SWNOVELXO 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.
"I take it you believe me now...?" asked Vahn, sporting a cheeky smile and prompting Jiruo to stare at him as if he had two heads. He couldn't fathom anyone giving away such wealth without an ulterior motive, but before he could question Vahn further, the mysterious, dark-skinned youth adopted a serious expression and said, "How you use the bangle is up to you, but if I return to find the children here are being underfed or insufficiently cared for, we're going to have a problem."
Extending his hand before Jiruo could process what had happened, Vahn pat the pale-haired man's shoulder before turning to leave. Jiruo followed him with his gaze, his expression fixed in slack-jawed incredulity, so when he abruptly vanished in a clap of bluish-white light, the enterprising Moon Whistle shifted his gaze to the ancient-looking bangle, formed a fist, and resolved to ensure its resources were used wisely...
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After leaving Jiruo more than a little disjointed, Vahn found himself in a small, cluttered room whose walls were lined with various torture tools, a partially fragmented mirror, an apparatus that looked like an electric chair, and a queen-sized white bed. There were also a trio of wooden shelves, a large chest, and a table covered in Delver equipment, but Vahn's attention was drawn to the duo occupying it: Riko, modeling a white nightgown, and a young boy with light brown skin, somewhat spiky dark hair, golden eyes, red markings on his cheeks, pointed ears, and notably metallic eyebrows.
"You came~!" exclaimed Riko, bouncing up from her position on the floor and leaping at Vahn with open arms. The latter dutifully caught her with a wry smile, supporting her bottom with his left hand and forearm while the dark-skinned youth, who Vahn recognized as the Aubade, Reg, remarked, "So he isn't just a figment of her imagination..." with an expression of awe and open-mouthed disbelief.
Setting Riko down after patting her back a few times, Vahn met Reg's gaze with a smile and remarked, "You must be Reg. Riko speaks rather highly of you."
"That's right! And listen to this, Vahn...!" started Riko, not giving Reg any room to speak as she transitioned into a recounting of everything she had done since her return from the Tower. That day happened to coincide with her and the other children delving into the uppermost layers of the Abyss, so not only had she returned with the largest haul of everyone, but thanks to her increased stats and the necklace he had given her as a parting gift, she didn't feel the effects of the Abyss's curse at all...
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"Oh? It's rare for you to visit so late..." remarked Bulma, briefly startling when she saw Vahn appear in her mirror but quickly calming down when she realized it was him. She was currently brushing and preparing her hair for bed, so Vahn approached, accepted the brush as she proffered it, and took over the duty before surprising her immensely by softly humming, "I wanted to see you..."
"Seriously? You wanted to see me...?" asked Bulma, her expression and tone making her disbelief apparent. Despite this, a steadily growing blush developed through her cheeks as Vahn's arrival suggested it wouldn't be long before she was panting and moaning insensibly beneath or atop him. It was inevitable.
"That's right..." affirmed Vahn, his expression smoldering and tone gentle as he slowly and skillfully brushed the turquoise-haired woman's hair, her gaze fixed on his reflection in the mirror. She wasn't unaccustomed to him being gentle, but since it generally came after they had sex, Bulma found herself at a loss, causing her to wonder what had transpired to cause him to act in such a manner. Fortunately, though it left her feeling more than a little annoyed, Vahn eventually clarified things by informing her about the existence of the Tower of Ascension and his intentions to reunite with his Transdimensional companions and lovers...
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[March 31st, 750DBT]
After a week of making amends with Bulma and bouncing around to half a dozen worlds, Vahn had finally completed his preparations to exit Invirtua and reunite with everyone back in the real world. Before that, however, he and Grayfia spent a full year in the Creation Hub, taking advantage of the fact its time flowed separately from the remaining worlds of Invirtua while also having a compression ratio of 2,520 with the outside. In other words, even though a full year had passed from their perspectives, not even four hours had passed outside. In total, despite having spent nearly two years in Invirtua, Vahn and Grayfia returned with fewer than five days passing in reality. More accurately, they had been gone a mere 113 hours, 7 minutes, and 39 seconds...
