"Isn’t that an exchange?" Miss Merchant looked at the behavior of the young adventurers with interest and asked.
"Rather than calling it an exchange, it’s more like charity, isn’t it, Miss Roman?" Sanfde replied from behind.
Roman pointed her finger at her chin: "But it’s clearly an exchange, isn’t it? Using food to buy hope, isn’t that a form of exchange?"
"Using food to buy hope? What does that mean?" Antitina was puzzled. In fact, it wasn’t just her; everyone found this statement strange: Is this considered an exchange?
But wait a minute! Check latest chapters at novèlfire.net
Only Brand realized it in that moment, and he couldn’t help but look at Roman with an incredulous gaze, wondering how on earth her little brain worked, always thinking of things that ordinary people couldn’t see. He quickly organized his thoughts and then asked, "Antitina, if you were given this territory to govern, how long would it take for spontaneous commercial activity to develop here?"
The noble daughter immediately sensed that Brand’s question had deeper implications. She couldn’t help but glance at him, wondering if this young lord had some plans for this territory, or if it was just a test for her?
Nonetheless, she looked at the destitute residents on the street, pondering seriously and replied somewhat reluctantly, "At the shortest, a year, at the longest, two years. The populace has no wealth and lacks the foundation for commercial activities. Even if we reestablished taxes and redistributed land, it would still take a considerable amount of time to accumulate wealth... But regardless, I’m confident I can reintroduce commercial activity within two years. However, the roads are a bit problematic; rebuilding them would require a large sum of money..."
"So, if we distribute wealth, won’t the populace have wealth?" Roman interrupted her logically.
Antitina was stunned, "Is there... any point in that?" She couldn’t help but ask with difficulty, "Isn’t that the same as those gambling addicts lending money to the penniless so they can gamble? In the end, what’s won is their own money, and there’s even the risk of losing..."
She couldn’t help but look at Roman as if she were staring at one of those gambling addicts. But here, it should be called a business addict.
"Of course, it has meaning. Look, Antitina, didn’t you say it was ’borrowing,’ right? So, that adorable gambler eventually wins more money, but it’s all written on an IOU."
"But those people are still penniless, even if they have an IOU, what’s the point? In reality, they still have no money in hand." Antitina countered.
Roman lifted her chin and waved her finger, and in Brand’s eyes, this gesture made her look like a shrewd, effective capitalist.
"Indeed, but not everyone wants to be penniless, right? Distributing wealth is also a form of exchange. We’re buying their hope for the future," Roman pointed to her eyes, "See, everyone wants to live better. What we give them is the ability to realize this hope, which should be called the ’ability to participate in production,’ is that right?"
"And as they achieve this goal, they naturally fulfill the purpose of the IOU, and I also gain many partners participating in this game." Miss Merchant continued, "Unlike gambling, when you bury a gold coin in the ground, it will yield two gold coins the following year."
Saying this, she playfully winked.
"Well... it sounds nice, but it would be difficult to implement..." Though others were still confused, Antitina finally understood Roman’s idea. However, she couldn’t accept such a whimsical logic.
"It is indeed difficult..." Brand nodded, then couldn’t help but look admiringly at Little Roman. Actually, Roman’s idea is more of a redistribution than an exchange. Yet, the redistribution involves not only the means of production but also capital itself. When capital is involved in reproduction, it can rapidly increase in value. Roman’s idea assumes that all the wealth in the territory belongs to the lord. While simple and straightforward, considering this under such constraints undeniably shows a significant foresight.