When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 777 - 732: I Cannot Decline, Your Majesty!

Looking at the two people who suddenly knelt down, Horn was somewhat at a loss. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"The Holy Alliance has abolished the kneeling ceremony, don't you know?" Horn quickly gestured to the secret monks on both sides to help them up.

"Slipped, slipped." Old Eddie hurriedly explained, but looking at the carpet on the floor, he awkwardly stopped talking.

Meanwhile, Brandon simply patted his knees and stood up honestly, without saying much.

"Bring two chairs for them, let's sit and talk." After instructing the secret monks, Horn stood up and walked to the tea table, "Coffee or tea?"

"Black tea is fine." Thinking about the sudden kneeling just now, old Eddie felt his face turn red and he quickly coughed lightly to act serious as he sat upright.

Beside him, the previously rough Brandon stood obediently, lowering his head without saying a word.

No matter how much they bragged in the cafe before, the moment they actually saw that ordinary-looking black-haired young man, old Eddie and Brandon still felt weak at the knees.

While Horn was pouring tea for them, old Eddie and Brandon secretly observed the office in front of them.

The office originally had no windows, but the image of the Holy Father on the wall had been opened up and replaced with transparent crystal glass windows.

Ahead was a desk carved entirely out of oak, with stenographers dressed in monk robes sitting on both sides.

Eddie noticed three items on the desk: an envelope with Cheka fire paint, a stock structure diagram of the Meigedi Commerce Association, and the yearbook of City Hall.

"Mr. Clauft, your black tea."

Standing up respectfully, old Eddie took the black tea from Horn's hand.

After sitting back at the desk, Horn cleared his throat, "No need to be nervous, I invited you here not for a banquet nor a tribunal.

All I want to do is rectify the many irregularities in the current insurance and lottery industries."

Old Eddie and Brandon felt a chill in their hearts, but it was old Eddie who cautiously asked first, "How do you intend to rectify these irregularities?"

"My demand is not high, take the insurance industry as an example, I wish to implement a standard insurance contract." Horn handed over a City Hall document sealed with fire paint, "All insurance must be notarized by City Hall, and the compensation reserves managed by Saintess Bank."

Originally relaxed and sipping tea, old Eddie suddenly turned pale: "No, no, Your Grace, insurance is a private commercial activity, with such supervision, City Hall will inevitably force us to compensate."

"You and the citizens are all subjects of the Holy Father, why shouldn't City Hall make fair judgments according to the law?"

"...Sometimes, judges don't understand the complexities of commercial operations."

"Judges can appoint other neutral-positioned merchants as advisors or simply hire notaries specializing in commercial law."

"Your Grace, the insurance industry is so very young, it is so young..."

"Mr. Clauft's 'One out of Ten Insurance' and 'Insurance Broker' model is quite interesting." Seeing that old Eddie was not giving in, Horn opened the City Hall yearbook, "Last year, nearly forty sailors' widows and mothers came to City Hall weeping, saying they couldn't receive compensation."

"Because they didn't meet the requirements."

"Is it that they didn't meet the requirements, or were they simply never sold proper policies." Horn suddenly opened the ledger, revealing several insurance policy stubs between the rough paper pages, "For instance, in your marine accident insurance, the highest compensation is set for being killed by a sand lizard striking the forehead at sea.

Then you lower the compensation rates for other accidents, like drownings, to cast a misleading light on payout averages, making people believe they're covered for more than they really are."

Sweat dripped from old Eddie's cheek, and he awkwardly laughed, "It must have been those bastards below doing it!"

"And for example, during the fire in Crown Town, Hotam County this February, you abruptly canceled all fire insurance on houses at the edge of the fire scene, refunding the insurance premiums."

"Uh... this is..." The chair beneath old Eddie felt as if it were filled with lava, making him restless.

"Who has the authority for such a large-scale withdrawal of insurance, have him come and talk to me." Horn's face still bore a smile, but cold sweat dripped from old Eddie.

"You know, this is a timely loss-prevention action in business..."

