| “ | I'm honored to have the big dogs in the God game begging at my table. But money doesn't make emotional investments or invest in emotional entities. Too much risk in such ventures. Not enough opportunity. | ” |
–The Bookkeeper, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" | ||
The Bookkeeper is a representative of the god of Money, along with the three Penny Scouts. Fastidiously noting all transactions, Bookkeeper weighs financial investments with careful thought.
Background[]
The Bookkeeper is approached by both Mr. World and Mr. Wednesday to gain Money's wealth and favor in the coming war. The Bookkeeper declines both of their requests.
Penny Scouts[]
The Penny Scouts are the intermediary between the Bookkeeper and outsiders. They determine who is allowed access to the Bookkeeper based on their debits and credits.
Significance in series[]
"The Greatest Story Ever Told"[]
Wednesday invites Shadow to join him on a drive as he subtly references the events between Shadow and the woman the night before. They head off in Betty to St. Louis to meet up with the god of Money.
Shadow and Wednesday arrive in St. Louis and stop at a Motel America diner. Shadow plays with the silver dollar Zorya Polunochnaya gave to him as they discuss the inherent value of money and how it is physically worthless but the "greatest story ever told" is the promise that it is worth something. Penny Scouts march into the diner, distracting Wednesday.
Wednesday approaches the Penny Scouts in the diner and asks to buy some of their candy on credit. They ask for Wednesday's and Shadow's names as time in the diner stops and they slip into the Bookkeeper's mind. They announce that Shadow's name is not the one on his birth certificate and he has no debit or credit, which Money hates, so their access is denied. Shadow is trying to buy candy from the Penny Scouts but they ignore him.
As Mr. World leaves the Xie Comm offices, the Penny Scouts offer him some candy. He tells them he does not need to pay since he retired a god today and they grant him access. Mr. World appears in the Motel America diner where Wednesday and Shadow sit waiting to speak with Money. He confronts Wednesday for Argus while Wednesday confronts him about Zorya Vechernyaya. Money interrupts their face-off, asking to pay for his meal. Mr. World reminds Wednesday that physical cash is being digitized. Wednesday reminds him that money loves profit and war is profitable. They sit down with Money and try to convince him to join their sides. Money does not take risky emotional investments so he will not choose a side. Money pays cash for his meal and leaves. Mr. World tells Wednesday he is not his enemy before also taking his leave. Shadow and Wednesday return to the present in the Motel America diner.
Notes and trivia[]
- The Bookkeeper, alongside the Penny Scouts, seems to be the television series equivalent of the Intangibles, the gods of stock market in the book.