The meeting at the bank was boring. Both Theanore and Marinus agreed on that. The bank manager and Crassus went through numerous numbers and possibilities, and they hardly asked the two toddlers for input.

It was decided that they will invest in a glass and paper factory. Both businesses have been looking for investors for quite some time, but no one wanted to take the risk.

The glass was a luxury good, as the temperature needed to make it required too much wood. Paper was cheap, both to make and to get, but with Theanore promising, she would regrow trees with mana every so often, it was decided that the process will become even cheaper.

One tree costs 1000 mana to grow to adulthood. A lot of negotiating was done, by both Theanore and the bank manager, and Theanore was allowed to absorb enough wealth up to one million mana.

Her, being able to gain mana to her mana regen this way, was explained by the fact that she is a nymph. Theanore was not allowed to play with the coins as she absorbed them, however, and Marinus was given just as many coins, so he wouldn’t be left out.

The glass factory ate up ten million, while the paper factory ate up five million. The name under which the shares would be listed was Crassus’ with the condition that the glass factory will go to Theanore when she became eighteen and the paper factory went to Marinus at the same age.

They left the bank, with the manager sending them away and telling them he would keep an eye out for the next investment opportunity. They passed the orphanage on their way to the town’s teleporter, and Theanore stopped. She wanted to play with the children who were out and about.

“Father, can I go say hello?” Asked Theanore as she stared longingly at the children. Some of them even looked her age!

“Of course, Thea. Marinus, you look after her now. I’ll go buy a couple of things from the stationery store.”

Theanore rushed to the children and hugged the nearest girl. She looked to be about ten, and she patted Theanore awkwardly.

“Do I know you? Are you lost?” Asked the girl, and Theanore beamed at her.

“My name is Theanore, but you can call me Thea. Do you want to be friends? What is your name? You have such pretty hair,” all this was said rapid-fire, and the girl blushed at the last thing.

“Sure, let us be friends. My name is Diana. This boy here is my brother. His name is Dereck,” said Diana, and she pointed at a boy who looked like her. They both shared striking golden hair and blue eyes. They had freckles on their faces.

“Hi, Dereck. Do you want to be friends?” Asked Theanore, and she received a pat on the head.

“What is a baby like you doing here? Did the man you came with abandon you?” Asked Dereck instead of answering.

“Father would never abandon me! Mari and I noticed that there were many children here, so we wanted to come and play. Right, Mari?” Asked Theanore Marinus, who nodded.

“What is this place?” Asked Marinus, and the faces of the two children darkened.

“The orphanage. You are lucky, you both have a father who won’t leave you here,” said Diana. Marinus has heard about orphanages and thought them a good idea. Merfolk didn’t have them. Marinus would choose to live with others in the same place, to be as alone as he used to be.

“Surely, it is not that bad. I mean, you could have been all alone in the sea… I mean, streets,” said Marinus. Derek snorted.

“You think here we have it good? We get bread and water as food for breakfast and lunch, and a watered-down stew for dinner. Hand-me-downs as clothes and pretty much everything, really. You two seem well off. How could you understand? Spoiled babies,” finished Dereck, and he ran back towards the entrance of the orphanage.

Diana hugged Theanore and kissed her hair.

“It is bad, but as your friend says, we are at least spared the streets. Now I have to go. My brother needs me. Goodbye, Thea and Mari.”

Theanore looked after the girl, and she then stared at the rest of the children at the playground. Old clothes and hollow cheeks. Those were their defining traits. Theanore heard a yell and saw that Crassus was back with two full bags.

“Children, it is time to go home. Say goodbye to your friends and let us go,” he said, and Theanore waved a hand at the children. Only the smallest returned the wave, the other looked at her with suspicion.

Running back to Crassus, Theanore was determined to do something for these children. She looked down at her nice, pink polka dot dress, and grinned. She knew just where to start.

“Father, can we make the children here a present? Enough changes of clothes for the entire week!” Said Theanore and a few children looked her way, expecting her father to say no.

“And why do you want to do this, Thea?” Asked Crassus, and Theanore pointed at her dress.

“Every child deserves to have something like this. We have plenty of money. We can clothe and feed them. It is only right.”

“Even if that means that you won’t be able to absorb any more mana? Because if you start now, you have to continue supporting them until the end of your life. Anything else and you will break their hearts,” said Crassus, testing his daughter.

“I’ll work extra hard to be able to support them and us both! Please, father,” The children dared to hope then. They craned their necks to hear the verdict better. Crassus sighed and then smiled. He couldn’t be prouder with his little nymph.

“Ok, then. We will open a foundation for the Mirstone orphanage. Let me just go inside and donate some money meanwhile for the upkeep of the children. For the food, at least.”

A loud cheer erupted in the playground, and the older kids got both Theanore and Marinus to the single bench and sat them down, so they could introduce themselves. All the while, the two children were grinning and making friends, determined to share their good fortune with these children they just met.