Chapter 29: Buying a house?

The next day had arrived fast for Xolvion and the others. Of course, Xolvion had had to explain what the deal was with the baby goblin he had seemed to adopt from his last quest.

"Oh my, it's rather cute for a goblins offspring," Zoranna said as she looked at the little thing.

"But what in the world do you need a baby for, master?" She asked, not seeing its usefulness.

"Don't tell me you can't sense it, Zoranna?" Xolvion asked as he sat drinking his morning coffee.

Zoranna gave her master a questioning look before she looked back at the baby, seeming to sense its magical potential this time.

"Oh..." She said, seeming rather impressed.

"That can't be right," Luna said, also feeling it.

"I didn't think goblins could produce such strong mages?" Luna also said.

"I think this one is a special case." Xolvion then said as he placed his mug back on the table.

Zoranna and Luna both looked at him as they waited for Xolvion to expand on what he had said.

"As you already know. Monsters can evolve into a better stronger form of their species, depending on their strength and experiences. A normal goblin would evolve into a hobgoblin for say." Xolvion explained, getting a nod from Luna.

"Yes, I am aware of that master," Zoranna said, happening to be a monster herself, even though she was born a vampire.

"I believe that this little goblin is in the top tier of her species and will prove useful once fully grown." Xolvion then said, getting a nod from both Luna and Zoranna.

"Besides. Goblins grow rather fast compared to humans. But until then I want you all to help in looking after the little thing." Xolvion said, getting a nod from them.

"Of course master, if that is your wish." Zoranna said as she bowed her head to him slightly.

"What should we call it?" Crystal then asked, looking down at the little thing as it slept.

"That's a good point," Xolvion said as he tried to think of a name.

"How about... Hestia!" Xolvion said, feeling that the name was fitting, feeling that she had a strong affinity for fire magic.

"An excellent choice master," Luna said.

"Good. Now, onto the matter at hand." Xolvion said as he took a look around the small room that they were all crammed in.

"I think it's time we expanded our living arrangements." He then said, having become sick of the lack of space.

...

"This place looks, good master," Luna said, pointing to what looked like a property sales shop.

Xolvion and the girls had taken to exploring the city, heading over to one of the more well-known estate agents that came recommended by the owner of the inn Xolvion and the girls had been staying in.

"It certainly looks the part," Xolvion said, seeing that it was in a nice area of the city.

"Welcome!" A female voice said as Xolvion and the others walked into the shop.

The female estate agent walked over to Xolvion and greeted him and the others.

"So, how can I help you today?" She asked.

"We are here to find a house." Xolvion simply said, taking a look around the shop before looking her in the eye.

The woman couldn't help but take in Xolvion's handsomeness and closed her eyes for a moment to try and get her head straight.

"O-of course, please have a seat." She said, quickly turning around as she lead them to her desk.

"I take it you are in need of something that will accommodate yourself and your companies here..." She said, taking a good look at Zoranna and the others.

Of course, Xolvion wasn't an idiot and while out in the daylight, he made Zoranna cast a transformation spell to hide her appearance from humans. Luna on the other hand looked like a simple demi-human, and of course, Crystal was a human, so they blended in rather well.

"Yes, something big enough for the four of us," Xolvion said.

"Alright, let me have a look at what we have... First I have to ask. Are you looking to buy, or to rent?" The woman then asked, waiting for his response.

"Buy," Xolvion said as he crossed his legs and placed his elbow on his leg so he could rest his chin on his hand.

"Ok." The woman said, gulping due to the stair she was getting from him.

She opened a draw to the right of her desk and pulled out a small stack of paper, seeming to sort some from the pile before she set them down on the desk.

"So this is what we currently have for sale that would suit your needs... See that you are after at least four bedrooms to accommodate all of you?" She asked.

"If you would like I can show you each of the properties today so you can make your decision." The estate agent said, waiting for his answer.

"Very well, shall we?" Xolvion asked as he stood to his feet, waiting for the woman's reply.

"Y-yes." She said, not sure why she couldn't think straight around him.

"Master, stop playing with the poor woman," Zoranna said as she crossed her arms with a smirk on her face.

"I'm not." He said, also smiling, seeing that she had caught him out with his little game.

"So this is the first house on our list." The estate agent said as she led the group to a rather large semi-detached house in the nicer part of the city. It was large with a nice rear garden. However, Xolvion felt that it wasn't private enough and turned it down before they even stepped foot inside.

"Ok, on to the next one." The estate agent said, leading him and the others to another house.

This one was on the out skirts of the city close to the docks. Although the area was rough the house itself was rather nice, being made of wood and very spacious inside. The only down side was that it was a little to close to the ruby lions headquarters for Xolvion's liking. That and he could sense the underground passage way that ran under the house.

"I think we will pass on this one too," Xolvion said.

"Ok... The estate agent said, only having two houses left to show him.

"I must warn you, this next property is slightly on the more expensive side." She said, not wanting to assume that he wouldn't be able to afford it.

"The price isn't an issue," Xolvion said, getting a nod from the estate agent before she led them across the city one more time.

This time they entered the posh part of the city where more of the nobles and better-off citizens lived.

"Wow! Master look at this one!" Luna and Crystal said, taking in the outside of the house they were wearing.

Calling it a house was an understatement as it looked more like a mansion, with a rather impressive amount of land considering it was in the confines of the city.

It had its own wall built around the outer perimeter of the estate, with a large set of gates leading into the driveway with a water fountain in the middle. The house itself was huge, housing ten bedrooms, three living rooms and two kitchens. Also complete with a large basement and wine cellar, a large bathhouse on the outer left wing of the building and a huge rear garden with two acres of land.

"Master its so nice!" Luna and Crystal said, seeming to fall in love with it right away.

Xolvion had to admit it was nice. But at the same time, owning such a nice home was bound to bring unwanted attention.

"This is currently the largest home we have for sale. It belongs to the noble member of the royal family. However, he no longer has use for it and has put it up for sale." The estate agent said.

"And how much are we talking?" Xolvion asked.

"Well... She said, seeming a little sheepish.

"I'm afraid the asking price is currently at 5000 gold pieces." She said, knowing it was a very large amount of money.

To put it in perspective, the first two houses only cost 200 gold pieces put together. Meaning that the cost of this house was only something that a noble should be able to afford.

Xolvion seemed to weigh the benefits of owning so much land in such a large city. Not only that, but the privacy it offered was also much better than anything else available at the moment.

So far Xolvion had collected a full month's amount of payments from White mane. Taking home only 2100 gold coins, meaning that he was very very short of having enough to buy this property.

"Well, how about it girls, should we buy it?" Xolvion asked, turning to Zoranna and the others to see what they thought.

"Yes!"

"Please master!" They all shouted, seeming to have fallen in love with the house.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Xolvion said, rubbing the back of his head as he turned to the estate agent.

"Is cash ok?"