Glimpse of Eternity [A Reincarnation Isekai Fantasy]

While secretly guarded by one of the most powerful Ascendants in Aizen, the three kids continued to walk down the busy street for several minutes until they eventually reached a wide, open area.

"Oh, we made it to the central plaza already...?" Hector quietly commented to himself, making Reivan look around in wonder.

'What's up with all the stalls...? Is there a festival or something?'

Before anything else, the first thing Reivan noticed about the plaza was just how numerous the stalls there were. From various types of freshly cooked meat to handmade trinkets of all kinds, being in the plaza was an explosion of sights for the eyes and a smorgasbord of scents for the nose.

And in the center of it all stood a majestic fountain, the centerpiece of the square. The sound of water cascading down its tiers filled the air, creating a soothing melody that somehow managed to blend in with the din of the crowd. Perched atop the fountain was a marble statue of an armored knight, his sword triumphantly raised to the sky. Despite its imposing presence, the statue seemed to exude a sense of protection and security, watching over the bustling throng of people below.

Speaking of the crowd, the plaza was abuzz with activity as everyone bustled about. Of course, the plaza was nowhere near as narrow as the street they just passed through, so it was less punishing to stand in place and look around. There were also people gathered to chat, rest their weary feet by sitting on the edges of the fountain, or admire the statue while taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the plaza.

"Welp. Welcome to the plaza, Van!" Hector had a huge smile on his face when he turned toward Reivan. "This is where Helen and I usually hang out when we have pocket money. The stuff here's a bit cheaper than everywhere else."

"Mhm." Helen nodded. "But not that yummy."

Her twin chuckled. "True. Still, we prefer this place cuz Helen eats a lot. It's not like we get a whole lotta allowance either."

Reivan smirked as he once again realized how troubling Helen's appetite was for someone's wallet.

"But we don't have to worry about that today!" Hector snickered diabolically as he took out a small sack that jingled and jangled with every movement. The boy opened it up and eyed the contents with greed. "One, two, three... Hehehe... there's gotta be ten 20-lumen coins in here! That's... uhm. That's, like, a lot! We're rich!"

"Two hundred lumens..." Helen quickly did the math but was dazed by the amount. Drool started to drip from the corner of her mouth, forcing her to suck it back in and gulp.

Meanwhile, Reivan didn't know if that amount of money was supposed to be a large amount of money for a kid or a lot for an adult.

'Wait a minute... I don't know anything about money in this world...'

Judging from the metallic clinking coming from the pouch in Hector's hands, coins were in use. Now, if Reivan was in a normal fantasy-world situation, he would've shrugged it off and thought that Aizen probably used copper, silver, and gold coins as money.

However, this was a nation established by an otherworlder like Reivan. As such, he wouldn't put it past his ancestor to have established paper money or even cryptocurrency.

'Well, nothing to it. Guess I just gotta ask the walking encyclopedia guarding me to teach me about this...'

As expected of communication crystals, which were able to transfer literal thoughts in an instant, Reivan was able to learn everything he needed to know about money.

Basically, money was called "Lumen" in Aizen. It was their version of the "Dollar" or "Yen". Also, there were three types of currency in circulation: coins made of alloy, bills, and coins carved out of special material.

The alloy-coins were made up of cheap and common metals. They were also pretty widely used amongst the common people. From 1-cent, 10-cent, 20-cent, and 50-cent coins, to 1-lumen, 5-lumen, 10-lumen, and 20-lumen coins, alloy coins were a favorite of the populace for ordinary, everyday transactions.

As for what metals they were made of, Reivan didn't need nor want to know. And in any case, Valter hadn't informed him about it.

The banknotes were apparently given out by the government itself and were made up of a specially enchanted fiber, making it much more durable than normal paper. Apparently, you would need an actual tool, or squire-grade strength to damage it, so ordinary citizens wouldn't be able to cause a single wrinkle. There were only four types of bills: the 50-lumen bill, the 100-lumen bill, the 500-lumen bill, and the 1000-lumen bill.

