The absolute surrender of the Global Trade Council left the old money families completely bankrupt and broken. By 10:00 AM, the international commerce networks had permanently removed the old banking labels from their main index feeds. The quick transition of the world’s most premium retail and auction monopolies under the direct banner of The Sovereign Group meant that Leon now held the literal keys to international liquidity.Leon stood at the massive glass overlook of his penthouse office suite inside the Obsidian Tower, wearing a custom-tailored dark navy three-piece suit. His hands were loosely tucked into his trousers pockets, his handsome face a calm, chilling mask of absolute authority. He casually looked down at a digital chart displaying the firm’s skyrocketing stock valuation, entirely unbothered by the international media frenzy shouting his name across the globe.Buzz.A sharp, high-priority notification tone vibrated from the secure smart tablet resting on his walnut desk.[Sovereign Combined Reserves: $3.5 Billion][Current Sector Lockdown: The Central Banking Federation—the ancient coalition that controls ninety-five percent of the planet’s currency printing channels and cross-border reserve clearances—has officially initiated a total wire lock on Sovereign’s primary overseas accounts, attempting to force a global asset quarantine.]A low, freezing chuckle broke through Leon’s lips, his sharp eyes narrowing into a dangerous line as he stared at the red alert flashing on the digital screen. "They think a few paper regulations can build a cage around my shadow? Arrogant old fools."The heavy boardroom doors slid open with a smooth, silent sweep. Cynthia Murong walked inside, wearing a striking, tailored black business blazer and dark silk trousers. Her face carried an intense look of absolute concentration as she set a locked, encrypted silver ledger on his desk."The ultimate move has been initiated from the Central Federation, Leon," Cynthia said, her voice smooth but dripping with deep anticipation as she stood right next to him. "The supreme patriarch of the global banking pool, Lord Sterling Windsor, has officially arrived in the city. He has taken over the private high-security vault floor at the Imperial Reserve Palace and publicly stated that if the Sovereign Group does not surrender sixty percent of its international resource channels to his banking pool, he will permanently terminate our clearing codes by midnight, effectively turning our billions into frozen numbers."Leon didn’t show a single hint of hesitation or irritation. He turned around, his presence instantly radiating a heavy, suffocating pressure that made the spacious office feel incredibly narrow. "Sixty percent? Sterling Windsor has sat in his paper fortress for too long if he thinks my grip is weak. Call the private convoy vehicles. Let’s go show this ancient banking elite who truly owns the currency."At 9:30 PM, the cool autumn rain washed the grand stone steps of the Imperial Reserve Palace. A fleet of three custom armored black luxury SUVs pulled up to the heavily guarded VIP gates. The entire block was cordoned off by private foreign mercenary operators wearing dark tactical gear and holding high-grade automatic rifles.Leon stepped out of the lead vehicle, his long trench coat catching the rainy wind, his posture perfectly straight. Cynthia walked gracefully right beside him. They passed through three layers of biometric security checks, heading straight into the reinforced vault room located four floors beneath the earth.Sitting at a massive glass desk surrounded by walls of solid gold bullion bars was Lord Sterling Windsor. He was an old, white-haired man with cold, aristocratic features and an intensely arrogant posture. He was casually checking a private transaction log, completely ignoring Leon’s arrival as his massive private security detail stood behind him like a wall of solid iron."Sit down, young man," Sterling said, his voice smooth and dripping with artificial superiority as he swirled a glass of vintage red wine. "I’ve watched your quick takeovers of the local shipping houses. Amusing, but entirely irrelevant to the true lords of the world. In front of the Central Federation, your three-billion-dollar empire is just a temporary line of credit. Sign the asset transfer contracts on the table right now, or I will push a single key and permanently freeze every single dollar the Sovereign Group owns across three continents before midnight."A thick, leather-bound contract folder was pushed across the table by a bodyguard, stopping right in front of Leon.Leon didn’t even look down at the papers. He casually walked over to a stack of solid gold bars, running his fingers across the cold metal before turning his piercing, icy gaze directly onto the supreme banker."Sterling Windsor," Leon said, his voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm. "You