Lloyd Prince

Even Iver himself didn't expect that the fish would take the bait so easily.

He hadn't even said two words, and he had only just started baiting the area and hadn't even officially cast his line yet... when the fish jumped ashore on their own.

—It seems Mr. Fish is really in a hurry.

So Iver didn't point it out, but instead followed Mr. Fish directly to Lloyd's's.

The Metropolitan District is northwest of the Red White Queen District. To get to Lloyd District's, you have to cross the entire Red White Queen District... But as a port area, Lloyd District's certainly can't allow goods to pile up and be unable to be shipped out. There are more than one railway line Metropolitan District the most populous Lloyd District's in the southeast, which is on the coast. However, they all bypass the Red White Queen District in between.

Lawyer York took Iver onto the train.

It was only a little past nine o'clock, and they had already arrived at Lloyd's's.

—Although Lawyer York said they were not a commercial company, what came into view was a skyscraper.

A building with over thirty stories was quite astonishing for the technological level of that era. It was the tallest building in the entire Lloyd District, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding buildings that were only one or two stories high.

The Lloyd's's headquarters building is bustling with people, who generally try to maintain a presentable appearance. The building entrance features a large revolving glass door, and the marble floors in the lobby gleam like new.

The hall had many small round tables with low stools next to them. Some young men in suits, who looked like salesmen, sat there, talking quietly with some well-dressed but embarrassed people.

On one side of the hall was a huge display board. On the left were names like Tyson Crude Oil, Niemancha Ocean Group, and Green Lizard Metal and Wood Company, followed by a row of flip-up numbered plaques accurate to one decimal place. On the right were names of goods such as cotton, soybeans, sugar, and wine, with their prices displayed on flip-up plaques.

A large group of people in suits gathered there. Some were discussing in hushed tones, some looked nervous, some were making outrageous remarks, and others were standing in a corner taking notes. Every now and then, someone would come over and flip through the number cards, adjusting the numbers to the latest version.

As soon as Lawyer York led Iver and Lily inside, someone immediately came to greet them.

A receptionist who looked to be in her early twenties, dressed elegantly and with mature and beautiful makeup, approached and greeted him politely, "Mr. Consultant."

"Which senior executive is here?" Lawyer York asked.

"Mr. Boca, Mr. Forbes, Ms. Gray-Green," the receptionist replied.

"Is Lloyd not here?" Lawyer York murmured, then instructed, "Please call Vice President Boca to my office and tell him I've brought a new person with me."

"Yes."

The female receptionist replied.

York then took Iver and Lily into the elevator and told the elevator operator, "Go to the seventeenth floor."

The elevator operator was a woman in her forties. She nodded, turned the dial beside her, and raised the wire mesh door. Then she pulled the gate in front of her, and the half-open elevator wobbled upwards.

This was the first time Iver had ever seen an elevator in Avalon.

Moreover, this elevator was far too old—when it reached the mezzanine between the two floors, red bricks could even be seen through the wire mesh door, and the elevator kept swaying and making noises as it ascended. This made Iver's heart leap into his throat, fearing that it would suddenly break and fall straight down from mid-air.

Powder and small pebbles would occasionally tumble into the elevator through the gaps in the wire mesh. The elevator operator, unfazed, simply kicked it back down through the gaps in the wire mesh.

Finally, it steadily ascended to the seventeenth floor, emitted a violent tremor, and then slowly stopped swaying from side to side.

At least they arrived safely. Lily breathed a sigh of relief, though her fingers, which had been gripping the wheelchair so tightly they had turned white, were now clenched.

Have you ever ridden an elevator before?

Lawyer York laughed and said, "I've brought quite a few people to Lloyd's's headquarters, but the first time they came, they were all quite frightened by the elevator."

So this was just your way of putting us in a difficult position? Iver thought to himself.

But he simply shook his head slightly and said very firmly, "I have never ridden in an elevator like this before."

"This elevator, along with the building itself, was designed by architects from Star Antimony."

Lawyer York walked ahead, enthusiastically explaining, "You might not know this, but buildings in Avalon usually don't reach this height. Buildings like the Candle Holder Cathedral and the Silver and Tin Palace are designed by the Theocracy, but they don't reach this height either."

"When a building reaches this height, special reinforcement materials are needed. Otherwise, a strong wind could cause the high-rise to sway precariously and easily bend and collapse in an instant."

He spoke while gesturing happily with his hands.

It was as if he had forgotten that he had just returned from a funeral, or as if he had finally let go of something on his mind.

It was a natural, overflowing ease and comfort. Even their steps became lighter, and they almost started humming a song.

"Not all buildings can be regularly maintained by conservators like the Silver and Tin Palace. It's perfectly normal for most buildings to age over time. In this case, the advanced nature of Star Antimony technology is demonstrated..."

During his conversation, Lawyer York spoke highly of the technology used in the Stibium Kingdom. He talked about the advanced technologies employed in the building, from the architects to the physical structure, and then about the daily foot traffic.

—But you haven't been to Star Antimony, while I really have. Even if it was in my Previous Life.

The elevators used by the Stibnite Person are far more advanced than this, Iver thought to himself.

