《Breaking The Game》Quest 50: Join A Bank
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“You wish to open an account? That’s great. We’d love to help you.” The teller said. Glee filled this man’s heart. He was ecstatic that his bank garnered enough attention to bring in The Unnamed Team. They just received their bounties for slaying sins. The teller had no doubt that their coin purses were filled to the magical brim. Greed was the only thing on this man’s mind. He would do anything to have them work with him. Little did he know, the team was prepared to ask for everything.
“Yes, that would be wonderful,” Robyn said with a sweet smile. She was always given this role whenever the team made a plan. Her smile had a way of disarming people of their doubts and defenses. Plus, she was rather enchanting. Men had a difficult time maintaining themselves when she turned up her charm, and that meant plans could continue much more smoothly.
“Hold on a moment. You wouldn’t happen to have an interest rate, would you?” Rex said. He spoke as if he was reading off of a script, which was not far from the truth. The team had prepared what they would say and do long before they entered the building. They also got Oliver and Emma to occupy Morgan, so he couldn’t interfere with the operation. There was a limited number of banks within the capital. They needed their plans to be successful each time or risk losing all business ventures.
“Interest rate?” The teller asked. Banks were a relatively recent development. Most people kept their coins to themselves or spent them immediately. Very few were fortunate enough to have a surplus of wealth. Banks were created solely to serve nobles and ease their financial troubles. For now, their services revolved around holding a person’s wealth and paying any bills. A concept like interest was far from their minds because most patrons didn’t see the point in it. They were already wealthy. What’s an extra percent every so often? It was this arrogance that neglected compound interest, but The Unnamed Team was more than willing to take it for themselves.
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“Yeah. Basically, every month you give us a certain percent of our account’s amount. It acts as an incentive to keep people at your bank.” Xander said. It was a normal modern concept. Most banks from their original world wouldn’t be caught without it. The Unnamed Team initially made a rule not to introduce modern ideas/technologies until they were sure the world was ready for it. Had they been reckless, the Kingdom of Dioesvich would have gained an enormous advantage against other countries. That said, they could always use their knowledge for their own profit. It didn’t matter if other nobles found out or copied them. Secrets that increased one’s wealth were rarely held. Word would eventually spread to other countries, or the concept would be rejected if it caused the economy to plummet.
“That’s an interesting concept. It might work, but I’d have to look into it.” The teller said. The idea was a good one. Customers were bound to open accounts with his bank if he could promise more wealth in the future. If the rate was low enough, it wouldn’t be too detrimental to his bottom line. Plus, it would convince naive commoners to join the bank under the false notion that they’ll one day be as rich as nobles. The only problem was that it was too good. The teller needed to find out any potential drawbacks before agreeing to such a thing.
“That’s a shame. The bank across the street, Royal Wealth, offered us a three percent interest rate. If you can’t beat them, we’ll be leaving.” Nicholas said. He was lying. The rival bank promised no such thing. They were also looking into it, but a little truth-stretching always got people to hurry. That was what The Unnamed Team was counting on.
“Wait! I can do…four percent. Every month your account’s amount will increase by four percent.” The teller said. He couldn’t let the heroes slip away. If they banked with him, nobles would also take interest. They’d want to be his clients as well. He would have so much gold he’d practically drown in it. That was a dream the teller was willing to sacrifice anything to achieve. What was four percent, anyways? A few silver here and there?
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“Sorry, but that’s not good enough,” Xander said. The team wouldn’t be satisfied with small increases. The number of banks was limited. They wouldn’t be able to squeeze out a high-interest rate if they took every low offer thrown at them. Xander leaned forward and gestured with his thumb to demand an increased rate. It felt like a shakedown. At the time, it was difficult to see that these four were really heroes. Then again, this was the only way they could ensure they’d have full wallets for the rest of their lives.
“S-six percent,” The teller said. He couldn’t possibly go any higher. The Unnamed Team had plenty of gold and platinum coins. A ten percent interest rate would bankrupt the bank itself. A five percent interest rate would upset the team and risk them leaving to a different company. They would probably consider it as an insult or a waste of time. Hopefully, the teller’s compromise satisfied his potential clients.
“Royal Wealth has also offered us a free dinner at Cafe LeBlanc,” Robyn said. That part wasn’t in the script, but it also wasn’t a lie. The other bank strived to have The Unnamed Team as clients as well, but they couldn’t promise a fixed interest rate at the moment. Instead, they would provide a free meal at one of the highest rated restaurants in the capital. It wasn’t meant to be a part of the discussion, but Robyn couldn’t help herself.
“I’ll do you one better. You can have that and fifty gold coins credit to be used at Heavenly Confections.” The teller said. This team drove a hard bargain, but it was difficult to fault them. Everyone would want them as a client. Thankfully, this teller was smart enough to do his research. He knew about their trip to the confectionary. He knew that at least half of their team adored sweets. He was right.
“Deal. Thanks again…I’m sorry, what was your name?” Nicholas said. He almost heard the collective grumbling of his team’s stomachs. They would have agreed had he not said it first. The only things left were formalities. Smiles were painted across The Unnamed Team. This was actually the last bank they were going to try today, and it gave them the best deal possible. The least the team could do was learn the name of their teller and thank him properly.
“I am the embodiment of sin, Greed. But please, call me Greed. It’s good to meet you heroes. You’re even better than I imagined.” The embodiment of sin, Greed, said. His eyes were full of passion. He'd never met someone who loved money as much as himself. Unlike other sins, Greed wasn’t equipped with armor. He wore a regular outfit with gold accents. It was hard to believe he was a sin, but no one would lie about something like that to a group of sin-slayers.
