By the ti lody Sumrs and Lester Archer drove back to the city, it was already dusk. The setting sun cast a soft, golden veil over the entire tropolis.
lody Sumrs treated Lester Archer to dinner and tried to give him a thick red envelope of cash, but he refused to take it no matter what.
As they parted ways, lody urged him again, "A few of my old classmates at the weather bureau have been saying the weather’s going to be abnormal over the next year. You should stock up on extra food and dicine at ho. Better safe than sorry."
lody thought for a mont before adding, "The job market isn’t great right now. It’d be best if you didn’t quit your job at the livestock station on a whim."
Lester Archer nodded in agreent. "I’ve zipped up the digital copies of all the livestock-rearing manuals and sent them to your email," he said. "You can take a look. lody, drive safe on your way ho."
When lody got back to her residential complex, she transferred all the chickens, ducks, sheep, rabbits, pigs, and feed from her vehicle into the Arcadian Space.
[Ducks received: 10 total.]
[Chickens received: 20 total.]
[Rabbits received: 3 total.]
[Sheep received: 7 total.]
[...]
[All animals have been placed in the livestock area.]
It was past ten o’clock at night by the ti lody returned ho. She found that Miss Lowell was already asleep.
lody tiptoed back to her room to wash up before quickly entering the Arcadian Space.
The mont she entered the space, Albus leaped to her side and began weaving around her legs.
lody stroked Albus’s head as she looked around. The crops she had planted two days ago had all sprouted. Even the sugarcane had grown a tall stalk. The efficiency of the Arcadian Space was simply astonishing.
lody then headed straight for the livestock area. The individual enclosures were all spacious, clean, and tidy.
The chickens were already nestled comfortably in their coop; they would probably start laying eggs by tomorrow.
The duck pen ca with a small pond where a few of them were already splashing about.
The sheep pen was semi-open-air, connecting to a large pasture where several sheep were grazing leisurely.
The mini-pigs were rolling in their sty, and they started oinking and squealing when they saw lody approach.
There were only three rabbits, and they liked to huddle together, making their enclosure seem vast and empty.
lody placed the feed she’d gotten from the livestock co-op into each enclosure’s trough. "Ti is tight for the next few days, so you’ll have to make do with this for now," she said to the animals. "I’ll be able to process my own feed for you soon enough."
By the ti she finished, it was the early hours of the morning. lody left the space and imdiately went to bed. She had to go out and buy a house tomorrow.
*
「The Lancaster Villa.」
"Mom, Dad, the mudslide at Mount Anworth caused too much damage to the mountain," Simon Lancaster said with a hint of resignation. "The project team spent three days assessing it, and they’re all recomnding we don’t invest any more capital. The project is dead in the water."
Robert Lancaster pinched the bridge of his nose. "Put the Mount Anworth project on hold. For now, focus on moving forward with the company’s seaside resort project in Trinhai. As long as that resort turns a profit, the company’s current cash flow problems will be solved."
Elaine Hughes, who was sitting nearby, said with lingering fear, "It’s a good thing lody moved out. That mudslide on Mount Anworth was terrifying. She hasn’t answered my calls for the past three days. I wonder if she’s worried this incident will bring trouble to the family, so she’s too scared to answer the phone or co ho."
"Afraid? She wouldn’t be afraid," Silas Lancaster scoffed. "If you ask , she’s the Lancaster family’s jinx!"
"Shut your mouth!" Robert Lancaster snapped. He then turned to Elaine Hughes and said, "She’s probably just frightened. Let’s try contacting her again in a few days. It was only a multi-million project. It’s not a huge deal for the Lancaster Family."
Elaine Hughes nodded slightly at his words. Although she hoped lody would co ho, she was also secretly unhappy with lody’s hostility toward Sylvia Lancaster. She felt Sylvia had already been wronged enough and didn’t want her to be hurt again. She decided to give lody the cold shoulder for a few days to let her think things over on her own.
*
lody had been running around nonstop for the past three days. On the morning of the 6th, she woke to find Miss Lowell had already prepared breakfast.
"Miss Lowell, please take it easy and rest at ho today. My grandmother and the others will be back this afternoon. Could you give them a heads-up about selling the house so they’re prepared? We’re moving into the new place tomorrow."
After finishing breakfast, lody drove straight to The tropolis Residences.
The tropolis Residences had been developed in Anworth a few years prior. Before construction began, rumors circulated that a new urban district would be established there, destined to beco the new city center. This prompted several real estate developers to jointly invest in the project.
But years went by, and the planning for the new district never even began.
The area was considered a remote suburb, and developnt had coincided with a slump in the real estate market. Sales were dismal, and the occupancy rate was extrely low.
However, the location was nestled by mountains and rivers, with large, open plots of land behind the mountain suitable for planting. Its high elevation also gave it a natural advantage against flooding. Impressively, the complex’s property managent and security were extrely diligent. They worked in perfect sync with the staff from the state-assigned local office to keep the cri rate within the community at an absolute minimum during the natural disasters.
In her past life, The tropolis Residences had been hailed as the most stable community in Anworth and was even designated as one of the city’s post-disaster reconstruction zones.
During the apocalyptic blizzards, the Lancaster Villa was buried in snow. lody had moved with the Lancaster family to this residential area, where they weathered both the blizzards and the floods. She often overheard Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes talking about how well-equipped the villas here were, regretting that they hadn’t bought one.
But by then, sales at The tropolis Residences had been halted; it was impossible to buy a property there even if you wanted to.
lody arrived at The tropolis Residences and headed straight for the sales office. "Hello," she said. "I’d like to purchase a villa here. The specific location and the interior decor aren’t important, but it must have a full set of built-in fixtures and systems."
The employee at the sales office was stunned. Unlike the school district house lody had just sold, properties in The tropolis Residences were a tough sell due to the poor location. This was especially true for the villa section, where many owners had listed their hos but couldn’t find a buyer. They never expected soone to show up now, willing to take one of the villas off their hands.
The salesperson who greeted lody was a young man. He welcod her enthusiastically, "Hello, my na is Hollis. May I ask your na?"
"My surna is Sumrs."
"Miss Sumrs, based on your requirents, I’d recomnd villa B16. The full price is seven million," Hollis recomnded with enthusiasm.
"Seven million? That’s expensive!" lody said, surprised. ’This is basically the suburbs. And weren’t the villas here supposed to be a hard sell?’
Hollis chuckled. "The original owner bought this villa for eight million as a bare shell, then spent another three million on renovations but never lived in it. The whole family has emigrated and they’re in urgent need of cash, which is why they’re selling it at a loss. Co and see it for yourself. I guarantee you’ll see it’s an absolute bargain."
Hollis drove lody to B16, giving her a tour as he explained:
"The original owner spared no expense on the renovations, so it fits your needs perfectly. The villa is equipped with an independent power generation system, and they even had the electrical capacity upgraded. It can handle any number of appliances you throw at it."
"The central air conditioning uses the latest high-temperature cooling technology, so it works even in extre heat. A normal AC unit will shut down in an overly hot environnt, but this one won’t."
"Plus, the villa cos with a state-of-the-art central water purifier and a reverse osmosis system for drinking water."
The more lody saw, the more satisfied she beca, and the more her heart was set on it. It was as if the house had been prepared just for her. The high-temperature air conditioning was especially perfect, exactly what she would need to cope with the extre heat waves starting in April.
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