Petty thieves...?

Rean took a careful look out the window. The man on the ground was dressed simply, but at least his clothes were neat. The passerby beside him, shocked by what had just happened, had patches all over his clothes instead. The moment he saw the money pouch fall, he hurriedly picked it up, called over a patrolling guard, and had the fallen man dragged away.

And somehow, even before he knew why the guy had suddenly collapsed, he already understood the man was a pickpocket.

Still, compared to the thief and the victim, what interested Rean more was the woman in white by the window. Even he hadn't clearly seen the motion of her throwing that wine cup just now. That alone showed how fast her hand was. And with that long azure blade she carried, his curiosity had already been hooked.

Maybe I should go talk to her...

"—"

The thought had only just formed when the woman in white suddenly took out some money, placed it on the table, and left without the slightest hesitation. Her cloud-white long hair really did drift away like a cloud, leisurely floating off.

The nearest waitress hurried over to collect the payment. Judging from her expression, the amount definitely didn't match the meal price exactly, but it certainly wasn't less.

Well, whatever. If fate had it, they'd meet again sooner or later. There was no need to cling to the moment.

Come to think of it, times were unstable now. Capable people all had their own thoughts, so naturally they moved around everywhere. Maybe there were plenty of people in this city of Yethania just like that woman in white.

Rean gave up on the idea of striking up a conversation with her and drew his gaze back in front of him. Seeing Olga eating with a deeply satisfied look, devouring everything in sight, he couldn't help but chuckle softly before silently sipping his fruit juice.

Maybe I should treat her a little better for a while...

He watched helplessly as Olga wiped out the grilled meat, fried shrimp, and even the desserts. Then Rean tidied himself up and got ready to pay.

Of course, he was the only one who could pay. Having traveled across this continent for years, Rean naturally carried plenty of every nation's currency. And Olga, as an angel visiting the human world for the first time, didn't even have a chance to offer.

But for Rean, the fact that this restaurant was still here after so many years, and that he could still taste the flavors from the past, was already enough to satisfy him. A little money meant nothing.

"The streets feel really peaceful. There's no sign of destruction at all. It's way different from what we saw on the road."

After paying, Rean and Olga left the restaurant and walked together through Yethania's streets. As they walked, the curiosity in Olga's eyes gradually softened into a gentle gaze.

"Yeah. It's probably because the soldiers kept Mammon's minions outside the city."

Rean spoke calmly and looked toward the eastern side of the city.

They had entered through the north gate. But from the carriage earlier, they had seen a stretch of dark shadows some distance beyond the east gate. That was probably where Mammon's army was camped.

"But none of that matters now."

"You're in a really good mood."

Seeing Olga still looking relaxed even though the enemy army was right outside the city, Rean naturally knew what she was thinking. Still, the fact that she was already taking it for granted that he'd cleanly solve everything somehow annoyed him a little.

"Of course I am. The people here will be able to live in peace soon, Christine's threat can be removed too, and I'll do my part as—"

"Stop. Don't say any more."

Rean cut Olga off, then checked to make sure there weren't any black luxury carriages nearby before finally continuing on.

He had a bad feeling that if Olga finished saying all that, someone would immediately launch an attack at them...

"Emmm... then what are we doing next?"

A trace of dissatisfaction showed on Olga's face at being interrupted, but she soon turned her attention back to observing the human city, which was still far too fresh and novel to her.

"Make money, then buy a house. You're helping too."

"B-b-b-b-buy a house!?"

In complete contrast to Rean's calmness, Olga instantly jumped far back the moment she heard him say they were going to make money and buy a house. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and the finger pointing at him trembled violently. She was obviously badly shaken.

"Are you planning to settle down here? And you want me with you too... does that mean we'll be living together from now on?"

Olga had read in books that when a human man and woman became husband and wife, they needed to buy or build a new home. They also needed rings made from expensive sparkling things called diamonds. In other words, once a man and woman started doing things like that, it was basically no different from a proposal.

"I don't know how long we'll stay here. But if we're staying, we need a place to settle down. Living in an inn isn't reassuring, so we might as well buy a house ourselves." Rean seriously explained his reasoning, then laid out the plan in detail. "First, since we need to build up our reputation quickly, we should buy a bigger, more luxurious residence. Second, I can cover the down payment, but we'll split the rest together. I'm not going to be the sucker here."

Rean definitely wasn't short on money, but that didn't mean he should shoulder every expense alone. He was here to defeat the Demon King, not to support a freeloader.

"So you're actually a total cheapskate."

Only then did Olga understand that when Rean said "together," he didn't simply mean living together. He meant earning money together and buying the house together too...

"That's called fairness. Besides, I'm worried you'll turn into a complete bum if all you do is eat and never earn anything." Rean calmly pushed back against Olga's negative assessment of him. "Don't worry. Your name will be on the deed too. It'll count as shared property between the two of us."

Rean said it evenly and kept leading Olga toward the Adventurers' Guild.

