Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 135: Episode : Introduction to Money

Her mates didn’t understand what a tradebooth was, but the next morning, they understood.

The center of the Iron-Wood Village, a clearing that was usually left for meetings, with tiny logs around for seating.

It was first reserved for the Alpha’s announcements or the distribution of hunt spoils. Today, however, it looked like a carnival stall had landed in the snow.

"A little to the left, Drax," Roxy instructed, pointing a gloved finger. "We want the sun to hit the gold just right. Presentation is everything."

Drax, bundled up in a miniature fur coat that made him look like a very serious bear cub, grunted as he shoved a heavy wooden crate. "Left," he muttered, his tongue poking out in concentration. "Shiny goes here."

"Good job, buddy," Kaelen praised, lifting a heavy wooden sign onto the posts they had erected. The sign, painted by Syris in elegant script, read: MONEY EXCHANGE.

It was in beastworld language so everyone could understand.

Roxy stood back, admiring their handiwork. They had set up a sturdy booth draped in red silk (courtesy of Torian’s endless supply). On the counter sat the velvet display case holding small little crates of gold coins, Roxy had to make a bunch of them before they came here.

Behind the booth, parked in a row, were the strollers.

This was another one of Roxy’s System purchases, triple-reinforced, off-road strollers with fur-lined interiors. Inside, the triplets were dressed to kill. Axel wore a tiny blue wolf suit with ears on the hood. Onyx wore a black dragon suit with little felt wings. And Iris was in pink, looking like a marshmallow princess.

Courtesy of Roxy who always loved to play dress up.

They were currently chewing on their mittens, watching the construction with wide eyes.

"Okay," Roxy exhaled, checking her reflection in a polished shield. "The stage is set. Now we just need the audience."

As if summoned by her thought, a large, sleek grey wolf trotted out from between the huts. She was followed by four pups that were tripping over their own paws in the snow.

Roxy smiled instantly. She knew that wolf. She knew the way the grey fur lightened around the muzzle.

"Mara!" Roxy called out, waving.

The grey wolf perked up. She let out a happy bark, her tail wagging furiously, and trotted toward the booth. The four pups yipped and scrambled after her.

As Mara reached the clearing, she shifted. In her place stood a tall, sturdy woman with kind eyes and wind-tossed hair, wearing a simple leather tunic.

"Luna!" Mara greeted, bowing her head respectfully. "We saw the red cloth. We thought perhaps there was a celebration?"

"Something like that," Roxy beamed.

Before she could explain, the pups arrived. They didn’t shift. They were at that age where being a wolf was just more fun.

"Oof!" Roxy laughed as four warm, wet noses pressed into her legs.

She knelt down in the snow. "Hi! Look at you guys! You’ve grown so much!"

She didn’t need the System to tell them apart. She had been there when they took their first breaths.

"Reika," Roxy cooed, picking up the only female of the litter. The little wolf pup wiggled in her arms, letting out a high-pitched squeak before licking Roxy right on the nose with a rough, wet tongue.

"You are a kisser," Roxy giggled, scratching behind Reika’s ears. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The three boys, Hati, Skoll, and Karhu, weren’t happy about being ignored. They jumped up, pawing at Roxy’s thighs, yipping demanding barks.

"I see you, Hati! Down, Skoll! Karhu, don’t eat my boot lace!" Roxy laughed, trying to fend off the assault of affection.

WAAAAH!

A siren went off behind her. Roxy froze. She looked back at the strollers. The triplets were not amused. Their mother was giving all her attention to other children.

Roxy rolled her eyes at how dramatic they were being.

Axel was red-faced, screaming at the injustice of his mother holding another baby. Onyx was pouting, his lower lip trembling. Iris was just wailing, kicking her little padded legs.

"Oh no," Mara gasped, looking mortified. "My pups upset the little Alphas!"

"Jealousy," Kaelen chuckled, walking over. "They don’t like sharing Mama."

"It’s okay," Roxy said, standing up and putting Reika down. "Let’s introduce them. They need to learn social skills."

With Mara’s help, they corralled the wolf pups and brought them over to the strollers.

"Look," Roxy cooed to her crying children. "Puppies! Friends!"

She lowered the front bar of the strollers so the triplets could see.

The crying stopped instantly.

Axel stared at Karhu. Karhu stared at Axel. They sniffed the air toward each other. Axel reached out a chubby hand and bopped Karhu on the nose. Karhu sneezed. Axel laughed.

But it was Iris who had the strongest reaction.

Hati, the largest of the male pups with a distinctive white mark on his chest like a crescent moon, trotted up to Iris’s stroller. He stood on his hind legs, resting his front paws on the footrest, looking directly at the little girl in the pink suit.

