"I apologize for the behavior of my colleagues, but I still think that you are acting too rashly. I understand that there are some problems with the private banks, but we can regulate more instead of directly abolishing our functioning system. That would also be something where at least some of the people here would be behind you. Banks should not be able to sell their loans. Banks should not be able to insure themselves against defaults. All this leads to more speculation in lending. I would be on their side."

"You do not understand. It's not about less speculation. I want to exclude private banks from money creation."

"Due to their closeness to customers, private banks are better at assessing who can afford a loan."

"They have insight into their account. Of course, they can then assess how risky a loan is. I should probably point out that the Financial Court also has access to all tax declarations and, if I wanted to, I could also give the Financial Court access to the files of all other authorities. So why should the state bank, with much more data, be worse at judging who can repay a loan? Essentially, though, your question is irrelevant. Are there any wiser opinions here?"

A woman sitting at the very back raised her hand. Reyji noticed that this woman had not yet said a word. She had been sitting quietly in her seat at the back with her arms folded and her legs crossed, chewing gum. She only raised her hand now, but kept her arms folded. Marah invited her to speak.

"That guy is talking nonsense."

"Would you like to explain that?"

The woman looked as if she regretted having said something. She let her gaze wander. "No..." she replied in a drawn-out manner, turning her face away. As if she had completely lost interest, she began to wind one of her strands on her finger.

~How did she get her position?~

The behavior was insulting. Nevertheless, Marah left it uncommented and looked for more hands instead. But no one else came forward.

After a brief silence, the scribe at the small table raised his hand. It was unexpected, especially for the benchers, that he had something to say. Marah asked him to speak.

"I think the Board's attitude is characterized by an entrepreneurial view, but neglects the role of a high bank as a servant of the state. I think the focus of lending in general should be less on risk and much more on purpose. For example, if a person is planning to open a bookstore and needs a loan to finance the construction of the building, then it may be beneficial for society to make this possible, even if this person has little collateral because, for example, the order situation in the construction sector is low anyway. Even if the loan really cannot be repaid, a construction company will still have had a contract and the municipality will have a new building that will generate tax revenue for the state. Although it would be a loss for this one bank, it would still be a better result for the country than if the construction company had to cut jobs, the state had higher social spending as a result and there was no new building in the municipality. With private banks that want to make a profit, it would be difficult to reconcile lending with social goals and I think that's why you want to exclude them from money creation."

A cautious nod came from one of the men, but that was all. Most of them seemed dissatisfied. They probably felt betrayed.

"Mhm, that's a really nice example. I have one too. A craftsman wants to take out a loan to buy new tools. The loan comes with a hefty interest premium. He is aware of that. The craftsman wants to take out the loan anyway. He expects to earn more if he no longer just works with his bare hands. The private bank where he applies for the loan assesses how realistic his expectations are. If a lot of people have very realistic expectations, they all get a loan. It's a system that works. But unfortunately there is a small catch for the craftsman. He doesn't get the loan because he DOESN't HAVE A HOUSE!"

Marah shouted and banged her flat hand on the blackboard. The bankers flinched as if they had been struck by lightning.

"The goals of the state and the private sector are completely different. Just because someone has an idea of how to make more money out of money doesn't mean it's necessarily a good thing. I don't want to give money to people who will give it back to me. I want to give the money to people who will create value from it. But private banks only ever give money to people who already have a lot of money because they're afraid they won't get it back. Only these people ever get new money and only these people ever get richer. But there is not an infinite number of things you need. Companies have to create ever stronger incentives so that these people still buy things again. That usually doesn't work. The biggest incentive is always to earn even more money, and that is easiest to do on the financial markets. The financial markets are happy to accept the money because they can always grow immediately. There are an infinite number of financial products that can be created from one day to the next. You buy invented products with invented money so that you get more invented money and the banks are afraid that they won't get back the money they invented on behalf of the world bank. What's the point of this shit? It's all worthless. It's all just gambling. It's more and more money, but it serves no purpose. Throwing new money out the window is a fairer and more effective money creation than much of what the private banks do. If a homeless person picks up my money, he won't use it to buy a leverage derivative on rye, but a loaf of rye bread at the bakery. He doesn't need an incentive to buy because he doesn't want to starve by nature. It doesn't even matter if he has enough income to put the money back in the letterbox later, because as you may have noticed, we collect money through taxes. It always comes back. It can't be taken away from me. Banks should not make a profit. The banking business is an area in which no more people should work than necessary to enable the distribution of money as a medium of exchange into the real economy. Anything else is a waste of labor." Marah daringly took a step forward to the table. She literally stomped on the floor. A single ray of sunlight illuminated her upper body, while the wind blew her hair away. "Money is made from people's dreams, but these dreams are filtered by the unelected to determine whether they are realistic. If anyone here decides what's realistic, it is I. I will not allow you to continue to determine the future of this country. I will give my citizens the means to make their dreams come true themselves." Proudly fulfilled, she thumped her fist on her chest, "Because I am Marah Von Rosenberg!"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The bankers did not know how to react, they were so taken by surprise. Meanwhile, Reyji stood in the background with her arms crossed and a hand to her forehead to hide her face. Marah was 18 years old, but she kept acting like the heroine in a school play.