spent forty years building a monopoly out of other people’s debts, believing your banking license makes you a god. But you forgot that a vault of paper is completely worthless if your own foundation is already drowning in absolute fraud."Sterling’s hand froze mid-air, his glass rattling slightly against the marble table. His smug expression cracked into a dark glare. "Watch your tongue, you lucky orphan. What could a provincial cleaner possibly know about our central reserves?"Leon quietly activated the Eye of Truth, his gaze locking onto the old patriarch’s figure and the secure digital server terminal flashing behind the glass wall. Instantly, the dark translucent screens of the system flashed rapidly, exposing the deepest financial crimes, hidden black-market operations, and absolute ruin of the Central Federation:[Person: Lord Sterling Windsor][Identity: Supreme Head of the Central Banking Federation][Current Crisis: The Federation’s main international liquidity vault is secretly completely hollow. Sterling and his inner council illegally sold off 85% of the physical gold reserves over the past five years to cover a $4 Billion hidden deficit caused by failed investments in shadow cartels. They are desperately trying to hijack Leon’s gold vein tonight to falsify their corporate balance sheets before the global supreme audit team arrives tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.][Hidden Objective: The lawsuit papers on the table are completely fake, meant to stall Leon for time while they hide the funds.]A brilliant, supreme wave of confidence rushed through Leon’s veins. The unstoppable rulers of global banking weren’t a mountain of iron; they were a hollow house of cards running out of time, completely unaware that Leon could see straight through their walls.Leon leaned forward, his shadow completely enveloping Sterling’s desk."The central physical vault in your primary European branch... should we talk about the eighty-five percent of physical gold bars that are missing from the shelves, Sterling?" Leon whispered, his voice cutting through the silent vault room like a razor blade.Sterling choked on his wine, his face instantly turning a ghostly, deathly pale as he staggered back against his luxury seat. The crystal glass slipped from his fingers, shattering onto the marble floor. "You... how could you... that data is locked inside an offline, military-grade server!"The private security detail immediately reached inside their coats for their weapons, but Cynthia Murong stepped forward with absolute composure, raised her arm, and snapped her fingers.BANG!The heavy vault doors were thrown open as fifteen elite operators from Sovereign’s private tactical forces poured inside, their automatic weapons instantly locking their red laser sights onto the heads of Sterling’s guards.Leon stood tall, adjusting his silver cufflinks with a terrifying, supreme aura of absolute control."Your servers mean nothing to my eyes, Sterling," Leon stated flatly, his voice echoing with undeniable power. "I have already uploaded the live physical density scans of your hollow vault directly to the International Monetary Court ten minutes ago. By the time the markets open tomorrow morning, your central banking license will be permanently revoked."Sterling fell out of his chair onto his knees, his hands trembling violently on the marble floor as all his aristocratic pride dissolved into pure, pathetic terror. If the court order hit, his family’s multi-billion dollar banking dynasty would turn into absolute dust before noon. "No... please, Chairman Leon! Stop the court transmission! I will grant you absolute, permanent control over all central networks! I will give you a eighty percent share in our banking group! Just pull back the data!"Leon looked down at the kneeling banker with a freezing, profound indifference."I don’t need your shares, Sterling," Leon said smoothly, turning his back on him as he walked toward the exit gates. "Sign over absolute control of the Central Federation’s entire clearing house and printing network to the Sovereign Group within three minutes. Do it, or spend the rest of your days watching your family name rot inside a federal prison cell."Without wasting a single second, Sterling frantically grabbed the pen, signing his name with shaking fingers and stamping the document with his official corporate seal, handing over a multi-billion dollar global banking network just to buy his survival.Leon stepped into the elevator alongside Cynthia, the doors closing on the image of the ruined supreme banker weeping on the vault floor. With the global banking and currency networks now firmly under his heel, Leon’s sovereign empire was absolute. The world was no longer just watching his rise—they were completely trapped beneath his shadow.
Chapter 24: The Currency King
The God-Level Appraiser: I Can See The Price of Everything!