The Shadow of Great Britain

125: Chapter 85: The Friendship of the Rothschild 125: Chapter 85: The Friendship of the Rothschild London Financial City.

Arthur sat in the neat and clean trading hall, looking up at the company signboard above the quaint mahogany counter—London Real Estate Consultancy.

The Great Dumas sipped the tea prepared for the guests, and made an apt comment, “This tea is much better than what they serve in British restaurants.

The meal we had with you at noon nearly made me vomit; the meat in that restaurant was definitely not fresh.

As a man of honor from France, I can assure you of that.”

Eld replied unenthusiastically, “Isn’t that the same as no guarantee at all?

Buying a house is such a hassle; shouldn’t it be fine once both buyer and seller agree?

Why must we have two lawyers check the contract, and then apply with the Treasury’s Land Transactions Committee to examine the property rights?

How long has it all taken?

And we even greased the wheels to go through the fast track.

Without the sweetener, I bet it wouldn’t be done even in half a month.”

Darwin chimed in, “But wouldn’t it be better to look at a few more houses?

We only saw those three this morning and then bought them outright; we don’t really know if we’ve paid too much or got them at a good price.

I’ve heard there are quite a few frauds in the real estate intermediary business.

What if he plans to cheat Arthur?”

“He dares to cheat Arthur?” Eld raised an eyebrow, “Unless he’s brainless and doesn’t want to mix in London anymore.

Doesn’t he know the most promising officer from Scotland Yard is sitting right here?”

Arthur looked out from the hall, at the place opposite where he’d once dreamed of working more than six months earlier—the bustling London Stock Exchange, where even the air one breathed felt thick with the scent of copper.

He spoke, “That’s uncertain, and even if he really plans to cheat me, I don’t have much of a choice.

After all, the security of the Financial City is not under the jurisdiction of Scotland Yard.”

“What?” Eld stood up abruptly from the sofa, “Knowing that he might cheat you, you still plan to sign the contract?

Arthur, has something gone wrong with your little head?

You used to be much sharper than this.”

Arthur took a deep breath, “You don’t understand, Eld.

This money I have didn’t come by cleanly; I won’t be at peace until it’s spent.

Besides, you don’t know how much appeal an apartment building, plus a grocery store and a two-story detached villa, have to an Eastern soul.

I’ve dreamed of this for so many years; a little loss doesn’t hurt, just let me indulge once.”

Eld frowned, “What nonsense are you talking about now?

You get sick every now and then.

If you want to do a losing business, I can’t agree; it’s the hard-earned money my brother’s fought for, why should we let that bastard have it cheap?

If you have too much money you can’t spend it all, take me to a few plays.

If that’s not enough, we can still have some more activities at night.”

With those words, Eld glanced around and then, pulling Darwin who was reading, left the trading hall with him.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to remind the Great Dumas, “Fat man!

Keep a close eye on him for me.

I just saw several real estate agencies on the way here; I’ll do some inquiry there.

Before I come back, you absolutely can’t let Arthur sign that contract.”

The Great Dumas shook his head disdainfully at Eld, watching him leave the trading hall.

He muttered to himself, “Brits are stingy.

We, the Frenchmen, never bother over such trivial profits.

Money, if you run out, just earn it again, what’s the big deal?”

After speaking, he couldn’t help but nudge the daydreaming Arthur with his elbow and nodded at him approvingly, “Arthur, I must say, you have the character of an old Frenchman hiding among the English.”

Arthur snapped out of his reverie, heard what the Great Dumas said, was momentarily stunned, then holding his teacup, he asked, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention just now, did I offend you in any way?”

Upon hearing this, the Great Dumas paused with his teacup halfway to his mouth, looked at Arthur for a good while, then finally said, “I think you’re right about what you said before, to settle down in Britain, I indeed need a good temper.”

Arthur looked around and asked, “Where did Eld and Charles go?”

The Great Dumas huffed, “The two little rats have gone scavenging for crumbs, don’t mind them.

Sign the contract quickly, so we can find a decent restaurant, get some fine wine, and celebrate your housewarming.”

No sooner had the Great Dumas finished speaking than the smiling real estate agent came over with the notary lawyer.

He placed the land deed transfer documents, which were a dozen pages thick, on the coffee table, and turned to Arthur with extreme courtesy.

“All the documents have been verified by the lawyer; everything is in order.

If there are no doubts after your review, you can sign at the blank space below.

The moment your name is on the documents, all the houses from A-25 to A-27 on Central Street in Greenwich District will bear the name of Hastings.”

Arthur picked up the deed and flipped through it, page by page.

The content was somewhat unclear to him, but the standard “freehold” emblazoned on the pages was enough to stir his emotions.

Just as Arthur picked up the feather quill from the ink bottle to sign, suddenly, he heard a synchronized rising sound in the trading hall.

