Rufus stood before everyone and spoke up. "This island will become your next testing ground so here is the briefing for what will be expected of you. You will all have a short time of five days to remain on the island, you will gain no outside assistance and you will all receive the same amount of berries.
You must judge how you will use those berries and how you will interact with others on the island. The previous test was one where you had to make use of your fighting abilities and experiences along with coordinating with others.
This task is more about seeing how you can put to use what you have learned over the years and can adapt to a new environment. You will meet new people, face new challenges and will have to learn how to grasp the value of things.
This is the outside world where your status does not matter and where it will not be so easy for you. Here you will learn how to exchange berries as you have learned in your lessons and how to exchange them for other things. Nobody will interfere unless your lives are truly in danger but I want each of you to be on your best behaviour and not to go around breaking the laws of the island or using force when it is not required of you. Best of luck to all of you and you will be briefed on that later."
A couple of adult Minks walked out towards the groups and handed over a bag that was full of berries.
They exchanged things differently to the outside world but when they did leave Zou, they had to rely on berries.
The heirs had received teachings on berries and how they would be used to buy things in the outside world but they lacked the practical experience.
If they were the head of the family then it was an essential skill to be able to judge the value of things and to know how to use those berries.
Each of them were given the same amount and were not given a specific purpose for using it so they would be judged on how effectively they would choose to use it.
If they failed to pay attention during those lessons or had poor negotiating skills then they would purchase things above their price and could be cheated out of more than they should have spent on something.
They were in the outside world where there were many new things that would attract their attention and could lead them astray.
For some, they would burn through the berries given to them on useless things and to satisfy their desires.
For others, they would use the opportunity to learn more and experience the island.
There were many options available but it depended on each individuals choices and how they would adapt to the island.
The things they purchased, the things they experienced, the deals they made and the contacts they made during the time they were given and with the berries they used, would be judged to determine how each heir was fit for the role as family head.
The Meridian family head was in charge of the family matters around Zou and the business that branched out to some other islands where some Minks had settled down on other islands or where there was trade done with other merchants on the islands they passed by.
The person that was required to manage those things needed to be competent enough to keep those businesses and trading deals going or to improve upon the families operations.
They had to navigate through many kinds of people and situations where they needed to negotiate and secure deals for the family or for needed supplies for Zou but they needed to know how to face others that were either above or below them in terms of status.
The family head may not always be the one to negotiate and talk to others during certain trades and would leave them to others but it was still a requirement for them to be able to negotiate and communicate effectively during important deals and meetings they were required to attend.
Any family or group that had someone at the top would have their overall image and reliability judged by those around them and those they worked with based on the actions of those that held the most power.
If the leader was unreliable then the whole organisation or business would be judged as unreliable.
Pixel looked inside the small bag and examine the contents. 'The coins are worth one, five, ten, fifty, one hundred and five hundred berries. The papers are worth one thousand, five thousand and ten thousand berries. What has been given to each of the heirs is one hundred and fifty thousand berries.
That should be enough to buy three low quality swords for fifty thousand each or a log pose that would be one hundred thousand berries. Some cheaper ingredients can be purchased for one hundred and fifty berries while some restaurants full course meals can reach higher than ten thousand berries.
Some clothing, accessories or other items can range from a small fifty berry coin to forty thousand berries or more depending on the quality of them. I wonder what I should buy? It seems that the number of people joining me will affect how I spend my berries too."
The berries given out to each of the heirs was a set amount and there was no extra amount given for those that would be assisting or accompanying each of the heirs so they had to be even more careful with how they spent their berries so it would last them until their time on the island ended.
No extra berries would be given and they could not use force to obtain more so they had to spend it wisely or find a way to make more if they had run low on those funds.
They needed to learn the value of berries and how much they had been given by the family at that time so they could use it wisely.
One poorer person living on a small island or village would have a difficult time saving up one hundred thousand berries of lifesavings and each of the heirs were given more than that to use within the days they would be on the island.
The ship had slowly made its way to the port and docked there while the heirs were given a little more instruction on how they should behave once they step foot on the island.
If they broke the rules and caused problems then they would be forcefully removed and if they encountered a situation that they could not handle then they would be saved but their test would be over once there was any intervention and there would be other heirs that would still be participating during the whole duration.