"Increasing deterrence?" Viscount Helson repeated, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes," Paul explained. "For example, first take him to the market to show him how abundant our resources are; tomorrow go to the textile factory and grain warehouse to demonstrate our productivity; the day after tomorrow go to the ironworks and machine tool factory to show him our industrial manufacturing capabilities; finally, we can go to the experimental area of Weiss Academy or the outer workshops of the 51st District —of course, we can't reveal our core technology, but we need to show him our investment in technology research and development."
His tone became more serious: "I want him to know that humanity's strength is not accidental, nor is it solely due to explosive methods like picric acid. From daily life, to industrial manufacturing and technological research, our strength is comprehensive. Making him understand this is more effective than saying any more polite words, and it will also make subsequent cooperation smoother. After all, only by truly understanding each other's strengths can we establish equal trust."
Viscount Helson's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood Paul's intention: "The master's arrangement is brilliant! This way, we can demonstrate our strength without appearing to be deliberately showing off, and it will also give Balin a comprehensive understanding of Alda. I will arrange things according to this idea this afternoon, starting with the most basic public service scenarios, and gradually let him see our confidence."
"Okay, then I'll leave this to you." Paul nodded in satisfaction. "Be careful to show him your strength, but don't let him feel that we're deliberately intimidating him. Just strike a good balance between demonstrating and respect."
Viscount Helson nodded: "Yes, sir, I understand what to do. I will take Balin off on time this afternoon and report back to you after the visit."
The afternoon sun was warm but not glaring. Viscount Helson led Balin out of Lords Manor and drove towards the trade market in the south of the city.
As Balin approached the market area, the hustle and bustle of people drifted over on the wind: vendors hawking their wares, customers haggling over prices, and children chasing and playing. The lively atmosphere made Balin stop in his tracks and stare ahead in a daze.
Passing through two tall stone archways, Balin was fully greeted by the Lakeheart Town market. On both sides of the wide stone-paved road, countless stalls and shops lined the street, their red awnings forming a continuous canopy, like a vibrant cloak draped over the market. The stalls were overflowing with a dazzling array of goods: piles of wheat, sacks open to reveal plump grains; brightly colored fabrics hanging from bamboo poles, swaying gently in the breeze—coarse cloth and fine silk, in so many patterns Balin couldn't count them all; fresh fruits and meats neatly arranged on wooden trays, surrounded by customers selecting their purchases, the stall owners weighing and enthusiastically introducing their wares.
After getting out of the car, Balin followed Viscount Helson slowly, his eyes fixed on the scene before him, constantly exclaiming in amazement. In the dwarven clans of the Rocky Mountains, resources were always scarce. The only goods they could usually find were ores, forged tools, and a small amount of their own grown food. This was the first time he had ever seen a market with such a wide variety of goods, so full of produce.
"These are all supplies produced in Lakeheart Town and the surrounding villages. They are transported from various places every morning and the market doesn't close until evening," Viscount Helson explained with a smile. "If you're interested, feel free to take a look. You can also chat directly with the stall owners if you have any questions."
Balin nodded, his gaze quickly drawn to a stall selling metal products. The stall was filled with iron pots, shovels, sickles, horseshoes, and nails and screws of various sizes. Each piece was polished smooth and flat, with no rough edges visible.
He couldn't resist walking over, picking up an iron pot to examine it. His fingers traced the rim, the smooth texture surprising him. In the dwarven clan, even the best blacksmith would spend considerable time crafting such a pot, and it would be quite expensive. "Boss, how much is this iron pot?" Balin asked instinctively.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man. He was surprised to see that the man was a dwarf, but when he saw the distinguished Helson behind the dwarf, he immediately smiled and replied, "This customer has good taste! This iron pot was just delivered from the ironworks in the north. It's very durable. You can take it away for just half a silver shield."
"Half a silver shield?" Balin's eyes widened in shock, and he almost dropped the iron pot in his hand. This price was far beyond his expectations. Before setting off, he had worked hard to learn about the currency of the human world, which was the most basic thing in the intelligence gathering.
He then inquired about the prices of several other metal items: a sickle for one silver shield and three silver shields, horseshoes for one silver shield and ten silver shields, and even a finely crafted bronze wine jug for only one and a half silver shields. Each item was much cheaper than the dwarf had estimated.
Just as Balin was marveling at the prices, a transaction at a nearby stall suddenly caught his attention. A customer picked out two bolts of fine cloth and said to the stall owner, "I'll take these two bolts of cloth. How much?"
After calculating, the stall owner replied, "Three silver coins in total." Instead of pulling out heavy silver coins from his pocket, the customer took out a pale yellow piece of paper from his robes and handed it to the stall owner. The stall owner took the paper, glanced at it, smiled, wrapped it in cloth, and handed it back to the customer, politely saying, "Come again next time."
Balin stared in disbelief, and couldn't help but tug at Viscount Helson's sleeve, his voice full of confusion: "They... how can they trade with a piece of paper? What about the silver shield? Can that piece of paper be used as a silver shield?" In his understanding, transactions in the human world could only be conducted with solid metal currency. Gold coins and silver coins were things that could be held in one's hand and weighed. How could a piece of light paper be used to exchange for things?
The stall owner next to him heard his question and explained with a smile, "This is the first time you've seen this, my dwarf friend, is it? This is paper currency issued by our Lakeheart Town. You can think of it as a kind of 'credit card.' It has an amount printed on it and can be used as silver coins, but it's much more convenient than carrying around heavy silver coins. Lords Manor guarantees it; you can take this to a money exchange and get real silver coins. You can't go wrong!"
Balin was still puzzled, his brows furrowed. "Using paper as money? What if someone draws their own? And... paper is so fragile, if it's torn or lost, it's useless." He couldn't understand why humans would use such an unreliable thing for trading. It was completely different from the straightforward way the dwarven clans exchanged money for goods.