Rust - Chapter 633



Only Krnovel

RUST -633

The Empire had a currency called the Green Bill in circulation. The Confederacy had a currency called the Gray Bill.

Both countries exchanged their existing dollars at a 1:1 rate. The problem was that neither side could maintain the existing economic power of the United States.

New York, Texas, and California. These three states in the East, South, and West were among the top three wealthiest states in the United States.

Among them, the eastern part was not hit by Chinese nuclear weapons, so most of its infrastructure survived. However, New York, the center of the empire, was centered around finance.

Although the East did have production facilities, as time went by, the economy that had been centered on finance was bound to collapse.

This was because sectors such as banking, stocks, real estate, and coins were sectors that grew when the market was booming.

Banks that targeted the United States and the world suffered huge losses. Stocks too. Many companies disappeared, unable to withstand mutant virus outbreaks, nuclear wars, monster waves, and extreme cold.

In such circumstances, it was natural that real estate could not maintain its value. The highest-end residential areas, including ultra-expensive penthouses in Manhattan, continued to plummet.

Coins are no different. They are virtual goods that have no physical existence and can only be used when electricity, internet, and banks are alive, so they are bound to be vulnerable to value defense.

What would the people of the Empire want in such a situation? Imperial currency exchanged 1:1 with the dollar? Or the Holy Kingdom currency made of gold, silver, and copper that preserves real value?

PD based its results on data and simulations computed by artificial intelligence.

“So you’re saying that we can control the currency markets of the empire without intending to?”

“Yes, it is possible that not only the Empire, but virtually all of North America, could use the Holy Kingdom’s currency as their standard currency.”

It was only a year.

It’s only been a year since coins were minted in gold, silver, and copper.

There was a reason why they printed a much larger amount of coins than the economic scale of the Holy Kingdom, and even though they had a fair trade(?) with crows because they didn’t have enough gold, they still suffered from a shortage of currency.

“How about issuing banknotes?”

“I think I should just exchange it for coins.”

It took only about three years for the existing fiat money society to collapse. What was even more ironic was that the coins of the Holy Kingdom began to fill the void.

“Wouldn’t it be possible for the empire to print gold coins directly?”

“It will be difficult. The attempt to quickly stabilize the economy by exchanging dollars and greenbacks at a 1:1 ratio has actually backfired.”

Print enough gold to convert all of New York’s capital into physical gold? It was practically impossible.

However, it was not possible to stop trading with the Empire. The Empire was no different. Even if we came up with a solution later, we had to put out the fire at our feet first.

To do that, a huge amount of gold was needed.

‧

Miss Kim’s eyes sparkled as she listened to the story.

‘gold?’

‘You’re going gold hunting?’

From what I’ve heard, it seems like you won’t be able to get much gold to make gold coins, but they’ll probably give you at least 1% of what you find. Or maybe even 0.5%.

‘No. No.’

Kim Yang shook her head. She shouldn’t have thought weakly before she even started. Should I give it to you? Would you like me to give it to you? No, she had to actively ask for it. Yes.

“···We’ve secured all the gold. Then, a realistic place to look would be the IMF (International Monetary Fund) located in Washington, D.C.”

The IMF’s gold reserves were larger than expected. At over 2,810 tons, they were the world’s third largest, following the United States’ 8,130 tons and Germany’s 3,360 tons.

Only gold came to Kim Yang’s mind.

‘2,800 tons?’

2,800 1-ton trucks? Even if you ask for just 1% of that as performance pay, that’s 28 1-ton trucks. No, even if you ask for just 0.1%, that’s 2.8 to 3 trucks, where is that?

She had to go first before the Supreme Dignity could move. Ms. Kim was the first to raise her hand.

“I will go.”

If you hunt for gold, you are the one.

Absolutely, absolutely. I am confident.

So, 0.1%, no, 0.2% is performance-based pay···.

