I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 185: Stocks and Capitalism (3)

In front of the Rothschild trading house, a fairly large queue had already formed from early in the morning.

The line consisted of attendants sent by the heads of numerous noble families. Perhaps because of the high-ranking aides of very important people gathered here, it had turned into a sort of political scene.

“Hm-hm, I’m here under the orders of Count Palma. Would you mind stepping aside?”

“Why are you making a fuss? The Count isn’t even here, so what’s with the show-off?”

“There’s a hierarchy, just like with water—there’s a hierarchy in the servants too, you know.”

People were squabbling over whose master was more important, pushing each other aside while proudly showing off carts full of gold, as though to flaunt their family’s wealth.

The citizens of Florence, lacking entertainment, gathered in droves to witness this curious spectacle.

“I heard Baron Rothschild has issued some stocks.”

“Looks like nobles are after it, so it must be a huge money-maker, huh?”

“He’s a big shot, a real big shot.”

Among them, some of the more action-oriented citizens secretly withdrew all the money from their homes, away from their wives.

It was a historically significant moment that proved the existence of those men who, in any era, would throw their entire fortune into gambling or investment.

“Baron Rothschild is going to make it big! I’m betting everything—except my wife and daughter!”

Amidst all the chaos, the butler sent by Baron Calitri, Marco, sighed.

“The world sure is a strange place.”

If they had gathered to buy luxury items, famous swords, or various treasures or relics, it might have been accepted without much fuss. These precious items have the effect of displaying the owner’s wealth and power simply by possessing them.

However, the stocks issued by Baron Rothschild, while they could bring in money, wouldn’t bring honor...

‘I never thought the nobles would chase after money so openly.’

But Marco quickly corrected his thoughts.

He remembered the command given by his master.

‘The money was gathered by selling off useless land, unnecessary artwork, and weapons. We need to buy as many stocks as we can.’

While gathering all available funds to invest seemed somewhat reckless...

The target of the investment was Baron Rothschild, who was growing at the fastest pace in the empire, and who could make a fortune with any venture he touched.

Moreover, poultry farming was already a proven successful business.

Investing money would multiply it.

‘If I don’t invest, I’ll be a fool, right?’

“I think it’s time for me to retire soon.”

As Marco pondered this, the doors of the Rothschild trading house finally opened.

“Those with an investment amount of 200 gold coins or more, please line up to the left. Those with less, please line up to the right.”

At that moment, the line split into two.

Although there had been a contest of power during the wait, now that they had to invest money, the mood shifted.

No one felt like arguing anymore.

Since Marco had been waiting since dawn, he was able to enter immediately.

“Welcome, from which family do you come?”

“I’m Marco Trialini, the butler of the Calitri family. Let’s skip the formalities and get straight to the point. I’m already familiar with the basics; just tell me about the most important thing—the dividends.”

In the Toscanian Empire, there was no concept of stocks, so the idea of investing all one’s wealth didn’t exist yet.

Nobles, though they hadn’t passed the exams, were naturally excluded from the "heir to the family head" position if they weren’t capable. Most of them, being intelligent, could have easily attended prestigious universities had they focused on their studies.

So, when the concept of stocks emerged, everyone studied it thoroughly. They were investing money, after all—their lives’ savings.

“Stocks can be purchased in units of one gold coin, and the dividend is 10% annually.”

“Seems like the dividends are a bit low...”

The butler of a baron’s household and a mere trading house employee had an overwhelming difference in rank, but the employee spoke with indifference, knowing very well that the one eager to invest was the noble.

“Baron Rothschild’s ventures never fail. So if you don’t invest, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to earn a 10% return every year.”

Had such a statement come from another family, it would have been seen as rude.

But from the Rothschild family, it was perfectly acceptable.

Three years ago, they were a mere younger son of a noble family, and now they had become a Baron, a tycoon-level wealth owner, and even the son-in-law of Duke Visconti.

“I understand. The Calitri family is looking to invest 800 gold coins.”

