In this otherworld, wages are usually paid on a daily or per-task basis.

For officials, knights, and soldiers, who belong to trustworthy organizations like government institutions, monthly salaries are common. However, in the private sector, it’s often “pay-as-you-go.” This is due to the general lack of societal trust and credit.

Moreover, there are simply too many people who live day to day. Telling them to wait a month for their wages? It’s surprising riots aren’t breaking out daily.

The current weekly pay system was only established after an initial phase of extravagant efforts, which even included providing free meals for employees and their families.

“If the company builds enough trust and the employees are better off, we’ll switch to monthly salaries.”

“Ah…”

“Why the disappointment? It’ll actually be easier. Instead of handling this hassle every week, it’ll only be once a month.”

As I said this, I placed my hand on the warehouse door, now free of its protective barrier.

Gu-gu-gu-guung!

The heavy, reinforced iron door, previously protected by security magic, opened as my hand made contact.

Even after stepping inside, there were several more doors to pass through. Finally, we reached the innermost room.

Inside was a small hill of silver and copper coins, gleaming in the dim light.

“No matter how often I see this, it’s always beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it truly is.”

Though there were some gold coins scattered about, the majority of the pile consisted of silver coins and coopers.

‘I can’t wait for the era of paper money to arrive.’

Even as I admired the sight of the glittering treasure, my mind was yearning for paper currency. The costs of storing and managing this wealth were enormous, especially since the North didn’t have anything resembling a proper banking system.

‘Should I start a bank or loan business?’

The thought crossed my mind briefly.

‘No, not now. When I’ve accumulated more wealth and have an opportunity to recruit financial talent from the Empire or the Kingdoms, I’ll consider it.’

I quickly shelved the idea. For now, expanding the company’s scale was the priority. Moreover, the North lacked the human resources necessary for such a venture.

‘If only I had some skills or knowledge related to banking…’

Even though I was a max-level All-Master specializing in production and crafting, I wasn’t omniscient. In Silver Age 1, I’d run a merchant guild but never managed a bank.

Returning my focus to reality, I scanned the room filled with silver coins.

“Is this silver coin from the Kingdoms’ Alliance?”

A peculiar coin caught my eye, and I picked it up. Unlike the usual coins bearing the face of Emperor Soled of the Empire, this one depicted a different profile.

“It appears to be a silver coin issued by the Kingdom of Scania,” Tay said, recalling something he’d read recently.

“Scania? That island nation at the southernmost point of the continent?”

“Yes. For one of their coins to travel all the way to the farthest north… It’s quite remarkable and fascinating.”

“Indeed, money knows no borders.”

I stared at the coin, momentarily lost in thought.

Its size was consistent with other silver coins. It was about twice the size of Earth’s 500-won coin and about 1.5 times thicker. Gold and copper coins shared similar dimensions.

Each side of the coin bore the image of a ruler, but naturally, the face differed depending on the issuing nation. Despite this, their value was nearly identical.

Even within the feuding Kingdoms’ Alliance and the Empire, coins featuring the faces of rival rulers were used interchangeably, albeit with a slight premium in some cases. Ultimately, melted down, they were all the same.

Interestingly, the Empire’s gold and silver coins were even accepted as currency in the distant Eastern Continent.

‘It reminds me of North Korea, railing against America while using U.S. dollars.’

As I indulged in this curious train of thought, Mary’s presence behind me broke my reverie. She had likely come to report that the employees were now gathered outside the warehouse.

“One day, may the face of our Grand Duke grace these gold, silver, and copper coins.”

I directed the comment toward Mary, loudly enough for her to hear.

Mary might very well be a spy sent by Grand Duchess Arina to keep an eye on me. In a company like Arad Company, growing at a breakneck pace, loyalty was best displayed in casual yet deliberate remarks like these.

“May our Grand Duke’s visage grace the coins as soon as possible!”

“Your loyalty even moves me, a former knight!”

The comment, though ad-libbed, had the desired effect. Both Mary and Tay visibly trembled with excitement, imagining the possibility.

“Until then, we’ll have to make do with foreign rulers’ faces on our coins.”

I continued the act as I shifted the conversation.

“We’re distributing 178 silver coins and 964 copper coins today, correct?”

“Yes, we’ll prepare the exact amounts,” Tay confirmed.

Even though the silver and copper coins formed mounds in the warehouse, they weren’t haphazardly stored. They were neatly bundled in stacks of twenty coins each.

After counting out the necessary amounts for today’s distribution, we packed them into boxes. Once filled, the boxes were heavy enough that I, Tay, and Mary had to carry them together.

When we stepped outside the warehouse, the employees were already eagerly waiting. The number of workers had swelled to nearly 300, all of whom greeted me with bows or removed their hats in respect.

“If any of you head straight to a bar, gambling den, or red-light district after getting your pay, I’ll dock your wages! Go home and give it to your wives!”

The half-joking remark drew laughter from the crowd.

“Distribute the pay.”

“Yes, sir.”

The management office staff took over, following the instructions of Tay and Mary. The team comprised individuals capable of basic calculations, with a mix of both men and women.

Interestingly, many of them were second, third, or fourth children from noble families in the North. For anyone other than the firstborn, securing a livelihood was often as challenging for nobles as it was for commoners. Recruiting them had been surprisingly easy.

Of course, they had to pass my interview and a thorough background check conducted by the Frostblade.