‧

Kim and his entourage headed straight for the IMF headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Since only small airships could penetrate the blizzard, Kim Yang’s unit moved around on special snowmobiles.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to wait until the new transport ships were built before going?”

Hood said as he watched the procession of snowmobiles moving tail to tail.

“It would be risky to wait until the middle of next month. The Empire will also understand the situation and will try to secure as much gold as possible.”

“Ah, the New York vault? Didn’t you say there was a vault there that held all the gold in America?”

I heard that the IMF’s gold is there too. It was shown in the movie too. Isn’t it? The nurse asked.

“It’s been a while since we dispersed and stored them in preparation for disaster.”

The explanation is that although there is an overwhelming amount of gold stored in New York, it is not concentrated there like before.

“Ah- I see. But where are you going, Your Majesty?”

Immediately after Kim Yang’s unit left, Maru also took all of the small airships equipped for dealing with extreme cold and headed east. He even took Psychometric Erica with him.

“Because gold isn’t only in America.”

“yes?”

The nurse’s eyes widened.

======

======

Montréal, Canada.

Ki-soon was unable to leave for Ottawa, where the Governor-General’s residence was located.

“Mercenaries again?”

[Yes. I was caught trying to break into the gym where the clones were being trained.]

“I’m going to go crazy. Even though it’s an indoor stadium, it’s currently being used as a military training facility. And trespassing? There should have been a warning sign saying trespassing is a felony, but why did you do that?”

[He is asking for leniency, saying that he only intended to see her face and that he did it because he was drunk.]

I don’t know how the rumor spread, but the place where Naruzu was rolling around was an indoor stadium. At first, they had Naru clones guarding, but they kept pestering the clones standing guard, so they changed them to regular soldiers, and this is what happened.

“It’s only once or twice that I’ve shown leniency, so deal with it according to military law.”

[Is this okay? There will be a lot of backlash from the mercenaries.]

The mercenaries were very dissatisfied. Aren’t clones not people in the first place? Why not just pick them out and use them for this and that?

What do you mean, something that is not even gold-plated and must be kept hidden? Are you punishing us for just seeing our faces? That was the symbol.

“The southern direction is being cleared out by the rats, so we can assume that the manpower problem has been resolved. So, split up all the mercenaries and scatter them to the northern front-line fortresses and stronghold villages. Deal with those who caused trouble according to military law.”

You must be acting like a jerk because you feel comfortable. You won’t have time to think about that when you go to the front lines, in the fortresses and villages.

[If you continue to suppress your desires, an accident will happen. If you calculate the number of crimes that occur···.]

“I know. I know. I served in the military too.”

The assistant AI expressed surprise in a tone that read a Korean language book.

[Is that so? Your Excellency the Governor-General has served in the military. I will share this valuable information. In the East, there is a saying that “the same disease is mutually beneficial.” How can Your Excellency the Governor-General, who has served in the military, issue an order to punish according to military law? Your Excellency the Governor-General has no human heart. Indeed. I learned something today as well.]

“You. Are you feeding me now?”

As the learning data accumulated, the artificial intelligence became more and more like a human conversation, and Ki-sun stuck out his tongue inwardly.

[How could that be? I am simply informing you that the results of the calculations show that the dissatisfaction of mercenaries and soldiers is increasing, and this is a factor in the decline in combat power.]

“···So you want to give me some advice? Try it.”

[We recommend providing the mercenaries with poor training attitudes among the Naruz.]

“This is driving me crazy.”

So, if there was an individual that was not doing well in training or was acting stiffly, they should be sacrificed. It was reasonable advice, as expected from an artificial intelligence.

“Hey. Among AIs, the ones that are slow to learn can be made to take care of the bathroom.”

[Of course. Whether it is due to hardware or software issues, it is efficient to assign tasks that are appropriate for the performance of the entity.]

“Ah- okay. That’s rejected.”

[All right.]

Perhaps because it had learned Gi-sun’s wickedness, Gi-sun’s assistant AI had a strangely persistent side.

