Monopoly (2)
Monopoly (2)
The economic system of the place I possessed is a bit different from medieval Earth.
First of all, the daily life of a noble family does not depend on the productivity of commoners.
On medieval Earth, the goods nobles consumed were naturally made by commoners.
Grains, oil, clothing, candle holders, tableware, luxury goods, and so on.
But most of the goods consumed by noble families here are produced by branch family mages.
Because that results in better quality and efficiency.
In extreme terms, even if the commoner class disappeared, the noble family itself could somehow get by self-sufficiently.
Of course, the tax revenue used for managing the territory is collected from the commoner class, but the lord's family itself operates on a self-sufficient system independent of tax revenue.
Mages and mana soldiers.
It's all thanks to their existence.
Ultimately, when grain prices rise and commodity prices go up, only the commoner class suffers.
The noble families take no damage.
A lord might get a headache thinking, 'At this rate, will we see some starvation deaths?' but the lord's other family members go about their lives in peace and prosperity.
This is also why gold and silver coins are used as exclusive tokens for the nobility.
When merchants trade, they usually receive payment in cloth, rye, or local specialties, and then conduct trade in another territory.
Unless it's a very large deal involving nobles, they don't handle gold and silver coins well.
'So, even if the territory's economy is shaken, the speed at which the nobility perceives it is slow.'
The territory is short on rye?
The noble family doesn't care because they have separate farms and ranches that produce the grain and meat they themselves eat.
'Maybe that's why they're even more crazy about North American wheat flour.'
There isn't a single noble who worries even a little about the possibility of a civil uprising.
Because they are a class that monopolizes the asymmetric power of mana.
An event where everyone rises up together, pushes in with sheer numbers, and stabs with bamboo spears can absolutely never happen here.
Just one fire mage stepping forward can turn hundreds of rioters into ashes.
Rather, tasks like monster extermination and large-scale civil engineering are taken on entirely by mages and the lord's mana soldiers, so the commoners just bow their heads in gratitude.
The notion that nobles are noble shepherds who guide and raise foolish sheep is an unbreakable constant here.
'I, too, as the Chief of Staff of the Ainshvan Army, am simply doing my best for the northern residents.'
Still, I'm not taking food from them.
Instead, wouldn't this lead to the positive outcome of nobles, addicted to the taste of wheat flour, putting effort into developing their territories to increase commoner productivity?
Since most nobles are selling wheat flour for general goods they don't even use at all.
***
Count Yunes of the Empire let out a low hum as he stroked the 'flour exchange ticket'.
'Truly an elaborate design. How can they draw such delicate pictures so densely packed?'
To Count Yunes, who had no concept of printing, the board game paper money was just amazing and wondrous.
He bought 1 ton's worth of paper money with 20 tons of whale oil.
A cheap price, less than half of the imperial family's winning bid.
However, unlike the imperial family who received flour immediately, he would have to wait at least 3 months, and even then, the quantity was barely 1 ton.
Thanks to that, there would be no reason for the imperial family to feel displeased.
'Even if they were displeased, who in Ainshuvan could possibly show it?'
How wonderful would it be to make thin sliced bread with this flour and eat well-grilled rabbit meat sandwiched between them?
Just imagining it made Count Yunes's mouth water.
If there was one complaint....
"1 ton is too little. Can't you sell a bit more?"
"My apologies, but this time we are selling only 1 ton to every family, regardless of kingdom or title."
"Heh-heh."
"Due to the Imperial family sweeping up all the volume, this is a consideration for families who came a long way yet are disheartened, so please understand. Even this is pushing it."
"I see. By the way, I don't see Yuzel. Is she perhaps in the North? It's her first time experiencing cold weather, so she might be having a hard time...."
Count Yunes asked that because he didn't know about Yuzel's whereabouts.
"Ah, um... Yuzel has returned home."
"What?"
Count Yunes's eyes flew wide open.
He couldn't understand. There was no way that could be true.
"It's true. Please check with Yuzel's main family later."
"Th-that child would never...."
"She went back saying she'd get her things, but it seems she got held back by her family."
"Hmm... So it came to that after all."
Count Yunes was thinking that it had turned out well for the princess's sake, when he suddenly paused.
'Is it really true that this turned out well for Her Highness the Princess herself?'
Right now, he himself was enduring hardship in the cold North, pioneering the Elf Forest.
Hadn't he been unable to forget the fantastic Meat Buffet, quenching his thirst with the substitute of rabbit meat, and struggling desperately to secure dragon meat?
***
Most of the 100 and 500 Monopoly paper money had remained almost unused so far.
This was because they were too high-value a currency to pay as wages to the farmer-soldiers and residents.
'A good opportunity to get rid of them all at once.'
Since the meaning of promotion would fade if nobles who came a long way returned totally empty-handed regarding flour, I spread out 1 ton fairly to each.
It wasn't as much as the Imperial family's winning bid, but I still managed to secure a quantity of goods overwhelmingly large compared to the original value of the flour.
'Nobles will likely work hard to develop commerce and industry from now on to get more flour. Since I mainly buy only commoner daily necessities.'
I suddenly imagined a day when the Monopoly paper money might push out gold and silver coins and become the trading token for nobles.
'That's entirely possible.'
