As Elise and I start walking down the street, I consider putting the hood on but hesitate. Wouldn’t this be considered as hiding and being timid and not facing the unknown? Deciding against it, I kept it away in my bag. As we walk, Elise takes me down an alleyway that was empty except for the two of us. Looking at the sky, it was clear and the sun was just moving past its zenith. I still wasn’t used to the day lasting so long, even though I hadn’t really been out in it for long since I’ve either been locked inside, in a dungeon or recovering on a bed.
As it was just the two of us, I decided to ask Elise about my Stats and Stat Ranks, as well as tell her what Teacher Lee had said in the past. I had wanted to wait till after the task was finished, however I felt a bit impatient. Elise slowed her pace as I walked, giving me time to tell her. As I finished speaking, Elise tilted her head at me.
“Is that all?” As I nod, she gives me a smile. “Do you know what era your Teacher Lee is from?” Telling her I never asked, she looks forward while she stops.
“Stat Ranks are difficult to raise, and your situation is unique. I’m guessing the race you evolved to is given a Grade of A+, S or S+, correct?” Telling her it was S+, she nods. “Then that is why. It’s not the only reason though, your class would have an effect on it as well. However this isn’t just handed to you, the System doesn’t just give you things. Your stats are high because you’ve been in dangerous situations and overcome them again and again. But be careful.”
Elise’s face became serious. “There are plenty of others who have higher stats, some have much higher than thought possible, for their level. Be careful, not only about that, but the fact that if your stats get too high, it will hinder you. We’ve seen people inwardly collapse because they had stats of a level 100 while at level 60. We don’t understand why this happens, since in theory raising your stats is strengthening your body in the first place, but it can happen.
“I will say though, people with much higher stats than their level suggests are indeed rare, and you’re the first I’ve met that has one above an A+ Race. Other than the Branch Manager that is. It’s not the only way to gain Stat Ranks, things like experiencing near-death experiences, accomplishing extremely impressive feats and so on. As for why it was rare in your Teacher Lee’s time, I can only think that perhaps he came from an era far in the past, thousands upon thousands of years ago, and things may have been different.”
Elise starts walking again as I follow along. Thanking her for answering my question, she smiles. “It’s what I’m here for. You’re always welcome to seek me out. Usually I will be busy assisting others, but recently things have been stable so I have some free time.”
As we continued walking through various alleyways, we finally arrived on a new street, houses running along each side.
“Since you’ve received those Platinum coins, I think we can get you a bit of a fancier house. All of these houses have high level security enchantments, giving you some protection against anyone who wants to come after you while you’re recovering or resting.”
As we moved along the street, we arrived in front of a small, two story house. There is a waist high fence that went around the land the house sat on, a beautiful garden out the front, and the house itself was built beautifully out of a mix of wood and stone. The outside was painted white with a grey wooden roof, a door in the middle with a window on either side of it.
“This is one of the houses I wanted to share with you. It’s priced at 4 Platinum coins and already has furniture that you need, except for the kitchen which hasn’t been filled out yet. I figured as someone who is an Apprentice Chef you would rather furnish it yourself.”
Nodding, I had to say it was quite beautiful. Turning to Elise, I say “I don’t mind which house, I’m not concerned.”
Giggling, Elise turned to look at me. “I figured that was the case. This street is relatively quiet from what I’ve heard, not many adventurers actually go house shopping like this, they tend to just buy a house and only use it to rest and recover. I showed you this because I believe it’ll suit you and Elizabeth. It also has a garden out the back that you can use to plant various herbs, fruits and vegetables.
“There are three bedrooms on the second floor and the ground floor has rooms you can use for various things. Lastly, there is a basement for storing anything you have. After all, you would be limited on storage. And before you say anything, don’t think about buying a dimensional bag bigger than the one you have. It might sound nice having the storage the size of a house all the time, but it will be equally heavy. It’s why they’re cheaper than a Mythril Coin.”
Lifting the bag I had, I hadn’t noticed it was heavier than my last one, though then again I hadn’t really filled it up before. Thinking about Aubrey’s bag, I winced slightly thinking of how she lugged that around with ease, and we’ve filled that before.
