Chapter 50 Things are expensive in this world
50 Things are expensive in this world
'These hotels are very shoddy; they don't seem to be very safe for me to stay in, and the food tastes awful.' Matt thought as he walked out of one of the hotels he had entered.
He had already visited several here, but it was frustrating that they were all very shoddy. Still, at this last one, he was given the location of the best hotels in the City. This City is a bit peculiar.
It is divided in two. On the one hand, there is the low-level City where he is right now. The hotels are for low-income people, and the atmosphere is not very good. Matt doesn't care much about the environment or things like that, but that they can't even guarantee the safety of his belongings in a hotel he's paying for was the point that made him not want to stay here.
On the other hand, there is the high-end City. This is where people with money or who want an excellent place to stay go. Security is high, and robberies are low, but the most important thing is that there they add salt to the food, something that they do not in the low-level City.
Salt is a costly product in this world because there are no oceans nearby to obtain it, which means that low-income people cannot get it and, therefore, cannot season their food.
That is why Matt ran to that upscale City as soon as he heard about it and was soon there, as he only needed to cross a huge chain of beautiful fountains that were laid out along a major tourist road.
There, Matt was finally able to find a hotel to stay in. It was high-class, where most people were dressed nicely and elegantly.
Perhaps Matt was the only one not wearing fancy clothes right now since he hadn't been shopping since he came to this world.
That was why, shortly after staying, he set off in the direction of the building he was told where he could buy and sell many things at a high price without having to wait for an auction: The Central Building.
Once he arrived at this place, a pretty vampire approached him.
"Welcome to the Central Building. May I know what you want to buy or sell? I'll be your guide." She said politely, and Matt nodded to her as he looked around.
There were large long shelves with different things displayed there for sale. None of it interested him, though.
"I want to buy and sell various things, but I don't see any of those things here... Do you have them elsewhere?" Matt replied, and the lady nodded at him.
"Of course, young sir. The Central Building is one of the largest Trade Centers in the Kingdom; we have everything. If it's not here, maybe it's on the second floor, or it could be on the third or fourth floor; there are many showroom floors. Just tell me what you need, and I'll take you there." Replied the lady, and Matt then nodded.
"The first thing I want to buy is a Vampire Ball. Do you sell them here?" he asked, and the lady, although surprised, still nodded.
"It's an expensive item, please follow me. On the third floor, we sell that kind of object." She replied, smiling, and then led him to the third floor.
Once here, Matt understood what she was saying.
'Certainly, there are many things here that give the feeling of being expensive.' Matt thought.
She led him over to the shelf where various vampire power measuring balls were and showed them to him.
"Depending on the category, it can cost more or less. This, for example, is a First Category Vampire Ball; it's the cheapest one we have; it's priced at 150 Pounds and is limited to a power reading of up to 7,500 Power." She spoke.
She then looked at Matt's face and noticed that he didn't seem interested in this one, so she smiled.
'Looks like this guy is pretty rich.' She thought and then showed him the second-tier ball.
"The second category limits a power reading up to 25,000 Power and costs 500 Pounds. They are the best sellers in our store because of their low cost and effectiveness." She said, showing him another one.
'That one looks like the one Alice has... But I need to know the price of a high-end one, so I know the top prices on these things.' Matt thought and looked up.
There was no visible difference between a second-rate vampire ball and a third-rate one, the highest of those available for sale. The difference is the quality of the material they were made from.
"The third category ones are the best; they have a minimum price of 3,500 Pounds." She spoke.
Matt then looked thoughtful.
'That's pretty expensive.' Matt thought with surprise. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
In this world, there are three types of coins.
The cheapest coin is called Florin; it is a rather small copper coin used only for minor transactions and of very little value.
Then there are the Crowns, the second coin in the chain. These are coins made of silver and a bit larger. It takes 12 Florin coins to have a Crown coin, and this has to do with the weight of the coins and the value of the products in each one.
The amount of silver in a Crown coin costs the same as the amount of copper in 12 Florin coins.
Finally, there are the Pounds. These are the most expensive coins in this world.
It takes 20 Crown coins or 240 florins to have 1 Pound, which are gold coins.
The three Vampire Banks issue all these coins and are the only ones accepted throughout the land, not counting the human and devourer territories.
Pounds are the least used currencies because not many things have the value of 20 Crowns, which are the most used coins because of how easy it is to buy and sell with them. It's also because everyone who works gets paid in Crowns, making it the most widely circulated currency.
But on this occasion, Matt found things that cost hundreds of pounds.
'Incredible, how much will blood cost then?' he thought.
Previously, in the West Trade City, for what he sold, he got 1,000 Pounds. He had discovered the price of some basic things and what ordinary people earn in this world, so he could tell that the amount was incredible.
Initially, he thought that amount could serve him for quite a while, but now it looks like they will go away easier than they came.
"I understand. Then I would like to sell a few things before I buy the Vampire Ball; may I know the price of the blood and these materials?" Matt asked as he handed her a small piece of paper.
The girl was surprised to hear him say he was going to sell blood and thought, 'Maybe it's a poor person coming to sell his own blood? It's usually common, and it's authentic blood, so the value would be high...' She thought, and a smile emerged on her face. She usually has customers who do that, and she always gains from that kind of business. But looking at the materials the paper said, she was stunned for a moment.
Thank you very much for reading!
Deltta
Creator's Thought