Descending On France 1780-Chapter 16 - 013 Claim Task Rewards

Vanni had found a two-wheeled hired carriage, the kind where the driver would steer from behind the carriage compartment.

After Anning got into the carriage, Vanni also entered the compartment, casually shutting the door behind her.

Anning: "Does the driver know where to go?"

"You only instructed to go to the nearest bank, so I told him. Or do you want to specify a particular bank?" Vanni asked.

"No, any bank will do," Anning paused, then said, "Preferably a reliable bank, I mean one that wouldn't easily go bankrupt."

"In that case, I personally recommend Soron Bank; it's a UK bank with its headquarters in London and has a branch in Paris. Many nobles keep their money there," replied Vanni.

Anning: "A UK bank? Why would French nobles keep their money in a UK bank?"

"Of course, because of the recent rumors that His Majesty the King is about to go bankrupt, there might be a tax increase," Vanni replied.

Anning raised his eyebrows: "As a maid, you seem to know quite a lot..."

"Every Parisian is talking about these things. You just need to listen to the gentlemen's discussions in the Royal Palace square to find out," the maid paused, then added, "Moreover, most of this content is concocted by Duke Tolleson himself."

Anning uttered "Oh," now understanding the situation; Duke Tolleson of Orleans had opened his estate to the people of Paris, turning the Royal Palace into a hub of public opinion for Parisians, then spreading various unfavorable rumors about the King.

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This Duke probably didn't realize that he was adding fuel to a massive fire.

Vanni: "Shall we reroute to Soron Bank's Paris branch?"

Anning hesitated for a moment. As someone who knew the future direction, it seemed natural to put his money in a safer UK bank.

But the problem was, once the UK joined the Anti-France Alliance in the future, could he, a Frenchman—a Frenchman who tended toward revolution, still access his little bit of money in that bank?

Thinking it over, Anning felt it was better to go to a local bank.

Although there was the risk of bankers being sent to the guillotine in the future, as long as he handled things well, he should be able to retrieve the money before that.

Anning: "No need, as a Frenchman, I don't quite trust the Brits."

Vanni: "Really? I heard you are from Caen, aren't people from Normandy supposed to have a more favorable opinion of the English?"

Anning: "That's a prejudice. The Norman Conquest was over seven hundred years ago, and the English occupation of Normandy was three to four hundred years ago. We are genuine Frenchmen."

The maid stared at Anning for a few seconds, then clicked her tongue, saying: "Just like lady said, you are a bit strange."

Anning: "Ah?"

"The lady said, you're the son of a leatherworker, yet you speak fluent German, and your French doesn't have that rough accent. And just now, you smoothly recounted the history of the Normandy region, that's not something one learns at Sunday school, is it?"

Anning internally exclaimed, so you are testing me on behalf of your mistress?

He hurriedly made up an excuse: "The priest at Sunday school likes to tell us children historical anecdotes, they're quite interesting to listen to as stories."

Vanni clicked her tongue, "It's the Priest's interest, huh... that explains it."

Anning quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Damn, in this era, being too knowledgeable as the son of a leatherworker can arouse suspicion.

Vanni then asked: "What money are you planning to deposit in the bank? Since you are just picking any bank, it shouldn't be to withdraw money previously kept there, right?"

Anning choked for a moment, then realized this question was hard to answer. If he were to take out a big bag of money from the bank under the watchful eyes of the maid, it would be hard to explain.

So Anning said: "While escorting the Duke's young lady away from the battlefield, I defeated a robber and took some spoils, which I exchanged for money with a merchant on my way back to France."

"Is that so? I just chatted with the lady while she was bathing, and she never mentioned such a thing."

"I exchanged the money behind her back. In fact, I also took several silver Crowns from the young lady and changed them with traders for more convenient to use copper coins."

Vanni pursed her lips: "I see."

At that moment, the hired carriage noticeably slowed down, and the driver opened the rear window of the compartment and called out: "Soron Bank is here, do the two of you wish to get off?"

Anning immediately replied: "Yes, I'll get off here!"

Then came the driver's call to halt the horses with a "whoa," and the carriage gradually stopped.

Anning didn't wait for the maid to open the door and jumped out by himself.

The driver sitting behind the compartment pointed at the two-story building in front and said: "This is Soron Bank, sir."

Anning looked up and saw the bank's sign, then strode toward the main entrance.

Vanni also got out of the carriage, paid the fare to the driver, and then hurriedly caught up with Anning's steps.

Anning marveled internally, thinking this person actually planned to follow him in.

He also didn't know in what form the task reward would be paid at the bank and whether it would seem odd.

Just as he entered the bank, the middle-aged gentleman behind the counter, who looked very much like an English butler, glanced up at him, immediately smiled, and said: "Oh, Mr. Frost! The timing of your arrival is perfect, there's a check waiting for you!"

Anning thought to himself that this was bad.

He glanced at the following Vanni and noticed that the maid was already in shock.

Of course, she would be shocked because she chose this bank according to its proximity.

Yet as soon as they walked in, a bank employee greeted Anning as if they knew him well, which was puzzling.

If only he knew it would turn out this way, he would have come to the bank alone...

However, the next moment, the maid's shocked expression disappeared, and she whispered, "No wonder you wanted to come to this bank, so you're a regular customer."

— Wait a minute? So did my cheat just rationalize this inconsistency?

Anning couldn't help but take another look at Vanni, but there was nothing unusual in her expression.

— Can this cheat of mine twist others' cognition and memory without them noticing?

At that time, the Soron Bank employee had come out from behind the counter, proactively approaching and saying: "Mr. Frost, please come to the VIP room, and the maid miss can wait in the lobby."

Vanni nodded: "Sure, I'll just wait here. Mr. Frost, please go ahead with your business."

Anning nodded, then under the guidance of the English butler-like bank employee, he entered the VIP room.