My Anime Shopping Tree & My Cold Prodigy Wife!
Episode : 25

Chapter : 49

The pre-dawn chill by the secluded pond felt less like a damp inconvenience and more like the aftermath of a contained explosion. The air still thrummed with the residual energy of Fang’s transformation and the imprinting of the Thousand Chirp Strike. Lloyd rested a hand on the wolf-spirit’s shoulder, feeling the low-level vibration beneath the storm-cloud fur, the quiet hum of contained lightning. Fang stood beside him, a magnificent, terrifying fusion of predatory grace and elemental power, his golden eyes surveying the misty landscape with an unnerving, ancient intelligence.

Lightning Spirit, Lloyd mused again, the implications still settling. Shadow affinity dormant. Question marks… What secrets was this creature hiding? What potential lay buried beneath the surface, waiting for the right key – or perhaps, the right amount of System Coins? The possibilities were both exhilarating and daunting. For now, though, having a manifested ability, a powerful offensive tool like the Thousand Chirp Strike, felt like a monumental leap forward. He wasn’t just a guy with a surprisingly tough wolf anymore; he was bonded to a nascent force of nature armed with lightning claws.

He mentally dismissed the lingering System interface, the glow fading from his vision. Three coins left. Practically broke in the cosmic superpower economy. He needed more. Much more. Upgrading Fang to Ascension, let alone Transcend, would require thousands of coins. Buying Void Powers, upgrading his own hidden Steel and Fire abilities… the shopping list in his head was already miles long and terrifyingly expensive.

Just as the familiar sense of being cosmically underfunded began to settle in, a new notification flickered into existence, precise and informative.

[New Primary Goal Detected!]

[Task: Awaken Latent Maternal Bloodline]

[Description: User possesses dormant Void Power potential inherited from the maternal lineage (Austin Family). System analysis indicates potential for unique synergies with paternal Ferrum abilities and Spirit affinity. Awakening requires significant energy infusion.]

[Objective: Accumulate 100 System Coins (SC) specifically designated for Bloodline Awakening Ritual.]

[Note: These 100 SC must be acquired after the initiation of this task. Existing balance (3 SC) not applicable.]

Lloyd stared. Maternal bloodline? His mother, Milody Austin. He knew her family possessed Void abilities, respectable ones tied to sonic manipulation and sensory enhancement, but nothing overtly powerful or widely renowned like the Ferrum line's (supposed) Iron powers. Dormant potential? Unique synergies? Another hidden layer? Gods, how much had he missed in his first life?

But the requirement… One hundred System Coins. Specifically for this. His meager three coins wouldn't even count. He needed to earn a fresh hundred.

Before the wave of 'how the hell am I supposed to do that?' could fully hit him, another notification popped up, detailing a new, permanent System function.

[System Function Unlocked: Currency Conversion Protocol]

[Mechanism: User may now convert standard Riverio currency into System Coins.]

[Daily Limit: Maximum conversion equivalent to 10 System Coins (SC) per 24-hour cycle.]

[Exchange Rates:]

* [1000 Bronze Coins = 1 SC]

* [10 Silver Coins = 1 SC]

* [1 Gold Coin = 10 SC]

[Conversion Ratios: 100 Bronze = 1 Silver | 100 Silver = 1 Gold]

[Summary: User can acquire a maximum of 10 SC per day by converting 1 Gold Coin OR 100 Silver Coins OR 10,000 Bronze Coins.]

Lloyd’s brain, the eighty-year-old part accustomed to navigating complex financial systems (albeit Earth ones involving stocks, bonds, and the occasional dubious cryptocurrency), immediately started crunching numbers.

One Gold Coin equals Ten System Coins. Daily limit: Ten System Coins. Okay, simple enough. Acquire one Gold Coin per day, feed it to the System, max out the conversion. Easy peasy… except…

My allowance, the nineteen-year-old part of his brain helpfully supplied, accompanied by a wave of remembered adolescent frustration. My pathetic, barely-covers-new-gloves-and-maybe-a-book allowance.

How much was it again? He dredged up the memory. Fifteen Gold Coins. Per month. Deposited discreetly into an account managed by the estate bursar. Enough to maintain appearances, buy necessities, perhaps indulge in a minor extravagance without needing to constantly petition his father. But hardly a fortune, especially by Arch Duke heir standards.

He did a quick mental calculation. Fifteen Gold per month. That meant he could max out the 10 SC daily conversion for… 15 days per month? Pitiful. If he relied solely on his allowance, converting one Gold Coin daily whenever he could, it would take him… ten days of conversion spread across months just to get the 100 SC needed for the Awakening task. Forget about accumulating the thousands needed for upgrades.

