Chương 8: The Kingdom's Currency

Aldric remained standing outside the police station, the one-euro coin resting in the palm of his hand. It looked almost insignificant. Its surface was made of two metals: a golden center surrounded by a silver-colored ring. One side bore a number engraved beside several lines forming a map. The other displayed a tree whose branches stretched across a hexagon. The coin was lighter than the smallest copper coins used in the villages of Asteria.

Even a child could have carried a hundred of them in a pouch without noticing the weight. Yet the System had immediately recognized it as legal currency and increased the progress of his quest. He turned it over between his fingers. The metal contained no trace of mana. No rune protected its surface against counterfeiting. No royal seal identified the authority that had issued it. There was no portrait of a king, queen, or hero. Only the tree seemed to represent some kind of political or religious symbol.

Aldric raised the coin closer to his eyes and studied the intricate branches. The roots were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it meant that the kingdom saw itself as a great tree, with its people as the leaves and its lands as the branches. △ LEGAL CURRENCY ACQUIRED △ 1 EUR Current Funds: 1 EUR Quest Progress: 0. 33% He read the numbers again. If a single coin represented 0. 33% of the objective, then the quest required roughly three hundred euros. Aldric calculated the value in his head.

In his world, three hundred copper coins would have allowed a poor family to buy bread, vegetables, and a few pieces of meat for several weeks. Three hundred silver coins equaled a soldier's yearly pay. Three hundred gold coins were enough to equip a small company. This coin, however, resembled neither gold nor silver. Its weight and color suggested a mixture of copper and some common metal. It had to be the kingdom's lowest denomination of currency. Aldric closed his fingers around the euro.

The police officer had handed it to him without a second thought, the way someone might give a copper coin to a child or a beggar. It confirmed his estimate. The coin's value had to be modest, but enough to make a first purchase. Perhaps he could buy some bread, a piece of fruit, or a little water. He slipped the coin into a pocket separate from his coin pouch. Mixing France's legal currency with the crowns of Asteria would only create confusion.

He adjusted the scabbard at his hip, checked the papers Claire had given him, and stepped back into the street. The rain had washed the sidewalks clean. Droplets still clung to balconies and window ledges, falling from time to time onto passing pedestrians. The air was cooler than it had been that morning, carrying the scent of wet stone and fuel. Vehicles rolled along the road, their tires spraying fine splashes of water. Aldric waited until the green figure appeared on the signal before crossing.

The rules were beginning to feel familiar. Red meant wait. Green meant go. Orange warned that the signal was about to change. On the opposite sidewalk, a small shop occupied the corner of a building. Colorful drinks, packaged food, and stacks of newspapers were displayed behind the window. A sign announced that it remained open until late at night. Aldric approached. Inside, a man sat behind the counter looking at his phone. The shelves were lined with products sealed inside boxes, bags, and transparent bottles.

Aldric pushed open the door. A sharp chime sounded overhead. The shopkeeper looked up and glanced over his armor.

"Hello," the man said.

"Greetings." The man said nothing else. He simply watched Aldric as he walked through the aisles. Prices were displayed beneath every product. Some bottles cost one euro, others two or three. Filled sandwiches and rolls often cost more than five euros. A packet of dried meat was nearly four euros, while a small container of sliced fruit cost even more. Aldric slowed his pace. He picked up an apple and turned it over in his fingers. The label showed a price based on its weight. He put it back.

With only a single coin, he probably couldn't afford it. He moved to the bread, but none of the loaves cost less than one euro fifty. Even the small pastries were beyond his means. He looked down at the coin in his hand. In his world, a single copper coin could buy a loaf of dark bread in a village. Two coins were enough for a bowl of soup. A child sent to the market with five coppers could return with enough food to feed a family for a day, provided they chose the cheapest goods.

Here, his coin wasn't even enough for a single loaf. Aldric returned to the bottles of water. Some bore images of mountains, others symbols of springs or leaves. The prices varied depending on the size and the brand. The cheapest one cost ninety cents. He picked it up. The bottle was light, made from the same flexible material Michel's bottle had been. The water inside looked clear. No sediment. No suspicious discoloration. Aldric loosened the cap slightly and brought the opening to his nose.

