The old man watched Ash as she walked toward him, and for a fleeting moment, it felt as though he had been transported back in time to many years ago.
Back then, there had also been a young boy, about the same age as her.
Equally disheveled.
Equally without a contracted Spirit Beast.
And equally… placing a hard-earned, precious spirit fruit before him.
"I'm sorry, I'm late..."
Ash entered the library, her voice breathless as she apologized to the old man who had been waiting for her for so long.
At the same time, she carefully slid the backpack off her shoulder and placed it onto the desk of the general office counter.
"These are all the Ripple Fruits I gathered in Azure Bay Mountain by following the route you gave me," Ash said while unzipping the bag.
One by one, she took out the frosty blue fruits, which resembled sugar apples, and placed them in front of the old man.
"It was 13 fruts in total… but now there are only twelve because I gave one to a Spirit Beast that helped me a lot along the way."
Finishing her explanation, Ash paused and used her hands to divide the Ripple Fruits into two equal piles.
"If it weren't for the lead you gave me, I wouldn't have been able to gather these fruits at all," Ash said earnestly while looking at the old man. "So, I'd like to split these Ripple Fruits evenly with you."
Hearing this, the old man's expression shifted ever so slightly.
He silently looked at the pile of Ripple Fruits before him and then suddenly shook his head with a soft smile.
"I appreciate the thought," the old man said as he picked up his portion of the Ripple Fruits and placed them back into Ash's pile, one by one. "But I can't accept these. All I did was provide a trivial bit of information, one that might not even have been reliable. It hardly counts as any real help."
"That won't do…" Ash quickly tried to stop him, speaking earnestly in an attempt to convince the old man. "I can't just take advantage of you like that. Besides, if you hadn't told me about this, I wouldn't have even known Ripple Fruits existed, let alone have the chance to harvest them."
"And… there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with. Why don't you consider these Ripple Fruits as a token of my gratitude? Would that be alright?" Ash added, her tone resolute.
"Oh?" The old man's interest was piqued. He looked at Ash with curiosity. "Tell me, what could an old bag of bones like me possibly help you with?"
"It's nothing too major," Ash said with a small smile, picking up one of the Ripple Fruits from the table. "I'd like to ask for your help in selling these Ripple Fruits."
Ever since last night, when Ash and Larvavine discovered the mature Ripple Fruits on the small island in the middle of the lake, she had been preoccupied with one thought.
"Someone without sin can becomes guilty when they holds treasures."