The first was the loan agreement. He gave them a taste of trade surplus by issuing a 200 million chip loan.0

That allowed the nobles and merchants to profit, while ordinary survivors got jobs to feed their families. Then the New Alliance’s debt grew to 510 million chips, a result of both lobbying from vested interests like Malvern and Chu Guang’s calculated approval.0

Then came the second card.0

As debt mounted, the few smart people in Boulder Town would start to grow wary. They would realize risk was a cost, and would try to use their debt holdings to pressure the New Alliance into trade concessions.0

At that point, all the New Alliance had to do was show that its financial health was sound and the outlook better than ever. The party could go on and the game could continue.0

Malvern was no fool. He might’ve wanted to hit the brakes, but he also knew the truth. There was no brakes on the car Chu Guang built for him.1

From the start, the system had no way to stop. They could...0