Chapter 20: The Value of Money

Hera slowly nodded.

"That's right, Lord. At the time, Lady Anna looked as though she was being forced to return by the people from the main residence."

Zeldryn immediately grabbed his head and pressed both hands against his temples as he tried to organize all the information he had just received.

'Ugh, my head is seriously going to split open,' Zeldryn thought.

His mother had only visited twice during the four years Hera had worked at the mansion. Whenever she came, Anna always spoke with him in private. She looked sad and helpless, yet still forced herself to smile whenever she was around Zeldryn. During her second visit, she had even been abruptly taken back by people from the main residence despite clearly wanting to stay longer.

"Why does every answer I find just open another hole?"

Zeldryn rubbed his face roughly. Every answer seemed to create several new questions. Why had Anna been separated from her son? Why had Zeldryn been placed in this mansion since he was a baby? What had made Anna look so helpless? Who had ordered the carriage from the main residence to come and retrieve her?

The more he thought about it, the more the Giorry family felt like a tangled knot wrapped inside another tangled knot.

'Does anyone else get transmigrated with this much trouble?' Zeldryn wondered.

He thought about the protagonists from the countless comics and novels he had read. Most of them received some kind of special ability immediately. Some gained systems, some somehow knew the entire future, while others inherited every memory from the body's previous owner. There were even protagonists who obtained legendary weapons only minutes after arriving in another world.

His own situation could hardly have been more different. He had awakened inside a battered body, inherited the reputation of a bastard, received none of the previous owner's complete memories, belonged to an increasingly suspicious family, and apparently had a mother trapped in some serious situation.

'Damn it,' Zeldryn thought as he released a long sigh.

For now, there was still too much about the Giorry family that he could not confirm. Forcing himself to think through every possibility would only make his headache worse, so he decided that he needed to gather simpler information first.

Zeldryn looked back at Hera.

"Hera."

"Yes, Lord?"

"I want to ask about the calendar."

Hera looked slightly confused.

"The calendar, Lord?"

"How many months are there in a year?"

The confusion on Hera's face became even more obvious. It was such a basic question that even a child should already know the answer, but after remembering that Zeldryn had supposedly lost most of his memories, she quickly understood why he was asking.

"There are twelve months in a year, Lord."

"Twelve?"

"That's right."

Zeldryn gave a small nod. The number was the same as Earth's calendar, which was not particularly surprising. In the novel Life Really Is Happy, Right?, the months had always been written using the names he knew from Earth, beginning with January and continuing through February, March, and eventually December.

Because of that, Zeldryn had never questioned the month names while reading the novel. The only thing he still remembered clearly was that the year system used the Luna Heart Kingdom calendar, but now that he was actually living inside this world, he wanted to know whether the people here truly used the same month names that had appeared in the story.

"Explain all of them."

Hera immediately lowered her head.

"Of course, Lord."

She took a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking.

"The first month is Frost Month. Frost Month is the coldest month of the year. Snow falls heavily, and many rivers freeze over."

Zeldryn paused slightly.

'Frost Month?'

He had never seen that name anywhere in the novel.

"The second month is Thaw Month," Hera continued. "During that month, the ice begins to melt and the air gradually becomes warmer. After that comes Earth Month. The ground that had previously frozen becomes fertile again, and farmers usually begin planting their crops."

Zeldryn listened carefully. Apparently, the names of the months were not chosen randomly. Each one was connected to the seasonal changes or natural conditions that occurred during that period.

"The fourth month is Bloom Month. Flowers begin to blossom and the forests come alive again. The fifth month is Gale Month. Strong winds often sweep across many regions during that time. After that comes Sun Month, when the days become longer and the sunlight is at its strongest."

Zeldryn slowly nodded while memorizing the order.

"The seventh month is Ember Month. It is the hottest month of the year. The air becomes dry, and fires occur more frequently. The eighth month is Storm Month, when heavy rain, storms, and lightning are common. Then comes Harvest Month. As the name suggests, it is the season of the great harvest, and many villages and towns hold festivals after the crops have been gathered."

Hera took a small breath before continuing.

"The tenth month is Mist Month. Thick fog often covers forests, cities, and mountains. The eleventh month is Dusk Month. The days begin growing shorter, and the sky becomes dark much earlier. The final month is Starfall Month."

She paused briefly.

"Starfall Month is the last month of the year. It is famous for a phenomenon known as starfall, which can be seen from many regions."

