Having already been shown where the mayor lives, backtracking to his home wasn't too much of an issue.

The late afternoon is starting in, more people flocking into the streets. Vendors advertising their wares, more colorfully clothed people prancing and dancing the streets to the occasional bard. Children running rampant, bounding to and fro through the throng of the crowds.

Arriving at the mayor's home, the door stands open. Entering, I see a fairly bland decor with minimal decoration or splendor. Suits me fine, since he is less likely to be an uptight nut job.

There is a dual staircase, one leading up and the other leading down. The occasional art piece hanging from painted walls, the paint peeling away in some sections and in desperate need of several new coats.

At a small desk in the foyer, there is a young woman. Seated, it's difficult to gauge her height. She wears round rimmed glasses that enhance her eyes, a light blue. Reddish blonde hair to above her shoulders, a few pieces braided. No noticeable make-up, a cute button nose, and she has a slight frown gracing her features. This barely detracts from her physical appeal but its there all the same, whether from work or life in general is yet to be seen.

She looks up from the paperwork on the desk in front of her and finally grants me her attention. I'm not in such a hurry to demand her attention the moment I arrived, waiting for her to reach a point she can greet me.

“Good afternoon, what can I help you with?” Courteous, though the frown hasn't really gone away.

“My name is Gram. I'd like to see mayor Bloomspot, if he is available?”

“You don't have an appointment, do you?” Slightly accusing, but expected.

“I'm afraid I do not. If that's a problem, would you be able to point me to the person who I could purchase land and possibly a house?” Explaining the purpose of my visit, round about though it is, may help me getting information on anyone else that has that level of managerial power.

“Ah, in that case, I can help you. My name is Maria. Please have a seat.” The frown went away to be replaced with a very slight smile.

I thank her and sit. Apparently, the world is advanced enough to have records and to keep track of the actual property lines as well. This gives me a better idea of where they are at culturally. Imposing order and tracking the land usage, not to mention having units of measure to keep track of said property management, goes a long way.

So rather than ‘from the tree on the hill beside the gorge to the opposite hill’, they have a coordinate system and city managed markers to keep up with what is where and the how's, why's, and what's that is city management.

Though why Maria is the only one I see doing this is a mystery.

Having explained what I'm looking for and stating I need the land or residence outside the city, she replies, “I'm afraid I truly don't understand why you would want to be outside the city gates, Mr. Gram. We have many personal and business residences that would be able to accommodate you here within the city.” She’s acting slightly concerned, the frown back on her face.

Arching an eyebrow, I take a moment to think on that. “Maria, I value my privacy. Being around all these people would only distract me from what I'm here for.”

Maria tilts her head slightly, “And what are you here for?” I wonder if she's a gossip or just used to being blunt when discussing business deals? Either way, being honest isn't going to hurt me.

“I'm wanting to pursue my crafts. There are many materials that can be obtained in the surroundings. Rather than commute daily or stay at an inn, I want to purchase a place I can stay in that is nearby.” Having only a few months left to live, I'm eager to make at least one good thing with my name on it. A minor ambition, all considered.

I get to see the sights, craft something meaningful, and hopefully leave behind several notebooks with my memories and skills I purchased. Not quite a legacy, but it'll be enough for me.

I had seriously contemplated delving into the system mechanics. Figure out the who's and why's, but with my limited time - I figured I'd be selfish and enjoy myself. I may even figure things out as I go, but it's low on the priority list.

We manage to find a few places that meet my criteria - large living space, workshop, large amount of land, close to fresh water.

The two I decide on, surprisingly given my upbringing, was a large manor near Bo and Amelia’s place and a large plot of land adjacent to said manor. That works out well since that's the area I wanted to reside anyway.

The manor is three stories tall, with a basement for food and wine storage. There is a workshop behind the house a short ways away. A horse stall, a second housing unit for servants, and a whopping two square kilometers of land. Given the valley we're in, that's a mighty generous portion of land. Some of the area covered by the managerial markers indicates land above the valley, in and on the hilltops surrounding the valley, belonging to the property owner as well.