After listening to Lawyer York ramble on for a while, Iver finally couldn't help but interrupt, "Was this building Lloyd's built two hundred years ago?"

"... You actually know that Lloyd's's has a two-hundred-year history?"

Lawyer York was somewhat surprised, but quickly realized. "That's true, you are a ' Moriarty ' after all."

"But unfortunately, no. Elevators have been around for less than a hundred years, and this building was probably built seven or eight years ago."

Lawyer York, laughed and said, "This building didn't even exist when I was a child. I remember it was ten years ago when the old Lloyd's's building was attacked and blown up, so the Lloyd President's at the time funded the construction of this new building."

"Lloyd President?"

Iver knew where York was trying to steer the conversation, so he chimed in at just the right moment. "Lloyd... what is your relationship with Lloyd Prince from back then?"

Sure enough, this was the topic York wanted to discuss.

He pushed open the door to his office and said with a cheerful smile, "Now that you know Lloyd Prince, that makes things easier. Please have a seat, Evans—oh, excuse me. Miss Lily, please wait here with Mr. Iver for a moment while I make you both some tea."

Iver keenly sensed that York was deliberately saying the wrong thing. His aim was to temporarily interrupt their conversation.

In this situation, Iver would look around aimlessly. And this position was perfect for taking in the entire room and seeing its layout.

The office is filled with well-cared-for green plants, and a green parrot with colorful tail feathers lives in a cage. Next to it, goldfish swim in a fish tank, and on the wall hang heartwarming photos of Lawyer York with his friends. Arms around each other, smiles abound, and there are even pictures of them playfully teasing each other—from their twenties to the present day, and almost all of those friends are celebrities or important figures.

York did not completely stop boiling water.

As he guessed that Iver was starting to look at his photos, he began to introduce the history of Lloyd's's again, "How much do you know about Lloyd Prince?"

"A successful businessman is a disgrace to the royal family."

"Iver replied."

Lloyd Prince was not "Du Lac". He was a merchant named "Lloyd" from more than two hundred years ago.

— More than two hundred years ago, Avalon's shipping industry was at its peak.

Lloyd Prince started out as just a coffee shop owner, but because of his excellent coffee-making skills, many businessmen frequented his shop. Their conversations also brought back a considerable amount of intelligence.

Lloyd Prince astutely recognized the business opportunity and personally financed a newspaper called Lloyd's News, published three times a week with a limited print run of 500 copies per page. It contained a wide variety of shipping news and maritime reports. These were extremely valuable to merchants undertaking costly long-distance ocean voyages.

At that time, the newspaper industry was underdeveloped, and news was often outdated. Lloyd's extensive network allowed him to provide the most accurate and reliable information within the industry. As a result, Lloyd's News commanded high prices among Human World. Those who couldn't buy the newspaper had no choice but to visit his coffee shop and personally consult him for information.

But in reality, the news Lloyd wrote in the newspapers was only "second-tier" news. He himself had a more secretive "first-tier" intelligence, which he only sold to those willing to deal with him—exchanging his intelligence and favors for his own.

By operating his own intelligence business, Lloyd gained considerable influence. Captains, merchants, and moneylenders all had to curry favor with him. Under these circumstances, he established rules in his own name and developed the insurance brokerage industry.

Initially, Lloyd did not issue insurance himself, but all "marine insurance" had to go through him, and he would take a 5% cut of the net profit.

This was a business with virtually no capital and exorbitant profits, so naturally, some people wanted him dead. So he began building his own private army. Eventually, seeing that he possessed military power, he personally started issuing loans—specifically, "Lloyd's Loans"—and gradually became a behemoth. He also gradually entered the circles of high society.

Ultimately, he, a merchant of commoner origin with no knightly blood, fell in love with the Queen and became Prince. Even so, he did not abandon Lloyd's's, which he had built from scratch. Instead, he used the authority of the royal family to grant Lloyd's's members permission to operate all insurance businesses, including marine insurance, and transformed the original Lloyd's News into Lloyd Weekly.

Lloyd Prince, by infatuating with His Her Majesty the Queen, steadily drained the royal family's coffers and passed various legal provisions that indirectly benefited Lloyd's's. He also cultivated a sophisticated and intricate network of personal connections, bringing key members of knightly families into Lloyd's's, either directly or indirectly. By the time the Queen passed away, Lloyd's's had become an unshakeable behemoth.

Now, even the Round Table Hall finds it difficult to take action against Lloyd's. It's even closely linked to the revenue of multiple sectors.

Lloyd Prince has become a "disgrace to the royal family." Because of Lloyd Prince, many royal powers were stripped or restricted. It was also after him that knightly families prohibited marriage between themselves and commoners without royal blood.

But Lawyer York didn't seem to care about Iver's sharp words, and just smiled.

This is the first chapter, which is over 3,000 words. The second chapter isn't finished yet; I'll post it at 6 PM tonight! I'll be back to double updates today, meow! I went to bed at 9 PM last night and woke up at 3:30 AM.

I feel like I'm almost back to normal, although my head is still a little dizzy. While I think what you all said makes a lot of sense, I'm already halfway there, I can't just give up now (sad). I'll leave it at that for now—