Chapter 46 (2)
Excluding the dwarves, everyone's gaze simultaneously fell upon the Sovereigns scattered on the table.
Sovereigns.
Just as the Empire's gold coins were called dalants, Sovereigns were a collective term for gold coins made by various dwarves.
For reference, while the Empire's dalants had only one type, the dwarves' Sovereigns had various types.
"You've seen our gold coins before, haven't you? We never engage in deceitful practices like mixing copper, like they do here in the Empire. These can be considered the genuine currency of this world, made purely from gold!"
Orin's words continued.
"So, these are the most trustworthy gold coins on this continent. They're incomparable to the ducats produced by goblins."
As Orin proudly boasted about the gold coins they made, Rockefeller looked at the Sovereigns thrown on the table and asked.
"May I take a closer look?"
"Do you think you'll know anything from just looking?"
Despite Orin's subtly dismissive tone, Rockefeller still wore a smiling face.
"I work as an assistant at a bank, so I handle gold coins often. Seeing that the size of your gold coins is roughly similar to our dalants, I'd like to see what's different."
"Bank?"
The term "bank" was only used within the Empire.
Dwarves mostly borrowed gold coins from kings or great lords, not from loan sharks like banks, as humans did.
"Is that 'bank' similar to Goblin Bank?"
"It's somewhat similar."
"So, you're a person who plays with interest rates, like those cunning goblins."
Orin's expression hardened.
He didn't know much about human banks, but he was well aware of the goblins who revitalized their race through loan sharking.
"Looking at their actions, humans are no different from goblins."
At his words, Orin showed doubt.
"What do you mean? Our gold coin quality is obviously superior."
"Of course, if you look at the quality of the gold coins themselves, your Sovereigns are more excellent and better than the Empire's dalants, as you said. But you should know this."
The once innocently smiling boy had disappeared, and in his place sat a cold-blooded negotiator with no hint of a smile on his face.
Rockefeller looked straight at Orin and continued.
"This is the Empire. Only dalants are accepted in the Empire. So, the beer here can only be bought with dalants."
In other words, he declared that he wouldn't accept the dwarves' gold coins.
Whether the Empire's dalants were of better or worse quality, or anything else, what they needed was the Empire's dalants, and he informed the dwarf delegation of this fact.
At Rockefeller's words, the entire delegation that had arrived began to stir greatly.
"You want dalants?"
"We don't have dalants, do we?"
"Our gold coins are better, so why do we need dalants?"
"But as he said, this is the Empire's land. They might not need Sovereigns."
"What kind of trick is this? Usually, people go crazy for Sovereigns."
As the noisy dwarves continued their chatter, Orin stepped forward again.
"We only have Sovereigns, so how do you expect us to buy the beer here with dalants?"
At that, Rockefeller subtly revealed a smile and answered him.
"You don't have to worry too much about exchanging gold coins. The Carter Bank I work at also handles gold coin exchange services."
Rockefeller's words continued.
"Of course, we do charge a nominal fee."
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Imperial Dalants Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with Dwarven Sovereigns Tier($18). For every $15 collected on Ko-fi, I will release an extra chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Happy reading!