Chapter 352: Chapter 352
Just as Byron had said.
Not only were the shills and those supposedly successful fellow investors who had made a fortune fakes, but even the trading platform itself was a sham.
It was nothing more than a simulation system designed by Byron according to stock market rules, where all operational processes theoretically mirrored those of a real stock market.
In fact, for the first three hundred of the four hundred years since stocks were created, speculative activities were largely uniform. Market manipulation and insider trading were rampant.
Since the first stock market disaster—the Tulip Bubble—it seems humanity’s only lesson from history was that it never learned any lesson from history.
True market standardization had only existed for a few years by Byron’s era.
Everyone was more or less on the same footing; fundamentally, it wasn’t much different from his "simulated trading platform."
The eight stocks initially listed, with the exception of Pioneer Pilot, were all simulated in this manner.
After all, only Teresa and the few clients specifically "invited" by Byron were really speculating in stocks; the rest were just simulating.
No matter how much money Teresa and the others made through this simulation game, Byron could afford to cover all the losses.
After all, baiting was to chum the waters, not to truly feed the fish until they were full.
Consequently, Teresa encountered an unexpected incident, just as one might expect.
When she raised her head, full of anticipation, to look at the trend of stock number 0000003, a cliff-like plummeting curve suddenly cast a ghastly green over her head.
The nun, who had hoped for a turnaround, stared with widening eyes, her voice starting to tremble:
"How could this happen? The stock price has actually fallen?"
Turning around, she saw hordes of fellow investors at their trading interfaces, panic-selling their "Rhine Alliance to Banta’an Trade Corporation" shares, cutting their losses and exiting the market according to the "tricks."
Then, she overheard those who had exited quickly whispering:
"Luckily, my information was good, so I sold out as soon as the market opened. I didn’t just avoid a loss; I even made a small profit.
I heard that last night, when the fleet of company 003 was about to return from the First Circulation Zone, singing songs and drinking Rum, they were suddenly hijacked by a group of Barbary Pirates near the Bahama Archipelago.
The leader seemed to be called ’Fat Dragon.’
Although the sailors weren’t badly hurt, the ships and goods were all lost. It was a terrible disaster. TSK TSK..."
In reality, this was just a normal stock price fluctuation.
If ordinary people didn’t use leverage or borrow money to speculate, at worst, they would cut their losses, exit the market, and chalk it up to a lesson learned.
But Teresa couldn’t do the same.
She had not only secretly misused public funds but also doubled her leverage, and the recent crash had cost her everything, down to her last shirt.
Selling herself wouldn’t be enough to cover the losses.
If she couldn’t return the public funds, the image she had painstakingly built within the Church would be instantly ruined, not to mention any ambitions of becoming an Archbishop.
And if she couldn’t pay back the leveraged funds borrowed from the trading market, according to the agreement, she could only sell her body to repay the debt.
Around her weren’t just shills; there were also others who, like her, had hit rock bottom, collapsing weakly to the ground, shaking incessantly.
One had his member avatar obscuring his features, but the robes he wore resembled those of a judge from some Hightins Tribunal.
"It’s gone, my pledged ’Dream Execution’ is gone..."
However, Teresa couldn’t care less about others.
After understanding from her fellow investors why the price had fallen, the trembling nun’s first thought wasn’t that she had been deceived, but a regretful exclamation:
Why didn’t I think to use my status to bribe the devout followers inside the Rhine company and get first-hand intelligence? If I had gotten the news early, I could have directly bet on the decline today. Not only would I have avoided losses, but I could have made a fortune. I lacked experience this time. If only I could get another sum of capital, I could definitely make a comeback!
But the public funds and leverage were like two fires burning at her eyebrows.
If she couldn’t overcome this hurdle, she had no future.
What to do, what to do? I must quickly borrow a large sum of money to plug this huge hole, or it’s all over.
Just as Teresa was frantically spinning around like an ant on a hot pan, she suddenly noticed a tall, resplendently golden-clad beauty emerging from the exchange entrance.
She was clearly supremely confident, showing no intention of using a member’s avatar to disguise her appearance.
This also allowed Teresa to recognize her identity immediately.
That was Miss Catherine from International Port, manager of the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company, owner of stock number 0000001, and the renowned ’Flower of the North,’ the ’Mithril Dragon.’
