CLIII ||| Piggy Bank of Precious Gems

"Can we ask for anything?" Yumi beamed with Jack in her arms.

Why are you in her arms if you can fly?

["She's caring and I like to be carried by her!"] He purred.

Hah, you're getting too spoiled, mascot. "As long as I'm able to get it for you, yes," I said playing with the unsheathed dagger I had put on the left side of my hip. "I mean, I can pay everything in here with digital money, right?" I summoned one of my black cards from my necklace. "Father told me that cards like this were needed in the new world."

They eyes widened as they looked at it.

"Hel, are you a billionaire or something?" Shiryu gasped.

I looked at the card, "Miss Mirna Marković told me I'm more of a trillionaire. She asked me if I wanted to keep it private or let people know about it, so, I just kept it private," I rolled my shoulders. "I still don't have much idea the big importance of money in the new world though. Father told me many people do anything to get it."

"Trillionaire?" All the kids gasped.

A nod, "Yeah. Mom had a really huge amount of money hidden and collected during her whole life. She didn't spend it because she didn't need to buy stuff aside from food. With gem and crystal magic, she could just summon the stones of whatever size she wanted and craft her weapons, the jewels, my corsets, and many other things. She told me when I was a baby that even before she left the Dragon Court, she always hid all her riches and treasures on the lair."

"Shit," Felix groaned in awe. "That's awesome. Dragons are known for being big spenders as much as collectors, but you mom probably didn't fall on that. And as she lived for thousands of years, she collected a whole tons of stuff. Thanks to that you're probably one of the richest people in the whole world."

I tilted my head, "Without counting the treasure that must be hidden in my castle. Oh, yes. Father also told the new world cares too much about precious stones and they have enormous value," then I summoned a brute ruby of the size of my hand, "and that makes me richer, since I inherited the abilities of gem and crystal magic from mom. I can have as much as-"

Felix took it from my hand, his eyes shining, "Can I have it then?"

"Uh… alright?" I summoned a brute emerald of the same size and gave it to him, "But I think this suits you better."

"Are you fucking real?" Yuliana squeaked. "You are just giving this away? Do you know how much this costs?"

Blinking, I summoned a brute hand-sized diamond for each one of them, "If you want it, you can just ask it, kraken girl. I don't mind giving it away. Besides, what would I do with this? I'm not a craftsman like mom was. I mean, yes, I could sell it, but why would I do it? If you want, I can give it to you and you sell it for yourself."

Again, they stared me as if I was insane. Which might very damn bloody well be the case. "Can you summon a bigger one?" Lix asked.

A nod, "Yes. But be careful, many people in the market might want what you're holding in your hands," I summoned it all into my necklace. "I'll give it to you again when we are out of here. Let's not attract preying eyes, shall we?"

"I had no idea you had this power," Elsa mumbled still in awe.

Shrug, "There ain't much to do with it, so, I don't use it much. I do not use it at all, actually. I know how and I have control over it, but it's kind of useless to me. I don't live for getting richer, or I would sell them. So, it's more of a souvenir magic I got from mom."

"Insane," the lion girl whispered to her wolf mate.

"Can you give me a big peridot stone later then?" Melvin grinned.

"Of course," I looked around, taking in all the people and all the spirits, since I didn't seal the spiritual vision back.

["You are seeing them?"]

I side-glared him, "Yes."

"Seeing who?" Yuliana asked curious.

["Hel had used the Serpent's Lock tattoo to seal her spiritual vision and hearing, so she wouldn't be tormented by them, but she unsealed it yesterday, and didn't seal back. So, she's seeing all the spirits around us."] Jack turned to me. ["Why did you do it, by the way?"]

"To see if what I feeling was real or a hallucination. It was real. Plus, it's not good to block it for too long. Not when the magic will bottle up and it'll get overwhelming the next time I used," I looked around again. "But the spirits in here are nowhere as tormented and infuriating as the ones in you know who's crypt. Thanks to that, it hasn't been so uncomfortable. Definitely not something I cannot deal with, so, it's fine."

"I think I would go insane if I had to see and hear all the spirits that are around us," Priya mumble haunted. "And I'm scared of ghosts."

