Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

In terms of disregard for life and the ruthless abandonment of pawns that offer no benefit, this old man's indifference far surpasses that of the mayor, leaving him utterly ashamed before him.

After the "rooster" took a sip of tea, the smiling old gentleman, with one hand on his small cane, looked at Pantalone and smiled gently.

"I don't think it's our banker who's planning to have a chat with this old man about colleagueship. You specifically asked to meet with me, so you must have something to discuss with this old man, right?"

"As expected of the mayor, you truly have keen insight as always. In fact, I do need some 'small' help from the mayor in politics. If the mayor could lend a hand out of consideration for his colleague, I would be extremely grateful."

Without Columbia watching over him, Pantalone found his rhythm.

He picked up on his memory of how he spoke to the executive officer "Rooster" and started putting on a show of acting without any restraint.

When it comes to telling ghost stories, he can be described as completely shameless and without batting an eye.

He might not be very familiar with the other executives, but he was extremely familiar with "Rooster." After all, the Northern Bank and the Winter Economy relied heavily on dealing with this mayor, and over time, Pantalone had learned how to get along with this little old man.

His speech was full of polite phrases used at the dinner table, and his fluency in them could be described as masterful.

If it were anyone else, they might have been fooled by Pantalone's rhetoric, but it was obvious that as a seasoned veteran of the political arena and a seasoned politician, the mayor who held political power in the winter was not buying Pantalone's insincere rhetoric.

The "rooster," having put down his teacup, rested his other hand on his cane and replied with a kind smile and expression.

"There's no need for formalities. We've known each other for so long, you know my character, and I understand your way of doing things. Let's be more honest; it'll be better for both of us."

"Since you've said so, Mayor, I have no reason to hide it. In fact, I've encountered a slight problem in the execution of my plan, so I'd like to ask for your help to resolve it."

When Pantalone realized that his polite words were not working, he simply stopped pretending.

He got straight to the point and stated his needs and ideas.

In response, the rooster simply stroked its white beard.

“Providing assistance to our colleagues is our duty as executives under Her Majesty the Empress, but this matter of yours is not easy to resolve; it's a bit troublesome.”

Although the statement wasn't explicitly stated, its meaning was quite clear.

"While I understand your difficulties, things will be a little tricky to handle without offering some benefit."

In short, Pantalone didn't have enough to offer.

You'll have to pay more.

Although Pantalone cursed the greedy politician in his heart, saying that he really wouldn't let go of any opportunity to squeeze out benefits, he had already considered this kind of thing before he came, so he naturally thought of this from the beginning.

"Since the mayor understands my difficulties, he must have also learned about my plans from those people outside. If the mayor is willing to agree to my conditions, that would be fine."

"Then, once things are settled, I will transfer more than half of the profits from the 'autonomous machines' under my control to you, Mayor. At that time, both of us will benefit from the profits generated by this plan."

"It's also worth mentioning that this profit of more than half is not a one-time transaction, but a continuous and uninterrupted income. As long as you agree to my conditions, then all of this will be yours."

"Oh? That does surprise me somewhat. Having paid such a high price, didn't you consider that this might not be able to compensate for the huge losses caused by your investment?"

Pantalone's answer surprised "Rooster," who, as the de facto ruler of winter politics, had been dealing with Pantalone for quite some time.

That's why he was somewhat surprised that the executive "Rich Man" Pantalone, who always weighed the pros and cons, was willing to pay such a huge price.

In his view, this matter might seem a bit big, but even if it really escalates to Piero's side, it's not a serious issue.

As the economic pillar of the winter and the de facto controller of the Northern Bank, even if this matter really blows up, it won't be a serious problem for him, and it won't kill him at all.

Even at the worst point, it would only mean that his political influence would be completely eliminated.

They can only stand on their own little plot of land, managing their own Northern Bank, becoming nothing more than mascots among the executives, and mere money-making tools.

At worst, his prestige would be completely destroyed.

If he wants to rediscover such a massive amount of resources in the future, it will undoubtedly become much more difficult for him to do anything he wants.

Unless Pantalone really takes this plan very seriously.

But based on his impression, the other party didn't seem like the kind of guy who only made one-sided preparations, which was one of the reasons why "Rooster" was puzzled and couldn't understand Pantalone.

Or perhaps... he has some more important plan hidden in this.

Of course, this is just his conjecture and possibility.

Based on Pantalone's impression of the "rooster," he felt it was more likely that the rooster was hiding something, and this move might be a cover-up to conceal his true purpose.

But regardless of which one it is, at least based on the current performance...

Pantalone seemed to take all of this very seriously, which made "Rooster" involuntarily start making connections. With a strange light in his eyes, he stared at Pantalone with deep eyes, trying to see something from his face.

No matter how he looked at it, Pantalone's demeanor seemed to be consistent from beginning to end, without any sense of satisfaction or composure.

But it was precisely because he was so open that he found it strange.

There is absolutely no way that Pantalone could be such an open and honest person; this must be a disguise.

Ever since Piero convened the first executive meeting to discuss the plan, he has found himself increasingly unable to understand this guy.

Because he could always find that Pantalone would occasionally do something that seemed very superfluous and inexplicable, but afterwards it would always prove that his every move was undoubtedly meaningful.

Just like that phrase he always kept on the side—

This is all part of the plan.

When asked by the "rooster" why he was willing to pay such a high price to save and resolve the immediate trouble, Pantalone's thoughts were quite simple.

That talented person from Arecino has already thrown such a good plan in his face. If this plan is ruined by a bunch of troublemakers, wouldn't that be a real shame?