Rex slowly unlatched his steel rod from his hip and raised it above his head.
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Glitch
202X - The Universe is proven to be a Simulation An outbreak of nihilism and crime follows the discovery. It is not long before institutions and criminals develop a way to cheat our false reality and achieve impossible feats. They call this new tool Glitch and its uses vary: from editing the body with superhuman capacities to manipulating the elements and the Earth. Those who yield this new power are called Glitchers, and they are held as the Greek Heroes of the new times. Edward Williams is a naïve anime-geek teenager from Chicago who dreams of making a difference in the world. He becomes a Glitcher when Thief Queen Elizabeth Shao, a legendary Glitcher herself, suffers a betrayal by the hands of her comrades and invades the boy’s body in order to cheat Death and plot her revenge. Together, Edward and Thief Queen will build new bonds, live many misadventures and try not kill each other in an ever more chaotic America. Cover art by the talented graphic designer ssddx. The entire novel's philosophical proposal is about finding meaning in a nihilistic world. This novel is a fun juvenalia take on the impact of the 'Death of God' and Descartes's skepticism. ;) (Back cover)
8 174The Rabbit Knight
Lying on her deathbed, hacker enthusiast Ellowyn was about to breathe her last, but not before receiving a hero summon request to a futuristic world. Having little left to lose, she decided to start anew. To her dismay, her weak heart gave up in the middle of the transfer and only her soul was reincarnated. As Ellowyn regained her memories in the new world, she was surprised to find her new body just as frail as the one she had in her last life. With just a half-broken hero system and self-trained hacking skills, she was quick to find out that not all problems can be solved with logic and code alone.
8 207The Ghost's Girl
"I know who I was. I was Aevlin, raised by Callily, wife of Alaric, son of the mad king," she said the words as if they belonged to someone else. Not her name, not her story. "I was a woodcrafter's apprentice, a strict woman's daughter, a selfish girl's sister. But you know that already. And she's dead." the girl's eyes glistened with tears that would not fall. She would not let them. "Does it matter?"The descendants of the last king have lived in hiding since before his death, but through a series of premeditated coincidences, Aevlin Saliz finds herself in her cousin's palace. There she faces the trials of mental labor, the allure of magic, and the stirrings of rebellion, all while doing her best to hide her identity as both royal and mage. But the desire to belong puts her independence to the test when a plot to overthrow the king in her name is uncovered. Aevlin must choose between quiet submission and taking control of her own destiny. [cover photo by Alice Alinari on Unsplash]
8 127The Land of the Unknown
A school field trip gone wrong, two friends, Tommy and Antonio, come across an underground laboratory while exploring and sneaking into the caverns at night. After a bit of scuffle with another intruder, a girl named Maggie, the three activated a portal, which sucked them right in. When the trio got out, they found themselves trapped in another world, unlike their own. This strange new world contained much dangerous stuff that they have to be careful of, such as Dinosaurs, elemental hazards, different realms to explore, among other things. Tommy, Antonio, and Maggie must work together to try to stay alive. They must find a way out of there as soon as possible. The trio will need to survive the dangers and figure out who to trust in this new world, including each other.
8 149Destined Hearts
"You planned for this marriage to happen. I can't believe you trick your friend to run away so you can sway yourself into my life. Well, all your games has come to an end. You're just a gold digger, all you are after is my money. My conscience kept telling me before the wedding that you shouldn't be trusted but I was so foolish to think other wise. This is your end Ameera " he said with so much disgust. He was looking at me like I was a tramp. I don't even know what to think again, all this is so hard to take in. All in one day" That was not how it was, Amir. I didn't marry you for your money, I swear I was only trying to help Aisha. She--"" I don't want to hear a single word from your mouth, if not I will beat the shit out of you. You desperate gold digger " What? " Amir it me, your love. You can't do this to us Amir please" I held his shirt, before I know it I felt a hot slap on my face. He slapped me?. I look up at him in shock" you slapped me? " " I'll do worst than that" his eye is empty of sympathy, it's now filled with hatred, hatred just for me. He isn't my Amir anymore, he is a stranger. A stranger I don't even recognize. I fell on the floor and broke down all over again. I'm doom, this is the end. " I Amir sani Bula divorce you, ameera, once. Pack your things and leave my house" " NOOOOOO!!. please don't do this to me Amir. Think about our unborn child please "" what did you just say? "" I'm pregnant with your child" I nod at him for him to believe me. I took the results from my hand bag close to me and hand it over to him. " this is the result" he didn't take it " I don't want you to ever utter such nonsense to me again . I know what you're planning to do, you want to push your bastard child to me after the father didn't accept it right. You think I'm a fool? You can't trick me anymore Ameera. We are done "" Add this book to your library to find out more about it❤❤❤❤
8 106His Lifeline
Percy is the loser in the back of the class, the jock punching bag. He only finds relief when playing the instruments at school. When he's forced to be tutored for math, Percy realizes how different his life could be. But, he still has issues at home that make him fear for his and his new friend's safety. Also, the characters are more oc, and this is a percabeth story.Plus, I used Google Translate for any words translated into a language that isn't English, so sorry if the words are wrong and don't mean what I meant.DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Percy Jackson characters Rick Riordian does. Art is not mine on the cover.
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