23 Finance and books (1)

Unlike the gloom and no boon brought forward by yesterday's unfriendly weather, today dappled sun shone through the trees and in between buildings, creating mysterious, yet joyous shadows. The azure sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. Underneath them, orchestral sounds of people chattering and footsteps hitting the pavement resounded within Anspia, a time-honoured city.

One of those commuting people was none other than Alfraed.

Most people would laze around after pocketing eight-million rune and had some fun. Anyhow, he was unlike most people, and those shiny coins were nothing more than means to an end. Having mountain of money was never his end goal.

After opening the store to let his employees enter and begin their jobs, he left to settle several things he had in mind, hopefully all of them could be done within the same day.

He was not traveling alone. Emma and Evan were accompanying him, and they currently trying their best without complaining to match his adult steps with their still-growing legs.

'…Well, I'm in no hurry…'

Looking at their honest effort to keep up with him, Alfraed decided to slow his pace down so the twins could walk in parallel with him without the need to rush and enjoy their little outing.

They walked while having small talks for a while, until the three arrived in the city's commercial district, where countless stores and companies with various sizes and shapes were smartly lining up alongside the hectic street they currently on. In concert, the outdoor commercial spaces were filled with plethora of booths selling countless variation of goods. Every single one of the business was busy accommodating its respective customers, the exact opposite of Alfraed's Herbs & Lotions.

'…I'll make my store as bustling as any of them. No, even more! You'll see!...' Alfraed uttered a soundless promise to no one but himself, due to envy of their seemingly flourishing businesses. Despite his feeling, not one bit he wished for them to fall. Instead, he hoped their business continue to grow, and he would be the one to stand above them.

'Being the best of the best is a lot cooler than the best of the worst…' he sincerely thought so.

.... Anyway, from what he knew, Emma and Evan had been living in this city since the day they were born. Yet, from their expressions and eyes that were full of astonishment, and gaping mouths, it was plain for anyone to see they never came to this area before. Understandable, Elise was working hard, making them did not have any reason to venture all the way here and stayed in the lower district all this time.

"…Brother Alf, where are we going…?" asked Emma timidly, unexpectedly, the usually brave girl was frightened of the fact there were too many people moving unpredictably in her surroundings. On the contrary, Evan was looking around in a very enthusiastic and eager manner, unaware of his own direction because the boy was captivated by the new scenery.

"…Both of you, give me your hands, don't let go, okay? We're going there…"

The two getting separated from him was very likely in this situation. To prevent that from ever happening, as the older one, Alfraed held their hands firmly to ensure they would not get lost, and the twins felt safer and calmer already. Then, he showed Emma the first place they would visit with his head gesture.

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"…Here we are…"

The greyish-building was cylindrical with a portico of large granite columns under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening to the sky, or oculus. Upon entry, the three were greeted by an enormous rounded room covered by the dome. The oculus at the top was never covered, allowing natural light, as well as rainfall came onto the floor. Due to this, the marbled floor with checkerboard pattern was equipped with drains and has certain incline to promote water runoff.

"…B-brother Alf, what is this place…?"

"This is a Finance House" replied Alfraed to Evan after taking a queue number.

"…Finance…House…?...Hm...? Furnace House...?"

Evan could recognize the word 'House' immediately. Unfortunately, he could not register the previous word anywhere inside his head, and Alfraed could see an imaginary smoke rose arising from his head who was working beyond its basic capacity to figure out the meaning of the odd word. In the end, if the word did not exist in the first place he would not find the answer no matter how hard he tried...

"… Let's see…"

For awhile, Alfraed held his chin with his hand, trying to explain in a simple way the Finance House's business model while waiting his turn. Basically, the company took deposits from people in form of savings, where the stored funds could be withdrawn anytime, or timed deposit that could only be taken after certain period. To maintain trust, they had the best security compared to other companies. The gathered funds would be used to make various loans for consumption or productive purpose to individual or companies, in some cases to cities or even countries. The profit generated from the loans would also be distributed to depositors on a monthly basis. Additionally, depositors could take his money not only in the branch where they deposited them, but in every of the Finance House's branch available in many major cities, though there was a fee for it...… Yeah, good luck explaining all of that to a child…

"...…....If you diligently save money here, they will give you bonus money every month, and its safe…"

""Really??""

The two never knew there was such magic in this world, and their imagination were running wild trying to imagine the person who owned this-something house.

"Yes, the more you save, the bigger the bonus you'll receive" ensured Alfraed.

Straight away, in their mind, the owner was comparable to sage that stood at the pinnacle of reasons.

In the end, that was the only features Alfraed could explain to Emma and Evan. But, seemingly more than enough to encourage them to start building the habit of savings that was the core foundation to wealth, after they earned their own money.

"Number 22, please come to this table"

"Yup, that's my number. Let's go"

After the announcement, the three walked to one of many counters where a middle-aged female teller with brunette hair was waiting for them with a welcoming smile.