Chapter 220: The Glided Mile

THE MEMORY MIRROR

The morning after becoming Silver Explorers, the Ashcrofts gathered around the breakfast table with their upgraded Grand Passports.

Lily held hers proudly. "I still think we should have received a trophy."

Maki glanced at her. "You received access to experiences previously unavailable to you."

"Can I sell it?"

"No."

"Then it’s less useful."

Reinhard closed his passport. "Today, we’re visiting the Gilded Mile. Let’s see whether Silver status is worth the trouble."

Emily smiled. "We’re going shopping, not conducting a financial audit."

"I can do both."

"That’s precisely what worries me."

Yuna laughed. "Can we explore before Reinhard starts calculating the value of every shop?"

Reinhard shrugged. "I make no promises."

...

The Gilded Mile looked like another city within Solmara.

Golden decorations covered elegant buildings, glass walkways connected boutiques, and enchanted advertisements floated above storefronts. Jewelry changed colors beneath the sunlight, while expensive clothing adjusted to the movements of its wearer.

Even the pavement looked expensive.

Lily stopped before a display of tiny golden fish swimming through the air.

"Can we buy those?" she asked.

Reinhard examined them. "Let’s find out what they do first."

"They swim!"

"An excellent observation. Your education continues to flourish."

Emily caught his arm before he could approach the vendor. "We just arrived."

"I was gathering information."

"From a merchant who hasn’t even spoken to us?"

Reinhard glanced toward the storefront, where the merchant was watching him expectantly.

"Perhaps I’ve developed a reputation."

Emily smiled. "Perhaps you’ve earned one."

Their Silver Passports granted them access to a boutique specializing in enchanted accessories.

Inside, glass pendants, delicate bracelets, and crystal ornaments preserved sensory impressions. Some reproduced melodies, while others released pleasant fragrances or recreated the warmth of sunlight.

A merchant greeted them enthusiastically.

"Welcome to Echoes and Keepsakes! Our accessories preserve selected sensations from experiences you wish to remember."

Reinhard immediately began examining the merchandise.

"How long do the enchantments last?" he asked.

"With proper maintenance, several years."

"And the maintenance fee?"

The merchant explained the cost before presenting a particularly expensive crystal charm.

Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "The recording service is charged separately?"

"For certain models."

"And again when the stored pattern is replaced?"

The merchant hesitated.

Reinhard picked up a simpler charm. "This one appears to have comparable storage quality. What’s the actual difference?"

After several minutes of questioning and negotiation, Reinhard purchased the simpler model at a reduced price.

Lily watched in fascination.

"Are you trying to buy a memory or destroy the merchant’s?"

Reinhard smiled. "I’m trying to avoid purchasing his retirement fund."

Emily laughed while the merchant maintained a professional smile.

Meanwhile, Maki examined an unusual mechanism beneath another accessory’s casing.

"The stabilization structure is hidden beneath the decorative layer," she observed.

The merchant looked impressed. "That’s correct. Most customers never notice it."

Maki smiled, satisfied with her discovery.

Lily eventually selected a bracelet that projected tiny flowers whenever its wearer laughed.

She tested it immediately.

Small glowing blossoms appeared around her wrist.

"Oh, I love this!" Lily exclaimed.

Reinhard examined the price. "And this one doesn’t charge you for laughing. Excellent value."

Lily grinned. "When these flowers become fashionable, remember that I was an early investor."

"Of course. I’ll inform the financial markets."

...

Emily discovered a delicate glass pendant containing a pattern resembling ripples across a pond.

The merchant explained that it preserved a short melody.

"May I hear it?" Emily asked.

A gentle tune filled the boutique.

Its soft rhythm reminded her of the quiet evenings at Celestial Shore, when the family gathered beside the ocean without any particular plans.

Emily’s expression softened.

"I like this one."

Reinhard smiled. "Then it’s yours."

She checked the price. "It’s more expensive than the charm you just bought."

"The enchantment is more sophisticated."

"You spent several minutes arguing that the simpler one was better value."

"For its intended purpose."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "And this one’s purpose?"

Reinhard leaned closer. "To make my beautiful wife smile."

Her cheeks warmed.

"You can’t use that argument every time you buy something for me."

"I wasn’t aware there was a limit."

Emily laughed and accepted the pendant.

After the merchant explained how to activate it, she pressed the crystal.

The melody played again.

Emily stepped closer to Reinhard and slipped her arm around his waist.

"Listen," she murmured.

Reinhard wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they listened together.

When the melody ended, Emily looked up.

"Do you recognize it?"

"The rhythm reminds me of our evenings at the villa."

"Exactly. I wanted something that would remind me of those moments."

Reinhard brushed a strand of hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

"Then it was worth buying."

Emily smiled and rested against him.

The pendant could preserve a melody, but it couldn’t recreate the sea breeze, their family’s laughter, or the warmth of sitting together after a long day.

Those memories belonged to them.

...

While the others examined their purchases, Yuna noticed a small silver ornament near the back of the boutique.

It resembled a curling wave, with a pale blue stone set in its center. Under the light, the stone shifted between shades of blue and green.

Yuna picked it up.

The merchant explained that it was designed to reflect the changing colors of the sea.

