"Mr. Wine Barrel?"
The chef, Wine Barrel, trembled as his name was called. "Yes, my lord!"
"I very much enjoyed your roasted heron," Leech said. "Simon, reward Mr. Wine Barrel with one Silver Moon."
The chef, Wine Barrel, bowed in delighted surprise, looking as if he wanted to throw himself at Leech's feet and kiss his boots. "Thank you for your generosity, my lord!"
Leech smiled.
The others cast envious glances at the chef, who was usually the laziest among them.
From what Leech knew, on this continent of Lu Leiyi where he resided, there were three types of currency: Jinri, Silver Moon, and copper stars. One Jinri was roughly equivalent to 100 Silver Moons, and one Silver Moon was about 20 copper stars.
Gold was a rare material, a fact Baron Leech, who used it to refine corpses, now deeply understood. It had far greater uses than as a currency, so almost no one used Jinri for everyday circulation—except, of course, when ransoming noble prisoners. A bag of Jinri was more suitable than several large baskets of Silver Moons or a wagonload of copper stars, and it better befitted a noble's status.
Therefore, the primary currencies in circulation were Silver Moon and copper stars. In reality, if one wanted to exchange Silver Moons for Jinri, the exchange rate would likely be 1:200, or even 1:300.
The same was true for exchanging Silver Moons for copper stars. The wartime rate might reach 1:40, while in peacetime it could be around 1:25. No one ever exchanged currency strictly according to the Kingdom's laws—except, perhaps, for certain finance ministers planning to line their own pockets, who might meticulously write down the unbelievable official rates in their reports to their superiors.
The value of any currency was never constant; it depended on the agricultural harvest, the lord's policies, and whether there was a war.
The only things that remained eternally unchanged were the tips of a Soldier's spear, the iron of a warhorse's hooves, and the "true affection" of a prostitute after payment.
Beyond the fluctuating exchange rates, the ever-changing purchasing power was even more fatal. Jinri held its value best, Silver Moon was less volatile, but copper stars... one day a copper star could buy a loaf of bread, and the next, only half a loaf. It might even buy a whole loaf in East Gorge, but only breadcrumbs in Giant's Foot to the south.
The fluctuations in money's value were influenced by merchants, who controlled the market and served the nobility.
A few years ago, during the war, the Kingdom couldn't afford to pay its army and frantically minted copper stars, which was the reason for their strained purchasing power today. Compared to copper stars, everyone preferred Silver Moon. It held its value better and was easier to hide, especially when deserters, bandits, or robbers came to plunder. It was also much easier to carry when fleeing one's home.
Silver Moon was also known as "Old Man." The Warg Slayer once told a story about a very poor man whose family was starving to death. One day, someone came to him and offered to buy his white-bearded old father. This person's own father had been sentenced to hang, and he wanted the man's father to take his place. After discussing it with his father, who was on his last breath, the man sold him for the price of one Silver Moon. Since you could sell your own dad for a single Silver Moon, "my old man can become your old man." That's why they called Silver Moon "Old Man."
Another story claimed that for one Silver Moon, you could make a fine lady call you "daddy" in bed.
In any case, there were all sorts of versions.
Copper stars were also called "copper-breads" or "copper-cents." The most straightforward reason was that one copper star could buy a filling loaf of bran bread. Many people worked all day and might not even earn enough for a loaf of black bread. Nowadays, it should probably be called a "copper-half," since it could only buy half a loaf.
Jinri was also known as the Golden Bear, because the family crest of the King who currently ruled the continent was a golden bear. If the Pig Clan, Horse Clan, or Chicken Clan were to become kings in the future, then the Jinri might be called the Golden Pig, Golden Horse, or Golden Chicken.
Aside from the steward, Simon, who had long served the Baron and was paid a monthly salary, everyone else was paid a daily wage, though of course, they weren't paid every single day.
The servants working in the Baron's castle earned 3 copper stars a day. The steward's monthly salary was 4 Silver Moons and 10 copper stars. By official conversion, a month's salary was 90 copper stars, but in reality, a steward who knew how to manage money could multiply that amount several times over.
So, Leech's grand gesture of rewarding one Silver Moon was enough to fill them with fervent excitement.
"It's not just the chef," Leech said. "Feeding my horse well, washing my clothes properly, cleaning the castle for me—I see all of these things, and any of them could earn a reward."
The others' breathing grew ragged. If they just performed well, they could be rewarded with a Silver Moon. A whole Silver Moon!
One Silver Moon was given in exchange for passion for their work and a moment's loyalty. As long as these people coveted that one Silver Moon, and then more and more Silver Moons, their enthusiasm wouldn't be extinguished. Of course, there was a price: jealousy, backstabbing, disunity, tattling, and all manner of overt and covert struggles. But none of that concerned Baron Leech.
He hoped that "generosity" would replace the former Baron Leech's reputation for being "timid," and that it would also make them temporarily forget that the Baron of Porcupine Castle currently had no Soldiers.
"Everyone may return to your duties," Leech said to the bald chef, Wine Barrel. "Sir, would you be able to prepare dinner for me?"
"Of course!" Wine Barrel nodded repeatedly. He was now itching to show off his superb culinary skills.
「The Dining Hall.」
A manservant came forward to pour wine for Leech. He was eating alone at the long table.
Perhaps because he wasn't as hungry as he had been at noon, he found the chef's cooking to be increasingly subpar. The seasoning was monotonous and greasy. Leech, whose palate had been spoiled by the 21st century, found it hard to accept this simple pan-frying and roasting. The fat in the steak hadn't been fully rendered, and the fatty pieces squished unpleasantly in his mouth. He picked up his wine glass and took a large gulp, which was the only way he could force the meat down.
Meanwhile, the steward, Simon, was reporting on the state of Porcupine Territory.
Porcupine Territory, which bordered the sea, had about 200 commoners. It was primarily an agricultural land, but the soil was poor. The crops they grew were barely enough to half-fill their stomachs, and the vast majority of the harvest had to be paid as taxes.
As for the Baron's personal property, he had three horses, four sheep, twenty-two chickens, and 8,002 Silver Moons. He had just given one Silver Moon to Mr. Wine Barrel, so now he had 8,001 remaining.
For such a large territory, he didn't possess a single Jinri. Although Leech had some gold in his possession, it had a greater purpose for him, so he wouldn't exchange it for Silver Moons.
After hearing Simon's report, he had a much clearer concept of just how poor he was.
If he were to simply enjoy himself at the "holy land" in Iron Stone City, at the rate of one Silver Moon a day, he could live comfortably for 8,000 days. But unfortunately, he was a lord, and this was far too little.
The Baron's greatest assets were supposed to be his 80 well-armed Soldiers. Their chainmail, and the shields, axes, and Longswords in their hands, had all been forged at the cost of a great many Silver Moons. Now, all Leech could do was pray for their safe return.
Leech stood up. "I'm going to the study."
The manservant cleared the table for him, and the steward also bowed and took his leave.
At this moment, Leech understood why his castle employed manservants instead of maids, much to his regret.
Manservants were stronger and could handle more physical labor. They were more cost-effective.
In the study, Leech flipped through a book. The paper was made from shredded cloth and wood fibers. After reading for a while, he picked up a pen and wrote, on a sheet of paper, a series of square characters that would be considered strange Runes in this world.
"Porcupine Castle Development Plan"
He hesitated for a moment, then put down the pen.
'His entire impression of the territory came from the oral reports of his steward and servants. Blindly making plans is not what a Baron should do. It would be best to inspect the lands tomorrow.'