42 A place to call Home
Sorry for the delay.
As always, I'll now retreat to my bed, tomorrow I'll reply to your questions, suggestions, and corrections.
Until then, enjoy the chapter.
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'After verifying their identities, drinking, and eating a few snacks, Philip and Viera were led to a 6x6x6 M room, where they calmly waited inside for their turn to be granted access into the city.'
'However, Viera seemed a bit confused about all of this…'
"So uh… What are we waiting for exactly?" She asked as she looked around
'There were no windows to this room, but it was extravagantly furbished.'
'The couch she sat on… She believed it was the best thing she had ever sat on.'
'The tea offered to her was of the highest quality, and the tapestry on the walls and ground was nothing to scoff at.'
'Overall, this closed-off private room was just as fancy as the outside… And this made her even more confused.'
'Why were they even in such a place?... How did Philip afford it?'
"We're waiting for our turn to descend into the city." Philip replied relaxed
"Descend?"
"You'll see soon enough, passage in and out of the city is heavily guarded and monitored, so even for us, we'll have to wait a little while. Not really that bad seeing everything they've given us for 'free'."
'Philip shrugged as he talked.'
"It's only free in name, the fee to even use these services is already out of this world in the first place, so if it wasn't good then no one would use it, even for the rich there's a basic level of quality they look for."
'Viera was even more confused.'
"For us?... I mean, I don't know you but I'm…"
"A nameless student? Yes, I'm aware of that."
'Viera's eyelids twitched.'
"Yes, you're correct… Even though I didn't quite like the way you phrased it."
'Philip smiled.'
"Then thank our teacher Fabrin for sponsoring us today. If it was about money, I would've been able to get us the same treatment, but I lack the connections to do so."
"But Fabrin was kind enough to do me a favor and get us inside."
'Viera was a bit shocked by this.'
"I know you have a good connection with him, but still…"
'Philip shook his head.'
"Don't worry too much about it."
'Viera was unconvinced.'
"Alright, even if we came here thanks to him, that still wouldn't explain why they treat us like this. I gave them an identity, but those were my student papers!"
'Philip smiled smugly.'
"That's thanks to me, from their eyes, the papers you gave them are nothing but minimal, yet, that never mattered since my identity is all they need."
"Wow… You speak as if you were a big shot…" She replied as she rolled her eyes
"..."
'Seeing his silence, she looked a bit stunned and asked:'
"Are you?..."
'Philip said with a straight face:'
"What do you think?"
"... No."
"Tsk, that makes me a bit sad…"
'He then rested his head on his couch and said:'
"Does it even matter anyway?"
"Of course it does, even if it won't change anything, my curiosity will gnaw at my sanity…"
'Philip rolled his eyes and replied.'
"Alright, it won't hurt to talk a bit as we wait."
"But first, next time you decide to go into such a critical conversation, make sure to check our surroundings first, the last thing I want is people overhearing our conversation."
"Ah! You're right… I'm sorry... I was careless..."
'Philip smiled and tapped her shoulder.'
"It's okay, this place is isolated from the outside anyway, and even if there was someone overhearing our conversation, then he's not someone I can deal with anyway…"
'Philip stretched his arms and rested his legs on the couch...'
"Officially, I'm a Noble, but that isn't anything special in itself."
"Whatever my Noble rank is, it's enough for these people, besides, it's forged…"
"..."
'Viera rubbed her temple with a frown… She should've expected it…'
"So for them, they must see me as some sort of youth pulling some strings to have fun in this city… I have the status, the connections, and the wealth, everything else is meaningless."
"You don't ask so many questions in this business, after all, if I weren't qualified to be here, then I wouldn't even have passed the gates of this place, much less teleported inside."
