Just like that, after a hundred years, the free coin gradually completed the process of "half-monetization". In certain fields, it could compete with the crystal coin of the Imperium and even surpass the legal tender of the Imperium.
That was why they were strong enough to support the reformists and renew the Imperium under the banner of "Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions". They were also able to transmit tremendous funds to the core worlds right under the nose of the four families, who could do nothing but watch them.
On the surface, it was a competition between the reformists and the four families, but in fact, it was a competition between the free coin and the crystal coin of the Imperium. It was exactly the main axis of the magnificent, tortuous, and bizarre struggles in the past hundred years.
Of course, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would certainly not confess everything dutifully. The information above was based on Di Feiwen's statement, Li Yao's contact with Jin Yuyan, the director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, Queen Li Linghai's magnificent ideology, Boss Bai's deep understanding of the space pirates of the Imperium, Xiaoming, Wenwen, and the Fist King's understanding of the free coin … The whole picture was only possible after the fragmentary information was gathered.
It was safe to say that nobody else in the entire Imperium had received the firsthand information from so many aspects and basically sorted out the whole picture.
The leadership of the four families were not necessarily unaware of the terror of the free coin, but they did not know that it was so dreadful. People who were too superstitious about violence always despised the power of money.
Even Li Yao realized that he had been fooled in the past after sorting everything out. Di Feiwen, the deputy commander of the Black Wind Fleet, did not tell him the truth at all! "The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors is just a harmless organization of a bunch of small merchants at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium" and "The Imperium has been exploiting and threatening them" were all bullsh * t!
A hundred years ago, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had basically monopolized the logistics and trade network at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium. They had won the support of the millions of people at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium and were ready to launch a critical strike on the rulers of the Imperium with the free coin.
The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had a lot to do with the Black Wind Fleet's instigation in the central area of the Imperium and their "expedition" after extorting tremendous pensions and development fees. After all, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was in dire need of a new economic crisis!
Or rather, if he thought deeper, was the collapse of the Black Wind Fleet really inevitable? The Five Realms of the Black Wind had not been lost for a full nine hundred years. Even if they were not "invincible", they were at least impregnable, right? How did the Holy League defeat all of a sudden? Was there anything else going on here?
Those things had been buried in the dust of history. They only reminded Li Yao that the Immortal Cultivators of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors were Immortal Cultivators too, and even more cunning ones. For such a simple and honest Cultivator as Li Yao, he had to be extremely vigilant when dealing with them. One moment of carelessness, and he might fall into their trap and count the money for them even after he was sold!
Li Yao secretly felt lucky that he resisted the temptation when he just arrived in the Imperium and did not contact the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors even at the most difficult moment.
If he had truly trusted Di Feiwen 100% and told the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors everything dutifully, it was possible that the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would help him, but he would also be a chess piece of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and a slave of money.
Cooperation was certainly possible, but Li Yao had to take the lead and stick to the bottom line of the Cultivators. It was an unshakable principle.
"All in all, this is the situation right now. Although the Imperium's counterattack against the Holy League that has lasted more than twenty years has secured a glorious victory, a new economic crisis is brewing too. Any spark can detonate it. At this moment, the credit of the crystal coins of the Imperium is already gone. The only thing that supports it is violence, the invincible violence of the four families."
Gesturing with his hands, Li Yao explained to Li Jialing, "That's why Blackstar the Great is risking everything to occupy the capital of the Imperium!
"The lackluster capital of the Imperium today seems far away from the heart of the Imperium five hundred years ago. From the perspective of military and economy, it is not a big deal to lose it.
"However, from the perspective of economy and confidence, the fall of the capital is like an earthquake that completely shatters the dream of the invincibility of the four families.
"The reason why the economic system in the territory of the four families has not collapsed yet and why people still accept the crystal coins of the Imperium in their trade is that the four families control absolute violence. However, the absolute violence has been greatly challenged, and their confidence has been seriously crushed.
"Do you understand it now? Wuying Qi does not need to attack the territory of the four families at all. All he needs to do is to defend the capital and show off his power. The more the reformists occupy the capital, the less the credit of the four families will be. By the time the credit is gone, they won't even be able to pay wages. What can they do however many Yuanying and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators they have? The bottom-level Immortal Cultivators will rebel, and the social order will collapse. The weight of the four families will crush them.
"Of course, the Yuanying and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators of the four families will not wait to be killed just like that. However, destruction is always easier than construction. It will only take a few days to destroy the credit of the currency, but it will take a long time and a lot of approaches to rebuild people's confidence in the crystal coins of the Imperium.