He looked up and saw that all the brokers in the hall had stood up, uniformly turning their gaze towards the entrance of the hall.

Even the real estate agent sitting in front of him bowed slightly with a sycophantic smile, tipping his hat as he greeted, “Good afternoon, Mr.

Rothschild.”

Turning his head, Arthur saw that the man called Mr.

Rothschild, was actually a familiar face.

It was Lionel Rothschild, the eldest son of the Rothschild family’s London branch, whom he’d met at the Duke of Sussex’s.

Lionel smiled, nodding to the many gazes one by one, but when his eyes landed on Arthur’s, he naturally paused for a moment.

He turned around and, with a smile, doffed his hat, “Mr.

Hastings, long time no see.

Are you here today to seek investment advice from me, or would you like to go hunting?”

Arthur then remembered the business card that Lionel had given him.

He took his wallet out to look at the card.

The business card read prominently—Lionel Rothschild, Rothschild Bank Consulting Advisor, Chairman of the Board of London Real Estate Placement Consultancy Company.

Upon seeing this, Arthur couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

He had pondered for most of the day how to invest in real estate, how could he have forgotten about Mammon’s incarnation in the Mortal World?

Lionel walked up beside Arthur and suddenly noticed the pile of documents on the coffee table.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “It seems you’ve already taken the real estate investment advice of our company.

May I ask which property you’re planning to buy this time?”

As soon as Lionel spoke, the real estate agent’s face turned green.

He stuttered, “Mr.

Rothschild, this gentleman is looking to acquire some property in the Greenwich District.

We’re still assessing the specific value of the estates.”

“Is that so?” Lionel nodded slightly and smiled at Arthur, “You wouldn’t mind me helping you take a look, would you?”

Arthur glanced at the real estate agent’s expression and pretty much understood what was going on, although he didn’t mind taking a small loss, why not make more if he could?

He smiled and handed over the documents on the coffee table, “Then I’ll trouble you with this.”

Lionel took the documents and just glanced over them.

His smile soon became somewhat stiff.

Although he maintained his smile, the tone of his voice slowly became a bit off.

He asked the agent, “The recent rise in property prices in the Greenwich District, hasn’t it been a bit too rapid?”

The agent caught on and, sweating profusely from the forehead, agreed, “I also think it has gone up a bit too quickly, but since Mr.

Hastings works in Greenwich, I could only try my best to fulfill his needs by selecting a suitable house there for him.”

Lionel shook his head and said, “Your information is not updated.

From what I’ve gathered, Mr.

Hastings is probably about to be promoted.

He’s likely to be primarily working at the headquarters of the Greater London Police Department on 4 Whitehall.

You should recommend properties closer to there for him.

This property price assessment report is not suitable for Mr.

Hastings; take it back and redo it.”

With the major shareholder speaking, the real estate agent didn’t dare utter a word of dissent.

He tentatively asked his boss, “Mr.

Rothschild, where do you think would be suitable for Mr.

Hastings, then?”

Lionel thought for a moment and asked, “Near Knightsbridge, Ennismore—I remember there are two four-bedroom suites available, and the house opposite Hyde Park hasn’t been sold, right?

And then there’s inside Regency Crescent…”

The agent couldn’t help but remind him, “Mr.

Rothschild, the first few are all right, but the one by Hyde Park and Regency Crescent…

I forgot to tell you, Mr.

Hastings’s budget is 1,500 pounds.”

Upon hearing this, Lionel first shook his head slightly at the agent, then lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile.

“That’s right, all the ones I just mentioned fit within the standard of 1,500 pounds, even the two suites in Ennismore can be secured for 300-400 pounds, the standalone house by Hyde Park is a bit more expensive, but it can be acquired for 1,000 pounds, they are all very suitable for a single gentleman like Mr.

Hastings.”

Only then did the agent understand his boss’s true intentions—it seemed his boss was willing to take a loss in order to gain friendship.

Lionel, looking at his dazed face, tapped the floor impatiently with his cane.

“What are you standing around for?

Aren’t you going to show these property listings to Mr.

Hastings?”

“Oh!” Upon hearing this, the agent hastily gathered up the files, bowed to Arthur, and then rushed off to the back hall, “Sorry, Mr.

Hastings, I’ll be right back.”

Watching him leave, Lionel pointed to the sofa opposite Arthur and asked, “May I sit here?”

“Of course, please do.”

Lionel sat down with a smile, then apologetically began, “Mr.

Hastings, next time you want real estate services, come straight to me, you need not communicate with them.

As you know, some new staff always lack competence.

However, as compensation for their work error, I can provide you with some other investment recommendations, such as stocks, bonds, and the like.

Putting all your assets in real estate isn’t quite sensible.”