The dragon had fallen into deep thought for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
Since this young human awakened him, almost every word he uttered had been fresh and surprising, which was quite rare for a 150-year-old dragon.
After all, in its mind, its impression of humans was still stuck on the eve of the Demonic Tide a hundred years ago. At that time, humans were no different from the familiars it had casually created: timid, cowardly, without thought, and subservient to power...
But the human before me was not like that. His knowledge was as vast as that of an ancient sage, and when facing me, he was like a king facing his subjects, showing no fear whatsoever.
I've been trapped in this cave for far too long; it's time to learn something, have some fun, and make some friends...
Perhaps even the dragon itself didn't realize that Ed's suggestion was exactly what it had been hoping for. In fact, it also longed for a way to gain knowledge without spending money, but its enormous brain simply couldn't come up with it.
The dragon looked at Ed, its eyes filled with curiosity about something new.
"You just mentioned your team? How many people are there now?"
Ed confidently held up two fingers:
"Now that you're here, there are two... oh..."
He pulled one back in:
"Sorry, I forgot you're not human, so even if you joined, there would only be one person."
The dragon suddenly felt less curious.
But... well, it was still a little curious, so it pressed on:
"What do you need me to do outside of studying?"
Ed replied with a smile:
"You will take charge of a functional building called 'Bank,' where my undead will deposit their money."
"What?"
The dragon cried out in alarm:
"Would they voluntarily hand over the money?"
Ed nodded:
"They will hand over the funds, and they will also withdraw them at specific times. Your job is to protect our vault while helping them complete the relevant paperwork changes, ensuring that each of them has a portable, secure container that records their deposit amount. I usually call this an 'account.'"
Seeing the dragon's clear eyes, Ed continued to explain:
"Next, I will integrate all the native inhabitants within Barony of Tur, abolish currencies other than precious metals, and bring them back under our control. This way, at least within this territory, the power to issue currency will always remain in our hands. Do you understand what I mean?"
The dragon nodded vigorously, stirring up a whirlwind carrying dust inside the cave.
It had understood Ed's plan and was excited about it. If everything went according to Ed's plan, it would gain control of the currency issuance within a baronial territory.
Having the power to issue currency is equivalent to having control over 'money,' which is a small step towards realizing one's ideals.
Although a baronial territory is insignificant within a kingdom, and even less so on the entire continent, as a dragon, it understands one crucial principle: every dragon's treasure trove is built from countless gold coins. If it can control a baronial territory today, it can control a marquisial territory, a duchy...
If one day I can make this continent, this world, use money that flows from me and has a record of being deposited here, then I will be able to trace every single gold coin, and thus essentially control all the money.
Then the dream has been realized!
In its short life of 150 years, the dragon had never felt its ideal so close.
Although the dragon at this moment did not understand the specific meaning of the right to mint and issue coins, nor did it realize that the various gold coins in its hands actually had different values, it had already glimpsed the basics of economics and began to race down an unspeakable path.
Ed saw a hint of a smile on the dragon's face, which reeked of burning sulfur, much like the unconscious expression on a human's face when daydreaming.
It must have been something I said that touched a nerve with the dragon, causing it to start having inappropriate thoughts.
Having broken free from its grandiose fantasy of world domination, the dragon channeled its will and once again drew two gold coins from the golden sea, placing them into the same mode that could be used to hold contracts. Then, it looked intently at Ed:
"I've never signed such a contract. Just dictate it and I'll write it down."
After a brief pause, Ed began to recite fluently:
Based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, Party A and Party B, through mutual consultation, have entered into this contract, which shall be jointly observed by both parties:
1. Party A provides Party B with a job position (bank manager). The job responsibilities include handling all financial transactions required by the player ( the Soul Returner ) and ensuring security measures including but not limited to fire prevention, theft prevention, and protection against evil dragons.
2. During the term of employment, Party B is free to learn all the economic knowledge presented by Party A. If there is a need for practical application, the two parties shall discuss it separately.
3. During the term of this contract, Party A shall not pay Party B any form of remuneration, and Party B shall not pay Party A any form of tuition fee.
4. This contract is made in duplicate and has no expiration date. The terms of this contract may be supplemented upon mutual agreement between Party A and Party B, and either Party A or Party B may terminate this contract at any time.
Party A: (To be filled in)
Party B: (To be filled in)
After Ed finished speaking, the contents of his words were revealed in the semi-transparent void in front of the dragon.
While marveling at how useful this fantastical voice recognition system was, Ed corrected several grammatical errors that had caused recognition failures and dripped his blood onto the gold coins.
The dragon couldn't wait to complete the blood pact ritual, and then began to carefully read the terms of the contract and analyze the grammar and usage of some words.
Clearly, it has begun to learn.
After reading the contract several times, the dragon put away the secret contract coin and looked at Ed:
Shall we set off now?
You seem to be in quite a hurry...
Ed nodded:
"I still need to visit two villages outside of Dragonborn Village before returning to the castle. If you have a lot of luggage, we can split up."
The dragon shook its head:
"No need, I can pack quickly."
After the dragon finished speaking, it closed its eyes, while Ed felt an instinctive discomfort. The Little Green on his head even withered a bit, all of which indicated one thing: the surrounding temperature was rising.
After a brief period of heating up and accumulating power, a pair of enormous dragon wings emerged from the sea of gold coins. With just a slight flap, the hollow mountain began to tremble as if it were about to collapse completely.
A crimson dragon hovered above the cave, its tail even disappearing into the rock wall behind it. Ed estimated that even without considering the tail, the entire dragon seemed to be about a hundred meters long, truly a dragon in every sense of the word.
The next moment, the dragon opened its abyss-like maw, and an invisible suction force swept the gold coins up from the ground, sucking them into its belly like a fountain tornado. The wealth in the entire cave was rapidly decreasing.
Ed, staring blankly at the scene, was only thinking about one question:
If they swallow all the money now, how will they lend it out afterwards?
It came out from the front? Or perhaps...?