Chapter 264 Idar Daily and Merlin News Agency (Part 2)
The shouts of the newsboys broke the silence of the early morning. On their sides were slung a bulging cloth bag filled with newspapers they had just received from their suppliers.
"Buy a newspaper!"
The newsboys waved the newspapers in their hands and shouted loudly. At first, they seemed quite nervous, but gradually...
The panic in their voices gradually dissipated, and even their footsteps became more determined.
Newspaper... Newspaper? The crisp shouts of the newsboys reached Aemon's ears. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks, a curious look gradually emerging on his face.
Imon was born into a peasant family in Idar. With the early death of his parents and his wife, he has now become the backbone of the entire family, cultivating a large piece of land with his own strength.
"Oh! This is probably the Idar Daily that the Count mentioned!" a passerby suddenly said.
Hearing this, Yimon seemed to recall something...
Idar Daily! He looked as if he had suddenly realized something.
A few days ago, there was an introduction to a newspaper in the bulletin board of the working people's community. This was a publication for civilians to read, published by the Merlin News Agency under the instruction of Count Bruno Stuart of Idar!
"Starting from the first of next month, the opening hours of the Baths of Caracalla will be adjusted..."
"Lord Bruno Stuart, Earl of Idar, has given important instructions on the spring farming plan..."
"An overview of the growth habits of new crops in Idarling, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes..."
The passerby readily paid for a newspaper and began to read it to himself.
The crowd on the roadside couldn't help but gather around.
You know, it's not an ordinary thing to meet someone who can read and spell.
Spring ploughing...potatoes...
The words in these newspapers undoubtedly aroused Eamon's interest. Driven by curiosity, Eamon waved to the newspaper boy walking on the street and said:
"This thing called a newspaper...a newspaper, what's inside it?"
The newsboy trotted over and explained:
"This is the first issue of Idar Daily published by Merlin News Agency. It not only teaches people to read, but also records the latest news happening in various parts of Idar. In addition, it also contains a lot of knowledge related to farming..."
When Yimon heard that the things in the newspaper could also teach people how to farm, he couldn't help but feel happy.
He was just a farmer in Idar County, and tending to the crops in the fields was the most important thing in the year.
Therefore, when he heard that the newspaper contained knowledge related to farming, his interest in the newspaper was instantly piqued.
after all……
High-yield crops such as potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes were discovered by Lord Bruno Stuart, Count of Idar, from somewhere.
The cultivation of these new crops not only increased the food production in Idar Territory, but also greatly enriched the daily diet of the Idar people.
Even the lowest-level farmers like him have basically gotten rid of the days of having to live on dry black bread. From time to time, they can have some food such as sweet potatoes and potatoes. During festivals, they may even be able to eat fresh sea fish!
In addition, the Idar people's recycling and utilization of human and animal feces, intensive farming methods, etc., are all experiences passed down from the lord's castle, and have been proven to be true and effective, and can effectively increase the yield of crops! So...
Maybe this newspaper contains the wealth code that belongs exclusively to farmers!
"How much?" Imon asked impatiently.
"One copper coin."
Although Idar Daily is called a daily newspaper, it is actually only published once a week, at least for now.
More haste, less speed.
Instead of asking Mrs. Dalia to work hard to publish one issue every day, it would be better to extend the time interval between each issue of the newspaper and enrich the content of Idar Daily as much as possible to improve the quality of each issue of the newspaper.
Because when distributing the newspaper, Bruno had to take into account the purchasing power of the people of Idar and the efficiency of the newly established Merlin News Agency.
That’s right!
Under Bruno's rule, the income of the people in Idar County increased greatly, with monthly income at least doubling.
The price of copper coins suddenly jumped from more than 30 to 60 or 70 copper coins, which greatly improved the living conditions of the Idar people.
The sudden increase in income did cause an increase in the price level in Idar County, but such inflation was within Bruno's expectations and was within a reasonable range.
But here’s the thing…
Even so, the price of a copper coin is really not low. If it is really published every day, it will cost thirty copper coins a month!
There is no doubt that no civilian can afford such a price.
Bruno certainly wanted to lower the price, but since the copper coin was the smallest monetary unit in the Norman Empire, the price of one copper coin was already the lowest.
Someone will surely realize that such a monetary unit of measurement will cause great inconvenience to the lives of ordinary people.
And indeed it is true that for most people, the price of black bread is not always measured in copper coins.
According to the current price level in Idar County, one copper coin can buy two to three pieces of black bread.
But if a customer wants to buy a piece of brown bread alone, he needs to measure it with wheat or other physical objects.
barter,
Although this most primitive form of transaction is no longer common in Idar Territory, in fact, barter is the most common form of transaction among civilians in the Norman Empire.
This also led to Bruno being troubled about the pricing of the Idar Daily. If the price was too high, it would go against Bruno's idea of improving the cultural literacy of the people of Idar. But if the price was too low, the cost expenditure would not be a small amount that could be ignored.
Therefore, extending the publication interval of Idar Daily while increasing the content of each issue of the newspaper undoubtedly became Bruno's final choice.
"A copper coin..."
Aemon couldn't help but secretly smack his lips, but...
Under the temptation of agricultural farming knowledge, he gritted his teeth and bought the newspaper.
only……
The second question came up immediately, because... he couldn't read! "The contents of the second, third, and fourth editions are all about teaching people how to spell. They are illustrated with pictures and text. If you still don't understand something, you can go to the Two Point Academy to sit in on the class or ask other people who have learned spelling."
The newsboy, obviously noticing Aemon's embarrassment, added.
Hearing this, Aemon nodded quickly.
Although Aemon had sent his son to Two Point Academy to study and learn spelling, he was not interested in these things.
Not to mention whether learning to spell can improve my life, after all, I am already such an adult, and it would be too embarrassing to sit together with my son and a group of other children to study.
And this is actually the true thought in the hearts of many Idar people.
but……
After hearing the newsboy's description of the newspaper, Eamon finally made up his mind.
Looking at the passerby surrounded by the people, Aemon vowed secretly... He, too, would learn to spell! No more tomorrow, compulsory exam.
(End of this chapter)
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