New Assets

"Good afternoon, Miss!" The security guard's smile radiated warmth as he greeted Sage. "The management office for Crown Homes is nestled in the third house on the first block."

"Thank you, Guard." Sage acknowledged with a slight bow and proceeded to enter the property. However, the security guard halted her.

"Miss, I need to verify your identity. Could you please write your name and present a valid ID? I apologize for the inconvenience, it's merely a security protocol." The guard retrieved a logbook and scrutinized her identification card. Once satisfied, he granted Sage entry.

As she distanced herself from the guardhouse, Sage donned the Faceshift Mask. She followed the guard's directions, soon spotting a house adorned with chocolate brown paint and a contrasting pink roof. Approaching it, she pressed the doorbell.

Shortly after, the door creaked open, revealing an elderly man who gestured for Sage to enter. "Please make yourself comfortable, Miss. Manager Kho will join you shortly."

Sage nodded in response, settling herself on the sofa while interacting with the system. "How do I use the Memory Ball, System?"

[Just break it, host.]

Following the system's instruction, Sage shattered the item, releasing a shower of glittering particles. Suddenly, she felt as if time had frozen, her mind flooded with a rapid succession of past memories.

"Good afternoon, Miss. How may I assist you?" Manager Kho, who had just emerged from her office, found Sage lost in a trance. Despite calling her again, Sage remained unresponsive.

Sage's body lurched forward, snapping back to reality as her head hit something. She barely noticed Manager Kho's concerned attempts to help her up, her mind reeling from the revelation.

The system was right! She harbored feelings for the young man named Khal'el, a truth she struggled to accept. Her mind remained clear, but her heart pounded wildly, as if fueled by adrenaline. It felt as though it was trying to escape her chest, the pain almost unbearable. The urge to confess her feelings to Khal'el was overwhelming.

In the whirlwind of memories, she saw her younger self filled with regret for not holding onto Khal'el. She had believed their friendship was stable until she developed feelings for him. Jealousy crept in, leading her to avoid him and even lie about not wanting to be seen as a gold digger. Her anxiety spiked when Khal'el's mother began to act wary around her.

During the third year of their estrangement, she fell into a state of delusion, convincing herself that Khal'el was a figment of her dreams, not reality. The only reminder of his existence was a scar from a childhood fight, a nail wound on her right wrist, which was later obscured by a burn. Even her dreams of him faded, as if he had never been a part of her life.

Then, her friend Xyle also forgot about her. The psychological trauma of being abandoned by her closest friends left a deep scar on her heart.

Now aware of her feelings for Khal'el, Sage was uncertain how to approach him. Her mind might reject the idea, but the emotions from her two lifetimes could overpower her rationality. Moreover, he was significantly younger than her. "I can only treat him as a younger brother," she thought.

"Miss?" Manager Kho's voice pulled Sage from her thoughts.

Sage quickly turned to Manager Kho, blinking a few times as she tried to recall her purpose. "Huh?"

"May I know the reason for your visit to Crown Homes?"

"Ah, yes! I'm interested in purchasing a property." Sage straightened her posture, offering a somewhat foolish smile.

"Properties in Crown Homes range from $350,000 to $3,600,000. We offer installment plans if you're unable to make a full payment. However, a down payment of 30% is required. The interest rate for installments is 2% per month." Manager Kho unfolded a brochure and presented it to Sage.

"We have both fully furnished and semi-furnished houses available. Currently, we have two vacant semi-furnished and six fully-furnished townhouses, eight semi-furnished single bed apartments, two semi-furnished medium-end villas, and one each of fully furnished and semi-furnished high-end villas."

Sage carefully flipped through the brochure, taking note of the freebies, number of bedrooms, and blueprints of the houses.

In general, the apartments had a floor size of 20-25 sqm, townhouses were two-storey with a floor size of 50 sqm, medium-end villas were two-storey with a floor size of 200 sqm, and high-end villas had three floors with a floor size of 500 sqm.

The medium-end villa featured a large outdoor jacuzzi, while the high-end villa boasted a standard pool in the backyard, complete with a bar.

"How much is the semi-furnished medium-end villa?" Sage closed the brochure and placed it on the tea table.

"It's priced at $953,534.25, which includes a 5% transfer of deed and a six-month security deposit of $15,750."

Sage felt a twinge of pain in her heart. "So expensive!" But she quickly retrieved some cash from her inventory, transferring it to her bag, and then onto the table.

"Do you offer a discount for full payment?" Sage casually inquired.

Manager Kho's face lit up with joy. "Yes! We offer a 10% discount, excluding tax and security deposit, for full payment today. Your new total would be *$864,221.4."

(A/N: *803,815 + 15,750 +44,656.4)

"I'll pay in full." Sage pulled out more cash, soon forming a mountain of bills on the table.

Each stack contained 20 $500 bills, so Sage counted and set aside 86 stacks, adding $5,000 from her wallet. She returned the remaining three stacks of cash to her bag. "Please accept the change as a tip for your service, Big Sister."

[+500 Destiny Credits]

Manager Kho was delighted to hear Sage address her as Big Sister. "Thank you, dear. Will you be moving in today?"

"Not just yet, perhaps in a few weeks," Sage replied, her eyes following Manager Kho as she retreated to her office to retrieve some documents.

"Do you have a government-issued ID?" Manager Kho asked upon her return. Sage responded by presenting a fake ID she'd purchased from the system store, now formatted to resemble a tax ID.

