Aurelia's council erupted into bitter debate. Composed of the city's elders, it valued tradition and order above all else. The unprecedented request from Grand Metropolis lay utterly beyond their understanding. “Absurd!” Gaius, the oldest of the elders, struck the floor with his staff. “Our task is to turn the gold this earth bestows upon us into things of value and sell them to the outside world. Why should we spend our gold buying worthless rubbish whose prices have collapsed?” “Precisely,” another elder agreed. “Grain will only rot if left alone. Iron rusts, and moths eat cloth. To exchange gold, with its eternal luster, for such uncertain things is madness!”
As objections raged around him, Alto listened in silence. Then, waiting for a brief lull in the chamber, he began to speak. “I understand what you are saying. Our ancestors built Aurelia's prosperity with the gold of this city. That tradition deserves our respect.” He paused and looked at each of the elders in turn. “But let me ask you this. What, exactly, sustains the value of the gold in which we place our faith?”
A murmur spread through the chamber. “It is the outside world that recognizes our gold as something valuable,” Alto continued. “Gold has worth because people want it, and because it can buy things. If Grand Metropolis falls and the economy of the entire continent descends into chaos, there will be no one left to buy our gold. Then how will all the gold overflowing in this city differ from so many shining stones?”
Passion began to kindle in Alto's voice. “We have depended too heavily on gold. We have bought everything with it—our food, our tools—and neglected the effort to provide for ourselves. I have long understood the danger in that. The crisis in Grand Metropolis is also an opportunity for us in Aurelia to confront our own vulnerability.” “What, then, would you have us do, Alto?” Gaius asked, his gaze suspicious. “Burden ourselves with useless goods and turn our city into a storeroom?”
“No.” Alto shook his head. “This is not simply a purchase. It is an investment in our future.” He unrolled a sheet of parchment. On it was the plan he had spent the entire previous night devising. “We will buy the surplus supplies of Grand Metropolis with our gold. And with those supplies, we will establish new industries here in Aurelia.” He began to explain. They would build enormous underground granaries to store the purchased grain for the long term. For the construction, they would employ engineers and laborers who had lost their work in Grand Metropolis. They would establish workshops to turn the iron into new tools and building materials. The cloth would be distributed among the residents, improving their standard of living.
“We will convert the value of gold into the tangible form of goods. Food reserves will insure us against unforeseen troubles. New industries will lay the foundations of a diverse economy that no longer relies on gold alone. And above all, as our gold flows into Grand Metropolis, its economy will revive. In time, that recovery will help stabilize the value of our own gold once more.” It was a grand vision: Aurelia would be reborn, transformed from a city that merely sold gold into one that stored, put to use, and created wealth.
The elders stared at Alto, speechless. His plan was audacious, yet astonishingly detailed and sound. To men so firmly bound to tradition, it was something they could never have imagined. And yet it seemed the only path by which the city might survive. After a long silence, Gaius spoke gravely. “…Young leader, what you propose goes far beyond our thinking. But… I believe I can see this city's future in your eyes.” He sighed deeply, then nodded slowly. “Very well. Try it. This old man will take that gamble with you.” His words opened the way, and one by one the other elders gave their assent. Aurelia's history had taken a decisive turn.