A Headache-Inducing and Diverse Array of Currencies

After eating his fill, Zuo Si immediately took his leave and checked into the most luxurious room at the "Happy Hour" inn.

Of course, the word "luxurious" needed quotation marks.

In his opinion, the room was, at best, only slightly above average, merely much cleaner than the ordinary guest rooms.

Most importantly, this room, unlike the Archmage Tower in the Floating City, did not have an automatic temperature regulation function.

Furthermore, Caledon was located in the southern part of the Faerun Continent, a typical tropical desert climate.

It was currently daytime, and the sun outside was scorching. The ambient temperature was likely at least thirty-five to thirty-six degrees Celsius, making the room feel like a steam bath.

Zuo Si carried many magic items and scrolls, but he had nothing to regulate the ambient temperature or enhance his body's endurance.

Moreover, given that he might still harbor a fatal mutated virus and bacteria within his body, he absolutely could not suffer heatstroke or fall ill.

Otherwise, in a week or two, Faerun's most prosperous and populous city—Caledon—would turn into a living hell.

"This is terrible! This is really troublesome. It looks like I'll have to visit the local market and buy some things to cool down and relieve the heat."

Zuo Si wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck, not daring to lie down and sleep.

When he was eating outdoors on the second floor earlier, there was a sea breeze, and an ice bucket he didn't know the origin of nearby provided cooling, so he hadn't felt that hot.

But now, as soon as he entered the room, he was sweating profusely.

Well, now he had one more reason not to stay in Caledon.

Helplessly, Zuo Si went downstairs to ask the owner about the location of the market selling magic items, and then set off with his soldiers.

As for the Leopard, it was left behind to guard Harlett.

Although the leader of the Thieves' Guild had promised that the Pirate Captain would absolutely not escape.

He did not trust the other party.

Or rather, after nearly two years of living in the Floating City Tower, Zuo Si found it difficult to trust anyone easily anymore.

Because trusting someone's promise upon first meeting often involved risks beyond imagination.

He was not qualified, nor could he afford such a high risk.

Thus, with curiosity and anticipation for the magic item market on the Faerun Continent, the two quickly passed through the magnificent Grand Arena and the place specifically for buying and selling slaves, arriving before a domed building.

Unlike the crowded liveliness and noise elsewhere, this place appeared very quiet.

Whether it was the merchants selling goods at their stalls or the customers coming to browse and purchase, they spoke to each other in very low voices.

Some of the figures wearing robes and hoods clearly possessed a not-low Arcane spellcasting level; they were either Wizards or Sorcerers.

As for those carrying lutes or small harps, they were likely the legendary Bards.

In addition, a small number of people dressed as Adventurers were also browsing.

Zuo Si did not rush to pick out things that interested him but first toured the market.

By eavesdropping on the prices mentioned in conversations between other customers and merchants, he got a general idea of which magic items were more valuable in Caledon and which were slightly cheaper.

Firstly, due to the relatively large number of spellcasters, the prices of scrolls below third-level were often very cheap.

Consumables like the Magic Missile Wand, Sleep Wand, Web Wand, and Mage Armor Wand were also in ample supply.

Secondly, compared to scrolls and wands that only spellcasters could use, equipment that anyone could use, such as magic rings, amulets, armor, weapons, cloaks, belts, and boots, were more popular and correspondingly more expensive.

Finally, and most importantly.

All the goods here were not clearly priced; instead, they tested the buyer's discernment and knowledge of magic items.

A complete novice who knew nothing could easily be severely fleeced by the shop owner.

"How much disposable capital do we have on hand?" Zuo Si asked the soldier following him in a low voice.

The latter, carrying a heavy pack, replied without hesitation, "About 7,000 gold coins.

Half of that is the 'Bikenta' issued by Calishite, and the other half is the 'Dante' issued by Amn.

In addition, we have over 8,000 silver-gold coins, basically all 'Centaur' from Amn.

As for silver coins, they are quite mixed, including 'Taran' from Amn, 'Dicash' from Calishite, 'Sui Zi' from Waterdeep, and 'Raven' from Sambia. In total, there are probably over 36,000.

If the goods plundered from the pirate ship, wherever they came from, are as valuable as Bernard said, selling them all could yield an additional 15,000 to 20,000 gold coins.

However, I only brought gold coins on this outing; the rest are deposited with Epke's Thieves' Guild.

According to him, we just need to show the receipt he issued when buying things, and it can be used directly as money."

Undoubtedly, this money was all plundered from the pirate ship of "Bloodhand" Harlett.

As for who its original owners were, it was already unknown.

The only certainty was that every gold or silver coin here was definitely stained with the blood of merchants and sailors.

No wonder the pirates of the Nylanthian Islands were so rampant; no matter how many times they were cleared out, there were always fresh recruits joining the ranks.

The return on investment in this industry was simply too high.

It didn't take much!

Just one successful raid could yield immense wealth that commoners couldn't even imagine in a lifetime.

Of course, the risks were astonishingly high as well.

Excluding well-established pirate lords like Harlett, smaller pirate crews typically consisted of only ten to twenty individuals, sailing in sloops.

A single misstep could lead to sinking in a storm, or worse, being overwhelmed by a large, well-armed merchant ship and killed.

It was a true depiction of "Death is like the wind, always by my side."

Zuo Si didn't care about the pirates' lives, nor did he care where the money was stolen from, or how many people were killed during the robbery...

What truly gave him a headache was how to convert such a wide variety of currencies?

Based on his previous conversation with the merchant Bernard, Zuo Si had a general idea that one gold coin could usually be exchanged for two gold dragons, twenty silver pieces, and two hundred copper pieces.

In addition, there was a more advanced platinum coin, one of which could be exchanged for five gold coins.

However, platinum coins were minted in very small quantities and were often treasured by nobles and wealthy merchants, rarely appearing in transactions.

But because almost all countries, city-states, and even influential organizations on the Faerun Continent issued their own currencies within their spheres of influence, the size, weight, and precious metal content often varied greatly.

This meant that currencies of the same type issued in different regions did not have consistent actual value and purchasing power once they left their place of issue.

Furthermore, due to the chaos caused by the gods descending during the "Year of Turmoil (1358 DR)," the value of gold and platinum precious metals had declined to a certain extent, while the value of silver was slowly rising.

Even the most astute merchants could usually only distinguish the differences in currency values within the few trade routes they frequently traveled.

At this moment, Zuo Si intensely missed Earth's banking exchange and electronic payment systems.

As he lowered his head and silently calculated in his mind, the female shop owner beside him, wearing a black veil over her face, suddenly spoke, "Young man, have you been dazzled by the dazzling array of magic items here? If you don't mind, could you tell me what you want to buy? Perhaps I can recommend some."

Instantly!

Zuo Si looked up and saw a pair of eyes that sent shivers down his spine