[ DISTRICT 1 - STEEL VANGUARD HQ - THE WAR ROOM ]
Valerius Ironblood sat at the head of a massive obsidian table. The mood was tense.
Around him sat the holographic projections of the other Guild Masters.
To his left was Lady Seraphina of the Arcane Lotus. She looked pale, her usually pristine violet robes slightly disheveled. She held a handkerchief to her lips, suppressing a dry cough.
To his right was Orion of the Wild Hunt, cleaning dirt from his fingernails with a dagger.
And floating in the center of the table was the projection of Merchant Prince Aurum.
"It is a matter of simple economics," Aurum said, his voice smooth but his eyes cold. "The Golden Scale can no longer sustain the purchase of monster materials at current rates. The market is too... volatile."
"Volatile?" Valerius growled, leaning forward. "You mean you're losing money because people stopped buying your overpriced potions."
"Call it what you will," Aurum smiled thinly. "The fact remains. As of noon today, the Golden Scale is initiating a total freeze on all monster loot acquisitions."
Lady Seraphina lowered her handkerchief. Her voice was soft but carried a dangerous weight. "You are freezing the liquidity of the entire Hunter ecosystem, Aurum. If we cannot sell our cores, we cannot generate Credits."
"Exactly," Aurum snapped, dropping the polite facade. "You all thought you could bypass me. You thought you could trade exclusively with this 'Shop' and leave the Merchant Guild in the dust. Well, here is your reality check."
He pointed a finger at Valerius.
"You have three hundred non-awakened staff in this building, Valerius. Secretaries. Janitors. Cooks. Drivers. They don't want Mana Stones. They want Credits to pay their rent and buy groceries. If you can't convert your loot into cash, how will you pay them on Friday?"
Valerius stiffened. Aurum had hit the one weak point. The Guilds were rich in power, but their infrastructure ran on normal money.
"Here is my offer," Aurum continued. "Sign an exclusivity contract. Publicly denounce the Shop. Agree to buy 100% of your consumables from the Golden Scale for the next five years. Do that, and the Credits start flowing again."
"That's extortion," Orion spat.
"That's leverage," Aurum corrected. "You have 24 hours. After that, your employees will walk out, and your Guilds will grind to a halt."
The hologram vanished.
The room erupted into chaos.
"We have to sign," a minor Guild Master panicked. "My logistics team is threatening to strike already!"
"I can't pay my researchers," Seraphina whispered, looking at her data pad. "The Arcane Lotus spends millions a week on lab equipment. We need Credits."
Valerius stood up, walking to the window overlooking the city.
He saw the streets below. He saw the normal people—the unawakened—going about their lives. They were the shackles. As long as the Guilds needed to interact with the mundane world, Aurum held the keys.
"Sir?"
Valerius turned. His personal secretary, Ms. Jenkins, stood at the door. She was an elderly woman who had been with the guild since its founding. She looked worried.
"The staff is asking about the memo," she said quietly. "Is it true? Is payroll frozen?"
Valerius looked at her. "Ms. Jenkins, how long have you worked for me?"
"Twelve years, sir."
"And how is your husband? The arthritis?"
"It's... bad, sir. The damp weather." She hesitated. "His medication costs 600 Credits a week. If payroll is delayed..."
She didn't finish the sentence. The fear in her eyes was real. Not fear of monsters, but fear of poverty.
Valerius looked at his System Interface. He looked at the [ CONSUMABLES ] tab.
[ Minor Health Potion (F-Rank) ] [ EFFECT: Cures minor ailments, closes wounds, relieves chronic pain. ] [ PRICE: 45 SP (Discounted) ]
Valerius did the math. 45 SP was nothing. He killed a single Slime and got more than that. But to Ms. Jenkins? That potion was a miracle she couldn't buy in any hospital on Earth.
An idea struck him. A crazy, reckless idea.
"Ms. Jenkins," Valerius said slowly. "What if I didn't pay you in Credits this month?"
Her face fell. "Sir, I can't work for free. We have bills."
"What if I paid you in Product?"
Valerius waved his hand. A small, glowing red vial appeared on the mahogany conference table. The light from the liquid cast a warm glow on Seraphina's pale face.
