As an NPC, having a lot of skills is quite reasonable, right?

Moen sat at the table in the room, fiddling with a few gold coins in his hand, with a crumpled bill spread out in front of him.

"One, two, three..."

Including the money Arya insisted on giving him before leaving and the small token of appreciation from the shopkeeper, he only had four gold coins and forty-five silver coins at most.

In this world, everything from purchasing alchemy materials and maintaining equipment to even eating, drinking, and relieving oneself requires money.

Moen currently has no stable source of income and is in the midst of a crisis where he is living off his savings!

His current plan is to rent a house as a temporary residence, and then have Erwin make some magical devices, which he will then sell on the market.

You should know that the magical artifacts of the Star Pattern Academy are priceless and in high demand. If they sell just one or two of them, the two of them can live comfortably for several months.

Moen glanced at Elwin, who was engrossed in reading "Elementary Magic Circuit Analysis" next to him, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

The money from before was given by Arya, and the money for the future depends on Erwin making magical artifacts.

"Does this count as me living off a woman?"

Moen stroked his chin, then self-consolingly declared, "How can a scholar's actions be called being a kept man? This is a reward I deserve, earned through my own abilities and wisdom!"

Moen also considered exercising the privilege of the Silver Balance Badge given to him by Arya, taking it to the local branch of the Church of Judgment, and explaining his needs, hoping that someone would rush to solve them.

But Moen quickly dismissed the idea.

Nohanville was, after all, under the jurisdiction of the disciplinary bishop François Valen.

The local official has more influence than the current one. If he uses Arya's badge to make a deal, those chapter members will probably end up having to defer to François.

That old fox was willing to give him the sword for the sake of face, but he was also willing to sabotage him in secret for the same reason.

"We still have to rely on ourselves." Moen sighed, put away his money pouch, and tapped the table. "I'm going out for a bit."

……

Following the map, Moen arrived at the Copper Pigeon House Guild.

This is the largest real estate agency in Norhamville. It has a small storefront and not many customers.

Moen walked to the counter and knocked on the wooden sign: "I want to rent a house."

The real estate agent, a lean middle-aged man, didn't even look up: "An apartment in the north of the city costs five silver coins a month, while a detached house in the south costs twenty silver coins, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent in advance."

Moen glanced at the location on the map, frowned, and said, "It's too noisy. I need to do my research and I need some quiet."

"And is there any way to make it cheaper? I think these are a bit expensive."

The agent finally looked up and stared at Moen as if he were a fool: "Sir, if you want peace and quiet and a cheap price, you might as well sleep in a cemetery; it's the quietest place there."

Moen knew his request was a bit excessive, but he wasn't annoyed. He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the counter.

"Really not? It doesn't matter if it's remote or a bit run-down, as long as it's big and quiet enough."

Upon hearing this unique request, the agent's eyes darted around, and he suddenly remembered a long-standing mess that had been piling up in his hands.

He looked around, then mysteriously pulled Moen to a corner: "Sir, you know what, there really is a place that meets your requirements."

He pulled out a dusty house deed from the bottom of the counter.

"Blackberry Estate, located halfway up a mountain in the west of the city, is backed by a cliff, offering panoramic views. It features its own garden and underground wine cellar, and is absolutely quiet and spacious!"

Moen glanced at the portrait of the house, a typical Gothic stone building, somewhat dilapidated but still retaining its grandeur.

"How much?"

"Three gold coins." The agent held up three fingers. "Selling directly, the land is yours too."

Moen squinted.

In Norhamville, a manor of this size would normally fetch at least 30 gold coins.

Three gold coins? What's the difference between that and giving them away for free?

Moen immediately realized what was happening and asked, "Has someone died in this house? Or is it haunted?"

The agent rubbed his hands awkwardly: "Ahem... there are indeed some rumors. It's said that strange noises come from the house every midnight, and the furniture flies up on its own. The previous owners were all scared crazy."

"The church people performed several exorcisms, saying they didn't find any evil spirits, but the strange things just wouldn't stop."

"So this is a rock-bottom price, as long as you're brave enough..."

After some hesitation, Moen finally said, "I'll go take a look first, and if I like the house, I'll take it."

But in reality, he almost couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.

Haunted? If it's a physical haunting, then using a sword to reason with people can easily solve the problem.

If the haunting is on a magical level, then the newly joined mage can demonstrate his role in the team.

In this world, as long as you have a health bar, there's nothing that can't be solved.

……

After discussing some details, Moen first took the agent to the hotel and brought Alvin out.

The agent then took the two to the Blackberry Manor in the west of the city.

The agent took Moen to the foot of the mountain and refused to go any further. After handing Moen the key, he said that Moen could stay for one night and come to the store to sign the contract the next day if he was satisfied.

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Moen led Elwin up the overgrown stone steps.

The higher you go, the lower the temperature gets, and a faint musty smell permeates the air.