This is ridiculous, he thought, scowling. I have the cosmic equivalent of Amazon Prime for superpowers, and I’m stuck using pocket money like a teenager saving up for a concert ticket.

Chapter : 50

He recalled, with a fresh stab of irritation, his younger sister Jothi’s allowance. Fifty Gold Coins per month. Fifty! Why the disparity? Was it because she showed more conventional promise? Because she was the spare, potentially needing a larger dowry or independent means later? Or was it just another subtle way Roy Ferrum expressed disappointment in his 'mediocre' elder son? Whatever the reason, the unfairness rankled, especially now that gold coins had suddenly transformed into the currency of actual power.

He quickly contextualized the allowance. One Silver Coin… roughly equivalent to a day’s wages for a skilled laborer, maybe enough to buy a decent meal and a cheap room for the night. Similar, perhaps, to the purchasing power of a single US dollar back on Earth, give or take inflation and interdimensional exchange rate weirdness. So, 100 Silver Coins in a Gold Coin… 15 Gold Coins a month meant his allowance was roughly 1500 'Earth bucks'. Respectable, sure. Enough to live comfortably if he were just a normal student. Enough to impress tavern girls or buy fancy boots.

But not enough to fuel a System that demanded constant investment for real power. Converting his entire monthly allowance (15 Gold = 150 SC total potential) would barely cover a basic Void Power rank-up, let alone the high-tier upgrades he desperately needed.

"Okay," he muttered, running a hand through his hair again, the frustration mounting. "Plan A: Relying on allowance? Utter failure. Leads to being broke and underpowered. Not an option."

He looked at Fang, who sat patiently, golden eyes watching him, radiating barely contained lightning. Fang needed upgrades. His dormant Shadow affinity needed exploring. Lloyd’s own Steel and Fire abilities needed refining, needed ranking up beyond the basic understanding he’d clawed towards in his first life. His potential maternal Austin bloodline needed awakening. All of it required Coins. Hundreds, likely thousands of Coins.

"Right," he straightened up, determination hardening his features. "Plan B it is, then. Time to make some money."

The thought immediately presented challenges. How did a nineteen-year-old Arch Duke’s heir, closely watched, with limited freedom of movement and zero established business connections, suddenly start generating significant income? He couldn’t exactly open a blacksmith shop specializing in magically enhanced steel (too obvious, too many questions). He couldn’t leverage future knowledge of market trends without revealing his inexplicable prescience. He couldn’t just 'invent' something from Earth – the technological base here was too different, the magical factors too unpredictable.

He needed something subtle. Something that leveraged his unique advantages without exposing them. His Earth knowledge? His understanding of basic scientific principles unknown here? His analytical skills honed over decades?

His mind flashed back to the previous day's lessons. Master Elmsworth. Resource management. Logistics. Inventory control. Ideas that had seemed radical, revolutionary, even to a seasoned academic tutor. Ideas based on simple efficiency, observation, and data analysis – principles largely ignored in Riverio's tradition-bound economy.

Could he… consult? Offer insights? Develop optimization strategies for Guilds, merchants, maybe even his own family's vast holdings? He pictured himself, the 'mediocre heir', suddenly presenting detailed reports on streamlining warehouse operations or maximizing forestry yields. It would raise eyebrows, certainly. Questions would be asked. Where did he get these ideas?

But maybe… maybe he could frame it correctly. Attribute it to 'diligent study', 'a different perspective', 'applying principles learned from obscure texts found in the family archives'. It was thin, perhaps, but plausible enough to deflect immediate suspicion, especially if the results were profitable. Profit tended to smooth over awkward questions.

He looked down at his remaining 3 System Coins displayed mentally. Pathetic. He needed 1 Gold Coin today to max out the conversion. Where could he get 1 Gold Coin quickly, discreetly? Selling something? Unlikely he owned anything valuable enough that wouldn't be missed. Borrowing? From whom? Jothi? Unlikely she’d lend it without asking why, and definitely unlikely she’d keep quiet about it.

His gaze drifted back towards the main estate, hidden beyond the trees. The treasury. His father controlled the main coffers, but surely there were discretionary funds, household accounts…

No. He shut down that line of thinking immediately. Stealing from his own family, even borrowing without permission, was a line he wouldn't cross. Not just morally, but strategically. If discovered, it would destroy the fragile trust he was beginning to build with his father.

Okay, Plan C for immediate funds: Tasks. The System offered them. Slapping bullies, surviving spousal wrath, lecturing tutors… they paid, albeit poorly. Were there higher-paying tasks available? Exceptional deeds? Maybe something tied to his developing powers? He needed to be more proactive, seek out opportunities, not just wait for them to fall into his lap.

He took another deep breath, the scent of damp earth and ozone filling his lungs. Right. New priorities.