"One of these cures arthritis instantly," Valerius said. "Permanently. It restores energy. It clears vision."
Ms. Jenkins stared at the vial. She knew the rumors. On the black market, a Shop potion went for 50,000 Credits.
"For... for the whole month?" she whispered.
"One potion a week," Valerius said. "Use it. Sell it. Barter with it. I don't care."
Ms. Jenkins reached out with a trembling hand. She picked up the vial.
"Sir," she said, clutching it to her chest. "If you offer this to the staff... nobody is going to quit. My landlord would let me live rent-free for a year if I gave him this."
Valerius smiled. It was a wolf's smile.
He turned back to the holographic table. Seraphina was watching him, her violet eyes wide with realization.
"Seraphina," Valerius said. "Don't sign Aurum's contract."
"You intend to bypass the currency entirely," Seraphina murmured, a small smile touching her lips. "A barter system based on magical scarcity."
"Credits are paper," Valerius declared, his voice booming. "Potions are Life. Aurum thinks he can starve us? We just became the only bank that matters."
[ DISTRICT 1 - THE GOLDEN SCALE HQ - 6 HOURS LATER ]
Merchant Prince Aurum sat in his office, waiting for the phone to ring. He poured himself a glass of expensive wine.
"They'll break," he muttered to himself. "Valerius is proud, but he can't run a guild without janitors."
The door burst open.
"Sir!" His Chief Analyst rushed in, looking like he had seen a ghost.
"Did they sign?" Aurum asked smugly.
"No, sir. They... they released a new hiring policy. All of them."
The Analyst threw a tablet onto the desk.
[ PRESS RELEASE: COUNCIL OF MAJOR GUILDS ] [ SIGNATORIES: STEEL VANGUARD, ARCANE LOTUS, WILD HUNT, STARFALL SYNDICATE... ] [ ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW COMPENSATION PACKAGE ] [ WE ARE NOW PAYING SUPPORT STAFF IN 'SYSTEM ALLOCATIONS'. ] [ HEALTH POTIONS. MANA BATTERIES. PURIFICATION GELS. ]
"What?" Aurum stood up. "That's illegal! Labor laws require fiat currency!"
"Nobody cares about the law, sir! Look at the footage!"
The Analyst projected a video from the street outside the Guild District.
There was a line. A massive line of civilians stretching for six blocks. They weren't protesters. They were holding resumes.
"I'll mop the floors!" a man was shouting at a recruiter. "Just give me one vial for my daughter's asthma! I don't need money!"
"I'm a certified accountant!" a woman yelled. "I'll work for Mana Water!"
The Analyst looked at Aurum with dead eyes.
"Sir, half of our own staff just resigned. They're in that line. They said... they said our Credits are worthless compared to what the Guilds are offering."
Aurum slumped back into his chair. The glass of wine slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
He had tried to choke the Guilds by cutting off the water. He hadn't realized the Guilds had learned how to make wine.
"It's over," Aurum whispered. "The Credit is dead."
[ SANCTUARY - TRAINING HALL ]
CLANG.
Moira's training sword slammed into Eidon's guard, sending a shockwave through the room.
"You're distracted," Moira noted, stepping back.
Eidon lowered his weapon, looking at the floating screens.
[ MARKET UPDATE: CIVILIAN SECTOR ADOPTING 'POTION STANDARD'. ] [ MERCHANT GUILD STOCK: -90% ]
"I'm not distracted," Eidon said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I'm satisfied."
"Did they figure it out?" Moira asked, resting her sword on her shoulder.
"They did. The Guilds realized they were holding the real power all along. They just destroyed the Merchant Guild without firing a single shot."
Eidon sheathed his sword.
"The economy is stable now. The Guilds are self-sufficient. The Government has no choice but to accept the dual system."
He looked at the calendar.
"Now that they have money... and now that humanity realizes just how valuable the Shop is..."
Eidon's eyes gleamed.
"It's time to test just how deep their pockets really are."
He walked toward the console.
[ ADMIN TOOL: GLOBAL AUCTION ] [ STATUS: STANDBY ]
"Get ready, Moira. The bidding war is about to begin."