“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.
“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.
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“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?
“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.