It was this submitted article that put the brakes on Saint Tree Corporation's stock price, which had been setting new highs day after day.
This article, which refuted Saint Tree's fraudulent activities point by point, was literally a wall built only with truth.
It was natural for people who faced it to belatedly regain their reason and hurriedly sell their stocks.
'The daily upward trend in stock prices has been broken. But it's not a complete crash yet.'
Just by reading that submission, one couldn't be certain whether Saint Tree was conducting fraud or if it was all false.
Of course, to Osian, it seemed somewhat odd that only good news kept coming out about Saint Tree.
If he had to take a side, Osian thought this was a 'fraud.'
But the shareholders who had invested their money in it seemed to think differently.
They claimed that submission was false and was interference from other companies.
They even went so far as to mock those who were selling their stocks in fear, saying Saint Tree would remain strong and those who sold would never make money in their lives.Strictly speaking, that was less of a rational argument and closer to a manifestation of madness trying desperately to deny reality.
'Lorraine is exactly like that.'
Osian looked at Lorraine, whose pupils were trembling endlessly as if hit by an earthquake.
"No. It's still okay. Saint Tree is perfect. Saint Tree is god. It can't possibly fall."
Lorraine had already made considerable money. Even if she sold her stocks now, it would only be disappointing compared to the peak price, not a loss.
But having experienced the taste of her stocks swelling nearly tenfold, she couldn't easily give it up.
Perhaps the dopamine being secreted in her brain was at levels comparable to drugs.
"At, at times like this, we should buy even more!"
Eventually, she gathered her remaining pocket money to buy up falling stocks, claiming to be practicing the theory of buying on fear.
Osian looked at Ronan, and Ronan shrugged with a smiling face.
"Well, what can we do? She won't listen no matter what I say."
"I don't think she'd listen even if I said something."
"I think so too. Since this is ultimately an individual's choice, we can only watch. Let's just think of it as receiving a good life lesson and move on. If we have to stop something, let's just stop her from taking out loans."
Nodding, Osian thought that he was really fortunate not to be involved in stocks in this world while looking at Lorraine's appearance.
'Stocks without a computerized system in this place. It's like throwing money on bare ground.'
In this world, bonds were only physical. That's why Lorraine was clutching her stocks like treasure.
Just holding stock papers increased the probability of being robbed.
'They say there were cases of people camping near the stock market entrance and robbing people of their stocks as they came out.'
Of course, the stock market hired security to maintain ironclad security in the surrounding area.
But even with such security, that was only near the market, and they couldn't prevent crimes that occurred far from there.
'Even now, there must be fights breaking out outside over Saint Tree stock certificates.'
This is what happens when stocks become excessively heated.
'How barbaric.'
Of course, the stock market exists here, and there is a systematic system for it.
Even the computerized systems of the 21st century weren't perfect.
Wealthy capitalists wouldn't hesitate to delete trading keys or rollback servers when things became unfavorable to them.
Thinking about it, here and there weren't so different.
'Whatever it is, I hope this noisy business ends quickly.'
Osian's such thoughts were not easily fulfilled.
As time passed, the market became even more heated.
*
"It, fell more."
The color drained from Lorraine's face.
It was like looking at a picture of someone whose soul had left their body. Only the area around her seemed to turn black and white, emanating a gloomy aura.
Seeing her expression and atmosphere change every day when coming to work naturally made one compare it to her proud appearance on the first day.
Someone who looked so unsightly on the first day could now evoke this much sympathy.
While Osian gained this new realization, he couldn't find appropriate words to say.
Rather, there was a part of him that was secretly curious about what kind of appearance she would show tomorrow.
'I'm quite vicious too.'
While muttering that to himself, the door opened and Diolan entered.
"Oh! Today's another new feeling! Like a black and white picture drawn only with black ink made from despair and frustration!"
Surprisingly, there was someone who had similar thoughts to Osian. They even spoke them out loud instead of keeping them inside.
"Kyaaak!"
Lorraine reacted to Diolan like a cat raising its fur.
It seemed she had even lost human language now.
"But is it okay to leave that like that? The situation is getting more serious."
This time Edgar appeared instead of Ena.
He glanced at Lorraine with candy in his mouth.
"We might need to put her in a cage for beasts."
"Isn't calling her a beast a bit too much?"
"Hmph. Someone who wouldn't listen no matter how much I warned them deserves to be treated like a beast."
Well, since it wasn't the first time that a beast's heart became a beast's intelligence in stocks, Osian just let it pass.
'Come to think of it, he gave advice too.'
Even Edgar, who's still a child despite being smart, warned about the danger - that made one realize how strange this situation was.
'As for Lorraine who didn't even listen to that advice...she just became blind with greed.'
But this isn't solely Lorraine's fault.
Stocks rise because there are more people wanting to buy. It's ultimately a matter of supply and demand. That means people like Lorraine are scattered throughout this city.
"I heard the stock price is showing some recovery today?"
Perhaps hearing Edgar's mumbling Lorraine suddenly lifted her head and her expression brightened.
"Really?"
Lorraine's expression instantly changed from black and white to the colors of vibrant flower petals.
Osian, Edgar, and Diolan's faces became like they had bitten something sour.
Edgar crunched the candy in his mouth as if regretting what he'd said.
"Hmm. Now that I think about it, putting her in a beast's cage might be right."
Osian strongly agreed with Edgar's opinion.
