The Money God

@Sadwinistic

A/N: Characters are from Genshin Impact, but the story is completely original^^.

“Yeah, no.” My little brother said, snatching the cents out of my hand. “I’ll take care of our money from now on.”

I didn’t even mess up that bad at that last market. Albedo was so fickle sometimes it made me want to bust a lung. “I am a god. Moreover, the god of money. They will be more willing to give us discounts.”

Albedo bristled, his ashy white mullet seemingly standing up straight along with his eyebrows. “Not anymore! l may be a human, but even I know how to manage those bucks better than you.”

What do the kids say these days? Ah, yes. Boomer. I was a boomer. It wasn’t my fault I had to give up my powers for...this human form. Staring at Albedo’s enraged face, I assumed that I was lacking in something. Very lacking. What was it?

“D-don’t make that face,” Albedo stuttered as I cast my eyes to the floor. “It won’t work on me. Stupid god.”

Three. Two. One.

I shook the bag in my hand. “Thank you, Albedo.”

“Zhongli, I swear if you mess up one more time…” He muttered. “It’s on sight.”

“Transactions, my travellers?” The trader in front of us prompted, tapping his foot impatiently. There were many people behind us in line, and with us arguing, we probably had held them up.

“Yes, yes.” I peered around his stall. “What do you sell?”

The man got a strange glint in his eyes. “Golden trout, straight from Asia’s Hainan peninsula! The best out there, I tell ya! Only 300 Mora for each!”

Childe, my other younger brother, liked trout. If it was golden…

“The entire rack, please,” I smiled sunnily, ignoring Albedo’s face that was quickly going as white as his hair. Instantly, from behind us, a lady choked on her drink. Albedo nearly crashed to the ground, and the seller’s jaw went slack. “The…” he looked in awe at me. “The entire rack, sir!?”

“Yes,” I chuckled, reaching into the breast pocket of my coat to pull out my magical Gnosis. Albedo called it the “stupid moneymaking machine”, but to me, it was a fine companion.

Alas, there was only emptiness wherever I reached. Ah. Dear me, I’d forgotten. I was lacking in money.

“Albedo, my little alchemist.” I kept my serene smile trained on the man, handing the barely jingling bag of coins in my hand to the human boy next to me. “Why don’t you buy something instead?”