Book 19 Chapter 9

Joint Venture

"A true hermit?"

"I have one more thing to ask."

Before Jang Woo-yang could even celebrate the successful contract, Elder No opened his mouth again.

"Please, ask."

Jang Woo-yang replied respectfully, ready to listen to whatever Elder No had to say.

"What do you intend to do with those children?"

"Those children… do you mean the two survivors of the Azure Dragon Bank?"

Elder No nodded once.

"Within the world that you and I now share, if we speak of children, it is only those two. Are there any others?"

"I am ashamed to admit, but I was so preoccupied with the handover of the precious items upon arrival that I hadn't considered it. I had thought of assigning a few escorts to send them wherever they wished… but they have lost all their kin and their family business. Where would they have anyone to turn to?"

"Tsk, tsk, you never know."

Elder No replied curtly.

"What?"

"They may not have lost their family business. And even if they did, what does it matter? Can't they rebuild it?"

His tone was light and carefree, as if he were contemplating what to eat for dinner.

"Rebuild it? How? It's not that simple…"

"It is simple, as long as your mind doesn't make it difficult. Why did you want Hajang so badly?"

"As you yourself said, Elder No, it was because we needed a symbol as a stepping stone for the rapid development of the Jungyang Bank."

"A fifty-point answer."

"What?"

Jang Woo-yang had not yet fully grasped the meaning of Elder No's words.

"Do you have any intention of expanding your business?"

Jang Woo-yang felt a strange sense of déjà vu, hearing the exact same words spoken by someone with long bangs just the other day.

"If you have a plan, I will respectfully listen."

Jang Woo-yang asked, straightening his posture. At that moment, he felt as though he were encountering a wave of destiny that most people only encounter once or twice in their lifetime.

"Didn't I already tell you the plan?"

Elder No said in a slightly cold voice.

"Huh?"

Jang Woo-yang let out another dazed sound.

"If you are this slow-witted, how will you grow your business in the future? I will tell you one more time. How about your Jungyang Bank taking the lead in rebuilding the burned Azure Dragon Bank?"

"You mean… jumping into the battlefield business?"

Jang Woo-yang's eyes widened at the completely unexpected proposal.

"Of course. This might be a God-given opportunity."

"That's a bit…"

Jang Woo-yang instinctively flinched. It was a grand adventure that required taking on too much risk. The reckless expansion of a business has always come with risks, no matter the era. If things went wrong, even the existing foundation could crumble. It was perfectly understandable that Jang Woo-yang would try to back out. However, if he backed down at this point, he would not be Byulyeon's master.

"Why was the Central Plains Bank called the number one bank in the world? They may have spread their reach into numerous businesses like tentacles, but do you not know that the reason for such tentacle-like business expansion was because they had their own Central Plains Battlefield?"

His grasp of reality was so profound that it was hard to imagine him as a hermit buried in the mountains. Where did he get all that information?

"You really know a lot! That is true. With the immense financial power generated by the Central Plains Battlefield, the Central Plains Bank built its current foundation."

"There can only be one tiger on a mountain. The plains of the Central Plains are enough with just one tiger. For you to make the Jungyang Bank the number one bank in the world, it is a mountain and a wall that the Jungyang Bank must inevitably cross. To do that, you will definitely need a financial backer to support you."

What had seemed like a dream just three years ago was becoming more and more of a reality.

"If you try to establish a new battlefield and open up sales channels from now on, you will never catch up to those who are already ahead, even if thousands of years pass. But if you ally with the Azure Dragon Bank, things will change. You will become the major shareholder and benefactor of the Azure Dragon Bank. Even the existing clients of the Azure Dragon Bank, who had credit with them, will feel grateful to you for recovering their money that had turned to ash. Then, not only will the vast network of the Azure Dragon Bank be revived, but its reputation will also improve, allowing you to attract even more customers."

"That makes sense too."

