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Arc V Chapter 12

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25th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

Gregor gestured, his hand showing the way into the back of his modest shop. Close behind, the girl and her doll were following him. Their path led them to a large wooden cabinet, a cabinet imbued with the red tinted hue of cherry wood and decorated with carvings and sculptures. The cabinet boasted of countless drawers for a singular purpose, to store a plentitude of coins inside. The piece of furniture harboured coins of different provenance, coins young and old, coins from far and close, all neatly catalogued, indexed, and sorted accordingly. “There it is, the coin cabinet. Is there any other way I can help you? Do you have perchance any specific coin in mind you are searching for?”

The girl tilted her head, her right hand caressing her lips. Her deep purple eyes were giving him a questioning look. “Potentially, but first thing first ... I am curious, which coins do you offer?”

“...” Gregor merely raised an eyebrow, hiding his surprise. Contrary to his initial beliefs, the girl turned out to be a surprisingly tricky customer for her age ... Even now, she maintained her guard ... “Well, ... we do have the majority of staple classics, more extravagant wishes aside ... We have a wide variety of coins, from north and south, from east and west, ranging from the end of the Archaic Age upwards ... Some of the oldest coins date back to about 500 to 600 years ... We have ...”

His hand reached for the first drawer, producing an arrangement of gold and silver coins protected by a plate of glass. “We have Nowhrelian imperials and silver roubles ... We have Ruthenian złoty and groszy ... We have Livonian gulden and taler ... We have Galitzyean korona ...”

The next drawer followed. “We have Norgardian kronen and taler ... We have Alfreikian riksmark and rikstaler ...”

Another drawer. “Then we have the eternally feuding Etrurian city states. We have Vittorian, Estian, and Ragusean ducats, and Florean, Nostrian, and Capuan florins.”

And another drawer. “Furthermore, we have Aquitanian florin, Leithian guilden, Albian crowns, Astorian escudos, or Lusitanian real ... We have them all ...”

And the last drawer. “And last but not least, we even have Archean coins. We offer Archean gold staters and silver drachmae. So tell me, what does your heart desire?”

“Hmm ...” Once again, the girl tilted her head, considering her options. Once again her gesture aroused Gregor's unwanted attention ... There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind ... This kind of mannerism was ... highly unusual for a girl of her age ... “I have a question.”

Gregor furrowed an eyebrow. “A question ...? I am listening.”

The girl beamed, deploying an innocent smile. “Do you have perchance also Valentian coins?”

“Valentian coins? Of course. Of course. Wait a moment, they should be somewhere down here ... Ah, yes, there they are.” His hand opened the bottommost drawer. A series of precious gold and silver coins greeted them. “Voilà, our Valentian coins.”

The girl studied the coins, her purple eyes flickering between them. “Are these all you have?”

Gregor straightened his back, clearing his throat. “Not all, but they are the majority. We have here Valentian gold aurei as well as silver denarii starting from the late Age of Light, around 1 800 years ago, to the end of the Age of Strife, 1 500 years ago.”

The girl was stroking her chin, plotting together with her doll. “Hmm ... 1 800 years ... That is a long time ...”

“It is. These coins are not just antiques. They are in fact antiquities.”

Her pondering self returned. “Hmm ... And how much do they cost?”

A secretive grin formed on Gregor's lips. There it was ... This was the question that he had waited for. “That depends entirely on the coin in question. It depends on factors such as the fineness of the coin, the condition of the coin, the rarity of the coin, and of course market demand. The more a coin is sought after, the higher the price. Early silver denarii from the Age of Light are rarer and therefore priced higher. Meanwhile, late silver denarii from the Age of Strife are priced lower. They are far more common. You still find them from time to time in the ruins of Valentia. Unfortunately, late denarii already suffer from a strong case of coin debasement. Their silver content is far lower than that of their predecessors. The later the coins, the worse it gets. Less and less silver. More and more copper and lead. The same is true for the gold aurei, which of course influences their price.”

“I guess ... that makes sense ...” The girl was scrutinising each coin, as if her eyes were searching for a certain coin ... Suddenly, her fingers touched the glass, pointing at a denarius that caught her attention. “This one ... How much does it cost?”

Gregor leaned closer, examining the coin beneath the glass. “This is a late denarius ... It was minted under the reign of King Theodoric VII towards the end of the Age of Strife and before the fall of Valentia ... These are quite special in fact as they possess a relatively high silver content and weight for their time period and distinguish themselves through their high quality of their minting. Strictly speaking, they were probably used as medallions for representative purposes rather than as coins ... As for the price, the coin costs about eight taler.”

“Eight taler?” The girl looked surprised.

Gregor nodded. “Yes, eight taler.”

“For a single coin? Isn't that a bit much?”

Gregor defended his pricing policy with a smile. “Well, it is an ancient coin. It is a rare coin. And it is a Valentian coin. Eight taler seem like a fair price to me.”

The girl didn't seem to agree. “To you. Anyway, how much is the silver value?”

“Considering the weight and size of the coin, I would say around three taler. But to be honest, it would be truly a shame to melt down such a coin just for the silver. It would be something I would strongly advise against.” A grin of satisfaction crossed his lips. He was currently holding the upper hand in their negotiations.

“Three taler ...” The girl was thinking, calculating.

Gregor took the chance of the moment. “Can I be of any further help? Do you have perhaps any further questions …”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do”, the girl interrupted him, an ominous giggle filling the room. In an instant, the general mood shifted. Her hand was rummaging through her satchel before producing a shining piece of silver, a familiar piece of silver. “If you would be so kind, how much do you think the coin is worth?”

It was the moment realisation struck Gregor. Suddenly, her questions made sense ... The coin in her hand was exactly the same coin he had shown her ... It was a Valentian denarius ... “I see, so this is why you wanted to see the coin cabinet.”

The girl and her doll merely smiled, all innocent and innocuous. “Correct. I think we have much to discuss.”

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