"It was mostly for appearances... As for you…"
"Because of the absurd amount of money necessary to bring you with me…"
"They must either think you're my Maid, a very very close friend, someone I fancy, or…"
"Or?" Viera asked curious
"My wife." Philip said seriously
/COUGH COUGH!/
'Viera choked on her tea…'
"Is it that surprising?" Philip asked
"A… A little bit." Viera replied as she recovered her demeanor
"Well, I don't think so. Nobles do it all the time, no? Fabrin told me that this city is pretty famous for that…"
"That?" Viera asked confused
"Didn't you read the pamphlets they gave us? Take a look…" Philip said as he pointed toward a pile of beautiful and decorated papers
'Viera looked at their Titles: Famed and Historical sights to visit, Hotspots loved by the youth, Visit the best craftsmen within the Free City! And more…'
'But one stood out for her…'
'The most Romantic places to visit with your partner!'
"..."
'Her face became a little red.'
"I… I think I understand now…"
'Philip smiled…'
/Room 07-A, Your scheduled time has arrived/ Said an angelic voice coming from a speaker in the corner of the room
/Flash!/
'At the same time as she talked, a green square materialized on top of the table in the middle of the room.'
/Shake…/
'The room shook slightly, but barely so, not even enough to make the tea in Viera's cup move a little.'
'Philip was the only one to feel those vibrations... However, Viera did feel uncomfortable, she could feel the magic operating behind the walls...'
/Welcome to the Free city, may you enjoy your stay/ The voice from the speaker said
'As she said that, 3 of the walls of the room aside from the one with the entrance suddenly became transparent together with everything else near them, allowing Philip and Viera to gaze outside!'
/Shine!/
'Light peered into the room, illuminating the room...'
'It took a little while for Viera to get used to the sunlight, but when she did...'
"Wow…" Viera said, entranced by the view
"It's pretty cool." Philip said as he got up from his couch to take a closer look
'What they saw was the city of Freedom in all of its glory!'
"It's so… Pretty." Viera said in awe
"It is."
Normally, such architecture wouldn't be possible, but with a few extraordinary materials and Magic, these buildings are nothing impressive.
'The city was built within an unnatural Ravine created long ago by unknown causes…'
'Or so is what most know, Philip knows it was caused by a 'crackhead' that was fighting another 'crackhead', and the result was this long Ravine that cut a path in the Never Ending mountain from North to South, connecting the 2 parts of the Continent.'
'The city was a beautiful display of intricate architecture, with buildings of many kinds constructed on both walls with a few low buildings in the Middle.'
'There were many kinds of walkways connecting both sides of the walls but not enough to cast long shadows on the ground…'
'The city was also lit with many sorts of artificial lights, and Philip could see magic everywhere, be it floating carriages or what seemed to be holograms displaying all sorts of things...'
'The Ravine the city was located in was about 5Km wide, and it seemed to be around 600 to 700 Meters deep…'
'Philip and Viera were currently on the upper sections of this wall, inside a massive Elevator with the glorious view of the City.'
'When Philip focused his eyes, he could see both ends of the City, the supposed and infamous gates, and from his conservative calculations, the city was probably over 50Km long, and Philip could safely say he was about in the middle of it.'
"Since we're here, let's enjoy the view a bit more." Philip said with a smile as he interacted with the floating green cube
'Suddenly, the room descent speed decreased drastically, and it was now going down very slowly.'
"Is this the maximum it can go?"
It seems they don't want us to remain here gazing at the city forever…
'Philip looked to the side to see another room just like his, it was just that they were moving much faster...'
'Not everyone had the time nor the desire to gaze at the city like him... Perhaps from their perspective, Philip was the so-called, country bumpkin...'
'Inside the room, he saw a beautiful and exotic platinum-haired lady and several guards standing near the back wall, waiting…'
'The beautiful lady looked at Philip with her sky blue eyes... And her eyes darted open for a moment, it seemed she had seen something unexpected…'
'She averted her gaze timidly, Philip found this strange, and he was about to continue on his way when a Blond guy suddenly jumped in front of his gaze, looking at Philip with violent and aggressive eyes…'
"%$^*!... ^%$!... $#%!!"
"?"
What is he saying?
'The man was young, and he seemed extremely pissed about something, unfortunately, Philip's language Skill wasn't enough for him to interpret lip gestures, so everything the man said came as air…'
'Seeing that Philip did not reply, the young man seemed even more offended, and he pointed at him in anger, making one of his guards gaze at him as well…'
'The young man said something as he pointed at Philip, but the guard barely moved, but Philip felt it, the intense feeling hidden in his gaze...'