"You have to pay before you open it," the shopkeeper called. Aldric immediately screwed the cap back on.

"I was making sure it wasn't poisoned." The man stared at him for several seconds.

"It's water."

"Water can contain many invisible poisons."

"Not this one."

"How can you be certain?"

"Because it comes from a factory." Aldric did not know the word, but the shopkeeper's tone made it clear that he considered the question absurd. Aldric carried the bottle to the counter and placed his euro on it. The man scanned the code printed on the label. A red light swept across the bottle, followed by a short beep.

"Ninety cents."

"It is enough?"

"Yes." The shopkeeper took the coin and opened a metal compartment. Dozens of coins were arranged inside by size and color. He dropped the euro into one section, then took out two small copper-colored coins. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Ten cents."

"You are giving me money back?"

"Yes."

"But I only gave you a single coin."

"The bottle costs less than one euro." Aldric took the two coins. They were smaller, lighter, and made of a reddish metal.

"Two coins make up ten cents?"

"Two five-cent coins."

"So one hundred cents make one euro."

"Exactly." Aldric nodded slowly. The system resembled the imperial currency of his world, where one hundred copper coins equaled a single silver coin. Here, however, the name did not truly change. Cents remained tied to the euro rather than becoming a different metal's currency. He slipped the two coins into his pocket.

"Thank you."

"Have a good day." Aldric left the shop. As soon as he stepped outside, he unscrewed the cap. He raised the bottle to his lips and drank. The water was cool. There was no taste of earth, metal, or herbs to taint its purity. It flowed down his throat, soothing the dryness that had lingered since the battle. Aldric drank nearly half the bottle before stopping to catch his breath. He studied the container. In his world, water this pure required either a protected spring or the aid of a mage.

Cities had wells, but their water often turned cloudy after heavy rain. Soldiers boiled their supplies and added herbs to mask the taste. Here, a merchant sold pure water in a lightweight bottle for less than a single coin. △ CURRENCY IDENTIFIED △ Euro Primary Legal Currency Region: France Basic Conversion: 1 EUR = 100 Cents △ SKILL UNLOCKED △ Money Knowledge Lv. 1 Current Effects • Recognize Common Euro Coins • Recognize Common Euro Banknotes • Basic Price Comparison Aldric studied the text with satisfaction.

A skill. The first one he had acquired since arriving in Paris. He closed the window and took out the two five-cent coins. This time, the System quietly added their value to the corner of his vision. Current Funds: 0. 10 EUR The system was becoming clearer. The coin Bernard had given him represented the primary unit of currency. The smaller coins were used to make up exact prices. Paper notes probably represented larger values, much like the letters of credit used by Asteria's merchant guilds.

Aldric resumed walking, the bottle in his hand. He studied every price he passed. Thanks to the skill, certain comparisons came almost instinctively. A cup of coffee costing three euros was worth thirty times his current wealth. A single night in a hotel for eighty euros was worth eight hundred times everything he possessed. A fifty-euro piece of clothing would require five hundred five-cent coins. His enthusiasm faded. Three hundred euros, the goal of his quest, was not an enormous amount of money in this city.

It might pay for a few nights in a modest room, several meals, or a change of clothes. Yet to him, the amount felt impossibly out of reach. The baker had refused his gold. The antique dealer had dismissed his sword as a replica. No employer knew his name or his accomplishments. He stopped in front of a restaurant window. A meat dish with vegetables cost twenty-four euros. A simple bowl of soup cost nine. Aldric did the math. His one-euro coin would have paid for only a small part of the meal.

Not even a child could feed themselves with that amount. He thought back to Michel. The man had shared his biscuits as though they were a precious reserve. He knew where to find water, where to sleep, and how to get inexpensive meals. Aldric had assumed he lived that way because he had lost his clan or refused a lord's protection. Now he understood that the city demanded money for even the most basic necessities. He raised the bottle to his lips once more and took a drink.