“I do recommend buying another dimensional bag though, maybe slightly bigger than your current one, since you’ll be diving deeply into the Tomb of Lilith. You guys want to bring back as much as you can, after all those 5 Platinum coins will vanish before you know it. Now, let’s head to the courthouse and buy the keys to this house, if you want to buy it?”
Telling her I was happy to do so, she led me down the street and around a corner. Since it was clear out, there were people walking through the snow, children playing and there were even cafes that were open. After another turn, we arrived in front of a large building, a sign by the door reads “Garden of Evernight Courthouse and Services.”
“Vale is large, as you know, so to make it easier for everyone, they separate the housing into sections to manage properties and services a lot easier. The Courthouse here is where you need to go for anything like buying a house, repairs, construction repairs and so on. They will also be able to get the kitchen fitted out, and they work fast so it will be done by this afternoon, even if you need them to purchase or pick up anything for it.” Finishing as we entered the lobby, Elise introduced the various different desks in the lobby.
We approached a desk that Elise had pointed out, there was no one in line so when we arrived, a young man greeted us.
“This young lady here would like to purchase property 32.” Seeing the young man nod, he turns to me.
“Nice to meet you, I am Sebastian. The cost of the property is listed for 4 Platinum coins…” Glancing at my neck, I knew he was looking at my adventurer’s plate. Sebastion turns to Elise.
“She can afford it, there are no problems.” Elise speaks before he does, and with a nod Sebastian turns around and walks through the door behind him. “Grab those coins out, Alisha.” Doing as she says, as I put the box away Sebastion returns.
“The kitchen has yet to be furnished, we have a few selections that you can choose from to fill it. If you wish to have something brought to the house there will be an additional fee of 10 Gold coins.”
Starting to realise how expensive it was to purchase a house, I felt a bit lightheaded. I was slowly learning the value of these coins, so to learn that the money I had just gotten was nearly all gone made me realise how important it was to keep doing requests.
As he showed me pictures of different set ups for the kitchen, I took my time to look through them. Most of it was just having the benches in different locations with different types of ovens. Thinking it over, I remembered Grandma saying I could come back to buy an oven from her. Since the knives she had given me had proven to be extremely good, I decided to get an oven and stove from her.
Explaining this to Sebastian, he frowns slightly. “Grandma’s…can you explain where it is?” Blinking, I wasn’t sure on how to describe the location. As if she predicted this, Elise started explaining how to get there from here. Writing down her directions, he nods. “We’ll have people available in an hour, they will be able to bring it back for you. For the kitchen, same deal, we’ll be able to furnish it while you're out. Have you decided on what set up you’d like?”
Picking one I had decided on, it looked to be the best as the oven and stove would sit in the middle, a bench on either side and benches on either side of where I would stand. It looked good for making a large amount of food. There was a sink and a storage that used magic crystals to keep items cold or frozen at all times.
“The total cost will be 4 Platinum coins, 15 Gold coins for pick up and installation and 50 Silvers as an admission fee. I also require your identification chain.” Handing Sebastian the 4 Platinum coins, I dug around in my coin purse and gave him the rest of the coins and the necklace. I placed my final Platinum coin into the pouch. Taking the coins, he handed me a wooden token and a set of keys.
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“The token is used to activate the security around the housing. It is enough to prevent anyone lower than level 60 from breaking in. Though that is not a concern, after all if you’re level 60 you’d earn more by killing a few monsters.”
Thanking him, I took the keys and token as he handed me a rolled up piece of paper and my necklace. “This is the title deed to the property. Until your death, the property will remain as yours. Is there anything else we can assist you with, Alisha?”
Shaking my head, he nods. “If you ever need anything, feel free to come back, we will be able to provide most services, and if we can not, we will show you where you can.”
Thanking him once again, Elise and I headed out. After a quick talk, we decided to head to Grandma’s first, then head to the Lily Pond Inn to check out.
“What about Elizabeth? She’s in the dungeon.” Nodding, Elise told me she’d get a room at the Guild for Elizabeth as a short stay if she were to return before I did.
