Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 288: Chaotic Currency System

By evening, Joren had reached a peace agreement with the Governor. After all, the two sides had no fundamental conflict of interest, and there was no need to launch a full-scale war over such a trivial matter.

Following this, the main fleet dropped anchor in the coastal waters of Lisbon, waiting for the other party to hand over the personnel involved. Eight armed merchant ships took the opportunity to sell their goods. Having long anticipated that this war would not break out, they had brought a massive amount of furs, whale oil, and textiles.

With the advancement of textile and dyeing technologies, the fabrics carried by the merchants proved unexpectedly popular. These dyed cloths had even coloring and a soft texture. Even after paying hefty taxes, the merchants still made a substantial profit.

Some time later, Sun Island selected a portion of their prisoners to sail the captured dhows over for sale. The Vikings were not skilled at operating this type of vessel, so their only option was to sell them back to the Moors.

In September, Joren acquired the fifty-odd individuals involved just as he had hoped, bringing them back to Londinium to stand trial in the admiralty court.

According to their prior agreement, Chawatu, the chieftain of Sun Island, was enfeoffed as a Baron by Helgi. He needed to travel to the College of Arms in Londinium to register his personal and family information, officially becoming a noble recognized by the Kingdom.

Before parting, Helgi instructed him, "Despite having over a thousand captured pirates, the island's labor shortage remains severe. After the investiture ceremony concludes, remember to persuade His Majesty to exile more laborers our way."

"Understood."

Traveling far from home for the first time, Chawatu was astounded by the various sights along the journey. The bustling and prosperous Lisbon, in particular, along with the massive fleet anchored offshore, completely shattered the arrogance and reserve he had cultivated over the years.

Carrying their purchased goods, the fleet set sail for home, making another stop at Gijón Port along the way.Hearing that the conflict between the Vikings and the Moors had subsided, the local populace was deeply disappointed. Furthermore, vague rumors circulated that the Moors were eager to compromise in order to gather their strength, waiting for an opportunity to attack Asturias once more and wipe out all resistance across the entire Iberian Peninsula.

The local nobles sought out Joren to request the purchase of more military equipment, only to be met with prevarication.

The reason was simple. The agreement previously reached in Lisbon explicitly stipulated that the Vikings were not to sell military equipment in bulk, lest they lose the right to trade and anchor in Lisbon.

After weighing the options, Joren wisely favored the Moors, as they could provide far greater commercial value.

As for Asturias, the Kingdom was nestled in the mountains of northwestern Iberia. The terrain was rugged and resources were scarce. It was said that the entire country's population did not exceed one hundred and fifty thousand. With only a few scattered iron mines within its borders, even Northern European pirates could not be bothered to visit. It held zero commercial value.

Joren gazed at the rolling mountains and the sparse flocks of sheep scattered across the slopes, his heart full of disdain. 'They are practically poorer than Northern Europe. At least Northern Europe produces furs and amber.'

Sensing Joren's impatience, the local noble felt entirely helpless. He dared not fall out with the Vikings. If the passing Viking merchant ships stopped calling at Gijón Port, he would lose more than seventy percent of his annual income.

After replenishing their fresh water, the fleet resumed its journey, returning to Londinium without a hitch.

As the ships docked at the pier, the voyage officially came to an end. Chawatu leaned against the ship's rail, staring at the endless stream of people, and asked Adrien, "How many people are in this settlement?"

"When I was sent into exile, there were only about five thousand. According to the crew, there are at least fifteen thousand now," Adrien replied.

After conversing for a moment, the chieftain tasked Adrien with selling the cane sugar. This sugar did not belong to Helgi; it was a product cultivated by the tribe itself. The chieftain planned to use the funds to purchase supplies and develop his new territory. "Understood, I will make sure to get a good price."

Accepting the order, Adrien took the manifest and headed toward a bustling street not far from the docks.

In his memory, this was Baker Street, a hub for bulk commodity trading. Looking at the signboards erected on both sides of the road, Adrien felt as though a lifetime had passed, as if he had been transported back to the days of several years ago.

Walking a few dozen paces, he entered the cane sugar exchange. Past the entrance was a grand hall, with the left wall serving as a notice board. Many manifests were posted there, such as a merchant guild from a certain region looking to purchase two hundred pounds of cane sugar of medium quality, along with their expected price.

Adrien took out a notebook and recorded the purchasing prices of various merchant guilds to gauge the current market rate. He then wrote out a sales slip and posted it on the notice board, claiming he had a large batch of cane sugar available for sale.

Half an hour later, Adrien struck a deal with a client. The man hailed from Dover, offered a generous price, and demanded immediate delivery.

Under the supervision of a notary, the two reached a written agreement and then proceeded to the dockside warehouse.

Prying open a perfectly sealed wooden bucket, Adrien gestured for the buyer and the notary to inspect the goods. The sugar blocks were reddish-brown with moderate sweetness and few residual sugarcane impurities, classifying them as medium quality.

After a careful inspection, the notary signaled the buyer to pay. Just as the transaction was about to be completed, he suddenly called for a halt.

"What is the matter?" Adrien asked.

The notary shook his head, picked up a silver coin, and walked out of the warehouse. He examined it under the sunlight for a long time before saying regretfully, "There is no issue with the cane sugar, but the silver coins provided by the buyer are of inferior quality."

The buyer cried foul at the top of his lungs. "Hey, look closer! These are denier silver coins from West Francia."

The notary cast a sidelong glance at him. "I know this is a denier." He motioned for his attendant to open a wooden box and took out another denier silver coin for comparison. The shapes of the two were identical, but the purity was distinctly different. The buyer's silver coin clearly had a lower silver content.

Faced with the irrefutable truth, the buyer still muttered under his breath, "These really are the newly issued silver coins from West Francia."

The notary examined the rest of the inferior deniers and found that their purity and specifications were completely uniform. It was absolutely impossible for them to be civilian forgeries. He immediately reported the news to his superiors, ultimately alarming the King.

Synthesizing information from various sources, Wigg came to a conclusion.

In his entanglements with Middle Francia and East Francia, Charles the Bald had incurred massive expenses. War costs, bribing powerful nobles, and constructing new castles post-war had practically drained his treasury dry.

Consequently, Charles took the initiative to break the rules left behind by his grandfather, Charlemagne, intentionally reducing the silver content of the currency so he could mint more silver coins to cover his expenses.

During Charlemagne's reign, he decreed that the right to mint coins was monopolized by the royal family, and the currency conversion rules were as follows:

One pound of silver equaled twenty solidi, which in turn equaled two hundred and forty deniers, with a single denier containing 1.7 grams of silver. The Frankish pound weighed 408 grams, differing from the weight standards used by the Angles.

"The silver content of the denier has been cut by over ten percent. Haha, it seems Charles the Bald is having a very hard time."

Wigg requested the intelligence network to provide the commodity prices in West Francia over recent years. Comparing the various data sets, grain had universally risen in price by twenty to thirty percent. As the currency continued to depreciate, grain prices were bound to rise even further.