In his world, a single copper coin could feed a child. Here, one euro bought nothing more than water sealed inside a bottle. Something about this economy did not make sense. Aldric walked away from the restaurant. He passed several shops where the prices reached into the hundreds or even thousands of euros. A jacket cost more than the objective of his quest. A wristwatch was worth several years of an Asterian soldier's wages.

Yet people walked in, made their purchases, and came back out carrying bags as though such prices were perfectly ordinary. The kingdom was either unimaginably wealthy, or its currency was worth far less than the coins of his own world. Perhaps workers earned thousands of euros every month. If so, the quest's objective of three hundred euros was modest, but Aldric still had no idea how to earn his first paycheck. He took out the papers Claire had given him. They were covered with addresses and opening hours.

Thanks to Money Knowledge, the System recognized some of the words, but most referred to social service centers, overnight shelters, and food distribution sites. None of them offered quests or employment. Aldric folded the papers and put them away. The sun was already sinking behind the buildings. Time seemed to pass more quickly in this city. He needed to find somewhere to spend the night before the parks closed or the temperature dropped.

He could return to Michel, but the man had lent him a blanket and shared his knowledge. Aldric did not want to depend on him on only his second day. He followed a narrower street where the buildings looked less affluent. The shops were smaller, some protected by metal shutters. A glowing sign depicted a bed with two stars above it. A hotel. The building was far from luxurious. Paint peeled around the windows, and a small step led up to a glass door. Behind it, a man sat at the reception desk.

Several keys hung from a board, each marked with a number. Aldric walked over to the sign posted beside the entrance. A single room cost forty-five euros. The amount was far beyond his ten cents, but it was almost half the price of the hotels he had seen the day before. He studied the interior. A dark red carpet covered the floor. A lamp illuminated the reception desk, and a staircase led to the upper floors. The place resembled the inns of his own world far more than the large hotels he had visited after arriving.

Aldric hesitated, then pushed open the door. A small bell chimed. The receptionist looked up. He was a thin man with black hair slicked back.

"Good evening," he said.

"Greetings."

"Can I help you with something?"

"I seek shelter for the night." The receptionist glanced at the street behind Aldric, as though expecting a film crew to appear.

"A room?"

"Yes."

"Just you?"

"Yes." The man looked at the screen in front of him.

"I've got one room left on the second floor. Forty-five euros." Aldric tightened his grip on the bottle.

"I do not possess that amount."

"Do you have a bank card?"

"No."

"Any cash?" Aldric took out the two five-cent coins and placed them on the counter.

"Ten cents."

"That's right."

"The room costs forty-five euros."

"I understand." Silence settled between them. The man looked at the coins, then at Aldric's exhausted face. His gaze drifted over the black bloodstains, the torn clothing, and the wound visible near his neck.

"Did you sleep outside?" he asked.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"One night."

"And you really don't have anything else?" Aldric set his coin pouch on the counter and removed a gold coin.

"I have this, but merchants refuse to accept it." The receptionist took the coin. He turned it beneath the light, scraped its edge lightly with his fingernail, then held the metal up close to his face.

"It's heavy."

"It's made of gold."

"Real gold?"

"Yes." The man looked at Aldric once more.

"You want to pay with this?"

"If you're willing to give me the difference in euros."

"I can't put this in my register."

"I understand." Aldric took back the coin. He gathered up his ten cents, then turned toward the door.

"Wait," the receptionist called. Aldric turned back. The man looked at his screen, then at the rack of keys. His fingers tapped lightly against the counter.

"I have a small room on the top floor. It hasn't been renovated yet, and the heating barely works. I could let you have it for twenty euros."

"I only have ten cents."

"I know." The receptionist sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Are you really planning to sleep outside again?"

"If necessary."

"In that armor?"

"I have endured far worse conditions." The man studied him for a moment, then took a key from the rack.

"I might have a proposition for you." Aldric stepped closer to the counter.

"What kind of proposition?" The receptionist placed the key in front of him.

"A room for tonight. In exchange, you help me with something."