Since Naobito didn't waste any time gathering the clan's financial records, Suzuki quickly asked, "Is all of our wealth in actual cash, Father?"
"Of course not," Naobito replied, looking at Suzuki strangely. "Our wealth is tied up in gold, ancestral land, and cursed tools. Do you expect me to keep it all in a bank account?"
"..."
Suzuki rubbed his face, realizing just how deeply the Jujutsu Elders had brainwashed everyone.
The Elders might not be as physically strong as the heads of the three major Jujutsu families, but they were cunning. They weaponized "tradition" and "conservatism" to keep the major clans technologically illiterate. They actively prevented the families from adopting modern technology just to maintain their own power.
After all, if the big clans learned how to use modern banking and communication networks, they could bypass the Elders entirely. They could handle their own transactions without paying the Elders a massive, mandatory percentage of their income.
Suzuki hated it.
The Elders were nothing but glorified middlemen. They were incredibly corrupt because they were the only ones who connected the clients—the people terrorized by Cursed Spirits—to the contractors, the Jujutsu Sorcerers who actually risked their lives to do the dirty work.
Did the Elders actually do any hard work themselves? No. They left all the heavy lifting to their low-paid subordinates while hoarding the profits extorted from the sorcerers and the clans.
In the end, every single problem in the Jujutsu world—from corrupt Elders to overworked Sorcerers, and even evil Curse Users—came down to one simple thing: money.
For money, Jujutsu Sorcerers bet their lives against terrifying monsters.
For money, the Elders treated young, naive sorcerers as disposable tools.
For money, Curse Users committed horrible crimes.
If everyone was already rich, absolutely no one would willingly choose to do such a miserable, dangerous job.
So, Suzuki had invented a way to use his Projection Sorcery to generate massive wealth. With the Manager AI running the calculations in his brain, he had succeeded.
He called it Frame-Perfect Front-Running.
It wasn't a mystical ability to read the future; it was simply the power to move faster than the present.
Here is how it worked: He defined a physical movement. Frame 1 was "Clicking the Buy Button," and Frame 24 was "Exiting the Trade." Standard high-speed trading computers operated in milliseconds. Suzuki operated in frozen frames of reality. He could literally see the stock price about to change on the screen, activate his technique, and physically hit the keyboard before the computer's electricity could even refresh the pixels for the rest of the world.
At first, he had been cautious. His starting capital of ten million yen was the result of his own blood, sweat, and tears. He ran small tests to measure the "lag" between his human perception and the trading server's execution.
He took tiny, safe profits, making a modest $200 per trade. If he made one trade every five seconds, he could pull in $144,000 in a single hour.
But that was entirely too slow for him. With the Manager guiding him, he stopped holding back. He went all out.
Using the Manager, the world around him slowed to a crawl. The rapidly ticking numbers on the trading screen looked like they were stuck in thick syrup.
He began trading aggressively. He compounded his winnings and maximized his bet sizes because it was mathematically impossible for him to lose. He was literally seeing the winning result before he placed the bet.
In a single, blistering session, he walked away with $10,800,000.
Why didn't he take more?
If he kept going, the stock exchange's safety alarms—the "Circuit Breakers"—would trigger because a single anonymous account was draining the market's cash pool too quickly. He also needed to stay off the radar of financial watchdogs. If the corrupt government realized he was making that much money out of nowhere, they would investigate his family, bringing unwanted attention to the clan.
He needed to wait until he had set up several untraceable offshore bank accounts before he truly drained the market.
For now, his main focus was dragging his family out of the dark ages.
"Just get me the accounting books and bring me the people who manage the family's vaults," Suzuki ordered.
"O-Okay," Naobito agreed, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed and out of his depth. "I-Is there anything else I can do for you, Clan Head?"
"..."
Suzuki looked at the old man. What could a lazy, retired sorcerer possibly do?
"How about you take a trip to France and buy a vineyard or two?" Suzuki suggested casually.
"..." Naobito blinked, stunned.
"What's wrong? You love alcohol, don't you? I told you earlier I would support your hobbies."
"C-Can I really buy an entire vineyard in Bordeaux, France?" Naobito stammered.
