Michael loved his family.
This much he knew.
However, even he could feel the growing distance between them. And there was nothing he could do about it—except ensure they were well taken care of.
The first step was making sure money was the least of their concerns.
A similarity between the common people of Aurora and those of Earth was that 90% of their problems stemmed from a lack of money.
Before Michael awakened, that had been their family’s reality. But he believed that would no longer be the case.
Now, aside from cultivating power, the most important issue for his family in a world like this was safety.
That was one reason he had pushed for them to move to a better environment.
However, due to his activities, he had left the task almost entirely to Aunt Mia.
He hadn’t expected a response this soon.
It hadn’t been long since she had taken on the task, so the speed of her response caught him off guard.
“Where’s the place, Aunt Mia?” Michael asked with interest.
“Like you requested, it’s a big city. Way bigger than Woodstone.” She paused before adding, “But there’s an issue.”
“An issue?” Michael frowned.
“What happened to our city…” Aunt Mia hesitated. “It happened to some other cities too.”
“So…?”
During his cleanup yesterday, he had overheard neighbors talking about this and had even looked into it himself. Any surprise he should have felt had already passed.
But what did the situation in other cities have to do with their move?
That was Michael’s confusion.”Umm… the chaos has caused some… refugees,” Aunt Mia said, an odd expression on her face.
Michael mirrored her expression after hearing those words.
It wasn’t a term he expected to hear in a modern world, but it made sense.
Just from the word alone, he could guess what was happening.
Traffic.
To put it simply, they weren’t the only family looking for a new place to live.
And that seemed to be causing problems.
Now, the question was—how?
Aunt Mia sighed, rubbing her temples as if trying to sort out her thoughts. “The city we’re looking at—it’s already seeing an influx of people. Too many, too fast. Housing prices are spiking, and security is getting stricter.”
Michael’s brows furrowed. That was expected, but it still annoyed him. “How bad is it?”
“It depends on how soon we move.” Aunt Mia gave him a pointed look. “Right now, it’s still possible to buy a decent place, but waiting any longer might make things… difficult. Either the prices will skyrocket, or regulations will tighten even further.”
Michael leaned back, tapping his fingers against his knee. He had expected some complications, but this was sooner than he thought.
“So, you’re saying we need to act fast?”
Aunt Mia nodded. “If we want to secure a good place, yes.”
Michael exhaled. He had the money, and finding a place wasn’t the problem—the problem was how quickly everything was shifting.
“…Did you already find a house?” he asked.
“Not yet,” she admitted. “But I found a few options that might work. The question is, how involved do you want to be in this process?”
Michael was silent for a moment. He wanted his family settled, but between managing his undead and everything happening in the other world, he wasn’t sure how much time he could afford to spare.
After a few seconds, he made a decision.
“Tell me about the options you found.”
Aunt Mia nodded. “There are a few cities we can consider, but the prices are… high.”
Michael wasn’t too surprised. If demand was surging, then prices would naturally follow. Still, he waited for her to continue.
“The first city is called Brightgate. It’s a major trade hub, and from what I’ve heard, it’s well-developed. A decent three-bedroom house there costs around $800,000, and renting a similar place is about $40,000 per year.”
Michael’s brow twitched. That was far more than he expected.
Aunt Mia moved on. “Then there’s Ravenshire. It’s smaller than Brightgate but still much bigger than Woodstone. A house here costs around $600,000, and the rent is about $30,000 per year.”
Still expensive, but relatively better.
“The last city I found is called Ironvale. It’s more industrial and doesn’t have as many luxuries, but the prices reflect that. A house goes for around $450,000, and rent is $22,000 per year.”
Michael exhaled slowly. Even the cheapest option wasn’t exactly cheap.
“Do you have a preference?” Aunt Mia asked.
Michael shook his head. “I don’t know anything about these cities, so I can’t say. What about you? Which one do you think is best?”
Aunt Mia hesitated before answering. “Brightgate is ideal, but it’s the most expensive. Ravenshire is a good middle ground, and Ironvale… well, it’s affordable, but I don’t know if we’d like it there.”
Michael drummed his fingers against his knee, thinking.
Each option had pros and cons, but what mattered most was stability.
The price didn’t matter.
Michael was rich.
Putting aside the million he had already given Aunt Mia, he still had fourteen million dollars left. Even if he bought a house outright, it wouldn’t make a dent in his finances.
That wasn’t the issue.
“Let’s go with Brightgate,” Michael decided. “If it’s the best option, then there’s no point hesitating.”
Aunt Mia blinked. “You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s expensive, but that doesn’t matter. We’re not going to struggle over money.”
Aunt Mia exhaled, but she didn’t look entirely convinced. “Alright, if that’s what you want. I’ll start making arrangements.”
Michael leaned back, closing his eyes briefly. One problem solved.
Now, all that was left was actually moving there.
Aunt Mia and Michael spoke for a bit more before the older lady left, satisfied.
As his aunt closed the door behind her, Michael remained in silence for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
Without hesitation, he summoned the undead shaman once more and closed his eyes.
A moment later, he was back in the Land of Origin.