I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 25

Recycling

As Killian had said, James visited Turner the next day and received the answer he had expected.

“I will accept the offer you made yesterday. The conditions remain the same as yesterday, correct?”

“Of course. But you look a bit tired. Did you perhaps stay up all night?”

“I tend to be thorough when I work. I apologize if it caused any inconvenience.”

He must have been poring over the books all night, suspecting something was amiss.

The fact that he couldn’t find anything wrong meant that our scheme had succeeded perfectly.

“Business should always be thorough. You’ll be able to make even more money than you do now. Hahaha!”

“Thank you for seeing it that way. I hope you’ll remember us when you rise even higher, Mr. Richard.”

“Of course. You mustn’t forget me either.”

A perfect case of each having different dreams.

A smile concealing their true intentions, which were directed in opposite ways, crossed their faces as they exchanged the contract.

“So, the conditions are as we discussed yesterday. Is there anything you’d like to add or ask?”

“No. It’s perfect.”

“Then here is the bank certificate proving ownership of the account containing the 150,000 pounds you’ve provided as collateral. Oh, and in case something unexpected happens, who should be designated as the person authorized to withdraw from the account? You? Or all of your company’s employees?”

Turner’s gaze quickly swept over all of his subordinates.

These were colleagues who had shared joys and sorrows with him, but in the face of 150,000 pounds, such trust was worth less than dust.

Turner wrote his name on the contract without a moment’s hesitation.

“I think it’s sufficient for me to be the only authorized person. Of course, I believe such an accident will never happen.”

“I think so too. But contracts should be thorough to avoid any future disputes. So, we’ll stipulate that you are the only person who can withdraw money from this account. How can we receive your 150,000 pounds?”

“I’ll prepare the promissory notes right away. But since we use five different banks, it might be a bit of a hassle for you.”

“Are you using multiple banks to avoid risk? You really are thorough.”

Of course, the real reason was that he had to create a new company every time he committed fraud, so he had to change the banks he dealt with.

Still, pretending not to know, I praised him, and Turner scratched his head sheepishly.

About an hour later.

James, having completed all the contracts, accepted the bundle of promissory notes that Turner handed over.

“I’ll let you know how the business is progressing once a week, so you can wait with peace of mind.”

“Yes. We’ll wait comfortably then.”

To believe so firmly until the very last moment that a large sum of money will roll into his hands.

It really makes you realize how much greed can cloud a person’s eyes.

Having received the enormous by-product that had fallen from the steel rails made of people’s blood and tears, James turned his back on the foolish prey he would never see again.

* * *

A suspicious person goes through many worries before making a decision.

But once they make a decision, it takes them a long time to accept that they were wrong.

Mark Turner, who had been sucking the blood of innocent people for ten years, followed the same path.

For the first week, progress reports arrived as promised.

But of course, no news arrived from the following week, and Turner initially regarded it as a minor incident.

“Those *nouveau riche* [newly rich] who suddenly became rich have no roots. They only talk big, but their work is clumsy.”

“That’s right.”

Since he held the account containing 150,000 pounds as collateral, the other side had no choice but to do their job properly if they didn’t want to lose the money.

He had also confirmed that the certificate stating that no one except Mark Turner could withdraw money from the account until the promised date was not a forgery, so he didn’t feel anxious.

But when a week became two weeks and there was still no contact, he couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong.

“Boss, shouldn’t we check it out?”

“I guess we should. Let’s wait until today, and if there’s no contact, we’ll find out right away.”

“Could there be a problem with the contract?”

“Even so, they should tell us all the facts. What kind of business is done like this?”

Eventually, Turner, whose patience had run out, sent his employees to find out how things were going.

“B, Boss! Big trouble! The Twain Company’s London branch, which was definitely there until last week, has suddenly disappeared!”

“What? Are you saying those bastards ran away?”

“I, I don’t know. They were definitely doing business there until last week…”

“Isn’t it just that they’ve temporarily left the office?”

For a moment, he thought he had been scammed, but when he thought about it logically, there was no reason for them to run away with his money.

Even if they ran away with his 150,000 pounds, he had their 150,000 pounds as collateral, so it would end up as a zero-sum game [a situation where one person’s gain is equivalent to another’s loss].

Unless the certificate was fake, but he had already confirmed that the certificate issued by the bank was definitely genuine.

So, no matter how he looked at it, he had nothing to lose even if the business went wrong.

“I can’t understand it? Find out more details. If they’re not idiots, they wouldn’t scam like this.”

He investigated several more times, wondering if there might be some kind of mistake, but nothing changed.

The Twain Company had disappeared without a trace in the past few days, and after several days of investigation, the data they had sent as progress reports was found to be fake.

