"Easy, August," Aeon's voice resonated, vibrating with a soothing, melodic hum that seemed to coat the interior of August's skull like silk. "Breathe. You're overcomplicating the cosmos again. I'm going to teach you and guide you through everything you need to know. This isn't a lecture; it's an evolution."
August stood in the center of his room, the glowing screen of the online supermarket casting long, blue-tinted shadows against the peeling floral wallpaper of his childhood bedroom. The juxtaposition was jarring: the ancient, dusty wood of Mirveren meeting the sleek, digital perfection of a world called Earth.
"Now," Aeon commanded, his tone shifting to that of a playful but firm instructor. "Grab any coin you have. Any denomination will do."
August wiped his sweaty palms on his tunic and walked over to a small, lopsided corner table where he kept his meager personal savings. He reached into a ceramic jar and pulled out a single silver coin. It bore the stamped image of the King of Castellanza, its edges worn smooth by years of trade.
"I have a silver piece," August whispered, holding it up as if the screen could see it.
"Can you see the small box on the lower right corner of the interface?" Aeon asked. "The one shimmering with a faint violet hue?"
August squinted, his eyes scanning the complex layout of the screen. "Yes... I see it. It says... 'Drop currency here for credit conversion'?"
"That's right! Now, drop that silver coin there. Don't think about the physics of it. Just let go."
August hesitated, his thumb rubbing the cold metal. "Wait. Once I drop it, what happens? How does the exchange work? The currency of Castellanza is based on the weight of the silver and the decree of the crown. This 'Online Supermarket' is from another world entirely. How can they possibly value a Castellian silver piece? Is there an exchange rate for inter-dimensional commerce?"
"Don't you worry about the economics of the multiverse!" Aeon snapped, a slight sense of irritation flickering through his voice. He sounded like a teacher who had dealt with one too many curious students. "Just drop the coin, August! You're wasting the moonlight!"
With a sharp intake of breath, August held the silver coin over the violet box. As his fingers uncurled, the coin didn't fall to the floor. The moment it touched the surface of the glowing light, it vanished with a soft, digitized clink—a sound that was far too crisp for the physical world.
August's eyes darted to the top of the screen. A counter that had previously read 0.00 suddenly blurred and began to spin like a frantic clock. It stopped on a bold, green number.
Balance: $1,000.00
"Now you see?" Aeon's voice was triumphant, almost smug. "A single silver coin from your world is worth one thousand 'dollars' on Earth. In the grand calculation of things, one hundred Castellans—the base value of that silver—is equal to one thousand dollars."
August's brain, finally finding a familiar footing in the world of numbers, began to whirl. The fear was momentarily replaced by the comforting rigidity of mathematics. He stared at the green numbers, his mind already building a bridge between the two worlds. "I see. I follow the logic. It's a base-ten conversion on the dollar side, tethered to the weight-value of our silver."
"Let's see if you really understood, Mr. Mathematician," Aeon challenged, his voice dripping with amusement. "Without dropping any more coins, tell me: what is the value of a copper coin in dollars? Use that big brain of yours."
August stood tall, his eyes narrowing as he visualized the equation in the air. "If a silver coin is worth one hundred Castellans, which translates to one thousand dollars, then we must look at the fractional value. A copper coin is worth ten Castellans. Ten copper coins make one silver coin. Therefore, if I divide the silver's dollar value by ten... one thousand divided by ten is one hundred."
He looked at the empty space where Aeon's voice seemed to originate. "A copper coin is worth one hundred dollars. Am I right?"
Aeon paused for a long beat. "I don't know. I'm not good at math."
"What?" August yelled, his voice echoing off the rafters. "You're a celestial guide! A guardian of portals! How can you not know basic division? You tricked me into doing the labor!"
"Hey, stop it! Don't get your tunic in a twist!" Aeon laughed, the sound bouncing around August's consciousness like a rubber ball. "I'm an entity of energy and wonder, not an abacus. Just drop a copper coin to see if your theory holds water. Prove it to yourself."
Gritting his teeth, August reached back into his jar and pulled out a dull, brownish copper coin. He tossed it into the violet box with a flick of his wrist.
Chime.
The balance on the screen flickered and updated.