"Oh no…" Philip mumbled
I know this pattern…
'Philip rolled his eyes and looked elsewhere, ignoring them as they descended first.'
"Is something wrong?" Viera asked
"No, just saw something pretty funny."
"Where?" She asked as she looked at the city
"It already went by…"
And far away from me, it may go...
…
/5 minutes later.../
'For a few more minutes Philip and Viera enjoyed the ride, until she asked:'
"Is this truly it? I never thought I would be visiting it… They say it's a rather difficult place to enter, and even if you do, you can never come back…"
'Philip nodded and said:'
"You are partly correct, for normal people, entering the city is like a dream…"
"Protection, and the promise of a better life… It's very enticing."
"Although getting inside in-itself is difficult."
"Only the most capable among the common folk may enter, and it's true that once they are granted access, they'll probably never leave within a lifetime…"
"This place is both a cage and a paradise… Depending on what side of the city you live on or who you ask."
"Side?" Viera asked as she looked below, the city looked so beautiful…
"That's why I said you're half right, what you see is barely the tip of this city…"
"Every house is supported by columns, so in this case, where do you think they are?"
'Viera became pensive and said:'
"If we're talking about columns… Below?"
'Philip smiled.'
"Correct."
"Are you saying there's more… Below us?" She asked in disbelief
"Not just more… A lot more."
"By making a conservative estimate, I would say that from the ground to the top, even at the highest point, it doesn't surpass 900M."
"However, the average height of this Ravine is supposed to be over 2Km."
"What?" Viera said surprised
"What you see is just another wall…"
"What for us is now the ground… For those below it is the ceiling."
"..."
'Viera was shocked by this revelation.'
"The rich rule below the golden sun, while the common folk lives below, so close yet so far from it… But that's not all."
"What about the poor and the unwanted? Criminals and thugs? Every city has those, it's impossible for them to not exist…"
"Of course, they live beyond that, and even further below…"
"After all, this city was first built by the Dwarfs before they had a crisis so long ago, during their Golden age, and even to this day, most of its infrastructure is based around what they left behind."
"When they were forced to abandon this place, the Humans took over, and over successive generations, the people simply occupied and modified the husks they left behind based on their necessities…"
"Although part of it is written in those pamphlets, they would never admit the disparity between classes, not so directly at least."
"The rich live at the top where the old residences of the Dwarfs were once located, they built majestic palaces and fancy structures to show their power and prosperity."
"Many Clans and Groups from both the South and North of the Continent would have some sort of property in it, from almost all races wealthy and influential enough to do so..."
"After all, this city is known to be the top producer of weaponry and similar crafts on the Continent due to its incredibly high concentration of craftsmen, smiths, and such…"
"The common folk lives below, where their factories were once located, some still are, either repaired or modified."
"They're the people who work and make all of this possible."
"The poor live underground, in the mines and risky areas where monsters and contamination from dangerous ores and broken Dwarven relics lay…"
"Someone has to gather materials and handle the city's waste… Although, there are always exceptions."
"You would think only the capable would live on the topmost floor, but that is not always the case, sometimes, a Master may live out of prying eyes, or a rich person may try his luck dominating the poor…"
"Many of the capable people, in fact, live in the middle section of the city, or close to it at least… All for the prospect of adventuring into the forgotten ruins of the Dwarves…"
"There is even a profession called for this… Cave Raider, the people who brave the underground in search of lost relics and treasures, fighting against the monsters and the dangers left behind by the fallen civilization of the Dwarves…"
"..."
'Philip looked outside as their elevator slowly descended…'
"This city… It's only brilliant for those that can afford it."
'All of this made Viera see the city in another glance… It wasn't that pretty anymore, instead, she saw the exploitation of the people…'
'Philip saw this and said:'
"Don't make that face, you're making me feel bad for spoiling your fun…"
"It's not like life below is that bad, most should be quite comfortable with it."
