To move, I needed to organize my house.
Since there was a lot to shift, I decided to bring out the handcart, which I hadn't used in a while.
But where was my handcart?
Looking around, I spotted a suitably sized handcart behind the tent.
It was the one I often used for moving or collecting scrap.
"A handcart...?"
The girl ran her index finger over the handcart.
Orange rust came off on her fingertip.
"I brought it out to move stuff. I think I'll need to go back and forth about five times."
"Move it yourself...?"
"Yes. There's a lot of stuff."
Like the shelter and grill.
There were many large items.
I decided to take it slow and move things one at a time without overexerting myself.
'First, I need to figure out what to do with the piggy bank.'
Banknotes and coins.
How could I safely move a piggy bank full of money?
While pondering alone, the girl approached me, pulling the handcart.
"Gyeoul, are you going to take everything here? Wouldn't it be better to just take what you need?"
"What I need?"
Was there anything here I didn't need?
While I was checking each item, the girl picked up a dented tin pot.
"This pot has a hole in the bottom, so it's unusable."
"Oh, no! I use this-!"
I quickly snatched the pot from the girl's hand.
How dare she try to casually discard my precious pot.
I hid my precious pot behind my back.
"It's a useful item?"
"Yes. I use it to hold things like tomatoes."
"Ah, for storage."
The girl nodded and picked up a rock nearby.
It was from a pile of rocks I had gathered, thinking they might come in handy someday.
"Gyeoul, should I arrange a moving truck for you?"
"No, it's okay. I can move it myself."
Really?
Mumbling to herself, the girl was joined by two beast-kin who approached with heavy footsteps.
"Leader! I will move the heavy stuff!"
"I'll help too. If we all do it together, it will be done quickly."
"Tha-that's..."
Although I had received an apology from the girl, I hadn't heard any information about the two beast-kin.
Due to the remaining distrust, I stood still, not knowing what to do, as the girl took charge of the situation.
"Then, shall we all do it together?"
"Alright!"
"We will start by moving the heavy stuff to the side of the guild."
Before I even consented, the two beast-kin began organizing the moving items.
Although I was a bit worried, I decided to let them be, as there was nothing particularly valuable to steal, except for the piggy bank.
I had something more important to deal with now.
I cautiously tugged at the girl's hem.
"Excuse me..."
"Yes?"
"Can you catch fish near the guild...?"
Catching minnows was my only hobby.
The thought of losing this hobby made me feel a tinge of regret.
"Why? Do you like fishing?"
"Yes. It's fun."
Watching dozens of minnows jumping around inside a trap is fun.
It was also helpful.
It was hard to find a more perfect hobby.
"Hmm... then, should I make it possible for you to fish?"
"Is that possible?"
"Yes. There's a big pond in the guild's backyard. With just a few items, we can raise both freshwater and saltwater fish there."
Just a few items.
She talked about using items that cost hundreds to thousands of won as if it was nothing.
Startled, I quickly waved my hand.
"It's okay. I was just saying."
"No, I was planning to raise some decorative fish anyway."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll just ask you to help control their population."
"Aha."
Makes sense.
The guild wouldn't use items worth hundreds of thousands or millions of won just for me.
So, allowing me to catch a few fish in exchange for controlling their population was a good deal.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
'Perfect.'
I had secured land in the city.
And found a pond to fish in.
Now, all that was left was to actually move.
"Shall I start preparing to move now?"
"Yes. I'll help you."
And so, we all worked together to organize the move.
With many people coming together to help, the move was completed much faster than I expected.
✧✧✧✧✧
- Daybreak Guild + Top Floor -
Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of the Daybreak Guild, South Korea strongest guild, stood there holding a coffee cup, looking down below.
'What's that...'
In the guild's backyard, the place that are designed as a relaxation area for local residents and guild members, a child had started setting up a tent.
The way they connected the torn tent to a tree with a rope was no ordinary sight.
Their movements were efficient, like someone who had been doing this for a long time.
The question was why this child was setting up a tent in the backyard of the building.
'Why can't they just live in the building?'
Kang Jinho's contemplation was brief.
He knew the child didn't like getting things for free.
