Chereads / The Great Magi Revolution: Men, Mer & Dragons / Chapter 2 - Even this world go round with money.

Chapter 2 - Even this world go round with money.

A delicate face with light golden hair like wheat, the eyes that were reflected in the water were a deep blue color that seemed to merge with the sky and the water that reflected him, Thorin sighed because his reflection was a face that did not give him a sense of familiarity, but at the same time, he felt no rejection or alienation from it.

"It must be because of the memories that were triggered by seeing Gerd, not only that but the history of this body..." Thorin stirred the water and sat up to look out over the city.

'Calling it a city was an exaggeration' Thorin thought.

because due to its size it should not have had more than 20,000 inhabitants, it was just a small town on the outside wherever you saw it, but with the current production being only beasts and the strength of man, It would be hard to find anything more worthy of being called a city for dozens of kilometers around.

"Sicoal City, according to my memories it's been a little over 2 years since I ran away from my mother's house after she remarried... ugh, it's pretty fuzzy in my mind before that, but the important thing is that my acquaintances don't doubt my identity and also how to get money, mainly getting money." the silver coin in his hand still disgusted him a bit, but when he thought that he could buy with this coin he completely forgot about it.

"True! I still had something saved for winter purchases, when there are no carbocara mushrooms the source of income are few, so Thorin usually survives on savings in spring and autumn, if only with that money I can make more money" Thorin got up and went back into the hut rummaging through the logs and the dirty ground.

A few moments later he went out to where he had the large vase with water and cleaned a linen bag that generated a metallic sound every time he moved it, after cleaning its contents several times he looked around to make sure that no one was looking at him and opened the bag, Inside this was 40 large copper coins.

"Ugh, it's the end of June and it's harder to find mushrooms because of the heat and light, so these 40 coppers are from the mushroom savings in the spring, if I remember correctly Gerd usually comes to buy the mushrooms every 2 weeks and he usually buys 3 or 4 because that's what I manage to put together, besides... sometimes he forgets to come and the mushrooms end up spoiling since they are not processed properly, damn drunk!" Thorin cursed Gerd and thanks to him, Gerd who was several kilometers away from him began to sneeze.

"Even if it's in another world, I'll manage to get the quiet and pleasant life I deserve! But for that, I need money, mountains of money! I won't settle for the leftovers of capitalist pigs anymore! I'll be a capitalist pig!" Thorin's eyes filled with resolution as he thought about it, without paying attention to how he contradicted and offended himself and his dream.

grrr...

"Damn, before being a great capitalist I must fill my stomach with food, beef steaks, sausages from all kinds of animals, fish from the deepest oceans with the most grotesque aspects, and most exquisite flavors! They will all go to my belly, but before that, I must be rich! disgustingly rich!" Thorin squeezed the copper coins he held in his hand as if this way he could fill his stomach with dreams and words of encouragement.

grrrr...

but a second growl from his stomach made his return to reality where he only had a handful of coins of the lowest denomination and grain with a rancid smell which would have been harvested several years ago and was sold to civilians at a low price.

Thorin had to hurry and look for some way to eat, he could only find that vain old grain of rye that could be almost 10 pounds and a handful of salt of a yellowish appearance and possibly containing sulfur.

with difficulty he put it inside a clay pot on top of a fire that he had outside and the firewood he had collected in the vicinity of his hut, after heating for a long time and enduring his hunger he finally ate the grain but without a doubt, it was not a pleasant experience, his ambition and dream hit his current reality, he only had to clench his teeth and take the impalpable paste to his stomach.

"And let's not forget the employees, I'll have an employee for everything I need, gardeners, butlers, maids, cooks" with that Thorin took another spoonful of rye porridge to his stomach.

Thorin sighed and remained silent, the disparity between dreams and reality was too wide, scratching his head and feeling the grease on it, he could not forget the image of Gerd, so he went to where the jug of water and with some doubt because his body was too skinny to bear a cold, he decided to take the water and take advantage of the fire to warm it up a bit.

"sigh, I must first take care of even being able to reach adulthood before fulfilling any dreams, besides... even if I can purify salt or create glass I dare not do it without knowing this world, an 11-year-old boy with a formula who can change trade and power relations in a medieval society won't survive long if he lets his mouth slip..." Thorin thought more objectively, letting reason suppress his pie-in-the-sky urges.

"40 large copper coins and 1 silver, or what would be 3 silver and 10 large copper coins, wait a minute... yes! Damn capitalists! I remember! the exchange rate between silver and copper is 1:15 but that's only when it's converted from silver to copper, once civilians want to change copper to silver they have a ratio of 16:1, hehe, no matter what world it is, civilians can't escape the exploitation of capitalists ..." Thorin clenched his fists repressing his chunny syndrome again.

"So it would be 55 large copper coins, now I understand why Gerd exchanged the silver coin for 8 mushrooms, I thought it was because he wanted a discount when paying in advance and a larger amount, but it turns out it was because if If I tried to get a silver coin it would cost me 16 large copper coins, you damn smart bastard, he already had a way out even if I claimed the copper coin from him" these were all of Thorin's savings, his survival depended on it.

Thorin without hesitation searched and found his shoes, these were made of wood, and compared to his clothes they had a much better image, seeing his feet with calluses and old blisters made his determination to be rich even greater.

