Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Next month, I'm planning to return to the Northwest Bay," Paul said as he struggled with his steak, using a knife and fork, while speaking to Catherine and the others.
He was dining with his fiancée. Since their engagement was made public, they had spent more time together, sometimes dining together, sometimes going for walks—just trying to build their relationship.
Gradually, they had become more familiar with each other, no longer as awkward as when they first met, though there was still a thin layer of distance between them.
"Next month? That's so soon," Catherine looked up, surprised.
"Really? Paul, I'll go back with you," Eileen said excitedly. She actually missed the days in the Northwest Bay, where there were no unnecessary formalities and annoying social obligations as in Crystal Glare.
"Absurd!" Catherine gave her sister a reproachful look.
"What's wrong, sis?" Eileen pouted, "Why don't you come too?"
Catherine glanced at Paul and saw a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"I... still have some things to handle here in Crystal Glare," she said.
"What things?" Eileen asked, slightly dissatisfied. She wasn't clueless. Didn't that guy Gerd want to marry her off to the Northwest Bay precisely to keep her from meddling?
"Something to do with the military," Catherine said quietly.
"Heaven above!" Eileen placed her hand on her forehead and sighed, "You're still involved with these matters? Doesn't our king mind?"
"Ahem!" Catherine's expression became serious. "As long as our king hasn't made any new arrangements, I must continue my previous work."
Paul nodded in approval. "In the position, one must manage the affairs. Very good!"
Catherine gave her fiancé a glance. Paul always knew how to summarize things succinctly, hitting the mark. Every time he spoke like this, his impression of him in her mind grew.
"Giles is gathering strength, and we can't fall behind. The establishment of the factory has greatly improved our finances, so the long-delayed military formation plan should be implemented soon."
At this point, Catherine sighed in frustration, "But what we can accomplish now is still far from the target we envisioned."
"The king's idea is to invest most of the resources into the construction of the special economic zone, and only a small portion can be allocated to the military..." Paul wiped his mouth with a napkin. "In the end, it's still a matter of money."
Catherine nodded. "Yes."
Seeing his fiancée looking troubled, Paul said, "I actually have some preliminary ideas regarding this issue!"
Catherine looked at him. "Tell me about them?"
Paul smiled. "I haven't thought it through thoroughly yet, and it might not be feasible in the end."
Catherine said, "It's fine. Maybe those immature ideas will lead to mature ones?"
"Alright," Paul nodded. "Then I'll share. Catherine, Eileen, first I want to ask a question—what do you think is the essence of money?"
"The essence of money?" Both princesses exchanged confused glances. It was a strange question.
Eileen answered, "Money is just money!"
"Then let me ask you, why do people like money so much? In our world, money is just metal. Sure, the metals—gold, silver, copper—are rare, but can they be used to fill your stomach or keep you warm?"
Eileen responded, "But these metals can be exchanged for food and clothing, which satisfy your needs."
"Correct!" Paul clapped his hands in appreciation. "Eileen, you've touched on the essence of the matter."
"So, what truly satisfies our survival needs isn't the money itself, but the goods we can exchange it for."
Eileen and Catherine nodded in agreement.
Paul concluded, "Therefore, money is a kind of credit. What's this credit? I take a small piece of metal from you and exchange it for what I need, and I guarantee that you can take this metal to someone else and exchange it for what you need. Money is the proof of this credit. Our entire human civilization backs this proof and artificially gives it value."
At this point, Catherine felt a bit puzzled. Although Paul's words were new and fresh, touching on knowledge she hadn't encountered before, he seemed to be getting off-topic. Wasn't the discussion supposed to be about the military formation?
But she also vaguely sensed that Paul was laying the groundwork for what he had called his "immature ideas." It just seemed that this foundation was a bit long.
She decided to keep listening, as what Paul was saying was still quite interesting.
Paul then asked, "So now, let me ask both of you, as a credit guarantee, is it better for money to be more or less in this world?"
"What's the doubt? Of course, more is better!" Eileen answered first, excited. "The kingdom's government is struggling because it lacks money, right? More money means more things can be done, like recruiting more soldiers for the military, or building more weapons."
"Yes," Paul nodded. "For individuals, more money is naturally better. But what I'm asking is, for the whole world, for all of human society, does more money really mean better?"
Catherine slowly shook her head. After Paul's "education," she had a vague, abstract understanding in her mind, though she wasn't sure how to articulate it.
Paul asked, "Should we assume that within a limited scope, the total material wealth in society—what we rely on for survival, like food and clothing—should be in a dynamic balance with the amount of money circulating in society?"
Eileen asked, "Balance? What does that mean?"
Seeing the curious look on the little princess's face, Paul enjoyed it immensely. He liked the feeling of teaching others, even though his understanding of economics was only superficial.
Looking at Catherine, this proud princess seemed to regard him with a hint of admiration, maybe even... worship?
Paul felt secretly pleased.
"Let's set up a simple model. Let's say the material wealth of human society is ten loaves of bread, and there are only ten gold coins in society. At this point, one loaf of bread corresponds to one gold coin."
"But one day, the Lord of Light suddenly manifests, and the number of gold coins in human society doubles to twenty. Now, how many gold coins does one loaf of bread correspond to?"
Eileen rolled her eyes. "Naturally, two gold coins. Hmph, even a child knows how to calculate that."
"So, originally, one gold coin could buy one loaf of bread, but now you need two gold coins to buy one loaf."
"Uh... seems like that's the case. The money... isn't worth much anymore."
(End of the Chapter)
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