The Capital

The drive to Austin was only two hours long. Austin was the capital of Texas and was a very vibrant town known for Music and provided a plethora of outdoor activities. Michael planned on buying a small house near the campus. He decided to operate his business from home for now. He could buy a proper office building after he had some employees.

Michael's first stop was the Keller Williams Realty office. He walked in and found a cute receptionist at the front desk.

"Hello welcome to Keller Williams, How can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Hello, I am trying to buy a house. Can I meet a real estate agent?" Michael asked.

The receptionist looked up and checked Michael out; She was surprised because the customer looked so young. Can he really afford a house? She sent him to one of her friends hoping to find out if he was real or fake.

Ginnie had only recently graduated from university and started working as a real estate agent. She quickly becomes friends with the receptionist hoping to get her recommendation for customers. When she finally got one, Ginnie was full of anticipation. She greeted Michael with a pleasant smile; however, in her heart, she was skeptical of the young man who wanted to buy a house.

"So tell me about yourself, sir. Why are you looking for a home?" Ginnie asked. Realtors would try to build a profile of their customers in order to find the optimal house for them.

"Well, I am planning on attending the University so I was looking for a house close by." Michael replied. Why was the agent so curious about his personal life?

Ginnie was surprised; most college students choose to live in dorms. Only a small percent of wealthy students will choose to buy a house just for four years of college. It looks like she hit a jackpot. She did not squander any more time and started showing Michael the most expensive homes for sale.

Michael was astonished at the prices. The homes she was showing costs $10 million plus. He really did not need such an extravagant house. The only luxury feature he cared about was that the house should be in a gated compound. Michael had a lot of secrets to keep so the more secure house he had the better. Of course, he knew from personal experience that gated communities were not that secure but it was still a starting point. He planned on upgrading the security in the future.

" I do not need such large houses. While I do want a house in a gated community, I do not plan on spending this much money." Michael openly admitted. He did not want to waste time looking at mansions.

Ginnie was initially disappointed but quickly recovered. The cheapest homes in gated communities still cost nearly $1 million. It still going to be the biggest sale she ever had. She showed him some homes within the conditions he asked for.

" I like this one, but I want to see the home and compound before buying it." Michael picked one of the cheaper homes out of the available options and pointed at it. Ginnie quickly agreed and they planned to meet-up at the house later in the evening.

Michael was starving so he went to a lobster restaurant. After lunch he toured Austin. Austin was a very crowded city; it housed the largest college in Texas. Austin had three lakes and many additional outdoor activities. Austin also had more music venues than any other city in America. Michael liked the vibrant capital much more than the desolate Briarcliff.

After lunch, he drove to the compound. The security was very good for the price of the house. The entire neighborhood was walled with 10 ft concrete walls. There were guards monitoring the only entrance at all times. There was also additional security on patrol. Cameras littered the whole compound and a direct feed was sent to a security room; where experts monitored them. The setup was good enough for Michael; he planned to make more modifications to his own house later.

Michael drove to the house and noticed Ginnie waiting for him. She gave him a tour of the house. The house was built to contemporary style and looked futuristic. It had more rooms than Michael could use; ironically it was still the smallest house in the whole compound.

" Yes, I like the house and the security so I want to buy it." Michael declared. Since he could not find a smaller house in a gated community there was no point in hesitating.

"Great, do you already have a mortgage approved? If not then we have partnerships with a reputable lending company; I am sure we can get you approved." Ginnie replied. Before she could keep talking Michael cut her off.

" No, I want to pay cash." He declared.

Ginnie was taken back. "Are you sure the final costs including all fees should be around $820,000" She did not think he knew about the full costs of purchasing a house.

" Can you take a cashier's check? If not then I can pay in full cash." Michael ignored her doubt.

Ginnie did not hesitate any longer. Why would she say no to cash? Michael wrote a check and finished all the paperwork within record speed.

Michael finally had a home; no more living in motels or shabby apartments. Michael remembered the system had a General goods store and checked it for any security products. He found a Home Security Package and bought it.

[ Congratulations, you have purchased:

Intermediate Home Security Package (200,000 credits): A full security package for a home. Installs Cameras and Motion Detectors throughout the Home compound. Reinforces all Doors and Windows. Installs Fire alarms and Thermal sensors; Upgrades network defense to withstand cyber-attacks. Installs smart locks and Nerve defenses in all rooms.

Deducting 200,000 Credits. Remaining Credits: 72,330,000 ]

Michael was happy with the new security system; It would detect intruders and send alerts to his phone. He could even remotely activate nerve attacks and put intruders to sleep. The best part was that he was already immune to incapacitating gas so he did not have to worry about the chemical attack backfiring on him.

The system automatically upgraded the house within 15 minutes. The house did not look any different from the outside; all the new security features were well hidden and did not affect comfort in any way.

Michael spent the rest of the day buying furniture and setting up the house. He set up a home office for his future businesses and finally went to bed.