"The most direct approach is naturally to take back the capital and annihilate the 'Reform Committee of the Council of Elders'. However, the four families do not dare to take the risk yet. It is not a joke to attack such a dangerous place as the capital through a space jump from the outside world. If they are careless, they will suffer a certain failure and be humiliated in front of the world. Then, the reign of the four families will be completely over.
"Therefore, the four families, on one hand, are stalling with the excuse of the new emperor's coronation, while on the other hand, they are attacking the Seven Seas Grand Market, the nest of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the heart of the free coin!
"Since it is impossible to rebuild people's confidence in the crystal coins of the Imperium for the time being, they might as well turn the free coin into a blank piece of paper. As long as the business routes of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in the peripheral worlds of the Imperium are completely cut off, the trade ports under the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors' control are destroyed, and the people cannot buy the air, water, and food that they rely on for their lives even though they have a lot of free coins, and countless people die of hunger, thirst, and suffocation while holding the free coin, will the free coin be of any use when the news is out?
"That is the whole background of the 'battle of Seven Seas' and its strategic significance. Don't consider this battle as a prelude to the conquest of the capital. This is a real battle that will determine the future of the country!"
Li Yao drank up the iced juice and looked at the twisted universe outside through the glass.
The dazzling stars seemed to have turned into shiny gold coins.
Money was truly something that was much more lovely than the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators. After all, money could be exchanged for food, water, and everything that one could live on. Most of the time, what did the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators bring except slaughter and destruction?
"Although Brother Yao talked about so many advantages of the free coin just now, and it sounds quite nice, I still feel that something is not right …"
Frowning and thinking for a long time, Li Jialing shook his head slowly and said, "How should I put it? I still don't like the free coin out of instinct. I feel that it is an abnormal monster that cannot be counted as a real currency in any case.
"The most critical problem is that it is completely untraceable and invisible in every transaction. It is too terrifying. It is very easy — no, it is born to be taken advantage of by the evildoers. Even the good guys will be deceived into bad guys!
"It sounds nice that the free coin can avoid the exorbitant taxes of the Imperium, but isn't it natural that the country pays taxes? If everybody does not pay taxes, how can the authorities function normally? Who will pay for the large-scale public works? Where will the military expenses come from? What about compulsory education and public medical care? When the Holy League or other alien species launch a large-scale attack, where will the money come from to defend our civilization?
"The authorities of the Imperium have many faults, but at least in the past thousand years, they have resisted the rampant attacks of the Holy League. Every cannonball that was shot at the Holy League was made with the taxes paid by millions of people. If everybody uses the free coin and does not pay taxes, where will the cannonballs come from?
"Hehe. Absolute freedom will only bring absolute chaos. I don't like such an unmonitored, illusionary currency."
"Aya, you are getting better and better!"
Li Yao remarked in amazement, "You have discovered the greatest problem with the free coin. Yes. Leaving aside the issues such as whether or not it is absolutely safe and whether or not the distribution is controllable, the fact that the transaction is completely invisible and untraceable is definitely not something that any normal country can tolerate. It was only because the Imperium of True Human Beings was decaying at the end of the dynasty, and it was in an abnormal state where it was about to be killed that it was able to take advantage of the situation.
"Speaking of which, even you cannot tolerate the fatal problem of the free coin. How can such an unparalleled man as Blackstar the Great, who is destined to be the greatest emperor of all time, allow the most important national capital to not be under his control?
"Therefore, Wuying Qi can't support the free coin sincerely. He is merely using it to steal the four families.
"On the other hand, Jin Yuyan is also the firmest advocate and promoter of the free coin. He was even appointed as the director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors because of his contributions in promoting the free coin. The free coin is the source of his strength and even his belief. I believe that he would rather die than change his obsession with the free coin.
"Judging from the development of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the free coin in the past hundred years, it is not hard to tell that Jin Yuyan is truly a tough guy. When I met him a few times in the past, I always felt that he was nothing more than a friendly, smiling merchant. I didn't know that he was such a well-hidden expert who could really decide the battle from a thousand kilometers away. Even Li Linghai, queen of the Imperium, the so-called leader of the reformists, has been manipulated by him. To some extent, he has even become his puppet.
"However, Jin Yuyan could never have foreseen that such a seasoned player as Blackstar the Great would be in this dangerous game. Li Linghai is his puppet on the surface, but she is actually Wuying Qi's puppet. However, Wuying Qi hasn't finished the final preparations yet, so he is unwilling to end on bad terms with Jin Yuyan.
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