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[August 1st]
As no one was anticipating his return for another two weeks, Rias and Akeno happened to be visiting the Principality of Sitri while most of the remaining members of the ORC were preoccupied with their respective training regimens. Because of this, the first person to reach Vahn's room after Grayfia left to inform everyone of his return was Venelana, sporting a happy, narrow-eyed smile and modeling a white and black dress that left little to the imagination.
"It's good to—" started Venelana, but she stopped when Vahn, lounging atop a red-cushioned, gold-framed sofa, pat his right thigh and said, "Sit down. You're still mine for eighty-two years real-time. Don't greet me like an old friend..." with a smoldering expression and tone.
"Of course..." responded Venelana, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she approached and climbed onto Vahn's lap, hovering over him on her knees, her tremendous and soft breasts nestled against his face. He immediately understood why she wasn't sitting down, so after snaking his hands under her dress and removing her panties, Vahn guided his glans to Venelana's already dripping entrance, allowing her to sit flush against him, a sensual and ear-burning sigh emanating from her throat.
"Good girl..." muttered Vahn, rewarding Venelana with several kisses as he skillfully massaged her pert and exceptionally full bottom.
"Hmm...?"
Noticing the sudden change in the air and their surroundings, Venelana briefly broke away from Vahn's lips, a playful smile adorning her own as she hummed, "It appears there was no need to clear my schedule or ask Grayfia to take her time informing the others of your return..."
"This isn't the Corridor you're familiar with..." remarked Vahn, giving Venelana's left butt cheek an affectionate smack and rub, causing a hint of confusion and then tremendous surprise to color her expression as he revealed, "Roughly seven months ago, the virtual world, Invirtua, became accessible through the Corridor. In this particular space, a single second in the outside translates to forty-two minutes. The ten to fifteen minutes we would have spent greeting each other outside can be stretched from seventeen to twenty-six days. And the eighty-two years you've promised me can be extended to encompass 206,640..."
Hearing Vahn's final conversion, Venelana's pussy clenched around him involuntarily. She couldn't fathom wanting to remain alive for two hundred thousand years, but Vahn's words made one thing clear: their relationship would only end when she had grown tired of living. And with a full month to catch up, just the two of them, Vahn carved it into her heart, mind, and body that she wouldn't be growing world-weary any time soon...
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Arriving at Vahn's room to find her mother sitting beside him, borrowing his shoulder with what could only be described as a contented smile, Rias crossed her arms, raised her right brow, and questioned, "Since when did the two of you get so close?"
"If you recall, they did spend a considerable amount of time together back at the Guild Hall~" hummed Akeno, sporting her usual narrow-eyed smile.
"Right..." conceded Rias, closing her eyes and exhaling faintly from her nose before meeting her mother's gaze and expressing, "Just spare me from having any half-brothers or sisters that could also be regarded as my step-children."
"That's entirely up to Vahn," responded Venelana, leaving Rias at a brief loss as she could tell from the look in her mother's violet eyes that she wasn't teasing her or making a joke. Fortunately for her, while Vahn fully intended to knock Venelana up, they had already discussed waiting until his children with Rias, Sona, and whoever else chose to have children with him within the next century had a chance to mature. In the meantime, she agreed to become his Field and Production Manager on the Black Tower's 99th Floor and his Secretary within the Tower of Ascension.
With Invirtua becoming a part of the Corridor, Vahn had no reason to climb like a typical Ascendee. Instead, he planned to open an Ascendee Consultation Agency linked to each Floor. Rias was bound to try and rope him into doing whatever she had planned, but with Venelana as his shield, Vahn was confident he could enjoy a slow and leisurely life, meeting and interacting with new people for at least a few decades...
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