Chapter 140: Visiting the barrack
Hex looked slack-jawed at the market plaza as soon as they entered the gate. Endless streams of people walked around the wide area. Hawkers and vendors shouted, promoting their wares. The noise made Hex’s ears buzz.
The first stands promoted grain, fruits, and vegetables. But as Hex followed Althea through the maze of stands, the products gradually increased in rarity and popularity. Hex saw shops selling Knight-grade armor, weapons, pills, and techniques.
The shops didn’t seem to bar anyone from entering or trading. It was open to all. As long as someone had the means, they could acquire whatever they needed in these stalls. But Hex didn’t hear the shop assistants talk about coins. He heard the term Sterren more than anything else. Confused, he asked Althea.
"Sterren are higher denominations of coins. The current king believed that having a term specific to the kingdom would increase the bond between users and the nation. According to him the term coin is too general and doesn’t add value to the kingdom’s prestige.
One Ster is equivalent to a hundred coins. But being equivalent doesn’t mean you will get the same exchange rate. To promote the use of Sterren as currency, most places will charge more if you pay in coins. And some shops and merchants even refuse to accept coins as payment."
Once again Hex realized how isolated Grindeston was from the rest of the world. The coins they were fighting for were not even accepted as currency in the kingdom they lived in.
’Was this the change Clannad was fighting for? Did he realize we were destined to be imprisoned in the north and wished to escape such a fate?’
Although he would never agree with the methods Conrad and Clannad employed, he did agree with their goal to change the treatment Grindeston received from the kingdom.
’The first step to bringing change is to retain the title and land as the baron. A noble has more power to influence the court. Sadly, the baron never held interest in such things.’