Alaric was prepared for these two.
The previous options were poor, and didn't seem extremely suitable for human living. However, their price was enticing. The innate danger also provided increased privacy, as people wouldn't bother to check in on him.
If he were to sell things, he would likely take cargo onto his boat and bring it into the city, or figure out some way to transport goods in a more efficient way.
Despite the increased price, there would likely be increased benefits going along with these two houses.
"Alright. Let's see them." Alaric said confidently. After seeing how bad the bad houses were, he was slightly more convinced towards the side of the houses that would be outside of his budget.
"First one here is 430 Charred." Simon said, handing Alaric a sheet.
"Beachfront property. Direct access to the beach, decent house. One bed, one bath." Simon said plainly.
Alaric looked at the house. It was a humble brick house that was a pretty perfect cube.
"What's the downside?" Alaric asked. This house was nice, and the location seemed alright. For such a low price there must be some kind of hangup.
"Well, it's in a flood zone for one. Whenever it rains, the house gets filled with some water. Whoever built it didn't plan for this clearly. On top of that, there are no super dangerous beasts nearby, but there are Banshee Birds near it unfortunately."
Now it made sense. This house was more inconvenient than dangerous. Banshee birds were notoriously annoying birds that had incredibly loud voices. They posed no danger other than annoyance.
The flooding thing wasn't horrible.
"Since I'm going to be isolated anyway, I could just find a way to keep my stuff dry." Alaric thought. This would likely be easier said than done, but at the end of the day it's just water in the flood.
This house easily had the best location. Alaric was reasonably inclined towards this house.
"Alright. I understand. This one is solid. What about the last one?" Alaric asked.
"This one doesn't have any gimmicky downsides. It's a basic shack that's ten minutes from the beach. Decently far out from the city." Simon said, showing the picture of the reasonable and humble house.
As he said, it was a standard one person house. It was almost like an apartment that was placed on a beach.
"I mean it's exactly what I'm looking for. How much?" Alaric really did want this house.
"1500 charred." Simon said flatly. "You could take a loan out for it, it really wouldn't be that bad." Simon continued.
This was true. In this housing market a house like this was a steal. The only issue for normal people would be that the house was cramped and secluded, but as a vacation home it would be awesome.
"Let me think." Alaric said.
He went over all of the houses in his mind.
"Deathworm house."
"Wolf cabin."
"River monkey and wolves."
"Skipping that one."
"Bird house."
"Normal house."
Alaric weighed them in his mind. He wanted to spend as little money as possible.
"I can just do a cash deal now and I get the deed?" Alaric asked. He wanted a quick transaction here.
"Exactly. Just sign a paper, and give us the money, and it's yours." Simon said smiling.
"Hmmmmm…" Alaric was thinking deeply.
"Alright. I know which one I want." Alaric said.
"Which one is it?" Simon was curious.
"Give me the one next to the river. It's 120 charred right?" Alaric asked. This was the house that he decided on.
"Wow, really? I mean, sure. 120 charred." Simon said. He was initially taken back. It was a horrible location for a house. He didn't even know why someone bothered building a house there.
"Deal."Alaric took out 120 charred and gave it to the man. He then shook his hand.
Simon went over into a file and got the deed.
"Sign." Simon said urgently. He was clearly very happy about the deal.
Alaric signed the paper. He was now the proud owner of a shitty house next to Fleshmonkeys and Wolves.
There were a couple reasons why Alaric chose this location.
Firstly, it was close to the ocean. He would create a small dock out at the ocean area. The river would be impractical to use as its flow would be a pain to deal with when getting back from the ocean.
But the river did provide benefits. It would provide a constant source of water. This was good for multiple reasons. Firstly, it would be good for cleanliness. Alaric could clean himself and his clothes in the river. Secondly, it would provide an area to fish. The ocean wasn't the only option. Thirdly, if he were to keep his fish, he could likely leverage the river in a way to create a pond to keep fish in.
The main issue would be with the neighbors. But there were pros and cons to them as well.
If Alaric would be able to get some strength from some Esoteric Fish, he would be able to test them efficiently on the wolves and monkeys. Along with being able to test them, he would be able to use them for food. Wolf meat tasted fine, so it would be nice to have a possible food source there.
Thirdly, if he became strong enough to effectively deal with the beasts in the woods, he could sell the loot from them for money. He could use this for money laundering, or in a pinch he could pose as a hunting mage.
The house itself was of very poor quality, but that was of no issue to Alaric. He was perfectly content sleeping on a cold floor in a broken down house.
It would be uncomfortable, but he wouldn't spend much time there. He would likely spend more time on his ship fishing.
Alaric was content with the deal.
"Here's a map. I marked where the house is." Simon said, handing Alaric a decent quality map.
The house was reasonably far from the city, but it was manageable.
He would set out on his boat and move in when he could.