Chapter 48: Anti-Fraud Fund
The matter was still wrapping up. After finishing off the small fry, it was naturally time to divide the spoils!
And that would be the gold coins dropped by Lanulius.
Mr. Nai Ya nonchalantly handed a document to Klein and gestured toward Leonard.
The document was densely packed with several addresses and accounts, clearly marking the locations where Lanulius had hidden the stolen funds.
The ink was still slightly fresh, evidently having just been compiled.
"These are several secret accounts and addresses he used to hide stolen money. Some of it might be from his personal scams, but..." Mr. Nai Ya's tone shifted as his fingers lightly tapped the desk, producing a rhythmic clicking sound. "I hope that, aside from the victims' defrauded capital, the rest of this extra money will not be confiscated."
Leonard snapped his head up, his eyes filled with confusion.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Klein also frowning, looking at Mr. Nai Ya with the same doubt.
This money should rightfully be added to the Church's public funds to be returned to the victims or donated for social welfare. Why would Senior Mr. Nai Ya say such a thing?
Could Mr. Nai Ya want to embezzle it? As soon as this thought surfaced, he quickly suppressed it. He believed that Mr. 'Lovers' was definitely not that kind of person.
Mr. Nai Ya looked at them, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips as he explained leisurely:
"Because simply confiscating it or giving it away as charity can only solve their problems temporarily."
"The reason they were deceived lies in their greed and lack of financial knowledge. You help them this time, but next time they might fall into another scam."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it possessed an undeniable clarity.
Leonard's wariness vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden realization of being enlightened.
Indeed, were those who were cheated really just victims of bad luck?
The desire to get something for nothing, or the firm belief in pies falling from the sky, was the root cause of being scammed.
Klein's gaze became more focused.
Mr. Nai Ya's words coincided perfectly with the 'Open Scheme' he had previously mentioned to him and Audrey.
He didn't just want to solve the immediate problem; he wanted to change something from the root.
"Therefore, I have a better proposal."
Mr. Nai Ya stood up and walked slowly to the office window.
Outside, the slightly dilapidated streetscape of the South District came into view—low houses, narrow streets, and people struggling through life formed a realistic picture.
With his back to the two of them, his voice carried a hint of a vision for the future.
"I suggest using this recovered stolen money to establish a 'Tingen Citizen Mutual Aid Foundation'."
"Foundation?" Klein and Leonard spoke almost in unison. In the dictionaries of their minds, this term was still somewhat unfamiliar and distant.
"Yes. When the time comes, I will also add a sum of my own money into it."
Mr. Nai Ya nodded, turned around, and smiled at them.
"This foundation, supervised by the Church or the government, will be specifically used to help citizens who have fallen into hardship due to accidents, illness, or fraud. At the same time, the foundation can regularly hold free lectures to popularize financial knowledge among citizens, teaching them how to identify scams and how to make steady investments."
His gaze swept over Klein and then landed on Leonard.
"In this way, this money can not only help more people but also fundamentally improve the citizens' awareness against fraud. This is what you call treating the root cause."
"The Lanulius case is just a catalyst. Through it, we can not only punish a villain but also awaken the public's awareness and let them see that when social problems arise, besides the government and the Church, there is also a spontaneous, mutual aid force they can rely on."
After Mr. Nai Ya finished speaking, his smile deepened, while Klein and Leonard were now left dumbfounded.
Establishing a foundation? Popularizing financial knowledge? Spontaneous mutual aid forces of the people?
This sounds... so advanced, so logical!
"This... this is simply... a brand new form of social organization!"
Leonard was so excited he was incoherent.
He was completely won over by Mr. Nai Ya's grand vision.
He imagined the future Tingen City, where citizens would no longer be easily deceived, supporting each other and jointly resisting risks. What a beautiful picture that was.
In Leonard's eyes, the original doubt had completely faded, replaced by a nearly fanatical light.
He looked at Mr. Nai Ya's calm back as if seeing a far-sighted sage, a pioneer capable of insightfully diagnosing social ailments and prescribing a cure.
So, Mr. 'Lovers' layout was actually this profound!
He didn't just want to expose a Swindler; he wanted to take this opportunity to establish a long-term safeguard for all the citizens of Tingen City!
This is what a true 'Wise One' should do!
In Leonard's heart, his admiration for Mr. Nai Ya reached a new height. He firmly believed that he was following an existence that could truly change the world.
Except—
Pallez's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a rare sense of confusion: "How can there be a high-level existence with such a sense of morality?"
This left Pallez even more bewildered than when he saw Amon!
Amon exists! But such an existence shouldn't exist!
"The establishment of the foundation requires funds, and it also requires public trust," Klein mused. "Supervision by the Church and government is certainly important, but to truly win people's hearts, it needs more specific promotion."
Mr. Nai Ya gave Klein an appreciative look. This 'lead actor' indeed did not disappoint him, quickly grasping the core of the problem.
"Of course." Mr. Nai Ya walked to the desk, picked up a fountain pen, and made a few strokes on the documents left by Lanulius. "Therefore, I need your help."
"Leonard, as a Nighthawk of the Evernight Goddess Church, you have opportunities to come into contact with some upper-class individuals."
"I hope you can, in your personal name or through some hidden channels, convey the vision of this foundation and the deep lessons behind the Lanulius case to those influential people. Especially those nobles and members of parliament who care about social stability and people's livelihoods."
Mr. Nai Ya's tone carried an unquestionable guiding quality.
"Make them realize that this isn't just one man's scam by Lanulius, but a hidden danger that could shake the foundations of society. And this foundation is precisely the effective solution to this hidden danger."
As for Klein, after the initial shock, what surged in his heart was an indescribable awe.
He finally understood (or rather, he began to fill in the blanks).
Everything Mr. Nai Ya had done before—from intimidating Leonard to using them for the performance, and then exposing Lanulius—all of it was just a setup.
Mr. Nai Ya's true goal was never a small-time 'Swindler' like Lanulius.
His goal was to use the Lanulius case to leverage a much larger game.
A game sufficient to influence the entire Tingen City, perhaps even laying the groundwork for future financial reforms and social changes!
Capturing Lanulius was the 'obvious' move.
Establishing the anti-fraud foundation and promoting the enlightenment of mutual aid among the people was the 'hidden' move.
One link after another, calculating everyone into the plan, using a single event to achieve multiple objectives.
Is... is this the 'Open Scheme' Senior Mr. Nai Ya spoke of?
Looking at Mr. Nai Ya's calm smile, waves of emotion rose in Klein's heart.
For the first time, he had such a clear and profound understanding of the words 'Way of the Gods'.
It wasn't a high-and-mighty deity randomly bestowing divine grace, but rather taking all human actions, desires, and social structures into account, and using a near 'God's perspective' to push the gears of the world to ultimately achieve one's own goals!