So, was it really all a scam?

Turner, feeling impatient, grabbed the bank certificate without looking back and hurried out.

He couldn’t go around outside freely, so he usually had his employees handle things, but this time was different.

He was the only one with the authority to withdraw money from the bank, so he had to go and get the money out himself.

If he found all the money he had put up as collateral and moved it to a safe place, he could end this incomprehensible situation without suffering any losses.

But what exactly was Richard’s intention in approaching him and playing this trick?

Even as he hurried towards the bank, Turner had no idea what was really going on.

* * *

Having received a call that he had left the office, it was about time for him to arrive, but was he running slower than expected?

“Is there anything you’re looking for?”

As James was leisurely drinking tea in the reception room of the bank where he had put up the collateral, the bank manager asked, rubbing his hands together.

“No. I just came to see if there are any good deals today.”

“If the Earl of Aaron’s family uses our bank, we will naturally treat you well. Our bank is quite solid, so we pride ourselves on providing better customer service than other banks.”

“Oh, I see. But…”

Just as I was about to make up something appropriate.

Through the window, I saw a middle-aged man running into the bank in a frenzy with a bang.

Judging from his appearance, which exactly matched the description James had given me, it was definitely Mark Turner himself.

He was panting so hard that he ran to the staff and shouted.

“I, I need to withdraw money, ch, check… check it for me.”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“Here. Has anyone withdrawn money from this account in the last two weeks?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Since all the information of the bank in this era is naturally recorded manually, it takes a little time to check.

This moment of waiting will feel like an eternity to Turner.

I could easily guess how anxious he was just by looking at his face through the window.

“Yes, thank you for waiting. There is no record of any money being withdrawn in the last two weeks. Before that, Richard Twain himself withdrew 10 pounds.”

“Oh, oh, oh! That’s right, that’s right. That’s a relief.”

Something was going strangely, but that sense of relief that he hadn’t lost the principal [the original sum of money invested or lent].

Turner continued to speak in a voice that revealed the joy as if he had the whole world.

“Then immediately withdraw all the money that can be withdrawn from this account. If there is not enough cash, gold, silver, or promissory notes are fine.”

“I don’t think it will be insufficient. It’s possible right now.”

The employee looked at Turner with a strange expression, but Turner, who had been psychologically cornered until just now, had no time to distinguish such gazes.

“Then give it to me right now! Hurry!”

“Yes. Then I will give you 5 pounds, which is the total amount that can be withdrawn from the account.”

“Yes, yes. 5 pounds… hmm? What? 5 pounds?”

“Yes. The total amount that can be withdrawn from your account is 5 pounds.”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

Turner shouted, and not only I but also the bank manager, who was brewing tea, turned their attention outside.

He quickly looked at me and gave me an embarrassed smile.

“Ha, haha… It seems like there’s some commotion outside. Sometimes noisy customers like that come, and I’m in trouble…”

“No. It’s interesting, let’s keep watching. I’m curious about what he’s so angry about.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. If you’re not uncomfortable, young master, I’ll just leave it alone. Most of those people mess things up because of their own mistakes and somehow blame the bank, so I’m really in trouble. If there were no such people, it would be much easier to run a bank.”

“I agree. You’re having a hard time.”

As I picked up the teacup that the bank manager had poured for me and savored the aroma, I could hear the employee’s calm explanation from outside.

“I’m not talking nonsense; I’m telling you the truth. The amount you can withdraw now is only 5 pounds.”

“It says 150,005 pounds here! Who the hell decided that only 5 pounds can be withdrawn! If you have eyes, look properly!”

“Yes, there is definitely 150,005 pounds in this account, but only 5 pounds can be withdrawn.”

“So what the hell are you talking about! There’s money in the account! I have the authority to withdraw it, so why can’t I take it out!”

150,000 pounds is an absurdly large sum of money, worth almost 31 billion won [approximately $23.5 million USD] in modern times.

Anyone would go crazy like that if they heard that they couldn’t withdraw money even though there was clearly money in the account.

Still, the bank employee calmly explained to Turner, who was almost about to have a seizure.

“The 150,000 pounds in this account was provided by Richard Twain as collateral when he took out a loan of 150,000 pounds from our bank. So the amount corresponding to 150,000 pounds is a stake in our bank. In other words, you cannot withdraw it without the bank manager’s consent.”

“…What? What loan and what collateral?”

“Richard Twain took out a loan of 150,000 pounds and put the account containing 150,000 pounds as collateral.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! What bank in the world would lend 150,000 pounds so readily…”

Turner, who had been shouting wildly, stopped talking for a moment, thinking that there was no reason why it couldn’t be done.

Of course, no bank in the world would lend 150,000 pounds for free.

