[sssimon]

I've just finished MT and I can't figure this one out. What was the purpose of Bugg's Construction getting a contract for repairing a wing of the Eternal Domicile?

[Aptorian]

I could suggest that it helped Tehol and Bugg do some espionage but actually I think it was just for the cash.

The construction of the Eternal Domicile was probably the biggest paying cash-cow in Lether at the time. So bugg and Tehol took the money, did some patching up, and burried the money under the river.

It probably also helped Buggs construction get even more customers because of the prestige.

[Warqueen]

they were getting paid by the very people they were trying to topple...SWEET!

[weaverbird05]

Indeed - and the fact that they were taking work away from others, so as to weaken the guilds who were trying to get the job of working in one the "palace" to call it that. The money income didn't really hurt, but I don't think it was a large part of it!

[Dolorous Menhir]

It also gave them a handy place to store that demon. Maybe it served as some kind of shell company in Tehol's manipulations of the economy.

[D'rek]

generally Tehol's economic sabotage involved owning a majority share-holding in all the major companies. Bugg's Construction rising so rapidly and becoming so popular probably helped them get access to shares in the construction sector. And like everyone said, it was also a good cash-cow. Bugg thinks to himself at one point that he has sold something like %4000 of the company and still holds a controlling interest. If they ever found out he'd be sent to the Drownings.

[Optimus Prime]

sssimon;287631 said:

I've just finished MT and I can't figure this one out. What was the purpose of Bugg's Construction getting a contract for repairing a wing of the Eternal Domicile?

It also gave us memorable conversations between the two...so if only for that it was worth it...

A diabolical eco-crashing plan.

[D'rek]

and some more insight into the rats and rat-catchers of Letheras, which are very important

[JoJo]

There's also the point that Bugg Construction stabilizing the 5th Wing of the Eternal Domicile meant that even more money would be spent completing the 5th Wing. That's money being spent on conspicuous consumption rather than on the army or other, more useful civic projects. Much of that money would probably be paid to Bugg Construction, which means even more money taken out of circulation.

Tehol's economic manipulations are quite breathtaking in scope. Quite apart from his role as comic relief, he's one of the more fascinating characters in the series.

[bhok'arala]

one of the more fascinating characters? As Steven Erikson being both an Anthropologist and an archeologist, (maker of People, and maker or Worlds respectively) I would hope that all his characters to be fascinating.

[Neffarias Muffins]

Ah, yes, but even for an anthropologist creating a character who is such a compelling economic saboteur requires a depth of understanding that a lot of people don't have.

If authors really write from experience, then either Erikson has a degree in macroeconomics that nobody knows about or the guy really loves to watch CNBC. Either way, I say bravo, good sir!

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I got the impression that the mai npurpose was that they needed a company to make all of the purchases so they could not be traced back to Tehol, as well as the other reasons mentioned.

[Nequam]

I always thought it was part of plan to topple the infra-structure of Lether. But it ended up being...well not useless but it didn't serve it intended purpose. Things probably just played out a little different than Tehol had predicted. I'm sure his plans didn't include becoming King. (well in all honesty I bet they did, but not that soon )

[Macros]

I always figured that taking on the unstable 5th wing gave them a niche entry for building on waterlogged land that meant their entry into the market wasnt contested or feared, as they seemed a specialist builder.
It was this building that gave the funds and prestige to expend rapidly and start selling shares (4000% of them no less) which would lead to increased demand as all the share holders would be trying to direct work towards thieir investment (bugg con) snowballing the company, and sucking up all the available gold

[Ain't_It_Just_]

And it had a function later on in RG.

[Old Hunch Arbat]

My impression was that:

1. Bugg's Company was the general contractor and there were a lot of subcontractors, guild and otherwise - all merchants and, to press the issue, members of the moneyed bourgeoisie.
2. Bugg's company issued enormous numbers of shares (far more than warranted by its underlying assests, thus the company was over-capitalized, but the money wasn't spent/invested - it was buried), and Bugg remained in control by being the majority shareholder, thus controlling its business dealings. The neverending supply of shares enabled Bugg and Tehol to snag anyone with cash who wanted to invest in the sure bet that was renovating the domicile. Someone else interested? Issue more shares...until they snagged almost EVERYONE with cash. When Bugg's Construction folded all the investors lost their money.
3. Bugg simply did not pay his subcontractors so they ultimately all went broke.
4. Bugg and Tehol buried all the money they got for the project, taking it all out of circulation (as referenced above).
5. The crash was precipitated by the above factors (plus other market conditions that resulted) and both shareholders (a bunch of aristocrats for the most part) and the subcontractors (there were a lot of them) went broke as a result

Bugg and Tehol bankrupted all those who generally drove Letheras' economy, and, at the same time, took almost all the money out of circulation. Perfecto!

My opinion only. And way too many brackets for my tastes but what the hell...its early.

Dokter

[Carnifex]

The thing I loved about the stock scam was that Bugg didn't just issue too many shares; he sold the same shares to multiple people. That's what he means when he tells Tehol about it. That way, when the company collapsed, no one was sure who legitimately owned a particular share of stock, let alone the fact that the share was worthless. Creditors would sue each other over the ownership of a particular share that's completely, totally worthless.

Beautiful.

[CatKillerJoe]

I don't think they destroyed all the money the made did they? I remember reading that part of the plan was to dump all that money back into circulation after the government had begin minting more.

[Aptorian]

The coin was stored in vaults under the river.