Chapter 132: Visit
"Can I help you...?" asked a man with off-white hair and pale blue eyes, his brows furrowed in suspicion as he stood blocking the entrance to the Belchero Orphanage. The predominately purple whistle hanging from his neck denoted him as an experienced Delver capable of teaching others, and though his two-tone beige Delver attire was noticeably dated, it was very well cared for.
"Yes. Though, it's more accurate to say I've come to help you," stated Vahn, sporting a relaxed smile and dressed in a simple but well-made suit with an off-white dress shirt beneath a dark grey vest, fitted slacks, and white dress shoes. He also wore a gold watch and, since it was generally useful, his golden Necklace of Command.
"Right..." responded the man, crossing his arms and sizing Vahn up before remarking, "You're a bit young to adopt and much too old to enroll here as a student. And we're not looking for any instructors right now."
Shaking his head, Vahn's smile broadened as he revealed, "I'm a friend of Riko's. I promised her I would visit to donate money, food, medicine, and equipment to improve the quality of life for her friends and the others here at the orphanage."
"And just when and where did you and Riko meet...?" questioned the man, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Exhaling from his nose, Vahn produced an ancient-looking bangle and said, "This is a Special-Grade Relic known as the Warehouse Bangle. It has enough gold, jewels, food, medicine, and raw materials to allow the orphanage to operate for decades if utilized wisely. You just need to put it on and focus, and you'll be able to see what it contains within your mind's eye."
"And how do I know it won't blow my hand off instead...?" asked the man, accepting and inspecting the bangle cautiously, making it clear he didn't trust Vahn's words.
Making a finger gun with his right hand and casually pointing it to the sky, Vahn produced a tiny, bluish-white sphere of Touki at the tip of his finger before discharging it like a firework. Less than a second later, a blast that could have decimated the entire orphanage exploded hundreds of meters overhead as he plainly stated, "I don't need to resort to deceit if I want to eliminate someone."
"Point taken..." muttered the pale-haired man, known at the orphanage and throughout Orth as Jiruo. Then, with notable reluctance, he exhaled from his nose and placed the Warehouse Bangle on his left wrist, closing his eyes to focus.
'Is this for real...?' Jiruo asked himself, finding himself astrally projected into the bangle's space, a five hundred by one hundred meter warehouse lined with neatly organized and comprehensively stocked shelves. Nearly half the space was dedicated to fruits, vegetables, and cereals, but what caught his attention was the section reserved for treasure, occupied by a veritable mountain of gold coins more than five meters high, encircled by a waist-high wooden boundary to prevent them from scattering.
Picking up one of the gold coins, Jiruo wondered how he was supposed to leave the strange space, causing an abrupt change in perspective as he returned to his physical body. More importantly, there was still a palm-sized golden coin in his hand.