Gift (2)

Dolores reached out her hand into the air.

Then the air shook gently as if creating ripples on the surface of water, and her hand was swallowed up.

Moments later, she took out an item.

It was an unbelievable gift to be given by a Tower Master.

"It's a... doll."

It was a teddy bear.

A small-sized teddy bear with white stripes on a brown background.

Reed received the bear.

"To be precise, it's not a gift for the Tower Master, but for the child named Rosaria."

Dolores's voice was not as confident as when she was chatting.

She was like a timid little kitten.

She was like a shy kitten crying softly from a distance.

Reed silently looked at the gift Dolores had given, turning it over in his hands.

As he did so, thousands of thoughts began to flood her mind.

Her gift seemed too small.

'Is he comparing it to Black Sky? He easily handed over devices worth millions of UP, while I'm giving a doll worth just a few hundred UP.'

Reed would be left wanting more.

In the worst case, she even imagined him dropping the teddy bear and laughing wickedly.

After examining the bear for a while, Reid handed it back to Dolores.

'I knew it. It wasn't needed.'

But that wasn't his intention for returning it.

"Give it to her directly."

"...What?"

Dolores raised her head.

"If it's a gift for Rosaria, it's right for you to give it."

"...You should give it."

"Wouldn't it be frustrating for both the giver and the receiver if I were to give it on your behalf?"

"Ha!."

"Let's go to Rosaria's room."

Dolores's face turned red.

If Reed had known what she was thinking, she would have been too embarrassed to lift her face.

They took the elevator to the 81st floor and entered Rosaria's room.

As expected from a child's room, it had cozy colors and soft, fluffy furniture.

Rosaria, who was sitting at her desk reading a book, jumped up at the sound of the door opening and greeted Reed.

"Papa!"

"Rosaria, I told you not to run, you'll get hurt."

"Papa!!!"

Rosaria charged straight towards him and hugged him.

Reed could only smile as he brushed her white hair back.

"There's a guest here. You should greet her, shouldn't you?"

"Ah!"

Only then did she let go and look up at Dolores.

"Hello! My name is Rosaria Adelhei... Tzuuuuuu..."

"Ahem, Roton."

"Roton!"

The child's awkward greeting.

In response, Dolores politely greeted Rosaria as well.

"I'm Dolores Jade..., the Tower Master of the Wallin Tower."

"Dolores... it's a pretty name."

Her bright red eyes looked up at Dolores, almost blindingly beautiful.

Reed squatted down and spoke to her.

"Today, the Tower Master has prepared a gift for Rosaria."

"A gift?"

At that, Dolores handed over the teddy bear she was holding.

"Here..."

"It's a bear!"

Rosaria, raising her hands in excitement, hugged the teddy bear tightly.

The bear was about the same size as her little head.

"I got a teddy bear! A bear! A teddy bear!"

As she twirled around and danced, something occurred to Rosaria, and she ran back to Dolores.

Her innocent eyes looked up at Dolores as she asked,

"Dolores Noona!"

"Uh, Noona?"

Dolores was taken aback by the long-forgotten term of endearment.

"Can I give a name to the teddy bear?"

"A, a name?"

"Yeah. Lucy! I want to call her Lucy! Is that okay?"

How could she refuse?

Dolores nodded her head.

"Y-yes, Lucy is good. It's a lovely name."

"Thanks for giving me Lucy, Dolores Noona."

Dolores couldn't say any more.

The innocence seemed to cruelly choke her.

Dolores had no choice but to turn her head and hide her blushing face.

Reed sent Rosaria back to her desk and stepped outside.

As they quietly waited for the elevator,

"She was a bit rude, wasn't she?"

"..."

"Are you angry?"

"Would I get mad at a child? That would be foolish..."

If she said she blushed out of embarrassment, it would make her look even more pathetic.

Dolores touched her cold cheeks with her hands.

"I'll go to the gate alone."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not a child. And next time..."

As she stepped into the elevator, she stared at Reed.

Her clear, lake-like eyes met his, despite her bright red face.

"I'll prepare a gift for you as well."

At first, she thought he was a bad guy, but she saw him differently now.

It was cute.

She was as cute as an injured cat cautiously letting down its guard and approaching.

Reed smiled faintly at her words.

"I'll look forward to it."

The elevator descended.

She had not even been there for an hour, yet she felt strangely refreshed.

***

"I've brought the items you asked for, hehehe."

The treacherous laughter of the one-eyed rat, Leto, echoed in the reception room.

Three weeks after the reform of the Tower of Silence, the materials for the first project finally arrived.

Leto, who looked like a rat-human, handed over a stone on a plate from the other side.

The item Reed had ordered through Leto was called Magnesium.

-----------

Magnesium

Type: Material item

It is a byproduct produced when a salamander consumes iron.

Purity: 99.8%

-----------

People refer to this ore in the following ways:

Lizard's poop.

Or trash.

The material itself is softer than brass and is sometimes mixed in small amounts with iron for mass production at a low cost.

'The perception is like that now.'

As a byproduct of the fire spirit Salamander's consumption, it reacts to mana.

Depending on the amount of mana, it could be as strong as the so-called Black Iron, the hardest material.

The discovery of this ore dates back to about three years ago. The discovery was announced through academia, but no one showed interest in Magnesium.

Although it could be stronger than Black Iron, the moment mana runs out, its functionality would be completely lost.

The prevailing belief in the magical academic world was that it would be better to study other magic rather than research such an imperfect ore.

However, Reed's thoughts were different.

'It's the most valuable treasure in the world.'

It was such a treasure that if not acquired now, it would be impossible to obtain when desired.