CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 226: ISSUING GRAIN TICKETS_1

The traveling merchants believed what Eden said. Eden himself served as an excellent example.

Alchemical goods produced by the Eternal Domain were currently being pursued fervently by the nobility in Nuta City as luxuries.

Eden had the dumb luck to latch onto Old Master Yan Xing’s coattails, and just being an agent for a plastic wine barrel had catapulted him from an ordinary merchant to the ranks of the famous.

At that time, which noble family in Nuta City didn’t have a wine barrel from the Eternal Domain?

Such beautiful drinkware, placed in the most prominent spot in the main hall and filled with red wine, truly looked as captivating as a gemstone under the sunlight.

Having gained both fame and profit, Eden was seen as immensely wealthy and prestigious in the eyes of ordinary traveling merchants.

And all this was indeed like grains of gold that had merely slipped through Old Master Yan Xing’s fingers.

The traveling merchants, smelling the scent of Gold Coins, immediately surrounded Eden, eager to pry some news about Old Master Yan Xing from him.

At this moment, the Werewolf Warriors all howled in unison, and a guard shouted loudly, "Old Master Yan Xing has arrived!"

Just like students hearing their teacher approach, the traveling merchants all scurried back to their seats in a panic, each one sitting up straight with their chest out.

If I could leave a good impression on Old Master Yan Xing this time, I would be the next Eden.

Yan Xing, who had just arrived, went straight to the podium.

While testing the microphone, Eden stepped forward and handed over a list, saying, "My Lord, this is the guest list of traveling merchants I’ve invited on your behalf. Almost all the traveling merchants currently in Nuta City are here; they’re all very grateful for your invitation to such a high-profile banquet."

"You’ve worked hard," Yan Xing said, taking the list.

Eden hastily replied, "It’s my honor to work for you, My Lord."

"Take your seat. We’re about to start the meeting. We mustn’t keep the guests at the front waiting too long."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Eden retreated below the stage and sat down in his place.

All the traveling merchants were looking at Yan Xing, waiting for the Old Master to clear the doubts in their hearts.

Yan Xing glanced at the list and then at the people in the meeting hall.

More than two hundred traveling merchants with diverse appearances were seated in the specially arranged meeting hall.

Ordinarily, Nuta City did not have so many traveling merchants in residence.

It was all because of the war raging in the Wildwind Highlands. Storm City had blocked the passage between the highlands and the ducal mainland, so the traveling merchants who couldn’t continue their journeys all fled to Nuta City.

Without this special event, Yan Xing wouldn’t have been able to gather so many traveling merchants on such short notice.

Yan Xing had gathered these traveling merchants, using the opportunity of the embassy’s opening banquet, with the primary aim of promoting the issuance of the Eternal Domain’s Grain Tickets.

The Eternal Domain’s Grain Tickets were now backed by the grain stored in the Eternal Commerce Guild’s warehouse.

Once grain merchants exchanged all their grain for Grain Tickets from the Eternal Domain, it would signify that the leading figures in the industry recognized the Grain Tickets as a general medium of exchange.

At the grassroots level in Nuta City, workers of the Eternal Domain had already started using the distributed grain as currency for transactions.

Under the cloud of war, merchants in the marketplace were quite willing to accept grain from the Eternal Domain.

There was enough grain available for exchange. The Grain Tickets had the backing of authorities in the grain trade. And transactions at the grassroots level showed acceptance of grain from the Eternal Domain.

The opportunity for Yan Xing to issue Grain Tickets had matured. The final missing link was their circulation.

For Grain Tickets to be truly effective, they needed to circulate throughout the entire commercial system. This would prompt grassroots merchants to willingly accept the Grain Tickets distributed to workers by the Eternal Domain. Furthermore, grain merchants would then also be willing to use Grain Tickets directly for other transactions.

As long as this circulation could be established, the Grain Tickets of the Eternal Domain would officially become currency within the normal trade cycle.

How to get Grain Tickets circulating depended on these traveling merchants.

Yan Xing had specifically inquired with Eden about the work of traveling merchants.

Their main function was to connect commodity producers with city traders, transporting goods from one city to another.

Although traveling merchants also engaged in retail, this was limited to their time purchasing goods in a city. They would sell their transported goods to small traders as quickly as possible and then procure a new batch of goods for the next city.

Therefore, the cash flow in the hands of these traveling merchants was very large.

This time, Yan Xing summoned the traveling merchants for a meeting, aiming to establish this vital connection.

After looking over the list, Yan Xing waved his hand. Attendants brought over a box filled with Grain Tickets and began distributing them to the traveling merchants.

"I am meeting most of you here for the first time, and I appreciate everyone coming to attend the opening banquet of the Thunderous Swamp embassy in Nuta City. I have prepared a gift for everyone; please accept it with a smile."

All the traveling merchants were very happy. Old Master Yan Xing was indeed generous and benevolent, giving gifts upon their first meeting!

However, once the traveling merchants received their so-called gifts, they were all very puzzled. How could it just be a few pieces of paper?

The papers were printed with the words "1 Jin," "5 Jin," "10 Jin," "20 Jin," "50 Jin," and "100 Jin."

Papers of different Jin values varied in size and pattern, but all uniformly bore the inscription "Eternal Food Investment Bank Exclusive Grain Ticket."

Although these papers looked extremely exquisite, and who knew what technology was used to print the embossed patterns on them, what kind of gift was this?

The traveling merchants looked at each other, holding the few pieces of "paper" they had received, wondering what Old Master Yan Xing intended by giving them this...

Even Eden was greatly puzzled.

After all the traveling merchants had received their Grain Tickets, Yan Xing said, "Starting tomorrow, my grain business will be spun off from the Eternal Commerce Guild and handed over to the newly established Eternal Food Investment Bank for operation.

"The wages the Eternal Commerce Guild pays its workers will no longer be issued in physical goods, but in the form of the Grain Tickets you now hold.

"With these Grain Tickets, you can collect the corresponding weight of fine grain at any branch of the Eternal Food Investment Bank."

Oh...

The assembled traveling merchants suddenly came to a realization.

Important figures certainly had unique ways. Giving out actual grain at such an elegant banquet would have been unbecoming of their status. Giving out a few Grain Tickets was better. Old Master Yan Xing kept his dignity, and we received a tangible benefit.

In Nuta City nowadays, the grain from the Eternal Commerce Guild is considered a fine product! We should hurry and check how much grain Old Master Yan Xing has given us!

The traveling merchants started counting the Grain Tickets in their hands—a total of two hundred Jin.

The residents of Nuta City now knew that the Eternal Commerce Guild’s grain was measured in Jin, with two Jin equaling one kilogram.

If everyone here received two hundred Jin of grain from the Eternal Domain... My goodness! That’s over twenty thousand Jin! In Nuta City, only Old Master Yan Xing could make such a grand gesture, giving out twenty thousand Jin of grain without even batting an eye!

Eden immediately took the lead, standing up to salute Yan Xing. "Thank you, Old Master Yan Xing, for the generous reward! Old Master Yan Xing, you are generous and benevolent!"

The other traveling merchants also stood up to salute Yan Xing, shouting in unison, "Old Master Yan Xing, generous and benevolent!"

Over two hundred people paying tribute together was an impressive sight.