240 Paper, Also Worthless (1/2)
\”Have a seat, please.\”
Swept up in the foreigner's pace, Sawo and Tawo sat down while their host took the copper sheets back to his own spot at the table.
\”These new ones are heavy, aren't they? The copper prices have really become ridiculous.\” As he placed the copper plates on a large scale atop the table, the official grunted from the exertion.
\”You are in luck,\” he continued while he sat down. \”We only set up our exchange a short while ago, so there is still plenty of stock left. You will be one of the first who get to enjoy Medala's newest kind of currency. No, to be exact, it may be the world's newest kind of currency. You know, this is something I have been looking forward to ever since our first design meeting several months ago.\”
While the excited official was chatting away, he began to weigh Sawo and Tawo's copper against various weights and applied a touchstone to each to verify their authenticity. All this time, the two cousins hadn't gotten so much as a single word in. If he hadn't carried the king's official sigil on his chest, Sawo would have assumed that their opposite was a trickster, out to scam them of their wealth. Whether or not copper represented any real wealth at this point was a different question entirely.
However, despite his suspicious behavior, he was properly accredited and operated right in front of the castle, under the eyes of the guards. Thus, Sawo only sat there in bafflement and waited until the official had noted down the amount of copper they had brought with them.
\”Right, that would be a total of one hundred and five Sila. Quite a bit,\” the official concluded.
\”That is correct.\”
Since the number was equivalent to the pay they had received at the manufactory, neither of the cousins raised complaints. At least not until a short stack of blue paper landed on the table before them.
\”There you are, one hundred and five Sila, to the dot.\” The official presented the paper with a big grin and a flourish of his hand, as if he had just done them a huge favor.
\”What is this?\” Sawo asked for the second time in a day, and picked one piece of paper from the pile.
\”That is your payment, master, and the new currency of the entire south. A freshly minted ten Sila certificate.\”
Confused, Sawo looked back and forth between the official's encouraging grin and the 'certificate' in his hand.
\”This is a piece of paper,\” he corrected the foreigner in disbelief. After an entire day of walking around and arguing with various people, he was far too tired both mentally and physically to get angry with yet another money man. For now, he would give the foreigner the benefit of the doubt and assume that it had been a miscommunication, despite the official's solid grasp of Yakua.
\”Just because it has the number ten written on its face does not mean that it can replace copper worth ten Sila, no matter how worthless copper has become,\” Sawo tied to explain.
\”Ah, I can see you are a skeptic, so please let me convince you.\” The official rubbed his hands together, as if he was eager for a debate.
\”First off, allow me to introduce myself: My name is Brymstock di Pluritac, I am an official of the crown in charge of the southern kingdom's new banking division within the finance department. Though you may call me Brym, and consider me just another trader like yourself. I have been one for most of my life after all. May I know your names as well, good sirs?\”
\”Sawo.\”
While Sawo was curt, his cousin was a lo more open to the stranger's introduction.
\”Hello, Official Brym. My name is Tawo and this is my cousin Sawo. We are ordinary merchants of Saniya, and we have been very concerned about recent copper prices. It has made our work quite difficult.\”
\”As expected. It's a shame, but that is the case for almost everyone in the city right now.\” Brym shook his head and put on a sad face. \”The crown has tried its best to reduce the amount of copper mining from both Cashan and Kapra, but both sides are insistent on their rights. It has made King Corcopaca aware just how fragile the wealth of his people is. At this moment, all the copper that the farmers, merchants, and craftsmen have amassed over generations of hard work has turned into nothing, simply because two rival estates decided to show off. And this time, it was only an unfortunate row of circumstances. What happens if someone were to be malicious in his approach instead? There are giant silver mines around Arguna, so the northerners could very well do the same to our silver and there would be nothing we could do about it.\”
Confronted with an uncomfortable truth, Sawo realized just how dangerous the reduced copper prices really were for the people. If nothing was done, there was a chance they would lose everything, together with everyone else within the southern kingdom.
\”I can tell that you are a smart man,\” the official continued. \”And you have already understood the dangerous implications of this issue. Since Saniya does not produce its own precious metals, it will always be dependent on outside sources, and thus it will always vulnerable. In response, King Corcopaca, in his wisdom, has devised a solution in the form of these certificates.\”
Brym also held up one of the pieces of paper to mirror Sawo.
\”These certificate notes are, of course, not equivalent to ten silver coins, but they do represent them. See, if you read the wording on the ten Sila note itself, it notes that this document is considered to carry a value equivalent to precious metals worth ten Sila. It also bears the royal seal and the king's signature. As a result, its effects are legally binding anywhere within the king's estates. These notes can be be exchanged for their value in copper, silver or gold with any government organization. Thus, unless all three precious metals lose all their value at the same time, they guarantee a stable economy, since the people can exchange them freely with the crown.\”