Chapter 72: Buying a House

The Gladstone Type III automobile carried David and Nellie toward the eastern part of the city, while Nellie enthusiastically began to outline the advantages of the residence. David listened to her description: the house was situated between the middle-class and lower-class districts of the east side, and the price was quite reasonable. Most crucially, it was spacious—the yard alone was a full thousand square meters, and it included an additional five hundred square meters of underground space.

Given these conditions, it was indeed exactly what he needed. Thus, he accompanied Nellie to view the property. Having bought a house in his previous life, David found himself looking forward to this new acquisition.

As they neared their destination on the map, David noticed the surroundings growing emptier. It was daytime, yet there were scarcely any people on the streets.

“Here we are, Mr. David!” Nellie greeted him with a bright smile as she stepped out and led him to a heavy iron gate.

David took in the scene. Houses with yards were a rarity in the city center, where every inch of land was precious, and a private yard was the height of extravagance. The perimeter wall was built from a locally quarried stone, sturdy enough. The gate was ordinary steel, not the reinforced composite kind, and in terms of security, it didn't compare to the stone wall.

But none of that mattered much. In this world, construction moved at an astonishing speed. If one was willing to spend the credits, the entire place could be renovated, inside and out, in a single day.

Nellie pressed her identity bracelet lightly, and the gate swung open automatically. As this was a managed sales property, she had the necessary access rights for tours.

Inside the gate lay a vast courtyard, with some rusted fitness equipment left behind by the previous owner. The ground was paved with stone, with not a single ornamental plant in sight, making the yard feel stark and empty.

“Mr. David, you’re free to renovate as you wish. With such a large space, you could build a garden, place chairs for relaxation here, set up a swing over there, dig out a pond, or even arrange a botanical garden!” Nellie walked alongside him, describing possibilities with enthusiasm.

Even with his limited understanding of this world, David—having lived two lives—could sense Nellie’s artful exaggeration. Was building a pond really so simple? The entire city of Pelan drew its water from underground sources. Building a pond and ensuring a steady water supply would cost enough credits to buy another house. Not to mention the expense of a botanical garden or elaborate landscaping—these required vast sums, far beyond what homes in this neighborhood would typically offer.

The underground space was completely empty, containing only some trash and nothing of value. The two-story house itself was decorated plainly, with nothing remarkable, yet in Nellie’s account, every corner was filled with surprise. According to her, with just a few additions here and there, the house would be perfect.

“Miss Nellie, I’ll take the house. What’s the lowest price in credits?” David interrupted her as he returned to the yard, waving a hand to stop her sales pitch.

“You mean—you want it?” Nellie was taken aback, unable to believe what she’d heard.

“Is there a problem?” David looked at her, puzzled.

“No, not at all. The lowest is ninety thousand credits. How does that sound?” Nellie hurriedly shook her head.

“Let’s do the paperwork now. I’ll pay immediately,” David nodded in agreement.

He hardly gave the cost a second thought; he didn’t even need to touch his secret account—his own savings were enough.

The transfer process was even simpler than David had imagined. Nellie drafted an application, David approved it, and it was submitted to the Skynet system.

It was working hours, so the approval wouldn’t take long. David and Nellie waited on the spot.

"David, I’m at your doorstep. Where are you?" David’s identity bracelet received a contact request, and upon answering, he heard Jim’s voice.

“I just bought a house in the east side, just finished the handover,” David replied with a smile, not bothering to hide anything.

“Where? You bought a house without telling me? I’m coming over right now!” Jim grumbled.

David had no choice but to send Jim the location. Jim immediately ended the call.

“Mr. David, you have a friend coming?” Nellie, having overheard the conversation, asked with a pleasant smile.

As a real estate agent, Nellie naturally wanted to form a good relationship with such a quality client as David. Anyone who could be friends with David was likely a high-quality client as well, so she was quite pleased at the prospect.

Barely twenty minutes had passed before David, still exploring the yard, heard the roar of an engine outside the gate—the distinctive sound of Jim’s military hovercar.

“David, why would you choose a place like this? Did someone trick you?” Jim stepped inside and, seeing the yard, stated his opinion bluntly.

Nellie, who had just been about to greet Jim, nearly choked with anger at his words.

“I just wanted a house with a yard. I have some credits left and plan to tear everything down and remodel,” David explained, knowing Jim’s personality.

“I really don’t get why you’d buy a house here. If you wanted a big yard, I could have found you a place,” Jim shook his head, not understanding David’s reasoning.

But David had no intention of letting Jim help with house-hunting. He needed a place to hide his aircraft, not for living. As long as the security system was solid, nothing else mattered.

“Mr. David, the application’s been approved. Let’s complete the transaction,” Nellie interjected, having seen the approval come through on Skynet, eager to prevent Jim from saying anything further.

David smiled at Jim and checked the information on Skynet.

Skynet had processed the approval in just over half an hour—impressively efficient, David thought. With a transfer of ninety thousand credits to Nellie, the ownership of the house was instantly added to his identity bracelet.

The transaction ended quickly, and Nellie visibly let out a sigh of relief, which David found somewhat odd.

“No notice given, and someone dares to just buy the place!” Five tall men entered through the still-open gate, the leader wearing a mocking smile.

Nellie, upon seeing them, instinctively shrank back.

“David, this is hilarious! Didn’t you check the background of this property before buying?” Jim burst out laughing at the scene.

As the most elite second-generation military scion in Pelan City, Jim hardly cared about these men, and David himself was not someone to be taken lightly. Jim found it funny that David had made such a major purchase without so much as asking about the situation.

“How would I know? I just liked the space,” David replied, glancing at Nellie, who couldn’t meet his gaze, and shrugging helplessly at Jim.

“David, let me handle this. I owe you one,” Jim said, waving his hand.

“And who are you supposed to be? Pretty arrogant—do you even know—” the leading man began, only to find a rapid-fire handgun pointed at his nose.

“By the principle that private property is inviolable, you have entered a private estate illegally. Stand right where you are. Don’t give me any reason to misunderstand—I have forty rounds in this gun, and I’ll fire every last one if I feel the slightest threat,” Jim said cheerfully as he activated his identity bracelet and entered some information.

The man felt a chill down his spine. Jim’s casual manner made it clear he didn’t take them seriously at all—and that was what made him so terrifying.

The five men stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move a finger.

“David, do you want an engineering team to help with renovations? I have some surplus special steel—could reinforce the place for you,” Jim asked, pausing his input.

“I have some specific requests, and I’ll need a security system. Can your team handle that?” David replied, not hesitating to accept the offer.

“The city defense engineering team is always idle. If I send them here, it’s like training for them. Just provide the materials and tell them your requirements,” Jim laughed.

“Fifteen minutes—they’ll be here,” he added, tapping the last command into his bracelet and turning to David with a smile.