Thankfully enough, the City would not fall in the future due to mismanagement, but due to being overrun by outside forces…
Or so I was told...
"The problem is with those that do want to leave, and with those that live deep underground…"
"But for them, having something to do may be better than trying their luck outside… Most of them had to have a reason for finding themselves down there…"
'Of course, Philip omitted a lot, what about those that were born there? What choice did they have if not to live far below, never to see the sun?'
'Or slaves sold to work in the mines? Not all of them deserve to be there... What about those that are exploited by gangs and even the powers that were supposed to protect them?'
'Who do they have to rely on?'
'But he didn't say that all in the hopes of not completely spoiling the mood of this young girl.'
"You are right… Perhaps it is better to have a roof over your head than none…" Viera said as she shook her head
'Philip smiled, relaxing on his chair as they continued to descend…'
…
/5 Minutes later…/
'They had already descended halfway through when Viera asked:'
"Last time you didn't answer, but why did we come here?"
"Hm? Oh, we came here to meet someone."
"A friend?"
"Hopefully one to be." Philip said with a sly smile
"..."
He's always like this…
"And after that?"
"After?... We'll convince him to come with us."
"This is getting even more complicated…" Veira said with a frown
"Don't worry, it's a pretty simple mission, we come in, talk with the guy, bring him back, and it's done. We're free to do what we wish in the meantime."
"And no need to be concerned, I won't use violence at all."
Although plan Z... Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
"As for after that… I'm unsure…" Philip said with a pensive gaze
It'll probably depend on what the Crown wants from me… I doubt they'll take nicely to a Hero that defected to who knows where coming back with 2 extra people after several months…
'Viera looked at Philip for a moment before asking in a low tone:'
"Then… What about m-me?"
"What about you?" Philip asked with a frown
"You know… My identity?"
"Ohh that…"
"That's up to you really. Just tell me what you're most comfortable with and I'll make it work." Philip said with a shrug
'Viera didn't seem satisfied…'
"But what if people ask?... Wouldn't they apprehend me?"
"Apprehend you? That's a bit extreme, you did come inside legally, so you can simply show your entry badge."
"But I can understand your worries, you aren't a Noble, just a nameless commoner student, so if someone sniffs further then it could become problematic if they decide to follow it through…"
Especially if they start to question the veracity of some things...
"In that case, a sure-fire identity that is tied to mine is necessary, hence, why I said you could be my Maid, friend, or anything as long as it's socially acceptable."
"Uhum… What do you think it's the best option?" She asked as she looked at the side
'Philip went into deep thought and said:'
"For you to be my Fiance."
"!..."
'Veira tensed…'
"And the reason?..."
"Because it would prevent 90% of all problems. And it makes sense."
"Our age matches from their perspective, even if I'm a bit older…"
"A Fiance is a very special position, not a Wife, neither a friend and the rest makes itself in meaningless politics I don't really care much about it."
"... Is that so?..." Viera said, slightly deflated
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I think it's a pretty solid choice…"
"So from now on, I'm your Fiance?" She asked with an awkward smile
"Yup."
"Alright." She said as she returned to observing the surroundings
'And the conversation ended right there.'
/Silence…/
"..."
'Philip felt something was missing, but he couldn't pinpoint what.'
'So the elevator continued its descent…'
…
/6 more minutes later…/
/DINN!/
'The elevator finally stopped, on the way, it stopped a few times, but Philip wanted to leave at the ground floor.'
'He would explore the city another time, for now, he had something to do…'
"Let's go." Philip said as he walked forward
"Where are we going in such a hurry? Aren't we going to visit the city first?" Viera asked as she looked around
"Not now, we'll have all the time in the world to go sightseeing around the place later, but now, we need a place to sleep."
Preferably a place where others can't disturb me, and with access to a training room so I don't lose track of my training.
I can never lose track of it, as strength is the most important thing if I wish to have a good time in this place.
I have a lot to do… Even after my training, I have only solidified my understanding of power.
Where I fit in all of it is rather vague, I have excellent assassination potential due to my speed and power.
