Chapter 167 – Not Yet Within Budget
It was interesting to see how different the inner world was from the outer one, or should I say, to Geola, at least. The domes had a much higher technological level but weren’t socially and financially advanced. They were full of bureaucracy, restrictions, and limited social mobility.
Geola was the exact reverse. It had a medieval level of technology but was much more liberal in terms of economics and life possibilities. It was a place full of opportunities for those who tried hard enough.
It wasn’t like everything was perfect, though. Just as there were opportunities, there were a lot of risks too. It was much easier to die in the outer world, where life was cheap. However, that also meant that ranking up would give someone an advantage, which was less the case in the inner world.
“Thanks for the information, Ulum. I’ll need to think about it.”
She nodded and hesitated for a moment.
“…Should I help you with some investment?”
“I know you adore me, but you shouldn't be ready to throw your money out of the window for me. And I told you I wasn’t your friend to get any sort of advantage. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m doing badly. The market stall is selling like crazy.”
She now looked both happy and disappointed at the same time.
“You’re like a grandmother rambling the same stuff over and over. I just wanted to help a little.”
“Yes, yes, I like you too. All right, if that’s all, I’ll go now. I’m a busy person.”
“Liar. I know you’re leaving everything to Suuru.”
“It’s important for her growth as a merchant.”
“You’re just a lazy girl.”
“Shameful slander! Hahaha!”
I left like this, leaving a smiling Ulum behind me. She truly had changed a lot since the time we met at the library. As always, I was a positive influence on my surroundings. I wasn’t sure what people would do without me.
My lack of funds put a halt to my plans, but that wasn’t to say there was nothing I could do. Despite living in relative poverty before, Suuru wasn’t completely destitute. Her house only used part of the land she owned, which meant there was a lot of space left for a potential temporary building. If I couldn’t start with a full factory, I could just make it a basement-based business for the time being.
I just needed to ask permission from my roommate. As for why she possessed such large land and never planned to sell it despite needing money, I didn’t know. I asked her once about it but she declined to answer me. Sensing that the topic was causing her some amount of distress, I didn’t insist on knowing the truth.
After that, I went to the market, and, after handling a few clients together with Suuru, addressed the topic.
“I went to check how much it’d cost to build a factory. Just the land and the building would probably be between five hundred thousand and a million.”
“You were serious about it?”
“Of course.”
“Won’t that make you a lot busier?”
“Maybe a little but I plan to hire specialists to help me. And I have time right now so it’s the perfect opportunity.”
“Hmm. It’s too expensive anyway, right?”
“Yes. That’s why I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Would you allow me to build a small temporary workshop next to your house until I get enough money to invest in proper land? Just for a few weeks, maybe a few seasons. I’ll disassemble it after that.”
“What? That’s…”
She seemed troubled, biting her lips anxiously.
“I won’t force it if you don’t want to. I know this land has a special meaning to you.”
She stared at me for a few moments before looking away. She closed her eyes, opened them again, and answered me.
“Give me some time to think about it.”
“Of course.”
This was the end of the discussion for now. Since I suddenly wasn’t busy anymore, I helped her with the booth until the end. For the rest of the day, she was distracted and lost in her thoughts, paying little attention to what was going on around her. After she made a few mistakes, I told her to take it easy and handled the customers. She didn’t protest and sat on her chair, watching me go around without truly seeing me.
Back home, she even surprised me by refusing to have sex, even though it was still her only “hobby”. I left her alone to focus on my training, only monitoring her from the corner of my eyes every so often.
It was only the next morning that she spoke to me again, right after we woke up.
“Tila, can we have sex?”
“Well, sure. Is that fine?”
“Yes.”
And so, I started as usual but it soon became clear she wasn’t into it. Suuru usually liked it if things escalated slowly during sex. She would begin with low arousal but, as matters progressed, her lust would go crescendo until she was fully into it. At that point, she enjoyed being done strongly, cumming multiple times joyfully while being pounded. Her fully enraptured form was always a huge turn-on for me, and I gladly indulged her desire for strong sex, making a mess out of her.
And yet, today, this just wasn’t happening. No matter how much foreplay I did, she never even crossed the first step of arousal. She was just staring blankly at the ceiling, letting me do whatever I wanted without any reaction.
Understanding that there was no point in insisting any further, I stopped any sexual act. Instead, I placed my body next to hers and delicately took her in my arms. She was startled for a moment, but soon buried her face in my shoulder, her soft breath tickling me.
She stayed like this for a while, unmoving. Eventually, she lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine.
“Tila. Can you listen to me?”
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