Bestowing Gold

Lothar sat cross-legged on the bed, wiping the hand-and-a-half sword in his hand with a white linen cloth.

The arming sword Count Werner had gifted him had met its end.

The hand-and-a-half sword in his hand was a spoil of war, obtained after killing Avelardo.

Avelardo was dead, and the ransom was lost.

However, his armor and warhorse had, by the rules, become his property.

His Arabian warhorse was no worse than his own Nisaan warhorse.

Including the full set of armor, even after accounting for depreciation, it could be sold for a high price of nearly a hundred gold coins.

Banya suddenly asked, "As a Champion Knight, what reward will Count Leopold give you?"

Lothar chuckled, "Count Leopold originally wanted me to be his vassal—the Baron of Wienerwald, and he even painted a picture of me being promoted to count in the future."

"But I refused. So in the end, it was exchanged for financial support, and a promise to supply us with provisions once we gain a foothold in the Holy Land."

"This promise is very broad; it could be providing us with weapons and shields, armor and arrows, or it could be grain and seeds, blacksmiths and craftsmen."

"There's no specific amount, but how much I can actually get at that time will probably depend on my performance and whether it's worth Count Leopold's investment."

"That's perfectly normal."

Banya nodded, offering no further comment.

"Let's get ready to sleep."

After turning off the light, Banya lay down on the thin blanket on the floor.

He fell asleep as usual.

But this time, perhaps due to the increased intimacy, the atmosphere between them was not as distant as before.

In the darkness, Lothar gazed at Banya's perfect profile in the moonlight, unable to sleep for a long time. Only when the other's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if about to open their eyes, did he quickly close his own.

The next morning, Lothar visited Count Leopold again and politely declined the luncheon, requesting to take his leave.

From him, Lothar received a heavy bag containing a hundred Florin gold coins, minted by the city-state of Genoa in recent years, with a purity far exceeding that of the Solidus.

Each Florin gold coin weighed 3.5 grams, which was 1 gram lighter than the newly minted Solidus gold coins of the Eastern Empire.

Solidus gold coin was just a general term; it could refer to the Solidus gold coin or the Nomisma gold coin, both of which were gold coins issued by the Eastern Empire.

According to regulations, all Solidus gold coins were 4.5 grams.

However, the purity of Solidus coins varied depending on the period of issue.

The Solidus gold coins newly issued by Empress Lagaya of the Eastern Empire were pure gold with full gold content, similar in purity to the Florin gold coins issued by Genoa.

From this, it could be seen that the Empress intended to salvage the already notorious currency system of the Eastern Empire, rather than being a slacker who only cared for her own pleasure.

Otherwise, if things continued as before, the entire market of the Eastern Empire would be flooded with the currencies of commercial city-states like Genoa and Venice.

During this period, the gold-to-silver exchange rate was twelve to one, meaning one gold coin of full purity could be exchanged for twelve silver coins of equal weight.

However, since silver coins were often only slightly over 1 gram, theoretically, one gold Florin could be exchanged for about 40 silver dinars.

Of course, in reality, such an exchange was often impossible.

Because silver tableware and other items were widely used, most silver coins had lower purity than gold coins. For example, a king of Gaul once minted black coins with only one-tenth silver content.

The Eastern Empire also had an emperor who issued silver-plated coins with less than one-twentieth silver content, and in some remote areas, bronze coins with no circulation value were still in use.

In this era, due to the fragmentation and the prevalence of feudal lords who could mint their own currency, the monetary system was extremely chaotic.

However, generally speaking, during this period, a pig was worth about 1.5 Florin gold coins.

One Florin gold coin could buy fifty loaves of good quality bread, free from chaff and grit.

A top-quality warhorse, like Lothar's Nisaan warhorse, was worth about 60 Florin gold coins, six times the price of the steppe warhorses ridden by the Magyars.

And a top-tier imperial horse, exclusively for royalty, would cost around 500 Florin gold coins.

As for ordinary pack horses, they were worth only five gold Florins.

The annual rent for an inn in the city was 6 Florin gold coins.

The cost of building a castle was about 2000 Florins.

A set of excellent chainmail worn by elite soldiers or lower-ranking knights was worth about 30 Florin gold coins; a custom-made full knight's armor would cost 50 Florins.

A royal four-wheeled carriage would cost about 240 Florins.

Of course, these were approximate figures, and actual prices would fluctuate with supply and demand. In later times, prices would still skyrocket due to factors like plagues and city closures, let alone the Middle Ages.

It was possible that a drought could cause the price of bread to surge hundreds of times due to hoarding by Jewish merchants.

Once the Jewish merchants had made enough money, shrewd local lords would often find an excuse to execute them and confiscate all their property.

