Massive, which is usually quite a big word and adequate enough to describe most big things, failed miserably to describe the size of the apartment building in question. Both Blake and Harry had received a quest which directed them to attend Citizen Apartment Block Alpha to be assigned a dwelling, and the waypoint led them there.

It was a sprawling apartment complex that covered a large area of the western part of the city. Despite its size, the building was only a few stories tall, with each floor housing a huge number of apartments. The exterior was brick, and adorned with lush greenery and gardens, which gave it a welcoming appearance.

The grounds were meticulously maintained, with well-manicured lawns and flower beds dotted with brightly colored blooms. It was odd, but Blake didn’t recognize any of these flowers. They certainly weren’t from this area of the world.

He wondered where they had come from. Which parts of Earth was this garden built from?

A network of pathways wound through the gardens. Benches and seating areas were sprinkled throughout the grounds, for people to have a chance to sit, relax, and enjoy the gardens. There were a couple of different playgrounds built for kids to play on, and Blake marveled that such a place could exist while the outside world was going to hell.

As Blake and Harry parked their RV in the parking lot outside of the Citizen Apartment Block Alpha complex, Blake noticed different signs that pointed to a gym, a community center, swimming pool, and a training arena.

“It looks like this place is decked out with everything we need,” Harry said.

“I'm still skeptical of all of this New Meridia business, but I have to be honest about this place. It doesn't look too bad. They're giving us a place to live, just because we’re working here?”

“Golden handcuffs, dude.”

“What do you mean by that? I’ve never heard that term before.”

“It's when a boss or someone in charge offers you something you really, really need, in exchange for doing something that you don't really want to do. But the reward is just so good that you can't stop doing whatever it is they've asked you to do.”

“Like what my father wanted me to do. He wanted me to stay in Cedar Creek and take over the general store from him when I was old enough. I’d be set for life, but I’d be doing something I didn’t want to do,” Blake said.

“You're wearing handcuffs, but because of how shiny those handcuffs are and what they let you do, you stay. Eventually you’re so tied up by those cuffs that even if you want to go somewhere else, you can't.”

There was some wisdom in that, Blake thought as he got out of the RV.

They strolled through the gardens and passed by all the people gathered there, doing their thing. Blake found a sign that pointed to the reception area for the whole complex in the same direction his quest waypoint marker pointed to. He felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he walked toward reception.

The reception area was spacious and airy with large windows that let in plenty of light. The walls were painted cheerful yellow and there were comfortable chairs and sofas scattered around the room.

A young woman sat behind the reception desk, typing away at a computer. Her badge proclaimed that her name was Rose. The blush on her cheeks made her name even more apt.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Rose asked, looking up with a friendly smile.

“We've just been sent down here by the New Meridia soldiers. They've added us into some work crews, and we're supposed to go to our apartments before we report for duty.” Blake said.

“Ah, yes. Let me just scan you quickly and I'm sure I'll be able to find that information. And what are your names?” Rose asked.

“I'm Blake Thornwood.”

“And I'm Harry Grenfell.”

“Okay, hold on one second while I scan you.”

Rose lifted a translucent tablet-like device from her desk and pointed it at Blake. She made a motion with her hand like she was interacting with an interface Blake couldn’t see. She made a hmph noise, and then did the same to Harry.

“Okay then. It looks like everything is in order. Blake, part of the Construction Crew, we have you in apartment block B, room 417. And Harry, part of the Food Prep Crew, you are in apartment block B as well, but I have you as Room 206.”

Harry grinned. “Check it out man. We're in the same apartment block.”

To his surprise Blake found he was quite happy Harry would be in the same apartment block. Despite their rocky start, Blake found himself becoming quite fond of Harry.

If it wasn't for that system quest getting them off on the wrong foot he could have made this entire journey here with a friend rather than being suspicious of Harry all the time.

“At least we're on different floors, so we'll have a little bit of space to ourselves,” Blake said, returning Harry's grin.

