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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Trap of Greed
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Once the bait was taken, the upper hand was completely ours.
Just as he'd practiced relentlessly, James crossed his legs, exuding a casual arrogance.
"Of course, you should know. For a company involved in the construction, you looked so surprised it almost startled me."
"Hahaha... As I said, I just wasn't expecting it to come up so suddenly. But may I ask what you wished to discuss regarding the Liverpool-Birmingham branch line?"
The other party, knowing nothing, would naturally want to hear as much as possible from our side.
He was bound to keep his own words to a minimum and focus on asking questions.
With the situation unfolding exactly as Killian had scripted, responding was almost too easy.
"As you know, with London and Birmingham being connected, it was absurd that Liverpool or Manchester wouldn't also be linked to Birmingham. Once connected, one could travel nonstop from London to Liverpool or Manchester. If that's not a money-maker, what in this world is?"
"Of course. From the moment the line was first planned, most people considered it a given that Liverpool and Manchester would eventually connect to Birmingham."
"Right, right. And the railway bill set to pass through Parliament next year seems to be coming together better than expected, doesn't it? It looks like the Liverpool-Birmingham section will be handled all at once, but the problem is, as always, the lack of sufficient materials and labor."
Still, for a man who made a living scamming people in the railway business, he couldn't possibly misunderstand these words.
A quick glance confirmed that Turner was nodding along, following the conversation's flow.
"You know what kind of man John Rennie, the one who proposed this line, is, don't you? He's a meticulous fellow. He won't let any company participate unless they can guarantee a solid supply of funds and materials."
"Haha, he is quite the perfectionist."
Naturally, James had never even met John Rennie, the proposer of the London-Birmingham railway line.
It was obvious the same was true for that swindler.
Yet, the way they spoke of him so casually—"that fellow," "he"—as if they were old acquaintances, was truly chilling.
One could only imagine how John Rennie, who was likely struggling to get the railway bill passed even now, would feel if he knew about this.
"So, let me ask, has your company also agreed to supply materials for this branch line construction?"
"No. We're focusing our supply efforts on the main line."
"Hmm... Still, if you're still accepting investments, doesn't that mean you have more supply capacity? That's why I came here with some hope."
"Ah, well, if we stretch ourselves, it might be possible. But when you say 'hope'... is there an opening for us to get involved?"
The hyena, having caught the scent of money, revealed its insatiable greed.
And the hunter, holding all the answers, threw a piece of juicy, dripping meat before it, as if on cue.
"That's why I'm here. I've gathered several companies to raise capital, but I'm in a bind because I've only secured one material supplier. We need as many companies as possible cooperating to give the impression of a stable supply chain, don't we? You understand what I mean, right?"
"Of course. But by any chance... could I know the exact scale of the project?"
"Nothing's set in stone yet, so just take these as rough figures. The total construction cost will likely be similar to the London-Birmingham railway. I'd say over five million pounds. The section we can secure is about a fifth of that. And since materials account for 40 to 60 percent of the cost, we're looking at around five to six hundred thousand pounds. I was thinking of allocating two to three hundred thousand of that to your side, if possible."
"Three hundred thousand pounds..."
As James mentioned the rough amount, Turner's eyes flickered faintly.
Though those scoundrels had been running their railway scam for nearly a decade, the total amount they'd amassed probably didn't exceed two hundred thousand pounds.
An opportunity to earn an amount equal to, or even greater than, the fruit of those ten years of effort had just fallen into their laps.
But of course, these men couldn't supply the materials.
How could crooks who'd only ever stolen money with plausible lies possibly supply materials?
Yet, it was difficult to pass up such a good opportunity to make money.
Turner's mind must have been racing, trying to come up with a good excuse to get in on this deal.
"I... I'm terribly sorry, but we have almost no materials available for immediate supply. We've liquidated nearly all of our assets into cash."
"Why? Once the railway bill passes next year and construction begins, you'll need to place large orders anyway."
"Ah, yes, of course. But we heard information that raw material prices might drop next year, so we decided to maximize our cash holdings for the time being."
Since they likely only ever had cash to begin with, this was the best excuse they could come up with, but it was a plausible one.
The answer was just as expected. James pretended to ponder this with the utmost seriousness before letting out a light sigh.
"This is problematic. We need to register at least two capable suppliers to project an image of stability."
