The sun had fully risen by the time Helios, Ophelia, and Phil arrived at the property Helios had just purchased. It sat oskirts of Thebes, led against a rocky hillside, with only a few crumbling ruins marking the path toward it. One word it was a mess. In faight mistake it for an abandoned ruin if you didn’t look closely.

  Helios grinned.

  The mansion was huge—bigger than he expected. A true Greek estate, its white stoerior had long since dulled from age and exposure. Cracks ran along the pilrs that lihe entrance, and half the roof of one of the outer buildings had caved in.

  The mansion itself had ten bedrooms, two separate buildings, and a servants' quarters rge enough to house six people. It a ruin, still standing but barely holding onto its dignity.

  And Helios loved it.

  Ophelia, the ever-exuberant saleswoman, was already moving ahead, arms wide as she gestured toward the estate. “Ain’t she a beauty?”

  Phil gave her a deadpan look. “That’s one way to describe it.”

  The trio walked through the massive wooden doors, which creaked loudly as they pushed open. Ihe smell of dust and damp air greeted them immediately. Cobwebs g to the rafters, broken furniture y scattered across the marble floors, and faded murals decorated the walls—chipped and cracked from .

  Ophelia, however, didn’t skip a beat.

  She turned, still smiling as if she had just presented a pristine masterpiece.

  “Alright, big guy, let me take you through the grand tour.”

  Phil muttered, “Grand ain’t the word I’d use…”

  Ign him, Ophelia led the way, gesturing dramatically as she spoke.

  “This here? The main hall. High ceilings, fantastic acoustics, and just enough structural iy that it won’t colpse on ya in the middle of the night.”

  Helios chuckled. ‘She was really trying.’

  Ophelia moved to an archway leading down a long corridor. “Down here? The bedrooms. Ten in total! Big enough for a king—or a bunch of freeloaders, if that’s your thing.”

  She pointed out a grand staircase, leading to a baly overlooking the main hall. “Upstairs? Library, study, and a little reading nook where you brood dramatically—if that’s your thing.”

  Helios smirked. “Tempting.”

  Ophelia kicked open a door that wouldn’t open, revealing a massive kit. “This baby? **State-of-the-art—**if you’re from 500 years ago! But, hey! The oven still works! … Probably.”

  Helios could practically hear Phil resisting the urge to facepalm.

  Then came the servants’ quarters—a smaller, separate building attached to the mansion’s rear. It was in even worse shape than the main house, with one of the walls partially colpsed from what looked like a motack.

  Ophelia cpped her hands together. “And here’s the best part—premium monster deterrent included at ra charge!”

  Helios raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Ophelia winked. “Yup! The whole pce is so run-down that monsters probably think it’s already cimed!”

  Phil groaned. “Ophelia, you could sell rain to Poseidon, I swear.”

  Helios, however, wasn’t fazed. If anything, he was enjoying this.

  Where others might see ruin, he saw opportunity.

  The dust? Easily ed.

  The broken furniture? Repceable.

  The cracked walls and damage? Fixable.

  With a simple spell he had learned from Merlin’s library ba the st world, he could restore the entire mansion to its prime dition.

  A spell he frequently used on his clothes when they got damaged in battle. (A very ve skill, given how often he ended up in fights.)

  The thought of using it on aire house was almost exg.

  Smirking, Helios turo Ophelia. “Alright. You’ve got me vinced.”

  Ophelia beamed. “I knew I liked you, kid! Good taste.”

  Phil, arms crossed, muttered, “I still think you’re nuts.”

  Helios dusted off his hands. “Since I’ll be paying nearly 200,000 munny for this pce, I expect it to be ed up by tomorrow.”

  Ophelia’s grin faltered. “...I’m sorry, what now?”

  Helios smiled ily. “You heard me. By tomorrow, I expect all the debris, dust, and broken furniture cleared out. We’ll do a final check, and then I’ll pay.”

  Ophelia’s eyes flickered with dns.

  “Now, sweetheart, sweetheart, let’s talk. This is a lot of work, and my guys—**the best in Thebes, I might add—**they work hard. And, you know, hard work? It costs.”

  Phil groaned. “Oh no. Here we go.”

  Ophelia folded her hands together, all business. “Now, for a moal -up like this, we’re talkira fees. Hauling broken furniture? That’s bor. Dust removal? That’s specialized bor. And don’t eve me started on—”

  Helios held up a hand. “I’m not paying more.”

  Ophelia paused. “...Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” Helios repeated. Still smiling. “200,000 for the house. No more.”

  Ophelia blinked. “Oh, , sugar, don’t be like that! I got a busio run!”

  Helios tilted his head. “And I have other people I pay to do the ing. But I figured I’d give you preferential treatment and always use your pany for any future needs, since we already made a deal.”

  A beat of silence.

  Then—Ophelia ughed.

  Loudly.

  She poi him, grinning. “I like you, kid! You know how to keep your purse strings tight.”

  Phil shook his head. “That’s a first. Usually, you just rob people blind.”

  Ophelia shrugged. “Hey, it’s all part of the business, baby.”

  Then, turning to Helios, she held out a hand. “Alright, deal’s a deal. My guys’ll have this pce ed up by tomorrow.”

  Helios shook her hand. “Good. I’ll be ba the m.”

  As Helios stepped away, Ophelia called after him, “You ever get tired of Phil’s hero gig, you e work for me! You got the makings of a real businessman!”

  Helios waved a hand behind him. “I’ll think about it.”

  Phil snorted. “That’s the st thing this world needs, two Ophelias.”

  Ophelia smirked. “Aw, , Phily baby, imagihe possibilities!”

  Helios walked off, his grin lingering.

  A house. A proper base in this world. A pce to pn ahose freeloaders he’ll be colleg. It was all ing together.