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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4588823" data-attributes="member: 19675">Even before the dawn of true capitalism, anything that could be bought and sold would be bought and sold.Its not that Ye Olde Magic Shoppe is a magic item factory, its just a clearing house.For example, the farmer who is tilling a field that once was the site of an epic battle might find the odd bit of magic here and there...and rather than use it himself, he'd sell it to improve his lot in life with better seed or a new plow.  Or a younger, stronger plow horse.  Or some fine fabric for a dress for his wife. Or to give his daugter a dowry, or pay his son's apprenticeship fees.Why do that when he could use the stuff and potentially find even better stuff by adventuring?1) He may not be allowed to keep arms and armor by law.2) He may be too old to be a warrior.3) He may be a pacifist or merely afraid of going into battle.  Adventuring is dangerous, after all.4) This is his family farm, and has been for 400 years.  Why mess with tradition?5) If he is an indentured servant, tied to the land by debt, selling that bit of magic could be his path to becoming a freeman.Etc.Like the PC who sells his Ring of Fire resistance to get a better weapon, the Farmer is selling the weapon in order to improve his life.I've seen a puff piece on the news detailing that at least one gas station that has a trained dog that handles the money, taking it from customer to cashier, and back.  It doesn't do the counting, though.And a unicorn at least has the advantage of being equipped with a natural quill or stylus.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Even in the age of modern, high-tech capitalisim, there are small, isolated towns where promissory notes, checks and similar money substitutes have been circulating for decades.  Even though they're technically of zero monetary value- if presented to a bank, they wouldn't be honored- they still operate like cash within that microeconomy.</blockquote>

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