After the initial shock, Ian sighed and thought to himself, what were the chances of being in another world and/or dimension that possessed various elements of human imagination? Was he dreaming in Limbo, or could those Angels have placed him in a complex illusionary universe as a test... The more he pondered, the more questions multiplied. After all, the old and interesting Simulation Hypothesis managed to create some demons in the hearts of numerous esteemed philosophers on Earth. Who was Ian compared to them?
Hypothesis 1: He ended up in a real world coincidentally similar to tales and fantasy.
Hypothesis 2: He went completely crazy after over 1000 years in Limbo.
Hypothesis 3: He was in a coma at the hospital and living a fantasy.
Hypothesis 4: Participating in a celestial trial.
Hypothesis 5: His life had never ceased to be a computer simulation from an artificial intelligence.
...
In the end, Ian decided to set aside his doubts for now and "ride the wave" of the present, which was the most logical thing to do since any results would not alter the life in any way, and Etri, as well as the old man he was staring at, were bothered by his behavior.
"I am just had a momentary existential crisis." Ian replied. Loli was even more perplexed with the explanation. What on earth was an existential crisis, and what did it have to do with that old man? Her husband not only spoke nonsensical things but sometimes acted strangely as well. If she didn't know he came from another world, would doubt his sanity.
As they entered the metropolis, the buildings, noise and flow of people increased absurdly. The curious thing was that in the "jungle of concrete and steel" the environment was much brighter than outside, due to the large quantity of Stellar Crystals present everywhere. This came as a pleasant surprise to Ian, who, unlike the inhabitants of Sombreal, was used to sunshine and places full of light.
The description of Gnel could be made as follows: From the almost rural cottages on the outskirts to the towering skyscrapers in the center, resembling a pyramid. The population density also followed this behavior.
Of course, this did not mean that there was a rule that limited the size of buildings and residents on the edges and dictated the size and quantity of those in the center. It was just a natural organization, the closer to the core of the city, the better. That made the most important institutions settle there with their imposing headquarters and the creation of residential tall buildings, to accommodate more people, who for reasons of work, convenience or status, preferred to live there.
Wide streets, like, very wide, big sidewalks, neighborhoods properly divided by function or characteristic, fluid traffic, with the right of little guards dressed in blue. Organization seemed to reign in that vibrant place.
It didn't take long before the delegation stopped in front of a beautiful and fancy building that displayed flags of each of the seven races, with the largest one behind symbolizing the Dark Alliance. It had a grand porte-cochère, truly massive and already adapted for the large "vehicles" of that place. It was a typical international hotel with a few stars from Earth.
As the group disembarked, some Gnomes in black suits appeared to help with the bags and ask if they wanted the "vehicles" to be parked in the "parking lot".
In the lobby, crystal chandeliers, fine tapestries, and executive armchairs were scattered throughout the room, with many of them occupied by various beings, among them, even a black goo with a small green-fluorescent skeleton inside, resembling a slime. They checked in, set a meeting time, and went to rest in their rooms.
Ian and Loli, to no surprise, were assigned to the same room. The location was interesting to say the least. Where normal hotel beds normally were, there were meditation mats and a few pillows. The bathroom consisted of a small space with a mirror, a bucket of some kind of oil, and a box of gray powder. Probably a method of body cleansing.
'I never thought the material thing I would miss the most from Earth would be a comfortable bed.'
It took two days for Javi and his team to obtain their nationality, clan registration, and the purchase of the promised buildings. He also arranged a Secretary-Guide from the Royal Office to be contracted for six months. It could be said that the Marshal's status was truly unique, as he was proud to assert.
"So, bye! I must get back to my duties. In a year or two I should come or send someone to visit and see how things have progressed. Any problems you can contact me by mail.
The duo said goodbye to their benefactor and went to new residence. It was in a noble neighborhood, full of mansions. The house was four stories high, with three meters walls and cruel spikes on top. It looked like it had been purchased from a Vampire aristocrat, so its dimensions were to Ian's liking, but the decoration and design represented a den of darkness. With the right to sculptures of demons and a fountain that represented a maiden bleeding from the neck, yes, the "water" that came out, was blood red...
At the entrance, standing with a leather bag, social clothes and a notebook, was a young Gnome, thin and with curly blond hair, unshaven, wearing a black three-pointed hat.
"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Haller?" Asked the small man formally.
"My name is Ian Haller and this is Etri Haller, you must be the Secretary-Guide?"
"Yes, my name is Shortyty Bretas and I will serve you for six months. Please come in, I have given myself the right to configure the defensive arrays for your auras that were collected in the contract. I hope I didn't exceed my authority."
"Relax, you did well."
"Am I supposed to relax, sir?"
"He meant for you not to worry, just ignore your boss's occasional weirdness." Etri said as she laughed.
At that moment, Ian realized that the Gnome's name was Shortyty! Like, shorty... A Gnome named that... PFFFFFFFFF
Ian couldn't help it and started laughing uncontrollably.
He even bent over from laughing so hard, leaving the other two completely shocked.
Loli couldn't get used to these peculiarities, and Shortyty began to understand what Etri had just warned him.
...
After a few moments of embarrassment, Ian calmed down.
The mansion had a matrice system that created a protective shield around it, extremely durable, and powered by purple crystals—literal currency in Sombreal. Inside, there was a dining room, kitchen, living room, library, alchemy laboratory, a medicinal garden in a greenhouse... Additionally, there were ten well-equipped rooms spread across the floors, unfortunately lacking beds. It seemed that Gnomes and Vampires also didn't lie down to sleep. Even a martial arena was present on the rooftop, much to Loli's delight, who wasted no time in starting her training.
"This mansion must have cost a lot, how much did Marshal Javi spend?" Ian asked, feeling a little bad for his benefactor.
"He paid 24 monthly installments, totaling 120,000 purple crystals. In two years, you will need to assume the remaining 240 installments, as well as those for the workshop and warehouse." Shortyty replied after quickly calculating on a small abacus equipped with matrices.
"A sum of 1,200,000 C?!" Ian exclaimed, astonished.
"Actually, the monthly installment for the workshop is 10,000 C, and for the warehouse, it's 7,000 C. The total sum, along with the mansion's installments, multiplied by the remaining periods, are equals to 5,280,000 C, sir."
Ian almost fainted upon hearing that. Even in his worst nightmares, never thought that would be in such a huge debt. In fact, he felt extremely angry with Javi.
Of course, the three structures needed to be purchased, but if he had known that would have to bear over 90% of the costs, Ian would have saved as much as possible. Why the hell would they need a luxury home?
Now, he was a newcomer to the business world with a debt that could buy a small Helis clan in cash, including all their assets and people as servants.
To have some perspective, 1 purple crystal or 1 C was approximately equivalent to 100 dollars.
"Are you feeling alright, sir? Sir?" Shortyty became concerned seeing his boss leaning against the door, looking somewhat pale.