Apparently the cache of gold coins in Andolor is not as infinitely bottomless as it seems! There are in actuality whole teams of individuals toiling tirelessly to make these coins possible. This fact was basically completely ignored until yesterday morning when mine workers across the world simultaneously threw down their pickaxes in disgust and went on a massive strike.

"Everyday I see new people materialize in Andolor, seemingly out of complete nothingness, and it looks to me as if their ultimate goal is to do nothing more than hoard gold!" Exclaims a dwarven mine worker, currently on strike in Gold Rush. "I've even followed a few of these degenerates around and they're definitely up to no good. First they enlist in the Aylorian Academy, then the next thing you know they're auctioning off academic fundraising leaflets, evidently to get their careers in gold hoarding off to a swift start. Then it's as if they can't stop themselves from killing virtually anyone they come across and looting gold off the corpses! Meanwhile, us miners are deep underground, sweating our buns off and endangering our health by exposing ourselves to extreme levels of cyanide. People are so busy pilfering gold off of each other that they don't stop to think about who is making all of this gold possible!" I watch in fascination as the dwarf picks a morsel of breakfast from his beard and gobbles it up. Taking this as my cue to leave, I make my way to the Aylorian Academy where Vladia, the economics expert, is an instructor.

"We have been looking into some alternate forms of currency since this whole fiasco began," Vladia states. "Initially, salt seemed like a viable option due to its renown for having been a primitive means of payment in trading and bartering systems. However, this caused a huge hubbub amongst the kitchen workers. Apparently there was some concern that adventurers would flock to their kitchens and have a heyday repeatedly killing them in order to swipe their salt supplies. As it was generally conceded that no food would ever be properly prepared in this scenario, the salt idea was scrapped. Instead we are considering a swipe-and-go credit card system that would eliminate the necessity of a tangible form of currency altogether." At this point, Vladia winks at me suggestively, and since this creeps me out, I opt to hit the road.

I decide to walk really fast to the Onyx Bazaar and get the average shopper's opinion of an Aardwolfian credit card. I am quickly convinced that the idea leaves a bad taste in a slave buyer's mouth, mainly because he expectorates all over my Garnet Studded Sandals. "A card that would show a record of every transaction I make? If someone got ahold of that information who knows what they would do with it! The thought of that just makes me sick! Besides, I've got enough slaves to start up several mines of my own, there is no need for paid laborers in this world."

I realised then that the slave buyer did have a point, slaves are quite possibly even more plentiful in Andolor than academic fundraising leaflets. So perhaps any fears of a gold shortage will be all for naught. Nevertheless, this reporter is going to continue with her attempts to perfect the art of alchemy.