Arriving at the second house, Skymender instantly liked it more. It was slightly bigger, but still within the range of a medium sized house, though it was only considered medium sized because it was in the noble district.
Skymender entered. At the entrance was a room with coat hangers and some seats, nothing special. Deeper inside, he saw a dining area, a kitchen, and a few rooms. Though this house was only slightly bigger than the last house, Skymender liked its environment more.
It had a grey color palette that made it seem calm and simple.
After the tour, and after weighing all of his options, he decided.
"I would like to buy this house." Skymender said.
The old man nodded. "Then let's go and sign the papers. If we submit them by today, it should be at most two days before the Emperor approves it."
Skymender nodded. He and Melly made their way back to the shop.
Skymender signed a bunch of things, and since he was using Melly's status, she had to sign a few things as well.
As for the payment, Skymender gave the man the information of his bank in Sky city. It would take nearly a month for the payment to be received, but since he was a noble, there was no worry that he was lying and did not have the amount of money necessary.
If he were to do so, he would be in severe trouble, especially since the Emperor would have given his approval by then.
They would have to wait two days before the Emperor signed the paper, so they went to the wealthy commoner area and stayed in a luxurious inn.
Surprisingly, when they woke up, they received a letter. The Emperor had already approved it.
Skymender figured that it was because he knew him. But perhaps the Emperor had just been putting a bunch of effort into his work recently.
Skymender made his way to the house. He needed to put in no further effort. He had acquired the house, and as long as the payment went through, he would never have to worry about paying for it again. Of course, there was a property tax, but since he wasn't 18 his parents would have to worry about that. It was none of his business.
Skymender and Melly quickly moved in, as they did not bring a lot with them. Most of what they could want could be bought. Skymender only brought a few valuable poison concocting supplies, as well as some tools such as his cauldrons.
With an entire summer ahead, Skymender relaxed, only studying and laying around in his expensive home. He hired a few servants, but they only came in to clean the house or do a few errands.
After a month of this, Skymender finally put an end to it. Relaxing was nice, but succeeding was better. He was not stupid enough to ruin his future with relaxation.
Skymender ventured out, and as he did so, Melly naturally followed. He made his way to the commoner marketplace, the biggest one in the Imperial Capital. He walked around for a moment, wondering how to announce his return. He could buy a bunch of expensive things, or do something to stand out. Naturally, he already stood out here, but not many people recognized him, only his family name.
However, as he turned a corner, he nearly couldn't believe his eyes.
He saw another noble carriage, with what he recognized as the Grayn family noble insignia.
Standing near it, at a shop, he saw a grown man with a beard and a body full of strength. Despite the changes, Skymender recognized him as the same boy he had met long ago.
Skymender made up his mind and walked towards him.
As the man examined the object in his hand, he heard a voice.
His entire body uncontrollably shivered, a sense of deja vu coming over him. He looked around. Indeed, this spot was familiar. It was this place…
He had not been here for years, but that voice, those words…
He turned around, and saw Skymender.
Though Skymender had aged, his face was unforgettable. He would never forget the face of the person who had given him his first taste of indignance.
However, things were different now. Skymender was a boy, barely a teenager, while he was a grown man, who had trained nearly every day since then.
He looked at Skymender, barely controlling his trembling and hiding the fear in his heart.
Before he could finish, Skymender's figure flashed.
The man instinctively braced himself as a foot hit his stomach, knocking him back.
He rolled on the ground, ending up face down, with a pulsing stomach. The guards, who had not even slightly expected such a thing, instantly moved.
Half checked on the Grayn family noble, while the other half surrounded Skymender.
They seemed hesitant to do anything, seeing Skymender's noble clothing, but the Grayn family noble suddenly raised his body and shouted.
"Ah hell naw! I am not doing this shit again! Guards! Kill that motherfu**er!" He screamed, completely ridding himself of any noble dignity.
Hearing his words, they stopped hesitating. They swung their swords down. But Skymender was completely different from last time. He dodged to the side, uppercutting a nearby guard, before throwing his body at two others, knocking him over.
A guard leaped at him, but he jumped in the air and stomped on his head.
He turned around and kicked an oncoming guard in the chest. He stood on top of a knocked out guard as the other guards stopped moving.
"I was just saying hi to an old friend. No need to get aggressive."
The noble man, clearly having some sort of episode, banged his head on the ground with pure anger fueling him.
Eventually, the guards backed away from Skymender, taking care of their lord.
Melly gave him an interesting look. She found it hard to believe that he would greet everyone in the Imperial Capital .