“That is truly… important.” The old man said with a wide smile after he finished his hearty laugh.

“Yes it is.” Emma said seriously. “Much more than you think.”

“Ehm.” The old man coughed lightly and straightened his back to regain his composure and aura. “Very well. In that case, I shall give you…”

He looked me in the eye and produced a simple but large golden coin.

“This.”

I looked at the golden coin curiously. It only had an ornately designed letter “W” on it and nothing else.

“Take it!” Emma hissed at me. “Quick! Before he changes his mind!”

I frowned lightly and hesitated. A family token? “Would that bind me to the Whitefrost Clan and force me to become part of them?” I wondered to myself as I looked at the old man suspiciously.

“It’s the Whitefrost Family Token.” The old man said with a laugh. He purposely withheld any explanation about it and merely waited for me to take it.

That damned old man was probably enjoying the fact that I was being so suspicious over such a ridiculously precious item.

“A GOLD, Whitefrost Family Token.” He added, while keeping his hand outstretched towards me patiently.

What was I supposed to do? I had no idea what the Family Token meant. I hesitated and simply studied the token and the old man’s smiling face.

“What does it do?” I finally asked.

“Many things. All of them good.” The old man replied vaguely.

I nodded lightly and came closer to my decision. I was about to reach out and take hold of it when Emma took the decision totally out of my hands. Well, “into” my hands would be a more accurate description.

She grabbed the token and placed it on my left hand forcefully!

“There! It’s yours now. Bind it with a drop of blood!” Emma glared at me, as if berating me for my lack of decisiveness.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Yes, it would be good to bind it as soon as possible. Many people, including even Whitefrost Clan members, would not hesitate to rob or even kill you for an unbound Gold Whitefrost Token.” The old man agreed. “Emma, why don’t you give Justin a brief introduction on the Whitefrost Clan and the Whitefrost Gold Token. I have many things to discuss with Margaret.”

“Leave it to me, grandfather. Sister Margaret, I believe you.” Emma gave Margaret a smile.

Margaret smiled back at Emma appreciatively.

After that, the old man and Margaret quickly left the room, leaving me alone with Emma.

“Well? Go on and bind it!” Emma said.

I looked at the Whitefrost Gold Token in my hand, my ONLY hand and wondered how the heck I was supposed to get a drop of blood out of my body.

“How?” I glared at her while waving the Whitefrost Gold Token in front of her.

“Oh. Right. Sorry about that.” Emma said sheepishly. “Let me help you.”

Emma went to a shelf nearby and took out a sewing kit. She then took a needle and tried to pierce my index finger with it.

“What’s wrong with your skin? Why is it so hard to pierce?” Emma grumbled as she deftly spun the needle like a drill.

“Must be all the mechas I absorbed.” I shrugged.

Finally, she managed to pierce through the skin and drew a few drops of blood which she quickly dripped on the token.

The token glowed brightly for a second before returning to its normal state.

“Whoa. That’s pretty cool.” I remarked.

“It’s nothing compared to its function and the privileges it gives you. This Gold Whitefrost Token represents grandfather’s person. You will be able to access almost everything that requires his authorization. Mechas, resources, you name it. Of course there is a limit, but it is as good as the sky for us.”

“Wow. So… I’m rich?” I looked at the coin and marvelled how my fortunes had shifted so very, very suddenly.

From the very bottom of the food chain to… I don’t know. Controlling a chunk of the Whitefrost Clan’s wealth probably placed me very securely within the top 1% of the country’s wealthiest individual list.

“You don’t look very thrilled.” Emma remarked.

“I’ll probably be more excited once I know what I want to buy with the money. At this point, I don’t even know what is available and what I want.” I replied with a rueful smile.

“Right. I’ll make sure I bring you to our treasury and a shopping district soon. Actually, although I am really grateful to you for saving my life, I was quite surprised grandfather actually gave that token to you.

There are only five of those in the family, and the other four went to incredibly talented family members who contributed A LOT to the clan. So much so that their contributions far surpasses the money and the treasures they can withdraw from the family treasury.” Emma said. “That’s why they can get the token.”

“Okay…” I said. Somehow the token started to feel heavier in my hands.

“Anyway, apart from granting you a lot, A LOT of money, the Gold Whitefrost Token also serves another extremely important function.” Emma said.

“What’s that?”

“It doubles as your participation token in the tri-annual Mecha Tournament.” Emma said with her eyes ablaze.”

“Mecha Tournament? What’s that? Sounds like a fun event.” I asked.

“It is MUCH more than fun! It is a HIGHLY prestigious tournament, its rewards are EXTREMELY generous and it is extremely difficult to join.” Emma said seriously. “The Whitefrost Clan was only allocated five participants. For grandfather to give you the token simply means that he has great confidence in your skills as a mecha pilot.”

I nodded in understanding. “He probably made the decision when he saw my Resonance Purity Level, whatever that is.” I thought to myself.

“Tell me more about the tournament and its rewards.” I said.

“It’s very simple. The Mecha Tournament is a month-long free-for-all battle involving 100,000 mechas in a ruined megacity. If you win, you will get a mecha worth two hundred fifty billion dollars.” Emma said casually.

“WHAT?! TWO HUNDRED FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS?” I exclaimed incredulously. “And… 100,000 mechas!?”