Chapter CLXV - House Shopping (part 1)

The next morning, we all decided to take the whole day off.

Even though it is Monday, possibly the busiest day of the week, we still decided not to do any work. So I will use this time to go to the old dwarf's place, and maybe start looking for a house afterwards.

I woke up very early and went to the dwarf's shop. Luckily, it is already open.

"Here you go. Three thousand Jules."

I said as I gave the dwarf three thousand Jules worth of coins inside a large bag, and he placed it inside his space ring without bothering to count it.

That much money is a hassle to count manually, so he will instead use a certain tool to count. He will need to visit the bank to do that, so he won't bother checking the amount.

"Nice doing business with you. How's the super scythe doing?"

He asked, so I took out the scythe and showed him.

"Well, this guy is more amazing than I thought. Not a single dent can be seen on it after I used it to slay dragons yesterday."

"Y-You were the one who killed those dragons yesterday!??"

"Yep. And this guy is the one who did most of the work. It can even kill an elder dragon so easily…"

I lifted the scythe proudly, but the dwarf is even prouder.

"Heh! Who do you think made it!? I am known to be the master forger even amongst the dwarves. You are welcome, by the way."

"Aren't I supposed to be the proud one, here?"

The dwarf laughed, while I placed the scythe back inside my ring. His eyes then turned sharp, and he began speaking with a low tone.

"Be careful when using it, though. As you said, it can kill an elder dragon so easily. A weapon that powerful can easily be misused, and at that level, it can also be used to destroy an entire kingdom."

"Yeah, don't worry. I won't be using it for things like that."

"That is what you say right now, but who knows? Maybe later, that scythe can be misused, like the sword of the war god."

Hearing that item's name, I quickly became surprised.

"Huh? Wasn't the sword supposed to be stronger than this?"

"Heh! You probably have never even seen it."

"I have heard about it in the stories..."

"The stories are nonsensical. No weapons are that powerful."

Yeah, right. Stories are there for a reason. Especially ancient stories like that.

Those stories exist for a reason, and there is just no reason not to believe it.

I turned away, wearing a tired look on my face.

"Whatever, old dwarf. I'll be going."

"Keep a watch on the scythe! Someone might steal it."

"Nobody else can lift this. How can it get stolen?"

"… Good point."

I turned around and waved my hand as I left the shop.

After I exited, I took a deep breath with a smile and let it out while stretching my arms forward.

"Now then… Let's look for a house."

I started heading towards the eastern road, that is the location of the housing area for commoners.

In Mazino, there are three main roads. The Northern Main Road, the Western Main road, and the South-Eastern Main road. The three main roads are wide, and the width can fit four carriages at once.

But, those aren't the only 'mainly-used' roads in the kingdom. There's the inner ring road that circles the middle castle where the king and queen live. There are also the minor roads, like the south-western road that leads to the slums, or the north-western road that leads to the nobles housing complex.

Just like those minor roads, the eastern road is the same. It leads to the housing complex for commoners, which is already a third of the capital's size.

That road is where I am heading right now.

After walking for only ten minutes, I arrived on the eastern road and looked for a housing agency office building located somewhere along the road. 

The housing agency is not a kingdom-based organization, but they do report to the kingdom. Which means they can't just sell the houses rashly.

I found the building around the center part of the road, rather close to the entrance to the complex. Luckily the building was pretty easy to find, mostly because of how big it is.

"Hello! Welcome to Mazino's housing agency office! How can we help you?"

The lady at the front desk welcomed me as soon as I entered the lobby. I approached the desk, ignoring the people discussing around me.

"I'd like to look for a house."

I said quickly to the front desk lady, and she nodded.

"How much would you say your budget is?"

"Around twenty for now. But if I can pay in installments, I can get around thirty."

"I see. That is pretty much more than enough. Would you like to view the houses right away?"

"Yes, please."

The lady nodded and excused herself before going to the back, where she then called another female who will help guide me to look for the empty houses to buy. 

Another lady came out from the back with the front desk lady, and she introduced herself.

The two of us then left the agency office and we began entering the commoner's housing complex.

As we walked, we talked about what kind of houses I am looking for. I told her I am looking for a big house that can contain 4-5 people inside. Maybe with some large rooms for chilling, if possible…

She looked quite confused, but she understood and did not continue asking further.

The walk was rather far, so I tried looking around the housing complex. I've been on this road multiple times before, and I have seen the environments during active hours.

It is exactly like a commoner's housing complex. It's not that rare to find random owners of the house just chilling in the front, while sipping on a drink.

I also spotted some who were having a chat with their neighbours, a situation that can never exist in a noble housing complex.

Will I get a chance to chat with my neighbours later on? Wait, do I even want to…?

The thoughts kept on rolling, until finally we arrived at the first house.

"This one has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a garage for a carriage, and a wide living room."

We arrived at the front side of the first house that is being sold. It is exactly as she described it. We went inside to see better, but there really is nothing much to see inside, since there is no furniture.

There is only one floor, and only a single bathroom. 

"How much is this one?"

"Around twelve thousand."

"I see. Let's check the next one."

Yeah, I want to find a much better one. I have plenty of money here, so might as well buy a really good one. I'll overpay if I have to, because I don't want to regret buying an uncomfortable house.

I do want a cheap and nice house, but I don't want it if the house is too small. That price does sound nice to the ear, but the house was small as heck. I'd feel cramped if I lived there.

I also wouldn't want a house that is way too big. The reason why I went to buy a commoner's house is because I'd like to feel simple and humble. Even though I probably could save up for a noble manor at the north-east road, it wouldn't sit right with me if I had to live too extravagantly.

So, a simple but good commoner's house is what I am looking for. It doesn't have to be cheap, and it doesn't have to be too big.