The stone plow of the Nutrient Enhancer lay on Rajendra's table, pulsing with a soft, golden light. It was a tool for MANO's future—for richer soil, better cotton, legitimate wealth. But the message from 'Pixel-Lord' burned brighter in his mind.
Primitive entertainment media.
He looked at the old, bulky two-in-one stereo in the corner of his room—a radio and a cassette player. His father had saved for months to buy it. On the shelf beside it were a dozen cassette tapes, their paper sleeves worn and faded. Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, R.D. Burman. The soundtrack of a nation.
To the Pixel-Lord, these weren't just tapes. They were pre-digital age cultural artifacts. They were history. They were data from a primitive, analog world. Their value wasn't in the music; it was in their existence.
He had to test the theory. But the System's auto-extract at auction was a problem. He couldn't risk it taking his father's stereo. He needed a dedicated, disposable sample.
The next morning, wearing a pale yellow kurta for MANO, he went to the bustling market at Lamington Road. Among the electronics repair stalls and pirated book vendors, he found a small stall selling second-hand cassettes. He bought three: a slightly scratched Kishore Kumar hits compilation, a scratchier copy of Mughal-e-Azam dialogues, and a nearly blank tape labeled "Suresh - Birthday 1984" with a few minutes of tinny, homemade singing. Total cost: fifteen rupees.
Back in his room, he willed the three cassettes into the dark MAKA ring. The red smoke swirled and vanished. He now held the samples in interdimensional storage.
He accessed the Multiversal Auction interface. The Virtual Chamber was quiet. He navigated to the listing menu.
List Item for Auction.
He focused on the Kishore Kumar tape. The system scanned it.
[Item Identified: Analog Magnetic Audio Storage Medium. Content: Primitive Harmonic & Linguistic Sequences. Civilization Tier: 0 (Primitive). Rarity: Common (Local). Estimated Interest: Low. Listing Fee: 1 Void-Coin.]
One Void-Coin to list it? That was steep for a test. But the potential…
He paid the fee. The tape vanished from his storage, appearing in the auction listings with a simple description provided by the System: *Tier-0 Audio Artifact - "Human Vocal & Instrumental Harmonics" - Planet: Earth-Local.*
He did the same with the Mughal-e-Azam dialogues tape. Another 1 VC fee. He hesitated on the homemade birthday tape. Its personal nature felt wrong to sell, and his VC were dwindling. He kept it in storage.
The listings went live. He watched. For hours, nothing. Hosts with names like "Quantum-Shaper" and "Crystal-Mind" scrolled past his primitive wares without a glance.
Then, a bid notification.
[Host 'Pixel-Lord' has placed a bid on your listing (Audio Artifact #1).]
[Bid: 3 Void-Coins.]
Rajendra's heart jumped. Three coins! A 200% return already, minus the listing fee. He waited, but no other bids came. The auction timer ticked down.
Ping.
[Auction Concluded. Item Sold to 'Pixel-Lord' for 3 Void-Coins.]
[Void-Coins Received: 3. Net Profit: 2 VC.]
A moment later, a second notification.
[Host 'Pixel-Lord' has placed a DIRECT PURCHASE OFFER on your listing (Audio Artifact #2).]
[Offer: 5 Void-Coins. Expires in 1 minute.]
A direct offer, bypassing the auction. He accepted immediately.
[Direct Trade Completed. Void-Coins Received: 5.]
In under a minute, he had turned two old cassettes and 2 VC in fees into a profit of 7 Void-Coins. His total was now 37.5.
A private message request flashed. It was from Pixel-Lord.
He accepted.
Pixel-Lord: Source of artifacts. Your planetary designation is 'Earth-Local'. Clarify. Are these representative samples of your dominant pre-digital narrative/harmonic culture?
Rajendra (Earth): They are samples. My world has a vast repository of such analog media—audio and visual moving pictures on magnetic tape.
Pixel-Lord: Visual narratives? On ferromagnetic substrate? Fascinating degradation rate must be catastrophic. I am a curator of proto-digital sensory experiences. Your 'Bollywood'—the System tags this term in your cultural data. I require a visual sample. A complete narrative unit. Can you provide?
