"You've worked hard."

Before they knew it, dusk was approaching.

Gauss and Aria had been busy all day before finally settling everything.

Meeting with intermediaries, negotiations, finalizing details, commissioning the food workshop for processing...

The commissioned jerky would take about a week to complete, and that was with expedited processing. The normal timeline would have taken even longer.

Moreover, the final product would likely experience significant weight loss during processing, yielding only about 200 pounds of compressed jerky.

Still, this would last Gauss quite a while.

After all, this jerky made from Rust Frog thigh meat was undoubtedly high-quality, calorie-dense food.

A mere hundred grams would require considerable chewing.

Of course, he'd still need to bring other foods on future missions - he could reduce his rations, but not eliminate them entirely.

First, to maintain nutritional balance and avoid long-term consumption of a single food source.

Second, while the monster jerky didn't affect him, Aria seemed unable to consume too much at once - her mouth would go numb to the point of being unable to speak.

Gauss genuinely felt sorry for her that such delicious food couldn't be enjoyed in large quantities due to digestive system limitations.

After handling the jerky matter, they moved on to purchasing autumn/winter clothing and boots, house viewing, and signing contracts...

This entire "combo" left Gauss collapsed in a chair, too exhausted to move.

Dealing with these daily chores felt more mentally draining than fighting monsters.

Yet when his gaze swept across the two-story cottage purchased for 1 gold and 15 silver, his weariness was dispelled by a strange warmth.

In the modest living room, the oil lamp cast a warm yellow glow as orange-purple twilight gently streamed through the windows, bringing a sense of peace.

After gazing for a while,

Gauss blinked and smiled.

But... it was worth it.

After half a year in this world, he finally had a place to call home.

"So... this is my home now?"

The thought brought mixed emotions.

In both lifetimes, this was his first property purchase.

In his previous life as a fresh graduate, buying property had been an impossible dream.

The original owner of this body had made it a lifelong goal,

but progress could hardly be described as rapid - more like hopelessly distant.

To outsiders, homeownership had nothing to do with this poor country boy - just the impractical fantasy of a clueless youth constantly busy yet going nowhere.

Now that it had finally happened, Gauss felt complicated emotions.

"We still need more furniture... This spot needs a counter... The window curtains are dirty - should we wash them or get new ones..."

Aria paced around the living room, enthusiastically offering suggestions.

While the house came with some furniture, it wasn't particularly complete, so Gauss would need to purchase additional items later.

At least it was livable for now.

Tonight, Gauss planned to use "Prestidigitation" and "Gust" to thoroughly clean the house, especially the bedroom, bed, wardrobe, and bathroom - eliminating all traces of the previous owner.

"I won't disturb you further..." Aria made another round through the house before saying goodbye.

"Not joining me for dinner?"

"No, you've just moved in and probably have lots of personal items to organize. Good luck." After cheering Gauss on, Aria left his new home, heading toward her own place nearby.

Gauss rested a while longer.

Then he rose from the chair, stretched, and retrieved his Hundred Bone Staff from the Storage Bag.

"Now... for the real battle!"

He took a deep breath.

"Gust!"

"Prestidigitation!"

"...

"This floorboard is damaged... Mending!"

...

Over the next several hours,

Gauss continuously used cantrips to clean the house. When encountering damaged small items or furniture, he'd cast Mending to attempt repairs, though not always successfully.

When his mana depleted, he'd use energy from his [Energy Storage Gland] to replenish it while eating to restore energy, then continue cleaning.

This cycle repeated.

Late at night,

Gauss surveyed the sparkling clean cottage - wooden floors gleaming, every item neat as new, even previously damaged spots repaired - and exhaled deeply.

Who could tell this was a "used" home? Even brand new houses weren't this spotless.

Professional cleaners couldn't achieve this effect either. The most meticulous cleaning could only make a house tidy, not restore old, damaged items to like-new condition - unless you hired a spellcaster willing to expend mana recklessly on cleaning.

Such was the wonder of magic!

Though exhausted, Gauss was thoroughly satisfied with the results.

He'd even gained some minor benefits - several cantrips had increased slightly in proficiency from prolonged, intensive use.

"Prestidigitation proficiency +5"

"Gust proficiency +3"

"Mending proficiency +3"

Both Gust and Mending had even leveled up from lv1 to lv2.

Gauss went to the kitchen, lit a fire, boiled some water, and transferred it to the large wooden tub in the bathroom, mixing it with cold water to adjust the temperature before soaking in.

With a towel draped over his shoulders and leaning against the tub, watching the steam rise, his vision gradually blurred,

but his heart felt more settled and peaceful than ever before.

He had his own home now.

While it appeared to be bought with money, it was actually just a minor perk brought by his professional-level abilities.

What came next was continuous effort to improve his skills, striving for a better life in this world.

"Gauss, come here. There's something for you."

Despite having a new home and plans to invite friends over to celebrate, Gauss and Aria still habitually met at the tavern lobby.

Today, he'd barely entered when Sophia called him over.

"Something for me?"

Looking at the tightly wrapped package Sophia handed him, Gauss was puzzled.

Did they have delivery services in this era? He hadn't ordered anything recently.

With few acquaintances, anyone wanting to give him something could do so in person - no need to leave it at the tavern counter for Sophia to pass along.

"Who delivered this?" Gauss accepted the package curiously.

"A slender girl wrapped in a black cloak, walking as silently as a cat. She startled me when she arrived."

Listening to Sophia's vivid description, Gauss had an inkling.

Opening the package revealed a delicate set of adventure mechanisms and demolition tools, along with a letter.