Chapter 36: New Home

"Eh? Aimed at you?" Hearing the woman's words, William and Bulande both rushed over in surprise.

Buluoshiwozi nodded and explained, "Don't think I'm just a woman, but in Bujiadis I'm one of the top merchants. Business competition is inevitable; lately our Bilu Si family's trade has been booming, so those who lost market share to us often hire assassins disguised as robbers to target our clan. Such incidents have happened more than once."

Bulande exclaimed in surprise, "A woman as beautiful as you is also a merchant—truly you can't judge a book by its cover!"

Buluoshiwozi, hearing Bulande's words, covered her mouth with one hand and laughed, "Oh, no, you two are so young yet already so capable; you are the ones who can't be judged by appearance."

William sat in the carriage silent, feeling something was off; since they'd already been attacked before, why hadn't they hired adventurers or bodyguards, yet chose a sparsely populated road to travel?

Logically, as a merchant, they shouldn't be unable to afford hiring bodyguards.

"Ah, ah, Jian today said few words by accident—could she be enchanted by the two little heroes?" Buluoshiwozi and Bulande chatted for a while, and seeing William remain silent, she teased with her daughter.

The girl sitting beside the woman quickly retorted, "Mom, don't talk nonsense; I really didn't!"

But the daughter named Jian's face flushed red as she spoke, making her claim unconvincing to outsiders.

William snapped out of his thoughts and realized that the daughter named Jian had been glancing at him; after the woman's remark, he sensed that this girl, seemingly his own age, was somewhat interested in him.

He immediately turned his head toward the carriage window, staring out awkwardly.

At thirty, William's romantic experience was limited; the only person he could call a lover was his former‑life wife, Alice.

William and Jian's clumsy behavior was observed by Buluoshiwozi and Bulande; as a mother, Buluoshiwozi merely smiled faintly and dropped the subject, while Bulande secretly envied that William had already befriended a rich family's beautiful daughter upon arriving in Bujiadis.

William originally intended to have them drop him and Bulande at Bujiadis's city gate, but perhaps the woman sensed her daughter wanted to stay longer with William; Buluoshiwozi insisted on taking the rescued party to the destination, so William took out a note with his new home address and recited it to the carriage driver, the steward.

The carriage drove straight to the doorstep of William's new home; the steward alighted, opened the carriage door, and after William and Bulande stepped out, they thanked the woman, "Thank you for giving us a ride, many thanks!"

Buluoshiwozi smiled, "Since I'm on the way anyway, thanks for rescuing me; if you need anything, come to the merchants' guild and mention the Bilu Si surname."

William and Bulande nodded, but William still felt something off; as they left, he used his Identify skill to glance at the steward.

Profession: Fighter

Level: 53

William was startled; he finally understood why they traveled without bodyguards on that remote road—the steward was a powerhouse, able to dispatch bandits even without William and Bulande's help, likely luring the robbers as bait by traveling unguarded.

He suddenly thought the other's claims of being saved and the lavish praise were nonsense; the city's scheming runs deep, no matter the world.

Seeing Bulande still waving goodbye at the departing carriage, William immediately said, "Alright,

don't be so enthusiastic."

Bulande replied, "What's wrong? Just arrived in Wangdu, unfamiliar with the place, and a wealthy lady even remembers our kindness; who knows

William shattered Bulande's unrealistic fantasy, coldly saying: "Even the chauffeurs who only drive have strength comparable to platinum-ranked adventurers; do you really think they'd take notice of us two?"

"No way! Doesn't that mean they're just toying with us?!" Bulande didn't doubt William's assessment of their strength; in his view, William knows many things he doesn't.

"Indeed, maybe they see us like clowns." William nodded.

"Damn! We were fooled!" Bulande made a pained face.

"Not waiting for you."

William grabbed his luggage, knocked on the door of his new home; although it was his own house, it had been bought by his dad and mom, and this was his first time here, leaving him slightly nervous and excited.

"Hold on, I'll open the door right away!"

A familiar voice came from inside; Helena opened the door, saw her son William and Bulande, and happily ushered them in, pouring tea for them while asking about their journey.

"Wangdu is really bustling; just standing at the gate for a short while, it felt like there were more people on the street than the entire Bigen Village," Bulande remarked.

William had studied at Bujiadis Academy in his previous life, so this didn't strike him much; moreover, in terms of bustle, nothing could compare to the modern metropolises on Earth before his transmigration—some cities have populations larger than the entire Fadima Kingdom.

"William, which day are you registering for?" Helena asked.

"Registrations start tomorrow; we arrived a day early as planned, the journey went smoothly and matched the scheduled arrival time," William replied.

Helena nodded, "Good. If you have time, you can stroll around Wangdu and figure out the route to the academy."

She led William and Bulande to the room that had been cleaned in advance, then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

It must be said, the house had more rooms than William imagined, and the area was much larger than he expected; no wonder his dad said the money was all spent, but it was well worth it.

After lunch, William intended to rest in his room; in his previous life he had spent three years at Bujiadis Academy and didn't need to learn the route in advance, but Bulande seemed fascinated by Wangdu's bustling scene and insisted on taking William for a walk around the city.

William eventually couldn't resist Bulande's request, and followed him out the door.