The land adjacent to the manor is just as large, with no work done to it. That makes it ideal for anyone rich to come in and build.

The agreed upon price was surprisingly low, not even 100k credits for both. When I asked what was wrong with the house and land, Maria said there were reports of it being haunted. I only shrugged at that and finalized the purchase.

Signatures and credits change hands, a receipt is given, to which I thank Maria for being so thorough. A slight blush and smile is all I get for that bit of flattery.

With it being late afternoon and the house being a distance away, I make sure to drop by several more places for quality linens, new bed frames, and mattresses. The quality of the frames and mattresses really surprised me, no where near the same construction style of my old world but comparable in comfort and quality finish. The manor still has most of the furniture left inside, though likely dusty from disuse. A new bed mattress is mandatory, in my most humble of opinions, because hygiene.

Maria had mentioned there were many families that would be willing to be hired as servants to help with the upkeep of the manor. I told her I'd consider it, though I was uncertain yet of the scope of work I'd need help for yet. What I didn't tell her was that since I didn't have long to live, I wasn't certain if that would be a good idea.

As I walk towards my new home, I dive into my thoughts for a bit while admiring the scenery.

My abilities and perks were hidden from me. My experience is no longer being shown. I get random or sassy system messages… given those problems alone, I don't want to look into the system mechanics much. My other purchased skills have a constantly fluctuating timer for integration on each one, so I'm not sure if I'll get those before I pass either.

Even though I didn't have a choice in this migration, I didn't think it would an uphill battle from the get-go. But that's life in general, so no use crying about it.

The assortment of guns I picked up from Meanrock and my own handguns are a crutch. Sure they have a high damage value, but they don't grow as I do. I've played enough games to know about scaled weapons and these guns are not scaled. If they can't grow with me, later they'll be a situational only type weapon rather than my main. So I'll have to bank on the skills I purchased and honing those into muscle memory. A bit of a moot point though, the constant reminder of my expiring mortality is more than a little depressing at this point. So many things hinge on having the time to explore and learn them, time that is no longer available to me.

It's all been quite the fantastical show so far, though being stuck in zombie world was a major let down. That was most of a month of my remaining time gone. Unless my biological system was time locked with everything else there.

My time with Mab was extremely short and I didn't really learn near as much as I feel I should have. But that was just as much my fault as it was hers for using me to get her daughter and completing the assessment early. That very situation is why I know I’d never make it as a hero, in any way or form. I'm simply too selfish to be able to do a task and not expect some kind of reward, if I do that task at all. While I certainly want some compensation for doing any of the tasks I take on, I certainly do not want the acclaim or notoriety that would come with any of the deeds.

Want me to save a princess? So long as I’m paid in some manner, I will do so of my own free will - unlike what happened on the hub, I didn’t even realize there was a princess present to save. Want me to save a city or fight a giant horde of monsters? Normally I’d just shrug and walk away, the people need to learn to grow stronger themselves. But if a large paycheck or other compensation is provided, then I’m more likely to consider the task.

To sum it up - I’m more mercenary than hero.

The unsung heroes of my world always had my respect. Policemen, firefighters, emergency medical personnel - they all had my respect. My brothers and sisters in the armed forces had my respect too. Well, most of them. Like many other organizations or entities, there are bad apples that are rotten to the core among all the good. That’s a part of human nature. Power corrupts and all that.

For now, I'll take my time and see if I can make something useful to another, something meaningful to this local society that I’ve encountered. I have a really good idea of what that might be, given the way the world is at the moment. Tepindo and Teena are the ones who really gave me the idea - make a large bathhouse and give the recipes for soap. It's a money maker, increases the hygiene of the people, and makes a huge city attraction for travelers. I'll just have to institute a business deal before I pass to make sure that the bathhouse won't be taken advantage of and charge outrageous sums in order to use.

