Selina was wrong. Making a monetary system was grueling, difficult, and they had to redo it several times. Natalie seemed perfectly in her element, though as she examined each part of the two trees and recommended their monetary value. The new money system was loosely based on a mix between the system in Veda’s colony and the values of things in the United States.

In this way, money could still be recorded with Wisdom but there would be real money to back it up with. Natalie would be running something like financial consultation or a bank, and she would be in charge of distributing the money that Dorian gave her since it was decided he would be taking care of the trees, as well as making sure everything was running smoothly.

Howard would check up on Dorian and Natalie to make sure they weren’t doing anything strange, and James would help guard the bank when he wasn’t hunting. This was the plan they came up with.

After Howard had made the special room for them, the two trees were doing well. Sanders claimed to have found the perfect place for the crystal tree as well, making everyone uneasy no matter how many times Sanders assured them that the poison was completely secured inside the crystal.

Once they were certain the trees were stable, Howard told James to gather everyone in the meeting room to discuss the new money system and had Dorian help him harvest the metallic leaves and puffs of the tinsel tree.

{Did something happen?} Azul asked, eyeing the box that Howard carried in with suspicion, {Did you contact the Oracle again?}

{No,} Howard told her. He had forgotten about the Oracle during the headache of setting up the new monetary system, and a new headache showed up once he was reminded, {This is about something else.}

Natalie came over and helped Howard open the box before nodding. {This will do perfectly. I was surprised when you told me the tree had grown more colors but that makes everything easier than trying to define things by size.}

Once it was planted and stable the puffs had gained the colors gold, blue, and green as well as silver. The leaves only gained silver. Howard expected that the puffs were likely to grow more colorful the older the tree got, but Natalie didn’t seem worried about it.

{Due to all of us having no need for trading Wisdom we created new money called tinsel to use for the time being,} Natalie explained.

{Tinsel?} Miranda asked, {Are you serious? Just because it is shiny doesn’t make it money.}

{The two things that give gold worth are the fact that it is pretty and that it is rare. In this world, we are the only people with access to tinsel.}

Miranda had an odd look on her face. {I guess so? But how did you make it?}

{That is a secret of the Sages,} Selina broke in with a mysterious smile on her face. She had definitely wanted to say that for a long time.

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{It isn’t much of a secret if I know it, but we should avoid telling it to any newcomers,} Natalie argued, {This tinsel is grown on a tree that Sanders brought from his world. The tree is in a hidden room so don’t get any ideas about stealing money.}

{Why don’t you just explain the system,} Leon suggested.

{Very well,} Natalie agreed and began to arrange the puffs and leaves on the table, {Green puffs are quarters. Blue puffs are half a tinsel, silver puffs are worth one tinsel, golden puffs are worth five tinsel, silver leaves are worth ten tinsel and golden leaves are worth fifty tinsel. As you can see they actually appear to be made out of tinsel so they won’t just break easily and water shouldn’t damage them. Unlike cheap tinsel, the puffs don’t shed either.}

{I guess we are going to find out whether there is a time limit on that or not,} Leon said, lifting up a green puff, {You really based it off United States currency, didn’t you?}

{Would you have preferred we spent even longer coming up with a system no one could understand?} Natalie asked, her tone icy.

{No. I was just wondering if Dov and Azul could understand all of this,} Leon backed down.

{I think I understand the numeric values, but what are they worth for buying things?} Azul asked.

{Since fifty is our highest form of currency, we should be careful not to price things there. Since we have limited puffs as well, I think we should have cheap things like a single apple be worth a quarter, and bigger things can be figured out later. Just keep in mind when you price things that people can choose whether or not to buy them if you set the price too high.}

{What about guests?} Dov asked.

{We will welcome them for a certain amount of time without expecting them to pay, but they will have to get jobs if they intend to stay here,} Selina announced, {Of course, since this is our colony, we can just kick people out who refuse the rules.}

{You say that now, but when they start begging and pleading that it is a death sentence, you won’t have the heart to do it,} Leon warned.

{Then have James kick them out,} Selina argued.

{Did you two just label me as heartless?} James asked, setting down the silver leaf he had been fiddling with.

{That was just Selina,} Leon defended quickly.

{Right. Anyway, how are we going to start this? You can’t just show us this and expect it to work. Will we be paid daily like in the Colony of Veda, or will it be closer to the style back at home?}

{Probably daily,} Dorian answered, {Since the tree provides the money we can’t pick large amounts at a time. I believe we decided to start everyone with two of each value and Natalie as a consultant to make sure things don’t fall flat.}

{So basically we all go home and set prices and hope things work from there?} Dov asked, {What about my position? I don’t get patients every day.}

{Doctors are important,} Howard replied, {You will be paid one silver leaf every day regardless of patients, but that is on the condition that you continue to treat patients who can’t pay you.}

{Of course,} Dov agreed.

{Wonderful,} Sanders said with a smile, {This is turning out to be more fun than I expected. Still, things will be harder to manage if people actually do move to this colony.}

{I chose a spot as far away from every other colony I could manage,} Selina argued, {Who is going to cross through dangerous forests and mountains to come here when they don’t even know we are here.}

{Probably someone who doesn’t have a colony,} James suggested, {I doubt Jonathan and Azul were the only ones to survive after being banished. If one comes, others probably will.}

{That’s true. Those with Dream aren’t really accepted anywhere else. We will have to be careful about that as well if a neighboring colony comes to visit,} Howard realized.

{We also have another problem. I am running out of bullets and we have yet to find the tools to make them here. We need to find some new weapons.}

{True, even if Jonathan or I could make the bullets, expecting your guns to be able to handle homemade bullets might be too much,} Miranda agreed.

{We could try something more like a crossbow,} Howard suggested, {Arrows and bolts are a lot easier to make, and gunpowder would not be necessary.}

Jonathan chuckled. {I have always wanted to make primitive weapons. This should be fun,}

Howard did not consider a crossbow to be a primitive weapon, but he did not want to argue with Jonathan when he had that kind of crazy smile on his face.