Chapter 135: Buying a House
As soon as Zhou Ning appeared, the players who had been eagerly waiting for him couldn't hold themselves back and rushed forward.
It was already the fourth day since the game's official launch. Players had begun accumulating some money and experience. Once their desire to spend was awakened, the sales record on the interface kept refreshing nonstop.
[Your item "Wandering Gunslinger Class Transfer Manual" has been sold. You received 10 Vectas.]
[Your skill C.A.R Shooting Technique has been learned. You gained 9500 EXP and 30 Roshens.]
[Your skill Mozambique Shooting Technique has been learned. You gained 12,000 EXP and 40 Roshens.]
[Your item "Devil Fruit" has been sold. You received 800 Vectas.]
Oh? Zhou Ning's eyes widened slightly at the last message.
He had priced that Devil Fruit at 800 Vectas. For someone to afford that in the early stages of the game—when most people didn't have more than 15 Vectas—was unbelievable. Do they have a mine at home or something?
Soon enough, Zhou Ning noticed a player with the ID "Sunken Star Beneath the Water" holding a blue, spiral-patterned Devil Fruit.
Ah, it's him—Zhou Ning suddenly understood. That explained everything.
The largest pro-gaming club in the country, "Star Moon," belonged to him. He was practically the Wang Sicong of Earth in this world. Although he wasn't considered a top-tier player in his previous life, he was born into immense wealth. Thanks to his "pay-to-win" prowess, he had even participated in the first and second seasons of the Apocalypse Pro League and actually achieved decent results.
At the moment, Sunken Star Beneath the Water was dressed in a black trench coat identical to Zhou Ning's—clearly an expensive purchase—and even had the same M1878 revolver at his waist. He was clearly cosplaying Zhou Ning, replicating his look from head to toe. Aside from the lackluster looks, the resemblance was nearly perfect.
Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes and sized him up. A rich fanboy, huh? Seemed like a quality customer.
Meanwhile, the other players were stunned by Sunken Star Beneath the Water's extravagance. This was the first time anyone had actually bought the legendary Devil Fruit!
Several streamers quietly opened their livestreams and started broadcasting the moment.
Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Sunken Star Beneath the Water took a decisive bite of the Devil Fruit. He immediately froze in place.
All eyes snapped to him.
Sunken Star Beneath the Water: …
Suddenly, he felt immense pressure. His vanity was satisfied, sure—but the taste? Absolutely disgusting, worse than crap. According to the fruit's description, though, it had to be fully consumed for its effects to activate.
So he shut his eyes and forced himself to wolf down the rest in two or three bites, almost losing his mind in the process.
Before everyone's eyes, his ears grew longer, his skin darkened, and his teeth sharpened. In the blink of an eye, his head transformed into that of a black jackal.
The players on-site were dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped, unable to speak for several seconds.
"Holy crap, what is that? A war beast?"
"Damn, that looks so badass!"
Transformed into a jackal-man, Sunken Star Beneath the Water looked confused at first. But after trying a jump—clearing over two meters with ease—and testing his strength and speed, he found significant improvements.
Returning to human form, his face lit up with excitement. "My Strength increased by 30%, Agility by 35%, and HP by around 40%. This is seriously powerful!"
"That's the Dog-Dog Fruit: Jackal Form. A very powerful ability," Zhou Ning said with a smile. "You can freely switch between your humanoid and beast forms. In jackal form, your physical abilities are greatly enhanced. Fully developed, it's not inferior to any superpower. Congratulations."
"I like adventurers with potential. If I'm free, you're always welcome to come find me."
[Wayne Sturwell's Favorability toward you has increased by 5 points.]
[You've triggered an E-rank quest: "Wayne Sturwell's Invitation." Accept/Decline?]
[Raise your total level to 20, then seek out Wayne Sturwell again. He will seriously consider your eligibility to join the Starry Sky Guild.]
"Th-thank you…" After reading the quest prompt, Sunken Star Beneath the Water felt his heart pounding. He hurriedly accepted the quest.
"Damn, did he just trigger some kind of hidden storyline?"
"Is it because we didn't spend enough?"
