Chapter 165 The Pilot of the Printing Press
Was Ellie rich? Compared to the commoners, she was indeed wealthy. With assets of nearly four silver coins, she could buy a 1300-square-feet apartment.
"Ellie, you have so many coins," Tess exclaimed.
"They were all given to me by Henry," Ellie said calmly, putting the banknote back in her notebook.
Ellie handled government affairs, and if she did well, she would receive rewards, mostly in the form of coins. Over time, Ellie had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth. Otherwise, how could she get so many coins to buy lollipops?
Emily nodded and handed the silver coins to Audrey, saying, "Please help me exchange these silver coins for copper coins."
"Sure thing!"
Audrey took the silver coins, placed them on a balance, and then immersed them in a cup of liquid, ensuring they reached a certain level.
After completing these steps, Audrey nodded slightly. This was a security measure taught by Henry to prevent counterfeit coins.
Audrey opened another drawer, which contained several boxes, each holding 999 copper coins. Missing a single copper coin meant paying interest on the exchange.
For every silver coin exchanged, interest had to be paid. The interest was one-thousandth of a silver coin, equivalent to one copper coin. Those who could afford to exchange silver coins would not object, as it would be unreasonable to exchange coins without any cost.
"Emily, here are your copper coins, with one copper coin's interest deducted," Audrey said, pushing the coins through the window.
"Thank you," Emily replied, holding the coins. She needed to show them to the tribe; only then would the tribe believe her words.
"And mine, please give me thirty coins, and the rest can be converted into banknote like Ellie's," Tess said, handing over her silver coins.
Audrey was momentarily stunned, but then she smiled and took the silver coins, saying, "Sure, you're the second customer to deposit money at the bank."
"The second? That's a shame," Tess said with a hint of regret.
"Well, the first will always be me."
Ellie was a bit proud. She remembered that the banknote had the number 0000000000001 printed on it. Henry had told her that even if the banknote had no value in a few decades, it could still be sold for a lot of coins, and there would be people eager to buy it.
"Please fill out this form," Audrey said, handing over a piece of paper and a quill.
"Okay!" Tess filled out the form as requested.
"Please wait a moment."
Audrey took the completed form and placed it in a money safe. She then took out a banknote and used a special seal to print the quantity of 970 copper coins.
To the amazement of Tess and Emily, Audrey then opened another drawer, which was filled with numerous seals, each bearing a different character.
Audrey found the two characters for "Tess" and stamped them on the banknote. This was essentially the art of movable type printing.
The bank was like a test site for movable type printing. Henry was planning to use this technology extensively in the future. The power of language had to be in his hands.
"Here is your banknote and copper coins, Miss Tess," Audrey said, handing them over.
"Great!"
Tess took the banknote and examined it with her purple eyes, exclaiming, "It's so beautiful!"
"I agree," Ellie nodded in agreement.
The banknote featured a beautiful plum blossom pattern and a simple landscape of the Azure Peak Range, all synthesized by Henry and then used as a template on Earth.
In this era, it was impossible for anyone to counterfeit it. The ink on the banknote had a sense of hierarchy, which was also one of the anti-counterfeiting techniques.
Emily was a bit envious. She leaned over to look at the banknote, feeling the urge to get one herself. It was really beautiful. Unfortunately, she had to take her copper coins back to the tribe.
"Let's go," Ellie said, holding the copper coins and heading outside.
"Yes! It's almost four o'clock, and the hamburgers will be sold out," Emily exclaimed eagerly.
"Then let's hurry," Tess said, picking up the little Ellie and running outside.
"Hey, Big Cow, put me down... I can't... catch my breath," Ellie's frustrated voice sounded.
"No, you're running too slowly," Tess responded.
"You... you rascal!"
Elisa stood there, watching the three women rush away, leaving her alone in an instant.
"Miss, are you here to exchange steel coins?" Audrey greeted. "You can come here."
"Coming!"
Elisa had overheard something just now and sat in front of the window, pretending to be calm, and said softly, "I want to exchange silver coins for copper coins."
Audrey glanced at Elisa's attire, then smiled politely and said, "Sure."
Audrey didn't expect a girl dressed like a refugee to have silver coins. This was quite rare and taught her not to judge people by their appearance.
"Can the banknote I just saw only be used in Eldoria?" Elisa asked, holding the silver coin. She was also wanted the exquisite banknote she had glimpsed.
"For now, the bank is only in Eldoria," Audrey replied.
Audrey didn't expect someone to ask this question. She raised her head and thought, saying, "But Henry has said that he will open banks in other cities in the future. At that time, everyone can go to the city with a bank and exchange coins."
Elisa's green eyes widened in surprise. This idea scared her. If this revolutionary idea could really be realized, she wouldn't need to carry heavy coins anymore.
In fact, if this idea succeeded, the next step would be for banknotes to evolve into two forms: one as a passbook and the other as paper money.
Elisa uttered, "Please give me thirty copper coins, and the rest can be deposited into the banknote."
Elisa was willing to try something new. After all, the banknote was so beautiful. Besides, the silver coins were obtained from the bounty hunter. Even if she was deceived, it would only make her sad for a while.
"Okay, you are the third customer to deposit money at the bank."
"Please fill out the form!"
"Right! It's really beautiful!"
