Cheat Code: Unlimited Gold Works
The Fox Shrine Maiden, [Miko-sama, was listening her subordinates' reports. She clenched her teeth and gripped her chair hard, seething in frustration. Her fiery gaze cowed the country's officials in the room.
It was obvious to the officials why she was angry. The Eastern Union was in crisis. Specifically, a food crisis.
"We have confirmed that the Weasel Trade Union sold all of their food stock to a delegation from Imanity. They sold wheat, rice, barley, dairy products, meat…. The list goes on. The payment was in gold bars, paid on the spot. The price was overall 25% higher than market price. The buyer also took care about the goods delivery." One nervous bureaucrat was reading from a document.
"The Cat Eared Tribe Merchant Union did the same, with price 40% higher than market price. The Rabbit Hole Corp. sold various foodstuff for around 50% higher than market price. And so on, major companies sold all of their stock, and received payment in gold."
"And why," Miko-sama asked him, "did they think selling all of their food supplies a smart thing to do?" She said with a growl.
The bureaucrat answered, sweating heavily. "I understand why they did it, even if I don't agree, of course. There is a rich customer willing to buy in bulk, with higher price than the market. They even arranged their own transport for delivering the goods. When will such opportunity to gain profit happen again? Of course, they didn't know that this buyer also approach other merchants and buy from them…"
"How can they be so stupid? It's obvious that there's something suspicious if one buyer purchase massive amount of food! And willing to pay above the standard price!"
"Uh… actually, there is a reason for that." The bureaucrat wiped his sweaty forehead with handkerchief. "The buyer has official identification, and bearing a letter from the new queen of Imanity. The story that the delegation provide is that, Imanity has food crisis, and the queen wishes to alleviate her people's hunger by buying food from outside the country. For that, the queen had stripped all of the castle's wealth bare and dug out any hidden treasure. The gold that the delegation brought, they claimed that it was all they could gather, just to buy a little food for the people of Imanity."
Miko-sama's eyes widened. She understood the rest of the story. She listened more to the bureaucrat explanation, confirming her deduction.
"Of course, the merchants saw this as golden opportunity. A weak and vulnerable customer, desperate to buy, and bringing lots of gold. Food commodities were somewhat risky, being perishable, so many merchants liked to sell them fast and early. A few of them might be feeling a little pity hearing about Imanity situation, and saw no problem in selling some food. After all, the amount they sold wouldn't be enough to feed the whole country for long."
"The information also matched the one we had, that a new queen is chosen and Imanity had a food crisis. There is no way its agriculture sector could provide food for all of its citizen. And the delegation acted in secret, because, uh, the queen doesn't want to lose face if it was known that they buy food from other country. A very plausible reason."
He cleared his throat and continued. "The merchants also want to keep it secret from each other, lest they, uhh, compete by giving lower price. In retrospect, it is weird that Imanity delegation didn't even bargain or trying to check the price to other merchant and finding better deal, but the merchants are just happy to get profit that they didn't think much about it."
"And why should they? By the delegation's admission, the merchant contacted was the first merchant they talked to, because of luck or reputation. The delegation seemed to be desperate they will agree to exorbitant price and in so much hurry that they couldn't check the price with other merchants. Of course, now we knew that there were at least thirty such delegations, buying food from major Merchant Companies in secret."
Miko-sama sighed and asked. "And the merchants didn't talk to each other, and that's the source of the problem, right?"
"Not initially, no." The bureaucrat explained with severe expression. "But eventually someone bragged about netting huge profit and the workers gossiped, so finally the merchants realized that there's something wrong. Each of them had sold truckload of food to Imanity, and each one believed that they're the only one. It was alright when only one major company sold all of food supplies, because the other companies would have supplies to sell to the market. But if every major companies did it, then there will be food scarcity. But by the time they realized that Eastern Union food supply is lacking, it's already too late."
"Aside from the delegations buying food in secret, there were also fake merchants buying food in bulk from the minor merchant companies in the countryside, in city branch, in regional capital. Some of them disguised as werebeasts so nobody had any suspicion that the food they bought will be brought out of country."