The nun’s eyes lit up. Forcibly suppressing her panic, she calculated the chips in her hand:
The only collateral I can offer now, apart from myself, is the future ’Banta’an Grand Cathedral United Company.’ I am willing to offer a seventy-thirty split on the donations from the Gentry, farm owners, and nobility...keeping only thirty percent for myself and giving seventy percent to them. I just don’t know if she’s interested in this project. If not, other aspects can be augmented.
Though lacking confidence, she gritted her teeth and chased after her.
As a result, Teresa’s debt was successfully transferred from the trading market to the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company. This formed a perfect closed loop, making it even harder for her to refuse any demands from her creditors.
Byron, alone in the room, watched the nun who had finally fallen—or rather, been thoroughly trapped—and heard her every self-muttering clearly.
He swirled the wine glass in his hand and downed the sweet liquid, a toast to his victory:
"’Miss Nun, the waters of this financial market are too deep for you to navigate. Allow me, this old captain, to guide you toward promotion and prosperity.
From now on, Lancaster will be one of the Church’s shareholders.
In the future, within Banta’an’s borders, the faith is destined to have a place for me, the ’Father of Healing’!"
With a flick of his wrist, a shimmering golden piece of paper materialized in his palm.
It bore the company name ’Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company,’ year of establishment ’Era of Silver 1471,’ and total shares ’one million.’
This was the world’s first (fake) stock certificate.
It was also an artifact of great potential, a ’First-Class Holy Relic’ capable of leading a capitalization trend, much like the compass did for the Great Nautical Age.
"Stock is a principal form of negotiable security. It is issued by a corporation to prove an investor’s shareholder status and rights, and to obtain dividends and profits based thereon.
It has an epoch-making significance for the capital financial market, no less important than the compass was to the Great Nautical Age.
Effect: Dare to oppose me? I’ll acquire you!
It has two operational modes: buy and sell.
Buy: Initiate a purchase with any item of value greater than one Gold Pound to become a minor, minor, minor shareholder of an organization.
Any future contributions to the organization will be rewarded with an actual percentage of ownership in Mysticism equity.
As contributions increase, so does the share of equity.
When the ownership percentage exceeds 5%, you can forcibly change the other party’s perception, making them see you as an ally or even a figure of authority, even in face-to-face encounters.
When the stake is more than fifty percent, you immediately gain substantial ownership of the organization, irrespective of human will.
Sell: When parting ways, you can request a dividend settlement, forming a Mysticism treasure chest to forcibly extract assets, knowledge, or treasures from within the organization to offset the dividend.
The more shares you hold, the higher the value of the items you can extract."
This Sacred Relic was a perfect match for Byron, a ’Number One Confidant’ and a ’professional Er Wu Zai.’
Even when undercover in hostile organizations, he wouldn’t have to worry about his efforts over a period being wasted.
Whatever they take from me, they’ll have to return it, sooner or later.
The moment Byron got his hands on this stock certificate, he used the ’buy’ ability to become a shareholder in a series of organizations.
Considering that too small a share would be useless, he knew that good steel must be put to best use.
Therefore, the organizations he held shares in were not numerous: the Creator’s Church, Kingdom of Hightens, Aztec Empire, Taya Empire, Bloodthirsty Cult, Skinning Cult, and the Lighthouse Union.
His primary focus was on the Kingdom of Hightens. Combined, the overseas colonies he ruled directly or indirectly amounted to about one-twentieth of the homeland’s size.
But their actual value far exceeded one-twentieth.
Though much of their ownership did not belong to him.
Yet, Byron and Catherine’s Grenville Earldom, Torrent Fortress, and Pioneer Pilot Company... were all nominally part of the kingdom.
As long as he continued to grow stronger, his shares would naturally increase. The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽
Moreover, the fact that the colonies did not entirely belong to him now did not mean they wouldn’t in the future.
The ’Backdoor Listing Plan’ is already in motion. Sooner or later, I will completely drain the royal colonies of their blood. With the Church’s shares already secured, I’ll soon be able to say: What is Caesar’s is mine, and what is God’s is mine too!
Leaving the Financial Street, he had just relished the sight of Teresa’s signed ’indenture agreement’ and the Third Order ability ’Dream Execution,’ surrendered by Executioner No. 2 from the Star Chamber Court after being ensnared.
The conch at his waist suddenly sounded—it was his aunt, Magnyra.
Hearing her message, a sharp glint flashed in Byron’s eyes:
"’The octopus warship has appeared again? In the Iris colonies?
Aunt, we set out at once!’"