Ten Thousand Gold

Upon entering, Yun Xi's first impression was the intense Spiritual Energy fluctuations and the cleanliness untouched by even the slightest trace of eerie energy.

Only afterward did she notice the clean, bright surroundings.

Beautiful, smooth white floor tiles covered the ground, reflecting dazzling points of light beneath the illumination of the Spiritual Energy Lamps.

When Yun Xi arrived, a staff member immediately came forward.

"Dear guest, welcome."

"Hello. I'd like to take a look at the houses. Do you have any recommendations?" Yun Xi did not say whether she wanted to rent or buy, since she was not sure what properties were available.

In theory, she still did not know how long she would be staying in Qinglan Town, so renting a house would be the best choice.

But if there was a quality property at a suitable price, buying one would not be a problem either. After all, she was no longer the same person she had been in her previous life. She was not short of money.

More importantly, renting and buying had one major difference: after buying a house, she would automatically be registered as a resident of Qinglan Town.

That way, her Identity Badge would no longer identify her as an adventurer. Instead, she would become an existence whom the natives viewed as one of their own.

If she was merely a temporary resident of Qinglan Town, her Identity Badge would still mark her as a newly arrived foreign adventurer.

Adventurers were not discriminated against, but in the eyes of the natives, they carried a certain stereotype: they had "no backing."

As Yun Xi had considered earlier, if she continued to carry the identity of an adventurer and her attributes were discovered by an advanced appraiser, it would undoubtedly bring her tremendous trouble.

If she registered as a resident of a city, the trouble caused by this issue would at least be reduced by half.

The only drawback was that once she registered as a resident of a town, there would certainly be restrictions if she wanted to buy a house or register her household in another city later.

The restrictions varied according to each town's policies.

"Esteemed guest, may I ask whether you are registered as a resident of Qinglan Town?"

Sure enough, the staff member asked.

"If you're a local resident, there are currently discounts on houses in Qinglan Town."

"If you aren't, that's fine too. I'll try to get you the greatest discount possible. And if you purchase the house in full, we'll handle the residency registration procedures for you free of charge."

"Hmm, I just arrived in Qinglan Town, so I'm not very familiar with the policies here. I'd like to ask: if I register as a resident of Qinglan Town now, what restrictions will there be if I later want to buy a house in another city?" Yun Xi asked her.

"You don't need to worry about that. Qinglan Town has always revered freedom. Have you seen the statue of the goddess at the town entrance? That is the statue of the Goddess of Freedom. We in Qinglan Town worship her."

"Therefore, there are practically no restrictions regarding registering or canceling residency."

"If you want to leave Qinglan Town later, you only need to sell the property back to us. However, the repurchase price will be ninety percent of the property's market value at that time..."

"If you're worried about losing money, you can rest assured. Property prices in Qinglan Town are rising rapidly. This year's prices are about ten percent higher than last year's, so we guarantee that you won't suffer a loss."

"Other than that, are there really no restrictions?"

"None. The reason we impose the restriction of 'selling the house' is simply that we don't want the houses in Qinglan Town to remain empty. You know how some geniuses and powerful people often never return after going to the great cities. That creates certain difficulties for us."

"So anyone who wants to register as a resident of another city must first sell their house back to us."

On this point, Yun Xi had no reason to worry that she was lying.

Whether buying a house or registering as a resident, they would have to sign a contract, and the terms would be written clearly on it.

If the staff member lied, it would be obvious at a glance.

"Guest, you can rest assured. The public safety of Qinglan Town is famous throughout the surrounding area. If you choose to register here, it will definitely be better than in the other small towns..." For the sake of her commission, the staff member spared no effort in praising Qinglan Town.

"All right, then recommend something to me. My requirements are the safest neighborhood possible, and preferably somewhere quiet."

Hearing the implication in Yun Xi's words, the staff member's eyes lit up.

After learning more about the available properties, Yun Xi ultimately chose a neighborhood beside Central Street: No. 26, Filan Street.

It was a two-story building. The total area of the upper and lower floors was no more than one hundred square meters, but it was just enough to meet Yun Xi's personal living needs.

However, its asking price was absurdly high: 10,000 Gold Coins, and it could only be purchased with Gold Coins.

Converted, ten thousand Gold Coins equaled one million Silver Coins, or one hundred million Copper Coins...

The other slightly better houses in Qinglan Town generally cost only a few hundred to a few thousand Gold Coins. Some houses could even be bought with Silver Coins.

As for the lower-end houses, there was no need to mention them. They ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand Silver Coins. The cheapest house in Qinglan Town could be purchased for just eighty Silver Coins.

Correspondingly, apart from its high price, the house Yun Xi had taken a fancy to had no other flaws.

Filan Street was the cleanest and safest residential area in Qinglan Town. It was usually home to the noble families of Qinglan Town.

The No. 26 building Yun Xi purchased was elegant and magnificent in design. Its interior and exterior had both been decorated with pollution-free materials, so it could be occupied immediately.

According to the staff member, it was the only vacant house on Filan Street. It had originally been specially designed and built by the former mayor of Qinglan Town for his daughter.

The former mayor's entire family had now gone to live in another city, so the house had been reclaimed by the Qinglan Town authorities and prepared for resale.

It was simply too expensive, while those who could afford it considered the area too small. That was why it had remained vacant.

Yun Xi followed the staff member to inspect it in person and was extremely satisfied.

The house was exactly as the staff member had described. Moreover, seeing it in person was far more convincing than a simple verbal explanation.

The house was extraordinarily beautiful, and its walls had even been decorated with some simple Spiritual Energy Runes drawn using special pigments.

No wonder the price was so high. It was clear that the former mayor had doted on his child immensely.

After returning to the real estate center, Yun Xi began haggling with the staff member.

"You just told me that you would try to get me the greatest discount when I bought the house. How much of a discount can you get?"

Although she was not short of money, that did not mean she did not care about the price. Besides, she could not let the staff member see her as someone who spent money recklessly. That would only make people target her.

"Th-this house is simply too expensive. But don't worry. Since I said it, I'll do my utmost to get you a discount. Please wait a moment while I ask my supervisor."

"All right, I'll wait." Yun Xi would not complain if the price reduction was too small. Even if it was reduced by just one Gold Coin, that was still ten thousand Copper Coins.

She could currently obtain only 648 Copper Coins from her daily recharge.