"Ghosts are different than spirits, fairy," I turned to her. "Ghosts are the evil ones, that torment the living that are or not related to them. Also the ones who sometimes possess weaker races like the humans. Ghosts are the spectrum of the soul of those who died and went to one of the nine circles of hell. Now, spirits are the actual soul, those who die and go to hell are never turned into spirits, and spirits have energy, conscience, and some magic, though no life force, since they are dead," as the words came out of my lips, I frowned to myself.

["How do you know that?"]

"How do you know that, Hel?" Yumi arched her eyebrows.

I have no idea. I just know. "I read about it somewhere." I mean, Haya did say that knowing stuff is a trait of my kind, so, it is what it is. I'm built different. I'm born smarter, apparently.

When Jack spoke this time, it was solely with me.

["Weird. I still think it might be related to you having aether."]

I don't have aether. Knowing is characteristic of my race, Jack. The witch told me. Plain and simple.

["Maybe because having aether is characteristic of your kind."]

I growled and glared at him. "Don't start now."

"What is he saying?" Dorothy asked beaming with curiosity.

"Bullocks. He's spilling bullocks," I mumbled as I stop in a tent that was surrounded by ten spirits, all good ones. "What is in here?" I asked the spirit of the little elf girl that seemed to be around 10, bending a bit.

She turned to me with a smile, {"Hello, gorgeous Miss, here is the tent of Nancy Beaulieu, a female satyr with the ability to measure anyone's magic, and call out all their potential and what they will one day become. She can also see if us, spirits, will reincarnate sooner and if we'll be strong in our next life."}

My eyes widened softly, "Interesting. What's your name, kid?"

{"Flora Le Blanc,"} she beamed with the cutest smile ever. {"I was an elf from France, but I died seven hundred years ago, when a vampire robbed us and killed me and my dad. His name was Nathanaël Camille Le Blanc, he was nine hundred years old and a baker in the village bakery. We lived alone, since mom, Marielle Le Blanc passed away giving birth to me. My dad reincarnated five years ago in a elf clan of Brazil. He told me to come here every year and see if I was going to reincarnate soon too."}

Kneeling down at the height of the child, I focused my magic on my hands and reached out to caress her crimson red hair, and I felt my heart warm when I managed to touch her. Her eyes widened with surprised and she jumped to hug me. Of course, I hugged her back. "It's okay, Flora. You will reincarnate soon, I believe you will. Your energy is pure and the magic in your heart is strong. Keep gathering hope in your heart and hold onto it, okay, sweetheart?" I said softly, sad for the child and her story.

{"I… I thought I couldn't touch anyone. I preyed the Goddess to be able to feel a hug soon. I… can I just hug you, miss?"}

A soft nod, "Of course, sweetheart. You can hug me, I'll hold you for as long as you need," I caressed her hair. "My name is Hel, you don't need to call me Miss. You can call me by my name."

"Uh, Hel, what is happening?" Felix whispered behind me.

"I think I can have a corporeal connection with whatever spirits as long as I want to. So, I just reached out for Flora, she's a little child who was assassinated with her dad seven centuries ago in France, by a vampire. She's all alone now that her dad reincarnated some years ago, and she's been coming here every year to check how long it'll take for her to be reincarnated too," I said it all calmly, not to frighten the child. "How old were you, sweetheart?"

{"Seven, Miss Hel,"} she whispered and it broke my heart.

"How old is she?" Yumi asked in a whisper.

I gulped, "Seven," and that made all of them stay dead silent.

After about five minutes, Flora released me, and she looked calmer when I looked at her face again, her honey eyes lighter. {"Thank you, Miss Hel, for comforting my heart even though you never knew you. It meant the world to me,"} she said softly and then pointed to something above my head. {"Are you a Princess?"}

Blinking confused I looked up but didn't see anything, "Uh, no, my dear. I'm not a Princess. Why do you ask so?"

Her eyes widened softly, {"Are you a Queen then?"}

What the hell? "That's an interesting question, Flora. Why do you ask that? Is there something above my head?"

She nodded matter-of-factly, as if it was obvious, {"A crown."}

I froze. "There's what above my head, sweetheart?"

{"A black crown. Can't you see it?"} She pointed at it again. {"It's been floating above your head since I saw you. A black crown with many jewels on it. It's beautiful and I can feel the magic from it."}

What the fuck? What did she just said?