Chapter 1121: Welcome to Alaska (7)

Alaska—the holy land of the Gold Rush!

The Moonlight members and we all laughed together as we swirled our gold pans.

"Hyung, how do you do this?"

"Just do what they taught us."

I demonstrated the gold-panning technique we'd learned in Alaska's old Gold Rush town.

Gently shake the pan filled with sand.

"Like this. Nice and easy. Since gold is heavy, if you keep shaking it, all the sand gets washed away and only the gold is left."

"I see."

"...Though it isn't really working."

Gold was supposed to be the heaviest thing in the pan, the last thing left behind. Instead, it kept washing away halfway through.

Unsure, I looked over at one of the camera directors nearby.

"Director."

"Hm?"

"This is gold, right?"

"Hang on."

He picked up some of the glittering flakes and examined them.

"Looks like gold to me."

"Really?"

Several of the directors, veterans of life who'd even bought gold rings for first-birthday celebrations, confirmed it was gold. Moonlight's Hunter—whose family had run a pawnshop for three generations—confirmed it too. It certainly seemed to be the real thing.

I began humming.

O my darling, O my darling

O my darling, Clementine

"Clementine."

It was a folk song said to have been sung by prospectors heading west during the Gold Rush, and one that plenty of Koreans knew as well.

As the Moonlight members joined in, I turned to Jiho.

"Jiho, you know this song too, right?"

"Yeah."

Still fully immersed in his battle royale character, Jiho answered with complete seriousness.

"Crayon Shin-chan sang it."

"...Not from music class at school?"

"Isn't it the song Shin-chan sang after meeting his dream girl in Hawaii?"

"...I see."

Thank you, Shin-chan.

You accomplished what the Korean public education system apparently couldn't and taught our youngest something worthwhile.

O my darling, O my darling

O my darling, Clementine

Squatting beside the Moonlight members, we happily shook our pans while singing together.

Next to me, Colin Evans kept swirling his own pan before asking,

"Could you teach me the trick?"

"Sure."

I showed him my technique, and Colin copied it immediately.

We hadn't exactly become close, but the atmosphere was surprisingly friendly now.

Maybe it was because we'd found treasure.

"Kyaahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone burst into cheerful laughter.

Biju looked around and asked,

"Hyung... are we really not going to do anything else? It feels like we've just been collecting gold this whole time..."

"Then how about we stop before lunch?"

"Sounds good."

Spending the entire day doing nothing but panning for gold did seem excessive, so we decided to call it quits around lunchtime.

I announced,

"Everyone! We'll stop after lunch."

"No more after that...?"

"Oh dear. I don't think my meaning came across."

I chuckled at the Moonlight members.

"When I say 'until lunch,' I mean we're stripping every last bit of gold out of this place before lunch."

"...!"

Our eyes met.

This guy...!

Seriously...!

We immediately picked up the pace.

Junghyun and I matched rhymes while humming a work-song version of "Nine."

I raised my hand.

"All right! I say 'Young!' You say 'Cha!' Young!"

"CHA!"

"Young!"

"CHA!"

The singers bobbed their shoulders in rhythm while panning for gold.

By lunchtime, every one of us had collected a fist-sized lump of "gold" in our pans.

Glance—

As we headed back toward base camp, I could feel eyes constantly drifting toward our treasure.

The camera directors.

"Wow..."

"That's... a lot of gold..."

They stared with obvious envy.

Basking in all that attention, we arrived back at camp.

"You're finally back?"

Ri Hyuk, who'd been lying down looking pale, slowly got to his feet.

"What took you so long? Do you know how much there is to do? If we're building a village, we still need roads..."

He handed me a sheet packed with tasks.

Just looking at it, I could tell even the combined manpower of NewBlack and Moonlight wouldn't be enough.

My eyes drifted toward our pile of gold.

Then toward the directors and staff lingering nearby.

"Hmm..."

I looked at the camera directors.

"Directors."

"Yeah?"

"Did you happen to bring any tripods? Or anything sturdy enough to mount cameras on?"

"Of course."

"In that case..."

Looking at the gold, I smiled.

"Would any of you be interested in working... in exchange for gold?"

"...Are you trying to hire us with gold?"

"Yes."

"So... what do you need us to do?"

Without hesitation, the directors set up their cameras on tripods and threw themselves into construction.

NewBlack Town instantly became a hive of activity.

The directors, promised gold as wages, started working. The Moonlight members joined in too.

"We'll just use our gold to buy fish."

"Colin. Colin."

I clicked my tongue and wagged a finger.

"That's not how economies work."

"...I said we'd buy grilled fish with it."

I leaned over and whispered,

"Do I look like someone who needs gold?"

"..."

Instead of gold, I possessed songs worth their weight in gold.

That was the kind of entertainer I was.

Perhaps even he couldn't argue with that logic, because Colin slowly nodded.

"So then?"

"You earn food through labor."

"..."

"You've got to work."

The Moonlight members pouted before reluctantly getting to work.

Building fences.

Constructing chimneys.

Putting together a makeshift forge.

Watching the village rapidly take shape filled me with satisfaction.

Then—

"..."

