Real estate

Alvero offers a modest smile, then reaches for the silver ring on his left hand. He twists it once. A soft pulse of light radiates from the band.

Oooh! Looks like it's also a storage ring!

In a shimmer of magic, he draws forth a large crystal sphere, nearly the size of a watermelon! It hovers momentarily in his palm before he sets it gently on the table between us.

The surface of the globe is smooth and flawless, humming faintly. The moment I see it, my heart skips.

Why does this feel like… Deja vu?

Wait a minute!

This thing looks just like the mana assessment orb from the Adventurer's Guild!

I stiffen instinctively.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Eris glancing at me. Her lips curl into a smirk, and she raises one delicate brow. I narrow my eyes at her, immediately suspicious.

What?

What is she thinking?