Chapter 40: Place to stay [1]

Rael stepped out of the phone shop and immediately opened a crypto app on the new device. It asked for almost nothing—just a name and a number. He typed in Rael Ashborne without hesitation. The Blackthorn name no longer belonged to him. They had thrown him out; he saw no reason to keep carrying it.

He transferred the remaining nine million credits from the old account. The process finished in under two minutes. Once the balance showed on the new wallet, he took out the old phone. Photos of friends, family, even private messages from the girl he once liked still sat in the gallery. He felt nothing looking at them. Those people had shown their real faces the moment he became useless. He was glad they had. He dropped the phone on the sidewalk, raised his heel, and smashed it once, twice, until the screen spider-webbed into useless glass. Then he kicked the pieces into a public dustbin and walked on.

His stomach growled hard enough to hurt. All he had consumed since returning was one cup of coffee. A few meters ahead a street cart glowed under a flickering red neon sign. The smell of grilled meat cut through the usual city smoke. Rael joined the short line. When his turn came he ordered a large hot dog with extra cheese.

The vendor—an older man with a stained apron and a permanent scowl—worked in silence, slapped the finished dog into a paper tray, and took the crypto payment with a grunt. Rael took the first bite while still standing there. After months of half-burned monster meat and eventually no salt at all, the simple rush of fat, cheese, and soft bread felt almost luxurious. He finished it in four more bites and kept walking.

On the new phone he opened a housing map and filtered for available rentals. Most of the decent places near the Official Dimensional Gate were marked expensive. He flagged a few options, then raised a hand. A ground taxi slid to the curb with a soft hydraulic hiss.

Rael climbed in and gave the address of the contractor’s office. The driver nodded once and pulled into traffic.

The taxi climbed onto an elevated bridge. Through the window the city stretched out in layered lights—neon signs, floating ad boards, and the dark silhouettes of towers. In the distance one building rose higher than all the others, a black monolith with the glowing AAA crest near its peak: the Awakener Authority Association. Rael had no intention of going there today. Shelter first. Everything else later.

The taxi stopped in front of a narrow three-story office wedged between a pawn shop and a closed noodle stand. Rael paid and stepped out. The same contractor who had sold him the old apartment still worked here. He had a score to settle.

Inside, the reception area was small and over-lit. A woman with tightly pulled hair sat behind a scratched metal desk. She looked up, gave a practiced smile, and asked what he needed. Rael said he wanted to rent. She checked the schedule, typed something, and told him to wait. He sat on a plastic chair that creaked under even his weight. Five minutes later she called his name—well, the name he had given—and pointed to the inner door.

Daniel sat behind a wider desk in a cheap dark suit. His black hair was slicked back with too much product, and the lights made it look greasy. He glanced up as Rael entered and offered a polite, empty smile.

"Mr. Rael, please sit down. What can I do for you?"

Rael sat. "I need a place to rent."

Daniel tapped his tablet and began scrolling through listings, tilting the screen so Rael could see. "Any particular area?"

"Near the Official Dimensional Gate."

Daniel’s eyebrows rose. "Those run higher than average. You understand why."

"I understand."

Daniel kept scrolling, making small talk. "Where are you staying right now?"

"I used to live in the XYZ apartments," Rael said flatly. "The owner sold the place out from under me."

Daniel frowned, still not recognizing him. "That’s odd. Those units fall under my jurisdiction."

Rael dropped Conceal.

The change was subtle but immediate. Daniel’s eyes widened. The color drained from his face so fast it looked like someone had pulled a plug. He remembered the quiet young man who had paid cash for the apartment months ago—the Blackthorn heir the news later declared missing. He had assumed the kid was dead or gone for good and had quietly resold the unit last month for a second profit.

"M-Mr. Rael—Blackthorn—"

Rael said nothing. He simply watched.

Daniel shot up from his chair so fast it rolled backward and hit the wall. He hurried around the desk and dropped to one knee beside Rael’s chair, hands clasped.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought— the articles said missing— I never would have—"

Rael looked down at him with complete indifference. "Give me my money back first."

Daniel scrambled back to his seat, fingers shaking as he opened the payment interface. "Of course, of course." He entered a number. "Five hundred thousand. Please, scan here."

Rael didn’t move. "With interest."

Daniel’s throat worked. He changed the amount. "Eight hundred thousand. That’s more than fair, yes?"

Rael kept staring.

A single bead of sweat rolled down Daniel’s temple. His voice cracked. "One million. One million credits. Please."

Only then did Rael lift his new phone and complete the transfer. The moment the confirmation appeared he gave a small, polite smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Happy to do business with you."

Daniel stayed frozen in his chair, face pale, hands still trembling on the tablet. In his mind the quiet customer across the desk had transformed into something far more dangerous than any ordinary client.

Rael smoothed the front of his jacket once, and Daniel was happy like a man who had just survived a mugging by an extremely polite bully.

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[Strome2warden thanks for the gift.] 😊