You think me rich because I have gold; I am rich because I have time.
He flips the usual measure of wealth. Gold buys rooms; time buys perspective and planning—the Count’s real edge. The antithesis matches the plot’s engine: years of waiting turned into precision moves. Emotionally, it reframes success for readers who can’t buy everything but can pace themselves. It also shades his justice: patience is both tool and temptation. He mastered clocks, then almost became one. Power here is schedule, not shout.