Chapter 138
Just by listening to this relationship, it’s not hard to tell that if the government and the church ever had a conflict, the first to be targeted would be the Russell family.
After a brief conversation, the three of them expressed their opposition to letting Ai Mi join the church, but for now, there was no conclusion about her future.
Ai Mi hadn’t done anything wrong, but simply possessing “treasures” was a sin in itself, a fate that was predetermined and unchangeable.
However, this conversation left both Ai Wei Na and A Dai Er with a sense of unease, stemming from their own lack of strength.
Ai Wei Na and A Dai Er agreed on going to the hospital tomorrow to digest the magic potions, while Xia Er had taken a day off for tomorrow.
Finally, after much effort, things came to a close, and Xia Er finally gained his “freedom.” He could now arrange his plans for the holiday and prepare for school in An Su.
The first thing on his agenda was to find a new place to live in the Gem District with his sister; he couldn’t keep staying at Ai Wei Na’s house and bothering her.
Moreover, his sister had been living alone for several days. With no friends in the Gem District, she would have no one to talk to if Xia Er wasn’t around, and she might even struggle to cook for herself.
Upon hearing that Xia Er wanted to rent a place, A Dai Er perked up, offering to help him find a landlord.
Although Ai Wei Na also mentioned that she could reclaim some of her properties to rent to him, Xia Er declined.
Most of Ai Wei Na’s properties were shops, and even if she offered a discount, the prices were still far beyond what Xia Er and Li Qi could afford.
At the moment, Xia Er had almost no cash left, just a large bag of magic potions in hand.
He needed to find an opportunity to digest one or two bottles in the simulation, then in reality, he could give the potions to Ai Wei Na to help him sell them.
The price didn’t matter much; he just wanted to sell them quickly to gain some disposable funds.
As for the magic potion given to Ai Mi by the divine servant, it was still in Xia Er’s somewhat faded canvas bag. He had no intention of letting Ai Mi use it.
The ingredients and formula of that potion were unclear, and it definitely contained the flesh and blood of extraordinary beings, which inherently carried a lot of negative emotional energy.
Even though Ai Mi had exceptional talent and could resist these effects better than most, why should she drink something inferior when better potions were available?
When Xia Er voiced his idea of letting Ai Mi choose a different potion, he received unanimous agreement from Ai Wei Na and A Dai Er. They decided that after dinner with Ai Mi, they would help her find a potion tailored to her needs.
With some time left before dinner, the butler had returned to Ai Wei Na’s estate. She needed to discuss a few matters with him and also make some repairs to the manor.
A Dai Er, on the other hand, was preparing to return to her rented place to hire some people to move her equipment to Ai Wei Na’s clinic. After receiving a backup key to the clinic, she bid farewell and left.
Noticing that he still had some free time, Xia Er asked Ai Wei Na for an advance of 2 pounds from his weekly salary—thanks to A Dai Er, her salary had also increased—and set off to look for a place near Gem Avenue.
A Dai Er’s salary was nearly the maximum for a private doctor at 15 pounds a week, while Xia Er, as Ai Wei Na’s assistant, received 2 pounds a week, which was already an impossible salary for an ordinary person.
However, neither A Dai Er nor Ai Wei Na seemed to care much about the amount; after all, they believed that extraordinary beings had plenty of ways to make money, and this salary was merely a formality.
As for the magic potions, Xia Er left them at Ai Wei Na’s estate, where they were as safe as if they were in a vault.
Walking down the street in the afternoon, Xia Er held two gold pounds and a few half-crown silver coins in his pocket, feeling a slight sense of conflict within.
By calculating his total assets, including the magic potions temporarily held by him, he realized he had over ten thousand pounds.
So why did he still feel so poor?
It was simply because the potions he had were all from the simulation and couldn’t be sold yet.
“Sigh…”
Xia Er let out a breath.
Once he rented a place, he needed to find an opportunity to digest the potions in the simulation quickly.
