Tang Mo had recently been researching Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a delicacy he often enjoyed in his previous life, to which he was quite attached. After all, it is a highly nourishing dish, and given his connections with many women in his previous life, Tang Mo was very conscious about health.
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However, unlike in his previous life, this world did not yet possess such luxurious ingredients, or rather, the cold chain technology to gather such an extravagant array of ingredients was nonexistent.
Those living by the sea at Brunas had little attachment to things like scallops, as they had grown weary of eating them.
But with Brunas's industrial development, in the past six months, marine life near Brunas's coast had begun to vanish completely, and the marine life in distant waters was rapidly depleting as well.
On one hand, the problem stemmed from the natural resource depletion caused by Brunas's growing population; after all, with more mouths to feed and little else available, people had resorted to overfishing fish and shellfish.
On the other hand, it was due to the terrifying emissions from Tang Mo's factories! This was heavy industrial pollution, which was barely treated before being released into the sea, inevitably affecting the ecological environment.
Now, the seawater near the discharge pipes of Tang Mo's factory was colored, a truly frightening sight. Therefore, Tang Mo had already ordered that Brunas's marine products were to be banned from use.
To appease the fishermen, he even established some food processing plants in the south of Brunas, allowing these fishermen to switch careers and become workers at these plants.
As a result, Tang Mo, wanting to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, now had to use ingredients brought back from faraway places.
Tang Mo cleaned the squid thoroughly, then placed it into a porcelain jar he had prepared earlier, secured the lid, and let the seafood's fragrance fill the kitchen. Only then did he raise his head to look at the somewhat nervous young man before him and spoke, "Don't be so tense. Simon told me you are an economic genius, so I entrusted this task to you.
You haven't disappointed me; I've looked at the economic model you've built, and it's quite impressive."
"But you still found 30 errors in it and then corrected them... After recalculating... it became... flawless," the young man pondered for a moment before choosing the words 'flawless.'
It baffled him because he had heard that the young man cooking was an expert in weapon design and also a genius in mechanical engineering. Yet this young man demonstrated exceptional economic expertise far beyond this era.
Before meeting Simon, Van Kums was called a madman. Despite his youth, he was often viewed as crazy, promoting his calculation formulas every day to the nobility and Ministers.
The usual outcome was him being chased away and mocked—though Van Kums, born into a noble family with his father being a Viscount, had some connections in noble circles and was somewhat better off than Tang Mo in his most destitute days.
So, even though he was labeled a madman and ridiculed by many, at least he had food to eat and didn't live in dire straits.
However, his fate changed after he met the newly appointed Minister of Finance, Simon.
Simon had studied many of Tang Mo's economic courses and immediately recognized that what this young man named Van Kums had was indeed correct.
Van Kums was also astonished to find that the new Minister of Finance was not incompetent but a truly capable economist.
"Quite smoothly. Following your instructions, we used denominations of 1 copper coin, 5 copper coins, 10 copper coins, 1 silver coin, 5 silver coins, 10 silver coins, 1 Gold Coin, 5 Gold Coins, 10 Gold Coins, 100 Gold Coins, and 1000 Gold Coins, with an initial total print run set at 20 million Gold Coins."
"What about the coverage estimate?" Tang Mo picked up the metal cigarette case from the other side of the stove and skillfully pulled out a cigarette. He lit it from the flames and drew deeply.
"Estimated coverage includes the surrounding areas of Brunas, Dragon Island, and most of Northern Ridge," Van Kums immediately responded. "Military salaries will continue to be calculated in Gold Coin to maintain stability."
"Very thoughtful," Tang Mo nodded slightly, holding the cigarette in his mouth, squinting his eyes, and roughly calculating in his mind.
If he used radio, Ironclad Warships, as well as howitzers and bolt-action rifles as security, and added electricity systems, automobiles, trains, and railway shares, he could almost convince the majority of regions to willingly use his currency.
By then, just by relying on the banking system and the right to issue currency, he would be able to control the vast majority of the world's wealth.
It was a super privilege that many countries dreamed of having, the sickle for harvesting the world's finances, a weapon more lethal than actual nuclear weapons!
"Then let's issue 20 million for starters... Once it's stable and everyone accepts it, we'll move on to the next step," said Tang Mo as he stood up, contemplating. "Once the first indemnity payment arrives, we can make up for the shortfall in the reserve funds."
"Yes, Master," Van Kums agreed without any objection. He viewed Tang Mo as his lighthouse. By acknowledging Tang Mo as his mentor, he viewed Tang Mo as the idol worthy of his lifelong devotion.
This was entirely a matter of like-minded individuals being drawn together. Such an attraction could not be achieved by other means. Just as Mathews adored Tang Mo, almost everyone around Tang Mo saw him as a partner in realizing their life goals and achieving their self-worth.
Thus, more and more people called Tang Mo Master. Although it was embarrassing, Tang Mo still had to get used to accepting such a title.
"Will you stay for dinner?" Tang Mo asked after they'd finished discussing serious matters.
For someone practicing his culinary skills, having someone willing to share in the fruits of his labor was a very happy thing.
"How could I impose..." Van Kums's smile stiffened a bit, and he stood up to take his leave: "I'm going to start arranging for the currency printing now."
"What a pity," Tang Mo's mood suddenly deflated; lately, there were fewer and fewer people willing to stay and eat what he cooked.
This might all be Auntie Cui Xi's fault—after all, her cooking might be a bit tastier and had spoiled everyone's palate.
"Ah!" Watching the heartlessly departing Van Kums, Tang Mo sighed, hands clasped behind his back as he left the kitchen. On the stove, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was still simmering, and the scent of burning soon filled the air, accompanied by the crackling of the flames.
"Did I forget to add the broth just now?" Having returned to his office, ready to draw new blueprints, Tang Mo suddenly realized something, and then... the next second: "It doesn't matter, let the servants deal with it..."
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Today there will be two updates. The next one will be a bit later, so everyone can watch it tomorrow morning.