Aiyana stood in my kitchen, looking around at the cluttered counters. I had jars of dried herbs, bowls of seeds, and a few failed alchemy experiments sitting in Tupperware.

  "Okay," I said, leaning against the fridge. "Tell me exactly what your skills do. Read the descriptions."

  Aiyana sighed, crossing her arms. "I have two. First is Immortal Cookbook. It says I can store up to ten recipes. Once they're stored, I can prepare them instantly without any Qi cost. Just... poof, food."

  "Useful for volume," I noted. "And the second?"

  "Immortal Cooking," she said. "I spend 5 Qi to cook any dish to 'perfection.' It says the effects depend on the dish and the quality of the ingredients."

  "Simple but effective," I said. "What's your Qi capacity?"

  "Ten."

  "So you're at the very bottom of the Foundation realm," I muttered. "Two uses of your skill and you're tapped out. We can't have you making complex stews or roasts yet. We need something single serving. Something repeatable."

  My eyes scanned the kitchen.

  "Wait here," I said.

  "Where are you going?"

  I didn't answer. I ran out the back door to the shed.

  I dug through my pile of seed packets until I found one I had bought at Pro Depot on a whim. Camellia Sinensis. Tea Leaves.

  I grabbed a pot, filled it with Spirit Soil, and planted the seeds. I poured a little water from my can.

  [Hidden Recipe Unlocked: Life Extending Green Tea]

  [Effect: Prolong natural lifespan by 6 months.]

  I stared at the notification. "Jackpot."

  So, I could unlock recipes just by growing the right plants? I looked at a packet of corn. I planted it next to the tea. It grew into a stalk.

  Nothing. No notification. Just corn.

  Then I saw the prompt hovering over it.

  [Awaken Plant Spirit? Cost: 25 Qi]

  I paused. Oh.

  That was the real mechanic. Awakening wasn't just for making friends like Tim. It was a gamble. You spend 25 Qi to force a mutation. If I awakened this corn, it might become Heavenly Corn with a magical effect. Or it might just become a cornstalk that tells bad jokes.

  I looked at my Qi reserves. I wasn't going to gamble half my tank on a gacha roll for corn.

  I harvested the fresh tea leaves and ran back inside.

  "Here," I said, dumping the leaves on the counter. I filled a pot with water and put it on the stove. "Make Green Tea. Use your Immortal Cooking skill."

  Aiyana looked at me. "Are you serious? The world is ending, monsters are eating people, and we're having a tea party?"

  "Shut up and brew," I said.

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  "You don't have to be rude about it," she said, but she stepped up to the stove.

  She closed her eyes. "Okay. Immortal Cooking."

  A green aura flared around her body. Her posture changed. She moved with the grace of a temple priestess. She adjusted the heat, touched the leaves, and swirled the water with a rhythm that was almost hypnotic.

  "Your pot is trash, Kaz," she said. "The metal is impure. It's bottlenecking the Qi infusion. If I had better equipment, the quality would be higher."

  "Noted," I said, watching intently. "We'll hit the auction house later. Just finish it."

  The water boiled, then settled. The aura around Aiyana faded. She poured the tea into two mugs. The liquid was gold, and the steam rising from it looked like a dragon and smelled like rain.

  I picked up a mug.

  [Life Extending Green Tea (Immortal Quality)]

  [Effect: Prolong natural lifespan by 1 year.]

  I stared at the text.

  The raw leaves were 6 months. Her skill had doubled the potency.

  I started laughing. Hysterically.

  Aiyana backed away. "What? Did I mess it up? Has the magic tea made you go mad?"

  I put the mug down and grabbed her by the shoulders. I pulled her into a hug so tight she squeaked, then planted a kiss on her forehead.

  "I love you, Aiya!" I shouted. "We are going to be rich. Filthy, disgusting, obscenely rich."

  She blinked, confused. "Because... because of tea?"

  "People will pay for food," I said, grinning like a maniac. "But they will kill for time. A year of life? Do you know what a billionaire would pay for another year? We are going to own this city."

  I let her go. "How much are your bills?"

  "Two thousand and fifty stones."

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handful of crystals. I counted out 2,050 and pressed them into her hand.

  "Consider this an advance," I said. "From this point on, Aiyana, we are business partners."

  She looked at the glowing stones in her hand. She looked at the tea. A smile spread across her face.

  "Partners," she whispered.

  The next day, the news broke that the banking system had fully integrated Spirit Stones. The online portals were live.

  "No more Randy," I said, checking my email. "Thank god."

  I grabbed my keys. "I'm heading to the bank."

  "Can I come?" Aiyana asked from the porch.

  "Why? Use your car."

  "Gas," she said. "I'm running on fumes."

  "Right. Hop in."

  We drove toward Freedom Life Bank, a few miles down the road. This was the first time I had really driven through Southfield since the announcement.

  It was impressive. Government SUVs were parked in every major lot. Soldiers with blue armbands stood on street corners. The traffic lights worked. People were walking dogs. It looked like civilization had never left.

  But I remembered the guy at Pro Depot. I remembered the checkpoint. This order was enforced by cultivators in grey uniforms. It was safe, yes. But it was a cage.

  We pulled into the bank. Inside, it looked like... a bank. The carpet was clean, the air conditioning was cold.

  I walked up to the teller window. The nameplate read Barbara. She had brown hair and hazel eyes.

  "Can I help you?"

  "We need new cards," I said. "And I need to make a deposit."

  "Sure thing. How much?"

  I hefted my bag onto the counter.

  "Forty-two thousand Stones," I said.

  Barbara froze. Aiyana, standing next to me, made a choking sound. She knew I had money, but hearing the number out loud was different.

  Barbara opened the bag. The glow hit her face.

  "I... uh..." She swallowed. "I need a manager. I can't sign off on this."

  A minute later, Bob came out. He was a tall, lanky guy with thick glasses. He looked into the bag. He looked at me. He looked at the bag again.

  "Sir," Bob said, his voice cracking. "Right away, sir."

  Ten minutes later, we walked out with black metal debit cards. [Spirit Account: Verified].

  We got back in the car. I put the car in reverse.

  I glanced at Aiyana.

  She was staring at her black card, turning it over in her fingers.

  "I get it now," she said. "It's not just about paying rent, is it?"

  I smiled as I backed out of the spot.

  "No," I said. "It's really not."

  She looked at me.

  "I'm in," she said.

  "I knew you would be."