She liked it immediately.

Then she checked the price.

"I don’t really need another accessory," Yuna murmured.

Reinhard noticed her lingering beside the display.

"Do you want it?" he asked.

Yuna hesitated. "It’s not particularly useful."

"That wasn’t my question."

She looked at him.

Reinhard didn’t offer to purchase it or explain why it was worth the price. He simply waited for her answer.

Yuna examined the ornament again.

"I like it," she admitted.

"Then that’s enough."

Yuna considered his words before making her decision.

She purchased the ornament herself.

When the transaction was complete, she slipped it into her bag with a satisfied smile.

Emily noticed and smiled approvingly without making a fuss.

Reinhard watched Yuna return to the others.

She hadn’t purchased the ornament because it was useful to the family. Nor had she waited for someone else to decide whether she deserved it.

She’d simply chosen something she wanted.

That pleased him more than finding the cheapest accessory in the district.

...

As the family compared their purchases, a familiar notification appeared before Reinhard’s eyes.

[Investment Opportunity Detected.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft, Yuna Ashcroft.]

[Current Rank: S.]

[Target Value: D+]

[Current Bond with Yuna: D+.]

[Objective: Participate in three new vacation experiences with the Ashcroft family, focusing on genuine participation rather than purchasing premium services.]

[Difficulty Grade: C.]

[Success Probability: 60%.]

Reinhard read the notification twice.

Three new vacation experiences.

Apparently, buying expensive accessories wasn’t enough. The system wanted him to participate rather than treat every outing as an opportunity to acquire something valuable.

He dismissed the notification.

Lily wanted to explore another shop, Maki had spotted enchanted glasswork across the street, and Emily was interested in summer accessories.

Then Yuna pointed toward a smaller boutique between two larger buildings.

"I noticed something interesting there earlier," she said. "Would you like to see it?"

Reinhard glanced at the time.

His first instinct was to calculate the most efficient route through the remaining stores.

Instead, he smiled.

"Lead the way."

Yuna smiled back and started walking.

The mission remained unfinished, but Reinhard wasn’t in a hurry.

...

The boutique Yuna had noticed was smaller than its neighbors, with a polished silver sign above its entrance.

Inside, elegant clothing displays surrounded a tall mirror framed in intricate metalwork.

Lily immediately approached it.

"Is this a clothing shop?"

Maki studied the mirror. "Possibly, but its reflection is unusual."

The surface didn’t show the boutique exactly as it was. Faint images of clothing appeared around the reflected figures, changing whenever someone approached.

An attendant greeted them.

"Welcome to the Memory Mirror boutique. Our clothing collection is available to Silver Explorers, but our signature attraction requires a reservation."

Lily’s eyes brightened. "What does it do?"

The attendant gestured toward the mirror.

"It creates an outfit inspired by the wearer’s memories. It might draw upon a favorite place, an unforgettable occasion, or a meaningful experience."

Emily looked intrigued. "So it creates something personal rather than following current fashion?"

"Exactly. Every result is unique."

Maki stepped closer. "How does it determine which memory to use?"

The attendant smiled. "That’s part of the experience."

Maki frowned. "That’s not an explanation."

"No, but it’s an invitation to discover the answer."

Lily had already made up her mind.

"Can it make me look like a legendary warrior?"

"It creates clothing, not combat equipment," the attendant explained.

Lily considered that. "What about a legendary warrior who happens to wear fashionable clothing?"

The attendant hesitated. "Possibly."

"Excellent!"

Emily laughed while Reinhard examined the mirror.

Their Silver Explorer promotion had opened another interesting opportunity.

He wondered what kind of outfits the mirror would create for each family member.

Then its surface brightened.

For a fleeting moment, the reflection changed.

Behind the Ashcrofts appeared a quiet garden beneath unfamiliar trees.

A narrow stone path crossed the grass, and a small white bird perched on a wooden bench.

The image vanished almost immediately.

Maki frowned. "Did anyone else see that?"

Emily nodded. "I did."

Yuna looked toward the attendant. "Was that part of the demonstration?"

The attendant didn’t answer.

He was staring at the mirror.

Reinhard followed his gaze.

There was no garden inside the boutique, no wooden bench, and certainly no white bird.

Yet the mirror had reflected all three.

Then Reinhard remembered one final detail.

On the bench in the vanished reflection had rested a small silver ornament shaped like a curling wave.

The same ornament Yuna had purchased earlier.

Yuna’s hand instinctively moved toward her bag.

She hadn’t shown the ornament to the mirror.

Nobody had even mentioned it.

The attendant’s expression changed.

"That’s unusual," he murmured.

Lily leaned forward, her excitement turning into curiosity.

"Does the mirror always do that?"

The attendant shook his head. "No."

He looked at their Silver Passports before returning his attention to the mirror.

"It appears the mirror has already noticed your family."

Reinhard studied the polished surface.

Ordinary memory charms could preserve melodies or reproduce pleasant fragrances. But this mirror had shown a garden that didn’t exist inside the boutique, along with an ornament nobody had presented to it.

And the attendant seemed just as surprised as they were.

After a moment, the man straightened his jacket and gestured toward the reservation desk.

"Shall we see what it remembers?"