Chapter 42

Orphanage

-still Kara-

After the business meeting, I have Nani watch over our new charges. While Doko and Dare accompany me on Master's other important errand. You see, good Karma doesn't just happen. You have to work for it. It's about how much good you do, not how much you spent to do it. That's just some form of self-indulgence.

Anyway, our first stop is a local realty office, in one of the lesser business districts. They take us right in to talk to one of their lesser managers. Not like the inn and restaurant owners last night. I guess they value someone brazen enough to show up to their office as a potentially valuable customer. Or maybe they heard some rumors about us.

Kara) "We're looking to purchase or build a manor on behalf of our Master. Though not for his personal use."

Realtor) "Can you give me some more details? What purpose, how big, how luxurious, does it need to be close to any businesses? Things like that."

K) "It will be a charity, an orphanage. As big as you can arrange. Other than being safe, sturdy and in good repair, it does not need any luxury. Though room for a garden would be good, however I don't expect that inside a city. As for business, a bit out of the way of busy streets, balanced with being close to a fresh market¹this is like a flea market that only sells food items, 365. mostly raw, some still live. It was pretty much the only option until grocery stores became a big thing sometime around the start of the 20th century. In some places it is still preferred. for obvious reasons."

R) "Hmm" (shuffles some parchments, reads through a couple of them) "We don't have anything quite like you are looking for, though there is an old set of run-down buildings in an area like you were hoping for. If you could convince their owners to sell, we could have your orphanage built there."

K) "If you would arrange a guide, we will check on it right away."

. .

The first 2 homeowners agree without any hassle. The third is out working, we'll check back later then. But then the fourth absolutely refuses to consider talking to 'mutts'. Well, that's that.

K) "Sorry, looks like we won't be able to finish the arrangements. Tell your bosses we are sorry for wasting their time. This is for the trouble. We'll tell the other owners the bad news."

I hand the runner sent by the realty agent 5 taels of gold.²about U.S.$12K, as just a TIP

4th) "Now wait a minute, mutts. Maybe we can talk business after all."

K) "A man must stick to his principles. Let's go."

K) (to first and second) "It seems we won't be able to purchase your homes. We needed the whole lot and this neighbor of yours refuses to even talk with 'mutts like us.' Sorry for wasting your time."

Even when he tried to be polite, he had no idea how to be polite. I wonder how much this personality flaw cost him over his lifetime. Well, it's not my problem. It's his neighbors'.

Though our meetings with the auction houses, the realtor and the homeowners were fairly quick, we also spent a good amount of time walking from place to place. So now it's lunchtime. We are pleasantly surprised by the current level of hospitality. Maybe there really were some rumors about us?

(think they're being quiet) "Look, do you think that's them?" "No, there's 3 of em. There were 4 who went to the City Lord's Manor." "Maybe one of them is busy or something."

So there really were rumors about us. I wonder what it is they're saying? If it's really important, we'll find out later.

After lunch we went to another business district to ask about a location for starting an orphanage. But they had no good prospects for us. A few luxurious manors and many small homes, but nothing like what we were looking for. A few gold taels later we were on our way to a third district.

On our way, a dirty hooded figure stumbles toward me on the street. I instinctively paced around him with gale steps. Taking a second afterward to think about it, there were only two likely possibilities. First he could have been really drunk and simply stumbled about. But still likely to randomly punch or puke at strangers. Second, it is a common tactic among pickpockets, to fake drunken stumbling, in order to approach their mark. Either way, what I did was the best move.

Hood) "Hey, bitch! Did you just bump into me? I demand compensation!"

We get more than a few angry glares from the surroundings.

K) "Hey, MEAT! Are you a drunken moron, stumbling around, bumping into strangers wherever you go? Or are you a moron of a pickpocket for targeting a group of cultivators?"

The angry glares vanished like rainpuddles during a drought.

H) "Your a cultivators? If your a cultivators then I'm a princess."

