At this moment, in the Central Dojo of Chaos City.
"So much power of faith…"
Gu Chuan sat in a lotus position, meditating.
He gazed at the Primordial Ancient Serpent Talisman, a chaos magic treasure of faith in his hands. At this moment, it had absorbed an immense amount of faith power, nearly overflowing. One could only imagine the sheer magnitude of this energy.
In truth, the source of this faith power was not limited to the Machine Race alone. Other races, even the Demon Gods, contributed to it.
Just because a deity created a race did not mean that the beings of that race would exclusively worship their creator. Some might choose to believe in other gods instead.
As the Lord of Chaos City, he was recognized as the strongest Demon God of Chaos. His countless miracles naturally earned him the reverence—and in some cases, the faith—of many beings.
Moreover, the stronger a lifeform was, the greater its contribution to faith power. The faith of a mighty Demon God was equivalent to that of hundreds of millions of ordinary creatures.
Thus, when he created the Chaos Tower, his reputation soared to new heights, causing countless beings to worship him. Consequently, the faith power he received increased even further.
Of course, for Gu Chuan, this was a trivial matter. Faith power was dispensable to him. He did not walk the Path of Faith, so his attitude toward it remained indifferent.
"What kind of magic treasure could be refined using such vast faith power?"
Gu Chuan pondered.
After all, leaving such a resource unused would be wasteful. At the same time, he was curious to explore the mysteries of faith power.
"Speaking of which… the Chaos World still lacks a standardized currency."
His eyes flickered as he recalled this fact.
At present, the Chaos World was still in its primitive societal stage, where barter was the primary form of transaction.
In an era where goods were scarce, bartering was still manageable. However, as time progressed and the variety of goods increased, bartering became increasingly cumbersome. It was inefficient, requiring excessive effort and time to obtain desired items.
Thus, this era was in desperate need of a universal equivalent—currency.
The birth of a general equivalent would stimulate trade, accelerate market circulation, and unleash the full potential of the economy.
Furthermore, whoever controlled this currency would essentially control the Chaos World. Just as, in later generations, the United States dominated the global economy with its currency before its rise had even begun.
Every international transaction required paying fees to the United States, and all goods were priced in US dollars. This allowed the United States to extract wealth from other nations with every trade.
Thus, it was often said:
"Whoever controls the currency controls the world."
However, not just anyone could create a currency. It required unmatched strength and absolute credibility.
The United States could make the dollar the global currency because it was the strongest nation, with military power capable of dominating the world. Without such force, the dollar would not have been widely accepted.
The same principle applied here.
If an ordinary Demon God attempted to establish a currency, none of their peers would acknowledge it. After all, they were equals—why should they accept another's creation?
Creating a currency was not difficult in itself. What mattered was ensuring its universal acceptance.
Only Chaos City—or more precisely, the Lord of Chaos City—possessed the absolute strength and credibility to enforce its use, making it the recognized currency of the Chaos World.
"Currency…!"
A sharp light flashed in Gu Chuan's eyes.
If he could create a currency accepted across the Chaos World, it would greatly benefit his cultivation. He might even gain insights into the Dao through the process.
However, creating a truly functional currency was not a simple task.
For example, paper money was out of the question. Paper was far too fragile to withstand the chaotic energy that permeated this world. Moreover, other Demon Gods would never acknowledge it.
Similarly, metal-based currencies such as gold and silver would be problematic.
Demon Gods possessed the ability to freely transmute matter. If gold and silver were used as currency, wouldn't that be the same as handing them an unlimited money-printing machine?
Each Demon God could simply create their own wealth, leading to rampant inflation and rendering the currency worthless.
For a material to qualify as currency, it had to meet three conditions:
1. Difficult to replicate
2. Sufficient in quantity
3. Controlled exclusively by its creator
Thus, finding a suitable material for a universal equivalent was an extremely challenging task.
"It seems that for a proper Chaos Currency, it must possess the following traits: it must be impossible for other Demon Gods to copy, it must be indestructible, and it must exist in sufficient quantity…"
Gu Chuan's gaze deepened as he activated the Chaos Eight Trigrams Technique within his sea of consciousness.
For countless years, he had accumulated extensive data on the minerals of the Chaos World. Now, he carefully analyzed each one, searching for a material suitable as a universal equivalent.
"No, this material won't work. Although it's hard to replicate, the quantity is far too limited. A currency must be abundant enough to support the economy."
"This one isn't viable either. Although it exists in sufficient quantity, other Demon Gods could transmute it freely, making it worthless."
"This won't do. And neither will this one…"
For half an hour, he meticulously examined every known chaotic mineral, yet none met the criteria.
Either they were too rare, too easily copied, or too fragile to serve as a reliable currency.
"Wait… There is one other option!"
Suddenly, Gu Chuan's eyes gleamed. A flash of insight illuminated his mind.
There was one special material that was incredibly abundant, impossible to replicate, and extremely resilient.
The leaves of the World Tree!
The World Tree itself was among the most ancient and supreme Demon Gods of the Chaos Era. The leaves it produced were unique, imbued with the laws of the world, and could not be replicated by any other Demon God.
Each leaf contained a miniature world, a self-contained dimension, making it fundamentally distinct from ordinary materials.
Moreover, the World Tree was massive, capable of producing countless leaves. Even if some were plucked, they would regrow quickly, making it a self-renewing source—essentially a divine money-printing machine.
Additionally, the durability of World Tree leaves was unparalleled.
With the right enhancements, they could become virtually indestructible, ensuring their longevity as a stable currency.
After careful consideration, Gu Chuan concluded—
The leaves of the World Tree were the ultimate choice for the universal currency of the Chaos World.