Miko-sama frowned, and asked, "What about the border guards? Or the harbor guards? I am sure if they transported so much food, someone will notice."
Another person stepped forward. A lion tribe. He was in charge of Defense and Home Security. He answered, "there is no sign of cargo witnessed in the harbor or in the continent border. In fact, the guards testified that there were no Imanity citizen crossing the border in recent times."
Miko-sama was contemplative for a while. Finally she asked the dreaded question. "How long do we have?"
The first bureaucrat answered. "The problem was with staple food such as wheat or rice, which have long time to harvest. And fruits, vegetables, all the stocks and preserved foods were gone. We can try stockpiling fishes and foraging for fruits, it will prolong our….ah. But we must eat rice or bread, or at least potatoes, fruit and meat can't sustain us in the long run, the rate of acquiring them won't keep up with the people consumption. So… maybe 1 month, no, two months if we start rationing the remaining supply. After that… there will be starvation."
Miko-sama was nursing her temple. To think that, even in the era of Ten Oaths, her country could be pushed to the brink of annihilation by a simple reason. Food.
"What about national storage? I remember we kept a granary for situation like this?" She drummed her fingers on the armchair.
"Yes… well. The civil official in charge, knowing that there is abundant harvest and a surplus in the market, decided that this year there is no need to stock too much. He…." The bureaucrat wiped his eyebrow. "He decided to sell some of the food reserve to Imanity, for a ridiculous price of three times the market price. He reasoned that he would get praised by adding to the national coffers. I had the evidence that he actually sold them for more than that, and pocketing the money for himself. He was already captured and waiting for punishment in jail. That is… uhh.., my estimate earlier was taking account of this fact. Unfortunately, if not for him selling those food, we might be able to survive for three months, enough time to get another harvest of some rice or corn."
Miko-sama groaned. She started formulating strategy. "We just need to weather it for three months. After that there will be new harvest of corn, and then other staple foods will be harvested in subsequent months. If we ration foods and maximize fishing industry…. And eat the livestock…. It will be tough, but we can make it."
'This is not the end for Eastern Union. We are not cornered yet.'
Another person stepped forward, nervously speaking. "I beg you pardon, Miko-sama. I have some reports that you must hear…."
Miko-sama signaled him to speak.
"There is a mysterious merchant, or maybe several merchants buying harvested products from farmers. Which is something normal, as merchants usually did that. But there is anomaly. The timing is too soon, the grain haven't been harvested yet, and they offer too much money."
Miko-sama's expression turned pale. She could guess what was happening.
The bureaucrat continued, "The farmers signed trade contract that they will hand out their entire harvest to this merchant for the next season. The merchant paid the farmers upfront in gold, with double the usual price. Sometimes triple. Of course they didn't know until later that other farmers were also approached."
For the farmers who usually got cheated or exploited by merchants when selling their products, this seemed like a better deal. And they could pay government tax in gold instead of a portion of their harvest.
"Almost all big farms signed this contract. We calculated, that in next harvest season, 80% of agricultural product will be gone. Presumably, to Imanity."
There was no need to mention that the food crisis would continue.
"May I speak, Miko-sama?" a fox eared male stepped forward. He was the Trade and Finance Minister.
After he got permission, he delivered his report in stone-faced expression. "Some time ago, a delegation from Imanity propose a trade agreement. They wished to buy food for the next harvest season."
Miko-sama closed her eyes and used her left palm to cover her face. She didn't like where this report was going.
"They wished to buy a certain amount of food, which was not much in grand scheme of things. It was just a minor, routine transaction. They mostly just wanted staple foods such as rice and wheat. Our projection showed that it's at most only 5% of the total harvest next season."
"Of course I at that time didn't know that someone sold our national food reserves. Or that the farmers had sold their products in contract. Normally, we would have enough and more to deliver food as agreed just from gathering the tax."
Miko-sama interrupted him. "You had signed the trade agreement?"
