Chapter 260: Bankers Have No Emotions
Inside the apartment rented by Hugh and Fors, "The Abraham Family's curse—"
Listening to Lorne's words, Fors murmured, repeating the term.
Back then, her Apprentice Beyonder characteristic was obtained from a dying patient she was caring for. She remembered that Mrs. Anelisa seemed to have said that her husband came from a very ancient and mysterious family.
And she had once told Fors, with a mix of sadness and relief in her voice: "As long as it's not someone of that family's bloodline, they won't be implicated by that terrible curse—"
That family—was it the so-called "Abraham Family"?
"I don't know much about the Abraham Family," Fors shook her head, a little disappointed. "The lady who gave me the Beyonder characteristic didn't talk much about her family's affairs."
"What a pity—" Lorne sighed at the appropriate moment, expressing sympathy. He knew this clue was crucial for Fors.
"The information I currently have is this. Full Moon Devourer should be related to this family's curse. To find a way to resolve the Devourer, I'm afraid we can only start with their family."
"Do you still have contact information for that lady's other relatives or friends?" Lorne asked again.
"No—" Fors's eyes dimmed. "She had no children, and when she was seriously ill, no relatives or friends came to visit her. Perhaps that's why she left most of her inheritance, including these Beyonder items, to me, a relatively conscientious caregiver—"
Her voice grew softer and softer, carrying a hint of sadness and a sense of powerlessness regarding the uncertain path ahead.
The clue, it just ended like that—
Lorne looked at Fors, who was enveloped in a low mood, and tried to comfort her with a relaxed tone: "Madam, you are an Author! Your thoughts need to be more expansive."
He paused, quoting a "famous saying," "As the saying goes, 'The cart will find its way to the mountain.' "
"There will definitely be a way. I will also continue to help you inquire about relevant news."
"Mhm." Fors nodded, forcing a smile. "The cart will find its way to the mountain—Emperor Rosell's words indeed make a lot of sense; they always give people hope."
My goodness! He even copied this saying?! Is he even human?!
Lorne felt speechless. Rosell didn't even spare inspirational quotes! This was a comprehensive, all-encompassing way of not leaving any room for later Transmigrators!
Thinking of Rosell, a sudden association popped into Lorne's mind.
Rosell's diary once wrote that he deeply regretted not choosing three Pathways: Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder—
And now, by his side, Hazel might be a Marauder, Fors is an Apprentice, leaving only a Seer—
Could there be some special mystical meaning in this?
After the Queen Mystic incident, he felt like he had also become a bit superstitious recently.
Fors's voice interrupted his thoughts. She looked at Lorne beside her, a subtle blush appearing on her cheeks, her eyes a little hesitant, but finally, she gathered the courage to speak: "Thank you, Mr. Scott."
She stared intently at Lorne, a hint of shyness flashing in her eyes from time to time, sometimes revealing eagerness, and deep in her pupils, a complex emotion that Lorne couldn't understand.
"Clearly—clearly unrelated people, yet you've helped me so much—"
Has she discovered something, or—did I act too politely, too amicably just now?
Lorne felt a little unnerved by her sudden, aggressive gaze.
"Well—to meet is fate. Besides, I promised Hugh I'd help you, and Hugh has already paid the remuneration."
Lorne smiled, deliberately bringing up the incident of "teasing" Hugh that day again, trying to divert Fors's attention, and also implying that his help was not entirely selfless.
"Is—is it just because of Hugh?" Fors was slightly startled, her body instinctively leaning forward.
She said, word by word: "You're helping me because of Hugh?"
Empress Borough, in Earl Hall's luxurious villa.
"Dad, I heard that the stock market in Backlund seems to be doing very well recently?"
Audrey remembered Mr. World's reminder and asked her father, who was reading the newspaper, as if casually.
"Oh? Where did you hear that?" Earl Hall put down his newspaper and looked at his daughter with some surprise.
This was the first time she had actively discussed such issues with him.
"Glelint mentioned it. He seems to have become obsessed with investing recently and wanted to ask me for some inside information." As a qualified Spectator, Audrey easily fabricated a plausible reason.
"Dad, you are the most amazing banker in the entire kingdom!" Saying that, she complimented her father at just the right moment.
"Hehe." Earl Hall seemed to enjoy his daughter's flattery, letting out a pleasant chuckle.
"The stock market has indeed been good recently; many stocks have soared—"
"But—it seems a bit strange that so much news about the stock market has suddenly appeared." Audrey continued to play the role of a "curious baby."
"This is just normal cyclical market fluctuations," Earl Hall replied calmly, without changing his expression. "It's just that this time, the scope of the impact is slightly larger than usual, so it's particularly eye-catching."
Is that so?
"Is that so?" A hint of understanding flashed deep in Audrey's emerald eyes. As a Telepathist, she clearly caught the subtle fluctuation in her father's emotions at that instant—he was lying.
Dad—why would you lie to me? She couldn't quite understand.
If there truly was an anomaly in the stock market, it was very likely to escalate into a huge financial crisis, which would bring immeasurable damage to the entire kingdom. But Dad seemed somewhat indifferent.
"Of course, how could Dad lie to you?" Earl Hall put down his teacup and replied with a smile.
As one of the nobles most skilled in financial manipulation, he could naturally see that there was definitely something wrong behind this stock market surge. There was a high probability that some force or forces were secretly manipulating the market.
But, so what?
So many people were engrossed in this carnival of capital; how could he bear to spoil their fun—
Many conservative old nobles, in order to catch the wave of rising stocks and keep up with the trend, even mortgaged their family's inherited houses and land to get cash to invest in the stock market.
Many factory owners who were not good at finance also wanted to make a quick buck and mortgaged their factories to the bank.
As a banker, he was happy to provide loans to these people, and would even "kindly" guide them in their investments in secret—
He could fully utilize this storm, stirred up by others, to further weaken the conservative faction's influence and simultaneously win more wealth and industries for the Hall Family.
Even if this stock market bubble eventually burst, it wouldn't affect him. He was just an innocent banker who kindly provided loans to others.
But to say he did nothing would also be incorrect. Earl Hall had already revealed some plans to his eldest son, Hibbert, to prepare him in advance within the government. He intended for Hibbert to quickly step in after the crisis erupted, lead the formulation of relevant policies, clean up the mess, and seize the opportunity to gain valuable political leverage for the entire family and for himself.
This was an excellent opportunity that served multiple purposes.
As for the possible impact—who would care?
"Meow~ Is this your home?"
Looking at the resplendent, palace-like residence before her, Lachi, who was always full of confidence, suddenly felt very unrefined.
"Mhm." Susie stuck out her tongue, her face full of pride.
"Meow—" Lachi let out an envious purr.
How could a mere dog live so we