Chapter 109: Relocation
The first place Lea went to was the Golden Emporium, facing the shopkeeper and the Steam Bat.
Her heart tightened at the ethereal yet ordinary gaze of the God of Commerce and Wealth.
"Welcome, dear customer~! What can I get you today?", Qaeidat asked with that perfection business smile.
Shaking her head, Lea began, "I want a place to stay in Lacrosa, but I don't want to be your citizen and the whole... you know."
Eternal servitude.
"Ah, then you can become an Honorary Lacrosan!!", she proceeded to take off her top hat and pulled out a contract, "Just fill this out to the best of your ability, the terms and conditions are in here. If you have any inquiry, just ask me!!"
That was... very easy. She was taken aback by the casualness and ease with which this is progressing.
Lea nodded and took the contract to the table, sitting down to read it. The information she needed to fill out was very simple, just her real name, alias, age, and expected residency period. She did read the fine print that the minimum eligible period was 2 years, and up to 60 years.
She doesn't exactly have a solid plan here; who knows how long she would need to gather the necessary supplies for her trip?
For now, she only needs a place to stay. It said here in one of the terms that she can extend her residency, but for a price of 4,000 Cee per year.
It is always money with the Nation of the Forsaken...
So, for financial safety, she decided to go for 3 years.
Lea put down her full name, Lea Darkwill, and for her alias, she put down 'Faceless Twilight', given to her by the God of Order. She is still 26 years old. And finished with 3 years of residency.
Moving on to the terms and conditions.
She will not be getting a central city pass like a normal citizen, and for the time she is an Honorary Citizen, she will pay 40% of her income, which is simply daylight robbery!! And there are terms that force Honorary Citizen needing to earn at least 45,000 Cee annually, plus the renting cost varies.
There are a lot of restrictions on movement, but nothing is keeping her from obtaining information and connections.
At least she gets the basic human rights and protection, though this system is predatory enough already.
"Alright...", Lea signed her name, "I'm done."
She gave the contract to Qaeidat, who scanned it in under half a second.
"Very good!! Would you mind giving me your card?"
Lea took out her card, placing it on the table. The Merchant took it and put it on the stone with the alchemical sign carved in.
[221,000 Cee]
She had converted all of her earnings as a Shadow Guard before venturing out, after all. But that amount still surprises her.
"There are three properties that are available with this price range.", she pulled out a map of Lacrosa from her hat.
The first location is in the General Market, relatively isolated. Only four rooms and pretty tight, not a good place to do business or live overall. But the renting price is 300 Cee a month.
The second location is in Ahsod Street, the location was good for doing business when it came to what she wanted to do, the house is pretty large. The rent being 1,000 Cee is decent.
As for the third, it is on the very outskirts of the city, right up to the wall of this underground cavern. And it was a mansion abandoned by the previous owner. Being an outsider, Lea couldn't buy this place, but the rent is only 100 Cee a month.
Despite wanting the second location, for a Dreamer whose main Path is Malediction, the first and third locations suit her best.
"I've decided.", she pointed at the third location, "I want this place."
"Are you sure, dear customer?", Qaeidat asked with the same friendly tone and voice.
"Yes.", it all came down to the rental price.
"Then the deal is sealed!!", she extended her hand.
Lea was a bit reluctant; this is a god we are talking about here. Albeit a very friendly one, a god is still a god.
She took her hand, sealing the deal.
"Oh, and as a resident of this world, don't try to make a deal with the Universe. The Scale of Equivalent Exchange is a known scammer across the stars. If you don't know The True Price of something, it will scam you."
Lea winced a bit from the pain of forbidden knowledge, but it didn't hurt like before. Nor did the information slip from her mind.
A reward for escaping the Realm of Unconscious, it protects her from the power of the mysterious disaster.
Letting go, her tone changed to a more serious one, "Listen here, as you are now a citizen, albeit an honorary one, I will give you the warning I gave to all of my people."
"The world is changing, the Grip that Fragment has on this world is loosening. The Native Gods, and some other guys, are arming themselves for a battle."
"Those under my protection will have safe passage to the next Epoch, that is the Contract I made thousands of years ago."
"As long as you hide in Lacrosa, you will be safe."
The same warning as Charlotte's... Lea thought back to what the Lady of the Library said. Be ready to face the changes, or die as footnotes in history.
"How... can you guarantee your people's survival?", even Charlotte seems slightly cautious about it.
"Because what is presented to you...", she opened her arms, the crimson X marks in her golden eyes grew slight, pulsing, "Is a Great Old One, one of the beings who had existed since the immemorial and had come to understand a singular Law."
"Ugh!!", a violent headache attacked her, making Lea collapse.
"Ah, sorry!!", Qaeidat took something that looked like a gold coin from her hat, "I offer to the Universe—"
Something more divine than divinity itself reverberated through the store, and a feeling of unease swept from Lea. She stares upward, seeing the very same Golden Scale Charlotte summoned. She tossed the coin over to one side of the scale.
"Grant this child of The Admirer protection from the Unknown, and let Curiosity prosper for her."
That title again... Admirer.
Suddenly, all the pain vanished like it was never there. And the other side of the Golden Scale dropped to complete balance.
"W-What did you just do?", Lea ended up asking due to the overwhelming curiosity.
Then she immediately covers her mouth with her hands.
"Apology, dear customer.", Qaeidat went back to the friendly business tone, "As compensation for putting you in distress, I've given you protection against the Unknown, it shouldn't hurt you anymore!!"
"T-Thanks...?", she did not know how to answer it appropriately.
"Now, this protection should last for about... a thousand years, that is as long as you don't actively look into the mysteries of the world.", Qaeidat warned, then smiled again. "Now carry on, just head to the big building with the sign 'Lacrosa Home Bureau', give them these papers, and be on your way!!"
Lea nodded, taking her contract and the mansion detail with her, and hurriedly walked out.
After she had left, Qaeidat muttered, "Ah... this world is indeed fragile... not like Earth, where its humans just stare at the horrors of the universe and laugh."
Her eyes turned to the side, where the ebony angel walked out of a golden door.
"Earth is quite unique, being the birthplace and home of Her Majesty.", the angel said frankly, "Compared to the cold yet emotional calculations of the Second, the whimsical nature of the Third, the sacred of the Seventh, or the wonderlust spirit of the Ninth. The First's Earth is bound by the Cycle of Violence."
"For a world bound to trials and errors, they got the most challenging fight."
=0=0=
It took Lea a whole day to get everything done, mostly waiting for the paperwork to process, even with explicit agreement from the very god they serve.
She also bought some bathing supplies because she doubts an abandoned mansion has a clean water supply.
And books, just two she bought with 3,550 Cee total. One was 'Basic guide to rituals' and the other was 'How to Contract Familiars'.
Auger warned her from what felt like a long time ago, summoning without a Material Path is like exposing yourself to the element naked.
With Cloak helping that part, she could delve back to the maxim of Malediction.
"Do harm, but stay out of reach."
She has the perfect summon in mind.
Her Cursed Constructs spread through the ground as she walked, secluded to all but the bravest. And Lea instinctively paused, feeling through her tendrils to make sure it was safe and not a location of another Star God hiding.
...
"Safe...", she whispered before entering fully.
Still maintaining her Cursed Constructs, she explores the house.
And once more, Lea starts her new life.