If enough small-denomination bills were circulated, maybe they'd even be traded among commoners?
Anyway, just watching the endless stream of wagons made me feel full even without eating.
Some loss is inevitable since storage warehouse magic was applied to reduce volume, but considering transport costs and convenience, that way is far more beneficial.
Elenoa came looking for me.
"Piel, is that Bakery going to be operated semi-permanently from now on?"
"Yes, that's right. To secure a stable supply of general goods for the residents, it looks like I'll have to keep selling Northern-produced wheat flour."
"Do you also see the current indiscriminate scarcity phenomenon becoming prolonged?"
"Of course. Because they're pouring incredible support into the Transcontinental Expedition Force. From now on, all commodity prices, including rye, will rise, and supply will be insufficient."
Now that I had joined the war, the intensification of the scarcity phenomenon had become inevitable.
It couldn't be helped.
Because I can't let my precious residents go around half-naked.
"I feel like using it just as a flour exchange is somehow too wasteful."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't we already treat visitors to one slice of bread and one Castella each? For tasting purposes."
"Yes, we do."
"How about decorating and operating it as a proper salon? The facilities are too good for just that."
Come to think of it, Elenoa is right.
It is a waste of space to only do paper money trading.
"Stopping at just a salon seems a bit wasteful too. How about we make it into a refreshment facility targeting the wealthy?"
"That's even better."
What came to my mind was a high-end café.
'For starters, it should be fine to begin with just mix coffee, sliced bread, and Castella. I'll dispatch a fire mage as a cook and barista, and deploy Luna paratroopers as hall staff.'
"Are you going to receive money in gold and silver coins?"
"Huh? Well, naturally...."
"How about receiving it in paper money?"
Thinking about it, it seemed fine.
The more uses Monopoly paper money has, the greater its influence will become.
'I don't really need gold coins anyway. I have too many.'
"That seems like a good idea. I should do that."
Elenoa took my hand seriously.
"Piel, honestly, I saw potential in the paper money."
"What kind of potential?"
"The potential to develop into a unified currency that replaces gold and silver coins—used mostly by nobles—and cloth and rye—used only by commoners."
In the North, Monopoly paper money is already used like common currency, to be honest.
"Who knows? Maybe our Piel will become the greatest magnate on the continent?"
"Ahaha...."
Thanks to the Supply Cheat, I had transcended any desire for wealth long ago, so it just tickled my vanity for nothing.
***
I was going to leave right after the auction ended, but I decided to stay in the capital a little longer.
To keep an eye on the Hot Hot Bakery café until it was on track for normalization.
Anyway, if I go to the cold North now, I'd just have my energy sucked dry by Hildea or Rebecca in the hot spring every day.
"Duke Delpode didn't give up. He's still watching near the villa."
"Luna, how did you know that?"
"Thanks to the thermal scope. No matter how you hide your presence, you can't hide heat. Though it's hard to find him during the day."
We had to hide Yuzel even more thoroughly.
The moment we leave the villa to depart for the North is the problem.
Hearing that the café would open tomorrow, Yuzel cried sorrowfully.
"I, I also wanted to eat Geisha Coffee and white wheat bread and yellow, sweet Castella deliciously while sitting face-to-face with the Officer-nim at the pretty Hot Hot Bakery café. Hing."
"...There's no Geisha Coffee. We only sell barracks coffee."
"Huh? Really?"
What Geisha Coffee with that kind of budget.
Instant barracks (mix) coffee is more than enough.
Upon hearing there was no Geisha Coffee, Yuzel abruptly stopped being upset.
"Oh right, Officer-nim. You said the skyrocketing price of rye is the cause of all this?"
"Yeah, because the Transcontinental Expedition is consuming enormous amounts of not just rye, but all supplies."
"I happened to overhear at the Imperial Palace... it seems there's some problem with the Imperial Farmland."
"A problem with the grand farmlands?"
I turned serious and sat back down.
Yuzel thought hard for a moment, then continued.
"The imperial farms near the capital grow wheat using soil from the grand farmlands, right? But it seems the wheat isn't growing as well as it used to."
"Really?"
Strange.
I thought the nitrogen compound layer of the Palace of the Thunder Dragon would hold out for several more years.
"I heard Father discussing it with the 1st Imperial Consort Mama. It was about whether to quietly stockpile rye for the commoners, something like that."
So this was real.
If the Emperor is concerned enough, there's a high possibility the Empire is already secretly controlling rye exports and buying up rye across the continent.
'So there wasn't just one adverse factor, but two. The Transcontinental Expedition and Imperial hoarding. Wait—'
"But 1st Imperial Consort Mama? You call His Majesty the Emperor 'Father' but...."
"Ah, the person the Officer-nim made Lobster dishes for? That person is not my mother. My mother is not an Imperial Consort, but the Empress, and I am her only child."
Suddenly, Yuzel's blue hair caught my eye.
Both the Emperor and Empress had bright, radiant platinum blonde hair.
I had found it odd that Yuzel didn't resemble them at all, but to think there was a separate Empress.
"Really? That's a shame. That I couldn't serve delicious Lobster to the person who gave birth to you."
At that, Yuzel giggled.
"Ehehe, my mother only eats grains. She doesn't eat meat or seafood."
A light electric current unconsciously ran down my spine.