Marvel: I do Business with Daenerys Targaryen

While Wilfred Malick was presenting to the Council of Nine the details of his meeting with Josh—informing them that Josh had taken control of the remnants of HYDRA in Europe and praising his capabilities to persuade the other council members to bring him into the council—Josh himself was not idle.

To forge iron, one must be strong. If he truly wanted to gain enough influence in the council, Josh's current wealth and influence were still somewhat lacking.

Even though he had made a fortune from the war in Europe, truth be told, that money made from trading goods was barely a mosquito leg compared to the economic boom that was to come with postwar reconstruction in Europe.

After all, the real economic predators hadn't even started feeding yet.

Trying to steal food from the mouths of those predators was impossible without strong allies.

And achieving both of these goals didn't necessarily conflict.

He just needed to leverage the right power.

What kind of power?

Naturally, the power of other financial conglomerates.

Since Josh's industrial core was in Chicago, it would be stupid not to take advantage of the Chicago financial group's influence.

"Josh, you're a rare guest!" In the president's office of the Leibler Building, John Leibler looked a bit surprised at Josh's visit.

Although Josh had returned for over a month now and the wealthy class in Chicago all knew he had made a killing in Europe and had even helped bring the war to an early close, most of them had no clear idea how much he had actually earned. Without direct financial entanglements, no one had gone out of their way to probe Josh's actions in Europe.

On top of that, Josh had kept a low profile after returning to Chicago, mostly spending time with his wife and children. So even someone relatively close like John Leibler wasn't fully in the loop about Josh's situation.

This also showed that, in terms of capital sensitivity, the Chicago financial group lagged behind some of the others.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons why, in the world of Josh's previous life, the Chicago group was gradually marginalized after World War II and fell to second-tier status.

"Haha, well, Margot just gave birth recently, so I didn't get a chance to visit you, Uncle John. Now that the babies are almost a month old and very healthy, I've become kind of unnecessary at home," Josh said, self-deprecatingly.

"Tch, I feel like you're just here to show off! Don't you know how much I want grandchildren? If only my two good-for-nothing sons valued family the way you do!" John Leibler rolled his eyes.

Old folks, no matter the country, always wish to be surrounded by children and grandchildren.

John Leibler was now over sixty, and his eldest son Linus was already forty. Though quite accomplished—already in control of most of the family business—he was so engrossed in it that he had never gotten married, let alone had kids.

His second son? A useless playboy who had been married twice but never had children.

Given all that, how could John Leibler, who had longed to hold a grandchild, possibly be happy?

"Haha, Uncle John, you're too kind. You're an elder to both Margot and me—of course you're the children's grandfather too," Josh said tactfully.

"Speaking of which, the two kids haven't been baptized yet, right? How about letting them have Linus as their godfather?" Hearing Josh's response, Leibler grew interested and suggested.

"If Margot agrees, I have no objection!" Josh was stunned for a moment by Leibler's suggestion but then replied.

Bavarians and Austrians were mostly Catholic. Josh's parents were no exception.

Even though Josh, as a transmigrator, didn't believe in religion, his original self definitely had been a Catholic.

Margot wasn't Catholic, but she was a Protestant.

So theoretically, their children could be baptized, which would also require a godfather. A godfather or godmother was a sponsor in the Christian rite of baptism.

Moreover, the role wasn't just honorary. Godparents were expected to take responsibility for their godchildren's futures.

In fact, under U.S. law, godparents often had guardianship rights second only to the biological parents.

Meaning, if something happened to the biological parents, the godparents would be responsible for raising the children… though they had no legal authority over the children's property.

In most cases, the presence of godparents was a huge benefit for the child.

Take a well-known example from Josh's original timeline in the U.S.—actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who played Pepper Potts.

Although her father was a producer and her mother an actress, neither had major success in Hollywood.

So how did the notoriously difficult and temperamental Gwyneth Paltrow have access to so many resources from such a young age and win an Oscar at just 28, beating out far stronger actresses?

It was because she had a great godfather—top-tier director Steven Spielberg!

It's just that Josh had never thought about this angle before.

First, he was no longer a believer. Second, he thought that with his own advantages, his children wouldn't need help from any godparents.

But now that John Leibler had brought it up, there didn't seem to be any reason to refuse.

After all, the Leibler family was one of the core powers of the Chicago financial group.

Having the Leibler family's heir as the children's godfather wasn't a bad thing. It could even strengthen ties between their families.

That said, it was only acceptable because it was Linus, the elder son. If it were the younger son David… heh, neither Josh nor Margot would ever agree.

Clearly, John Leibler understood that too—he didn't even mention that wastrel.

"Haha, since you don't object, that makes things easy. I'll have Linus talk to Margot. He's always treated her like a little sister," John Leibler said cheerfully upon hearing Josh's approval. "Right, you still haven't said what brought you here today."

"Actually, Uncle John, the reason I came today is simple. I'd like to ask you to be a mediator and help me acquire the Continental Illinois Bank," Josh finally revealed his true purpose.

John Leibler, still basking in the joy of talking about the children, was instantly stunned when he heard Josh's words.

Acquire Continental Illinois Bank? This kid must be out of his mind??

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