[The mood among Montreal citizens is also not good.]

“If you’re going to talk about Naruzu, then stop. I’ve already contacted the home country about the issue of dealing with them and the mercenaries, so let’s talk after seeing what they decide.”

[Okay, but.]

“Ah. A little.”

Despite Ki-sun’s annoyance, the AI ​​secretary calmly said what she wanted to say.

[Signal from His Majesty the King’s personal airship is approaching.]

“A private airship is coming this way?”

Maru is coming, but is it because of the problem with Naruzu and the mercenaries? Is he trying to handle it himself?

[Yes. We are approaching with 22 small blimps.]

“22 feet?”

If it was a small airship, it would have to be one that could operate in the cold. The problem was the number. Not one or two, but 22? Did they bring special forces?

[This information is cross-checked with reports from the Crow Scouts and Wolf Scouts.]

“First, prepare to welcome him. Tell the clone representatives to wait for the king to arrive.”

It was a good thing. Now there’s no need to worry about betrayal or injury.

‧

‧

‧

Ki-sun happily welcomed Maru, who suddenly showed up without any notice.

“Hey. The King is here? Because of Naruzu? To bring the mercenaries with you?”

“That’s one thing, but it’s because of the gold.”

“Gold? You’re saying there’s already a problem? The coin issuance was sufficient. The crows also made a fair amount of money from their trade.”

“I thought so. But it seems like our currency is used in the Empire and the surrounding areas.”

Just by that, Ki-sun realized the situation and let out an exclamation of ‘Wow.’

“So you want me to develop a gold mine in Canada? I looked around to see if there was anything useful nearby, but all the old ones were dug up. The only gold mine that seemed promising was near Alaska.”

“It’s far.”

“It’s so far away, and it’s the middle of winter. It’s probably completely covered in snow and ice. If we’re going to develop it properly, we’ll have to make all the equipment new.”

“···Just think about it. I think I’ll really need a lot of gold.”

“Okay. But why did you bring psychometry?”

“Check the mental state of the mercenaries, hand over those who need to be handed over to the Empire, and go to Europe.”

Ki-sun’s squinted eyes grew wide.

“Europe? To get gold? Well, Germany, Italy, and France have a lot of gold. Are you taking the psychometry to find information?”

“uh.”

“Should I take the Naru clones and mercenaries with me?”

“That’s why. Even if we find gold, it’ll be difficult to get it all at once.”

‧

‧

‧

When this news was delivered through an artificial intelligence secretary.

Gyaaaaaaaaaah!

Kkiyaaaaaaaaaaah!

There was such a loud noise that the lid of the indoor stadium opened.

“A trip to Europe with the King?”

“You said you weren’t going on a trip, you were going to look for gold.”

“That’s travel.”

“But I don’t think I can take them all?”

Buzz buzz buzz

“How many people are going?”

“There are 23 blimps. One is for the King’s use. 22.”

“I’ll just take half of it because I have to bring gold too.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay if I catch 10 feet?”

Bokjak bokjak

“Since it’s a small airship, I think the maximum number of people per ship is 10, considering the number of supplies.”

“10 ships = 100 people?”

“There are 1,000 of us?”

“10%?”

The lively atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

‘You go to Europe. Can’t you do it?’

‘Have a nice trip. If you just say these four words, nothing will happen.’

While the clones, absorbed in watching old movies for educational purposes, engaged in a fierce battle of wits, the four representative clones were able to meet Maru, whom they had longed for and hoped for.

“Huh? What should I do?”

“What should I do?”

“You’re seeing the king.”

“······!”

“Look, No. 17 is nervous too.”

“Long. It won’t be tension. It’s anticipation.”

“There are good things about being a representative. I’m glad I was chosen to represent.”

“······!”

As the whispering clones entered the reception room, Maru, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up and spoke.

“Come on, everyone. You guys are the representatives, right? You must be working hard.”

In that voice.

Kkiruk-

“······.”

Number 17 fainted.