As he walked through the streets, Louis found himself in a new world. It was exciting and interesting, and he wanted to experience it.
It awakened a desire in him to see the unknown. To explore.
An exotic city unfolded before his eyes.
Sturdy buildings made of ancient rocks peeked out here and there, reminiscent of the Middle Ages, while new structures made of solid stone and brick were frequently visible among what appeared to be the reconstruction of a large city.
The houses and buildings had wooden frames and sloping roofs, with lanterns hanging on every corner. They looked as if they had been there for a long time and appeared to be gas lanterns, but in reality, it was magic that kept them lit.
In the city district where he was, Upper District, castles could be seen in the distance. Presumably, he had come out of one of them, only from the back.
They were beautifully constructed with black, white, and gray bricks.
Although this gray seemed more like smoke and soot from the industries in the distance.
There was also a large cathedral that could be seen from everywhere he went. It was beautiful, with golden and dark colors.
Occasionally, he had to cross drawbridges, which made him realize that there were several creeks in the city, perhaps some made artificially or with magic.
He saw something exotic in this area of the city: carriages pulled by dark-colored horses with hooves that glowed blue and green and small fish scales on their backs.
Some breathed fire from their mouths, while others seemed to be running on fire, as their hooves were ablaze.
They were not as powerful as those he had seen in the Land of God, nor were they nearly as large, but they were beautiful in their own right.
They raced against some distinctive steam-powered vehicles.
The heat from the fire on the horses' feet or coming out of their mouths raised the city's temperature.
The beautiful contrast he saw between the Middle Ages, the Victorian era, and magic made his heart race.
This city... was beautiful.
But his thoughts were interrupted when he arrived at the area where he was to live.
Here, industries and factories roared day and night, their smoke staining the walls of all the buildings. You could smell the smoke in the air.
If you breathed deeply, this smoke would enter your body and go into your lungs, causing severe damage sooner rather than later, because there was simply too much of it.
The smoke was so thick that it looked like fog.
In addition, due to the industries roaring day and night, the sound of metal crashing against metal was constant. In the distance, you could hear the impact of a hammer...
"This contrast... is horrible,"
The buildings here looked grayer and more repetitive, made of poorer materials. Despite the concentration of smoke throughout the area, the chimneys still seemed to be slowly smoking.
Perhaps because of the time of day, no one was walking on the road, allowing him to reach his destination more quickly.
He found some exotic things as he walked around the neighborhood where he would be living.
A rat with two rabbit-like ears was jumping across the rooftops.
It looked at him curiously before continuing on its way.
Behind him was a cat with wings covered in flames.
He was mesmerized by these animals until he felt someone staring at him.
A beggar seemed to be staring at him in a corner, lying on the sidewalk. His gaze was strange but intense.
But he said nothing.
Louis ignored him and continued on his way.
The mansion was in a low-income residential area. Houses stacked like cardboard boxes stood behind and to the sides of it.
Here, the smell of oil, metal, and coal became unbearable.
The noisy factories and the mixed smells of smoke, oil, metal, and coal made living here a bit traumatic.
"Perhaps this is the price of freedom..." he muttered, clearing his throat before entering.
'It's much better than I expected,' he thought, looking at the mansion.
The mansion looked large from the outside and had a garden spacious enough to accommodate another house, but it was overgrown with weeds.
It was evident that it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, as his shoes were covered in dust just from walking down the hallway leading into the mansion.
There was nothing but bushes outside, so he quickly went inside.
Inside, everything was covered in dust. But it was livable with a quick cleaning.
'Despite the dirt and overgrown bushes, will I live here from now on? This is beautiful compared to my previous apartment.'
Somehow, he was filled with joy and began to explore.
It had eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, two living rooms, and a dining room. The backyard was large with a fruit tree but didn't seem to have borne fruit in a long time.
Given the living conditions in this place, it made sense.
After touring the mansion, he decided to do some light cleaning.
He took out the toolkit he had bought earlier. It contained modern vacuum cleaners with a battery and other items from Earth. They were only suitable for everyday use or cleaning. There were no cell phones or electronic devices.
Thanks to this, he could do a superficial cleaning that took him 30 minutes.
It wasn't spotless, but it was livable.
After sweating for a while, Louis looked out from the balcony of his room.
"The Southern Capital, Velharthe, huh?"
A city ruled by the R Lockward family, with many wealthy people.
This would be his new home... temporarily.
'What should I do now? I need to create missions.'
He didn't even know this city. How was he going to find places to create worthwhile missions? Until now, the basic missions had given him very little, and he didn't want to waste his few attempts to receive 10 times the amount.
That made him think he needed high-level missions. At least ones that gave a few hundred coins, if possible 1,000. But seeing that one activated for a thousand just because he had to shoot a god, he didn't think he would find that kind of mission here.
But that was the least of his worries. If he could find a way to create multiple missions, he would gain power and money.
Speaking of money.
'I still don't know how much 100 million Jens is. It seems like I have a lot of unfinished business.'
It was now four in the morning. If he walked back to where he had come from, everything would surely be open. He might find out some things if he went there.
As he thought about doing so, he frowned and looked toward the garden.
A man was walking there, approaching the gate.
When Louis saw him, he looked back.
For a brief moment, they stood there staring at each other.
Louis went into his room and went downstairs to the first floor.
Then he opened the door.
The man on the other side wore dark brown, loose-fitting pants, an elegant yet discreet black jacket, and a white linen shirt with a high collar under the jacket. A sword hung at his waist, and he wore a top hat the same color as his cotton garments.
He looked at Louis and smiled under his hat.
"Young Master," he said, greeting him.
He was also one of the three men who had greeted him, the only one who had not spoken a word.
Naturally, he knew him.
"Uncle Dan."