Once the mercenaries had left, the street settled back into silence.
After walking for a while, Reilo looked around and arrived at the student housing district. He wasn't the only one there. Many new noble students around his age, dressed in finery, were arriving as well.
After wandering around the area for a little while, Reilo stopped in front of a real estate agency called Grand Harbor.
"Well, hello there, young man! Looking for a place? Come on in and have a seat!"
Reilo had barely stopped outside the shop when a voluptuous woman who looked to be in her late twenties came over with a bright smile. Her scarlet lips were like flames, and she was exceptionally warm and welcoming.
Pressing her ample figure against Reilo, she enveloped him in the scent of heavy perfume, took his arm without asking, and practically dragged him inside.
"We've got all kinds of places available around the academy. Whatever you need, we can find something you'll love! I can tell at a glance that you're a bright, promising young student. You're sure to accomplish great things! But studying is hard work—it takes a lot out of you. Just think about it: if your mind's already exhausted, how can you study properly if your body's uncomfortable too? That's why you need to find a suitable place and not make yourself suffer. Take a look at these listings..."
As the woman spoke, Reilo's gaze fell on the prices listed for the properties. Seeing the unbelievable, astronomical figures, he swallowed hard.
Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of gold coins!
How could a single house cost that much?
Reilo hesitated. "Um, I'm looking to rent..."
Before he could finish, the enthusiastic woman cut him off.
"Oh, young man! I felt an instant connection with you! Don't mind me going on and on—take my advice. Renting isn't worth it! Think about it: you'll be living here for three years, so you'll have to pay three years' worth of rent. With the average rent here at one gold coin a month, that's twelve gold coins a year, or thirty-six gold coins over three years!"
Her expression changed, and she continued, "If you're going to spend that much on rent, why not buy a property as an investment? It might even go up in value over the next three years. And if you decide to leave Saint Grand Fort afterward, you can sell it. You might even make a profit! With the difference between what you pay and what you sell it for, you can do the math yourself, young man. You're a scholar, after all. Right?"
Her lipstick-coated lips kept flapping without a pause. If Reilo had the money, he would have been tempted to buy a house right then and there.
"I don't have any money," Reilo said helplessly. "I just want to rent a room."
The woman sighed. She could see that Reilo didn't have much money to spare, so she said, "Well, we do have rentals..."
Her enthusiasm had cooled. She let go of Reilo's arm and began introducing the available rooms on her own. Monthly rents ranged from seventy or eighty silver coins to several gold coins.
This time, Reilo interrupted her.
"Uh, I'm looking for the cheapest place! The cheapest one!"
"The cheapest?"
The woman pursed her lips and thought it over before replying helplessly, "Well... You don't look like you have it easy, young man, so I'll tell you the truth. The cheapest accommodation at the academy is in the dormitories in the Southeast Old District. They're among the academy's oldest residences, the facilities aren't great, and they're far from the classrooms. Rent is usually around fifty silver coins a month. You won't find anything cheaper. We agents barely make any money on those, so we don't usually recommend them."
"Fifty silver coins! There's really nothing cheaper?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "There are cheaper places outside the academy district. Or you could find work in a shop. Some shops might offer work-study students room and board."
"Then... all right!"
Reilo gave in and resigned himself to the exorbitant rent of fifty silver coins a month.
He paid the deposit, chose a room, agreed on the terms, and signed the contract.
The whole process took all morning.
When Reilo signed the name "Reilo Gubo" on the contract, the woman rolled her eyes again, apparently taking him for some down-and-out noble.
"All right. Rent is due on the tenth of every month. There's a late fee of three-tenths of a percent for each day you're late. Here's the key to your room; keep it safe. If any of the furniture in the room gets damaged, you'll have to pay its full..."
She stopped halfway through out of habit, realizing there was hardly any furniture in the room. Amused by her own mistake, she shook her head.
After the woman left, Reilo looked around the tiny room, barely large enough for a bed and a desk. No one had lived there for who knew how long. Much of the paint had peeled from the walls, and several cockroaches scuttled around the corners. He couldn't help letting out a disappointed sigh.
They were charging him fifty silver coins for a room like this.
In Lake Onyx Town, that much rent would have been enough to build another room just like it.
As for the woman's complaints about the outdated communal facilities and the long walk to the classrooms, Reilo didn't mind.
He tidied the clutter in the room, then found a broom in the communal washroom outside and got an old rag. He began cleaning, and before he knew it, time had passed.
Night fell.
"Phew, finally done!"
Looking around the little room, Reilo saw that, though shabby, it was at least clean and tidy. He would be living here for quite a while, and he couldn't help feeling a little attached to it already.
The room was in the southeast corner of the academy's outer grounds. The stone-paved street had grown uneven over the years, full of potholes. The old buildings nearby were all tiny single-room dormitories, and they seemed packed to the brim. At night, the place came alive with all sorts of noise: children crying, accordions being practiced, and couples arguing.
The people living here seemed to have long since gotten used to it. It was a stark contrast to the quiet nights in Lake Onyx Town.
Reilo went out onto the balcony and leaned over the railing, gazing at the brilliant lights of Scholar Street in the distance.
"This is where my new life begins!"
For a moment, Reilo couldn't help feeling his heart surge with excitement.
"New here?"
Reilo turned toward the voice. On the neighboring windowsill sat a beautiful woman in her thirties, wearing a loose gray nightgown. She leaned back with a cigarette between her lips, a liquor bottle in one hand. The years had left their mark on her face, and she seemed a little tipsy. One long, pale leg was exposed as she sat idly on the second-floor balcony, watching him.
"Hello, I'm Reilo," he said politely. Seeing how revealing her clothes were, he didn't dare look for long and turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Still a virgin? Afraid your big sister might eat you up?"
The woman tipped her head back and gulped down some liquor, then took a long drag on her cigarette. The wind carried away the smoke as she said casually, "You got in with a contribution badge, didn't you?"
"Huh! How did you know?" Reilo asked in surprise.
The woman glanced at him and flicked her cigarette butt down into the street.
"Every three years, a new batch comes through. I've seen plenty of scholars off from here, and I knew the people who rented your room."
"You are...?" Reilo asked, staring at her in surprise.
The woman sounded as if she were mocking herself as she replied nonchalantly, "My first husband came here with that same badge. He said he'd become the greatest mage and give me eternal happiness. But then his magic backfired, and he spontaneously combusted right in front of me, turning to ash."
"Huh?" Reilo was shocked!
The woman gave a drunken, cold laugh and continued, "My second husband was a well-known alchemist. He found a few stalks of Demon Star Grass in the Demon Eagle Forest, and a mercenary group from the Xilan Duchy killed him for it. I never even saw his body. He left me here alone to watch over the apothecary!"
Thud!
She tossed the bottle into the street. Fortunately, no one was passing below. The woman shut the window and went back inside, leaving Reilo standing alone, stunned for a long time.