Utopia

"What?"

"Your Majesty, the trade with the dark elves is probably going to come to a temporary end. The town has been destroyed by a short and thin dwarf creature, and the port in the town is also abandoned."

"Can it be rebuilt quickly?"

"Your Majesty, even if it is rebuilt, we are worried that the dark elf traders will not come back, and we are more worried that Duke Morat will send troops to seize the port. Based on the current situation, we suggest... build it yourself."

"Build it yourself?"

The little emperor Lugman was stunned. Without the port town for trading with the dark elves, the number of his individual weapons and equipment is still limited. If something happens, won't he wait to be destroyed by Morat who has come to his senses?

However, building it yourself, that is, making it yourself, is another big trouble. He and the church currently only know that the dark elves forged swords one after another with iron, as for how to forge them in large quantities...

Sorry, the scholars of the church have no clue at all.

If he can forge an iron long sword himself, does he still need to spend a lot of money to buy the dark elves' knives and crossbows?

You know, he has always repeatedly ordered his subordinates to clean up the battlefield carefully, and any weapons containing dark elf iron must not be left behind.

Even if it is a fragment, he asked the blacksmiths below to try to re-smelt it. Even if it can only be used as an arrowhead, he hopes to make the best use of it.

After all, he has realized that his finances have become increasingly tight in recent times. A large amount of copper has been lost in the form of copper coins or daggers, and even the two important precious metals of gold and silver have been lost significantly.

Although he knows that this is the result of the war; but he really hopes that there is a way to prevent such things from happening again.

"Lord Golson."

"Yes."

"Is there any way to reduce our financial losses?"

"Uh..."

Not to mention the little emperor Lugman, now because of the connection with various forces, Viscount Golson, who has made contributions to the joint fight against Duke Morat, has temporarily become a prime minister-like figure, which is even more troublesome.

If gold, silver and copper cannot be used as currency, then... then they must be replaced by something else. But what can make people believe in the value of their currency better than gold, silver and copper these days?

He couldn't just take out a bunch of leaves and tell other people and nobles that this was currency, right?

If he told this to others, the people and a large number of nobles would have to thank the omniscient and omnipotent God for not hanging him up and beating him up. If he didn't do it well, he might be dragged out and chopped into pieces.

However, with the riots and wars everywhere in the Kahn Empire, the loss of a large amount of gold, silver and copper resources is also a fatal thing. What's more, the Kahn Empire doesn't know the details of the dark elves. If they really want to fight, the dark elves will probably destroy the Kahn Empire directly.

However, he also found that the dark elves actually don't like to make a big move and gather a large army to attack. Compared to fighting, the dark elf merchants are running around everywhere. Basically, people in the eight countries that split from the Kahn Empire have contact with these merchants.

Although the dark elves' products are expensive, very expensive, very expensive, and extremely expensive, people who have used them basically don't have any complaints. Just like the soldiers below, anyone who has a sword or crossbow sold by the dark elves will be envied by his colleagues and even attacked secretly.

After all, having good weapons and equipment means that he can live one more day on the battlefield.

"No way?"

"Your Majesty. I have thought of using shells or leaves as a substitute. But these two things will definitely not be accepted by the outside world, and may even cause more serious unrest in the outside world."

"These two things are not practical, how can the people outside accept them? Well... but practical... salt."

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"Salt?"

"Because everyone needs salt, but everyone doesn't use it often."

Although Emperor Lugman didn't know much about professional knowledge such as economic theory and currency issuance, he had to say that his idea was not bad. In places he didn't know, there were indeed people who used salt to pay salaries, and even used it to buy slaves in the market.

"But won't salt be damaged by moisture?"

"Of course it will, so no one would be so stupid as to hoard a large amount of salt at home. This is a trick that some poor lords who can't afford metal currency in the human kingdoms in the West of the Old World came up with. In my opinion, I admire it very much. However, there are many human city-states in the West of the Old World, and there are relatively few territories with salt fields, which are even places that are prone to war. Being able to control the territory that can dry salt for a long time is actually a test of the lord's own military defense."

As Beth said, Sogen nodded gently after reporting work matters to everyone in Marle City in the morning.

"Where does our salt come from?"

"Of course, it comes from the area on the north bank of the White Silver River. There are salt lakes on some high mountains, so with the salt fields on the east coast, we don't have to worry too much about the salt problem. Sogen, do you remember our hometown, the United Kingdom of Eri? There are no salt fields on the east coast of the peninsula where Eri is located, only on the west coast."

"Because of the high temperature and little rainfall, the evaporation is strong, and the areas with coastal sandy plains are suitable for building salt fields?"

"In fact, a sunny day is enough. The most feared thing about salt drying is continuous rain."

"I understand."

"After reporting the work, you won't leave so soon, right? Take me to the hospital, I need to check."

"Okay."

Sogen certainly knew how much resentment Beth had. After all, he was usually busy with political affairs, and he would hug Beth to sleep in his spare time. As a secretary, personal bodyguard and confidential intelligence officer, Beth gradually gave up some things to enjoy the nightlife. So Sogen, who had injected the seeds of life into Beth's belly, could only lower his head and take Beth to check.

In fact, it was not just him. Male officials in other towns, except for Knight who deliberately found a secretary of the same sex (Knight was the chief of the militia, and his job responsibilities were not easy for ordinary women to cooperate with, and it was best for male veterans from the army to serve as Knight's secretary), basically asked their wives to be personal secretaries. As a result, the secretary's belly became more and more bulging. Not only did everyone know this, but the male officials were stared at even worse by their female colleagues.

In the Kingdom of Negan, it was not easy for a man to be an official. Especially when his biggest boss, the prime minister, was a woman...