I sensed someone watching us.

Turning around, I found Ri Hyuk standing like an inspector, staring fixedly at the pan full of "gold."

He swallowed hard.

As if disaster had struck.

"...Uh."

The normally silver-tongued Ri Hyuk was stammering.

"What's wrong, Ri Hyuk?"

"Th-th-there's... a problem."

"...?"

I tilted my head.

Then realization hit me.

I'd completely forgotten one practical issue.

"Wait... are individuals not allowed to take gold out? There must be legal procedures and—"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"...This isn't gold."

"..."

Somewhere, the icy Alaskan wind seemed to howl through the air.

My frozen face slowly creaked toward him.

Nearby, our staff continued celebrating.

"Haha! My wife's going to love this!"

"Dad's bringing home gold! Woohoo!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Still smiling blissfully, they kept working.

Biju, Junghyun, and Jiho quietly approached our statue-like group.

"What is it?"

"What happened?"

"Uh..."

I answered in a tiny voice.

"Ri Hyuk says... this isn't gold."

"..."

"..."

Biju glanced toward the others and swallowed.

"Then... what do we do? Everyone thinks it's gold..."

"I-I-I..."

Our youngest refused to accept reality.

"No. There's no guarantee it isn't gold."

"There's something called a streak test."

Ri Hyuk explained,

"It's used to identify minerals. If this were gold, scratching it against stone would leave a gold-colored streak. But..."

Scrrrrk—

"It leaves a gray streak."

"...Maybe we're just so tired we're seeing gray as gold?"

"When you were panning... did it feel heavy?"

"...No..."

Only then did all the little things we'd ignored begin clicking into place.

How strangely difficult it had been to pan.

The coaches repeatedly looking like they wanted to say something...

"Coach?!"

We whipped around toward Nick, the head coach assigned to our team, and held out the pan.

"Did you know this wasn't gold?"

"Yes."

He let out a long sigh of relief.

"What you've found is pyrite. It's commonly mistaken for gold. People even call it Fool's Gold. A lot of people throughout history have mistaken it for real gold."

"So... we were the fools..."

"Most people are more shocked that it isn't actually gold... but yes. It isn't."

Everyone stared blankly into the distance.

All those people happily working because they thought they'd struck it rich.

I turned toward Ri Hyuk.

His already pale face turned bright red with embarrassment.

"W-why are you looking at me?"

"Because you're the leader right now."

"I'd like to resign for health reasons. You're leader again."

"..."

The moment a real crisis appeared, our main vocalist immediately surrendered the leadership armband.

The younger members all looked at me.

"Emergency family meeting."

"Yes."

"Let's put our heads together."

We all leaned our foreheads together.

"Hmmmmmmmm..."

"They look like penguins."

Nick, the head coach at Alex Corbin's camp, smiled as he watched NewBlack huddled together in their windbreakers.

Their heads were pressed together while they whispered among themselves.

Sometimes speaking seriously.

Sometimes shaking their heads.

"I don't think there's an obvious solution..."

Just as Nick rubbed his chin with interest, Andrea, the coach assigned to Moonlight, walked over.

"What's going on?"

"They finally figured out it isn't gold."

"Already? I thought they'd stay fooled until the end."

The coaches had kept silent because the rules prohibited intervention unless someone was actually in danger.

Andrea asked,

"So what are they going to do now? All those staff members are still working because they think they're being paid in gold."

"I'd like to know that myself."

It seemed like an impossible situation.

If it were them...

"Everyone. I have an important announcement."

"...?"

"The wages we've been paying you... aren't actually gold. They're worthless pyrite."

"...!!!"

Nick could only imagine an enraged mob charging at them breathing metaphorical fire.

The only option is to tell the truth and apologize.

He smiled quietly.

Then the NewBlack members all nodded together, apparently having reached a decision.

Their expressions looked remarkably relaxed.

Nick called out,

"Did you find a solution?"

"Yes."

Wooju answered, then gestured toward Junghyun.

Maybe it was because he was the leader again.

He carried himself like a tribal chief directing his biggest and strongest warrior.

Right... they said Wooju was originally the leader.

Responding to the chief's gesture, Junghyun raised a horn.

Andrea whispered,

"When did they make a horn?"

"It was just... wait, why do they even have a horn?"

Junghyun blew into it.

BWOOOOOOOOOOO—

Everyone immediately gathered.

Standing before the hut with a blanket draped over his shoulders like a tribal chief's cloak, Wooju spread both arms.

"Citizens of NewBlack Town."

"Citizens of NewBlack Town," Ri Hyuk translated into English.

Wooju put on a solemn expression.

"I have an important announcement to make. It is... deeply painful news."

Everyone tensed.

At Wooju's signal, Jiho brought over the pan.

Standing like a cold-blooded wolf, Jiho overturned it at Wooju's command.

"!"

"!!"

Wooju nodded like a White House press secretary.

"Following detailed and thorough analysis, we have reached the unfortunate conclusion that this is not gold, but pyrite. Better known as Fool's Gold."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

The staff, still wearing their work gloves, stared blankly.

Even the Moonlight members looked stunned.

Wooju nodded gravely.

