Reprieve

With the average physical taking around five minutes, it took more than ten hours for Vahn to finish each of the check-ups. As for Sarina and Nono. He sent them away around lunchtime and promised to meet up with them once all the examinations were finished.

Fortunately, other than a bit of malnourishment and a few insignificant conditions, the children in the No Name Community were surprisingly healthy. More importantly, they were all in high spirits, a stark contrast to how most children in their situation would behave.

After seeing off the last member of the 'seniors' group, a kind-looking young boy with short brown hair, pointed ears, and hazel eyes, Vahn turned towards the person who had been waiting patiently outside the cottage since lunchtime, smiling as he said, "You didn't have to wait up for me. Not that I don't appreciate it."

Returning a smile of her own, the young woman, Black Rabbit, happily responded, "I know. I waited because I wanted to."

Chuckling at the response, Vahn extended his hand to help the blue-haired bunny to her feet as he asked, "Where did Sarina and Nono run off to?"

Though she blushed slightly when Vahn pulled her into a natural hug, Black Rabbit didn't resist as she answered, "They played hide and seek with the children before accompanying Lily to tour the manor..."

Humming a curt response, Vahn didn't immediately continue the discussion. Instead, he stared into Black Rabbit's ruby-red eyes until tiny motes of pink light began to appear. Shortly thereafter, a hint of pink began to appear near the roots of her hair as she lowered her face and bashfully whispered, "You shouldn't stare so intensely..."

Feeling Black Rabbit's tuft of a tail tickle the hand he had wrapped around her lower back, the smile on Vahn's face became notably more prominent as he whispered, "Thank you..." in the most sincere tone he could manage.

With her hair becoming progressively pinker, Black Rabbit looked up with confusion visible in her eyes as she asked, "Eh? It's no problem. I wasn't waiting for very long..."

Without losing even a trace of his smile, Vahn pulled Black Rabbit close enough that her breasts were pressed against him before shaking his head and stating, "I'm not thanking you for that. Now that I've checked them personally, I can say with absolute surety that these children were blessed to have someone like you looking after them. Jin and Lily did their parts, but the happiness they have acquired was only made possible because of your tireless efforts. For that, you have my gratitude. Few could have accomplished what you did here, Black Rabbit. It's obvious that you really love this Community..."

Though she was feeling a little skittish after Vahn pulled her so close, Black Rabbit's will to separate from him faded in its entirety when she heard his words. Rather, had he not been holding her, she might have fallen on her butt and started crying. Instead, she leaned her head against his chest, a few light sniffles emanating from beneath her bangs as she whimpered a thank you of her own...

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After a cursory check to see what Sarina and Nono were up to, Vahn, accompanied by Black Rabbit, entered a place called the Library of the No Names. It was located in the eastern wing of the manor, and, as the name suggested, it was a large library filled with thousands of books related to the lore and mythos of the Little Garden.

Since the majority of high-brow Gift Games revolved around various legends, most Communities had libraries and teams dedicated to research. This was where Jin spent most of his time, constantly mulling over book after book in a desperate attempt to increase his knowledge and find a solution to the problems plaguing his Community.

"Yo. Having fun?"

Hearing Vahn's words, Jin, who had been nose-deep in a massive grimoire, startled slightly before turning around and answering, "Ah, Vahn, Black Rabbit. I didn't hear the two of you come in. Please, take a seat. I've finished the list you asked me to write up."

Rather than immediately sitting down, Vahn walked over to peer at the contents of the book Jin had immersed himself in. This caused the teal-haired youth to appear nervous, as, prior to Vahn's arrival, he had been searching for legends related to the Sage Dragon Emperor. The book on the table was a Gift-Grade grimoire pertaining to famous Dragons, their ecology, and the legends associated with them.

Amused by the youth's attempts to learn more about him, Vahn ruffled Jin's hair before pulling out his Record of Origin and explaining, "Even if you possessed the Sacred Tome, you wouldn't find any information on me. I'm a singularity within space, time, and creation. A being that only exists in the present moment."

As there were all kinds of conceptual beings living within the Divine Realm, Jin wasn't particularly surprised by Vahn's words. Instead, he just handed over a small journal containing his notes, and, most importantly, the things he believed his Community could benefit from.

Deciding not to press the matter, Vahn needed only to place the journal into his Inventory in order to memorize all the contents. After that, he returned it to the slightly confused youth, stating, "You should be a little greedier. I appreciate your desire to solve problems on your own, but the children outside deserve a reprieve after everything they have experienced."

With a complicated expression on his face, Jin explained, "I understand that, Vahn. I really do. What I'm afraid of is that our Community will become entirely dependent on you if we ask for too much. I don't want my friends and family to suffer. However, I also believe that it is our resolve to overcome the suffering that has been forced upon us that allows us to remain unified..."

"Are you a Buddhist?"