But if he put 150,000 pounds in the account and put it up as collateral, there was no reason why they couldn’t give him a loan.

From the bank’s point of view, not a single penny had actually gone out.

Rather, they had made a small profit by collecting interest for exactly one month, so they hadn’t suffered any losses.

“Ah, no… what kind of idiot in the world takes out a loan in such a stupid way! There’s no reason to take out a loan in the first place.”

“We don’t care about your circumstances. There were no procedural or legal problems, so we gave you the loan according to the standards. However, Richard Twain has not repaid the loan, so the amount in this account cannot be withdrawn, and if the interest is overdue next month, we will transfer the entire amount to the bank to repay the loan.”

“This… this is absurd. So that bastard from the beginning pushed the account he had put up as collateral with the bank to me as collateral?”

Turner, who now understood the situation, muttered to himself, nailed to the spot as if his soul had left his body.

As he understood, the collateral I had used from the beginning as bait to lure Turner was a fake account created for fraudulent purposes.

If you ask the bank for a large sum of money as a loan, put that much money in the account, and put it up as collateral with the bank, neither the bank nor I actually exchange money.

However, the account containing a large sum of money is definitely recorded.

Using such fake accounts to commit fraud was quite common in the mid to late 20th century, when the law was not strict.

In the first place, creating such an account is naturally not normal, and there were many restrictions attached to it because its purpose was obvious.

But now it’s 1832.

It was an era when they couldn’t even imagine creating a fraudulent account like this to lure prey.

So, if you just confirm that there is money in the account and show them how much money is actually being withdrawn, they have no choice but to be deceived.

Still, I’m giving you future knowledge that is more than 100 years later, so wouldn’t 150,000 pounds be a reasonable tuition fee?

He must have received a fulfilling lesson until the end, so I prepared a small gift, although it’s not exactly a graduation gift.

Let’s see. It should be about time for them to arrive.

Sure enough, just as Turner was slowly realizing that he had lost all of his assets to fraud and despair was turning into anger.

The door of the bank opened roughly, and two police officers from the London Metropolitan Police Service entered the bank.

“We received a report. There’s a fraudster named Mark Turner here.”

“Judging from the description, we’ve come to the right place. Here’s an arrest warrant issued by the magistrate.”

“Wh, what are you guys! Arrest me? What gives you the right to suddenly barge in and say you’re going to arrest me!”

“It’s no use denying it. Many victims have already testified, and the warrant was issued based on that. We also received an anonymous tip that you would be at this bank at this time. If you have any grievances, explain them in court.”

If he had been hiding as usual and only had his subordinates take the money, he wouldn’t have been caught, but this time, the authority was given to Mark Turner alone in advance so that he couldn’t do that at all.

He had no reason to be upset because Turner himself was the one who asked him to do so, so he couldn’t blame anyone.

Considering what he’s been doing for the past 10 years, he’ll either be locked up in a terrible prison until he dies, or he’ll be forced to do hard labor in the colonies until his body is destroyed.

Considering what he’s done, it’s a very natural punishment that doesn’t deserve even a speck of sympathy.

“S, so you took statements from the victims in advance and filed a complaint…? Richard, you bastard. Did you intend to do this from the beginning? What grudge did this bastard have against me!”

“The victims are waiting outside, so we need to check your identity. Will you come with us willingly, or will you be dragged out?”

“Th, this can’t be happening! It’s not me! I… I didn’t do anything wrong! I was just deceived by that bastard Richard! I’m a victim too!”

“You’re not listening. Let’s drag him out and interrogate him.”

“Let go! Let go of me, you bastards! I’m a victim too! Arrest that bastard Richard too!!”

The thick door of the bank was closed again after Turner struggled to the end and was dragged out in an ugly manner.

The bank manager, who had been *넋을 잃고* [넋을 잃고 is a Korean expression that means being in a daze or losing one’s mind] watching the scene for a while, suddenly came to his senses and bowed his head repeatedly.

“Oh my! The police even came, what a commotion. I’m sorry. Our bank is not usually such a noisy place, but today it’s…”

“No, Mr. Bank Manager. I like it lively and noisy. I’ll visit often in the future.”

I left the bank manager, who was still slightly dazed, and brought the teacup to my mouth.

“The tea here is very good? It’s fragrant. My mouth is sweet, so I can’t help but laugh. Haha!”

“Haha, hahaha! I’m glad you like it. Hahaha…”

As I smiled brightly, the bank manager awkwardly followed me and laughed without knowing why.

After the rain, the ground hardens… or is it a little different? [A common idiom meaning that difficult experiences make one stronger].

Anyway, after a brief commotion, the interior of the bank, which had regained its peace, was filled with cheerful laughter until I got up from my seat.