Just like the oldest and most classic RPG formula was a hero's party setting out to challenge the Demon King, a world like this naturally had free adventurers, and therefore adventurers' guilds that issued all kinds of requests. They covered everything from commissions, information, and item sales to food, real estate, and more. He'd even heard they were recently doing some kind of "shared alchemy workshop" for alchemists who urgently needed to craft items for a short time.

"Shared"... huh.

Olga carefully turned over the meaning of the "shared property" Rean had mentioned. Sure, she'd misunderstood something just now. But if it was shared, then that meant the house would belong to both of them at the same time. The feeling of owning the same thing together...

That didn't sound so bad.

If that happened, she'd have more chances to spend time with Rean in everyday life. Then she'd use her unique charm (?) to conquer him, and finally turn the whole house into their love nest!

How shameless! How decadent!

More importantly, if she had ownership too, then she wouldn't have to worry about Rean throwing her out with some excuse like, "I bought the house."

Alright. Time to make money!

Olga clenched her fists and silently cheered herself on, then quickly followed after Rean, who had slowed down to wait for her.

Based on his old memories, Rean found Yethania's Adventurers' Guild. Just as he remembered, the spacious hall held over a dozen long tables. Men and women in different outfits and carrying different weapons sat around in groups of two or three. Some had formed parties and were discussing plans over the commissions they'd accepted, but even more of them were busy drinking and making noise.

The air was thick with the strong scent of all kinds of alcohol mixed with the hot smoke of grilled meat. The place was filled with the scrape and clatter of tableware, the footsteps of receptionists and diners moving back and forth, and the mingled laughter and chatter of men and women. The noise gave Olga a headache.

But to Rean, there was nothing here worth being shaken or surprised by. The people gathered here felt less like adventurers and more like mercenaries. And one major reason the Adventurers' Guild ran food service was to earn back the money they'd just paid out to them. Truly the craftiness of merchants.

"Wait here for me... Hello, I'd like to take a look at the properties you currently have available. Could you provide me with the most straightforward materials?"

After speaking to Olga, Rean walked straight to the service counter and gave the blonde receptionist inside a bright smile. The young receptionist, suddenly receiving a smile from the refined-looking Rean, who was completely different from the burly men around him, froze for a moment. Even her hands got flustered as she searched for the documents.

"Y-yes! I'd be happy to help you!"

"Please don't be nervous. I'm not in a hurry."

As he said that, Rean felt a cold gaze stabbing into his back. When he turned around, sure enough, Olga was standing behind him with her arms crossed, staring over with a chilly expression.

If possible, he really wished she wouldn't wear a face like she'd caught him cheating.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. These are all the vacant properties we currently have. Please choose whichever layout you like."

The receptionist handed over the organized property documents. Rean flipped through them one by one, but his standard wasn't the price. It was how luxurious the house was. Whether it looked grand enough was the only thing that determined whether it suited his status.

In the end, Rean set his sights on a mansion in the northeastern part of the city. Besides the three-story western-style residence, it also came with a garden and a fountain. The price was six million sam, the currency of the Kingdom of Tiyehua.

The listing said it belonged to a local wealthy merchant who had panicked and sold off his assets before fleeing to the Royal Capital after Mammon attacked. His mansion ranked among the finest in all of Yethania.

Still, who could blame him? His house was close to the east gate. If the city got breached there... anyone would be scared.

"I'll take this one."

Rean pulled out the property file and handed it to the receptionist.

"Very well. Sir, would you like to rent it, or—"

"Buy it. Here's the down payment. I'll come back and pay the rest in a bit." Rean extended a hand to the side, his fingertips slipping into empty space. He grabbed a heavy bag and set it in front of the receptionist, opening it up. Inside were bundle after bundle of banknotes. At a rough glance, there were at least over eighty stacks. The receptionist forcibly swallowed back the words, "This mansion is a little expensive."

Tiyehua's paper currency really is the best, Rean sighed inwardly.

The last time he'd come here, settlements had still mainly been done with precious metals. But because that was troublesome, he'd stored some paper money instead, and now it was finally useful. If he'd dumped out a pile of gold here, the table probably would've collapsed.

"My name is Rien Schumel. Please register it."

To hide his identity, Rean casually made up a fake surname for himself.

"Of course... have a safe journey, Mr. Schumel."

Whistling, Rean turned and walked toward the wall covered in commissions. He planned to directly take the few highest-paying requests, then use the rewards to cover the rest of the payment.

"Top one is exterminating the Stardust Lizard in the crystal mine... two million, huh. Not bad."

Without a second thought, Rean reached for the highest-paying commission. He knew that dealing with a mere Stardust Lizard would be effortless.

But just as he stretched out his hand to take the request slip, his little finger brushed against someone else's hand beside him. The cool, delicate touch made him pause, and he turned his head.

At the same time, the other person reaching for the same request also looked toward Rean.

She was a tall woman. Her white gauze clothing had an Eastern style to it, like white clouds in the sky. Her clear eyes, so pure they almost seemed empty, rested on Rean. Their gazes met.