Chapter 19: The Value of a Token

I neatly arranged the small cloth strips, each marked with “fifty” or “one hundred,” feeling a sense of satisfaction. Vilya produced a personal medal, crafted from pure gold and intricately engraved with blades and script. Watching her, I saw her apply dye to the back of the medal and press it onto the numbers. I asked, “What is this medal? Is it unique?”

“It is unique,” Vilya confirmed.

Vilya nodded, gently caressing the medal. “My friends made this for me after I defeated the Demon King,” she explained with utmost seriousness. “Crafted with goblin ore and elven techniques, it may not be exceptionally rare, but it is my most cherished possession.

“Among us heroes, it allows us to feel each other’s warmth. Consider it a treasure from one of the happiest times of my past.”

I nodded. Indeed, this object was unique in the world, serving as a lord’s seal for the moment. A plain white cloth strip could easily be counterfeited, but a strip bearing this particular seal would signify valid currency.

These tokens would now serve as currency, a method I devised by drawing inspiration from eras we had once experienced.

I glanced at Vilya and at Lia, who was happily engaged in her craft. Smiling, I asked, “Would you two like to come with me? Vilya, having you, the lord, by my side would bring me great peace of mind. And Lia, your presence would make me very happy.”

Vilya nodded and stood up. Lia, meanwhile, gazed curiously at the numbered cloth strips before her. “Papa,” she asked, “what are these for? What do these numbers mean?”

“These are things that will satisfy everyone and ensure no one starves,” I replied with a smile.

I chuckled and stroked Lia’s head. Vilya picked up a strip, sniffed it like a dog, and even bit it playfully. “This can’t be eaten,” she stated.

“Of course I know it’s not edible,” I responded. “I’m not planning to distribute it for everyone to eat…”

Lia hugged my arm, shaking it with eager anticipation. “Papa, tell me quickly! Please tell me what these are for! Lia really wants to know! Tell Lia!”

“Alright then,” I conceded.

I took Lia’s hand, noticing Vilya cast an envious glance our way.

However, I could only offer a wry smile, unable to act. After helping Lia into her small clothes, I led her outside and said with a soft chuckle, “Lia, Papa wasn’t lying. To these people, these things truly are food.”

“But why, Papa? They can’t be eaten…”

“Well, Lia,” I asked, “what would you do if you were hungry?”

I watched Lia, her tiny brows furrowed in what seemed like anxious thought. Hearing my question, she nervously touched her stomach and whispered, “I… I can’t… If I’m hungry… I just have to be hungry…”

“I’m sorry…”

‘Right… I had forgotten about Lia’s past. For her, hunger must have been her greatest constant enemy. She eats a lot, and she must have always been underfed before.’

I tenderly stroked her head, then looked ahead, watching our breaths mist in the cold air. “For humans, food is bought with money,” I explained softly. “Humans have taxes, but they don’t collect food as tax. So, after farmers harvest their crops, they sell them to merchants, turning them into money to pay their taxes.”

“Why don’t they want grain?” Lia asked.

“Because for humans, collecting grain as tax causes big problems,” I clarified. “For example, if a sack of grain is due for the year, but I claim it’s poor quality and only counts as half, wouldn’t the other half be embezzled?

“Converting it to gold coins prevents such corruption. Furthermore, the royal palace’s expenses are all paid in gold coins; personnel cannot be compensated with cloth or food.”

Lia nodded thoughtfully, though I wasn’t sure if she fully understood. She didn’t really need to grasp it all; I was merely explaining. I paused, then continued, “Actually, Lia, for everyone, if you gave me the gold used to make coins, I wouldn’t necessarily want it. Why? Because gold itself is just a mineral; it’s only valuable because humans assign value to it.

“It’s the same with gold coins. They, like gold, gain value because of the commodity economy they represent. Farmers turn their crops into gold coins, which merchants then use to buy furs. The fur merchants, in turn, use those gold coins to buy crops.

“This is essentially the circulation of goods, and it’s this trade that gives gold coins their worth. Right now, we don’t have currency, but we do have grain. We need something akin to money to facilitate the flow of this grain.

“What we’re making could be called food coupons. Townspeople will exchange their labor for these coupons, and then use these coupons to get grain. This way, those who work more receive more, and those who work less receive less, creating absolute fairness.”

“So, these cloth strips… are like food?” Lia blinked, as if thinking was a painful endeavor for her.

Curiously, she held a small strip and whispered, “So, can I just write one of these strips myself and have endless food from now on?”

“Of course not,” I replied, smiling and shaking my head.

“Just like gold coins, these things only hold value if backed by an absolute national power. At the very least, an influential organization must issue them for them to have public trust, and for people to be willing to exchange real goods for them. Currency is always just a carrier for the real economy.”

“Hmm… Papa, Lia doesn’t quite understand… what’s currency, what’s food… humans are so troublesome…” Lia said, tilting her head in apparent distress and touching her face.

“It’s precisely because of these troublesome things that humans can profit within the rules, Lia. Human society has countless rules, but many of them are designed for humans to make money.

“The biggest difference between human society and others is that, although humans are a short-lived race, they are the most obsessed with money. Whether a human can skillfully use these rules to earn money within them is a standard of their excellence.”