Now, the special coins — also known as Luminous Coins — were what really got Reivan's interest. They were apparently made of a glowing stone uniquely found underneath the Sword Star's mountain. Each coin was the size of a casino chip, and was produced through sculpting. This meant that someone aiming to repurpose the stone would have a hard time.

But the important part was that a luminous coin was worth ten thousand lumens. And that was for the blue luminous coin, otherwise known as a "Blue Coin".

There was another type of luminous coin that glowed gold instead, and it was worth a hundred thousand lumens. It was even dubbed "Sun Coin" for how it shone brightly like a miniature sun.

'I kinda wanna see one...'

He would have to ask his parents for that. Surely, they could spare a couple of luminous coins to brighten up his wallet, right?

"Speaking of wallets... I don't have any money..." Reivan sadly whispered to himself.

"Worry not, Your Highness."

Right after Valter's whisper reached Reivan's ear, the prince's belt suddenly felt a bit heavier. He reached down with his hand, only for his fingers to meet with a leather pouch. "Hm?"

'Could it be...?'

Reivan looked down to peek inside the pouch to see a roll of 50-lumen bills and numerous 20-lumen coins inside. Looking at the contents, Reivan couldn't help but smile. There was just something about money that made him happy.

'One look at my past life shows money can't buy happiness. But being broke certainly won't make you happy either!'

Just in case, Reivan stowed the thick wad of bills and a few of the coins inside Zouros' stomach, leaving only five 20-lumen coins inside. He then placed the pouch in his pocket to avoid having it stolen or — if his carelessness kicked in — dropping it.

With a lot more money on his person, Reivan rubbed his hands together as he thought of all the things he could buy. A particularly fragrant smell of cooked meat wafting into his nose gave him a pretty good idea of his next buy.

"Hey, Van!" Hector put his left arm around Reivan's shoulder excitedly. "Let's go! I'll even treat you! Helen and I are rich now after all!"

The prince shook his head with a smile. "No need. I got some money just now."

"Oh, yeah? Well, more for us then! Helen, let's... Hm?" Hector then looked to Reivan's other side, where his sister should have been. "What the... Where's Helen?"

It was only then that Reivan realized he wasn't holding onto the glutton's hand anymore. He hadn't even noticed she was gone.

'Where the hell did she go!?'

Just as he was about to ask Valter where Helen was, Reivan saw a little girl with a head of black hair waiting in line for a street stall as if it were natural.

Who else could it be but Helen? It seems that Helen had found the source of the pleasant aroma that the warbeast prince noticed earlier.

Reivan nudged Hector in the gut before pointing at the embodiment of hunger, who was now rocking left and right while patiently waiting for her turn.

"What is it... Oh." Hector saw his sister and sighed, seemingly unsurprised.

The two boys turned toward each other, read the exasperation in the other's eyes, and then sighed. Wordlessly, they both make their way to line up with Helen.

"Hey." Once Hector made reached his twin sister, he tapped her on the shoulder with a frown on his face. "I thought I told you not to run off on your own..."

Helen looked back and said, "Saved a spot." before facing forward again. Her eyes were trained on the meat skewers the stall owner was grilling.

'Hmmm... it smells really good.'

Reivan had to admit that whatever the stall owner did to get his skewers to smell like this was pure genius. Every time a bit of the brown sauce mixed with fatty juices dripped on the hot coals, the air would be filled with the sounds of sizzling meat and a mouth-watering aroma. Even someone who was used to eating the finest cuisine like Reivan, couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation.

"I think this stall's new." Hector tilted his body to the side, peeking at the stall owner's face from behind the adult lined up in front of them. "I'd remember such a good-smelling skewer."

"New." Helen nodded, confirming Hector's suspicions without looking away from her prize.

Reivan smiled as he took out a 20-lumen coin. "I guess we'll all be tasting it for the first time together, then."

While waiting in line, the two boys chatted and the glutton silently waited in anticipation. Eventually, after about ten minutes, their turn came.

Helen boldly put up all ten of her fingers, while Hector asked the stall owner how much each skewer cost.