Even if invited to live inside, they would have probably refused.
Han Yeoreum, a guild member, must have done her best as well.
Kang Jinho decided not to reprimand her for this part, after all, there were more pressing issues to worry about.
Namely, the stares of the people around looking at the child.
'This is serious.'
Kang Jinho expanded his awareness to survey the guild property.
Most of the guild members were hiding in their places, watching over the girl.
The guild members themselves were not much of a concern, but the problem was the regular citizens visiting the guild.
"Mommy! Look, a cat over there!"
"Oh, my?"
A young beast-kin girl, not yet in her teens.
The sight of such a child setting up a nearly collapsed tent in the guild's backyard and living there.
It was a situation where the guild could receive serious complaints and have no defense.
"Hmm."
This was all probably the guild's karma.
Kang Jinho decided to accept the situation.
Even if it meant getting criticized, it was better to have the child in sight.
For now, he chose to just watch.
✱✱✱
There was a wooded thicket in the guild's backyard.
I set up my tent in the most secluded part of the thicket.
"Wow."
I now had a home in the middle of the city.
I was happy, but I couldn't relax yet.
I hadn't finished organizing everything.
I secretly hid the piggy bank in a place only I knew and placed it at the very end of the tent.
It took quite a long time to make a fire, as I had to ensure it wouldn't catch flame.
"Leader! Where should we put the grill for cooking meat?"
"Over here."
"What about this broken mirror?"
"The mirror goes inside the tent!"
Was it because we were organizing together?
The moving preparations were progressing faster than I had thought.
"Leader! I'll go and bring more heavy stuff!"
"I'll go too."
The wolf girl grabbed the old handcart.
I felt sorry for making them do all the hard work.
"Wait a moment, I'll come with you."
"It's okay. Dividing roles will make it faster."
"Yes, yes..."
Why were they helping me?
I didn't know the reason, but they might not be as bad as I had thought.
'This will finish earlier than I expected.'
When someone receives help, they should repay it.
As I was thinking about what I could do for them, someone appeared, stepping into the nearby thicket.
"Huh?"
Is it the girl?
Had she already returned from checking the items for the pond?
I naturally turned towards the direction of the sound and was startled.
There stood a beast-kin I had never seen before.
"A whale...?"
It was a girl with blue hair and a whale's tail.
She looked quite young, but older than I was.
"Hey, it's a shark, not a whale."
"A shark?"
"Yes."
The girl, leaning on a cane, approached me.
The sudden contact was scary, but she looked frail, so I didn't run away.
"What does a shark want with me...?"
"Hmm... before that, I'll have a look around."
The girl, leaning on her cane, circled around me.
She slowly turned, scanning left and right, up and down.
I didn't feel comfortable being observed for such a long time.
"Who are you?"
"I am Sophia."
"Sophia?"
"Yes, an elder of the beast-kin."
Ahem
Sophia, after clearing her throat, tapped the ground with her cane.
The clear sound seemed to clear my mind.
"What's a beast-kin elder?"
"You can think of me as in charge of educating a prospective king. For now, I am superior, so show some respect."
"A prospective king...?"
There were mana and monsters, sure, but this was South Korea, right?
Why would a king be mentioned in a democratic country?
In the puzzling situation, I just blinked, remaining seated.
"Clearly lived in the wild..."
The girl who introduced herself as Sophia examined my tent.
She poked the tent with her cane and even pressed down on the old pot.
"Stop, please. The pot will get more dented."
"Isn't it already dented?"
"Well, yes, but I don't want it to get worse."
There was a difference between being dented enough to still be usable and being so dented that it's difficult to use.
Ordinary people didn't understand this difference, so it couldn't be helped.
"Hmm..."
Putting away her cane, the girl settled down on a nearby chair.
Sitting there with both hands on her cane, she looked similar to an elderly person.
Why was someone so young acting like an old person?
It was curious, but not important to me at the moment.
"So, this is my land now..."
"Wildness..."
Ignoring my words, the girl closed her eyes while sitting on the chair.
She seemed to be contemplating something, occasionally tapping the top of her cane with her fingers.
It was a while before she opened her eyes again.
"Just a poor kid, aren't you...?"