Harry feigned offense. “What? You want to be on a different floor to me? Just so you can get away from me? And here I was thinking we were friends.”

“Yeah, you just keep on thinking that,” Blake said with a chuckle.

Harry punched Blake in the shoulder playfully.

“Here are your keys,” Rose said and handed a glowing token to Blake, then another to Harry.

Blake reached out and took it, and it sunk into his skin. A notification appeared in his view.

New key received!

New Meridia Citizen Apartment Block Alpha, Block B, Room 417.

Receiving this key means that you can now unlock and lock this door at will. This apartment remains the property of City Lord Clay Atlas, but you have free use of it for as long as you possess this key.

Harry took the other key and it sunk into his skin, just like Blake’s had. After the notification vanished, another waypoint appeared in Blake’s view. His quest to retrieve the apartment key updated and now directed him to go to his new apartment and settle in.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“You get the same quest?” Harry asked.

“Sure did. I guess it's time to go and check out our new digs.”

Blake and Harry headed to apartment Block B together.

There were four apartment blocks in all, A through D. Each of them had its own special facility on the 1st floor of each building. Block B was the one that had the gym, and block d was the one that had the training arena. Block A had the swimming pool, and Block C had the community center.

Nothing stopped them from wandering across to another block to use their facilities, and if using a training room was one of the best ways to get stronger most quickly, Blake saw himself spending quite a lot of time in Block D.

Blake was surprised at how he was beginning to think about New Meridia. The moment he arrived, all he could think about was how he was going to find his parents and then leave.

Now that he'd been given a key to his own apartment, and a means to get stronger, he wondered whether leaving was actually the right call. Golden handcuffs indeed.

Besides, if his parents were already here, and they had their own place and jobs as well, they might not want to leave at all. If his parents had put down roots here, then he’d best get used to this place.

They reached the entrance to Block B and headed into the atrium. There was a bank of eight elevators that ferried people up and down the five stories within the apartment building.

Blake and Harry stepped into the same elevator. He left Blake behind on the second floor, tipped an imaginary hat, then disappeared down the hallway.

Blake kept riding the elevator up to the fourth floor, then stepped out when he reached his destination.

He headed down the hallway to room 417. An interface appeared hovering in front of the door that he suspected only he would be able to see.

It said Welcome Home Blake!

He gave a mental command to unlock the door, which slid open silently.

The apartment was small but cozy, with a comfortable living room, a compact kitchen, and a bedroom with a decent-looking bed. The walls were painted a creamy beige, and there were the signature plants and flowers growing from pots all over the place, giving the apartment a welcoming and homely feel just like the apartment block outside had.

Blake smiled and let a feeling of warmth and happiness wash over him.

He was grateful for this new place that he could call home for the moment. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to find his parents and uncover the truth about this city.

With a roof over his head and a place to call home, he felt more ready than ever to face the challenges ahead.

A notification appeared in front of Blake as he stepped into the apartment.

Would you like to view the housing tutorial?

Yes / No

Blake selected Yes.

The system took a really long time to explain something simple. Basically, from the inside of his apartment, Blake could access a number of different functions.

There was an interface where he could store items, and each of the different pieces of furniture throughout the apartment also had storage space. There was even a quick clean up option, which would automatically deposit any unequipped items Blake had into the relevant container within his apartment.

The system did say that if he owned or leased multiple pieces of property, the storage within each place would not talk to each other. If he deposited something into this apartment, he would need to return to this apartment to get it.

He would have to keep that in mind when he decided to activate his lair card.

Aside from the storage, Blake could access the business register of New Meridia and place orders with different stores for various items or services. There was a whole list of options, from groceries, general supplies, clothing, and entertainment. Even fast food was available!

There was also a section where people could place particular power cards up for trade. It was more of a community noticeboard rather than a proper shop, but Blake was glad that it was there.

The apartment also had a furniture management interface. Instead of breaking a sweat lugging stuff, he could simply rearrange everything from the interface. It could store furniture and retrieve it as he needed to as well.