"One lumen for two skewers, kids." The gruff man, who was only slightly shorter and just as muscled as the man Hector had bumped into earlier, replied with a business smile on his face.

'That means I can buy 40 skewers with this coin...'

That was obviously too much to eat, but Reivan could put any leftovers in Zouros' stomach for safekeeping anyway. Naturally, he'd have to give some to his long-bodied friend too. If the constant hisses echoing in his mind were anything to go off of, it seemed the Archon Fragment wanted a taste of the fragrant meat as well.

Reivan was just about to order twenty skewers for himself and Zouros when Hector suddenly exclaimed in shock.

"Only two!?" Hector was like a cat who'd had his tail stepped on as he pulled his sister away from the stall. "Old man, are you trying to rob us!?"

Surprised by his friend's reaction, Reivan also pulled back his hand.

'Is it really that expensive...?'

From the look of things, there were three rectangular pieces of meat on each skewer. And each piece of meat was quite thick too. If Reivan equated one lumen to a dollar, then two of those skewers seemed like a good enough deal considering how delicious it probably was.

But Reivan didn't trust his knowledge on this matter too much. He was a sheltered prince, so he knew nothing about the price of anything. As such, he decided to telepathically ask Valter for his opinion.

"It's certainly on the expensive side, considering food in our country is generally cheap and this stall is in the central plaza." Valter's words entered Reivan's ears. "However, these don't seem like your garden-variety street food. The profoundly appetizing aroma aside, the portions are also above average. So I believe fifty cents for one is a good price. In fact, the stall owner might not be making much of a profit from this."

Reivan nodded, taking the words in. Valter was an old hand who'd been alive for more than a thousand years, so Reivan trusted his words more than the young Hector. As such, Reivan was just about to resume his order when Hector said something else.

"Shouldn't it be... I dunno, four skewers per lumen?" Hector said, almost pleading. "Two is too few!"

Perhaps because he was talking to a kid, the stall owner didn't get angry, patiently replying with a wry smile. "Hey, kid. I'm trying to run a business here, not a charity. Twenty-five cents is too cheap for my skewers. I came all the way from Arkhan to sell these here, y'know?"

Hector's shoulders visibly drooped. "But..."

"Please..." Helen put her hands together and looked at the stall owner with watery eyes.

"Drats..." The stall owner scratched the back of his balding head before sighing. "Fine. I'll give you two a discount. But only because you remind me of my kids when they were still cute."

The gluttonous girl pumped her fist in triumph before putting up ten fingers again.

Hector looked up, his eyes widening. "Really...?"

"Yeah." The man chuckled. "Just remember to tell everyone you know about Jaggar's skewers! Made by me! The great Jaggar!"

"I'll do it." Helen nodded vigorously.

Jaggar laughed loudly while placing a number of skewers on the grill. "Special discount for you guys is three skewers for one lumen. Since there are three of you, it's perfect."

"Only three...?" Hector protested.

"Don't push your luck kid. Or I'll charge you the original price for 'em."

"I am so very sorry!"

Having watched the events unfold, Reivan couldn't help but marvel at the twins' power to get a discount. It didn't seem like all of it had been calculated, but that actually made it more terrifying since it meant they were both naturals at haggling.

"Fifteen skewers for me." Helen's voice was firm as she demanded food.

Hector scowled as he looked at his sister. "No way are you having that many right after eating so much food at Van's house. You're having nine. I guess I'll have three."

Reivan stepped forward as the glutton pouted in displeasure. He held out a 20-lumen coin. "Hello, sir. I'd like to have everything this can get me."

Jaggar's eyes widened as he fanned the flames of the smoldering grill. "You sure you can eat that much kid? That's sixty skewers, y'know? You can't even carry that much."

"It's fine. I have this." The prince-in-disguise brought up his arm and showed off the ring in his right hand's forefinger.

"A spacial ring..." The old man gulped as he stared, his body tense. "Seems my stall attracted some big fish. Or rather, the kids of some big fish. Thanks for gracing my business, little lords."