“Just like Papa?” Lia asked, looking at me with a hint of admiration.

I rubbed my head and said with a wry smile, “Not exactly… Papa isn’t particularly good at making money either… But alright, everyone has arrived.”

As we spoke, Vilya walked beside us, her gaze fixed straight ahead, never once settling on us. She remained silent, save for the rustle of her clothes, simply following along. She didn’t look at us, yet her presence somehow created an inexplicable sense of peace, utterly devoid of awkwardness.

****

We had arrived at the town entrance, where all the townspeople were waiting. I observed their faces, each etched with sorrow and even a hint of fear. Some even clutched cloth bags filled with belongings, making me wonder if they believed we were still there to collect their grain.

I stepped into the crowd, first placing Lia on my left, then abruptly grabbing Vilya’s hand. Lia let out a desperate wail, but I couldn’t afford to consider that right now.

We approached the gathering. At that moment, the record keeper, clad in a grey coat, loudly called for silence. He then stepped before us, a fawning smile on his face, and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is our new lord, the hero Vilya, who personally slew the Demon King…”

Before his words had even finished, the crowd erupted in cheers. All eyes were on Vilya, their faces alight with almost frenzied admiration. They clapped furiously, and several men shouted, “Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! That’s how you deal with demons! All demons should die! Slaughter every single one, leave none alive!”

“Yes, yes! The Demon King is finally dead, finally dead! This winter, we’ll go hunt demons! We’ll kill any demon we find! This town won’t allow a single demon nearby; we’ll eradicate every demon in the vicinity! Not one shall remain!”

“Yes! Kill all the demons!”

Lia, witnessing the near-frenzied crowd, gripped my arm in fear and hid behind me. I instinctively reached out to shield her. Something was gravely wrong with the people of this town; they harbored an almost insane hatred for demons.

Lia, behind me, was a succubus, and though it wasn’t apparent now, if discovered, these mad townspeople would surely kill her.

‘I must be absolutely careful. No one can ever discover that Lia is a succubus.’

Vilya watched her frenzied admirers with an expressionless face. Her eyes showed no pride or triumph, nor did she seem to notice Lia, who was a demon. She appeared utterly unaffected by it all.

The record keeper loudly quieted the ecstatic crowd, then continued, “Today, the lord has something to say to everyone. The deserters previously took all our winter provisions, and the lord is here to address that matter.”

Everyone fell silent, gazing intently at Vilya. Yet, Vilya simply stood there, utterly speechless.

After a prolonged standoff, just as everyone began to feel deeply awkward, Vilya looked at me, utterly perplexed.

‘So, you expected me to speak!’

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Well, it’s like this,” I began. “First, we need to understand your thoughts. Regarding this batch of grain, I hear you wish to use it to repay your outstanding debts, is that correct?”

“Yes, yes!” a man shouted from the crowd. “Take it, take it! Just please don’t make us repay money like this anymore. Every year, our income is seized, and we still can’t clear the debt. We’d rather pay more now, all at once! Please, just don’t take all our money next year…”

A large man below shouted this, and a wave of agreement quickly followed.

I now understood the previous lord’s method: using these taxes to keep the people suppressed. Each year, they were forced to surrender almost all their income to repay debts, yet due to exorbitant interest rates, the amount owed continued to climb.

These townspeople were bound inextricably to this place. Their debts prevented them from leaving, condemned them to lifelong repayment, and even extended to their children, becoming an eternal nightmare for them all.

I nodded and continued, “Since you all feel this way, then as the new lord, Lady Vilya has decided to use this batch of grain to clear all your debts.”

“Is that true… Is it true? Is this enough? Thank you, Lady Vilya!”

Their wealth, the lord’s mistake—we had merely corrected an error, and already earned their gratitude.

‘Something is deeply wrong with this world.’

I then looked at them and said, “I understand your wishes, but how will you survive this winter? Without food, it will be a difficult one, won’t it?”

“We’ve always managed, somehow,” someone replied.

‘That story is truly one to make listeners weep and onlookers shed tears…’

I sighed, then continued, “It is as such: according to Lady Vilya’s wishes, this winter we will implement a new system. Do you see what I hold in my hand? This is a form of currency issued by Lady Vilya, circulated within the town. You can call them food coupons.

“The numbers on them are ‘units’; collect five hundred units, and you can claim a normal-sized loaf of bread from me. These can be exchanged every evening and midday. You must earn these coupons through work or by selling goods at the town center.

“Just like regular currency, they can be freely circulated and traded. For you now, it’s fair competition: more work, more gain; no work, no gain. And right now, I have a task for you: to clean the lord’s mansion.

“Simultaneously, the lord also needs to purchase some goods. If you have any, sell them to the record keeper; he will also be the one to issue your coupons. So, that is all. Dismissed!”

Although the record keeper looked utterly bewildered, the subsequent effect was remarkably good. When we returned later that evening, the once foul-smelling and cold great hall had been completely transformed. Moreover, the wooden planks, nails, and ropes needed for our subsequent repairs had already been delivered to the hall. It seemed that this winter, under the allure of food, I might even be able to repair the flower garden.