After hearing Dusuan's words, Tales fell silent.
"Regarding this matter, I consulted Mylahovich, the steward. You and Jann don't owe each other money, but you owe other people—many, many people—money."
Tales raised his head, his expression solemn.
"Using one city's foundation to plunder two cities' coffers, fill ten cities' credit, absorb twenty cities' money, and conduct business across more than a hundred cities, yet in the end, only having the capacity of one city to circulate funds and repay debts..."
The light in Dusuan's eyes gradually narrowed.
"Relying on ever-expanding debt and people's confidence in your rule to extend the debt's term, with the goal of making money forever without ever repaying it..."
Tales narrowed his eyes.
"That's bound to cause trouble sooner or later."
Dusuan fell silent for a while.
But he soon raised his head again, his confidence unchanged.
"First, ordinary people will run into trouble," Taral of Congzhong City said with a light laugh, "because they'll have bad luck, encounter accidents, invest unsuccessfully, lose money in business, and eventually go bankrupt."
Tales' heart sank.
"But we, whether you, me, or Jann, won't—because we're city lords and nobles," Dusuan said, his eyes flashing. "We, or our descendants, will rule forever, earn forever, and remain this way for eternity."
"Are you sure?"
Tales' face was expressionless.
"Remember, even the Empire isn't eternal."
"That's just an expression!"
Dusuan waved his hand without the slightest concern.
"Second, we've always been very careful."
Tales gave an ironic smile.
"Careful? If you were careful, how did I find out about this?"
"Who can blame you when your Kingdom Secret Bureau is so capable?"
At this point, Dusuan raised his eyes, wearing a half-smile.
"Or are you saying that you actually tortured Jann until he submitted completely, and even got him to tell you