He could also unlock different paint schemes for his apartment, which would replace the rather dull beige that currently dominated the whole place. Carpets, bedding, drapes, basically everything was customizable through the System.

When he perused through the different options to customize his carpet, Blake noted that the majority of different options were being sold by someone or other.

Blake wondered whether these were being manufactured by other people in the city, or maybe being dropped by defeated monsters like a video game.

The other thing he could access was the map of New Meridia. He glanced over it to check where would be best placed to start looking for his parents. He noted the location of the trade district and decided he would head out there as soon as he could.

Blake headed over to the windows of his apartment, which faced south. He stared out at the stunning vista of the Rocky Mountains in front of him.

A sense of awe filled Blake at the sheer size and scale of the mountains rising up from the horizon.

He had seen the Rockies many times before, and from similar angles, and it made him feel a pang of homesickness for Cedar Creek. At the same time, he was excited to be here in New Meridia, which was a city shaping up to be unlike any other.

The moment Blake decided to close his map interface and head back out into New Meridia was when he received his very first work order.

Work Order received: Report for Construction Duty!

Reminder: This Work Order is a mandatory requirement of your continued citizenship to New Meridia. If you are stripped of your citizenship, you will be stripped of all entitlements allocated to you by the Government of New Meridia (GNM) and exiled into the wilds.

“Okay, geez, I get it. If I want to stay in the city I've got to go to work,” Blake said to himself.

Along with the work order, a marker appeared in Blake’s view. The map marker was just under a quarter mile to the west of their current location and looked to be quite a distance away from the central tower that rose in New Meridia.

Blake wondered whether Harry just received his first work order for food preparation as well. Blake didn't know what gave them the idea that Harry could cook, and he wondered whether they would be regretting that decision very soon.

Although there could be another explanation for why Harry was chosen for that work crew, and Blake was chosen for another. Harry did have fire element cards. Maybe it could help in food prep.

Similarly, maybe they thought Blake’s earth cards could help in construction. That kind of made sense.

Blake was willing to bet that the scan card the soldier used on them somehow also detected what kind of elements their cards belonged to. He didn't like that one bit. The cards he had were his, and his alone.

He wanted to be able to figure out how to use his own cards himself. If he was forced to use his own cards as part of his work detail, then he wouldn't have any anima left himself to use those cards if he needed to.

The feeling of imaginary handcuffs tightening around his wrists intensified.

If he wanted to continue being a citizen of New Meridia, he needed to complete his work orders, and it was increasingly looking like he was going to need to use all of his anima to complete his work orders.

If he was exiled, at least he would have autonomy of how he used his system-granted power.

There certainly did seem to be advantages and disadvantages to life inside the city and outside the city. Blake had his lair card up his sleeve, and he still needed to figure out where and when he wanted to play it.

There wasn’t any kind of limitation on where he could play that card, and it did say that it was Level 1, meaning it could be upgraded. He’d need to play it first, of course, but once the lair was in place he would be able to improve it directly.

Could he upgrade a lair to become an entire city?

Would he even want that kind of responsibility and power, given everything going on in the world?

Blake guaranteed that Clay Atlas, whoever he was, would already have a target on his back because he was a City Lord. The moment people realized Clay was receiving a slice of their hard-earned resources, dissent would bubble up. People would split into factions, and life for the City Lord would become much more difficult.

That’s when Blake realized that his work order had a timer on it.

He had just under 15 minutes to report to the construction crew. Not great considering the distance he had to travel and how slow the RV would be on the crowded street of New Meridia.

Blake ran out of his apartment, loaded himself into the RV, and hit the road. He drove a little erratically to make sure he wouldn’t arrive late. He didn’t know if he would be penalized for a late arrival, so thought it best to arrive in time.

Several curse-filled and sweat-inducing moments later, he pulled up the RV in a place he thought safe, locked it up, and slipped the keys back in his pocket.

There were a few seconds left on the timer countdown when he headed into the construction crew yard, and another notification appeared.

Work Order Update: Report to Foreman Barnes to be assigned your daily task.