Bab 47: Chapter 47: Face Sculpting and Renting a House
Chapter 47: Face Sculpting and Renting a House
After obtaining the necklace, Alice began her grand project of face sculpting.
Alice wasn't worried about creating a strange appearance. As someone who had systematically studied painting, she had a precise grasp of facial details.
First, Alice ruled out the option of altering her body shape—this would inevitably affect her movements, and she couldn't wear the necklace all the time.
Alice decided to change her hair color from bright, radiant gold to deep brown. Considering that the ID of Briel Rose indicated she was 19 years old, Alice decided to make her face look more mature.
"But this body should still grow taller..." Alice hesitated, looking down at her body.
The exact age of this body was uncertain, suspected to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. If this was accurate, the body should still have some room for growth.
Alice made a mental note of this and planned to wear height-increasing shoes when going out daily. After finding a place to stay, she would mark her height while barefoot and compare it each time she returned. If there were noticeable growth, she would adjust the shoe soles accordingly.
"The heels don't need to be too high, just enough to make the height change less abrupt... Hmm, what else?"
Unable to think of more considerations in the short term, Alice began designing her facial features and other details with a pen.
She sharpened her chin and reduced the flesh on her cheeks, which diluted much of her original youthfulness.
Next were the facial features. Designing a face from scratch was somewhat challenging, so Alice decided to take Charlie King's advice and modify an existing template.
But choosing whom to reference was a significant issue for Alice.
After a brief contemplation, Alice recalled a face she was very familiar with, one that couldn't possibly exist in this world—the face of a friend who had once declared she would be a natural "monster."
Of course, this face was quite different from the style of Ruen. Alice ultimately adopted a version of the facial features based on this face but modified to fit Ruen's aesthetics.
After carefully noting down her designed appearance, Alice first checked out of her room and then changed her face in a deserted alley.
—Next, it was time to rent a house.
Despite the goddess's unclear attitude, considering that Ince Zangwill, who was only Sequence 5, could defeat her effortlessly, Alice still held considerable trust in the goddess who allowed her to stay among the Night Watchers to familiarize herself with the situation and kindly reminded her.
—She decided to become a devout follower of the goddess, Briel Rose. I mean, she decided to live in the northern district.
"After all, if I were to become a Disaster Priest, this uncontrollable unlucky constitution would harm civilians..."
Alice subconsciously ignored the fact that even with a new face, the Night Watchers wouldn't recognize her, but she was now a genuine wild Beyonder.
Thanks to the existence of her ID, Alice walked openly into the "Metropolitan Housing Improvement Association"—Klein had warned her that the so-called "Labor Class Housing Improvement Association" provided housing without even a private bathroom.
When Alice stepped into the "Metropolitan Housing Improvement Association," a middle-aged woman with a kind smile approached her: "Hello, miss. You can call me Mrs. Maggie. What kind of house are you looking for?"
Alice didn't avoid Mrs. Maggie's scrutinizing gaze. Recalling her identity information, she said somewhat arrogantly, "I don't know."
Alice's somewhat unreasonable response made Mrs. Maggie's smile pause for a moment. Then, she skillfully opened a file and pushed it in front of Alice: "You can take a look first... Hmm, are you living alone?"
"Yes, I'm living alone," Alice responded dryly, aimlessly flipping through the document that left her bewildered—she realized she had no ability to discern rental information.
"Do you have any requirements for the location of the house?" Mrs. Maggie asked considerately.
"I'm a follower of the goddess—I mean, I hope to be close to the church, uh, but not too close," Alice answered as if grasping at a lifeline.
"You can look at the houses in this area," Mrs. Maggie introduced, though she didn't understand why Alice emphasized not being too close. "These houses are relatively close to the church, convenient for your daily prayers. Hmm, there are also some that are particularly close..."
With the selection range narrowed, Alice looked through the document again, but it was still of no use.
"...Do you have any requirements for the environment and rent of the house?" Mrs. Maggie had to ask again.
"I... uh," Alice looked at Mrs. Maggie with a blank expression, "I'm not sure..."
Facing Mrs. Maggie's patient and kind smile, Alice's voice grew smaller. She realized that she was indeed making things difficult for the lady in front of her.
But it had to be said, the identity Charlie King chose for Alice was too fitting. She didn't need to pretend to match the information of this identity.
The only thing Alice should be grateful for was that she hadn't drunk the Disaster Priest's potion yet. At this moment, she was still a "Lucky One"—Mrs. Maggie had the patience that matched her appearance.
"How about this," Mrs. Maggie said after a moment of contemplation, looking at Alice, who seemed to be out alone for the first time (which was indeed the case). "We can first rule out these three-bedroom and four-bedroom houses—no problem, right?"
"No," Alice gratefully glanced at Mrs. Maggie. "I think I need a study or a workspace... uh, preferably with heating."
Mrs. Maggie nodded, excluded some rooms from the document, and then said, "Then, our remaining options are very few. Let me introduce the remaining rooms in detail..."
Under Mrs. Maggie's introduction, Alice finally decided to first look at a townhouse on Welsh Street.
It took about half an hour to walk from there to St. Samuel's Church, and the time would be shorter by carriage.
This house had a living room, though not large, but Alice didn't think she had any need to entertain friends—she believed Klein wouldn't mind this formality.
Besides, it had all the necessary rooms—a dining room, kitchen, living room, balcony, study, bathroom, basement...
"The furniture here is a bit old, and, uh..." Alice's first attempt at bargaining failed under Mrs. Maggie's gentle smile.
In the end, she muddle-headedly paid a deposit and a six-month rent totaling 30 pounds at a rate of 1 pound per week.
Why so late? Because I went to the movies (eyes shifting).
(End of Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone