That evening, Joren reached a peace agreent with the governor. After all, the two sides had no fundantal conflict of interest—there was no reason to launch a full-scale war over such a minor dispute.
The main fleet remained anchored off Lisbon, waiting for the authorities to hand over those responsible.
anwhile, the eight ard rchant ships seized the opportunity to conduct business. They had long expected that war would not break out and had therefore stocked large quantities of:
furs
whale oil
textiles
With improvents in weaving and dyeing techniques, the textiles proved unexpectedly popular. The dyed fabrics featured uniform color and soft texture. Even after paying heavy import duties, the rchants still earned substantial profits.
Prisoners and Politics
So ti later, Sunshine Island selected a group of prisoners to sail captured lateen-rigged ships to Lisbon for resale. Since the Vikings were unfamiliar with handling this type of vessel, they simply sold them back to the Moors.
By September, Joren successfully obtained more than fifty individuals connected to the attacks and transported them to Londonium, where they would face trial in the mariti court.
According to earlier agreents, the island chieftain Chavatu was formally invested as a baron by Helgi. He now needed to travel to Londonium's College of Heraldry to register his personal and family information and be officially recognized as a noble of the realm.
Before departing, Helgi offered a practical reminder:
"Even with over a thousand captured pirates, the island still suffers from a severe labor shortage. After your investiture ceremony, persuade His Majesty to send more workers to us."
"Yes, my lord."
First Glimpse of the Wider World
This was Chavatu's first long journey abroad.
Everything he saw along the way astonished him—especially the bustling wealth of Lisbon and the massive fleet anchored offshore. The experience shattered the pride and reserve he had developed over years in isolation.
After purchasing supplies, the fleet began its return voyage, once again stopping at Gijón.
When locals heard that the Viking–Moorish conflict had been resolved, they were deeply disappointed. Rumors were already spreading that the Moors had compromised only to buy ti—planning to rebuild strength and launch another campaign to conquer Asturias and eliminate resistance across the Iberian Peninsula.
Local nobles approached Joren, requesting to buy more weapons.
He dismissed them politely.
The reason was simple:
The Lisbon agreent explicitly prohibited the Vikings from selling arms in large quantities. Violating that clause would cost them their trading and docking privileges in the city.
After weighing the options, Joren chose to favor the Moors—because they offered far greater comrcial value.
As for Asturias:
mountainous terrain
poor resources
population under 150,000
minimal iron deposits
Even Norse raiders rarely bothered to visit.
In short: no profit potential.
Joren gazed at the rolling mountain ridges and scattered flocks of sheep on the slopes, inwardly scoffing:
"Even poorer than the North. At least Scandinavia produces furs and amber."
The local noble sensed his impatience but had little choice. If Viking rchants stopped docking at Gijón, he would lose more than 70% of his annual inco.
After replenishing fresh water, the fleet departed and returned smoothly to Londonium.
Arrival in Londonium
As the ships tied up at the docks, the long voyage finally ended.
Leaning over the railing, Chavatu watched the endless flow of people and asked Adrian:
"How many people live in this settlent?"
"When I was exiled here, there were about five thousand," Adrian replied.
"According to the sailors, there are at least fifteen thousand now."
After a brief discussion, the chieftain instructed Adrian to sell their sugar.
This shipnt did not belong to Helgi—it was produced independently by the tribe. Chavatu intended to use the proceeds to purchase supplies and develop his own new domain.
"Understood," Adrian said.
"I'll make sure we get a good price."
The Sugar Exchange
Carrying the manifest, Adrian walked toward a busy street near the docks.
In his mory, Baker Street had always been the center for bulk commodity trading. Seeing the rows of shop signs along the road, he felt as if he had stepped back into his life from years earlier.
After a short walk, he entered the Sugar Exchange.
Inside was a large hall. On the left wall hung a bulletin board covered with notices:
rchants seeking to buy 200 pounds of sugar
dium-grade quality
target prices listed beside each request
Adrian opened his notebook and carefully recorded the purchase prices offered by different trading houses. After estimating the current market rate, he wrote his own sale notice and posted it on the board, announcing a large supply of sugar available imdiately.
Within half an hour, he secured a buyer—a rchant from Dover—who made a generous offer and requested imdiate delivery.
Under the supervision of a notary, the two signed a written contract and proceeded to the warehouse at the docks.
The Coin Problem
Adrian pried open a sealed barrel and invited the buyer and notary to inspect the goods.
Inside were reddish-brown sugar loaves:
moderate sweetness
minimal cane residue
clearly dium quality
After careful inspection, the notary signaled for paynt.
Just as the transaction was about to conclude—
He suddenly halted the process.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.
The notary shook his head, picked up a silver coin, and stepped outside into the sunlight. After examining it closely, he said with regret:
"The sugar is fine. But the buyer's coins are debased."
The buyer protested loudly:
"Look carefully! These are West Frankish deniers!"
The notary glanced at him calmly.
"I know they're deniers."
He ordered an assistant to open a chest and retrieve a reference coin. The shapes matched perfectly—but the tal quality did not.
The buyer's coin contained noticeably less silver.
Faced with undeniable evidence, the buyer muttered defensively:
"These are newly issued coins from West Francia."
The notary examined the rest of the coins and found:
identical composition
consistent specifications
This ruled out private counterfeiting.
He imdiately reported the matter up the chain of command—eventually reaching the king himself.
Vig's Conclusion
After reviewing intelligence from multiple sources, King Vig reached a clear conclusion.
During his prolonged struggles with Middle Francia and East Francia, Charles the Bald had spent enormous sums:
war expenses
bribes to powerful nobles
construction of new castles after the war
These costs had nearly exhausted his treasury.
So Charles had deliberately broken the monetary standards established by his grandfather Charlemagne, reducing the silver content of coins to mint more currency.
Under Charlemagne's system:
1 pound of silver = 20 solidi= 240 deniersEach denier contained 1.7 grams of silver(Frankish pounds weighed 408 grams, different from the Anglo system)
Now, however—
"The silver content of the denier has been cut by more than ten percent."
Vig laughed.
"It seems Charles the Bald is in serious financial trouble."
He ordered the intelligence service to collect recent price data from West Francia.
The comparison revealed:
Grain prices had risen 20–30%
Further increases were likely as currency value continued to fall
In other words:
Inflation had begun.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon/YonkoSlayer
User Comments
0 comments from readers