Chapter 42 - 42 Restarting the Market Manipulation
Steve visited Aurora with the information he had obtained from his brother-in-law, Baronet Parker. He reported that both his and Aurora's names were being used.
Aurora, who possessed 'good ears', had already obtained the information Steve brought.
"I have already heard that story as well."
"As expected, you have very good ears."
"If I didn't, those people who use my name without permission to play their pranks would run wild. I was just wondering how to teach them a lesson this time, and then a summer insect comes flying into the fire like this."
"If you are troubled by insects, I can give you some of the Insect Repellent Incense currently under development."
"I'll gratefully accept that, but I want these particular insects to work for me."
When Aurora said that, Steve let out a sigh.
At that gesture, Aurora put on a display of great surprise.
"Oh my, I thought for sure you were going to avenge your brother-in-law, but you're unexpectedly cold-hearted."
"I have no reason to be angry at the Dronne Trading Company. Besides, though I couldn't say it to the man himself, I think a large part of it was his own fault. He couldn't control himself because he was lured by greed, so I hope he can reflect on his actions through this incident."
"I see. In that case, I suppose I'll have to pay some kind of compensation to get you to move?"
Steve had sensed that Aurora intended to use him for free. That was why he had been pretending not to be angry with the Dronne Trading Company and Baron Thompson.
In reality, he wanted to vent his frustration for the pressure he received from his older sister, and he was thinking of recovering the gold coins he lent to his brother-in-law from the Dronne Trading Company.
Aurora also had a faint inkling of this, but since Steve wouldn't easily show those feelings, she said she would pay compensation for his cooperation.
Steve felt relieved that there would be compensation.
"Since I'm receiving a reward, I can't do things halfway."
"You didn't intend to from the start, did you? Well then, I'll leave the rest to you, so make sure to properly teach a lesson to the fools who used my name without permission."
"Yes. Also, I have a request—could I borrow Valier-dono?"
At the mention of Valier's name, Aurora looked at Steve with a dubious expression.
"Valier? How do you plan to use him? If it's about the scale of the trading company, Salieri would be better. Besides, there's also the Emmanuel Trading Company that you use, isn't there?"
"Well, for this kind of thing, someone wily is better. I wouldn't want him as an enemy, but as an ally, he's reassuring. For that reason, I'd like to borrow him and have a meeting about the future."
"Fine. In that case, I'll immediately draft a letter stating that I've given permission to lend out Valier, so take that and go to him."
"Thank you very much."
Thus, receiving Aurora's letter, Steve immediately headed for the Valier Trading Company.
When he arrived at the company, Valier happened to be there and attended to him immediately.
"Welcome, Your Excellency."
"Being called 'Your Excellency' is embarrassing."
"Then shall I call you Ryuuyoku-sama (T/N: Dragon Wing) like the rest of the world?"
"I'd prefer it if you stopped that even more."
Steve was someone who couldn't get used to being called by honorific titles no matter where he went.
"So, what is your business for today?"
"Ah, I want to make another big gamble on the market. I want to borrow your strength."
"I would not be reluctant to do so myself, but I must have the judgment of His Excellency the Margrave."
At the timing of Valier's words, Steve held out the letter he had received from Aurora.
"I have obtained the Margrave's permission. Please check it."
"Then, I shall take it."
Valier took the letter from Steve and confirmed its contents.
"Indeed, His Excellency the Margrave has issued instructions for me to cooperate with you."
"I'll be counting on you, then."
"Understood. So, on what kind of market do you intend to gamble?"
Valier's eyes gleamed sharply. He was the man who once controlled the copper market of the Western region. As expected, when it came to creating a market, his ambition flared up.
To such a Valier, Steve said it was a stock transaction.
"I'm thinking of playing the stock market. There's a brand called the Oclair Trading Company, and I intend to use it to set up a major market play."
"Stock trading? Unlike commodity markets, new supply doesn't just appear in the market, so it seems easier than commodities."
From his failure with copper, Valier had felt firsthand the difficulty of cornering physical goods in commodity futures.
However, additional stocks can also come out. If there's selling by major shareholders or a capital increase. Even so, it wasn't like copper, which was produced one after another from mines.
"If it were just about driving up the price, any other broker would do. What I need is a sharp-witted broker like Valier."
"I am truly happy to hear you say that, but with such a premise, you must be thinking of a rather difficult market manipulation."
Valier asked Steve for an explanation of the plan.
Since Steve also believed that having Valier participate from the planning stage was the key to success, he conveyed the plan here without hiding anything.