Ten minutes later, the Blackberry Farm that the agent had mentioned came into view.

It was indeed very grand, but because no one had lived there for a long time, withered dark red vines climbed all over the black stone walls, and the statue in the yard was missing half its head, making it look particularly eerie under the gloomy sky.

"Mr. Moen..." Elwin shrank back and hugged the magic book in his arms tightly.

"The magic concentration here seems a bit off."

Hearing Alvin's reminder, Moen pushed open the front door of the house, and the hinges, worn out from long periods of disuse, creaked.

As soon as the two entered the hall, a cold draft suddenly rose up.

Immediately afterwards, the huge crystal chandelier in the center of the hall suddenly began to shake violently, and a vase next to it flew into the air and smashed hard into Moen's head!

"A mere trifle." Moen didn't even draw his sword; he simply tilted his head slightly, and the vase shattered against the wall, grazing his ear.

"Alvin, get to work," Moen calmly commanded.

"Activate Arcane Vision to find the source."

"Yes!" Alvin instantly overcame his fear once he got into work mode.

She held the spellbook and cast [Spell Analysis], a blue ripple sweeping across the entire hall.

"Found it!" Alvin pointed to a huge oil painting in the second-floor corridor.

"It's not a ghost! It's a phase rift!"

In her field of vision, behind the oil painting was a hole the size of a thumb, constantly emitting blue bubbles.

A translucent creature was stuck in the hole, its tentacles flailing wildly in the air, stirring up the surrounding magic field and causing objects to fly around.

【Void Hermit Crab Lv.12】

It was this guy!

Moen was overjoyed when he saw the name on the panel.

Void Hermit Crabs are similar to the Crystallizers in Dark Souls. Killing them yields rare magical materials and a chance to obtain Dimensional Shells, which are spatial storage equipment with an extremely low drop rate.

This monster is weak in every way, but it is very good at escaping. If you can't kill it in one hit, you won't have a second chance.

"Wait for my command. Use [Gravity Turbulence] to pull it out. I have a way to restrict its movement."

Seeing how serious Moen was, Elwin nodded while holding the grimoire in his hands, not daring to breathe loudly.

"3, 2, 1, unleash your skill!"

[Spell: Gravitational Turbulence] is cast, creating a small gravitational vortex precisely in front of the painting.

"Squeak!!!" The void hermit crab let out a piercing scream as it was forcibly pulled out of the crack in the wall by the reverse gravity and slammed to the ground. Before it could escape, it was trapped by Moen's Crystal Web.

"Thud." A sword pierced through.

Team up to defeat the special monster: Void Hermit Crab Lv.12

Experience points gained: 962

[Gained Mortal Fragments: 20 + 30 (First Kill Reward)]

Moen pursed his lips, regretting his bad luck in not getting any equipment. Then, to his surprise, he discovered that for some reason, this kill hadn't unlocked the statue.

With the death of the hermit crab, the world fell silent instantly. The chandelier stopped swaying, and the chilly wind dissipated. The rumored haunted house was thus resolved.

Furthermore, Void Hermit Crabs are creatures that prefer to stay in places with abundant magic, which means this place will be a natural magic laboratory.

After resolving the ghosting issue, Moen returned to the city, paid the money, and received the property deed.

However, when Moen returned to Ashfire Tavern to pack his luggage, the owner surprisingly asked him to pay the bills for the past few days.

Moen explained that this was the portion already paid by the church, but the tavern owner flatly denied it, saying that the church hadn't given him a single penny and that it was perfectly reasonable for him to come to these guests to demand payment for their rooms.

Moen was too lazy to waste his breath.

He showed off the badge Arya had given him, startling the tavern owner so much that the owner begged for 1 gold coin as an apology before forcing a stiff smile and seeing Moen off.

At dusk.

Moen stood on the third-floor terrace of the manor, holding a glass of cheap ale in his hand. Below him were the twinkling lights of Nohanville, and in the distance, the snow-capped mountains and the setting sun.

A cold wind blew by, but he didn't feel cold.

In his previous life on Earth, he struggled to survive and couldn't even afford a toilet. Now, in this strange world, although dangers lurk everywhere, he owns his own hillside manor.

"This is where my life began." A sense of indescribable satisfaction welled up in Moen's heart.

While Moen was still admiring the beautiful scenery, he heard footsteps behind him.

Alvin, carrying a pile of old books he had just cleaned, his face covered in dust, was beaming with excitement.

"Mr. Moen! Mr. Moen! I want this room on the third floor! The window here faces the star trails; it has the best view!"

"And another thing, that basement is perfect! The magic node is right below it. I want to turn it into a magic device workshop. With just a little setup, we can even save money on charging crystals!"

Moen turned around, looked at the chief employee who was already planning for the future, raised his glass, and touched the spine of the book in her arms: "Approved."

"Starting tomorrow, this will be our new home."

It was specially redrawn on new paper; does anyone understand its value? —Moen