"Hey, Kahn, you've been ghosting me for days! If you don't come and help me finish that game soon, you'll lose the privilege of having such an excellent broker friend like me!"
Carl threw an arm around Kahn's neck, mock-threatening him. Carl's father was a well-known stockbroker on Wall Street. Influenced by his dad, Carl had been learning about the American stock market from a young age and had become quite good at trading.
When Kahn learned about Carl's trading skills, he funded an account and let Carl handle it. With his father's connections, Carl could open an account much faster than Kahn could have on his own. After that, Kahn took the lead in decision-making while Carl followed instructions.
So far, the two had made a decent amount of money. However, Carl, having grown up hearing his father's horror stories about the stock market, rarely invested significant amounts. As a result, he hadn't earned as much as Kahn. Now, most of Kahn's funds were under his own management, with only a little over a million dollars still entrusted to Carl.
"It's not that I've been ghosting you, Carl. Compared to gaming, I think you'll need this more."
Kahn handed over a few study guides. They were his personal copies, filled with notes he had taken. He hadn't prepared them specifically for Carl but happened to have them on hand.
"Carl, if you go through these, they should be enough to help you pass your school exams."
Carl glanced at the guides, their pages crammed with handwritten notes. Just looking at them gave him a headache. The only thing that could hold his attention was financial reports from Wall Street.
"Kahn, my goal isn't Columbia University. These…"
"What? Are you saying you won't even use them? Carl, take a good look at the notes, then look at me. Do you realize how much time I spent preparing this for you!?"
Kahn spoke righteously, guilt-tripping Carl before he could object.
"Buddy, you know me. Reading this would land me in the ICU for sure," Carl said apologetically. He could tell how much effort Kahn had put into the notes but felt terrible for rejecting the gesture.
"Forget it. Maybe I didn't consider things properly. It's not your fault. But Carl, I do need your help with something."
Kahn seized the moment to bring up a favor, catching Carl off guard. Besides his sharp instincts for the stock market, Carl was oblivious to most things. He was the kind of guy who, in his senior year of high school, still hadn't had a girlfriend.
"No problem. If it's something I can do, I won't refuse," Carl agreed without hesitation.
Carl's father had a wide network of contacts, far more useful than the struggling Pent family's. Kahn had many tasks to manage, so handing errands to Carl seemed better than letting him waste time gaming all day.
"I need to rent a warehouse with decent security and find a reliable grocery supplier. I might need them soon."
Kahn wasn't sure what kind of world he'd trade with first, but his current inventory mostly consisted of everyday supplies, medical goods, and firearms. Large-scale firearm trade was out of the question for now, so he hoped the first transaction would go smoothly.
Carl looked skeptical. "Are you opening a supermarket, man? That's not a great move. Don't tell me you're disbanding our Wall Street Lightning Combo?"
"I have other plans, Carl. Just trust me. I'll contact you when the time comes. And about that 'Lightning Combo,' it never existed. I've never joined any group, especially one with a weird name like that."
Their conversation ended as it was time for class.
Over the next few days, Kahn moved into a secondary residence for a deal. The area had several buildings but few residents. Kahn's parents had bought the property but rarely used it.
That evening, a small truck arrived at the house. After flashing its headlights three times, Kahn opened the garage door, letting the driver, the gun store owner, pull in.
"All the goods you asked for are here. Ammo's in the front, guns and rocket launchers in the back. Once I leave, I'll not remember selling these to you."
The store owner helped unload the crates, opening them for Kahn to inspect. After confirming the ammunition, Kahn climbed into the truck to examine the weapons. Handguns, rifles, and submachine guns were all in excellent condition, their mechanisms crisp. Even the rocket launcher, though unfamiliar to Kahn, looked brand new.
"Everything checks out. Pleasure doing business, boss."
Kahn handed over the remaining balance and said, "I hope next time you'll give me a decent discount. I'm planning to be a long-term customer."
"Call me George. Next time, I'll give you a fair price—I never rip off loyal customers."
Satisfied, George left with his payment. He planned to take a month off, at least until he could confirm Kahn wasn't a loose cannon.
After George left, Kahn sorted the items into his system's inventory. The storage space worked seamlessly, instantly storing and retrieving items.
"Convenient."
Back at his primary residence, Kahn activated the system to search for his first trading world.
"System, search for trading worlds."
The interface became a swirling vortex of light before locking onto a brightly glowing star. When Kahn tapped it, scenes from a new world appeared:
Green-clad warriors with multi-pocketed vests battling on a war-torn field. They didn't use guns but instead performed hand gestures to summon water, fire, wind, and lightning. Shuriken and blades wrapped in blood gleamed in the chaos.
Other scenes showed civilians shopping, merchants feasting at izakaya's, and lively streets filled with chatter. (TL/N: izakaya is a casual Japanese bar or pub that serves food and drinks, and is similar to a Spanish tapas bar or American saloon)
"This is Naruto Universe!!," Kahn murmured.