The carriage rolled to a stop with a thud.
Casper pushed the door open first and stepped down, straightening his long black coat. Before them stood a plain yet dignified stone building, the tall windows were lined with an iron grill and a pristine sign was fixed above the entrance.
Backlund Residential & Tenancy Association
Adem hopped down after him, he raised his head, gazing at the overreaching building.
"This is it?" He asked, unimpressed.
"Yes," Casper replied shortly. "Behave."
Sera descended more carefully, smoothing her dress before taking Casper's hand. Together, the three of them walked towards the entrance.
Inside the Residential and Tenant Association, Dyrch ended a conversation with a colleague and turned towards the door.
His eyes landed upon three figures entering the place — a pale black haired man with crimson eyes alongside a small boy of about twelve with golden eyes and jet-black hair and a white haired girl with blue eyes.
Their entrance drew quite the attention.
If Dyrch didn't know any better, he'd think they were one of the models from Sierra — a popular fashion magazine.
"Sir, how may I address you?" He asked, showcasing a pleasant smile.
"Casper Walsh," Casper warmly replied with a smile, "I wish to purchase a home, a medium size one."
"Mr. Walsh, please wait a moment. Have a seat." Dyrch led them to the guest area, casually chatting with them before pointing at a green sofa.
"It's good if it's located in the outskirts of Backlund." He said calmly.
Although Casper put little to no effort in trying to prevent the Great Smog of Backlund, it didn't mean he wasn't paying attention to it.
A house located at the outskirts would thus provide him time before the Smog reached him — time that would let the Church of the Lord of Storms to dispel the smog.
Dyrch remembered his training and quickly answered in detail, "Such houses are rare since nobles usually purchase them to have access to cleaner air. In addition, wealthy merchants also buy such houses to store more merchandise. But this doesn't mean we don't have them, it's just that their prices are slightly high, coming at 900 pounds."
Casper's lips slightly twitched.
900 pounds?! This is daylight robbery! With 900 pounds I could probably live comfortably for at least 3 years if I budget right. I could probably even buy my sequence 8 and sequence 7 potion with that amount of cash.
Casper didn't let his appallment show on his face, instead he nodded in agreement.
"I see… I'll prepare the funds by Wednesday."
Dyrch inclined his head politely, clearly satisfied. "Very well, Mr. Walsh. Once the funds are prepared, we can proceed with the documentation.
"For now, I'll prepare the details of the houses that fit your needs and display them to you." He then paused for a moment before asking, "Please wait a moment, would you like tea or coffee."
Casper smiled slightly and politely answered, "I prefer coffee."
"I shall prepare coffee for you then," Dyrch finished with a courteous bow before excusing himself.
Soon, Dyrch carried a white gold-rimmed porcelain teacup and placed it in front of Dwayne Dantès. He said with a smile, "It still needs some time to cool down."
Before long, he came over with a stack of documents and sat on the single-seater beside him.
"After the screening, we have three suitable houses. I'll briefly introduce them to you.
"The first house is at the southern edge of Backlund, near Stratford River. It needs some further repairs as the previous owner of this house accidentally left the stove on, leading to it burning down.
"The second house is at the northern edge of Backlund near where Tussock River flows into Backlund. It's a house that was recently built and hence does not have any water lines or plumbing. But since the house was recently built it costs 1,050 pounds.
"The last house is at the south-western edge of Backlund and is the furthest, closer to White Cliff Town than Backlund."
After the introduction, Dyrch handed over the stack of documents.
"Mr. Walsh, which do you wish to choose?"
Casper fell silent for a few seconds before saying nonchalantly, "Let's do this. We'll view these houses personally tomorrow at 9 a.m. I'll view them personally before deciding which one to buy."