Balance: $1,100.00
"See! I was right!" August shouted, a rare, genuine smile breaking across his tired face. A sense of pride, the first he had felt since his father's passing, surged through him. "The ratio is fixed. One copper to one hundred dollars. The conversion is stable!"
"I guess that was good," Aeon conceded, though he still sounded like he was suppressing a laugh. "You're really good at math, August. I'll give you that. Now, stop celebrating and start observing. Look at the prices of the goods. Actually look at them."
August turned his attention back to the scrolling list of products. He tapped on an image of a thick, marbled slab of meat. "Pork Belly, Center Cut," the description read. "Price: $30.00 per Kilogram."
August froze. "What is a... Kilogram?"
"That is the unit of measurement on Earth," Aeon explained. "It's how they calculate the mass of their world. In Castellanza, it is roughly equivalent to a Brevemar."
"A Brevemar?" August's eyes widened. He knew that measurement well. It was the standard weight of a large roast or a heavy bag of flour. "Yes, I can work with that. So, a Brevemar of pork belly is thirty dollars?"
"Yes. Now, do the math, August. How much would that be in Castellans?"
August's mind raced. If one copper coin—worth ten Castellans—was one hundred dollars, then ten dollars was equal to one Castellan. He divided the thirty-dollar price tag by ten.
"Three... three Castellans?" August whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of awe and horror. "A Brevemar of premium pork belly in Earth is only three Castellans? How is that possible? Even at the worst market in Mirveren, a mangy, thin strip of pork is more than two copper coins—twenty Castellans! This... this is nearly seven times cheaper, and the quality looks divine!"
He scrolled further, his finger trembling as he saw bags of flour for five dollars, baskets of vibrant red tomatoes for two dollars, and spices that would cost a nobleman's ransom in Mirveren listed for mere cents.
"How, Aeon?" August asked, collapsing onto his bed, the screen following his movements and hovering perfectly in his line of sight. "How can their world be so abundant while we starve for a taste of quality? Are they gods?"
"No, August. They aren't gods," Aeon said, his voice turning uncharacteristically serious. "They just have something your world hasn't found yet: technology. They have machines that plant the seeds, systems that bring water to the desert, and knowledge that keeps the rot away from the harvest. They have turned the struggle for survival into a calculated process of production. They have found the math of the earth itself."
August stared at the screen, his mind reeling. He had spent his life thinking numbers were just a way to count the tragedy of a failing business. But here, in this "Earth," numbers were used to create plenty. They were used to make a Brevemar of pork cost only three Castellans.
"The advancement..." August murmured, his eyes reflecting the glow of the supermarket. "They have discovered the equations of the physical world. They aren't just cooking; they are engineering sustenance."
He felt a profound sense of overwhelm. The gap between Mirveren and Earth was a chasm wider than any ocean. But then, he looked at his thin, ink-stained fingers. He looked at the ledger on his desk.
"If I have access to this..." August began, the realization hitting him like a thunderbolt. "If I can buy their products at these prices, and use my understanding of their 'kilograms' and 'dollars' to manage my costs... I could serve a feast that costs me coppers but looks like gold."
"Now you're catching on," Aeon whispered. "You don't need to be a chef who 'feels' the fire, August. You can be the architect of a new era. You can be the man who imports the future into a city stuck in the past."
August looked at the "Buy Now" button hovering beneath the pork belly. His finger hovered over the light. The fear was still there, lurking in the shadows of his mind, but for the first time, it was outweighed by a cold, calculating ambition.
"But Aeon," August asked, a final doubt flickering in his mind. "How will I explain where this food comes from? If I serve Earth meat in Mirveren, people will ask questions. Merchants will investigate. My father's rivals will smell a secret."
"One problem at a time, August," Aeon replied. "First, you have to decide: are you going to stay a failing heir, or are you going to become the greatest mathematician the kitchen has ever seen?"
August looked at the silver coin balance. $1,100.00. It was a fortune in the eyes of this new world. He looked at the empty, dark tavern downstairs. He thought of the Mirveren Feast just a week away.
"I'm going to need a lot more copper coins," August said, his voice steadying. "And I'm going to need to know the exact boiling point of a thirty-dollar pork belly."