Amit sat at the back of his shop counter, looking at the little silver coin in his hand.
Earned in 1100 CE. Held in the system. Withdrawn in the current times.
It still did not feel believable.
He had gone back in time, exchanged a matchbox for five silver coins, and somehow, his contemporary bank account had increased by ₹32,000.
The system had charged a 20% fee, and that still irritated him, but the key was—it worked.
He could literally make money off of history.
The possibilities ran through his head.
What if he purchased gold in the past and sold it now?
What if he took modern goods and became a trader there?
Could he become wealthy simply by trading the market between timelines?
His heart raced. This was crazy.
But before he could organize himself further—
CRASH!
The shop door flew open wildly, almost dislocating it from its hinges.
Amit's head shot up just in time to see a whizzing packet of chips land on the floor, after which there burst forth a quite breathless, quite distraught Rohan.
"BHAI! I NEED HELP!"
Amit blinked. "You're paying for that packet of chips."
Rohan paid him no heed, pulling Amit's shoulders like he was going to give a sermon from the mount of doom.
"Listen! I messed up! BIG TIME!"
Amit let out a sigh. "What did you do this time?"
Rohan hesitated. Then, after taking a deep breath—
"I ACCIDENTALLY PROMISED TO SUPPLY 200 LITERS OF MILK BY TOMORROW!"
There was silence.
Amit glared at him.
".Why?"
Rohan rubbed his head, screwing up his face. "You know Suresh Bhaiya, don't you? The owner of the biggest dairy in town?"
Amit nodded. "Yeah?"
"Hey, I might have said that I was beginning a milk company. And possibly I was being cool. And perhaps he requested that I substantiate it by bringing 200 liters tomorrow."
Amit's mouth fell open. "You don't even have a cow!"
Rohan flung his arms up. "THAT'S WHY I'M HERE! HELP ME!"
Amit sighed, massaging his temples. "Let me understand. You lied, negotiated a milk deal, and now want me to fix this fiasco?"
Rohan chuckled. "Right on! That's why you're my best friend."
Amit huffed out a breath. He had serious issues—such as a magic time-traveling store—and now he got to deal with this idiocy?
But then—an epiphany.
Milk. Dairy. Livestock.
What if he swapped something in 1100 CE that was connected?
Perhaps he could bring cheese or dairy products from the past? Would they be worth something?
Or better still…
Would he be able to purchase a cow in 1100 CE and transport it to the future?
His mind began racing.
"Oi!" Rohan clapped his fingers in front of Amit's face. "Wake up! I need a plan!"
Amit grinned. "Okay. But if I assist you, you owe me."
Rohan nodded so fast it looked like his head might fall off. "Done! Just save me from dying!"
Amit leaned forward. "Alright. Here's what we do…"
Plan Milk Disaster
The next hour was a mess of planning, arguing, and Rohan making dumb suggestions like "Can we mix water to increase the quantity?" (Amit immediately smacked him for that one.)
Ultimately, they agreed on their eleventh-hour contingency plan—to buy milk from other small people, tell others it was Rohan's "business," and try not to get caught.
Amit had more sinister schemes on the go, though, but meanwhile he needed to baby-sit his moronic friend.
With the hasty exit to try to gather some milk, all Amit could think of was something.
If I can monetize the past… what can I bring back to sell?
This was only the start.