Adopting a wry smile in response to Vahn's sudden inquiry, Jin shook his head, answering, "No. It's just a sentiment I developed after observing everyone's growth over the past two years..."

Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn crossed his arms before calmly stating, "I am a being that has traversed dozens of distinct multiversal structures. To that end, I can conclusively state that your views are correct. What you're failing to account for is the fact we're currently located in the highest metaversal plane. Such sentiments only hold up when you can realistically forecast the future. Here, in the Divine Realm, such foresight is meaningless. It only takes a single conceptual being to flip the lesser Communities of the Little Garden on their heads."

Seeing that Jin wasn't convinced, Vahn internally mused, ("He's still just a kid...") before going on to say, "Listen. This is what I'm going to do. First and foremost, I'm going to plant a Water Tree Sapling at your Source Spring. Afterward, I'm going to summon a few earth and water spirits to help restore vitality to the land. Placing that burden on Lily, alone, puts your entire Community in jeopardy. After that, I'm going to restore the nearby castle town and install a consultation office that will also serve as a branch location of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. That's where you'll go when you, or anyone else for that matter, requires my assistance or advice."

Though he felt Vahn was doing a little too much for them, Jin didn't refuse. He got the impression that Vahn would move forward even without his permission if he believed it was for the benefit of the children. More importantly, he could tell that Black Rabbit trusted Vahn tremendously, so, rather than overcomplicate things by letting his pride get in the way, he ultimately accepted Vahn's terms with an awkward yet relieved smile...

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Making good on his promises almost immediately, Vahn had Jin guide him to the Source Spring, an unbelievably important location to any growing Community as it served as the water source for the entire region. This wasn't an exaggeration either, as, without a Source Spring, even rain wouldn't fall as weather simply wasn't a natural phenomenon in the Divine Realm.

During the battle two years prior, the No Names ended up losing their Water Tree. Ever since then, the children would have to make several trips to a distant river just to have enough water for daily use. They would literally spend hours walking back and forth every single day just to fill a cauldron to supply the few crops they were able to grow.

Though food and water weren't absolutely necessary in the Divine Realm, foregoing them for long periods of time would lead to symptoms similar to malnourishment and dehydration. This was due to the body's natural consumption of spiritual energy to sustain itself. You wouldn't die if you didn't eat, but, without proper nourishment, your body would gradually atrophy until you simply lost the will to live.

As someone who had been fond of baths ever since he first enjoyed a dip in a hot spring, Vahn believed that everyone should be able to relax and cleanse themselves at their leisure. After all, when it came to mental health and general wellness, there were very few things even remotely comparable to a nice, relaxing bath.

Seeing the Source Spring quickly fill after Vahn placed a Water Tree Sapling near the center, most of Jin's reservations about the present situation simply washed away along with the crystal clear water. Water was, inarguably, one of the most important resources for a Community to possess. Now that they had their own source, they wouldn't need to purchase it from others or fetch it from a distant source. Instead, they could focus on farming, infrastructure, training, and other important factors for a Community's growth.

Though Jin's thoughts might seem out of place in the lower realms, it was common for children to perform manual labor in the Divine Realm. They were several times stronger than even adults from the lower realms, and, more importantly, the laws of the Little Garden mandated that those without Gifts had to support the Players of their Community. In other words, the common inhabitants of the Little Garden were basically the servants of those with the power to compete.

Immediately following the return of their water source, most of the children aged six and younger began to gather near the massive bathhouse attached to the manor. Then, without anyone telling them they needed to do it, they changed into simple tunic-style robes before eagerly gathering supplies to clean the inordinately large bath. Not for themselves, but for Jin, Lily, and Black Rabbit.

While that was going on, Vahn had his group reunite with Sarina, Nono, and Lily so that he could teach the latter how to make a contract with nature spirits. Summoning Spirits in the Divine Realm was easier said than done, but, thanks to his functionally infinite Gifts, Vahn could ignore the Law of Equivalent Exchange by using his Creation Divinity and Source Energy to create entirely new Spirits.

Since Lily was a kitsune, Vahn went out of his way to make the Spirits resemble adorable foxes with traits indicative of their elements. This included a wind spirit with pale blue fur, wings, and adorably large ears, an earth spirit with two-tone green-yellow fur with tiny antlers, mushrooms, and flowers growing from its body, a water spirit with features reminiscent of a goldfish, and, last but not least, a fire spirit that, quite literally, resembled a fox formed from flames.

Vahn had originally intended to go with something along the lines of Eevee and its evolutions, but, fearing he would overcomplicate things by introducing Templated Pokemon into the Divine Realm, he decided against it. He also enjoyed creating things from scratch, so, after creating a few designs for her to choose from, Vahn ended up settling on the four Lily had liked the most. She deserved a bit of pampering after taking care of more than a hundred children from the time she was barely 8-years-old...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Black Rabbit has already been ensnared...','Vahn be like, "I'm going to help you even if you don't want it. Capiche?"','Lily is a good girl (U w U)...')

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