"But we do have a significant amount of cash on hand. Is there any way we could get involved on the investment side with this?"
"The investment slots are already full. May I ask what the maximum amount of cash you can mobilize is?"
"The cash we currently hold is at most one hundred and sixty... no, about one hundred and fifty thousand pounds."
They'd swindled an enormous amount.
The thought that this money was the blood and tears of victims they had deceived for ten years made his stomach churn with disgust, but he had to maintain his composure.
"Well, this is difficult. I brought the documents today intending to finalize the contract, but I've run into an unexpected variable. Still, with that amount, perhaps..."
James deliberately paused, studying Turner's expression.
He could feel the man's intense desire to somehow get in on this lucrative deal and make a profit.
Deciding the time was right, he presented a solution with an irresistible allure.
"Ah! Right, how about this? Since you can't prepare the materials right now, our other contracted supplier will place the material order under your company's name, and you will pay for it. Then, when it's their turn to supply materials, they'll prepare them by paying you. This way, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"So... you're saying since the materials need to be ordered, we should pay for them first? Then when and how much would we be paid?"
"One hundred and fifty thousand pounds should cover almost all of the first batch of materials needed. In that case, the amount that falls to your side would be at least two hundred and fifty thousand, maybe up to three hundred thousand. As for the payment, it will be made as soon as construction begins next year."
That meant a profit of at least one hundred thousand, and possibly up to one hundred and fifty thousand.
But one hundred and fifty thousand was nearly all the money they had, so caution was only natural.
In a tone carefully calculated not to offend, Turner began to speak.
"It's certainly a tremendous opportunity for us, but... investing the full one hundred and fifty thousand pounds and having the funds tied up until next year feels like a rather large burden."
"Ah, of course, I understand. I've done this sort of business many times, so I don't care for beating around the bush. To put it bluntly, you're asking what reason you have to trust me with such a large sum, aren't you?"
"Ha, haha... No, not at all. We just believe it's better to be a little more cautious."
"Didn't I say? I originally intended to finalize the contract today. I've brought the documents, so feel free to look them over."
It was rare to scrutinize company ledgers or financial records in detail, but this was a large-scale transaction involving over one hundred thousand pounds.
In such cases, providing accounting ledgers was a customary way to gain the other party's trust, and naturally, James had brought forged ones.
"Thank you. We appreciate you providing them without us even having to ask."
"Like I said, I've been in this business since the Manchester railway; this isn't my first rodeo. Who wouldn't be anxious about pouring in a sum like one hundred and fifty thousand pounds? So, to put your minds at ease, I'll provide collateral. That should put an end to any worries, right?"
"What? Collateral?"
"Yes. I'll give you an account with the same amount as your one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-pound investment, along with a certificate allowing you to withdraw the money from that account. This way, you'll have virtually no risk, won't you?"
"That's certainly true. But if you have free access to an account with one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, couldn't you just handle the matter yourself...?"
With such a safety net in place, one would expect him to bite the bait, but he remained suspicious to the very end.
Then again, having leeched money off innocent people like a flea for ten years without getting caught, perhaps this level of caution was to be expected.
"No, didn't I just say? We need to show that we have at least two reliable suppliers to keep winning contracts. Why would I go through such a troublesome process otherwise? If we have a clear record that this money came from your company, there will be no problem proving it later if any issues arise."
"Ah! So that's what it was. I understand perfectly. If that's the case..."
"But in this line of business, time is of the essence, and we don't have much to spare. I'd like a decision by tomorrow at the latest. Is that acceptable? You'll have your own things to verify, but since I've provided the documents, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"If the collateral is secure, then it would indeed be easy for us to make a decision within a day."
"Is that so? Then I can confirm it for you right now. Have one of your employees accompany me. On my way back, I'll stop by the bank and show him the one hundred and fifty thousand pounds in the account. That should settle it. No need to drag this out."
Who would be foolish enough to miss an opportunity where, at worst, they break even, and at best, more than double their fortune?
The key was to firmly instill the belief that they could recover their principal even if things went south, and the collateral was the ultimate guarantee of that.
As James stood up and put on his coat, an employee quickly followed, holding the hat he had taken off earlier.
Guessing this was the man who would accompany him to the bank, James let out a small smirk and adjusted his monocle.
"Alright then, shall we go? I'll be back tomorrow, so I'll be looking forward to a favorable response."
