Ghaviles Kingdom and Gavian nation

"Mr. Pandi, pay the entrance fee," one of the gate guards reminded him.

"Here," Pandi handed over a card.

"Already using credit cards, huh?" William glanced at the card.

"Oh, so that term exists in the world of Shadow Existers too? But this isn't a credit card," Pandi replied.

"Then what kind of card is it?" asked William.

"This is a license," Pandi answered.

"A license card? And it’s handed over just like that?" William asked again.

"We no longer trade using gold or silver coins. We use a license type called Mutulisin," the gate guard explained as he took the card.

"What kind of economic system is that, and is it secure?" asked William.

"Of course it’s secure. No one can steal what's in the license, even if they know the license's key," Pandi explained.

"If you want to see how it works, one of you should prepare a detection spell," the guard suggested.

Dion, curious himself, wanted to understand the security and mechanics. A magic circle formed on the ground.

"Now, just look at your friend’s detection circle. Actually, the system doesn’t need a card at all—we just use cards because they’re convenient to carry," Pandi added.

The alliance forces watched with great interest. Two magic circles appeared on the license card. The two circles merged—Pandi and one of the gate guards began chanting, then stopped.

In Dion's magic circle, King Eldwäs, King Donov, King Uvez, Prince Dein, Sudirja, Dion, Arjuna, Arga, and William observed what appeared. From that detection spell, they understood why the system was so secure—it was powered by magic. Anyone trying to steal the contents would get nothing.

Moreover, from Dion’s detection spell, they realized the license card wasn’t just a passive object. It was an artifact—no, a technology—embedded with Quantum AI Software. This software recorded every transaction and event clearly, so any forced transfer would be invalid.

“Wow, that’s really secure,” Dion said, impressed.

“Transaction complete?” Pandi asked, testing their understanding.

“Yes, Mr. Pandi,” the gate guard confirmed.

“Alright, let’s head in,” Pandi invited them.

“Though you can still pay with your usual currency too,” the guard added with a grin.

“Damn, we didn’t bring any coins,” William groaned.

“You were just testing us, weren’t you?” Dion asked.

“Bingo! Please proceed,” the guard smiled.

They walked through the gate. Inside, they saw large drainage tunnels, even bigger than the previous meeting place with Pandi.

“So this system is truly secure?” Sudirja asked.

“Not entirely. Every advancement comes with risks,” Pandi replied.

“What kind of risks?” Sudirja asked.

“People without job skills will starve, and those with entrepreneurial skills but born in poor conditions won’t progress unless someone invests in them,” Pandi explained.

“Is there any way to prevent that?” Sudirja asked.

“Our king created artificial personalities—let me borrow a term from Shadow Exister... AI—assigned to monitor transactions. They will seize the money of the greedy, distributing it to the underprivileged and partially to the kingdom,” Pandi answered.

“Your king is quite strict,” William noted.

“Greedy people destabilize the economy. Our king is thrilled when many citizens are wealthy but despises it when many are stingy,” Pandi explained.

“You said people without work skills might die due to this economy, right? Then what kind of jobs do Gavian people have?” William asked.

“Some are farmers, some are researchers, some are businesspeople, some are knights, some are spatial designers, some are miners, and some are fishermen,” Pandi replied.

“Spatial designers?” William tilted his head.

“Gavian people usually live in damp, water-filled tunnels. That’s why space designing is essential,” Pandi clarified.

“How much do space designers earn?” William asked.

“Considering it's the equivalent of your laborers, but with the risk level of underground mining—if converted to your currency, about 800 million gold,” Pandi said.

They arrived at a market—but they saw only fish, not a single plant.

“You said some people are farmers. Why are there no plants sold here?” William asked.

“Because we’re carnivores. Our diet is exclusively fish,” Pandi explained.

“Then what’s the point of farming?” William asked.

“We export our crops to other kingdoms,” Pandi answered.

“But this system is unique to your kingdom, isn’t it?” William asked again.

“We’ve already shared it with other nations,” Pandi replied.

“You said the transaction system doesn’t need the license card artifact, right?” Arjuna asked.

“Ah, let me demonstrate,” Pandi smiled.

Pandi picked up a stone and rubbed it against his tail—it only left a scratch.

“Now, who wants to own this item?” Pandi asked.

William raised his hand.

“Now infuse Manna into the stone,” Pandi instructed.

William was confused why he had to pour Manna into a stone, but followed the instruction anyway.

“Now form a magic circle!” Pandi ordered.

William obeyed.

“Chant the spell I chant. Make sure it’s synchronized—if not, the transaction will fail,” Pandi explained.

William nodded.

Another magic circle formed on the stone—this one from Pandi. They chanted in harmony, and the spell was completed.

“Even a stone can work?!” Arga was astonished.

William couldn’t believe it either—he still doubted whether the stone held value now.

“You still don’t believe it? Try buying a fish with that stone,” Pandi pointed to a nearby stall.

William approached the vendor.

“I’d like to buy one fish,” he said, showing the stone.

“Well, this is unusual,” the vendor chuckled.

“Is it not valid?” William asked.

“It is. It’s just... your device is funny~,” the vendor laughed, “If you’re going to use something to record transactions, at least use something cooler. A rock? Really?”

Two magic circles formed—one on the stone, one from the vendor. They chanted, and the transaction completed. The vendor handed him a fish, still chuckling.

William returned to the group.

“Well? It worked, didn’t it?” Pandi asked.

“Yes, it worked. Something so worthless... suddenly valuable with this system,” William said, holding up the fish.

“Only for the owner. If you’re not the registered owner, it’s worthless,” Pandi added.