Dai Jiang really wasn't kidding when she said the top floor of the Treasury was her private residence. Not just some section of it, the entire top floor is her's to call home, not just the four of us, there's enough space to comfortably house a few families without issue. There is some kind of rudimentary elevator that brought us here in the centre of the top floor, with the remaining parts split into several different sections.
After getting a good look around the first thing Wanjing says is, "is there a reason you need so many bedrooms?"
"Of course there is. I change which room I use each night depending on my mood, each of nine bedrooms has a different atmosphere to them. But this works for your situation, so don't complain about it."
"No no, I'm not complaining, I was just curious since I don't think I've heard about any house that thas this many bedrooms outside of large manors. But this really is a good place for us, it's really convenient too, thanks, Aunt Jiang."
"Don't worry about it, there's plenty of space so it's no big deal. Amongst the other co-founders, the way I designed the top floor is on the lower end of... how to say it, uniqueness. Some of them have really gone off the deep end when they designed their residence."
"That, what's up with that! How come I never knew this until now?" Wanjing asks.
"Well I thought you already knew, so I never thought it important to bring up again. And since most of the employees don't know about, it's not too strange that you haven't heard. This kind of stuff is confidential and only a handful of the high ranking staff here are aware of my actual position. Personally, I'm more interested as to how and why you lot are all chummy with the Scarlet Feather, she isn't exactly the easiest person to approach."
"This is mostly attributed to Cory," Lia says.
"This really is rare, considering her luck. From my understanding, the two of them met by chance right after we returned to Shipping and hit it off really well. But who would have thought she was an Inspector, I even have trouble looking into her head, she's certainly a tough one."
"It's just a good thing she isn't hostile towards us, she is far more capable than the other Scions we've met so I don't think fighting her would end well. And from the few interactions I have with her, she feels somewhat similar to Milla, she has her own sense of justice and she also isn't insistent on following the laws despite her official position, being willing to get her hands dirty. Considering that Cory is able to get along relatively well with Milla, just add in a few common interest and it's no surprise the two of them got along."
"I don't know much about her private life, so I'm a little curious about this common interest, can you tell me a bit about it?" Dai Jiang asks.
"They're both massive foodies, I dread the thought that I might at some point find myself treating the two of them to a meal," Wanjing says as she looks at her storage ring.
"You know, I'm standing right here, but I've got a good income now and plenty of money, but now that I think about it, you still owe me some from the bones and quite a bit of interest as well. Since you mentioned it, you can treat us all to dinner tonight, Yue as well."
Ignoring the despair on Wanjing's face, we begin to decide rooms. Aurelia chose a room with a cloudy design, the walls were painted to show a light blue sky with dozens of clouds filling the space in all kinds of different shapes. Wanjing ended up choosing the room next to the one Dai Jiang was currently using without giving it much thought, compared to the others, the room design was that of a grassy field. I chose a room that has dark painted walls with many bright white dots meant to represent the night sky and the many stars it contained. Lia on the other hand, forced her way to sleeping with me in my chosen room, much to Aurelia objection, but since I didn't mind the objection went nowhere.
After taking care of the room assignments, Aurelia left with Lia to settle our affairs at the Shang Yueting inn, to pay for the time we spent and inform them that we no longer need the room. Meanwhile, I continued to pressure Wanjing until she finally gave in and agreed to pay for our dinner tonight. Once I got the ok from Wanjing, I immediately change the topic to what kind of weapons are outlawed here to see if I can make some extra money off the upcoming special auction. Of all the things she listed, the only one I might have a chance at making something with a corrosive attribute as corrosive weapons are outlawed in all three countries of Shengdi. But I quickly give up this idea as it requires too many resources that I don't have on hand right now.
After a bit over an hour, Aurelia and Lia return, bringing Yue who they met up with on the way back.
"I got the permission from the fox, so once the other Imperial Guards arrive I'll be staying here as well. Also, I heard that your student will be paying for our dinner tonight, I know a great place in the centre. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, the food is the kind of stuff most people can only dream of since it exclusively serves the upper class."
"Sound's great, now what kind of food are we talking about here?" I ask.
"All sorts of stuff like..."
While Yue goes on to give us a small preview of what we can expect for dinner, no seems to pay attention to Wanjing mumbling about her wallet.
As a few more hours pass and the sun begins to set, we all set out for the restaurant together with Dai Jiang who wants the free meal and a very reluctant Wanjing.