Impressed by Sage's preparedness, Manager Kho nodded approvingly. She needed Sage's tax identification number to finalize the contract. She moved back and forth between her office and Sage, ensuring all the necessary paperwork was in order.

Once she'd obtained a copy of Sage's ID, Manager Kho presented a contract for Sage to sign. Sage affixed her signature and kept one copy of the contract for herself, discreetly stashing it in her small bag for later transfer to her system inventory.

Manager Kho then offered Sage a beautifully designed key. "I'll accompany you to your new property."

"Thank you, Big Sister," Sage responded gratefully.

Manager Kho guided Sage to her car. "We'll need to drive; your property is a 15-minute walk from here."

Sage nodded, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She found herself lamenting internally, "I should invest in an electric scooter. I won't need a license to operate it. That's about all I can afford right now."

A short drive later, they arrived at the villa. The property boasted a steel, sliding blue gate. From the outside, the expansive front yard, half the size of the house's floor area, featured a small parking lot that could accommodate two cars or a large van, a sizable jacuzzi—large enough to be considered a spool, and a vibrant garden that enveloped the house and other notable areas. Coconut trees were strategically planted around the jacuzzi, lending a tropical summer ambiance.

Manager Kho invited Sage out of the car. "The gate operates on electricity. Once you connect the house system to your phone, you can manually control the gate. The CCTVs are already installed, but they're not yet functional. We can connect them to your phone later as well."

"Please assist me, Big Sister," Sage requested, her voice laced with a plea.

Sage unlocked the villa with her key, revealing a spacious living room that flowed seamlessly into the dining area. Two guest rooms were tucked away on the ground floor, while the upper level housed the master bedroom, an inviting outdoor lounge, and a secluded study room, its entrance guarded by biometric security measures.

She stowed away her purchases from Khal'el in the secret study, planning to arrange them once she settled in. Opening the pantries, she found them bare. With a slight purse of her lips, she invited Manager Kho to sit down. She reached into her bag, pulling out an aPhone from her inventory. "Big sister, could you show me how to connect the CCTVs and the gate to my phone?"

Manager Kho moved closer to Sage. "May I see your phone?"

Sage handed over her phone, her eyes following Manager Kho's movements even as her mind wandered.

"All done! You can use this app to control the gate system and the house security."

Sage played around with the apps a few times before losing interest. "Thank you so much!"

They left the villa together, Manager Kho dropping Sage off at the guard house before bidding her farewell. "I look forward to seeing you again here, Miss Sage." Her smile was genuine as she turned her steering wheel to head back to her office.

Sage thanked the guard and exited Crown Homes. Remembering a nearby Nizo e-bike franchise, she decided to walk home. Along the way, she bought 50 pieces of boneless chicken from a street stall, sharing them with any cats or dogs she encountered and eating some herself to stave off hunger and fatigue.

[+100 Destiny Credits] [+100 Destiny Credits] … [+100 Destiny Credits] Sage had accumulated a total of 3,900 credits. [System Updating…]

One of the downsides of feeding animals was the attention it drew. Like now, for instance. Sage found herself sprinting away from a pack of dogs who were eager to follow her home. She used every trick she knew to shake them off, from climbing trees to using passing cars as cover. Fortunately, she was quick and clever enough to lose them. It wasn't that she disliked them, but she knew she couldn't care for them.

While catching her breath, Sage spotted a small shop sporting a 'NIZO' logo. She quickly made her way towards it, her eyes scanning the different types of e-bikes on display: trikes, regular e-bikes, off-road, folding, mountain, and classic motorcycles. But one model stood out to her, a trike named 'Champ'.

Champ was a dazzling yellow trike, capable of seating six to eight people, and featured a roof that provided protection from the sun and rain. "I want to buy this one, uncle!" Sage pointed excitedly at the lone Champ on display.

"It's $19,150, batteries and charger included," the salesman replied nonchalantly, his back resting against a monoblock chair, his protruding stomach quite noticeable.

Sage handed over two stacks of cash to the salesman and waited for his reaction.

The salesman rose from his chair and rummaged through a cabinet on the counter. He counted the change, then handed Sage a stapled paper to sign. He returned to the counter to write a receipt for Sage, took back the signed paper, and gave her the original copy. He removed the price tag from the Champ and wheeled it out of his shop. "You can drive it home, ma'am."

Sage was taken aback. "But I don't know how to drive it yet, uncle."

"There's a manual. Read it. You look old enough to understand instructions," he retorted, returning to his seat.

Sage suddenly remembered that she was still wearing the mask. With a sheepish laugh, she removed it and settled into the driver's seat of the Champ. She studied the manual with focused attention, mastering the vehicle's operations within five minutes. "This is simpler than I anticipated," she murmured to herself.

With a gentle twist of the key, the engine hummed to life. She navigated the Champ back to her home, choosing to park a bit further away to avoid drawing unnecessary attention or sparking rumors in her neighborhood.

[Update complete!]

[Sage Everest <WISE NOVICE>

System Lv. 2

VIT: 3 /5 WIS: 9/5 LUCK: 1.5 

Personal Assets:

[1] $96,435.25

[2] Akari Self-Defense Set

[3] Medium-End Villa (Crown Homes)

[4] Champ (E-Trike NIZO) 

Inventory: Faceshift Mask, Adult Valid ID, aPhone, Cash, Others(n)

Shop/Search (5)

Destiny Credits: 8,551]