The road to the city was not too far, no more than 6 km that his current body, even in a bad situation, could travel in just over 1 hour.

but to his surprise when trying to enter he did not need to remember what Gerd told him about going to the city or about meeting the guards, because they found him first and gave him a reality check.

"Whose is this little demon? If he doesn't have an owner, I'll open his throat so he doesn't annoy the merchants who have a business to attend to within the walls, what do you think, vermin? Do you agree that I make you a new mouth? If not get out of here, you scum!" the guard said with mockery and aggressive shouts.

Thorin was petrified by the treatment that no one had given him in his past life and after a few seconds his memories as Thorin told him that it was nothing new to be beaten by the guards, seeing his clothes they did not even wait to receive excuses to enter in the city, well those kids who looked just like him, used to be thieves, not only that but inside the walls, they already had their fair share of little thieves.

Thorin, recovering of the shock, ran out along the path of stones that was already a difference between the huts that surrounded the wall and the inner city.

"Haha, you'd better run, little devil! You don't know how much I want to crack the skulls of your kind" the guard laughed jokingly and his partner just shook his head, the others didn't pay any attention to him and continued to do their thing waiting to pay the entrance and going to what they were going to do inside the walls.

After running until he gasped, Thorin trembled with fear, and when he saw his surroundings he sighed with relief because he had run while carrying the coins, if any thug had seen him then he could leave saying goodbye to his money.

"This isn't earth, dammit! This isn't earth!" Thorin repeated to himself as he calmed down and caught his breath.

Just as he was going back to his hut, he saw how people with an appearance not very different from him gathered in a corner where the rows of huts were, people came and went with bags and baskets on their backs, many were accompanied and with a look of caution.

"I'd better hide my money, or better... I should buy something I need, I think... I already have an idea of ​​what my first pot of gold will be" Thorfin only hid the silver coin that he had already cleaned in the inside seam of his pants and went to where the others were gathered.

In this narrow street there were people with sacks selling their grain, both new and old, also some sold chickens, eggs, pork or some animal hunted in the forest that they sold as pork because it was forbidden to hunt in the forest, some tools for the field among many other things, he also found a merchant selling the yellowish salt that he had in his house.

"Excuse me, how much is it for the salt?" Thorin asked kindly, this was how he used to behave with strangers.

The skinny-looking man with wispy hair and sunken eyes looked at him for several seconds, and he spat on the ground with some displeasure.

"Quarter pound for a large copper coin, no haggling" The man paid no further attention to him and he seemed to have no real intention of selling his salt.

"I see, give me 2 pounds of salt" Thorin didn't say please as the guy didn't seem to want to interact with him more than necessary.

"Here" the man frowned and quickly dispatched 2 pounds of salt into a bag that Thorin was carrying.

Paying him the 8 copper coins, Thorin left the place without further interaction, since the guy did not seem friendly.

"Certainly he is not short of clients..." Thorin only commented on this dude in a whisper and went to the next negotiation.

.....

"The quality of this ax is assured by more than 100 lumberjacks, it is not only compact and light but also easy to use, for only 40 large copper coins and you can take it home. kid, in the future nobody will annoy you again when they look at you with this ax!" A plump merchant with a smile on his face presented him with the ax that he had in front of him.

"ugh, by compact you mean small and useless, by light it is porous pig iron, easy to use is because even a baby can carry it without much problem in his palm, I'll give you 15 Large bronze coins and the deal is done" Thorin said dryly and the merchant froze in a smile.

"little brother, I can't sell it to you when you don't offer me even half the value of this product, the most I can give you is 38 large bronze coins..."

"15 large bronze coins and one small bronze coin"

"hehe, and I reduce 2 large bronze coins and you only increase a small bronze? I don't know who taught you how to negotiate, my little friend, but you won't get far that way, 37 large bronze coins."

"That ax is nothing more than a toy for adults and if someone sees a child with it they will not let him go with just a slap on the hands, you are not going to sell that ax for more than 10 large copper coins, I give you 15 large and 2 small copper coins, let's close the deal." Thorin would not give up a step, not because he was from an era where haggling was a thing of the past that he would allow himself to be taken advantage of.

'damn pariah' the merchant thought to himself as he held his smile.

with it a series of bids where the merchant used his entire repertoire of arguments began.

.....

Thorin wiped the sweat from his brow and looked with satisfaction at the small ax, the chicken in front of him, plus 21 pounds of rye, 2 pounds of wheat, and finally 2 pounds of high sulfur salt.

"hehe, 21 large copper coins for the axe, 8 large copper coins for the salt, 7 large copper coins for the rye, 2 large copper coins for the wheat, and 16 large copper coins for the chicken with a total of 54 large copper coins, I just need the plan to work and Gerd to cooperate with me, or else I'll end up begging or stealing..." Thorin leaned his chin on his fists as he looked at his capital turned into food and an ax.

"a large copper coin is the same as 3 pounds of new rye or 1 pound of dry wheat, usually a farmer's family gets 3 gold coins or what is equivalent to 36 silver coins, 3 silver coins per month, or 45 big copper coins, that's what a peasant poor family of 5 survives on in this world, hehe, I spent the budget of a family of 5 in just 1 day, when I have my fortune, this won't even be what I spend for each breath. " Thorin closed his eyes and when he opened them his eyes filled with ambition, ambition for a better future.