*
Saint Tree's stock price repeatedly rose and fell day after day.
Just when it seemed to fall it would rise, and just when it seemed to rise it would fall.
Every time this happened, people holding stocks had to endure their hearts dropping.
Cheering when it rose.
Despairing when it fell.
Like someone with bipolar disorder, their emotions changed moment by moment, and ordinary people's minds couldn't handle just that alone but still, they couldn't let go of these physical bonds, perhaps because this might be their first and last means of making a fortune.
In Tirna, a city ruled by capital, the misery of not having money is closely connected to fundamental fear.
Without money, you can't live, and you're treated as less than human.
Becoming a street vagrant and dying after begging for life would be rather better.
There were people who experienced even more terrible things than that.
For instance, having their organs sold, or becoming subjects of scientific experiments.
That's why they wanted to earn money.
More money. Much more money.
They wanted to escape the life of a laborer who barely earned daily wages to survive, and live luxuriously like the wealthy even if it meant stepping on others to get there.
"But this is the result."
Osian muttered while looking at Lorraine's haggard appearance.
There was no response from Lorraine. She just sat blankly in her seat, anxiously waiting for news from the communicator.
[Saint Tree stock price rose 3%!]
"Aaaah!"
[Ah, suddenly there's a crash and it falls 5%!]
"Nooo!"
The current real-time situation at the stock exchange was being broadcast through the communicator.
Every time she heard it, Lorraine was riding an emotional roller coaster between heaven and hell.
'Should I say this is better or rather worse?'
Lorraine could listen to real-time broadcasts because she had money saved up, but commoners who couldn't do that would be sweating while holding physical bonds in front of the stock exchange every day.
'The media keeps talking about good news, but anyone can see it's closer to paid advertising.'
In Tirna, such behavior isn't illegal. In this city ruled by capitalism, lobbying is also within the realm of legality.
They never regulate things like firearms either. The moment they try to enact laws to restrict them, arms manufacturers would pour in massive lobbying efforts.
'Besides, we can't leave her like this forever.'
Osian was starting to worry about Lorraine's health.
Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, she probably couldn't sleep properly due to anxiety.
If she had sold right after her initial investment for profit that would be one thing, but getting in halfway hoping for bigger profits turned out to be poison instead.
'Even if she sells now, she'll barely break even compared to the peak.'
Considering she could have made dozens of times her principal in profit, it must feel like falling straight from heaven to earth.
The problem was that this wasn't the bottom yet.
"How about stopping now? At this rate, it looks like it'll break through the floor and go underground."
"No. Not yet. There will definitely be a chance for a rebound. Fortune comes to those who endure."
"...Can that be called enduring?"
It feels like dying in real-time.
Anyway, looking at Lorraine's stubborn tone, she seemed to have no intention of giving up.
[Bi, big news! Major crash! It's suddenly falling!]
"What? No!"
Lorraine shouted at the communicator, but it was useless.
People whose eyes were rolled back at the falling stock price now had to sell what they had as quickly as possible to avoid losses.
Of course, every time that happened, the stock price could only plummet lower.
"No! Don't sell! Don't sell, you idiots! We need to hold together!"
Lorraine was screaming but rolling her eyes, seeming to consider whether she should run out to sell right now too.
But the crash had already started, and even if she went now to dispose of all her stocks, taking a loss was certain.
In the end, Lorraine could only become like a religious believer, holding onto what she had and praying for the stock price to rise again.
"It, it will rise. It will definitely rise. This will go up."
"She's completely lost her mind."
Osian shook his head, saying this was severe too.
Just then, with a tinkling sound, the door of Violet Fox's office opened.
Osian examined the new guest.
He was a person who wore a wide-brimmed hat pulled down to cover his face.
Even as he entered, he looked cautious as if being chased by someone.
"Is, is this the Violet Fox fixer office?"
"You've found the right place. Are you here for a request?"
When Osian answered like that, the man seemed to finally feel relieved and slightly lifted his hat to reveal his face.
He was a man with quite a fragile-looking impression. His skin showed no signs of tanning, as if he hadn't received much sunlight.
Just by his hesitant gestures showing he wasn't familiar with such places, one could tell he was far from this industry.
"Ye, yes. I came to make a request. I heard this place was the best."
"Then you've come to the right place. If you want to make a request, go up to the second floor. There's a broker there."
"Um, that...Are you perhaps Mr. Osian?"
"Yes. That's right."
"I, I see!"
The man seemed delighted that he had found the right place.
Perhaps coming here knowing about Violet Fox meant he thought his request was that important.
Just as Osian was about to send him to Ronan to have a conversation, Lorraine's empty gaze turned toward the man.
Her eyes, which seemed to contain an abyss with no focus, grew wide, and then her expression became filled with shock.
"Y-you!"
"Eek!"
When Lorraine jumped up and shouted, the man was startled.
"Why are you here!"
"What? Do you know each other?"
"Know him? Of course I know! How could I not know!"
Lorraine immediately rummaged through the pile of newspapers in the corner and brought one with an article.
"Lo, look here! This man in the picture! It's him!"
Osian looked back and forth between the man in the newspaper photo and the man before him.
As Lorraine said, they were the same person, identical.
"Saint Tree's Senior Researcher. Lucent Philburg?"
The man most deeply connected to Saint Tree, which was currently heating up society, had come seeking a request.