The barons built tollbooths. There were other paths between each village and city, but many claim these toll roads were the best route. For just a few tokens, you could get your business done quickly and efficiently.
What's more, the barons now provided another service. They employed couriers who could venture out on your behalf. No more commute times, no more haggling. Couriers would find you the best deals. And if you were a merchant, a courier could even post flyers and sell wares for you. All for just a few tokens; you'd be paying those tolls anyway if you did it yourself.
The couriers would remember everything you told them. Every instruction, every request, your shopping list and inventory count. It was just a couple extra tokens to have a dedicated assistant managing your affairs. Couriers could read the news for you, plan your parties, write your letters, and diagnose your ailments. There was simply no better way to manage your life.
Then the cost of commerce rose. It was no surprise: toll roads were crowded and the demand for more sophisticated couriers had no end in sight. It became clear that the only way to keep up with the rising price of tokens would be to fully embrace the new way. Why would you pay an apprentice when a courier could take their place? The barons sold us monthly allotments of tokens, after all. They may as well get spent.
Couriers were nearly fully autonomous now. They'd spend as many tokens as it took to get things done, or until the purse was empty. A new market was born: how to talk to couriers, how to coach and dress them to get the best performance possible. Couriers were doing most of the work now, and for savvy tradesmen it was the most obvious way to get a leg up. If you weren't using couriers you were slowing yourself down, and if your couriers weren't the best you were falling behind.
The margins got thinner for everyone except the barons. They owned the couriers and they set the tolls. Their primary concern was expanding their influence. Everyone else had little say in the matter. This was a toll-based economy, and there was no way to opt out.