This not only appeased the boiling public anger but also indirectly squeezed every last copper coin from the lords' subjects for their own enjoyment.

Therefore, Lothar's current total assets included one hundred gold Florins, eighty gold Solidus coins, nearly five hundred silver dinars, two silver goblets gifted to him by Otto, two steppe warhorses, one Nisaan warhorse, one Arabian horse, and two pack horses.

As well as a spare set of excellent chainmail and a bucket helmet.

A considerable portion of the silver coins were ransoms obtained by Hans from defeating his opponents.

This sum of money could arm about ten soldiers equipped with leather armor, hand-and-a-half swords, and spears, or hire a small mercenary group of thirty to fifty men to serve me.

"As expected, war is a money pit. It's not easy to make a name for myself in Jerusalem."

"The battlefield is not like an arena. An individual's bravery will never compare to a well-trained army. At least, Hans and I can't."

Lothar tallied his meager savings with a sigh.

Banya was a close-combat, defensive retainer who could protect him on the battlefield, but expecting her to sweep through enemies was a bit of a stretch.

When they returned to the inn, Ryan had already settled the bill, packed all their belongings, and was waiting outside with the horses.

"My lord, this is your mount. Food and fodder for the horses have been prepared. When do we depart?"

Ryan bowed humbly, his face filled with reverence.

Moder, meanwhile, approached the warhorse, bent down, and prepared to act as Lothar's stepping stool to mount.

Ever since Lothar defeated the werewolf knight Avelardo yesterday, the way he and Moder looked at him had changed completely.

They treated him as if he were a god.

Hans, however, remained as usual, with no change.

In his opinion, Lothar killing a werewolf was a matter of course. With even the famous Hell Gatekeeper serving the lord, a mere werewolf was nothing.

Lothar's expression turned stern as he stopped Moder's action. "Stand up, Moder!"

"If I need servants, I will buy them with money. But what I need now are brave warriors, not lowly servants. Never act so subserviently in front of me."

"Ryan, you too."

While the two looked on in stunned silence, Lothar mounted his horse and snorted, "We depart immediately!"

In truth, a loyal servant could often be quite effective on the battlefield, like the Mamluk cavalry of the Ayyubid Empire.

But Lothar could not tolerate such demeaning behavior.

He still had a long way to go to fully integrate into this world, but Lothar would rather never integrate at all.

In the afternoon, Lothar and his party stopped before a small town.

It was a town that had been ravaged by fire, a scene of devastation and ruins. The pungent smell of smoke and burning filled the air, making the group frown.

A man, his head severed from his body, lay by the roadside. Swarms of flies crawled in and out of the dead man's mouth, nose, and wounds.

As the sound of hooves approached, a black storm was stirred up.

Scavenging wild dogs gnawed at corpses in the ruins, already beginning to rot in the summer heat. They showed no fear even when humans appeared.

Moder, an experienced veteran, said gravely, "These bandits left not long ago. There are still embers in the ruins."

Lothar frowned. "Don't the border patrols of Babenberg do anything?"

"They probably did. You see the marks on their bodies and necks from wearing armor. He must have been a soldier, but his armor was stripped off."

"Can you find them?"

Lothar's tone was calm. Such events happened daily; it was a microcosm of the era. Not only bandits but even noble feuds often involved plundering villages.

They would capture men and women to be serfs, while the old, the weak, and the sick were all killed to lighten the burden.

The lives of commoners were worthless, then as now.

Moder observed carefully for a moment and nodded. "No problem. They didn't leave in a hurry. They took captives, supplies, and livestock, so they weren't moving fast. We can definitely find them by following these tracks."

Lothar turned back and said to everyone, "Some say that in war, nobles provide weapons and equipment, the wealthy provide money and food, and the poor provide their children. After the war, nobles achieve fame and fortune, the wealthy gain more riches, and the poor can only search for their children's graves."

"Even the best war is worse than the worst peace."

Lothar's gaze swept over the corpses. An old man still held a farming tool, its blade broken by a sharp weapon. There was an arrow wound on his neck.

But the arrow was surely retrieved afterward.

The lives of such commoners weren't even worth the cost of an arrow to bury with them.

"But war will never disappear."

"I cannot change this era, but I swear that if I become a lord, I will do my utmost to protect the people in my territory, clear out bandits, and defend against enemies."

Ryan and Moder's faces showed surprise.

In this era, very few people would use the word "subjects" in such a way.

Were serfs considered people too?

"Moder, lead the way. We depart immediately to capture these bandits and send them to hell in the name of the Heavenly Father."

He had to admit that a significant part of pursuing these bandits was to complete a milestone.

But a considerable portion was also the hope of rescuing those who had been abducted.

To kill those cruel bandits, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.