While I'm sure many universe travelers have used this idea, there is also the selfish aspect - I like bath houses too, dammit.

So on top of getting the materials I'll need for enchantment, I'll need to explore the magic spells I purchased as well to see if their use will make the construction of a bathhouse easier and less expensive. Definitely got some grinding ahead of me in the very near future. Given the small hut or house I constructed with mana when I arrived for a landmark, this may be easier than I think.

I crest the last hill before coming to my newly purchased and massive property. The manor isn't centered on the land plot, being closer to the road more than any other area. That suits my purposes fine, especially so if I decide to hire on a family to help with the manor. They'd be able to run the bathhouse and become very comfortable in life, assuming politics or greedy individuals don't try to interfere. And yes, the bathhouse would be nearby, I want to use it too without walking back into the city. It’s not like it’s that far of a walk to get here.

The manor looks only a slight bit worn on the exterior. Some of the paint is faded but not outright peeling or in desperate need of being redone. Muted browns and reds are the main colors on the outside, making me cringe a little bit. Red was never really my color, easily associated with blood, pain, and death. That color will have to go, if I get the time to change it.

The weeds and grass are much taller than they should be, leaving me wondering if it should be cut or if I should get livestock to keep it down. Given how the place has been abandoned, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that an untamed jungle would start to grow.

Given what Maria told me about the place being haunted, I take the time to slowly check the perimeter. I’m more of the thought that bandits or smugglers inhabit the house and scare off possible buyers and peasants this way. Most everyone has a fear of the supernatural, more so in this universe - after all, ghosts are a real thing and they can kill you.

The perimeter checks out clean - no worn paths in the tall grass, no trampled grass, no tracks in the dirt. So that means they either have a method of traveling in the house or it really is haunted.

I check the horse stall, the workshop, and the secondary living quarters. All turn up clear of foot traffic, the dust of many months left undisturbed.

The horse stall is capable of housing at least eight large horses, being mostly covered. Three walls make up the enclosure for the stall, leaving one of the wide side towards the manor open. The stall is about three to four meters wide by about three meters deep and almost four meters tall.

The secondary living quarters is two stories tall, with a base of about one hundred fifty square meters or about sixteen hundred square feet. A very decent secondary quarters, the area not including the second floor. This can definitely handle a growing family with some room to spare, not including all the play and work area that would need attending.

I definitely need to consider livestock.

The workshop is basically the same as the living quarters, but with tools, shelves, workbenches, and cabinets instead of a place to live in. A blacksmithing forge and smelter is attached to the back and completely made of a heavy and thick brick with an open window frame and several vents in the roof. Both the smelter and forge have chimneys going up and out to help with air flow. Purely a work area with lots of room to store things. Briefly wandering through, I did not find anything except the tools left behind. Pity.

Having the tools present will make things much easier in the future though.

Investigating the manor is last. I slowly make my way in, noting the hinges do not squeak. The light coming in through the doorway shows no tracks in the accumulated dust, making me frown. I slowly start to explore the first floor for any sign of habitation, wandering from room to room. At the moment, I don’t care what each room could be, I’m looking for anything hostile and keeping an eye on my hud.

Straining my senses, I come back to the staircase. The left side goes upstairs, the right side heads down into the basement. I head down the basement first, taking each step slow incase they creak. I’m trying not to give my presence away if there is anyone present.

The basement is about half the size of the main floor above. Instead of wooden pillars for support, the previous owners went all out and invested in sturdy marble pillars. Round, almost half a meter or a foot and a half wide, they could be white or a similar color. Given my night vision, I won’t know for certain until I get lighting set up down here.

There are several large casks alongside the wall opposite the staircase, shelving on the walls to either side. No other tracks are present, making me frown a little more.

I wander up to the second floor with the same results, no visible sign of foot traffic. I finally get results when I make it to the third floor.

The third floor has a corridor to the opposite side of the house, this floor being for the bedrooms and master bedroom for the manor.

At the very end of the corridor, I find my answer to whether this place is haunted or not.

It is.