I jump up in the air about 15 meters high, and use several *mastered* gale steps aiming down, to stay hovoring in place for about 2 breaths. Long enough to say to him-

K) "Since you're a princess, we should find you a prince to marry. Sisters, do we know of any noble princes nearby who would like to marry such a beautiful princess?"

Dare) "Sorry, I don't know of any blind, (R-word) princes nearby."

Doko) "I'm not sure there is any prince in the world who would marry this fine young man."

H) "Well fuck you, you stupid mutts! I can marry any prince I want!"

*RAUCOUS LAUGHTER!!* (ROFL X 500)

K) "Let's go, this drunken idiot is harmless."

The third realtor doesn't even let us in the door. I guess they haven't heard whatever rumors are going around. Well, that's their loss. If they won't let us 'mutts' in without the promise of gold, just for a fake smile, then why should we patronize their business? Especially when we still have good options?

We arrive at the fourth district's realty office, but the results are the same as the second.

And again with the fifth's.

The other districts are the two wealthy areas and the several districts slum area. Both types are mentally crossed off the list before being considered. The wealthy area, if it even has room, would be too expensive. And the slums, no matter how good a property is, would be extremely unsafe for whoever lives there.

. .By now it was nearing dinnertime. So further exploration would have to wait until tomorrow anyway. We made it back to the Lord's Manor and were swiftly allowed inside. A quick bath later, the servants are busily brushing down our fur. OHHHH!!  This feels soooo gooooood!  We'll need to buy ourselves a set of brushes! AND FOR MASTER! He'll love this as well! Why didn't we think of this last time!? We could have spent that whole month brushing him each day!

After, we were invited to dine with the Lord. Of course we agreed! Good food for free!

This is exquisitely delicious. I would love for Master to have the opportunity to have such good food each day. But I agree with his reasoning. As talented as he is, he would be hounded non-stop by all the Emperors and top-level sects. As bad as that would be though, the devil sects would stop at nothing to enslave him. Even massacring an entire Kingdom would not be outside the realm of possibility. So he should still stay hidden until his and our strength grows enough to be a deterrance.

In between courses he asked to discuss our attempts earlier today. How did he know wh- I'm an idiot, of course he would keep tabs on his biggest payday. Especially after warning him about letting us come to harm again. We told him of the near success and 4 subsequent failures to find a location. Then I suggest we could try one of the nearby villages.

He suggests trying again in the first neighborhood once more, with his help. I insist we won't allow the residents to be pushed out from their homes, no matter how decrepit they are. Only if they can be convinced by money or trade. Except for that one bigoted bastard. We won't meet with him again, or offer any compensation, even by proxy.

K) "You see, the main goal of this venture is to obtain good Karma. Both for ourselves, and more importantly, for our Master. It would be counterproductive to begin the project by forcing out the homeowners. Or worse, having their property siezed on our behalf by the authorities. Even if he's an overbearingly repulsive bastard who deserves to drown in his own soup. And as for the third realty office who wouldn't even let us in their door, fuck 'em with a flagpole."

Lord Yu) "Right, I understand completely."

Nani) "Do you though? Most of the people in your city don't even see us as 'people'. To them, even though they are commoners anyone in this room could crush with a single finger. . They see us as something between the dirt in the streets, and their own excrement. Just because we have as much wolf blood as human in our veins."

Dare) "And they refuse to even talk with 'filthy mutts' like us. As if just being near us makes them 'filthy' as well."

Doko) "Despite the FACT that for a beastkin like us to merely be born, requires one of the parents be a Tier 4 Beast. At the minimum. Usually, a lot of the parents' talent is inherited by their children. Making the typical beastkin Class 2 or better."

N) "So even if we aren't qualified to govern a town or city, like yours. Each of us could at least be an Elder in one of the larger clans in a town. Yet much of your city has been treating us like plague-bearing drunkards. No, we don't blame you, it would be like that anywhere else we go. Now do you understand?"