these magical things called monsters drop mesos

By killing snails ofc.

Adam and eve made meso babies

Nevermind, read title a bit wrong.
I would assume by picking up meso, then people bought the meso sacks?

Economy was new back then so everything and anything was cheap, until people started finding out the rarity of certain items.

The first people picked mesos and loot from monsters and sold them at the npc shops i guess.

I could tell you that mid-2008 I'd spend hours in NLC-Phantom Forest killing Leprechauns for 2k a kill and the chance at Steelys.

Around that same time I'd spend even more hours on end hunting Drum Bunnies for Chaos Scrolls when they sold for 100m
I found 3 that year.

Pqs used to give scroll rewards, looting mosnter drops, selling scrolls and equipment

100k could buy you a top-tier panlid.

1m was godsend.

100m was basically unlimited funds.

price inflation

They got tyrants and fafnir from marvel.
Hogged empress and converted to SW equips.
Sold them for $$$.
Just kidding, kill monsters and NPC the drops.
The monsters themselves also dropped meso.

BTW, J>KPQ I have steelies.