Darkstone Code
Chapter 114 - 0113 Buy a car, take a loan, sell land

Chapter 114: 0113 Buy a car, take a loan, sell land

A slightly smaller white shirt, with a thin vest over it, making it both professional and somewhat pleasing to the eye. The dark gray skirt below was indeed a little short, but this kind of outfit has become quite common now.

Jobs are hard to find these days, and everyone is trying their best.

Lynch glanced over, nodded slightly, and looked at the badge on the girl’s... chest, which had the title "Sales Manager." Perhaps this is the cheapest privilege an ordinary person can enjoy.

Apart from this title, there was also a name, Beth, a fairly ordinary name.

She held a clipboard in her arms, and with a pen in the other hand on the board, she looked professional while inquiring about Lynch’s preferences for purchasing a car.

This is a common tactic, recording customer preferences in front of them gives a feeling of being valued. In reality, this "attention" is soon transferred to consulting firms and automobile manufacturers. Perhaps it’s attention indeed, but it’s the kind that can be sold for money.

Customers like Lynch, buying luxury cars, their "attention" could be sold for a higher price.

Lynch mentioned a few points: it should be beautiful, elegant, with a bit of seriousness, and luxurious.

These requirements piqued the girl’s interest, and she led Lynch to another showroom where some of the well-known luxury cars within the Federation were displayed, mostly were sedans.

Sedan prices are higher, appealing to a wider audience in social groups. Even the President’s vehicle is a luxury sedan, further affirming that sedans are suitable for formal occasions rather than those business travel cars with a strong "cost-performance" appeal.

People often view business travel cars as family-friendly, so even if they match or surpass sedans in materials and technology, their prices are much lower because they aren’t considered formal.

With numerous luxury cars on display together, Lynch was somewhat amazed at how the girl could effortlessly name them and their manufacturers; to Lynch, these sedans were pretty much the same.

Perhaps limited by current industrial processes, or issues of contemporary aesthetic, sedan designs don’t vary much, some brand models almost indistinguishable from each other exterior-wise.

It dampened Lynch’s desire to choose a vehicle, since their shapes were similar, it felt like buying just a different badge.

"Do you have any good recommendations?" Lynch casually touched the paint of a car, it felt rather decent, then turned to look at the sales manager.

Joy flashed briefly over the sales manager’s face, such straightforward customers were rarely seen. She asked cautiously yet with anticipation, "Sir, what is your budget?"

Lynch chuckled, a handsome guy’s smile always bright and sunny, making Beth’s eyes sparkle, "To meet my requirements, better quality if possible, not those entry-level cars."

He didn’t directly answer the budget question, but Beth pretty much had a sense, immediately leading Lynch to a bright silver car. It was indeed slightly different from the others, with a longer front engine cabin, and overall longer body.

It should have felt discordant, yet it exuded an indescribable beauty, perhaps related to its mirror-like silver paint.

"This is the latest in House Luxury Sedan Series, also the most luxurious, purchased promptly by some local celebrities, important figures, and it’s priced below ten thousand, absolutely the perfect choice for you."

Lynch glanced briefly, under Beth’s introduction, he even got inside to experience its full-leather-surround rear seats and flattening function. It also had a record player and radio listening capabilities, listening to radio onboard truly is a luxury only available in upscale cars.

"How much?" Lynch patted the car body, adding, "There’s some aspects I don’t like, does anyone here do modifications?"

After a friendly negotiation, Lynch finally bought this car for twelve thousand, rejecting Beth’s offer for delivery, he directly drove the car away from the sales center to the bank, to find Jogriman.

When he reached Jogriman, Jogriman was chatting with his subordinates, in high spirits lately, praised twice during state branch conference calls for his notable achievements, even encouraged others to learn from him.

There were even talks of him potentially stepping into local bank manager role, a reality once unfathomable, allowing him into higher social tiers, all thanks to young Lynch.

Upon hearing of Lynch’s visit, he promptly dismissed others in his office, leading Lynch personally into his office.

He opened the box on his desk, picked a solid color to pass over, casually asked, "What can I do for you?"

His tone carried closeness and joy throughout, Lynch cut the ends of ’Happy Lands’, Jogriman proactively used a torch to light the solid color for him.

Lynch casually tossed his car purchase proof on the desk, Jogriman raised his brows slightly, reviewing it meticulously.

Despite appearing accommodating and handling anything easily, once in work mode, he instantly became serious and thorough.

Upon reviewing the materials and complete tax proof, he looked up at Lynch, "If you wanted a car, you could come to me, I know local dealers who’d offer a cheaper price."

Cars, considered luxury items, don’t sell as easily as imagined, especially luxury cars, apart from a few best-selling models, most languish.

Manufacturers and sellers accumulated many cars that couldn’t quickly convert to cash, burdening their liquidity. To alleviate this, they often mortgaged the cars to banks, using bank loans to ease financial pressure.

Jogriman could easily secure an extremely low markdown price, as those wanting to loan from him had to show interest in lowering fees.

Such operations aren’t strictly breaches of protocol; no one would pursue. Just one of the many perks among banking industry practitioners, always maintaining good relations with businesses.

Lynch shook his head, exhaling smoke, "I applied for a low-interest loan, for a twelve-thousand-car, how much can you loan?"

Jogriman reviewed the materials, retaining one, and called his secretary to prepare a mortgage contract.

After hanging up, he smiled saying, "I’ll try to give you a fair price, we’re friends, right?"

Lynch nodded, raising his hand holding the solid color, affirming Jogriman’s words, "We are friends."

Banks don’t appraise based on a good’s retail price, something worth a hundred might only be fifty or sixty for them.

Yet it’s manipulatable; mistaken appraisals, real-time price fluctuations, many methods can cause discrepancies between estimated and final values, quite normal, annual bad debt figures account for these.

Using those indicators, higher-ups won’t criticize Jogriman for mismanagement, loaning inherently carries high risks.

A few years ago, Valcedo Jewelry’s per carat price was around two thousand, until a massive Valcedo Jewelry mine was discovered, dropping market prices to two hundred per carat.

No individual could change such events, banks undeniably faced major losses, Jewelry has always been popular collateral, and no bank criticized staff accepting jewelry pledges.

If unused, no praise for Jogriman’s risk management merits, only viewed as his duty.

Neither detrimental or beneficial, why not employ?

Thus, authorized errors aren’t pursued; unless overly excessive, beyond tacit thresholds, not actively discussed work-wise.

Quickly, Lynch signed a mortgage contract, twelve thousand in cash soon transferred into his account, requiring monthly interest of a hundred until repayment or default.

This practice wasn’t Lynch’s invention, widely existed across industries beforehand, otherwise Jogriman wouldn’t intuitively know Lynch’s intentions.

For Jogriman, yet another small matter strengthened his ties with Lynch.

Lynch managed to acquire a ten thousand worth luxury car for a hundred fifty monthly interest, everyone fairly contented.

After settling trivial matters, Lynch addressed his actual intent, planning to sell the land currently owned by Sabin City’s professional football club.

If retained, he’d lack funds to establish a new club outside the city, lacking capital for his plans. Also with impending financial crisis, is waiting till it’s worthless the option?