Reivan chuckled. "You're exaggerating, sir. This one's a bottom-grade ring."

 

 

"Oh." Jaggar visibly eased up as he heaved a sigh. "But still, spacial rings of whatever quality are pretty rare outside of Aizen, y'know? Can't help but think I'm facing a bigwig every time I see one."

"They're pretty common here though."

'That's what Valter told me, at least.'

Naturally, nothing Reivan possessed could be low-quality. Even the clothes he was wearing as a disguise were a cut above the rest, he noticed after briefly scanning what everybody else was wearing. He rarely used his spacial ring because of Zouros, but it was still of the highest quality available — able to fit a two-story house inside.

That said, the lowest quality rings that had about a cubic meter's worth of space were relatively affordable to middle-class families.

"Yeah..." Jaggar scratched his head while chuckling weakly. "I just got here, so I'm not too used to seeing 'em yet. I guess my old man wasn't lying when he said that traveling would broaden my horizons."

"Hey..." Hector butted into their chat with a grimace. "Our skewers!"

"Uh-huh." Helen nodded, her brows furrowed in impatience.

Jaggar laughed while patting his belly. "Your friend here just ordered a ton of skewers, so it'll take a while."

The twins immediately turned their frustrated gazes at Reivan.

"Don't look at me like that..." Reivan backed off before taking out another 20-lumen coin. He gave it to Hector and said, "Here. My treat. Buy us all something to drink. I'll wait here for the skewers."

"Okay!" Hector's face immediately slackened back into a smile as he cradled the money in his arms. After shouting "I'll be back!", he ran off.

The prince then turned to the other twin, who hadn't fallen for his cheap trick. "Uh... I'll give you five of my skewers. Okay?"

It seemed that was enough, as Helen's face reverted back to her usually emotionless state. Suddenly though, her eyes widened as if she remembered something.

"Something wrong...?" Reivan tilted his head.

Saying nothing in response, Helen merely reached forward and grabbed his hand again. Seemingly satisfied with that, she faced the stall and stared at the skewers on the grill.

"Uh..." Scratching his head with his right hand, Reivan repeatedly tried to pry his hand out of Helen's grasp but failed every time.

'What in the... How strong is her grip...?'

Giving up, Reivan tried gentle diplomacy instead of force. "Uh, Helen? I don't think I'm gonna bump into someone here. So can you let go?"

'My hands are getting sweaty. Yuck.'

He knew that it was his sweat, too. Reivan never liked the heat, and right now, he was standing next to a grill — a tool that continuously produced heat. As such, he was starting to perspire in places he wished didn't perspire, and it felt absolutely disgusting. If he wasn't looking forward to eating those skewers so much, he would've run off already.

It was even more embarrassing since the sudden hand-holding was exacerbating his palm's sweat glands.

"Why?" Helen turned toward him and tilted her head.

"Uh, if you ask me that, I won't really know what to say, y'know?"

'Geez. Isn't my sweat gross? Why don't you get the hint and let go? This isn't pleasant for either of us!'

Helen's lower lip trembled as she frowned. "Do you hate it?"

"Eh? Wait a minute... We already went through this!"

'And why are you crying again!?'

Reivan grew flustered when he noticed the usually stoic girl's eyes water. With his free hand, he took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "Ah, why are you crying? I don't hate it at all! It's just my hand was sweaty cuz of the grill..."

The dark-haired girl sniffled. "Really?"

"Really. I promise." Reivan nodded repeatedly. He then squeezed her hand gently, hoping to convey his sincerity.

A small smile bloomed on the little girl's face as she squeezed his hand back before returning her attention to the skewers.

'Ugh... Our palms are practically glued together with my sweat. Seriously, why's she so hung up over this? Someone save me right now, please.'

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Reivan sent a prayer to the heavens that those skewers got cooked faster.

"Ahh. Youth..." Jaggar, who'd been watching the whole time, grinned as he slowed his fanning. "Ah~ My arms are tired~ I think it'll take a while to finish this batch of skewers~"

Unfortunately, the heavens did not seem to like Reivan very much.