From all indications, he had indeed received a new companion for his residence. Hirosumi was his mobility in Runegard, a quite large mare, with white fur and some gray spots. She seemed to be quite gentle, with a little help from the place's coachmen, he quickly sorted out his mount, and then set off at a calmer pace while looking around thoughtfully. He was looking for a place so they wouldn't have to stay in inn rooms forever, and the money wouldn't end up being spent on meaningless things.
He was a focused young man despite his exploring mind for new opportunities. He knew that despite everything, the pain of that world was very real, so it wasn't good to push too hard. As Morrigan approached again that region where the goddess had asked them to stay, he noticed some houses with the second floor available, always with a wooden sign hanging out of the windows indicating it was for sale.
Only one of them caught his attention because it seemed to have a sort of garage for carriages, and perhaps he could make an area for Hirosumi there. The time wasn't so good for negotiations; it was almost late afternoon, the sun was already starting to change to orange, indicating that night would soon be upon them. However, Morrigan had nothing to lose. With two knocks on the front door, first a child answered, looking curiously up at him with mouth agape.
She then hurriedly ran off in an awkward manner, making a turn in the hallway without saying anything to Zi'o. A few minutes later, she came down, putting her face at the end of the hallway, where an old man was coming out leaning on a cane, dressed in an oriental manner. "Are you a customer?" he asked very slowly, while Morrigan excitedly pointed upstairs, where theoretically the sign indicating the house was for sale was, and then asked, "I came to find out how much your property is; I want to buy it." The old man then scratched his beard as his half-closed eyes opened smilingly, and he replied, "I'm selling it for 12 Platinum Gems," he affirmed, convinced it was a good price. Morrigan then rummaged through his belongings until he found a paper that explained a little about the currency in Runegard.
10 Bronze Gems were equivalent to 1 Silver Gem, 10 Silver Gems were equivalent to 1 Gold Gem, and finally, 10 Gold Gems were equivalent to 1 Platinum Gem. The paper indicated that Platinum Gems could buy the most valuable goods in small amounts. Values like 20 gems could buy things like a house in the city's most expensive neighborhood. Curiously, it was this neighborhood where Morrigan would be wanting to buy his house.
"Alright, I'll pay you now!" When Morrigan said this, the old man whitened, becoming anxious. "But I still can't move out; could you wait for 2 days?" He asked the boy, while asking him to come in for a few minutes, making gestures with his hands. As soon as Morrigan entered the house, the child hurriedly went up to him and asked, "Can I feed your horse?" he then replied positively, "Be kind to her; she's also a young girl like you!" Morrigan smiled as the girl ran to her kitchen to get fruits.
"You must sign these papers here," said the old man, taking some papers and showing them to him, putting on a monocle. "I'm glad you're buying our property; it has a lot of value where it is. It hasn't been bought yet because it needs renovation, and customers are demanding with their purchases, but I'll send a young lady here to do the renovation for you!" he affirmed as Morrigan signed with a feather pen.
"There you go!" he replied, handing over a bag with the gems on the table with a clink. "You don't need to pay me now, young man; aren't you uncomfortable with this?" asked the old man while Morrigan said, "This money is meant to be spent on this, so better with you than with me. I have a big eater at home..." He smiled as the old man chuckled amidst coughs, "Ah, so you're married? How young you are! It's a pity; you must be well off; you could have enjoyed more before joining this cause of married people..." He joked without knowing the story, and Morrigan, smiling, said, "Unfortunately, I'm not married yet, but maybe someday, I will be..." They talked, while the child stayed outside, playing with Hirosumi, who was indeed gentle enough to let the child come close, even liking it.
The old man then said, "This business is complicated; while you two have nothing, you can meet other young ladies; don't feel bad, everything can be resolved if you talk... I was a good husband while my wife was alive. Now, I'm just an old man with young, hardworking daughters." He smiled as he called his little granddaughter inside, saying, "Was that all? You can come back here in 2 days, and I'll have the house ready!" The old man affirmed, formally bidding Morrigan farewell, and the boy then left the house with a sense of duty fulfilled, seeing his property purchase contract in hand.
"Let's go home, Hirosumi. Today you'll stay in the inn's stable, so please behave. Did she give you food?" He conversed with his mount as he caressed her neck, mounting her and making his way home.
As he arrived, not so far from there as the center of fields 4, he first left Hirosumi in the stable that was available for the others who were renting a room there. There were other horses there; it was quite clean despite everything. After stabling her, he gave her a few more strokes, then left.
"Today was a tiring day; my hands are terrible, but I had so much fun... Just imagine having this routine every day... To think that before I was just a bundle of dreams kept in a box..." He thought to himself as he went up to the inn. "Maybe it's true, dreaming is good; every dream can end up becoming reality..." Confidently, he opened the door, seeing everything quite tidy, hearing the sound of a shower on the upper floor where the bedroom was. In the kitchen, the lights were on with some cloths over dishes; he then left his things in the corner of the living room and went upstairs.
His clothes were left in the laundry room, a place with a tank, in a little basket; the goddess's clothes were also there, along with some bags, indicating purchases made. Morrigan got a few drops on his head; possibly, that would be on his account.
He then took off his shirt and sat on the bed to catch his breath for a moment. It was a pleasant climate, and the smell of bath salts was impregnated throughout the room. His sigh automatically made him hear, "Morrigan?" from the bathroom. "Hello, Goddess, I'm home..." Without thinking properly, she came out of the shower covered in several bubbles but wearing nothing. "Welcome back! Morrigan!" Morrigan's face then reddened as he averted his gaze, causing her to put her hands on her hips. "Oh, come on, you're such a silly boy... Let's take a bath! There's nothing that you and I haven't seen before..." Morrigan then stood up, sighing. "I hate this girl so much...!" he thought, his heart racing.