After getting an excellent night’s sleep in my enormous bed and having breakfast in my room, I got my things in order and went down to the lobby slightly earlier than our group had agreed to meet. Lynne hadn’t come down yet, but I saw Rashid brandishing a sheaf of papers in one hand, a wide grin spread across his face. Galen and Rigel were with him, and the trio appeared to be engaged in some sort of conversation.
“Ah, I love it when I make a big sale!” Rashid enthused. “I can hardly keep the smile off my face.”
“You’re in high spirits,” I said. “Is there good news?”
“Ah, Noor. The empty trading houses—we’ve sold them all. At excellent prices, might I add. We’ve made almost twice what we paid for them.”
“Wait—so my total wealth just shot up again?”
“Precisely. As promised, all the profit belongs to you.”
“And...if I really don’t need it?”
“Come now, don’t be like that. It’s yours. I also have a present for you. Here—you can carry your coin in this, instead of storing it at Galen’s.”
Rashid presented me with a square piece of what appeared to be cloth, dyed with strange patterns. It resembled a folded coin pouch, slightly larger than the palm of my hand, and would probably serve that purpose well. But what good would it be for carrying my entire fortune?
“My coin?” I repeated, accepting the pouch. “You mean, the whole lot?”
“What you have there is a Wallet of Mountainous Storage,” Rashid explained. “It’s a magical bag of sorts. Though it might appear compact, it has an impressive storage capacity—and not just for coin.”
“That sounds useful. How impressive, exactly?”
“The general consensus is that it can hold about a mountain’s worth—as you might have gathered from the name. I’d say that’s a stretch, though. In my estimate, it can hold about as much as five wagons. Try to store any more than that, and you risk tearing the bag.”
“Got it. I’ll be careful.”
In truth, one of my first thoughts upon receiving the wallet had been to try storing the Black Blade inside it. Now, I recognized that as a bad idea; I didn’t want to ruin the gift Rashid had just given me, especially not right in front of him.
“It’s quite the rare item,” he continued. “There are only as many as were found in the Dungeon of Oblivion long ago, and they’re rather lacking in substitutes. Yours should contain your winnings from the Trials—Rigel converted them into coins for you.”
“Really?”
“I apologize that I didn’t ask first, but Miss Lynneburg said that physical currency would be more convenient for you,” the boy said. “I had time to stop by the bank, so I converted as much as I could. Of course, I can convert it back to a check if you’d prefer.”
“No, that’s fine. Thanks, Rigel.”
Rigel was exceptionally smart—smarter than I’d ever been at his age. I could have stood to learn a thing or two from him when I was younger, though anything he might’ve tried to teach me would probably have gone in one ear and out the other. Still, I wished I could share in his wisdom. Learning even a tenth of what he knew would do wonders for my brainpower.
“So, as you’ve surely deduced, that little pouch is worth far more than its humble appearance suggests,” Rashid said. “Try not to lose it.”
“Right...”
Even just thinking about how much money I’d accumulated was a bother, and now it was all inside this tiny wallet? No matter how I looked at it, that was tough to wrap my head around. Maybe I could “misplace” it somewhere for someone else to find...
I shook my head, brushing the thought aside. Stumbling upon such a vast sum of money would scare the living daylights out of anyone. Not to mention, Lynne and Rigel had gone to so much trouble to manage it for me; simply tossing it away would be far too rude.
Of course, keeping the money wasn’t much better. It would just sit there in my wallet, collecting dust. I’d heard that wealth was meant to be circulated, not left to build up like water behind a dam. I’d thought bringing it to Sarenza would at least put a dent in it, but now it was getting heavier—literally and figuratively—with each passing day.
How had things come to this? Maybe I should just say to heck with it all and scatter my riches across the city.
“Is there a particular way to withdraw something from the pouch?” I asked.
“Simply think of what you wish to retrieve and turn the bag upside down,” Rashid explained. “The item you’re thinking of will tumble out. A word of warning, though—never stick your hand inside.”
“Why not?”
“The exact reason is hazy, since the bag is a dungeon relic, but its interior isn’t meant for living things. You could put your hand in there, if you really wanted to—but it would come out dead and rotten.”
I stared at the wallet for a few long moments. “Hmm?”
“The Wallet of Mountainous Storage doesn’t have an opening large enough to fit a whole person, so there’s no risk of any fatal accidents. Still, don’t stick any limbs in there that you aren’t prepared to lose. It’s a convenient tool, but one that must be handled with care.”
“Okay. I’ll...be careful.”
To be honest, I wished Rashid had started his explanation with that note. Several times during our conversation, I’d almost stuck my fingers in the wallet out of sheer curiosity. He’d called it convenient, but I thought “scary” was a more appropriate term.
“How did something this valuable end up in your possession, anyway?” I asked.
“Its small size and tremendous storage capacity make it popular among certain merchants who wish to avoid paying taxes. As it happens, I chanced upon one in Galen’s room—though I’m sure his reasons weren’t quite as nefarious. Isn’t that right, Galen?”
“O-Of course not, Young Master Rashid!” the plump man exclaimed. “I-It’s just something I had lying around. I’ve never used it once!”
“There you have it, Noor. He wasn’t using it, so he’s giving it to you to apologize for all the trouble yesterday. Right, Galen?”
“Wh-What? I... I mean, of course! Anything for the great Master Noor!”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Thanks. I’ll take good care of it.”
Galen forced a smile so wide that the corners of his mouth strained and veins began to pop from his forehead. “G-G-Glad to be of service!”