Now, at last, he could understand what Elder No had meant a little while ago. Just as Baekmuhu was a symbol, the two children were also symbolic figures who held the righteousness of rebuilding the Azure Dragon Bank. He now held one symbol in his hand, and it was certainly feasible.

Elder No's story was not over. Surprisingly, this self-proclaimed hermit was sharp with business matters, to the point where his self-proclaimed status was questionable.

"There are two main obstacles to rebuilding the Azure Dragon Bank."

"Two… Hmm, two…"

Jang Woo-yang suppressed the urge to take notes and focused all his attention on his ears so as not to miss a single word.

"One is restoring the lost ledgers. To attract back the existing customers of the Azure Dragon Bank, which has gone completely bankrupt, you must refund the silver they had deposited with the bank. It might seem like a loss at first and a heavy burden, but later, that credibility will become a great strength. No customer will entrust their money to a bank that lost their money, will they? If that's the case, there's no need to use the name Azure Dragon Bank."

Elder No waited for a moment while Jang Woo-yang organized the information in his head, then continued.

"Compared to this first problem, the second problem can be considered minor. However, it may be simple but not easy. Because the second problem is a simple matter of money. Therefore, if the Jungyang Bank's finances are strong, this will be easily resolved. You already know about the opposition, I don't need to tell you. As you know, to reopen the bank, you must first prepare the capital reserves (頭寸). Only then can you meet customers' withdrawal demands on time. Therefore, if this is not properly prepared, you will not get permission. Of course, the Azure Dragon Bank is already a formally registered bank with the government, but after a major incident and its site turning to ash, the government will conduct an audit. Therefore, you need to prepare a certain amount of capital reserves. Then, you must ask the customers for a temporary understanding. If there is a run on deposits before funds are gathered, how can you manage that money?"

"It might be difficult to manage with only the minimum required capital reserves."

It was something Jang Woo-yang could easily imagine. But how did this old man know such detailed information that even ordinary merchants didn't know?

"But don't worry too much. The Sichuan Province and the Central Government will also help. They will not want to lose one of their biggest sources of funds."

Despite his divine appearance, Elder No had a thorough understanding of worldly affairs. Jang Woo-yang could not help but admire his outstanding insight, and by that point, he was already more than eighty percent swayed.

"You will become the guardian of those children. If the Jungyang Bank actively takes the lead in rebuilding the Azure Dragon Bank, the government and customers will be reassured and will support it."

The more he listened, the more appealing the story became. Jang Woo-yang saw a grand dream unfolding before his eyes. It was an incredibly grand dream that he had never dared to dream in his entire life.

"Then, we will need to restore the lost ledgers as soon as possible. But how do we restore them? They must have already turned to black ash and scattered into the air."

"Don't worry. If the Azure Dragon Bank's head was intelligent, he would have left a spare ledger. When I heard the story before, it was the head of the Azure Dragon Bank himself who helped the children escape. He would not have entrusted his son with the future without leaving anything behind. That child carries the seed of hope left by his father within him. It is your role to germinate and nurture that seed."

Jang Woo-yang's jaw dropped open.

"If that happens, the Azure Dragon Bank will rise again from the ashes, and the Jungyang Bank will obtain the final stepping stone to become the number one bank in the world. It's a win-win for both sides, so what could be better?"

And he would also recover his lost retirement pension, but there was no need to mention such trivial matters. It was great if both, or even three, prospered together, but Elder No considered himself a person who knew the virtue of concealment.

Jang Woo-yang suddenly jumped to his feet and bowed deeply to Elder No.

"Please accept the bow of this unworthy disciple, Elder No!"

"I did not do this to receive a bow."

Jang Woo-yang did not stop bowing. And then he exclaimed.

"I am impressed, Elder No! Today is a day of great enlightenment for this old man! It is truly a brilliant strategy! A transaction where both sides win is so rare, perhaps once in a thousand times. Thanks to you, Elder No, our Jungyang Bank has gained a winged tiger!"

It was a more fitting expression than a tiger with wings. That tiger was a white tiger, as white as snow.