As we arrived back on the street where the Guild laid, I noticed a lot of people started looking in my direction. Ignoring the stares this time, I kept walking while keeping a determined look. No one approached us but I saw people whispering and walking while pointing in my direction. Some even cheered my name out as we walked by each other.
“Well, your popularity is just starting. You can wear your hood if you want.” Shaking my head, I told her I didn’t want to hide from it, even if it would cause me problems. Giggling, Elise didn’t say anything else about it.
We arrive at Grandma’s cottage, and just as I’m about to enter Elise taps me on the shoulder.
“Do you know how to get back to the house?” Thinking over the route once again, I nod. “Good. Give me 4 Gold coins. I’ll head to a store and buy a dimensional bag for you to take, it’ll be about twice the size of your bag. Keep both on you for this task. They will get very heavy, so if you need to give them to Aubrey. She’s much stronger than you think. I’ll bring it to you here.”
As I hand her 4 Gold coins, she turns and is about to walk before turning back and saying “Oh, and ask Grandma if you can buy a recipe called “Ration Cubes”. They’re small cubes and one will fill you up quickly. She should also have the ingredients for it. They’re difficult to make so they’re not sold at the Guild, but you should get it down with some practice.”
With those words Elise leaves as I enter Grandma’s cottage. As if she had been anticipating me, she came over with a speed that frightened me. “Welcome back, dear. What are you looking for today?”
Explaining about my new house and need for an oven and stove, Grandma got an excited look on her face. Dragging me over a wall, there was a strange marble table with two balls on it.
“Place your hands on those balls and inject your mana. My stoves and ovens are quite different from those you find in restaurants.”
Doing as she said, I closed my eyes and let my mana flow into the balls. A blue glow came through my eyes as I opened them and saw a strange sight. Blue lines ran through the marble, none of them crossing with each other. The blue lines had small, silver dots to them. I heard Grandma speak after a few seconds of silence.
“Mutated mana lake and veins, aligned to Lunar energy. Your output is strong dear, very strong. Can you manipulate your mana?”
Tilting my head, I didn't know what she meant. Grandma nods. “I expected as much, mana manipulation isn’t something one can just do without a teacher. Can you increase and decrease your mana output?” I told her I was only releasing it as slowly as I could, and she got excited.
“Alright love, output as much as you can and hold it for ten seconds.” Closing my eyes, I focused on changing my output to as high as I could. Soon, I felt my mana drain quickly before Grandma told me to stop. I had used a quarter of my mana at that time, making my head slightly dizzy from overuse.
“Powerful! Seems you had a ritual done to awaken your mana lake and veins. Most adventurers just gobble down a Mana Crystal and call it day. Don’t understand those types. Come along dear, I know the perfect stove for you.”
Grabbing my arm once again, she pulls me once again towards another wall, this time right in front of a stove with an oven underneath. The stove was made from an unknown metal, with a magic circle directly underneath it. A gemstone laid to the right and left of it, blue in colour. Under the stove is an oven, like the others I’d seen it was made from stone. Within the hole that was the oven was another magic circle and on either side of the entrance are gemstones, red in colour. I noticed that both did not have a fireplace.
“This is one of the more advanced stoves and ovens that I have. You can place the stove on top of the oven or have it to the side. I would recommend having the stove in one spot and the oven somewhere else, close by. Under the stove top you should have storage to keep your pots and pans and above the oven another bench. I’ll give you easier access to everything you need.”
As Grandma kept pointing and showing me things about the two, I soaked in everything she told me. Both the stove and oven used mana, so unlike the ones I had used before they relied on magic for heat. The gemstone on the left controlled how hot the stove and oven would be, while the one on the right allowed me to inject mana to control how long it would stay on.
I found that they reached temperatures higher than what the stoves and ovens at Lily Pond Inn reached. Feeling really excited to try them out, I asked Grandma how much it would cost.
“1 Platinum coin dear for both dear.” Handing her my last Platinum coin, I explained how someone would pick it up and bring it to my house. She smiles and nods saying she’d keep an eye out for them.