If I were to only consider that, then slaying a 8th Tier Archmage or comparable beast isn't difficult…
But in direct combat? That would be another story.
I may not even fight a 7th Tier properly, besides, what if the beast had extreme defenses?…
Still, I'm not discouraged, it's impossible to win them all after all.
Somewhere out there is a weaker being than me that could kill me easily due to its set of abilities…
Just as there is a being much stronger than me that I could kill due to my Unique set of abilities…
I just need to keep pushing myself and training... And I currently have time...
Now that I'm done with the Academy... A lot of free time fell onto my hands.
4 real-life months... Or 8 months in this world's time. A total of 16 weeks is now available to me.
Of course, I still need to convince a certain Dwarf at that time... And in that sense 16 weeks may not be enough to invoke such a level of trust in me...
Only time will tell.
"In any case, Viera, can you tell me where's the nearest real estate institution?" Philip asked as he scratched his chin
"Are you planning on buying something? Can you even do that?"
"Yes and yes."
"..."
"We need a place to call home, and I can because the rules of this place allow me to do so..."
Although they also allow the rulers of this place to confiscate my property if anything was to go downhill...
It's not really a safe place to invest in real estate...
"Give me a moment then... Let me see…" Viera said as she looked at the Pamphlets
'Philip and Viera made their way across the City, but while Viera was distracted sightseeing, Philip kept a close eye on the person that was tailing them…'
…
/Around 3 Hours later…/
"A-Are you sure it was the right call to spend so much money to acquire this place?" Viera asked with wide eyes as she remembered the price
'It brought chills to her spine...'
'She was now gazing at a beautiful manor built into the walls of the city, it had a front garden and its gates were magnificent.'
"Yes it was, this place was the perfect place, not overly flamboyant while also having everything I wanted, it's also not in a flashy spot. It's perfect."
"In that case, shouldn't we have just rented it? That was an option…"
"Yes it was, but it was also risky since there was the possibility of someone out renting us… Such is the market in this area."
"Even if we rented for 10 to 12 weeks, a total of 5 to 6 months, the total price wouldn't be that far from what I just spent."
"And it would also be at risk of someone paying more than us in the future and kicking us out even if we wanted to remain here, eventually making us homeless for the duration of their rent."
"So even though I spent considerably more than its market price, it's okay as I'm ridding myself of any future trouble."
Besides, this is pocket change for the massive quantity of money I have… I barely saw a difference…
I don't like losing money, but I think my senses have dulled since I have so much money...
I'm thankful anyway… These processes are usually so boring, but when a lot of money is in-game, people suddenly become very efficient and hardworking…
"Urg… It's your money…"
'She looked around, and Philip connected their mind together...'
{But just how much money do you have?!}
{Are you sure you aren't a Noble?} She asked in suspicion
'Philip shrugged.'
{I ended up this way, what can I say?}
"-_-"
'Viera didn't know what to feel, so she just shook her head.'
"What now?"
"Now? Do I really need to spell it out to you?"
'He walked to the doors, where a butler was waiting for him…'
'That's right, as part of this house, he would get a head butler and 8 Maids.'
'They weren't property, just people working in this house, although Philip now had the authority to kick them out or hire more people if he so wished.'
"Welcome to the Ultrer Manor M'Lord and M'Lady, I'm Sebastiano, the Head Butler of the Manor." The butler said as he did an elegant bow
'He was wearing what Philip thought to be butler clothes, with only a few exceptions to its fashion…'
(Image)
'However, what attracted Philip the most was his name… Why did it feel so familiar?'
(It's a joke...)
"Thank you, I'm called Vinten, Philip Vinten, and this is my Fiance, Viera Ert Almon." Philip said with a confident smile
'Philip introduced himself in his true name, it was different from the one in his identity, but Nobles did that all the time, sometimes, they simply did not wish to be recognized...'
'So this became a weird situation where Philip's real name became his persona...'
"So it's Lord Vinten and Lady Almon, it's a pleasure." Sebastiano
'As Philip introduced Viera as his Fiance, they didn't share the same name...'