Iris’s eyes went wide. She stopped sniffling. She looked at the wolf pup, entranced.

"Pwoppy..." Iris whispered, her voice filled with awe. It reminded her so much of the stuffed wolf that Drax carries around. Hati didn’t bark. He just whined softly, tilting his head.

Iris reached out. Her tiny hand, still encased in a mitten, touched Hati’s paw.

It was a small moment, but the air around them seemed to shimmer for a split second. Hati leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. Iris let out a happy, bubbling sound, kicking her legs in excitement.

"Want!" Iris declared, reaching for Hati with both arms. "Carry!"

"No, sweetie," Roxy laughed gently, intercepting. "He’s a bit heavy for you. And he has claws."

She gently pushed Hati back down to all fours, though the pup looked reluctant to leave Iris’s side.

Roxy stood up, dusting snow off her knees. She turned to Mara.

"Mara, I need a favor," Roxy said, her expression turning serious. "I need you to gather the women. All of them."

Mara tilted her head. "Is there danger?"

"No," Roxy smiled, gesturing to the booth. "Opportunity. I have something to show you that will change how you trade. Something that will make life easier for every mother in this pack."

Mara looked at the booth, then at Roxy’s confident smile. She nodded vigorously. "If the Luna says it is good, then we will come."

"Kaelen," Roxy turned to her mate. "Get the men. Hunters, builders, guards. Everyone."

"On it," Kaelen grinned. He threw his head back and let out a long, resonant howl that echoed through the valley, signaling a Pack Meeting.

****

Twenty minutes later, the village center was packed.

Over a hundred wolves had gathered, murmuring amongst themselves. The females stood near the front, many holding their own pups or keeping them close. The males stood in the back, arms crossed, curious but guarded.

Torian and Syris had joined them now. Torian stood by the gold display, looking important. Syris slithered near Roxy, he could move around better now, acting as her advisor. Zarek watched while leaning against the wooden part of the booth.

Roxy stepped up onto the wooden crate behind the booth so she could be seen.

"Hello Everyone!" Roxy shouted. Her voice wasn’t amplified by magic, but the silence of the crowd carried it.

"I know you work hard," Roxy began. "I see you hauling heavy carcasses back from the hunt. I see you dragging bundles of wood. I see you arguing with the tanner about how many rabbit skins equal one deer hide."

A few nods rippled through the crowd. That was a common argument.

"I have come up with a solution!" Roxy declared. She reached into the small crates and picked up one of the new coins. She held it high. The winter sun caught the gold, making it flash like a star.

"This," Roxy announced, "is the future."

The wolves stared at the shiny object.

"This is called, Crown coin," Roxy explained. "It is made of pure gold, mined from the Citadel, forged by the Dragon King, and stamped with the mark of our Pack."

She lowered the coin but kept holding it up.

"Starting today, you don’t need to carry a dead deer to the market to buy furs. You can sell the deer to the Pack Storehouse, and we will give you these coins. Then, you can put the coins in your pocket, light as a feather, and go buy resources from the beast market. Or bread. Or tools."

She looked at the mothers in the front row.

"No more hauling heavy goods with a baby on your hip," Roxy promised. "Just a pouch of gold."

The crowd murmured. The concept was strange, but the promise of convenience was tempting.

"Is it... magic?" a female wolf asked timidly.

"It is valuable," Roxy smiled. "It is trust. This coin represents your hard work, saved in a form that never rots."

She looked at the men in the back.

"Hunters! Imagine hunting a massive elk and being able to save its value for the winter, instead of eating it all before it spoils. That is what this offers."

The wolves leaned in. Curiosity was overtaking skepticism. They were a pack that valued strength, but they also valued survival. And Roxy was offering a better way to survive.

"Can I see it?" a large male wolf in the front row asked. He was a shift-warrior, big and scarred in almost every place.

Probably from the scuffles he would have inside the forest with other beasts for food.

"Of course," Roxy nodded. She handed a crate of coins down to Mara, who passed it to the warrior.

He held it in his massive, calloused palm. He inspected the tree on the front. He flipped it over and looked at the paw print. He sniffed it. It smelled of metal and fire.

"It’s heavy," the warrior grunted, impressed. "Solid."

"Pure gold," Torian piped up from the booth. "The finest quality."

The warrior looked at the coin. Then he looked at Roxy. A confused expression crossed his face.

"So..." the warrior rumbled, his brow furrowing. "We trade the meat... for this rock?"

"Yes," Roxy nodded encouragingly.

"And then..." the warrior squinted at the coin. "We eat the rock?"

Roxy froze. "What?"

Before Roxy could stop them another wolf had opened its jaw in an attempt to bite into the cold.

"NO! DON’T—"