a friendship with Ersen.
“By, by any chance, were you acquainted with President Rikel too?”
Norman had been continuing only passive moves without showing his face, such as investing in the Princess’s business or conducting charity work with the Former Empress’s Secret Account.
But to have connections with such a person?
Is he now using ‘roughly’ for connections too?
Benny’s jaw wouldn’t close for quite a while.
* * *
“Please everyone take a seat.”
When some of those who came for loans left saying they’d try other banks, and some who liked the low interest rates chose to stay, calming the commotion in the tent.
Ersen gestured with his chin toward Rianel.
“So what brings you here?”
“Multiple VAT refund applications have been submitted, so I visited to check the local situation.”
Benny’s eyes widened.
At the investment briefing, they had said that just by registering as a rental business operator, you could get back 10% of the building price from the country.
‘Did she come because putting national money in your pocket is illegal?’
“Did you perhaps come to catch tax evasion?”
“VAT refunds are legal acts carried out within legitimate procedures.”
“Is, is that so?”
This was somewhat unexpected.
“It’s because rental business is already a taxable business.”
VAT is a tax imposed on all commercial transactions, designed so that you pay tax every time you purchase something.
Usually it’s set at 10% of the item price.
“For instance, if you purchased this table here for 500 gold, the actual price of that table would be 450 gold.”
Because the remaining 50 gold is VAT.
Commercial properties are the same – if you purchased a commercial property for 100 million gold, you’ve paid 10 million gold in VAT along with it.
“However, in the case of rental business operators, VAT occurs again when renting the building to tenants, so this is refunded in advance.”
VAT refunds would be returning to building owners who filed business reports the tax that tenants would pay anyway in the form of consumption tax.
“This is not illegal as it’s to prevent double taxation.”
The problem here would be.
“You must return the refunded VAT when you sell the building.”
This applies even if the building price has fallen.
If done wrong, situations could arise where you can’t sell the building because of VAT.
“Since road plans for that area haven’t been confirmed, I recommend carefully considering the purchase of those commercial properties.”
People who still couldn’t give up their dreams of striking it rich spoke up one by one.
“You probably don’t know since you’ve only studied, but we came after hearing reliable information!”
“That’s right! Plus, this business was blessed by the Saint. Doesn’t that mean the Temple is also watching this neighborhood with interest?”
“Is that so.”
Rianel neither affirmed nor denied.
Because fraud victims don’t easily admit to being victimized.
They had been going around telling people everywhere that there was a good opportunity, full of hope, so they couldn’t easily admit to becoming people who suffered losses instead of hope. Not only money but also face was at stake.
‘It would be better to go catch the scammer.’
She hadn’t come with the intention of arguing with these people.
Since Rianel liked to achieve results with maximum efficiency, she didn’t want to waste time on things that wouldn’t work.
That didn’t align with the aesthetics of doing things roughly either.
However.
“What are you talking about?”
The reaction erupted from a completely unexpected place.
“Doing things roughly is right! Doing things roughly is perfect! Our assistant can’t possibly be wrong!”
Benny even clenched her fists and shouted.
Ersen was dumbfounded.
“Do you even know what you’re talking about right now?”
How could handling something carelessly and sloppily be synonymous with perfection?
“One thing I can tell you is that no one wants to roughly hand over their own money.”
Ordinary people don’t readily share good opportunities with others.
Unless they could monopolize it all for themselves.
“Well, that’s…”
“That’s true, but.”
When several people trailed off at the hard-to-refute words.
It became noisy outside.
“You can’t go inside…”
“If you want to enter, you need to fill out a waiting ticket…”
“I just came to find someone.”
Soon the tent flap was lifted, revealing the face that had made the people outside flustered.
With an upright face and clothing that showed wealth.
Even someone who didn’t know much about status or nobility would get the feeling that ‘this person shouldn’t be messed with’ from the man standing there.
“Asil?”
“Bureau Director Novantium?”
People who recognized that face simultaneously made sounds of surprise.
“So you were here.”
Asil stretched his long legs and walked over to Rianel’s side.
As if he couldn’t see anyone else around, he quickly pulled Rianel into an embrace, rested his chin on her shoulder, and took a deep breath.
Like someone who had finally found relief.
“You acted like you would accompany me, then left me behind and came down first. I was truly hurt.”
“Didn’t you say you had a lot of work? I thought you would continue staying in the Imperial Capital.”
Since he said he had work to organize at the Special Tax Bureau, she had left him behind.
‘If he was going to come this quickly, why did he say he had work?’
At this speed, she would even believe he had been tailing her.
“Why would I guard an abandoned mansion? I’m not even a dog.”
“There’s an error in that statement. I am not the owner of that mansion.”
“Everything of mine naturally belongs to Master.”
In the midst of this, Asil said the word ‘Master’ quietly. Seeming to be mindful of their surroundings, Rianel let out a hollow laugh.
“You left me behind and came here, yet you look so peaceful. I suppose my position within Master is still not significant.”
Soon he brought his head close and whispered.
“If you would just tell me once that you need me too, I think I could breathe properly.”
“There’s something to correct. You are breathing normally even now.”
Even now she could vividly feel his inhaling and exhaling, making her shoulders ticklish, so everything up to this moment had been nonsense.
Rianel felt the urge to stuff cotton into his nostrils to teach him what it really felt like to be unable to breathe.
Benny was astonished.
People who didn’t know them well would see them as an affectionate couple, but Benny knew Asil’s nature of pretending to be sweet while being cold.
She also knew that he hadn’t shown interest in women for a long time.
Yet that same person was showing such devoted behavior to one person.
“Are… are you two dating?”
She couldn’t help but ask.
“As you can see, we are.”
“But why on earth…”
Even after hearing the answer, it still didn’t make sense.
She couldn’t understand why Asil was unilaterally clinging to such a cold and blunt lover.
“She’s cute, isn’t she?”
Cute, what?
“I felt like I couldn’t let her go, so I came to put her in a sack for safekeeping.”
Asil, who was holding Rianel tightly in his arms instead of a sack, said.
“If I take my eyes off her, I feel like someone might steal her away.”
It was the appearance of a man completely smitten with his lover.
Benny, who had been silent, looked at Ersen.
She wanted to confirm whether what she just heard was true, or if something had gone wrong with her hearing.
“Is… being cute also something that can be done ‘roughly’?”
“Don’t ask me. I’m holding back the urge to sprinkle salt on them.”
Ersen turned his head away in avoidance.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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