Chapter 133: Minting Coins

Su Lun decided to support the Centaur Tribes after all, because if the Centaurs lost, the Orc Tribe would take over their territory.

Su Lun’s Territory directly bordered the Orc Tribe’s land, and he did not want to face an Orc Tribe with over ten thousand members at this time. Perhaps in two more years, when his army was large enough, he would confront these big tribes head-on.

It was important to know that Orcs and humans were ancient enemies. It was the humans who allied with the Dwarf and Elves to drive the Orcs into those harsh environments. Over the years, Orcs across the continent never gave up returning to those fertile lands.

If Su Lun’s Territory directly bordered those Orcs, there was no doubt they would attack his land. Now, with the Centaur Tribes blocking the front, Su Lun’s Territory could develop peacefully.

The gold obtained from trading with the Centaurs was used by Su Lun to mint coins. Into three hundred pounds of gold, he mixed some copper and other metals. For this purpose, Su Lun specially built a mint. The mint was not big, but to ensure the workers did not embezzle, Su Lun put Chris in charge of the workshop.

With an expert like the Succubus who could manipulate people’s minds, Su Lun was not worried that the mint workers could steal his money. Besides minting Gold Nar, the mint also produced Copper Nale and Silver Nael. Gold Nar was used for large trades and rarely circulated among common people.

Silver Nael and Copper Nale were the main currencies. With the development of Northguard Keep, Su Lun clearly noticed that the amount of currency in his Territory was insufficient.

Actually, there was no other way. The number of Freeman in Su Lun’s Territory was too small, and the vast majority were his Serfs, who did not need currency circulation. It was only recently, due to Caravan trade, that the number of Freeman began to grow. Coupled with the increase in Refugee numbers, various products also became more abundant, and the circulation of goods in the Territory gradually increased.

Due to the lack of Copper Nale and Silver Nael, bartering was common in Northguard Keep. This situation made it difficult to set prices for goods and was very inconvenient during exchanges. So, after noticing these issues, Su Lun started minting Copper Nale and Silver Nael.

There were many types of coins in this world, with no unified currency. The exchange rates between different countries’ coins varied, making it troublesome for merchants to exchange money during trade. If it was not specified which country’s currency was used in a transaction, one could easily be cheated.

Therefore, Caravan merchants engaged in cross-border trade were very familiar with various countries’ currencies. Becoming an international trade merchant was not easy. Even in modern society, there were counterfeit coins, and in this era, they naturally existed too, such as using brass to impersonate gold.

What was more troublesome were the debased coins. The varying gold content in different countries’ gold coins was already a headache, but there were also Lords who privately minted gold coins. Most of these privately minted coins had lower gold content than the original currency, making settlement during trade even more difficult.

The Florence Kingdom used Gold Nar, Silver Nael, and Copper Nale for currency exchange. One Gold Nar could be exchanged for twenty Silver Nael, and one Silver Nael could be exchanged for twenty Copper Nale. Although somewhat troublesome, it was still within an acceptable range. However, the exchange rates of some countries made people want to kill the person who set them.

Like the Desert Kingdom northwest of Florentia, they used an exchange rate where one gold coin was worth twelve silver coins, and one silver coin was worth twenty copper coins. People who were not good at math would make mistakes when shopping. There was an even more frustrating hexadecimal exchange method.

Actually, the Goddess of Wealth in this world issued a standard gold coin, but these coins circulated more in the southern part of the continent and in areas with prosperous maritime trade. The exchange rate for the Goddess of Wealth’s gold coins was decimal. There was no Temple of the Goddess of Wealth in the Florence Kingdom yet.

Su Lun was not foolish enough to use such exchange methods. If not for worrying that merchants would not accept it, he even considered changing the exchange rate of Gold Nar to Silver Nael and Copper Nale directly to ten. A simpler exchange rate was more convenient for ordinary people.

To make the circulation of goods in his Territory smoother and commerce more prosperous, Su Lun directly ordered the craftsmen to mint one hundred thousand Copper Nale. Coincidently, they had obtained many bronze weapons from previously wiping out those Gnolls and Kobold Tribe, which were perfect for minting coins.

Similarly, ten thousand Silver Nael were also minted. These coins would be given to Refugees as wages for their labor. In fact, the minting industry was quite profitable. After all, the gold and silver content in the gold and silver coins was not pure.

Heatherway had finished making all the Leather Armor and cloaks from the Ragewind Magic Tiger hide. The five Scouts each received a cloak, and the remaining cloak was given to the Archer leader in the Spirit of War. The twelve pieces of Leather Armor were rewarded to the Barbarian Warriors.

With these cloaks, both the scouting ability and survival skills of these Scouts were greatly improved. The Disguise Spell allowed them to get closer for reconnaissance, while the Haste and Featherfall Spell enabled them to escape quickly.

The Barbarian Warriors who received the Leather Armor wore it under their Iron Armor. This way, they could benefit from the Leather Armor’s enchantment effects while still gaining the protection of the Iron Armor. With the Haste spell and the Barbarian’s own Charge ability, these Barbarians’ burst speed surpassed that of horses.

If they encountered the Centaurs now, with their speed, these Barbarians could easily catch up to the Centaurs. In close combat, the Centaurs were no match for the Barbarians, especially since these twelve Barbarians were all Barbarian Great Axe Berserkers who had maxed out their class levels.

Su Lun always remained wary of the Centaurs. On this Wasteland, even fellow humans could not be fully trusted. What if one day the Centaurs suddenly made peace with the Orcs and turned against him?

The Barbarian Warriors who obtained the new equipment were very boastful, acting arrogantly with their heads held high. Their expressions sometimes made Su Lun want to kick them.

After sending these annoying Barbarian Warriors out on patrol, Su Lun went to the Hatching Room to check on the Frost Wyvern eggs. Since the Frost Wyvern eggs began to hatch, Su Lun visited every day to check on them and replenish the Elemental Crystal.

After some time of incubation, the Hatching Room had changed dramatically. This one-hundred-fifty-square-meter room had turned into a snowy wonderland, which was the best environment for hatching Frost Wyverns.