On the third day, the Gold Depository was still packed. As people who had been waiting to see how things went and those slower to hear the news streamed in, more than ten thousand people opened accounts.
Considering that the entire Gem Bay region still had a population of just over three hundred thousand, that meant an average of One Percent of its people had opened accounts each day for three days.
The amount deposited also surpassed the number of account holders for the first time, reaching eleven thousand gold Narls.
But that figure was hardly representative.
Katelina alone had deposited a thousand gold Narls, nearly a tenth of the total.
On the fourth day, both new accounts and deposits rose steadily. Then, on the Fifth Day, the Gold Depository saw an explosive surge that clogged the entire Commercial Street for two hours.
A new issue of the Voice of Freedom had come out.
The Voice of Freedom devoted much of its second page to the Gold Depository, and Annan made no attempt to hide his intentions. Call it showing his hand or slipping in his own agenda; that was what newspapers were for.
The Gold Depository, for instance, freed merchants from hauling hard-to-carry gold coins and let nobles avoid vicious mountain bandits. All they needed was a lightweight Deposit Certificate to carry their money with them.
Even if they lost the certificate, a thief, robber, or passerby who picked it up could not withdraw the money without knowing the password.
The announcement that Gold Depositories would be established on all 203 commercial streets across the Allen Continent also meant deposit certificates could be used in different cities.
Few merchants who spent their days traveling between cities and profiting from differences in local prices could resist those advantages.
Of the