“Grandma, did you have a recipe for something called ‘Ration Cubes?’”
“Oh, dear I do. It costs 2 Gold coins, and if you want the ingredients now it’ll be an additional 2 Gold coins.” Taking out 4 Gold coins, I felt my heart sink since I only had 1 Gold coin and a bunch of Silver and Bronze coins left.
Taking the coins, she went to the back and soon came back out with 4 very heavy looking bags and a rolled up paper. Handing me the paper she told me it was the recipe while placing the bags on the ground. I could smell all sorts of fruits and vegetables from it. Oddly I didn’t smell any meat, did the recipe not need it?
After storing the food in my dimensional bag, I felt the weight of it indeed increase, but it wasn’t as heavy as the bags of food had been. Shrugging slightly, I bid farewell to Grandma and made my way to the Lily Pond Inn.
Checking my right leg, I found it a bit sore but otherwise wasn’t hindering me. My body’s condition wasn’t at its peak, but with another night or two of rest I would be back to normal.
Heading into the Lily Pond Inn, I head upstairs and pack the very little things Elizabeth and I had. Elizabeth only had a few items so it was easy to make sure there was nothing left behind. Looking around the inn, I muttered to Alice “I’ll kind of miss this room, what about you, Alice?”
“Kraa!”
Smiling, I knew from our link she felt similar, but at the same time she was more hungry than upset. Moving back downstairs, I make my way to the counter where Floof was serving people. After a short wait, it was my turn.
“Welcome young fox. It has been a while.” Giving me a smile, Floof bowed slightly. Giving him a nod in return, I told him I wanted to check out.
“Oh? Have you found a new home?” Taking the keys I handed him, I once again nodded.
“Yes, it’s in an area called Garden of Evernight. Elise helped me today.”
“I see. Well young fox, before you leave, I want to let you know you’re always welcome to return. You can work here whenever you wish, I will pay you 10 Silver coins per shift or 40 Silver coins per day. It’s the standard rate of pay for our kitchen staff.” Thanking him for everything, he gave me another slight bow as I left.
Retracing my steps carefully, and ignoring the stares of people around me, I returned back to the house I had bought. I had to admit, it felt strange having a place of my own in this city. When I returned to Crater Hell, perhaps I should instead bring Sally and Gray here instead of staying there.
Walking up to the door, I use the keys to unlock it and enter before closing the door. As Sebastian had said, there was a grove next to the door inside to place the wooden token, and by doing so I heard a click and a rush of mana spread out.
Taking some time to explore the house, I remembered a few things Elise had told me while we were walking back to Grandma’s. The type of house I had bought used magic circles for almost everything, the bath had two that created cold or hot water, same with the sink. The toilet used a magic circle to flush waste away and the laundry had two sinks, one to wash and one to dry.
The first floor had a corridor that branched into different rooms. From the front entrance, there was a staircase that led to the second floor. To the left is the kitchen and to the right is what Elise called a living room, something people used to gather and eat. Past the stairs, there was a room on the left that was the bathroom and on the right a room that led to a room with a fireplace, controlled with magic.
The floor was made from a solid wood that didn’t creak when stepped on, the walls were also a similar brown coloured wood. The door to the backyard was at the end of the corridor, but I decided to check that later.
Before I could check upstairs, I heard a soft chime throughout the house. Elise described what this meant, someone was at the door. The door had a magic circle at the front that a visitor could inject mana into to tell those inside they had arrived. Opening the door, I saw two muscled men waiting, behind them is the stove and oven I had ordered.
“Hello, me Ma, this Chop.” Pointing to his companion, they introduced themselves with a nod. Introducing myself, they told me they were here to install the stove and oven, and leading them into the kitchen, I saw the benches had been set up already. I told them what I wanted to do with the stove and oven and they got to work rather quickly.
It took no time for them to finish before they left, giving me one more nod. Looking over the kitchen, I felt happy and with some excitement, I got the ingredients out, along with my kitchen equipment and read the recipe. It was complicated but I was confident. Leaving Alice on a bench with a bag of magic stones, I got to work.