After the joke, Lohan burst out laughing, and Isabella’s face turned even redder.
But despite the anger she showed, a new feeling also welled up inside her, a happy, pleasant feeling at seeing that her friend, who already treated her like a normal person in Elysium, wasn’t distancing himself from her in the real world out of respect or fear.
So despite her anger, she still managed to control herself and rolled her eyes at the boy beside her.
"Well, okay, I’m sorry for what I said," Lohan said as he wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye after laughing so hard. "But considering I haven’t even decided yet where I’m going to stay, where are we going, Miss Vance?"
"Don’t ever call me Miss Vance again," she said in an irritated voice, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye while keeping her eyes on the path they were flying along.
This car was fully autonomous, capable of landing, taking off, and piloting itself to the designated address, but Isabella had deactivated that feature so she’d have something to look at and distract her mind from the nervousness of meeting Halon in person in a closed space with just the two of them.
Then she explained, "You hadn’t found a place to stay, but there’s no need for that. One of my properties is a penthouse in Sector 1-A; it’s a place that’s been sitting idle with me for a few years, an old investment I hardly ever use. It’s fully furnished, has independent Grade S air filtration systems, and security that’s practically military-grade. You can live there as long as you want, without paying me a thing."
Lohan was silent for a moment, processing the information. In fact, he didn’t know that Isabella had spent the entire night researching and had bought that penthouse the night before, right after he mentioned he wanted to move out of Sector 4.
For her, spending a few million credits was like Lohan exchanging Bronze coins; for him, it was a paradigm shift. However, she presented the offer as if it were something idle and unused so he wouldn’t feel like a charity project, a public relations tactic she had mastered well.
Lohan studied Isabella’s profile. He was surprised and, honestly, hadn’t suspected she’d acquired the property recently. To him, it made sense that a Vance would have dozens of forgotten properties. However, the idea of living for free in a luxurious place made him feel a twinge of discomfort.
’Living off a favor? I just wiped out an entire building of mercenaries and a corrupt landlord to win my freedom...’ Lohan thought, mentally rejecting the idea instantly.
"Thanks for the offer, Lisa... but I can’t accept living there for free," Lohan said, his voice sounding deep and resolute. "I don’t want our relationship to change because of debts or favors. If I’m going to live in your penthouse, I want to buy it. How much is this place worth?"
Isabella nearly lost control of the Ferrari’s steering wheel.
"Buy it? Hayes, have you lost your mind? I said it’s a favor between friends!" she retorted, her tsundere side coming back with a vengeance.
"I insist. Tell me the market value." Lohan retorted, keeping his gaze fixed on her golden eyes.
Isabella sighed, realizing he wouldn’t back down. She decided to throw out a number that would make him give up on the idea of buying and accept the rent, at least.
"Fine, you stubborn one. The current appraisal of that penthouse, with all the bio-mana purification systems and the private hangar, is 20 million credits." She said, being "honest," hiding the fact that the penthouse, with all the required security levels, had actually cost her nearly 40 million.
Lohan froze in shock. The number rang in his mind like a shockwave from an explosive rabbit’s kick. Twenty million... He thought of his $30,000 debt, which had previously seemed like an insurmountable mountain. He couldn’t even imagine how luxurious a 20-million-credit residence was. In the Lower Zone, with that kind of money, you could buy an entire industrial district.
"Right... maybe I underestimated what it means to be a ’Vance’..." he thought, feeling momentarily small, but his confidence soon returned. He realized that, even though he couldn’t buy the property right now, he wouldn’t be living there as a freeloader.
"Okay, I’m clearly not going to buy this today," Lohan admitted, letting out an awkward laugh. "But I’ll pay rent. Under no circumstances will I live there for free. That goes against my principles, and as I said, I don’t want this to strain our friendship in the future. I want to earn my place."
Isabella was surprised to hear that.
On the surface, she frowned and huffed, feigning displeasure at his "stupid stubbornness." But inside, her heart raced. She was used to boys who tried to get close to her just to take advantage of her status or who became submissive servants waiting for crumbs. Seeing Lohan, a boy she knew came from the absolute poverty of Sector 4, maintain such integrity and independence even in the face of a fortune, made her feel a sweet admiration.
"You’re impossible, Halon," she said, feigning irritation as she adjusted the route on the holographic panel. "The standard rent for a unit of that category in Sector 1-A is around $100,000 credits per month. Are you sure you want to take on this burden?"
One hundred thousand credits a month. It was an astronomical sum by any human standard, but Lohan began doing the mental calculations through his Parallel Processing Core, taking into account everything he had been through up to that point.
In Elysium, now at Level 12, his and Lisa’s hunting speed had skyrocketed. They were already earning thousands of credits a day just from common materials. On top of that, there was the special agreement where Lisa paid him a 3:1 rate for every silver coin he earned.
’If I farm seriously with the new Astralis members and with ’Little Fox’s’ help, a hundred thousand credits a month is something I can cover in a few weeks of intense hunting, not to mention that this will likely get even easier the higher my level gets.’ Lohan reasoned.
He remembered that, after paying off the $30k loan, he wouldn’t have much use for the money in the real world, since most of his life now took place in Elysium. Improving his lifestyle, breathing fresh air, and having total security to connect were the best possible investments.
Even though he was taking advantage of the fact that Lisa would pay him three times the normal amount, which would make paying that rent three times easier, that was a small perk he was willing to accept.
"I accept," Lohan said with a confident smile. "One hundred thousand credits. I’ll consider this my second major financial goal."
Isabella smiled subtly, satisfied with the response, but decided to have the final say to maintain her authority as President.
"Very well. But since I’m the owner, I dictate the terms of the contract. The first month will be free. Consider it a welcome bonus. Next month, you start transferring the credits to me. And don’t you dare complain, or I’ll double the amount just to see you suffer!" she teased, using the same taunt Alice used to use.
Lohan laughed, relaxing in the luxurious leather seat. He felt that his life was finally moving past the "tutorial phase" and entering the Open World of reality as well.
"Deal, President. But get ready, at the rate I’m leveling up, I’ll end up buying this whole building from you soon."
Isabella accelerated the Ferrari, cutting through the clouds and leaving the gray sky of the Lower Zone behind. "To be honest, Halon... I’d love to see you try."
The vehicle shot toward the gleaming towers, carrying the Slime and the Fox with it to the place that would become a new center of power for Eden-3.