Chapter 237: Chapter 139: The Grand Assembly Convenes

The Pingyang-class Flying Boat descended to its lowest altitude, just thirty feet from the ground. Its massive hull emanated an unparalleled, intimidating presence.

The inaugural meeting for the Seven Nations Ticket Shop was held right on board the Flying Boat.

Soldiers and Yu Hou of the Demon Suppression Army stood in formation on the deck, their newly polished Armor glinting dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The Sovereigns of the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms were all present, as were the patriarchs of every Golden Core Clan. Li Xishan and Zhang Boxiong had even taken their seats early.

Nearly eighty percent of all Golden Core Cultivators in the entire Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms had gathered aboard this Flying Boat—a full twenty-seven of them.

To ensure they could command the situation, the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion had also sent six Golden Core Cultivators.

As for the patriarchs of the Foundation Establishment Clans, they weren’t even permitted on the Flying Boat. They could only wait on the ground, gazing up expectantly as the grand figures above deliberated on the new policies.

With so many Cultivators gathered in one place, the Spiritual Qi in the area grew turbulent, churning the clouds in the sky into a restless frenzy.

Even Meng Sima had never witnessed such a grand assembly. Not even a military campaign against the Four Demon Sects could bring together such a complete roster of the Northern Domain’s Cultivators.

Led by the soldiers of the Demon Suppression Army, all the Golden Core Cultivators entered the Flying Boat’s main cabin and took their seats.

Meng Sima sat cross-legged on a high platform. He began by speaking at length about the harm and harassment inflicted upon the Northern Domain by the Four Demon Sects. He then declared that the policy of establishing the Seven Nations Ticket Shop was to restore the strength of the Seven Kingdoms’ people and stabilize the regional situation.

He went on to explain that the Seven Nations Ticket Shop would first establish branches in the capitals of the Seven Kingdoms, then gradually expand to the various Marketplaces throughout the Northern Domain over the years. The ultimate goal was to have a sub-branch in every Marketplace in the Northern Domain.

These branches and sub-branches would have to cooperate with the Taichang Trading Company and the Celestial Treasure Tower, borrowing personnel from these two major firms.

“To start, the Seven Nations Ticket Shop will offer two types of loans. The first is a personal line of credit, which requires no collateral or guarantee, only proof of identity and stable income. Independent Cultivators can borrow up to fifty Spirit Stones, while Clan Cultivators can borrow up to one hundred, at an interest rate of thirty percent. The second is a collateralized loan, which requires assets to be pledged. Pledged assets can include Spirit Veins, mines, Magical Artifacts, Spirit Medicines, and other valuables. The interest rate for these loans will be twenty percent.”

Yang Jing gestured with his hand, and the Demon Suppression Army soldiers present immediately distributed copies of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop’s charter and regulations to the Golden Core Cultivators.

How powerful was the Divine Sense of a Golden Core Cultivator? In a mere instant, they had scanned through all the regulations.

“Why must we cooperate with the Celestial Treasure Tower and the Taichang Trading Company? Our clans are spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms. It would be better to let each kingdom’s Royal Family manage the branches within its borders, and have the respective local clans run the sub-branches in the Marketplaces.”

A dark-faced Golden Core Cultivator with a full beard spoke up, his dissatisfaction clear.

Yang Jing had reviewed portraits of the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms’ Golden Core Cultivators beforehand and recognized this man as the Sovereign of the Xi Kingdom.

“If we did as you suggest, fellow Daoist, what difference would there be between the Seven Nations Ticket Shop and the private banks run by your great clans? The Northern Army Governor’s Mansion has a stake in this venture. Are you planning to swallow the Spirit Stones of my Governor’s Mansion?”

Meng Sima’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the Sovereign of Xi, who could only offer a sheepish smile in return.

“I was just making a joke. Meng Sima, please don’t take it to heart.”

“The head office of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop must have absolute control over all branches and sub-branches. Only then can the rights of every shareholder be protected.”

Meng Sima stated this unequivocally.

He knew the greedy nature of these clans all too well. If the authority to establish branches and sub-branches was given to them, they would immediately turn them into their own private assets.

The Taichang Trading Company and the Celestial Treasure Tower were the perfect check on these Cultivation Clans.

According to the charter of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop, if any branch accumulated bad debts beyond a certain amount, both the Taichang Trading Company and the Celestial Treasure Tower would have to cover the losses with their own Spirit Stones.

After that, the Golden Core Cultivators present raised various other questions for Meng Sima, which he and Yang Jing answered one by one.

“A Cultivator borrowing Spirit Stones from the Seven Kingdoms Bank needs to have an Identity Jade Token made. This token is nearly identical to a Soul Token and can be used to locate them. I’m afraid this will make many potential borrowers hesitant.”

A woman in courtly attire said.

As Cultivators, they were extremely wary of handing over their Divine Soul’s aura to others.

“This policy is merely to prevent loan defaults, madam. The Divine Soul auras recorded in these Identity Jade Tokens will be held by the Governor himself. Anyone who wishes to access them must submit a formal request to the Governor.”

Yang Jing explained,

“Furthermore, this Identity Jade Token has another wonderful feature. After securing a loan, one doesn’t have to withdraw all the Spirit Stones at once. Instead, you can withdraw them as needed.”

All the Golden Core Cultivators present were the sharpest of the sharp; they instantly understood the hidden meaning in Yang Jing’s words.

“Brilliant! In that case, couldn’t a single Spirit Stone be lent out twice?”

“It doesn’t stop there. Borrowers can use this token to make purchases directly at the Taichang Trading Company and the Celestial Treasure Tower. When buying Magical Artifacts or Elixirs, they won’t need to withdraw any Spirit Stones. The accounts can simply be settled periodically.”

“Other trading companies could also accept the Jade Tokens for settlement. The Seven Nations Ticket Shop can take a cut from every transaction—three percent a transaction. Gathering sand to build a tower, many small streams make a great river. This would be another source of immense profit.”

“Excellent! Doesn’t this mean the Ticket Shop can run its lending business without needing to keep that many Spirit Stones in reserve? It can generate a continuous stream of Spirit Stones from practically thin air!”

The Golden Core Cultivators present had never imagined that the business of a bank could be run this way. This was no different from sitting at home and waiting for Spirit Stones to fall from the sky.

The Cultivators who were previously worried about the Soul Token aspect immediately cast their concerns to the wind.

“Meng Sima! With such a good business opportunity, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and tell us how to buy shares!”

Seeing that he had whetted everyone’s appetite sufficiently, Meng Sima slowly began to speak:

“The investment for this Seven Nations Ticket Shop is substantial. We plan to build a Spirit Stone Vault at every branch in the Seven Kingdoms, each protected by a Tier Three Array. We will also use Flying Boats to transport Spirit Stones between the head office, the branches, and the sub-branches. The master Identity Jade Token, which may need to process the Divine Soul information of a million people, must also be a Magical Treasure-level Artifact.”

Amidst a sea of impatient gazes, Meng Sima finally revealed the bottom line.

“The Seven Nations Ticket Shop is prepared to sell fifteen thousand shares of equity, at a price of ten thousand Spirit Stones per share.”

After Meng Sima finished speaking, a silence fell over the cabin, making his heart leap into his throat. He feared he had set the price too high and that no one would be interested.

He was already preparing to signal Yang Jing to have the shills they had arranged beforehand start the bidding.

“The Xi Family will purchase eight hundred shares!”

“The Shangshui Yang Family will purchase five hundred shares!”

In the next moment, the Golden Core Cultivators present began shouting out their bids one after another, afraid that if they were too slow, all the shares would be snapped up.

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