Chapter 60.2

“Alright then. Why have you come to see me? How did you know I’d be here?”

His fingers inched toward his hidden bell, ready to summon every guard in the building.

Even if he summoned every employee in the branch, Entir wasn’t confident they could defeat the three men standing before him.

“Word is, your life hasn’t been easy lately with your wife and kids, Lord Entir.”

The one who broke the silence was the oldest of the three Northerners.

A man with a rugged, weathered face, like an adventurer who had seen countless battles.

“…How do you know that?”

Entir’s face hardened in an instant. The playful smirk on his lips was gone, replaced by a stiff, straight line.

“How do you know about my situation?”

He wasn’t shocked that they knew his identity.

He was shocked that they knew this much about his personal life.

This was a secret that only he, his wife, and a small number of people in the Imperial Family knew.

“We have eyes and ears everywhere, Lord Entir. And the blessing of the Eternal Flame has been with us.”

“The Frost Knights’ intelligence is sharper than I imagined.”

The old adventurer spoke calmly, then suddenly ripped off the pendant hanging around his neck.

It was the pendant of the Imperial Church, a symbol of devotion. But it had served its purpose.

“If you want to have an honest conversation, you should look at the situation, not the person.”

“Not a bad line. Who said it?”

“Some smart young man from the North, I think.”

“Promising youth, then.”

“Indeed. So, in that spirit, let me show you something.”

The old adventurer drew a dagger from his waist.

For the first time, Entir flinched.

There was no one here to take that dagger for him.

All his guards were unconscious or outside the room.

“Watch carefully.”

Hummmmm—

The old man’s dagger began to glow with an intense aura.

The sharp, deep-blue energy was so vivid that it seemed like the very air around it was freezing solid.

The temperature in the room dropped.

The air became so sharp it felt like it would cut his skin.

It was the exact opposite of the suffocating, fiery aura that his wife, Elisha von Havana, emanated.

“A Swordmaster…?”

A Northern man.

A Swordmaster.

A cold, cutting aura.

And an old man.

There was only one person who fit this description.

“The Frostblade of the North…? Balzac?!”

“Shh.”

The old man put a finger to his lips.

“Why… why would someone like you…?”

Even for imperial nobles who looked down on Northerners, there was one group of people they acknowledged.

The Northern Knights.

Even Imperial nobles respected the strength of Northern knights.

And Balzac, a Swordmaster known as the “Frostblade,” stood at the pinnacle of all Northern knights.

He was a living legend.

“Do you think we can finally have an honest conversation now?”

“!!”

Entir’s eyes widened with shock, but something else emerged from within them.

A glint of desire and joy.

***

Let’s step away from this intense scene for a moment to discuss something else.

If we were to convert the currency of this world (gold, silver, copper) into modern Korean won (KRW), things might look like this:

1 Copper Coin (쿠퍼) = 10,000 KRW (~$7.50 USD)

1 Silver Coin (은화, 100 Copper) = 1,000,000 KRW (~$750 USD)

1 Gold Coin (금화, 20 Silver) = 20,000,000 KRW (~$15,000 USD)

This conversion system applies to the current era in the North and is roughly modeled after the financial logic of a game called “Age of Silver 2” set 100 years ago.

If you wanted to trade something cheaper than 1 copper coin, you would resort to bartering or cutting up copper coins.

Of course, this comparison is somewhat forced and not an exact science.

However, as the world advances, alchemy and metallurgy improve, and coins become more common. By the era of “Age of Silver 1”, which is set 100 years later, the value of currency drops significantly.

In that future world, 1 copper coin is only worth about 1,000 KRW (~$0.75 USD).

Due to inflation, magic-infused paper money also starts to circulate.

For now, though, the North follows the old system, where a bowl of stew costs 1 copper — similar to a bowl of Korean gukbap priced at 10,000 KRW.

On the surface, it may seem like the North’s economy is poor, especially since low-tier adventurers only earn 3 to 5 copper coins per day.

But if you consider that this is a harsh, frozen wasteland constantly under threat, you’d realize it’s actually a miracle the economy is as stable as it is.

Maintaining this kind of economy in such a hostile environment is no small feat.

There are countries on Earth today where a full day’s wages only get you a single can of soda.

Yet, the North manages to operate an economy that feeds, houses, and supports its people.

***

Arad’s Industrial Complex

“Is it payday today?”

“Yes, sir.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This stable economy is one of the reasons Renslet was able to run such a smooth and efficient business.

“Did you prepare the silver and copper coins? Last time, there was a big fuss because we had gold but not enough silver.”

“Of course. Thanks to the revenue from the recent sale of porcelain, we have more than enough silver coins this time.”

“Let’s go, then. If not on payday, when else will the entire staff see my face?”

“Haha! I’ll lead the way, sir.”

With Manager Teo leading him, Arad moved toward the warehouse of the industrial complex.

The warehouse held large sums of gold and silver coins, and its security was top-notch.

Knights and soldiers patrolled the perimeter, while the warehouse itself was protected by security magic and enchantments.

“Are you here, sir?”

“Yes. Is everything ready, Mary?”

Right in front of the warehouse’s entrance, Mary was waiting alongside the other employees.

“Yes, we just finished calculating the performance bonuses.”

“Cutting it close, huh?”

“If it weren’t for these new ‘abacus’ devices, we might not have made it.”

“Good. Let’s begin.”

“Understood!”

Mary handed Arad the finalized payroll documents.

“Sir Jin? Should I open the warehouse now?”

“Go ahead.”

“Girls, open the door!”

In addition to the employees, several witches stood near the warehouse entrance.

They chanted as they unlocked the magic seals and enchantments.

[Open Sesame! Gold, appear! Abracadabra!]

The enchantments on the warehouse began to dissolve.

While waiting for the seals to fully release, Te decided to fill the silence.

“Weekly payments… At first, I thought it was strange, but it’s grown on me. Feels pretty good.”

“It’s good for the workers too. Feels like they’re getting a big paycheck every week. Actually, Teo, you were a knight, weren’t you? Shouldn’t this feel familiar?”

“Uhh… No, sir. I was actually talking about how much better it is to get paid weekly rather than monthly.”

“Ah, I see. So it was the opposite of what I thought.”

“Indeed, sir.”

Teo chuckled.

But Arad’s gaze shifted toward the warehouse, where the sound of locks being undone echoed.

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