"Actually, the Oclair Trading Company is the brand my brother-in-law, Baronet Parker, was framed into. The ones who framed him were the Dronne Trading Company and Baron Thompson behind them."
"Dronne Trading Company? Well, I don't hear many good rumors about them. Their brokerage license should probably be revoked, but with Baron Thompson there, even His Excellency the Margrave likely cannot force the issue."
"This time, those two used the Margrave's name to frame people with the stocks, so even the Margrave can no longer leave it alone."
"Could you tell me the details?"
"Of course."
Steve told Valier the circumstances of the framing. As he listened to the story, Valier's face took on the smile of a villain.
"They certainly did it on a wide scale."
"They targeted only minor nobles who would never have a chance to speak directly with the Margrave. I suppose they thought it wouldn't be discovered. Also, you look somewhat happy."
"Is that so? It's not that the opponent is lacking, but when I think about punishing a half-baked prank, it just slipped onto my face. I suppose I've failed as a merchant. Now then, I also know that Ryuuyoku-kakka is not the type of person to leave everything to me. You must already have a rough plan, yes?"
Valier looked at Steve as if sizing him up.
If he had thought of nothing here, then he was only a man of that caliber, not someone to partner with for a big gamble. If it were Aurora, she would never do such a thing and would always draft a plan herself to bring along.
And Steve did have a plan.
"My brother-in-law is still caught in it. Since they manipulated the market using a deal with the Margrave as material as I explained earlier, I'm thinking of using the same trick to frame them back. I want Valier to handle bringing the Oclair Trading Company onto our side and securing the shares other than those circulating in the market. There should be shares that the framed nobles are still holding onto, keeping them in their safes. As you know, make sure not to let them realize we're building a market position. That's the first stage."
"Understood. Regarding bringing the Oclair Trading Company onto our side, how much authority will you grant me?"
"You can use my name. However, tell Oclair not to speak of it to others. As for the Margrave, do not bring her up. I want you to be even more careful about that."
Although Aurora was moving with consent, she had requested Steve because she didn't want her own name out there. Taking that intent into account, he would not use Aurora's name to win over Oclair for this setup. However, he did plan to utilize Aurora in the process of creating the market.
"Leave it to me. Even so, if that is the first stage, could you tell me the second stage as well?"
"Once the shares are gathered, we'll buy up the shares circulating in the market and drive up the stock price. At this stage, we won't release any 'material' (T/N: market-moving news/information) yet. Everyone will probably wonder why it's going up."
The initial movement of a market is prone to suspicion. If the stock price goes up despite there being no material to justify it, people find it hard to jump in, thinking it will drop eventually.
However, the 'honzon' (T/N: the main entity/mastermind behind a market manipulation) who is initiating the buying will suck up the shares circulating in the market here, making it even easier to control the price movement.
"I can understand up to that point as standard cornering and price manipulation, but what comes after is important. How will you frame Dronne?"
"First, at some point, Valier will let the opponent know that you are the mastermind. Then, we'll make them believe that, just as Dronne did, the price is being driven up based on a deal with the Margrave. If they short-sell, then good. If they don't want to short-sell, we'll move to make them buy. At that time, I'll have the Margrave play a role as well."
"I see. If it's that kind of dirty work, you certainly couldn't use the Salieri Trading Company or the Emmanuel Trading Company."
Valier nodded, satisfied with his casting. And he was extremely pleased with his evaluation of Steve.
"For the finishing touch of the framing, I'm thinking of inviting the Margrave and holding a grand party. If we drop some massive material there, the stock price will finally hit the blue ceiling (T/N: skyrocket without limit)."
"And what is this massive material?"
"I haven't made a final decision, but I'll show them a huge business opportunity involving the Oclair Trading Company. The bigger the dream, the better, right?"
"I always wonder, is Ryuuyoku-kakka truly a minor?"
"I am."
Valier was impressed by Steve's unchildlike thinking. He wondered what kind of experiences this boy had gone through to become able to think this way.
And he felt a sense of security in being able to wage a speculative war as a team with the opponent who had utterly defeated him last time. Although he was currently in a position where he couldn't move freely, bound by debt to Aurora, he had not lost the desire to make one more name for himself. There was also a wish that this might become the foothold for his comeback.
On this day, Valier decided to serve under Steve and fight the speculative war.
And, as instructed, he moved for the first stage: the accumulation of stocks and the winning over of the Oclair Trading Company.
Of course, it would be a success.