Black Phoenix Heir
Chapter 168 — A Place to Call Home
Victor continued through the market until he finally spotted Lyra.
She was still sitting at the same table, her hood pulled over her head and covering most of her face.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be doing much.
A young man was sitting across from her, clearly trying to start a conversation.
1
Victor shook his head.
Of course.
Even with her hood covering most of her features, Lyra was still far too beautiful to go unnoticed.
Covering her ears wasn't enough.
Victor slowly walked toward the table.
As he reached them, he smiled.
"Hello, dear."
Lyra looked up.
"Are you ready to go?"
For a brief moment, her expression froze.
She hadn't expected Victor to call her that.
Lyra glanced toward the young man sitting across from her.
"Sorry, but I have to go."
The young man looked confused.
"Why?"
Victor answered before Lyra could.
"This is my wife you're talking to."
1
The young man's expression immediately changed.
Lyra froze.
She clearly hadn't expected that either.
A faint blush appeared across her face.
1
Victor reached down, grabbed her hand, and gently pulled her away from the table.
"We'll be leaving now."
He gave the young man a slightly annoyed look.
The boy quickly nodded.
"No, I completely understand. I'm sorry."
Victor nodded before pulling Lyra away.
They had only walked a few steps before Lyra finally spoke.
"What was that about?"
Victor glanced at her.
"I had to think of something so we wouldn't cause a scene."
"You called me your wife."
Victor laughed.
"I just needed an excuse to get you away from that conversation. You didn't want to talk to him anyway, did you?"
Lyra shook her head.
"No."
"Then what's the problem?"
"That's not the point."
Victor laughed again.
He glanced at her and smiled.
Lyra's expression remained slightly embarrassed.
Then, from beneath her cape, something suddenly moved.
A small black blur shot outward.
Nala flew directly toward Victor before disappearing underneath his cape.
A moment later, Victor felt the little Firebird nuzzling against him.
He laughed.
"Hey, Nala."
The little bird chirped happily.
Lyra stared at him.
"We're not just going to walk past that like that didn't happen."
Victor looked at her innocently.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
1
He smiled and continued walking.
Lyra stared at him for another moment before following.
The three of them eventually made their way toward the residential district.
As they walked, Victor explained his plan to Lyra.
"The easiest way for you to stay under the radar is to let everyone think we're married."
1
Lyra immediately shook her head.
"No."
Victor sighed.
"Just hear me out."
She looked at him reluctantly.
"We need to get you a citizen ID. Without one, you're going to have trouble doing almost anything in the Tower."
Lyra remained quiet.
"If we register ourselves as husband and wife, we can create a marriage certificate and use that to establish your identity."
Victor shrugged.
"We're only pretending."
Lyra didn't look convinced.
Victor glanced at her.
"You'll have an identity, a place to stay, and a reason to be around me all the time. Nobody will think it's strange."
Lyra's expression slowly changed.
She didn't like the idea.
That much was obvious.
But she also knew Victor wasn't wrong.
There weren't many other options.
And she trusted him.
After a while, she finally sighed and nodded.
"Fine."
Victor smiled.
"See? Not so bad."
Lyra looked away.
Her face was already beginning to turn red again.
Victor couldn't help but laugh.
She was clearly going to have a hard time getting used to this.
Eventually, they arrived at the residential district.
A realtor agency stood near the entrance.
Victor walked inside with Lyra following closely behind.
The interior was surprisingly clean.
Several holographic displays showed different properties throughout the Tower.
Victor approached the counter.
"Excuse me. I'm looking to rent a place for me and my wife."
Lyra immediately looked toward the floor.
He noticed.
He couldn't help but find her embarrassment amusing.
1
A woman working behind the counter smiled.
"Of course. I can help you with that."
She pulled up a holographic display.
"We have several vacancies available right now. Would you prefer somewhere closer to the Alchemy District or closer to the market?"
Victor thought about it.
The market was probably safer.
The Alchemy District would likely have more cultivators, alchemists, and Tower personnel watching everyone who came and went.
He didn't want unnecessary attention.
"The market."
"Perfect."
The woman nodded.
"Are you free right now? I can take you to see a few of the available locations."
Victor nodded.
"Yes, I'd love to."
He glanced at Lyra.
Then, mostly because he wanted to tease her again, he smiled.
"How does that sound, honey?"
1
Lyra's face turned even redder.
"Yes."
She quickly looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers.
1
Victor smiled.
He was beginning to enjoy this far too much.
The realtor led them through the residential district for roughly ten minutes.
Eventually, they arrived at a row of newer apartments.
She pointed toward one of the buildings.
"This building is one of our newer properties. A first-floor unit would cost approximately one thousand credits per month."
Victor nearly choked.
"One thousand?"
The realtor looked at him.
Victor stared at the building.
One thousand credits?
That was how much it cost to buy your freedom from slavery.
What is this place made out of? Gold?
The realtor noticed his reaction.
"If that's outside your budget, I completely understand. This is one of the newest buildings in the Tower. It has all the latest functions and daily necessities."
She smiled.
"It's also a preferred location for newlyweds."
Victor glanced at Lyra.
Lyra immediately looked away.
Victor turned back toward the realtor.
"What other locations can you show us? Something a little cheaper?"
"Of course."
She smiled.
"Let's take a look at another area."
Another ten minutes passed.
Eventually, they arrived at a much smaller building.
It wasn't nearly as clean or impressive as the previous one.
But Victor didn't care.
The realtor pointed toward it.
"These units generally range between two and three hundred credits per month."
Victor thought about it.
"That's perfect."
He looked at Lyra.
"Let's take one of these."
The realtor smiled.
"Right this way."
They entered the building and looked at one of the available units.
Victor immediately understood why it was cheaper.
It was small.
Very small.
It was essentially a studio apartment.
There was a single living area with a bed, a small kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower.
That was it.
Victor looked around.
He turned toward Lyra.
"What do you think?"
Lyra looked around the room.
Then her eyes landed on the bed.
"But there's only one bed."
Victor laughed.
He lowered his voice so the realtor couldn't hear.
"Don't worry about that. We'll figure it out."
1
Victor turned toward the realtor.
"We'll take it. This is perfect."
"Wonderful."
The realtor pulled out a holographic card.
"Just tap your citizen ID against this. It'll bring up the rental agreement."
Victor pulled out his newly acquired ID and tapped it against the card.
A holographic document appeared.
He signed it.
The system processed the transaction almost immediately.
"The credits will automatically be transferred from your account," the realtor explained. "Rent is due at the beginning of every month."
She smiled.
"And if you ever want to upgrade your living situation, my contact information has already been added to your citizen ID. Just give me a call."
Victor nodded.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The woman smiled.
"I hope you enjoy your new home."
She turned and walked out.
Victor waited until she was gone before looking around the apartment again.
He couldn't help but appreciate how easy the process had been.
Then he remembered how much it cost.
"Two to three hundred credits a month…"
Victor shook his head.
"Still daylight robbery."
1
Lyra glanced at him.
Victor sighed.
"At least we finally have somewhere to live."
He looked toward her.
"Now we just need to figure out how to hide your Shadow Fox characteristics and get you a citizen ID."
Victor shook his head.
"Things just keep piling up."
Lyra remained quiet for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Okay."
Victor smiled.
"Let's take a little break."
He glanced around their new home.
"We've got somewhere to sleep now. That's a good start."
He looked back at Lyra.
"After that, we'll head out and buy a few things for the place."
1
Lyra nodded.
"Okay."
Victor and Lyra had a place he could call home.
1
It wasn't much.
But for now, it was enough.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
ReportUse arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
Loading comments…