Zeldryn remained silent after Hera finished explaining. There really were twelve months, so the number matched Earth's calendar, but their actual names were completely different from what had been written in the novel.

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Frost, Thaw, Earth, Bloom, Gale, Sun, Ember, Storm, Harvest, Mist, Dusk, and Starfall.

At least the names were easy enough to understand because they followed changes in nature.

"And what year is it now?"

Hera answered without needing any time to think.

"It is currently the year 245 LHK, Lord."

Zeldryn gave a small nod. That part he remembered. LHK stood for the Luna Heart Kingdom calendar, which had indeed been used in the novel. Unlike the names of the months, the year system was exactly as he remembered it.

"And today's date?"

"Today is the 10th of Dusk Month, 245 LHK."

Zeldryn looked toward the window. Night really had arrived quickly, which matched Hera's explanation of Dusk Month. They were currently in the eleventh month and already nearing the end of the year.

"Then when was I born?"

"You were born on the 9th of Frost Month, 233 LHK, Lord."

Zeldryn calculated it in his head. The current year was 245, which meant this body really was twelve years old. Frost Month had already passed this year as well, so his birthday had been quite a while ago.

'Seriously?' Zeldryn thought.

All this time, the month names written in the novel had not even been the names actually used by the people of this world. Back then, January, February, March, and all the others had simply felt normal to him. Only after hearing Hera explain the calendar directly did he realize that this world had its own names for the months.

At least the Luna Heart Kingdom year system was still the same as he remembered.

Zeldryn gave a small nod, but thinking about the calendar reminded him of another basic subject he still knew almost nothing about.

Money.

He had already seen the mansion, the food, the clothes, and the servants, yet he still had no real understanding of the currency used in this world. Even though he knew the name of the kingdom's currency from the novel, he had only just realized that he did not properly understand its actual value.

"Hera."

"Yes, Lord?"

"Explain the currency used in this kingdom."

Hera showed another hint of confusion, but this time she was no longer particularly surprised by Zeldryn asking such a basic question.

"The kingdom's official currency is called the Luna Heart Coin, Lord," Hera explained.

Zeldryn gave a small nod. That was something he already knew.

Luna Heart Coin, or LHC.

The name appeared fairly often throughout the novel.

"Luna Heart Coin is divided into four types: Bronze Coin, Silver Coin, Gold Coin, and Platinum Coin," Hera continued.

Zeldryn remembered that part as well. Gold Coins could easily be called the currency he had seen most often while reading the novel, while Platinum Coins occasionally appeared whenever the protagonist bought something extremely expensive or made a massive transaction.

Bronze and Silver Coins were different. Both types had definitely appeared before, but only rarely, usually in small scenes that Reka had never paid much attention to while reading.

"Start from the lowest," Zeldryn said.

"Bronze Luna Heart Coins are the currency most commonly used by ordinary people for daily necessities," Hera explained as she began counting on her fingers. "One Bronze Coin is usually enough to buy a loaf of bread, cheap porridge, or several vegetables."

Zeldryn slowly nodded. Its value was much lower than the Gold Coins he remembered appearing constantly throughout the novel, which explained why Bronze Coins had barely received any attention.

"Twelve Bronze Coins are equal to one Silver Coin," Hera continued.

Zeldryn, who had simply been listening until then, frowned slightly.

"Twelve?"

"That's right, Lord."

Hera continued her explanation.

"Silver Coins are used to pay wages, buy clothes, pay for lodging, or purchase goods of moderate value. One Silver Coin is roughly enough to cover a skilled worker's daily wage or several days of simple meals."

Zeldryn began paying much closer attention. This was far more detailed than anything he had ever considered while reading the novel.

"And after that comes Gold?" Zeldryn asked.

"That's right, Lord. Twenty Silver Coins are equal to one Gold Coin."

Zeldryn fell silent and immediately began calculating.

'Twenty Silver. So...'

Twelve Bronze became one Silver, while twenty Silver became one Gold. That meant one Gold Coin was worth two hundred and forty Bronze Coins.

Zeldryn frowned slightly.

"What kind of system is this?" he muttered.

Hera looked slightly confused after hearing him, but said nothing while Zeldryn continued calculating everything in his head.

While reading the novel, he had never thought about things like this. Gold Coins appeared so often that he had unconsciously started treating them as ordinary currency. The protagonist paid for meals with Gold, bought equipment with Gold, and used Gold for all kinds of purchases. Only when the numbers became much larger did Platinum occasionally appear.