The Minister answered stoically. "Yes. It was within my authority and it was not a big matter that need your attention. As I said, I judged it as minor and routine affairs. But now…. The farmers will pay their tax in gold next harvest season. Even if we managed to gather food from tax from the farmers who haven't signed that trade contract, we have to sell it to Imanity. That 5% of total harvest looked gigantic now."
Miko-sama was groaning in frustration but another minister stepped forward. A beaverkin. "I have more bad news, Miko-sama." He was the Fisheries and Sea Resources Minister.
"Several Fishing Guilds had signed contract to deliver fish products for the next three months to anonymous party. There will be lack of fishes that can be supplied to our population during this three months."
Obviously, Miko-sama's plan to let her people survive on fish was bust.
"Permission to speak." Another Minister said. She was a wolf eared tribe, The Minister of Industry. "I got a bad feeling after knowing about food scarcity, and checked some things. Our producers of meat, poultry, eggs, and milk, and various other food commodities; they had signed a trade contract to supply a mysterious merchant for the next three or four months."
Miko-sama facepalmed, hard. "Let me guess. All of them had no food to sell for to the market for three months?"
"Not exactly." The female wolf eared answered. "It was a big purchase, but at most only amounted to 30% of total production of each individual producer. It will not be a problem normally."
Miko-sama snarled in frustration. "But in food crisis even that 30% is significant."
The female wolf eared nodded. "We are swimming in gold right now, Imanity paid most of the transaction upfront. But people already noticed the lack of food availability in the market, and the more informed merchants already stockpiled their remaining stocks and raised price. The average value of gold is falling. Inflation steadily rises. We managed to keep it quiet now, but soon, there will be panic."
The room fell into gloomy silence for a while. And then Miko-sama asked in weak voice. "We have gold. Can we buy food from other countries?"
The fox eared Trade and Finance Minister answered her. "Unfortunately, no. I sent feelers around. Other countries fell to similar situation, though not as severe as ours. Their surplus of food was bought off by mysterious merchant. And somehow they knew that we are in food crisis. Now they jealously guarded their food reserves, to prevent getting to the same crisis as us."
After a moment of thinking, he continued, "It is as if…. Someone does it just to prevent us buying food…"
Miko-sama furrowed her brow. Yes, all of this situation was one big conspiracy, designed to corner Eastern Union without territory game, entirely bypassing the Ten Oaths.
It was Imanity who did this, but it must be obeying a higher power. It must have surrendered to another country. There was no possibility that Imanity had the astronomical amount of gold used in this operation. Other party must have supplied them with the gold.
It could be the elves. The rumor said that an elf ruled in Imanity from behind the queen. Or it could be Avant Heim, the Flugels. Rumor said that they were in Imanity now. It's hard to discern the truth about Imanity recently. All of its citizens were loyal because of Ten Oaths, so the spies couldn't just buy information as usual.
"Can we just…. Not delivering the food?" she said in weak voice.
"The contracts, wisely, included a penalty clause for breach of contract, with very unfavorable condition for us. Our merchants agreed because they were confident that they could meet it. I say that breaching the contracts would bring us to worse situation and accelerate our demise. People could be sold as slaves just to pay for penalty."
On one hand, death by starvation. On another hand, an entire race enslaved.
But what was the purpose of this? There was no benefit in just driving Eastern Union to the wall. There must be a demand….
"Report! An urgent message from our embassy in Imanity!" an official came in with an announcement. "Vice Ambassador Hatsuse Ino requests an urgent teleconference. He said, Imanity representative had wagered Race Piece and challenged our country."
So it came.
With a wager like that, Imanity would demand something big for Eastern Union wager. Maybe its entire territory in the continent, which would drive Eastern Union into another crisis for natural resources. Or worse, its sovereignty.
But now she had no other choice. If she rejected the game, her entire country would die slowly by starvation. However, if she won, the entire land, people, resources that Imanity had, would be hers. Including all the food they had purchased.
"Call Hatsuse Ino. We will hear the details."