* * *
The moment James left the office with the employee, Turner frantically began rummaging through the accounting ledgers he'd been given and barked orders at his staff.
"One of you, find out right now when the Twain Company started its operations. Brad has gone to check on the collateral, so he'll handle that. The rest of you, help me analyze these ledgers!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then I'll look into this man named Twain."
"Hurry! He said he's coming for an answer tomorrow, so all analysis must be completed by tomorrow morning at the latest!"
Turner didn't trust the man named Richard in the slightest.
After more than a decade of swindling in this business, he had come to realize that trust was the most useless value in the world.
The only things he believed in were money and the contracts that brought it.
What mattered was whether Richard had enough money for them to bleed dry.
And after a forced march of work that continued nonstop into the evening, Turner fortunately found the satisfactory answer he was looking for.
"Boss! This guy is the real deal. There's really an account at the bank with a balance of over one hundred and fifty thousand pounds. And he even withdrew ten pounds and gave it to us to buy a nice dinner."
"There's nothing wrong with the ledgers either. These guys' assets are no joke. It's well over several hundred thousand, maybe even more than a million pounds."
"I looked into it in a hurry, so I couldn't get all the details, but the Twain Company was definitely established when the Manchester railway construction began. I suspect he's someone who amassed a huge fortune in a short time during the railway boom."
If the company was legitimate, the collateral was secure, and the ledgers showed no discrepancies, there was no reason to hesitate further.
In fact, if they kept testing the waters and offended the other party, this chance to earn a massive sum could disappear.
"Alright. Then let's tell him we'll sign the contract tomorrow. If this goes well, the money we've worked our asses off to earn until now could triple in an instant. Once this is over, we can leave this country and spend a leisurely retirement in the south of France."
"What? Boss, the most we're set to receive from them is three hundred thousand pounds, so wouldn't our assets only double?"
"That's if we see the deal through to the end properly."
Swindlers were the sort of people who would backstab their partners even at the very last moment.
Turner couldn't stop laughing as he imagined the look on that arrogant nouveau riche's face next year, furious after losing a fortune.
* * *
"...And so, everything has been handled exactly as you instructed, Young Master."
"Well done. I don't recall telling you to withdraw ten pounds for them at the end. Excellent improvisation."
"I thought it would make them trust us more. They were suspicious until the very end, so I'm not sure if we'll get a favorable answer tomorrow."
"Don't worry. The moment you presented those terms, the deal was as good as done."
It went without saying that swindlers were generally a suspicious lot.
How could people who had spent their entire lives deceiving others not be suspicious?
However, for that very reason, they never truly believed they could be deceived by others.
This tendency was even more pronounced in those with long careers.
—Who would dare try to swindle me, someone who has made a living tricking others for so long! Impossible!
A certain confidence had taken root in a corner of their minds.
Of course, that didn't mean just anyone could easily fool them.
Such individuals typically built strong safety nets to protect themselves from being easily deceived.
But the moment that line was crossed, there was no turning back.
From that point on, they would let their guard down, their minds consumed by greed, and charge forward like demons maddened by money.
"How much did this operation cost in total?"
"You told me not to spare any expense, so it was quite a bit. Forging the ledgers, information fees, operational costs, and so on. All in all, I believe we spent at least several thousand pounds."
Still, the net profit would be well over one hundred and forty thousand pounds.
As expected, the rate of return was incomparable to playing a few hands of cards.
This was why they say one must play in the big leagues.
"But Young Master, that account you left as collateral..."
"It was the perfect bait, wasn't it? They're probably planning to take our payment, withdraw the money from that account, and then disappear."
Timing it would be difficult, but with thorough preparation and a clear target, it wasn't impossible.
If they succeeded, they could theoretically invest one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, receive three hundred thousand from us, and then withdraw the one hundred and fifty thousand they held as collateral.
Who wouldn't go crazy at the prospect of turning one hundred and fifty thousand into four hundred and fifty thousand pounds?
"Honestly, I was surprised. To think that men who have been swindling for over a decade couldn't even imagine our intentions."
"How could they guess when they don't even know such a method exists? They have no choice but to fall for it."
Suddenly, I wondered what expressions they would make when they went to the bank with that account.
No one would recognize me if I showed my face on the day, so it seemed only polite to go and watch.
After all, they were kind enough to give us a fortune of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds.
The least I could do was watch their final, despairing cries.