How many Bronze made one Silver, or how many Silver made one Gold, had never mattered to him. Maybe the novel had explained it at some point, or maybe it had not. With a story more than five thousand chapters long that he had finished in only three months, something that minor obviously was not going to remain in his memory.

"Gold Coins are normally used for large transactions, such as buying horses, weapons, land, houses, livestock, or making payments between wealthy merchants," Hera continued. "One Gold Coin is roughly equivalent to one month's income for an ordinary worker."

Zeldryn immediately looked at her.

"Wait."

Hera stopped speaking.

"Yes, Lord?"

"One Gold is worth about one month's income for an ordinary worker?"

"More or less, Lord."

Zeldryn went silent as scenes from the novel immediately flashed through his mind. The protagonist had used Gold Coins for practically everything, and back when Reka had been reading the story, he had never thought there was anything strange about it. Gold had simply felt like generic fantasy currency.

Now that he knew its actual value, however, Zeldryn was beginning to realize just how distorted his sense of money had become from following the protagonist's perspective.

'That protagonist was actually pretty damn rich,' Zeldryn thought.

"And Platinum?" Zeldryn asked.

Hera became slightly more careful when mentioning the highest denomination.

"One hundred Gold Coins are equal to one Platinum Coin."

Zeldryn immediately stared at her again.

"One hundred Gold?"

"That's right, Lord."

Zeldryn remained silent for several seconds. A single Gold Coin was already worth roughly one month's income for an ordinary worker, and one Platinum Coin contained a hundred Gold Coins.

Only now did he truly understand just how valuable a Platinum Coin was.

"That's a ridiculous amount," Zeldryn muttered.

"Platinum Coins are indeed extremely rarely used in ordinary transactions, Lord," Hera explained. "Many commoners never see a real Platinum Coin in their entire lives."

Such coins were usually owned only by the royal family, dukes, wealthy marquises, nobles who controlled large territories, royal banks, major merchant associations, or magical organizations. They were also used to purchase rare artifacts, magical weapons, magical armor, mansions, merchant ships, and various other things whose value was too large to conveniently calculate in Gold Coins.

"An ordinary merchant might even refuse payment if someone tried to use a Platinum Coin," Hera continued.

"Why?"

"Because they wouldn't have enough money to give you change, Lord."

Zeldryn almost laughed.

'Makes sense,' he thought.

Paying for a loaf of bread with a Platinum Coin would probably be just as absurd as buying a piece of candy with an enormous stack of high-value bills.

"So Platinum transactions are usually handled through royal banks, treasurers, payment notes, or written contracts," Hera continued.

Zeldryn slowly nodded. At least now he finally understood the basic value of the currency that he had previously seen only in passing while reading the novel.

One Silver Coin was equal to twelve Bronze Coins. One Gold Coin was equal to twenty Silver Coins, or two hundred and forty Bronze Coins. One Platinum Coin was equal to one hundred Gold Coins, two thousand Silver Coins, or twenty-four thousand Bronze Coins.

Zeldryn stared blankly ahead for a moment as the difference between those denominations finally settled in his mind.

He was beginning to understand why Bronze and Silver had barely received any attention in the novel. That story followed the protagonist's life, and the stronger the protagonist became, the larger the transactions surrounding him became as well. Gold gradually became ordinary, and Platinum started appearing more frequently, while the money ordinary people actually used to buy bread, pay for meals, stay at inns, or receive their wages was mentioned only occasionally in minor scenes.

Reka had never cared about those details either. Why bother calculating the price of a loaf of bread when, a few chapters later, the protagonist was buying a weapon for dozens of Gold Coins?

But things were different now.

Zeldryn was not reading that story anymore. He was living inside it.

Bronze, which had once been nothing more than an insignificant number, could now buy food. Silver could represent someone's wages. Gold, which had once seemed like ordinary fantasy money, was actually worth a considerable amount to common people, while Platinum, which the protagonist occasionally threw around to buy expensive items, represented a level of wealth most people might never touch in their entire lives.

Zeldryn slowly rubbed his chin.

'Turns out seeing the world through the protagonist's perspective completely screws up your sense of money,' Zeldryn thought.

If he wanted to become wealthy in this world, he could not simply rely on his memories of how much Gold the protagonist used to spend. He needed to understand money from the bottom up, starting with Bronze rather than Gold.