"Mary, I need you to start a rumor about my loan lending business. Make it as weird as you can and badmouth me as a kid who does not know what they are doing. Do emphasize how easy it was for you to fool me and get a low-interest loan."

Layla asked her maid for a favor, and Mary's eyes twinkled with mischief as soon as she heard what her young miss wanted her to do.

"Of course, miss! Consider this done. I will have good news for you soon."

Mary disappeared during the early hours, and she came back once it was late at night. The grin on Mary's face told the story of a successful day, but Layla did not ask her what the maid did.

The fruits of Mary's labor were seen the very next day when one of the large business owners came to her with a nervous step. The man was biting his lips, but he relaxed as soon as he noticed Layla's age.

"Excuse me, but I heard I can get a loan by applying here. Are you the one who will provide me with this loan?"

The businessman asked, but he already seemed to know the answer.

It was time for Layla to act like an ignorant kid who did not know much.

"Hmm, that's right! I told Mary I would help needy people if they came to me. So, what kind of help do you want? How much money do you want me to lend you?"

Layla asked in a curious voice, and the businessman smiled a strained smile.

"I don't want much. Maybe a 1000 gold to start? I am a little under the profit this month and need to recover this money."

The businessman smiled to make a good impression on Layla but seemed troubled and could not stop sweating. Trouble seemed to have hit the man hard.

If Layla were a good and morally upright person, she would have felt sorry for this man and decided to spare him. But because of her upbringing and mental fortitude, she could easily shake off any guilt she felt in her current situation.

Instead of looking sorry for the older male, Layla's eyes observed him before she placed the parchment in front of the man for him to sign.

"Mister, I need you to sign here so we can approve your loan. I have seen the elders sign a guarantee that they will repay the loan, and I also want to do that."

Layla pushed the paper forward, but the businessman let out a strained laugh.

"Surely there is no need for this contract. I am not suspicious, and I will not run away with your money. Now, can you show me the money?"

The man asked again, hoping Layla wouldn't be as stubborn this time. But Layla did not have any of it.

The business owner leaned forward, but Mary pushed his head back and looked him in the eye this time.

"As our miss said, you will not get the money if you do not sign this contract. But don't worry, our miss is a child. She will forget about the money she had lent you soon if you do not bring it up."

Mary whispered these words into the greedy business owner's ears, and the man had a sparkle in his eyes before he reached out and grabbed the paper Layla had handed him.

He did not read the paper, likely not paying attention to the contract because Layla was a kid. The signing came easy, and the man asked his question for fun.

"So, when do I need to start paying back the rent?"

The businessman had not read the contract, so he had no idea about the legal terms.

"Once a week would be best if you can afford it. The repayment is not a huge sum either. Then, I will see you next week."

Layla's smile was soft but also made her look a little dumb on purpose. The more she acted like an ignorant kid, the more ease she put the businessman with her display.

"I see! I will make sure to repay your loan in time."

The shopkeeper promised, but he had already started to tune Layla out. Now that he had taken advantage of her, he no longer needed her expertise.

It was time for the shopkeeper to tell the others how easily he had gotten a loan.

'Well, that was easy. Most of the time, these loan lenders grill me to know all the details. I have never had such a smooth transaction before.'

The shopkeeper was an ordinary human, so he did not know that he had signed a contract that had magical terms.

From the second he signed the contract, he was bound to repay the borrowed money with interest.

"As expected, the ruins made a person impatient and put them at unease, but it worked. It made the business owner not read these papers. It was a good idea, miss. I am impressed."

Mary smiled as soon as the man was gone.

They had placed a lot of ruins and magic around this place to make people as impatient and quick to decide as possible. It was also impossible to detect unless you were extremely sensitive.

"Hmm, well, anyone can do this if they know what they are doing. Now, we should get ready for more customers. I have a feeling that we will see many people these days."

The main reason was that Layla's repayment prices were low on paper, and the interest rate was not that high.

Plus, most people would feel relieved once they headed home due to the ruins around this building. It could create an illusion that this loan helped them much more than it did."

This money-lending business turned out to be of great success. Within two days, almost two dozen people visited Layla. And within four days, all of the huge shops in the Port had been around her business.