Using silver and other valuable items to pay off debts?
Absolutely!
What's the most important thing? A novice mage might answer "gold coins," a mid-level mage might say "contribution points," but at the higher levels, every mage has the same answer—
Resources!
Resources!
Still resources!
Gems are resources, magic crystals are resources, magical beast and plant materials are resources;
Land is a resource, crops are resources, people who plant crops and develop mines are also resources;
On a larger scale, being able to establish a foothold in a country with two level 18 indigenous gods in a weak area of the council's influence is the most crucial resource!
"Of course, of course," said Archmage Vicks, spreading his hands and smiling warmly. "Silver, gems, magic crystals, magical beasts and materials, plants and herbs, anything of value, we will appraise and collect!"
What good is it to just haul back gold?
Hauling back gold only increases the council's gold reserves, possibly causing a price hike in market supplies. What use is that?
Supplies, these supplies, are the tangible items that can quickly be converted into a mage's combat power!
Even if something doesn't seem useful at the moment, discovering a new item can be a new research point for an alchemy branch mage!
"Come, get to work!" he called out. The young mages rushed over:
To collect supplies and establish a trading post, the council sent many young mages, half of whom belong to the Transmutation School. Archmage Vicks felt at home directing them.
"Set up the stalls, prepare to collect items! Collection, classification, identification, appraisal! Everyone knows their tasks! If you encounter something unfamiliar, come ask me!"
In the designated area of the square or large market corner, it was bustling with activity. Warriors and servants of nobles carried various items over:
Large chunks of silver, various silver utensils, and jewelry;
Dragon Blood Wood, Arrow Poison Wood, Ebony, Fragrant Wood, various valuable plants and magical plant trunks, bark, branches, roots, seedlings, seeds, and dried flowers;
Bees, beehives, honey; ants, ant nests, ant larvae, dried ants; live venomous snakes, snake eggs, snake molts, snake teeth, snake skin, dried venomous snakes;
Crocodiles, crocodile skins, crocodile eggs, leopard skins, leopard teeth, live adult leopards (pairs of males and females, with mages promising high prices for pairs), leopard cubs, various jungle beasts;
Parasol Birds, Pink Spoonbills, Green Macaws, various rare bird feathers, bird bones, and bird eggs;
Even...
"My God! I can't believe they're selling eagles!"
"So what about eagles? They're not the Eagle God... We even ate a lot of beef at the Bison Tribe!"
The square was filled with shouting, calling, bird chirping, and beast roaring. Archmage Vicks turned and smiled at Tlatoani:
"Rest assured, our prices are fair. Whether it's silver, magical beasts, magical plants, or any valuable items, we will purchase everything at your local market price, without undercutting a single grain of gold dust!"
Garrett was watching the lively scene nearby. Hearing this, he quickly turned his face away. Cirilla blinked beside him, confused, and tugged at his arm:
"Hey, what's up?"
Garrett dared not speak, flicking his fingers and quickly casting a [Mechanized Mind]. Fearing Cirilla would give them away, he mentally urged her:
"Cast one too! Cast one too! Don't show it on your face! — Don't laugh!"
Cirilla pressed her index fingers against her cheeks, pulling down to suppress her dimples. After signaling her compliance, she cast a spell under Garrett's stern gaze.
Garrett then explained through the mental link:
"Purchasing anything at the local market price in the place of origin is the cheapest... Cirilla, think about it. The cherries you buy in the cherry orchard or the fresh fish on a fishing boat are cheaper than in the market, right?"
"..."
"..."
"But I never need to buy fish from a boat!"
Garrett covered his face with his hand. Well, the beautiful Miss Cirilla catches her own fish from the sea for the freshest, strongest fish.
As for fruit, Garrett suspects she believes it grows directly on plates...
Anyway, buying supplies at the Eagle Kingdom's market price is a huge advantage for the mages. The value of these items to mages is different from their value to the natives!
Not to mention, the Eagle Kingdom is a gold-producing area. Gold is particularly cheap here, so materials priced in gold are not expensive...
