THE POWER OF GOD'S COIN

Chapter 5 - Concealment

"I must soon find a way to escape, so many of them,"

The further Richard walks, the more strangers follow him quietly from behind. If he doesn't get out of this trap soon maybe he won't be able to get out alive. Trying to spin the brain — seeing the surrounding streets that seem so crowded with weeds. There seems to be a festival event going on to make the road seem filled with people wearing quite unique clothes.

When Richard was convinced of his escape plan. He began to run among the many who passed on the sidewalk plate. This could make them disillusioned with his existence among hundreds of people. 

Richard hastened his steps to make the thugs who are the golden shopkeepers unable to see him. The plan worked to keep the thugs out of sight.

Today is Christmas Eve. There will be a carnival every year to celebrate Christmas. Many people have been waiting for the parade with various surprises in it.

As the thugs were busy searching for his whereabouts, Richard rushed into a narrow street flanked between two tall buildings. He's very familiar with the rat road around there. This street can say it goes straight to the street where he got free ramen that night. Maybe that ramen restaurant is a safe place for him to hide.

"Finally …"

Richard could breathe a sigh of relief after finding an old man's ramen shop that gave him a free meal. He immediately ran close before the thugs saw him. Hope that the tavern door isn't locked by the owner, because Richard doesn't currently have a safe place to hide except this outdated ramen shop.

Richard slowly opened the door. His eyes glazed when he saw the old man sweeping inside, his grandfather's face seemed confused by Richard's presence.

"You again? What are you doing here? There's no free ramen, I'll lose it!" he yelled out loud.

"Give me a bowl of ramen! This time I'll pay!" Richard said.

"Really!"

At first the owner of the tavern seemed doubtful, but he smiled as he looked closely at Richat and said, "Come on in! I'll make it soon!"

The owner of the ramen shop immediately walked into the kitchen to make a bowl of ramen.

Richard smiled relievedly because the shop owner finally wanted to accept his arrival. Richard sat at the place where on the first night he ate ramen for free. This is the second time he's been inside a ramen shop that's still not quiet. It seems he became the first customer to buy ramen.

"Why is your shop always quiet?" asked Richard.

"Don't you see? Even most of the shops here go bankrupt because the mall is in front of the street." he replied with a busy hand making noodle dough.

"Why don't you open a shop in the mall?" Richard asked.

"I don't have much money. I'm getting too old to get a lot of customers. Why is your face pale?" he asked, turning the subject aside.

"Actually I'm being chased by thugs," Richard said.

"Did you deliberately go into this shop to hide?"

"I'm sorry," Richard said regretfully.

But no place else could be his hideout.

The grandfather just teared up with a cynical look. His attitude was fierce but he actually cared about foreigners. The atmosphere became quiet as the Grandfather began to focus on cooking noodles put in a large pot.

Seeing his grandfather's hand skills, Richard felt very fascinated and he deserved a respect. The grandfather reminded her of someone who used to babysit her when she was a kid. But he's been dead for a long time.

But it suddenly crossed Richard's mind that gold coins had him chased by thugs from the gold shop. Coin, which has a unique shape, as if it's been made for a very long time, there's little chance that the tavern owner's grandfather knew about his gold coins.

"I want to ask you …," 

"What …?"

While showing the gold coin on the table to the grandfather, "This is…"

The grandfather was silent for a while while staring closely at the gold coin. When you look at the look on his face, it's like he knows something.

"How did you find this coin?" he asked with a very serious face.

"Why? Do you know anything about the coin?" asked Richard.

The grandfather was silent again, settling Richard with a mysterious look. His hand returned the coin to Richard, and gave a bowl of ramen, saying, "It seems like it's meant to you."

The Grandfather's words lifted one of Richard's eyebrows—he was astonished and confused, what was meant by fate for him?.

"Fate? What do you mean?"

"The coin is God's coin. I heard it when I was young. No, I'm very old at my age and who's approaching death can see it in person." 

The grandfather chuckled—walking around Richard to sit next to him.

"God's Coin? What does that mean?" asked Richard.

"The coin that can change the destiny of your life …" he replied.

"Change the destiny of life?"

Richard was increasingly unable to understand any unreasonable answers from the grandfather. In modern times there are mystical things that don't make sense. Obviously it's just a gold coin. But if it comes back to mind, the reason why he was suddenly chased by several thugs after leaving the gold shop is most likely if the gold shop owner also knew about the gold coins now in his hands.

"Yes, you can trade your life for only this coin. You become a chosen human being who can get a chance that just anyone can't." he said.

"Exchange my life with someone else?" Richard asked.

"Yes. This is an opportunity you'll never get. So keep that god coin until you meet someone you can trade your life for."

Horrible noises were heard clearly in the ears of the grandfather who glanced at the window—seeing some stranger look around at his shop. Looks like they're thugs trying to find Richard's whereabouts right now.

"You better get going, they find this place," whispered the grandfather.

He immediately panicked—put his head down while hiding the gold coin in his inner jacket pocket. He saw thugs seem to have started contacting ramen shops, a very dangerous situation for his life right now.

"Shit, they're already here! What do I do?"

"Go behind the kitchen! There you'll find the door under the floor, if you go through the underground road, it'll go straight through the city park. Go to the harbor, find a man named Mr. Hudson and tell him you're Mr. Nakamura's son. He'll take you away. Remember to be careful …" he whispered while tightening Richard's neck.