"Do you not want to?"
"I WANT TO!"
Naobito roared, his eyes lighting up as he realized his old way of thinking was entirely too small! He had the richest, smartest Clan Head in history backing him, and as his son—why should he hold back?
Bordeaux, Tuscany, Champagne, Napa Valley, Scotland! Why limit himself to buying a single expensive bottle of booze when he could just buy the entire farm and the factory that made it?!
"Go get me the accounting books and the vault managers, then," Suzuki instructed.
"WAIT JUST A MOMENT!"
Naobito immediately activated his Projection Sorcery, zooming out of the courtyard at top speed. In his mind, he realized that paying for his son's expensive university tuition was the absolute greatest investment of his entire life!
"....." Mai and Maki watched the old man blur away in silence.
"...Is all of this actually legal?" Maki asked, her voice shaking slightly. She was usually stoic and tough, but the sheer amount of money Suzuki was casually throwing around was dizzying.
"Yes," Suzuki nodded, closing his laptop. "Everything is perfectly legal. By the way, if you want, I can order you several Special Grade Cursed Tools from the underground black market. Or do you want to go pick them out right now?"
"....."
Maki slowly took off her glasses. She wiped the lenses, put them back on, and stared down at her own hands. They were heavily calloused and covered in tiny scars from years of wielding cheap, splintering wooden weapons because the clan refused to give her anything better.
But now?
She realized she didn't have to beg the Zenin armory for scraps anymore. She didn't have to sneak around or steal weapons.
"I can buy the Dragon Bone sword," Maki whispered, her eyes burning with a terrifying, overwhelming intensity as she looked at Suzuki. "Today... I can actually just buy it."
"Sure," Suzuki smiled. "...But maybe buy some normal things too, okay? You are a soldier. You should enjoy your youth, Maki."
"I have one question..." Mai suddenly interrupted, stepping closer. "This isn't an illusion technique, right?"
"No, it's real," Suzuki reassured her. "I have roughly $10,800,000 in liquid cash right now. But if I calculate the total wealth of the Zenin Clan's hidden assets... we are sitting on an empire worth about $410,800,000."
"...Over $400 million?!" Mai gasped.
"Yes," Suzuki nodded. "If I liquidated all the family's ancient treasures, it would be around that much. Even more, if we start selling off the barrier-protected land."
The Zenin Clan was obscenely wealthy, but they had never known how to properly utilize it.
Realizing just how incredibly powerful and rich Suzuki had become, Mai didn't hesitate for a single second. She practically launched herself forward, jumping directly into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Onii-chan~!" Mai whined, acting incredibly spoiled. "I don't want to work or study ever again~! I just want you to take care of me forever, okay~!"
"...." Suzuki froze, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air.
Before he could figure out how to respond, Maki suddenly marched forward and aggressively grabbed Mai's shoulder, trying to shove her sister off.
"What are you doing?! Stop it! That's my spot!" Maki demanded.
"It's mine too! I got here first!" Mai shot back, clinging tighter.
"...Excuse me, but this is my body," Suzuki sighed heavily, completely trapped between the two squabbling twins. "Can you two move back for just a minute? I can't run a clan like this!"
As Mai and Maki continued to fight over who got to sit on his lap, Suzuki couldn't help but think that violently fighting the entire Zenin combat squad had been vastly easier than dealing with these two sisters.
Yet, outside the walls of the compound, a massive storm was brewing. The formal announcement had just been sent out. Suzuki Zenin had officially ascended as the 28th Head of the Zenin Clan, and the entire Jujutsu world was about to be shaken to its core.
---
By the way, what do you think of Soul Land?
Also, what are the other popular Chinese novels besides BTTH, King's Avatar, and Douluo Dalu (Soul Land)?
And, Korea, too, what else except for Solo Leveling? But why does it feel like it doesn't exist somehow?
Still, for the Mecha story, I am thinking of Gundam Build Fighters, but I feel like it is a niche, and I just like Iori Rinko. Or rather, can you give me your recommendation of futuristic world?
Lastly, give me a list of ecchi stories, too.
I want Campione, but it feels troublesome to write since I need to read the history and legends of the myths, but well, let's see how it goes.