800 gold coins—this was too large an amount for a mere baron’s family to gather in a short time. Considering the timing of the stock offering, gathering that amount was impossible, but...

It was still possible.

The Toscanian Empire, along with other countries in this world, didn’t place much emphasis on military service or defense.

To be precise, when the government ordered officials to make public policies on the 10th or 11th, it was common for those who had already heard about them by the 8th to privately inform selected people in exchange for a “referral fee.”

In the 21st century, this concept had turned into membership-only early release videos on platforms like YouTube.

‘Nothing new under the sun,’ just like the king who became a sage by having too much sex, it’s a common practice among people.

“You’ve set the limit on investment at 500 gold coins per person?”

“Why? You need the money, so why the limit?”

“If we borrow too much money, it could cause problems when we pay out dividends later. Please understand.”

Upon hearing this, Marco sighed and had no choice but to rise from his seat.

At this point, the seller had the upper hand, and he was the one in the weaker position.

“I’ll buy stocks worth 500 gold coins.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as the transaction was completed, Marco left and waited a short distance from the line.

Not long after, he saw well-dressed men emerging from the Rothschild trading house and approached them.

“Hmm, are you thinking of selling those stocks?”

“No, why would I sell my stocks?”

The man holding the wooden box containing the stocks hugged it as though it were a treasure.

Well, what was inside the box was a document worth more than a gold coin.

In reality, it was almost like treasure.

“How about one gold coin and one silver coin per stock? That’s a good deal, isn’t it?”

From the seller’s perspective, this was a deal with no downside.

They were getting immediate payment in exchange for the future dividends.

However, considering the real value of the stock—the privilege of receiving dividends forever...

For someone in a hurry for cash, selling now was the obvious choice, but for someone not in a hurry, holding onto the stock was the way to go.

Thus, the man holding the stocks shook his head.

“These stocks are for my retirement savings. I sold everything I had, including my house and workshop, to buy 10 shares. Why would I sell them now?”

In a society with a stock exchange, one can buy and sell stocks freely at any time.

Moreover, companies were constantly issuing stocks.

However, the stocks issued by the Rothschild family were like a golden goose that would undoubtedly continue to bring in money.

If they missed this opportunity, it was unlikely they would ever have a chance to buy them again.

‘There’s no guarantee they’ll issue more stocks and gather money.’

That meant it was worth paying a premium to buy them now.

“For one gold coin and two silver coins, no, if you sell all ten shares, I’ll give you 13 gold coins.”

“13 gold coins?”

“Exactly, 13 gold coins.”

The man who had been holding the stocks like a treasure handed over all of his shares.

And similar stock transactions were taking place everywhere.

“20 shares! I’ll buy them for 23 gold coins!”

“I won’t sell for that price!”

An employee from the trading house hurriedly ran over to where I was.

“Through this stock issuance, we’ve raised 48,000 gold coins!”

48,000 gold coins—a sum that, with a little exaggeration, could fund anything.

With that amount, I could cover the costs of a small-scale military campaign.

“Good job. As I said, the stocks have serial numbers, right?”

“Yes, all the serial numbers and issue dates are recorded. Additionally, we’ve established a system to cross-reference with the list of records held at the trading house to prevent counterfeiting.”

With the serial numbers and issue dates being cross-checked against the records at the trading house, counterfeiting would be nearly impossible.

As long as they couldn’t steal the information from the records, they couldn’t fake it.

Moreover, we had installed various security measures.

And frankly, I didn’t care if someone tried to counterfeit the stocks.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

After all, a stock with the same serial number and issue date can only be used once.

If someone manages to sneak through the security and claim the money with a counterfeit, the person with the genuine stock would just come in and pretend they knew nothing.

‘If they say sorry, there’s nothing we can do.’

“Good work. Now, make sure the investment money is used to build poultry farms across the country. And all profits made this year should be paid out as dividends to the shareholders. Don’t leave a single cent.”

That way, people will think stocks actually make money and rush in like crazy.

Let’s scatter the bait and see how it goes.