Volume 9 - CH 3

When I came back to the inn, Serina and the others were waiting for me with folded arms.

"Alec, what do you mean?"

"I don't like that doggy coin. So don't buy it. That's what I'm talking about."

"Wait, are you talking about your taste? Well, your aesthetic sense is, uh, not exactly complimentary."

Serina says with a shrug.

"No, I'm not talking about the design, I'm talking about the fact that it's dangerous."

"No. But it did work in the store. Some of them don't work, though."

"I don't think it would work in an upscale, well-established restaurant. I mean, you can't use it everywhere, and it's not very exchangeable. It's fine for a small exchange, but if you try to sell it all at once, there's a chance you won't be able to exchange it anywhere."

"What? It's the same with electronic money. It's just that older stores don't support it yet."

"No, it's not. The mechanism is similar, but totally different. E-money is just bank payments online, it's not "for speculation". When someone recommended this coin to you, didn't they say, "You'll definitely make money"?"

"That's ......"

"It's a common phrase in scams."

"Ugh."

"Have you ever heard of a pyramid scheme?"

"That means that it runs well as long as there are more people buying ......, but it eventually goes bankrupt in the end because the number of people needed to cycle increases like a pyramid, right?"

"That's right. The person who set this up is a big merchant who belongs to the Merchant's Guild, but he doesn't have a lot of money. If the currency is issued by the government, there are laws in place, so it's not so easy to do something crazy, but if it's issued by an individual, there's probably a sloppy check system."

"But if it works, well, ......"

You noticed that yourself.

"That's right. If it works, no one will lose anything. As long as it's running smoothly. The danger (risk) comes to the surface only after things have gone bad. But more importantly, who decides the value of a currency that goes up and up and up?"

"Is it.....the people who buy it?"

"No, it's the seller. Even if you can't sell it, you can still put a price on it."

"Ah ......, yes. I mean, Alec, how do you know so much about it?"

"Because I switched my class into a sage."

"Yeah?"

"Even the Merchants' Guild seems to be skeptical. As long as the guild is doing it, I don't think they're going to just suddenly roll up and run away, but our Clan will avoid buying it to avoid the risk. Okay?"

"...... Okay, I get it. But then, what should I do with the money I've already exchanged?"

"Ask the source to exchange them for cash. If they're stalling, saying, "If you wait a little longer, the price will go up," be careful."

"That's right. Shall we go and exchange them then?"

"Okay."

"Yes. ......"

"Hmm....I thought I'd make some money."

It looks like Luka, Nene, and even Letty were buying in. It's a good thing I found out early.

"Saki, you didn't buy it?"

"Of course I didn't. I don't know what to think of those cheap coins. The only thing I trust is cash, and that's obviously Yukichi-san. In this world, it's gold, the real money."

"I'm going to make you my wallet today."

"Oh!　Leave it to me. I'll make sure to increase it."

"No, You'll just manage it normally."

"Ahaha, don't worry, I won't be investing or anything. I'm in business."

"Oh, I see."

As I was relaxing at the inn, Nene came running back.

"Hawawa, Alec-sama, W-we're in trouble!"

"What's going on?"

"We all went to the Cacoo coin exchange office, but the staff told us that they couldn't exchange the coins right away. As we were struggling, other customers also became angry and demanded their money back, and the soldiers started to work on it."

"What?　Damn, there's a commotion. Let's go to the soldier's office."

"I hope no one dies. Hoshi Rina looks scary when she gets mad."

"...... Let's hurry."

When I went to the soldier's office, I was told that they had been put in the castle's jail. give me a break.

I used my pass to go to the jail and got permission to see them.

"So, were there any deaths?"

I asked Serina, who was sitting on the ground behind the bars looking unhappy.

"No, just the injured. And I didn't do it."

"It was the custome I was with did it. I didn't expect such an uproar, by the way."

As Luka had explained to me, the customer who had been exchanging the money must have been a bit worried. That's when the clerk said they wasn't going to return the money, and that's when it exploded.

I've never seen anything like it in real life, but I guess it's like a bank run.

"That was exactly what you said. I'm sorry about that."

Serina says, not amused.

"No, I, too, thought they'd be straightforward about the exchange."

"No, they did too, they exchanged mine and Nene's right away. But you know what, Serina is......

Letty makes a weird face when she says that.

"What is it?"

"The original 500,000 gold was also exchanged, so it was valued at 50 million gold."

"Wha!　You've been pouring that much into it?"

"No, because the price keeps going up and up, and I thought it might be profitable."

"How did you manage to save up so much when I just collected it with the Flame Sword the other day?"

"That's because I'm not wasting money like you."

"Shut up. I know we need battle slaves."

" 'Lady Tabitha' ?"

"Guguhh, that's an entertainment expense."

"Hmm?"

"So, the money changer over there has a point... I don't think they can afford 50 million gold right away."

Letty said, you're probably right.

"But you think they can pay for 5.000 gold coins, right?"

"I don't know. When did the other side say they would have it ready?"

"They said they don't know right away, so they'll discuss it with the manager. They also said that the price would be lower than that due to selling pressure, and I thought something was wrong with that."

That's a subtle point. If it had been a currency exchange where the price didn't fluctuate much, both sides would have agreed on the amount they expected to exchange.

Anyway, it's the guy's fault for messing with something troublesome.

"It's all your fault."

"Yeah, that's terrible."

"Anyway, I'll get you a good lawyer, and you'll be quiet."

"Why don't you talk to the king yourself?"

"Well, I'm sure he'll do something about it, but I don't think it's good for either of us if we're always relying on him."

"It's not just because I'm here, is it?"

"No. Not even if I'm in jail instead of you. Anyway, from what I've heard, I don't think you're going to be locked up for very long either, so let's keep things civil here. If not, things might get a little dicey elsewhere."

"What other part?"

"The people who issue the dog coins are from the "White Dog" clan. Janatha's a member of that clan."

"Aah. You had a run-in with him before about buying slaves, didn't you? About Fianna and Jouga?"

"That's right. So, if he misunderstands that we're deliberately trying to destroy Cacoo Coins this time, it's going to be troublesome. ......"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't think that far ahead."

"Well, it's not your fault about that. As the clan leader, I'll protect all of you who are part of the clan, so don't worry."

It's only natural to protect your friends.

"Yeah, thanks ......!"

Now, I don't know if there is a lawyer system in this world, but I'm sure there is someone who knows the law.

I think I'll contact her first and ask for her advice.