“Employee number 125!”

“Here!”

The employees worked the abacuses I had distributed while flipping through documents with their other hands, calling out employee numbers.

The reason for using employee numbers was to avoid confusion with names, especially for duplicates.

“Name: Mark. Worked in clay mixing at the second factory, with three days of overtime.”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

The first person called was an older man with both arms replaced by chimera prosthetics.

“Including your performance bonus… that’s 70 coopers. You’ll receive half a silver coin and 20 coopers.”

“Thank you!”

“Next! Employee number 29!”

“Yes!”

The next worker stepped forward with heavy steps.

For fairness, the employee numbers were called out randomly. If they started from 1 each time, those with higher numbers would always have to wait the longest.

“Name: Bill. Responsible for bone processing at the first factory…”

And so, the payroll distribution began.

“Employee number 109!”

“Employee number 88!”

“Employee number 17!”

The six tables in front of the warehouse bustled with activity as employee numbers were called without pause.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

The sound of silver coins being split in half rang out at the same time.

For the lowest-tier workers, weekly wages varied depending on overtime and bonuses but usually ranged between 50 and 70 coopers.

Paying entirely in coopers was cumbersome, and paying in full silver coins was imprecise for such amounts. This necessitated the regular ritual of splitting silver coins in half using a specially made guillotine.

‘This is something else… Only in the North would such a practice fly. If this were the Empire, there’d be an uproar.’

Though the coins bore the faces of rulers from other nations—and even that of the Imperial Emperor whom I didn’t particularly like—watching them get split in half left me with a strange feeling.

‘If we eventually put Arina’s face on our currency, won’t this be a problem too?’

The thought of future gold and silver coins bearing Arina’s image made me uneasy. Could such coins end up meeting the same fate?

‘I hope Mary and Theo didn’t misunderstand what I said earlier…’

I swallowed nervously and glanced at Mary and Theo. Seeing the faces of rulers from across the continent being unceremoniously halved made me regret my earlier ad-libbed remarks about Arina.

If we ever stamped Arina’s face on coins, it would have to wait until paper currency could be introduced. I silently vowed to ensure that.

“Employee number 299!”

“Yes! I’m Sarah, employee number 299.”

“Assigned to initial shaping tasks at the third factory. Worked overtime all five days this week and achieved performance targets three times this week.”

Even as my thoughts wandered, payroll continued.

“Yes! I worked really hard!”

“110 coopers. That’s one silver coin and 10 coopers. Take it.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Thank yourself for working hard. Next!”

Not all employees received the same wages.

Sarah, for instance, was a widow whose husband had died during the recent extreme northern expedition, leaving her to care for four young children. She worked harder than anyone else and never missed a performance target due to her skilled hands.

“Thank you so much, sir!” Sarah summoned her courage to express her gratitude before leaving.

“I should be thanking you. Now hurry home—your children must be anxiously waiting.”

“Yes!”

It was a scene I witnessed every week, yet it never failed to tug at my heartstrings.

“Loji.”

“Yes, sir?”

As I watched the woman’s light steps heading home, I called out to Loji.

I could have asked Mary, but she was busy splitting silver coins with the staff.

“Are the arrangements complete for this week as well?”

“Yes, sir. The entire garrison of Highcastle is focused on maintaining order. Captain Suun himself is personally patrolling.”

“I owe them a lot.”

“This is when you make full use of the privileges of an official merchant guild. No need to feel burdened.”

Everyone in Highcastle knew that today was our company’s payday. Restaurants and taverns had surely made all necessary preparations to welcome our employees.

At the same time, there would undoubtedly be those waiting to prey on people like Sarah, targeting their hard-earned wages.

“Make sure the soldiers on duty today each receive a few coopers as a small token of appreciation.”

To address this, I made full use of the privileges afforded to us as an official merchant guild.

***

Meanwhile, there was a man observing Arad Company with bewildered eyes.

“What kind of otherworldly paradise is this? What on earth is happening in the North!?”

The man in question was none other than Entir, the renowned merchant, who had recently arrived at Highcastle alongside Balzac.

* * *

The North that Entir encountered, under Balzac’s guidance, was nothing short of astonishing.

The region was far from being prosperous or peaceful. The bitter cold made it feel as though his lungs were freezing with every breath, and monstrous creatures and beasts occasionally attacked through the blinding snowstorms.

Yet, despite the harsh conditions, Entir sensed hope and order among the people living in this unforgiving land.

“Not once from Haven to Highcastle did I encounter a single bandit!”

Was it because the land itself was so filled with raw nature and savage wilderness? He had seen almost no cases of people exploiting or tormenting each other.

“There isn’t even a beggar by the roadside. They couldn’t have cleared them away just for me.”

Even in the prosperous southern regions of the Empire, bandits and clusters of beggars were a common sight. The oppressive taxation imposed by the nobles ensured that misery was widespread.

But the North was different.

“I knew taxes here were low, but… I didn’t expect this level of order.”

In the North, unity was a matter of survival. The moment division appeared, the relentless forces of nature, barbarism, or foreign invaders would devour them whole.

“Is it because of the recent rebellion? The North, already centralized, seems to have become even more focused around the Grand Duke. The nobles barely hold any power anymore.”

Entir marveled at the situation.

“Has there ever been a place on the continent where the central government’s power was this strong? If those reformist scholars advocating absolute Imperial authority saw this, they’d call it their utopia.”