Rajendra (Earth): I can procure a complete visual narrative on magnetic tape. What is your offer?
Pixel-Lord: For one verified, complete primitive visual narrative unit (minimum 90-minute runtime, native language), I offer 25 Void-Coins. For exclusive bulk procurement rights to your planet's unique catalog, we negotiate further.
Twenty-five coins. For one movie on a VHS tape. It was an insane amount. The garlic deal was bulk agriculture. This was selling whispers of culture to a cosmic historian.
Rajendra (Earth): I accept the sample trade. Specify required format parameters.
Pixel-Lord: Physical tape. Unaltered. Include any primitive textual data (artwork, descriptions). Transmission in 24 standard cycles.
The deal was set. Rajendra's mind raced. He needed a VCR and a specific movie tape. The MAKA crew was already moving VCRs. He would take one from the next shipment as a business cost.
But which movie? It had to be iconic. Pure, undiluted Bollywood. He decided on Sholay (1975). Its dialogue was legendary, its music iconic, its place in Indian cinema undeniable. It was the perfect cultural artifact.
He summoned Ganesh. "The next electronics shipment. I need one VCR player and one specific video cassette. The film Sholay. Obtain it. New or used, but in good condition. This is for a special client."
Ganesh, now fully immersed in the sacred secrecy of MAKA, simply nodded. "It will be done, bhai."
Two days later, the items were in the godown. A sleek, new JVC VCR, still in its box, and a slightly worn Sholay VHS tape in its plastic case. Rajendra, in his black kurta, transferred them with the usual ritualistic smoke into his ring.
Back home, he prepared the final package. He included the tape in its case, with its poster-art cover. He even added a handwritten note on a scrap of paper, in English: *"Sholay - The greatest Indian film. 1975."* Let the Pixel-Lord have the full, authentic, primitive experience.
He created a new auction listing, uploading the data for the VHS tape. The System's scan took longer.
[Item Identified: Analog Magnetic Videographic Storage Medium. Content: Complete Visual-Auditory Narrative Sequence. Civilization Tier: 0. Rarity: Uncommon (Complete Cultural Unit). Estimated Interest: Medium. Listing Fee: 5 Void-Coins.]
Five coins! The fee was escalating with the item's complexity. He paid it, wincing. His balance dropped, but the potential payoff was huge.
He didn't list it for open auction. He created a private, direct sale listing for Pixel-Lord and sent the code.
Within minutes, the response came.
[Direct Trade Accepted by 'Pixel-Lord'.]
[25 Void-Coins Received.]
[Total Void-Coins: 57.5.]
A wave of triumph washed over him. He had nearly doubled his capital in one trade. A fortune in Void-Coins, built on a three-hour tape of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.
Pixel-Lord's message was immediate.
Pixel-Lord: Artifact received. Initial scan confirms data integrity. The harmonic sequences are... emotionally resonant despite technical primitivism. The 'curry western' narrative archetype is delightful. Our contract stands. You are now my designated procurer for Earth-Local 'Bollywood' artifacts. I will send a list of desired narrative themes. Expect first bulk order soon.
Rajendra leaned back. He had just become the sole multiversal supplier of Bollywood films. The absurdity was sublime.
A second notification chimed, this time from the Mad Scientist.
Mad Scientist: Phase 2 requirements ready. Sending list of 15 specific botanical extracts. Includes Curcuma longa (rhizome), Piper nigrum (dried fruit), Ocimum sanctum (fresh leaves). Required quantities: 10 kg each. Delivery window: 14 days. Advanced payment attached for goodwill: 15 Void-Coins.
Fifteen more coins materialized in his account. Total: 72.5 VC.
He was rich. Not in rupees, but in cosmic currency. The two pipelines—MAKA's shadow deals and MANO's future legitimacy—were both gushing.
He looked at the white MANO bead and the dark MAKA ring. He was building two empires at once, one on shadow and sacred smoke, the other on light and golden soil.
And he had just discovered that the most valuable commodity on Earth wasn't its spices or its cotton.
It was its stories.