"Head Butler Sebastiano, how about you introduce us to the others while showing us more of the inside?"
"It would be my pleasure." He said with a bow
'It may sound strange Philip was asking to be shown inside when he just bought this home, but the thing is, he already had a pretty nice idea of its interior through the 3D images shown to him by this Manor seller… Or whatever he was as he could've very well been an agent…'
'As to keep up with his act, he did not ask to be shown inside, as that was a show of distrust and a break of etiquette… Something he learned after reading a book about it during his 3 weeks of training.'
'It was something Philip thought necessary, even if he finds it a bother, it's better to learn it instead of offending someone without him realizing.'
'What he lacked the most was the common sense of this world after all… And it just so happened that the etiquette of Nobles was very easy to learn as compared to those of the populace.'
'It's not like he was new to this, as even before when he was back at the Palace in the South, he also learned basic etiquette… But only the most basic of it all.'
…
/Another hour later…/
'After a long hour walking around, hearing the story of this Manor from Sebastiano while also fully familiarizing himself with this space, Viera and Philip went to a private Office to talk and sit down.'
'Their luggage had already been sent to their respective rooms, and there was even a slightly awkward moment where Sebastiano asked if the luggage should be moved to the same room…'
'But all went well in the end.'
"Phew… I feel beaten after walking for so long." Viera said as she crashed down on the comfy couch
"We did do a lot… So let's take the rest of the day to rest and tomorrow, we can start exploring the city…" Philip said as he walked to the door
"Where are you going?" Viera asked as she lay on the edge of the couch
"I'm going to the training room." He said as he took out his jacket
"..."
Really? Weren't we supposed to rest?
"Take a break, will you? You already trained for 3 weeks straight…"
'Philip turned around and smiled:'
"This is a break."
Besides, I can't stop the grind...
"If you need me, you know where to find me."
/Clack/
'Philip closed the door, leaving poor Viera alone…'
"He really left… Sigh…"
'She put her face against the couch and thought:'
What is even happening with my life?...
'She rolled and looked at the ceiling…'
I'm always being dragged around huh… It was like that when I was small when I met my master… And now him…
"Haa… What am I even talking about? It was never like this…"
Why am I even thinking about this? I never even bothered to…
'Viera looked at the ceiling, thinking and realizing the reason why she was thinking about so many useless things…'
"... I need some sweets." She said with a straight face
I hope these Maids know how to cook…
Who am I thinking? Of course, they know…
'Viera left her room in her search for something sweet to eat…'
…
'Philip on the other hand, took out a makeshift sword in the training room. It was his practice sword given to him by Fabrin.'
'It was dull and pretty boring, but despite its looks, the sword weighed over 400 Kilograms.'
'It was a pretty hardcore sword to use… But Philip lifted it as if it was a normal sword.'
'The room around him was pretty bland, but it was very decent.'
'It was spacious, around 10x10x5 M, there were many weapon racks on the corners, and special features like this in the training room back at the Academy, although not nearly as detailed.'
'This made Philip understand what he had lost and why the Academy was such a good place to learn...'
"Whatever..."
'Philip shook his head and scattered those useless thoughts into Oblivion...'
'He focused, gazing at a metallic dummy right in front of him…'
"I need to reach this Class limit as soon as possible."
I have no time to waste, I was given 5 months, so I'll use those 5 months to grow as much as possible.
So that I won't regret it when it's too late.
'Philip got into a stance and lifted his blade...'
'And the world suddenly became slower...'
[CLICK!]
'A timer suddenly activated as soon as he moved, but by the time 0.001 had formed, the Dummy already had a white mark in the middle of its chest.'
'Even a bullet flying at 370M/s would only move 0.37 M in this time...'
/BAM!/
'A loud sound echoed in the room following this display, but like most things, it eventually dissipated.'
'He could feel the pain on his hands and arms, it wasn't easy to move such a heavy object so fast.'
"Again." Philip said with determination
/Fwush!/
'The sounds of a heavy object cutting wind continued to echo in the room...'
…
.
.
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Notes