"In truth, there were warning signs all along. We ourselves questioned whether it was really gold. But many of you assured us that it was."

Several camera directors coughed awkwardly.

After all, they'd confidently declared, Looks like gold to me.

Wooju continued calmly,

"And one of the biggest reasons we became convinced it was gold... was Hunter over there. Hunter, whose family has run a pawnshop for three generations, assured us it was genuine."

"...!"

Every eye immediately turned toward Hunter.

Nick and Andrea exchanged impressed looks.

Wow... that's some political skill.

He had masterfully redirected the blame for paying wages in pyrite.

The survival experts couldn't help admiring it.

Maybe this is what true survival actually looks like.

The ability to seize control of a crowd.

They watched with growing curiosity.

...So how exactly is he going to solve this?

The resentful stares from the Moonlight members poured onto Hunter.

Wooju quickly raised both hands.

"Easy, everyone. This isn't his fault alone. We were all blinded by greed."

"..."

Everyone gloomily agreed.

Hunter shot Wooju a grateful look.

Nick marveled inwardly.

He actually made the very person he blamed feel grateful. That's terrifying political talent.

Once the atmosphere had settled, Wooju smiled.

"But our governm—"

He paused.

"No, not government. Our NewBlack clan has found a solution for everyone."

"...?"

"Holding up one gram of pyrite, Wooju declared,

"NewBlack guarantees its value. From this moment on, we declare pyrite the official currency of NewBlack Town. Every one gram of pyrite may be exchanged with us for one gram of gold."

"...!!"

"So? Is everyone satisfied?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Thunderous cheers erupted instantly.

Instead of raw gold ore, they would receive properly refined gold as payment.

The NewBlack staff immediately rushed back to work.

"Then, citizens."

Wooju spread his arms with a bright laugh.

"Let's build our town!"

"Yeah!"

"Let's do our best!"

"Let's go!"

Only moments earlier the village had felt like a funeral.

Now it overflowed with energy.

Smiling workers carried lumber, raised fences, and erected buildings.

"...Wait."

Nick blinked.

Something from an American economic history class he'd taken in college surfaced in his memory.

"NewBlack guarantees this as currency."

A trusted institution backing a currency.

Nick muttered,

"...Did they just create a central bank?"

Then another historical parallel struck him.

The Bretton Woods system.

The era when the United States maintained the dollar's value by exchanging it for gold.

A fixed-value monetary system.

"We'll exchange one ounce of gold for thirty-five dollars."

His eyes widened.

"...Wait!"

NewBlack had just introduced a gold standard—and a central bank—into what was essentially a pre-industrial society.

Alex Corbin wrestled with himself.

I really don't feel like going out...

Being a survival expert didn't mean he actually enjoyed living outdoors.

Just because someone sold Texas barbecue didn't mean they had to love eating barbecue.

I'd like to retire.

Like countless office workers, he dreamed of striking it rich and retiring early.

He lazily spun around in his armchair inside camp.

Just then, a text report arrived.

"Let's see... what's happening now..."

What kind of chaos had unfolded?

Had they still not realized it was pyrite?

Or had everything exploded after they found out?

Chuckling as he stroked his mustache, Alex opened the message.

"...Hm?"

Something about it looked very strange.

Wooju of NewBlack announces adoption of the Gold Standard

Constructing NewBlack Town with newly recruited workers

"...They adopted what?"

And that wasn't the only bizarre thing in the report.

His curiosity finally got the better of him.

I'd better see this for myself.

Grabbing his gear and throwing on his jacket, the expert headed out.

Whether or not he enjoyed the job, he truly was a god of survival.

Rustle—

Silently erasing every trace of his presence, Alex moved swiftly through the wilderness.

Then he suddenly stopped.

"Hm? The direction of the water..."

The stream was flowing somewhere strange.

Looking closer, he discovered an irrigation channel.

And where it led...

"...A palisade?"

A wooden defensive wall.

He blinked.

"...?"

Beyond it stood huts.

"No, wait... why are there houses...?"

He'd thought it was a joke.

They had actually built a village.

Circling the fence, he approached the entrance.

"Stop right there."

Jiho stood waiting with a bow.

"State your business."

"I'm the owner of the camp."

"Oh, so you're out of character now. Sure, come on in."

"I'm still in character, by the way~"

Jiho grinned as he waved him through.

Alex immediately walked over to the head coaches.

"Alex, you're here?"

"What happened here? What on earth is going on?"

"Like we told you."

Nick gestured around.

"This is NewBlack Town."

"In only two days...?"

The place had transformed into something resembling a frontier settlement.

People were working everywhere.

"Aren't those cameramen?"

"Today they're laborers."

"..."

Surveying the rough little town, Alex asked,

"How far... have they gotten?"

"They've already progressed beyond the Stone Age."

Off in the distance, Junghyun stood in a short-sleeved shirt hammering glowing metal.

Clang! Clang!

Nick added,

"They're only being held back by a lack of resources. Give them enough materials..."

He watched Junghyun forging iron tools.

"...and I honestly think they'd reach the Bronze Age."

"..."

Alex Corbin found himself completely speechless.