Chapter 40: House hunting

The next day, they had planned to visit Blue Mountain and search for the best property available.

The assistant had assured Kai that once they made their choice, all the necessary formalities could be completed within a day, and they could move into their new residence within two. So, the only major part of the entire process was choosing a house they actually liked.

Naturally, Kai planned to bring Jean and Elara along. This time, they actually had the luxury of choosing where they wanted to live, unlike before, when the system had simply assigned him a random house.

Not that the system chosen home was bad by any means. It was quite beautiful too, but being able to choose definitely made things better.

However, early that morning, just as Kai was getting ready to leave, Jean suddenly spoke from behind him.

"Can you go by yourself? I don’t feel too great."

Kai paused and turned toward her in surprise. "What happened so suddenly?"

Jean simply shook her head. "Nothing much. I just don’t feel like going out today."

Kai’s brows rose slightly as he studied her. "Should we postpone the plan, then?"

"No, it’s fine. Just take some pictures of the houses for me?" Jean assured him.

Kai let out a quiet sigh before nodding. "Understood. But let me know immediately if you start feeling any worse."

Jean nodded, then glanced toward Elara. "Would you take Elli with you?"

Kai hesitated. "I... would have if you were coming. You see, after visiting Blue Mountain, I have a meeting with someone, and I can’t bring Elli there. I originally thought I’d send the two of you home before heading to the meeting."

Jean’s expression darkened slightly. "Is it about yesterday?"

Kai didn’t bother hiding it from her. "Yes. But don’t worry. This person is only trying to help me."

That did little to completely ease Jean’s concern. "Keep your phone close and don’t get yourself caught in some sort of scam."

Kai chuckled at the warning. "Yeah, I’ll be careful. And you shouldn’t move around too much either. I’m scheduling a meal delivery for your lunch. The delivery guy will leave the package outside, so you only need to collect it."

Jean stared at him for a moment, seemingly wanting to argue that she was perfectly capable of preparing her own lunch, but judging from the look on his face, she could already tell there was little point.

Kai had apparently decided that if she wasn’t feeling well, then she wasn’t doing anything today.

Jean faintly smiled. "Stop worrying about me so much. I don’t want to get used to this kind of comfort."

Kai shook his head and looked at her. "Then keep trying to resist and see how long that lasts."

Jean fell silent, a helpless smile spreading across her lips. She really shouldn’t get too comfortable with this lifestyle...

Kai then hugged his daughter one last time before leaving, whispering something into her ear that Jean couldn’t hear.

The baby girl listened to him with such intense concentration that one might have thought she understood every word.

"Understood? Come on, give Daddy a kiss."

He offered his cheek, and much to Jean’s surprise, Elara leaned forward and planted a tiny kiss on it.

"Wait. What?" Jean stared at them in disbelief. "She never did that for me, even though I’ve asked her so many times."

She looked genuinely dumbfounded, and perhaps a little betrayed.

Kai grinned from ear to ear, his chest puffing out with pride as he muttered, "Well, this is a special privilege reserved only for her dad. Don’t be jealous, though."

Jean narrowed her eyes before turning toward Elara. "You traitor."

The little girl simply snuggled closer against her father’s chest before extending one tiny hand toward Jean.

Jean sighed and slowly rose to her feet.

When she reached them, she gently held Elara’s small hand, earning a contented giggle from the little girl.

Standing so close to Kai, Jean had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes.

"Kai... please be careful."

Kai looked down at her, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her beautiful eyes. After a brief pause, he slowly nodded.

"Don’t worry. I’ve got this."

....

After leaving the house, albeit reluctantly, Kai boarded a taxi and called Benjamin.

{I have reached the site, sir, and arranged our visitor’s pass.}

Kai asked, "Were you charged for it? I can cover it for you too."

{Don’t worry, sir. The firm that hired me covered all the charges to assist you.}

"..."

Kai fell silent.

The System?

Did it actually hire Benjamin?

A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Was the System a real person? Someone sitting somewhere behind a screen, watching everything through cameras and enjoying his life vicariously through him?

The more he thought about it, the stranger the possibility seemed.

But no... A living being could never grant him so many things. Forget monetary rewards or tangible assets. The skills and the ruins were an entirely different matter. Those were things no ordinary human could possibly bestow upon another person.

[Host needs to think less.]

The System’s sudden voice pulled his attention back to Benjamin.

"Right. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Though I have to ask something. Isn’t the Frost Reaper Guild currently surrounded by rumors that they’ve suffered a serious blow after their prized S-rank hunter died recently? I even heard the guild might dissolve in the near future."

Surely, before choosing the locality, Kai had researched what made the area significant.

Every major guild had a residential community built nearby, usually developed through partnerships with construction companies that paid the guild a substantial percentage from every property deal.

In return, living near a major guild provided the community with a certain degree of natural protection.

The property Kai had chosen, however, was situated near the Frost Reaper Guild, which had recently lost several hunters during the infamous Raid of the Void.

Even now, Kai still found it difficult to believe that a Void had actually appeared somewhere. Everything he had ever heard about the Void came from ancient legends.

{Worry not, sir. The Frost Reapers remain strong, and they still possess enough personnel to prevent any significant shift in their ranks. According to the analysis reports, the Frost Reapers are expected to maintain their current position for at least the next ten years.}

Kai nodded in appreciation.

That was all the assurance he needed.

Just then, a notification appeared before him.

{Cart items were delivered.}

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Hope she doesn’t get mad," he muttered under his breath.