[Chapter 167: Taking the Homeless Princess Home]
Daniel was speechless.
Could it be that this trip wouldn't just fail to make him any money but would actually cost him a house?
Forget it. If I have to pay, I'll pay. Earning over 500,000 Merit points, this trip isn't a loss.
"Uh..."
Daniel was about to speak when Anne Hathaway beat him to it. "Mr. Cross, thank you. Wait a moment -- I'll pay you the remaining balance."
Daniel was a bit surprised that Anne didn't mention compensation for the house.
He waved his hand and said, "No need for the balance. Let's talk about your house."
Anne replied, "Let the house be. You did what you did to save me back then, and that's why it ended up this way. Otherwise, I might already be dead. I know how dangerous it was."
Daniel nodded silently.
Anne Hathaway had actually shifted his perspective on her.
Daniel said, "The curse on this land has been lifted by me. Now it's safe to live in. Go have someone rebuild the house -- I'll cover the costs."
Anne shook her head. "No, thanks. I already have a psychological block about this place. Even if it gets rebuilt, I don't want to live here anymore. I was planning to pay you $100,000 to clear it out and then sell it. Since it's come to this, let's just leave it as is."
Seeing Daniel about to say more, Anne emphasized, "Mr. Cross, I insist."
Daniel smiled. "Alright, then you don't owe me the balance either."
Anne smiled back, "Okay, let's just use the balance to cover the loss of the house."
Daniel nodded. "Do you have anywhere to stay now? Or are you at a hotel?"
Anne asked shyly, "Mr. Cross, could I stay at your place for one night?"
Daniel was momentarily startled. What did she mean?
Still, after turning someone's house into that state, he couldn't say no.
"Sure. Pack your things and come with me."
"Wait a moment," Anne said happily and started back inside.
But after a step, she paused. "Mr. Cross, are you really sure it's okay now?"
Daniel laughed softly, "Come on, I'll go in with you."
He accompanied Anne inside. The house was still cluttered with debris and broken furniture, but the cold, oppressive feeling was gone. Even Anne, an ordinary person, could feel the difference.
She asked Daniel to stay with her upstairs while she packed.
Fortunately, though the first floor was a wreck, the second floor had remained intact and orderly.
In fact, it would be perfectly fine for her to live here.
Even if the building was damaged, it wouldn't collapse so quickly.
But clearly, the psychological shadow was real, and Anne had no intention of staying.
She found a large suitcase and began packing clothes.
Then she found a box and packed toiletries, skin care products, makeup, and other odds and ends.
Daniel wasn't surprised.
When Scarlett left, she did the same -- a whole pile of stuff.
Only Francia was simple -- nothing at all -- yet she stayed at Daniel's place for days.
After filling two large suitcases, Anne was about to lift them when Daniel said, "Let me."
With a wave of his hand, the suitcases vanished.
Though she was used to Daniel's abilities, Anne's eyes still brightened as she looked at him.
Following Daniel downstairs and out to the front yard, they got into their cars -- one after the other -- and left the crumbling house behind.
...
On the drive into Beverly Hills, Anne's expression in the car behind grew more and more astonished.
When they arrived at Daniel's luxury mansion, she was absolutely dumbfounded.
She hadn't expected an exorcist like Daniel to live in Beverly Hills -- in such a grand house.
His car pulled into the garage, and as she followed him into the living room, Anne felt like she was dreaming.
She looked around the house, then back at Daniel, blankly asking, "Is being an exorcist really that profitable?"
Daniel smiled. "It's alright."
Anne said, "I thought even if you were rich, you wouldn't be much better off than me. But I was wrong. Between you and me, it's like night and day."
Daniel said, "Come on, pick your room."
He led Anne to the guest rooms on the second floor.
She chose the room closest to Daniel's master bedroom.
This time Daniel didn't mention the basement to avoid arousing her curiosity -- he didn't want another Megan situation.
When Daniel was just a Foundation Order Exorcist, he could intimidate the Moth Monster. Now that he was a Lesser Ascendant, the Moth Monster was as tame as a lamb before him, never daring to cause trouble.
Anne noticed that even the guest room was larger and fancier than her own master bedroom.
There was no comparison.
Daniel said, "It's late. You should get some rest. If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen fridge. You can make something yourself."
"I don't know how to cook," Anne replied with a guilty smile.
Daniel said, "Then just eat some fruit."
Anne nodded. "Okay."
"Good night."
With that, Daniel turned and went back to his room.
...
After showering, Daniel entered the System.
[Merit Points: 706,800]
Though his Merit Points had surpassed 700,000, the upgrade button next to his Exorcism Level remained gray and unusable.
Daniel sighed.
If Bathsheba was powerful, she was still only a D-rank ghost, albeit a strong one. If she wasn't powerful, she'd set up a Sacrificial Formation that forced Daniel to use the Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite.
Given that middling level, being worth 500,000 Merit points was fair.
It just made things difficult -- he couldn't level up.
He was currently a Radiant Sovereign of Lesser Ascendant Order; upgrading required a full 1,280,000 Merit points.
Daniel glanced at his other spells.
He would upgrade the Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite if he could, but incantation-type spells usually improved alongside his exorcism level and didn't have explicit tiers.
Five Thunder Doctrine, Rite of Divine Empowerment, and Seal Crafting Art were already at Fifth Tier. As for Alchemy and Artifact Refining, upgrading them now wouldn't help -- he lacked the materials.
After a moment's thought, Daniel spent 200,000 Merit points to upgrade Sanctum Blade Technique and Spiritual Perception Technique to Fifth Tier -- both practical skills.
His Merit points dropped to 506,800.
Upgrading from Tier five to six would cost a full 1,000,000 Merit points -- not enough this time.
...
Exiting the System, Daniel lay on his bed, ready to sleep.
At that moment, his Spiritual Sense detected a life force approaching.
Faint footsteps followed.
Then there was a soft knock on the door.
Knock, knock...
*****
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