Reincarnated as a boss tyrant in the game

The guards at the Krodor family entrance gathered with uneasy expressions, watching carriage after carriage come to a halt. Those alighting were all influential figures from the Imperial City, their faces varied, but their gazes were all fixed on the Krodor estate, as if scrutinizing this once illustrious family.

The news quickly reached the council hall.

Renault and Jackson exchanged a grave look, knowing that the arrival of these nobles and merchants was not for a simple visit.

A negotiation concerning the future of the Krodor family was about to unfold. The outcome of this negotiation would directly determine whether the Krodor family could safely weather the current crisis.

As people arrived, voices, some aged, some booming, echoed in the sky.

"Magister Renault, the funds your Krodor family has raised, it's time to repay them quickly."

In short, it was all about one thing: repay the money!

"Pfft!"

Renault's face turned deathly pale, and he spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.

Having lived for most of his life, what hadn't he experienced? Seeing this situation, how could he not see the problem?

Although the Krodor family had indeed borrowed a lot of money from other noble families or merchant guilds, how could it be such a coincidence that all the creditors came together at this critical juncture?

This was clearly premeditated!

Renault quickly noticed the Harron family's carriage in the distance. Raziel was sitting under the opened awning on the left side of the carriage, sipping tea with a gloating expression.

Raziel's posture lacked noble demeanor, but thinking about it from another perspective, the fact that Raziel was willing to abandon his dignity and pride as a noble to squat there and watch the show showed how deep his resentment towards the Krodor family was.

Surrounded by the crowd, three figures slowly walked out. They were Mariko Bustamante, the vice president of the Underwood Merchant Guild, Clement Eaton, the executive vice president of the Theresa Alliance Chamber of Commerce, and Duchess Trista Hines of the Red Rose Duchy, a person of high status.

These three were the three largest creditors to whom the Krodor family owed the most money in this fundraising effort. The other smaller creditors combined didn't even amount to as much as any one of these three.

The Underwood Merchant Guild, the Theresa Alliance Chamber of Commerce, and the Red Rose Duchy all enjoyed great renown in the Imperial business world.

Especially the Underwood Merchant Guild and the Theresa Alliance Chamber of Commerce, whose backing noble forces were intricate and complex, attracting not only many top nobles to invest but even the royal family and the imperial palace held shares in them.

Because of this, the Underwood Merchant Guild and the Theresa Alliance Chamber of Commerce enjoyed a high degree of independence in their operations. Their internal rules were strict and not easily interfered with by external nobles or even the imperial family.

During the family's most glorious period, the Krodor family had frequent and close transactions with these two major merchant guilds, which was why they were able to borrow such a huge amount of funds.

At this moment, these three distinguished guests appeared and unceremoniously pressed Jackson for repayment.

Jackson was almost suffocated by this barrage of demands, but fortunately, Tyrrell supported him in time, relieving him of the pressure.

"President Mariko, Executive Clement, Your Grace."

Tyrrell said in an almost humble manner, "I borrowed the money, so let me handle this matter."

Mariko Bustamante, this chubby middle-aged man, wore a red noble robe. His face was kind, giving people a feeling of gentleness and harmlessness. However, beneath this kind exterior, he was undoubtedly a shrewd and capable businessman, meticulous about debt issues. He nodded slightly, acquiescing to Tyrrell's handling, but his seemingly amiable eyes flickered with an undeniable firmness and seriousness.

Mariko narrowed his eyes and said amiably, "Of course, of course. It is indeed most appropriate for Sir Tyrrell to handle this matter. Previously, your Krodor family borrowed 50 million gold coins from our Underwood Merchant Guild, mortgaging your family's fine salt. In fact, under normal circumstances, we wouldn't need to be so eager to recover the debt, but now that the Krodor family has encountered such changes, our Underwood Merchant Guild has no choice but to be cautious."

He was practically saying that the Krodor family would run away.

Such things had happened in the past. A family would have too many debts, and in the end, the patriarch would mysteriously disappear with his concubine, taking away the family's last liquid funds and valuables, leaving behind a riddled family that couldn't repay the debt even if the entire family was sold.

At this time, Clement of the Theresa Alliance Chamber of Commerce also spoke. This gentle and refined middle-aged man, wearing a mage robe, revealed a bitter smile. He sighed and said, "Regarding the fine salt refining technology of the Fine Salt Guild, we have confirmed its authenticity. According to our alliance's prediction, with the development of the Fine Salt Guild, that production will continue to expand, and in the future, the price of arcane fine salt will fluctuate between 1 silver coin and 1.5 silver coins, making it difficult to return to the previous high price."

Duchess Trista of the Red Rose Duchy, this beautiful and charming lady, also nodded at this time, interjecting, "Our Red Rose Duchy only lent the Krodor family a total of 20 million gold coins, which is a relatively small amount. Sir Tyrrell, why don't you repay us this portion first?"

Faced with the pressure from these three creditors, Tyrrell's face had become extremely unsightly. He repeatedly cupped his hands, almost pleadingly, and said, "Presidents, can you please grant us some more time, for the sake of our many years of friendship? Our Krodor family will definitely not owe you a single gold coin."

Mariko shook his head with a wry smile, "Sir Tyrrell, it's not that I'm not giving you face. But given the current situation of the Krodor family, is granting you more time really meaningful? Let me help you calculate. This time, the Krodor family's losses are at least seventy to eighty million gold coins. Even if the price of fine salt soars, after deducting family expenses, it will take you twenty to thirty years to repay this debt."

"Now, the price of your Krodor family's main project—the fine salt industry—has plummeted, and from a larger market trend, the situation is not optimistic. In the future, even if your family's annual income can barely maintain basic expenses, repaying the debt will inevitably be a distant prospect," Mariko said in a deep voice, his words revealing a sense of grim reality.

This was no joke. The Krodor family, being of imperial relatives, did not have a large fiefdom. The output of the fiefdom was not high, at most several hundred thousand gold coins per year. Adding in the purchased planting estates, the annual income did not exceed five hundred thousand, otherwise they would not have reached out to underground forces in the past.