"Right, we won't undercut, but you mustn't overprice either," Archmage Vicks added:
"Our mages can read thoughts. At least regarding the prices, we can tell if you're lying or overpricing..."
To intimidate, a Mind Control archmage even came to guide some alchemy mages to set up a [Detect Lie] magic array. Covering several stalls, it spanned about 20 meters by 5 meters.
He drew lines, set up gems, and chanted spells. Smiling, Archmage Vicks explained—
"Look, in this area, if anyone lies, the array will glow red and start beeping—see, it's beeping..."
In front of a stall, a shirtless warrior, his upper body tanned dark, dropped a fur and fled.
Tlatoani's face turned dark, and with a gesture, two warriors chased him down, pinned him, and brought him back. The warrior struggled but couldn't break free and admitted dejectedly:
"I lied... The crocodile skin wasn't hunted by me in the jungle; I bought it from a hunter..."
"Uh..."
This magic array seemed a bit too sensitive...
In any case, the magic array worked as a deterrent. With Archmage Vicks overseeing, various supplies flowed in continuously.
Besides the council's mages, merchants like the Hawthorn couple from Walsingham Town also helped:
"Honey from Golden-headed Hornet! Dear, look, it's great for your old wounds!"
Molly held up half a honeycomb, showing it to her husband. The golden-orange honey oozed with fine red threads. Mr. Hawthorn smiled at her, holding a handful of seeds:
"Dear, look at these. Any flowers you like? Any you can use to decorate the garden, the house, or as medicinal herbs?"
Molly swapped places with her husband, carefully inspecting the items. Mr. Hawthorn took over her task, negotiating:
"This honeycomb and honey are worth a fingernail-sized piece of gold... No problem, I'll weigh it for you. Is this size correct? Good, here you go, next item..."
Considering the natives' poor math skills and their minimal understanding of "currency" and "credit" (they don't use gold as currency! All gold is offered to gods!), the council used a lot of gold for transactions.
Exchanging supplies for gold, giving the gold to temples or Tlatoani, who then sent it to the council to pay debts. Then the gold was brought back to the trading post...
A highly efficient, infinite loop.
"How about opening a shop here?"
After observing transactions and writing papers (assignments), Garrett finally took Cirilla, Lynn, Bernard, and others to the Hawthorn couple's place for food.
Entering, seeing the temporary residence filled with goods, he couldn't help but laugh and ask:
"Looks like you've gained a lot!"
"Yes, yes! The supplies here are abundant!" Mr. Hawthorn, half-buried in shelves, sorting, counting, and cataloging, covered in dust, turned around, beaming:
"A small turnover brings multiple, dozens of times the profit! I estimate that if we settle here, I'll gather enough resources for advancement in less than two years!"
"Indeed, but I don't want to open a shop here," said Mrs. Hawthorn, bringing out a plate of roasted corn tortillas, placing them in front of Garrett and the others:
"The sun here is too scorching! Look, he's been here a few days and his skin is peeling! Besides, there are hardly any trees around, and grass barely grows. I don't like it here! If we open a shop, let's do it at the port!"
"Opening a shop at the port will be tough," Mr. Hawthorn glanced tenderly at his wife, suddenly stuffed with a corn tortilla, muffling his words.
Molly, not looking at her husband, poured cactus juice for each guest, placing a mint leaf on each cup, pushing them towards everyone:
"The port is great! By the river and sea, there are trees, fields, fish, and meat. Unlike this place where the lake has no fish, and meat is just chicken, duck, dog, and rabbit. I'm sick of it!"
"Besides, your adventurer gear, if not sold at the port, will it sell in the capital? Who climbs to the capital and wants to buy your stuff?"
Scolding with tenderness in her eyes, Mr. Hawthorn swallowed the tortilla, shaking his head, laughing:
"No way, she's always thinking of me, wanting my shop to succeed. Yes, we agreed to follow the team to the port to open a shop after finishing the transactions and sorting supplies here... Anyway, the Mage Tower will be built at the port, right?"
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