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All of those developments, however, paled in comparison to what happened with the banking project during these three weeks. The final name of it was the Darksteel National Bank, and it was now officially open for business.

That first week of operation had been especially insane.

As the Madame Carthrace had predicted, new customers came pouring in. Much of it could be handled online, but they'd also leased an office building in downtown Gray Rock specifically for the purpose of receiving new customers. And every time Hector visited that place, it was absolutely packed with people, oftentimes with waiting lines that extended all the way out the door and around the corner of the building.

His appearances there always turned into a bit of a circus as well, since basically everyone in the country knew his face at this point. All the attention was certainly overwhelming and uncomfortable, but he found himself being less concerned about his own feelings and more so about all the people waiting in line. According to the news, many of them didn't even leave once the Bank closed. They simply camped out overnight, waiting for the doors to reopen.

They ended up renting another building a few blocks away to help alleviate the problem, but it still persisted--now in two locations instead of one. Amelia was now considering upgrading the second building from a rent to a lease. As Hector understood it, a lease here in Atreya required at least a three-year commitment, which was why she was reluctant to go through with it. This initial surge of customers was obviously not going to last for three years, and Amelia was doubtful that they would need two buildings in such close proximity to one another.

But then again, people were traveling to Gray Rock from all over Atreya just to open an account at the Darksteel National Bank, so maybe it would be worth it. Or maybe they needed to open a branch in another city.

It was all a bit too complicated for Hector's inexperienced mind, and he was glad to have the Madame Carthrace in his corner.