72: Chapter 72 Difficulties in Issuing Currency

“Boss, have you ever considered that the signal tower needs electricity…?” Shen Wengang hinted from the side.

He said this with a bit of uncertainty, but he felt it was necessary to remind him.

“Of course, without electricity, wouldn’t I just be installing it for nothing?!” Oriental Chen said with a smile.

“President! The goods have arrived!” Oriental Chen shouted towards Zhang Yuankui.

The Mercenary Guild members were unaware of Oriental Chen’s identity, and he didn’t want them to know. Because the more people who knew, the lower his safety factor would become.

After Zhang Yuankui took over the Mercenary Guild, his subordinates all called him President, so Oriental Chen also followed local customs.

“Hmm, alright, you can go back and rest. We’ll handle the rest ourselves,” Zhang Yuankui said coldly.

The colder he acted, the more people would think that Oriental Chen was a minor character.

“Understood, President,” Oriental Chen said, bowing, and then left.

The signal tower was very large and heavy, disassembled into several components. For installation, the base needed to be fixed first, and then each module was assembled in sequence.

However, the installation process was not complicated. The transport truck itself integrated hoisting equipment, specifically designed for signal tower installation. So, only two or three people were needed to assist with alignment, and the rest was just tightening screws and such.

At the bottom of the signal tower was an equipment cabinet, which was fully enclosed as a separate module. The cabinet door had a password lock and could not be opened without power.

At the pre-installation location of the signal tower, four metal bases, similar to sockets, appeared at some point, distributed in a two-meter square. However, the sockets were very thick and deep. In the very center, there was an even larger hole, which seemed to connect to the base of the signal tower.

The installation was very fast. Everyone first used the crane to place the signal tower’s base onto the metal bases on the ground and tightened the ground fixing screws. Then, they sequentially aligned and assembled the next module and tightened the screws. There were straight ladders on all four sides of the signal tower, so four people each took charge of one corner, checking the holes, inserting modules, tightening screws, climbing up, and then the next module… all in one go. In two hours, the installation was complete.

The installed signal tower was not powered because the power generation room had not yet been built.

Oriental Chen first had the Bee Ant Robots build the bases so as not to affect the signal tower’s installation. Afterward, these Bee Ant Robots began to extend underground, searching for suitable locations to build geothermal power generation rooms.

The geothermal power generation rooms were located very deep, which was also preparatory work for later relocating the Meilin Settlement underground.

Among everyone, only Zhang Yuankui knew the inside story, so when people questioned building a useless signal tower, he just smiled and ignored them.

At the same time, in Mayor Gong’s office.

“Boss Niu, I invited you here today to discuss the issue of issuing internal currency in our Settlement,” Mayor Gong said straightforwardly.

“Oh? Mayor Gong, please elaborate,” Niu Xingwang said.

“It’s like this. We’ve had internal discussions these past few days, and the final result is that issuing currency presents certain difficulties and may not be feasible in the short term,” Mayor Gong said.

“Have you encountered any problems?” Niu Xingwang asked with a frown.

“Yes. There are quite a few problems,” Mayor Gong replied.

Niu Xingwang’s first reaction was that Mayor Gong was preparing to extort him again. But then he thought, that shouldn’t be the case. After all, Mayor Gong wouldn’t look down on the small gains in front of him now.

“Mayor Gong, why don’t you tell me,” Niu Xingwang continued to ask.

“Firstly, our Settlement does not have the conditions to print banknotes. As you know, the manufacturing process for banknotes is very complex, and we do not have relevant talent or equipment. Furthermore, after we withdrew from Binjiang City, most of the large printing equipment was not brought out, nor was there any ink. Therefore, it is not very realistic to print enough currency for circulation,” Mayor Gong said.

Niu Xingwang did not speak. In fact, he didn’t care whether there were banknotes or not, after all, both the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild only looked at crystalss, so essentially, crystalss were the real currency. However, if the Chamber of Commerce could exchange currency, it would further stimulate people’s enthusiasm for hunting zombies to earn crystalss. Because currency could not only circulate in the Chamber of Commerce but also throughout the entire Settlement, people would be able to obtain a richer variety of materials.

“Moreover, continuing to use the old currency is also unrealistic. Firstly, it is difficult for most people to find cash in their hands; secondly, the non-renewability of banknotes will lead to less and less cash circulating in the market. Thirdly, the collection and distribution of banknotes are also relatively difficult. Everyone’s initial wealth levels are different; if distributed equally, the rich would not agree, and if distributed according to asset valuation, the poor would not agree either,” Mayor Gong continued.

Niu Xingwang nodded; that was indeed the situation.

“There is also a method of using metal currency, but it also has similar problems. There are certain issues in terms of currency smelting, transportation, counting, and wear and tear.”

“The last point, and the most serious problem, is Settlement. Currently, our Settlement lacks electricity, and there are no computers, networks, or Settlement systems. This leads to a fatal flaw in currency circulation.”