CHAPTER 229: CHAPTER 227 GRAIN TICKET CIRCULATION LOOP_1

"Hahaha, it’s just a small gesture," Yan Xing laughed heartily. "Sit down, everyone, please take a seat. Let’s sit down and talk."

The merchants all took their seats.

Yan Xing continued, "The reason I’ve called you all here today is to familiarize you with the Grain Tickets that Eternal Grain Bank is about to issue. I believe everyone is aware that workers employed by the Eternal Commerce Guild use the grain they are given to buy things at the market. But grain is too heavy and inconvenient to carry around... Metal currency, too, becomes cumbersome in large quantities, especially when traveling. You cannot go without money, but carrying too much is not only heavy, it also makes you an easy target for thieves."

Yan Xing’s words truly struck a chord with the merchants. When purchasing goods, they had to carry money for payment, and after selling their merchandise, they were again burdened with a large sum. Merchants mostly dealt in small change—gold coins, silver coins, copper coins—all mixed together into a hefty bundle. Thus, when traveling for business, every merchant was constantly on edge. Not a single one among them hadn’t experienced theft or robbery, and a considerable number had even lost their lives as a result. Merchants had racked their brains trying to figure out how to safeguard their money on the road.

Yan Xing didn’t elaborate further on the convenience of paper currency. He knew that allowing them to discover the benefits of Grain Tickets for themselves would be far more persuasive than a lengthy lecture on the advantages of paper money.

After a brief pause, Yan Xing returned to the main topic. "I believe that once my workers receive their Grain Tickets, they will definitely use these Grain Tickets from Eternal Grain Bank to purchase goods in the market.

"However, the vendors in the market might refuse them because they aren’t actual grain.

"All of you are the suppliers for these vendors. If you are willing to accept Eternal Grain Bank’s Grain Tickets as payment for your goods, then the vendors will undoubtedly be willing to accept them as well.

"This way, my workers will no longer need to haul heavy loads of grain to the market every day."

By framing the use of Grain Tickets around the transactions between his employees and the market vendors, Yan Xing projected an image of a benevolent master to all the merchants. Grain was, after all, much heavier than metal currency. And to keep grain prices down in Nuta City, Master Yan Xing had been distributing actual grain to his workers. It was undoubtedly strenuous labor for the employees to carry surplus grain to the market to exchange for other necessities. If Grain Tickets could be used for trade, it would naturally be far more convenient.

Could Grain Tickets truly be exchanged for grain at Eternal Grain Bank? This was something the merchants didn’t doubt. The Eternal Commerce Guild already paid its workers in grain; issuing Grain Tickets was merely a way to offer convenience, allowing workers to withdraw grain as needed. The merchants were confident that the Grain Tickets could indeed be exchanged for grain. Otherwise, wouldn’t the tens of thousands of workers employed by the Eternal Commerce Guild rise in revolt?

But the merchants flipped through the Grain Tickets in their hands. Having traveled extensively, they were aware of the potential pitfalls associated with such script.

Even gold could be counterfeit, let alone a mere piece of paper printed as a Grain Ticket. If someone were to forge Grain Tickets and redeem them for grain at Eternal Grain Bank, then Master Yan Xing, despite his good intentions, would undoubtedly suffer a severe loss. Some among the merchants even briefly wondered if they could print some "100 catties" denomination Grain Tickets themselves.

Eden, sensing the merchants’ thoughts, said to Yan Xing, "Master, I know you are kindhearted and wish to provide convenience for your workers. But if someone were to counterfeit these Grain Tickets, it would surely deal a massive blow to your credibility and business."

Yan Xing took a "100 catties" denomination Grain Ticket from an attendant.

"The Grain Tickets issued by Eternal Grain Bank aren’t so easy to forge," he began.

"Everyone, please examine the Grain Tickets in your hands. I will show you how to distinguish genuine ones from counterfeits.

"Firstly, the paper we use for printing is unique."

In the real world, counterfeiting currency is illegal, but printing your own designed money isn’t. You can print it however you want. Just find a printing factory, place an order, provide them with the design and specifications, and have them print it according to currency standards. As long as the payment is prompt, they won’t waste time with questions. After all, they don’t recognize the patterns or text on it anyway; it doesn’t affect the credibility of RMB, so you can print whatever you desire.

Yan Xing had assessed the level of papermaking in this world.

They didn’t even possess the type of paper that could be used to convincingly counterfeit the Grain Tickets, let alone other anti-counterfeiting technologies.

To prevent any misjudgment on his part, Yan Xing had even shown the printed Grain Tickets to Gaga the Goblin. Gaga had stated that it would be impossible to replicate these Grain Tickets at a low cost. Using Alchemy to replicate a "100 catties" Grain Ticket, for instance, would require alchemy materials worth perhaps 200 catties of grain. Moreover, Alchemists wouldn’t waste their time hand-crafting such items.

In short, with no readily available materials or technology, the cost and difficulty of replication were enough to deter anyone from attempting to counterfeit the Grain Tickets.

Confident in these measures, Yan Xing continued his explanation to the merchants, "The paper, as I mentioned, is vastly different from ordinary paper. It’s durable and resists damage. Even if submerged in water and soaked, the paper won’t disintegrate. Furthermore, the printed ink has a distinct, raised texture that you can feel."

Yan Xing explained these points in great detail because he knew the merchants were crucial for the circulation of Grain Tickets. Only if they believed in and willingly used the Grain Tickets could the advantages of this new system be fully realized.

It was then that the merchants truly began to grasp that counterfeiting these seemingly ordinary Grain Tickets was not as simple as they had initially imagined. The paper used for the Grain Tickets was vastly different from ordinary paper—it was durable and not easily damaged. Even if thrown into water and soaked, the paper would not disintegrate. Moreover, the printed ink had a distinct raised feel to the touch.

Simply finding the right paper and ink would be a challenge, let alone replicating the other anti-counterfeiting features.

As Yan Xing continued his explanation, the merchants became increasingly amazed by the marvel of the Grain Tickets issued by Eternal Grain Bank.

This was no ordinary printed item; it was undoubtedly a product of Alchemy Technology.

The mention of Alchemy made the merchants even more interested in the Grain Tickets.

One of them even asked Yan Xing for confirmation, "Master Yan Xing, are these Grain Tickets issued by Eternal Grain Bank produced using Alchemy?"

Yan Xing knew that people in this world held Alchemy in high regard, almost superstitiously.

So he admitted, "Yes. These are Grain Tickets specially designed and created for my employees by my Alchemist.

"The purpose is to facilitate their daily transactions.

"You can all confidently accept the Grain Tickets of Eternal Grain Bank. We issue Grain Tickets equivalent to the amount of grain in our warehouse, and we recognize only the tickets, not the person holding them.

"Bring the Grain Tickets to my Grain Bank, and you can exchange them for the full amount of grain."

They truly were alchemical products! Then their intrinsic value was indeed high. No wonder they were products of the Alchemy from Thunderous Swamp, famed for abilities like capturing time on one’s hand and bringing daylight into the night. No wonder it was the famously generous and kind Master Yan Xing.

If these Grain Tickets couldn’t be counterfeited, why wouldn’t the merchants accept them? Grain was always a valuable commodity, regardless of time or place. The grain from the Eternal Commerce Guild was high-quality, refined grain, not sold to the public; one couldn’t buy it even if they wanted to. Being able to receive Grain Tickets from Eternal Grain Bank and then exchange them for grain to sell elsewhere was undoubtedly a promising venture.