In the silence, one of the bankers leaned forward at the table, causing the attention of the whole room to jump to him.

"Now I understand. You have got a screw loose."

He said it dryly and it sounded as if he meant it seriously. Here and there, someone nodded at him, who probably shared this realization.

~Oh, no...~

As expected, Marah began to shake with rage. It took less than three seconds before she had an office chair on her head, which she threw across the table at the banker.

The woman with the chewing gum was in the way. The chair would hit her first, but she elegantly rolled to the side with the push of a foot without losing her indifferent expression. The chair had a clear path to its target. The man who was about to be hit pulled up a leg and just managed to fend it off. Afterwards, he was loudly egging himself on. Most of the others remained silent, but their facial expressions showed that they did not agree with the action either.

It was foreseeable that the board would no longer take her seriously after the speech. Reyji had expected nothing less. It would have been better if Marah had accepted the proposal. Reyji had suggested that she should symbolically destroy the contract with the Free Banks in front of everyone to show her determination. Unfortunately, Marah had misunderstood and therefore refused. She thought she should tear up the contract. But Reyji actually wanted her to set it on fire and if everyone had shouted in shock, "No, what are you doing?", she would have slammed the burning folder on the table and said coldly, "Breaking the shackles.", or something along those lines. That would have had a real effect. Of course, she would have had to point out that the free banks were a shackle on the S-Mark, but otherwise it would have been superior to her speech.

"The board of this bank has not been elected and does not speak for the people! This World Bank runs a counterproductive monetary autocracy, which is why I will withdraw its autonomy and turn it back into a state bank. At the same time, it will be placed under the control of the financial court, which is subordinate to parliament and therefore to the citizens. The lack of cooperation between monetary and fiscal policy has slowed Baele down for decades. You can all be glad that I don't hold grudges." Marah straightens her dress. "Congratulations to the boy with the insight. You're being promoted to the board. Apart from you, the gentleman with the wavering opinion who just nodded, and the indifferent woman in the back, everyone else is dismissed. I'm taking this file back with me. I've already had a copy sent to your offices in advance. Further instructions will arrive in the next few weeks. I'm off for a cup of tea. I hope you all have a great day."

Marah smiled and nodded, then left. Reyji followed her into the hallway, pulled the door shut, then they walked on.

"It went almost exactly as planned."

"But the meeting didn't go well?"

"Yes, that was the plan. I want the board to think I'm not knowledgeable with the banking system, that I lose my temper quickly, and that I have the means to enforce my violence."

~Two out of three things are true though?~

The two left the bank building the same way they had come in. For fire safety reasons, the doors could always be unlocked on the way out using a permanently installed key. When they were downstairs, the young man said goodbye to them and then went to lock the first door again.

In front of the bank, Marah picked up her handbag. She quickly packed the lipstick and the treats, but left everything else behind. The coins and ammunition were no longer there anyway. Ironically, no one had collected the checks. The wind had scattered them all over the street.

Reyji took the bag from Marah and they walked on.

"Should I collect the checks?"

"No, not necessary. I'll get new ones."

"Should I have the set blocked?"

"Reyji, it's not that important. If they were important, I wouldn't have thrown them away."

"I see... It looks like it's about to rain. Would you like to go back to the palace?"

"Yes, but we'll take a little detour. I have to go to the financial court. Everything has to be sorted out before next week."

.../ End Part