"If I strangle you and then announce a pardon posthumously, would that count as timely loss prevention?"

"I... I..."

With trembling hands, old Eddie picked up the coffee cup and took a small sip. Instead of clearing his head, this sip made him close his eyes.

Horn did not rush him, instead leaning back in his chair, calmly sipping his tea.

Taking a deep breath, seeming to have made a resolution, old Eddie opened his eyes, looking at Horn with determination, "If you put it that way, then I absolutely support your proposal, the insurance industry is so messy, it should have been regulated long ago."

"It's great to have your support for our work." Horn smiled as he poured old Eddie another cup of black tea, "In fact, we are preparing to promote mining accident insurance in the mountain areas, perhaps we could use an expert like you to assist us?"

The previously forced grief on old Eddie's face froze, and after a moment, he cautiously asked, "Can you convince the mountain people?"

"It's not about convincing, I'll use the press to create momentum with 'bloodstained minerals', combined with the Advisory Council tightening peat supplies and steel orders, the mine owners will obediently come to buy insurance."

While feeling a surge of joy, old Eddie's expression sharpened; if Horn were to publish an article titled 'Bloodstained Policies' in The Truth, his insurance agency would suffer heavily even if it didn't collapse completely.

Seeing old Eddie submit, Horn revealed a knowing smile.

The old man seems modest and ungreedy, but in reality, he's the greediest. Attack him at the money and he'll have no choice but to yield.

Having dealt with old Eddie, Horn looked at Brandon.

Seeing Horn's gaze slowly turn towards himself, Brandon lowered his head and curled his body, as if trying to disappear.

"I'm willing to accept City Hall's supervision and notarization, depositing the lottery prize funds in Saintess Bank." Meeting Horn's smiling eyes, Brandon's scalp tingled as he immediately declared.

But Horn shook his head, "Not enough, do you think I don't know how profitable your lottery is?"

"Your Grace, I'm just making money, I haven't made much..."

"Starting next quarter, sixty percent of your lottery profits must go into the public welfare fund." Without letting him finish, Horn slapped a sample of the newly printed 'Education Lottery' ticket on the table, the ticket depicting a school under construction in a rural town, "The remaining forty percent is yours to split."

Under the fluorite lamp's illumination, Brandon's baby-faced expression turned ashen, "Your Grace, unlike old Eddie, I've always operated fairly and legally.

When someone actually wins, I sell my pots and pans to pay the prize, you're constraining our survival space.

With this approach, even before you strangle me, I'd hang myself, there's no way to operate in this industry!"

In fact, whether due to considerations of interest or still being in its infancy, Cheka indeed didn't find much dirt on Brandon.

Even when citizens die of starvation after buying lottery tickets, they are typically those attempting to gain without effort, as Brandon's lottery shops never actively persuaded people to buy.

But Horn also had a way to deal with the unruly Brandon, "Firstly, you must understand, lottery is borderline gambling. I tolerate the lottery because it benefits fundraising and public welfare.

Secondly, without Brandon's lottery, wouldn't there still be Meigedi's or Rapids City's lottery?

Finally, public-welfarizing the lottery is also advantageous to you.

If you can contribute sufficiently to the cause of education and public welfare, perhaps someone will nominate you to join the Advisory Council due to your reputation.

With your experience in the relevant field, you might even obtain a position as the president of the Education Committee or Minister of Public Welfare?"

Brandon's sagging face suddenly lifted, as if he had aged ten years then suddenly became young again.

"Could you nominate me?"

"That's not within my responsibilities." Horn tapped the hard counter surface with a hard rubber tube pen, "That's the duty of the Lower Reif County's County Governor and Priest-in-Charge."

So it was still up to the Saint's Grandson, and Brandon immediately perked up.

If one day a gambling house steward turns into a minister, who would dare to look down on him?

Compared to the precious ministerial position, the profits from the lottery seemed negligible.

"Mr. Brandon, what are your thoughts?"

"You know me, I've always been concerned about the education of the common people, funding the construction of schools is my unshirkable duty, Your Grace!"