A newsboy ran past him, interrupting his thoughts.
He stopped the boy and spent 2 pennies to buy the latest local newspaper. Skimming past the popular novels, horror stories, and crime reports, he turned to the rental information on the side.
If he didn’t want to run around, the best option was to check the small ads in the local newspaper to see if any landlords were renting out properties.
If he went through a real estate agent, the prices would surely be much higher.
Landlords in Zhongta Alley mostly relied on writing flyers or word of mouth to rent out their properties, as very few workers could read the newspaper.
Thus, the rental information published in the paper was likely from the Gem District or nearby, with the occasional listing from the Jazz Bridge area, but those prices were enough to make Xia Er’s heart sink.
After a quick scan of all the rental listings, Xia Er found one that caught his eye.
**For Rent: A two-bedroom townhouse on Gem Avenue in Berun City. The property is well-maintained and features a spacious living room. Rent: 1 silver pound per month. Suitable for small families or working couples. Inquiries can be made at Mrs. Jameson’s place, 23 High Street, Gem District.**
That was about 5 shillings a week… and it was just a very small unit.
Was this the price of living near the city center?
It was hard to imagine how expensive renting in An Su would be.
Xia Er noted down the landlord’s address and walked over. When he arrived, he met the landlord, a very humorous old lady. The property was a legacy from her deceased husband, and she found it difficult to manage alone, so she decided to rent it out.
She seemed quite interested in Xia Er, and upon learning he was a doctor’s assistant, she eagerly began asking him about her own health issues.
Unfortunately, Xia Er had no medical knowledge whatsoever and could only pretend to be socially anxious to avoid the conversation.
After viewing the house, Xia Er was quite satisfied. The rent was within his budget, and although the place was small, it was well-equipped. With a few furniture changes, it would be enough for him and his sister.
Most importantly, it was very close to Ai Wei Na’s clinic and his sister’s jewelry store—an ideal location. Plus, the landlord was easy to talk to, so Xia Er decided on the spot to rent the place.
Here, rental contracts were rarely used; usually, it was just a verbal agreement. Xia Er took out a gold pound to pay and immediately received the key to the second floor of the house.
From now on, for the next month, this house would be Xia Er’s new home.
Glancing at the system’s time, Xia Er realized it was almost time for Ai Mi to head to Ai Wei Na’s house, and she was also on her way there.
She didn’t go directly to find her sister but planned to finish her business with Ai Wei Na first and then surprise her sister in the evening.
On the way back, feeling a bit bored, Xia Er flipped through the system’s features. Without a computer or phone, browsing the system was a way to pass the time.
He also internally questioned the system, confirming something once more.
“System, if I switch from the second-tier ‘Judicator’ to the second-tier ‘Missionary’ and save it in another file, does that count as collecting a first-tier ‘Ascetic’?”
**Of course, having a higher-tier file naturally counts as completing all the lower-tier collections for that path… haven’t you asked this before? ^^**
Xia Er knew she had asked before; she just wanted to confirm again.
But if that was the case, she wouldn’t need to collect the “Ascetic” potions. As long as she converted the “Judicator” file to “Missionary,” it would count as collecting a first-tier “Ascetic.”
This meant that for each similar path, she only needed to complete the replication ritual once, choosing the easier option.
Switching paths within the same tier was much simpler than completing the ritual; it just required enduring double the murmurs, after all, it wasn’t like She Lun, who had to complete a higher-tier replication ritual while switching paths.
As for the double murmurs, Xia Er wasn’t worried at all; they wouldn’t carry over to reality.
In an instant, Xia Er felt the pressure of the potions lighten considerably.
When he arrived at Ai Wei Na’s house, he saw guards with guns standing at the entrance. After a few minutes of troublesome announcements, he was finally allowed to enter Ai Wei Na’s estate.
Just as Xia Er was about to close the system interface, she instinctively clicked on the simulation interface that she hadn’t opened before, glancing at the simulation time.
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