Possibly spurred on by Sunken Star Beneath the Water, the rest of the players—though lacking his deep pockets—also started spending like crazy.
What followed was Zhou Ning watching his EXP bar skyrocket. With over a thousand people present, it wasn't long before his total experience surged past 900,000—more than he had earned in over a month of hard alchemy work. The efficiency was insane.
Most importantly, Zhou Ning didn't lose anything from teaching skills. It was pure profit. Only someone like him—with both a player panel and NPC capabilities—could pull off this kind of feat.
The 3,500 guns he'd just exchanged were instantly reduced by almost a thousand units. All his beginner healing potions were sold out. Even some of the firearms he'd won from the lottery were sold—more than a dozen in total. Zhou Ning realized he had still underestimated players' spending power.
By the time he left, his accumulated experience had soared to an unprecedented 1.27 million, and his savings had surpassed 10,000, reaching a new high of 11,369 Vectas. While it was just startup capital by John's standards, to Zhou Ning—a once-poor man—it was a historic leap.
It was time to carefully plan how to use this money.
He had too many secrets. Staying at school was fine in the short term, but long-term, he needed to rent—or even buy—a house. And with his current funds, that was well within reach.
Time to reap the profits! Buy a house and a car in just three days!
After a bit of thought, Zhou Ning hailed a carriage and headed for the Urban Fair Housing Association in the Seton River District.
In real-world history, the first Urban Fair Housing Association was established in 1845 in Britain. Here, they'd copied the concept wholesale—name and all. Zhou Ning figured this too was the work of the simulator. Total beast move.
Twenty minutes later, Zhou Ning walked into the association, where a friendly-looking man in his forties greeted him warmly.
"Welcome to the 'Darkland Urban Fair Housing Association,' sir. What kind of property are you looking for?"
"A terraced house," Zhou Ning replied, "preferably near the Trade District and Seton River area, with a garden and stable."
The man pulled out a map, marked with property locations. He explained the advantages and pricing of each site.
According to his explanation, Zhou Ning found that housing prices were far cheaper than he remembered. Compared to the late-game scenario—when guilds had more liquidity, corporations had moved in, and every inch of land was priceless—prices now were practically giveaways. A decent three-story townhouse only cost around 3,000 to 4,000 Vectas. It was almost like getting it for free.
Zhou Ning had more than enough money. Even if he set aside half for living expenses, the rest could be used to buy property—which wouldn't just hold value but might also appreciate. Why not?
Virtual real estate held value just like real-world property.
Half an hour later, Zhou Ning finally found a place he liked.
"117 Gibbon Street, Seton River District. A three-story townhouse with garden and stable. Weekly rent: 35 Roshens. Purchase price: 3,600 Vectas."
Zhou Ning thought it was a decent deal. The Seton River District was close to central Darkland City, near the Sunwatchers' HQ at Withershire Square and Saint Raymond Cathedral—so safety wasn't a concern. It was also right next to the Trade District, with heavy foot traffic. Business would be easy. With a carriage, it only took about 20 minutes to reach Vick University.
Once he confirmed his intent to buy, the man nodded and rang a bell. A skinny young man quickly arrived.
"Caspar will take you to 117 Gibbon Street. You can decide after seeing it."
Before long, Zhou Ning stepped out of the house and nodded to the skinny young man named Caspar. "I'm very satisfied with this property."
"I'd like to purchase it outright. What's the next step?"
Truthfully, Zhou Ning was extremely pleased with the place. Not only did it have a large garden, the interior furnishings were high-quality. On the right side stood a spacious detached structure already converted into a comprehensive lab—for both alchemy and mechanical research. There was even an independent stable in the back corner.
Hearing Zhou Ning's decision, Caspar smiled. "Let's return to the housing association. We have in-house legal advisors who will handle the paperwork. Would you also like to hire domestic staff? We collaborate with the Household Servants Guild."
"I'll need to hire a maid and a coachman," Zhou Ning replied without hesitation.
After a busy four hours, Zhou Ning finally completed all the procedures. After paying, he received a brass key—official proof that he now owned the house and could move in at any time.
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