These days, people who still have spare money to buy a house are as rare as hen's teeth. So, when Shiller called the real estate agent, the agent immediately said he could take him to see the house right away.
Shiller arranged to meet at the entrance of the house. He wanted to drive there himself to check out the surrounding neighborhood, to judge whether the roads were good and whether there was a lot of traffic.
But as it turned out, it's impossible for the city center not to have traffic jams, especially since this location is very central—only two minutes' drive from the most congested roundabout. Shiller found himself stuck on a side street for 20 minutes.
When he finally got to the house, he saw that the agent had just arrived too, apparently stuck on another street for half an hour.
This made Shiller somewhat discouraged. The house was good, but no one could endure such heavy traffic.
The traffic jams caused by chaotic traffic rules had somewhat eased, but as the quality of life for Gothamites improved, the number of cars increased. Despite decent traffic management, the congestion remained the same.
Previously, Gotham couldn't build a subway, and though construction had now begun, it would take at least another year to complete Line 1. Until then, the traffic situation wouldn't improve.
Shiller sighed, thinking it would be better not to get involved with the city center. Unless he could buy an entire street like Harley, commuting would be a torment.
The agent felt embarrassed about the situation but continued to introduce the house enthusiastically.
The house indeed was quite nice. The overall structure used dark oak, contrasting with the white walls to show a style different from Victorian simplicity and brightness, yet still carrying a trace of English elegance.
The stained glass windows were even more stunning in person. The entire front wall on the first floor was made of large floor-to-ceiling windows, but the counter was in a protruding corner on the other side, allowing the store owner to appreciate the changing light and shadows from a concealed spot.
The four supporting pillars in the store were decorated like spires. The shelves for displaying items were all ready-made, positioned at varying heights in an orderly manner, clearly showcasing a thoughtfully designed layout.
It seemed that this magazine had made a big investment when Gotham's economy was just starting to recover, intending to make this its flagship store. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side, and soon after the renovation, they had to close down.
The second floor housed two offices and a bathroom, all bright and clean with a harmonious decor. In the future, one room could be converted into a bedroom and the other into a study.
Shiller was highly satisfied with the house. But besides the traffic problem, the price was also a significant issue.
Even in the current collapsed real estate market, this house was selling for much more than Shiller had paid for the Viscount Manor, and not by just a tiny amount.
If Harley hadn't bought the manor for such a high price, Shiller definitely wouldn't be able to afford this house.
But that made sense. After all, everything about this house was perfect, and its location couldn't be more central. If it weren't expensive, the global real estate market would really have collapsed.
Many people think that large villas and estates in America would be very expensive, but in reality, it depends on the location. Prime plots in major cities are certainly costly, but most outlying, older properties aren't as expensive as one might imagine.
Especially those old stone houses, which incur high taxes during transactions and are hard to sell. Their owners also have to pay high property taxes annually, which might force them to sell at very low prices in a hurry.
In countries where land can be traded, the land itself is what's really valuable. A piece of prime land in the center of a large city could basically be called a family heirloom.
The more Shiller thought about it, the more he was tempted. Although he had considered some situations where he might get a bargain, those methods could only be used for less desirable plots. For a prime piece like this, no matter how many people died, the price wouldn't drop.
Shiller didn't rush into a transaction. After viewing the house, he returned to Gotham University, preparing for classes while contemplating the house issue.
Shiller could afford the house, so all he needed to do was make a decision, then he could get it. The remaining problem was the traffic.
Shiller thought about it and realized there was a way. Although the Outer World's Gotham had traffic jams, the inner world didn't. He could drive through the inner world.
He could drive from the city center house to Gotham Magic Academy in the inner world and then return to the Outer World, arriving back at Gotham University.
Thinking of Gotham Magic Academy, Shiller remembered what Xi Wana, who also managed the academy, had said. There were more and more graduates now, and many planned to stay in Gotham, setting up their activity area in the inner world, likely in the city center.
With this on his mind, Shiller stood up from his desk and decided to drive there for a look.
Entering the inner world, he took a tour around the academy. It was still the same, just with many more students. Children with magic talent who were supposed to become magic apprentices were all studying here.
Shiller also saw Victor leading Billy to Lady Shangdu's office. Many on the Magic Side now resided at the academy, responsible for managing and maintaining the magical defense network.
Driving through the inner world towards the city center, Shiller found no traffic. The number of students at the academy, even across several graduating classes, couldn't match even a fraction of Gotham's Outer World population.
For this reason, most of the inner world was empty like a ghost town, with only the area near Gotham University being somewhat bustling.
The inner world had basically achieved communism: houses and land were free, and resources were almost infinite. Aside from having a very low population, it was an ideal human society.
On the road, Shiller saw non-human figures such as little elves, centaurs, and fairies. As he approached the city center, these non-human presences increased.
The central roundabout in the inner world was centered on the World Tree, with portals to Maya and other magical planes located there. Many different species came here to visit.
In theory, newly opened magical spaces should quickly attract groups to develop them. However, with sparse populations across the magical planes, they didn't lack living spaces and saw no need to move.
Human cities, while curious, were not suitable for them to live in. Most were just here for sightseeing.
As Shiller approached the center, there was finally a bit of a crowd. The houses around the roundabout were clearly inhabited, but unlike the high buildings of the real world, these were rows of small buildings, resembling a medieval town.
After finding a place to park, Shiller entered a nearby alley, suddenly feeling as if he were walking through Diagon Alley.
Truth be told, it really did resemble Diagon Alley. Shops sold all sorts of miscellaneous magical items, but without as much order. Most stores sold a mix of items, including human specialties—like books, clothes, and metal goods, even handguns; as well as magical creature specialties, like various leathers, scales, horns, and magical materials.
After strolling around, Shiller found it quite fascinating. The currency used here was Mithril, which seemed to be an alchemical product of gold and silver, essentially still gold.
By the street corner, Shiller found a currency exchange shop, which also accepted US Dollars.
This wasn't surprising. Magicians also needed to live in the real world. Constantine and Zatanna must sell things here to make money to avoid starving.
After checking the price of Mithril, Shiller found it reasonable; roughly half of today's gold price, yet with significant purchasing power, at least stronger than the US Dollar.
After circling around, Shiller gained some inspiration.
Many magical materials sold here weren't just magical materials. Without magical processing, they were just shiny stones or parts of unknown creatures.
Even without magical functions, they looked quite intriguing. For example, a unicorn horn. In the real world, this shape didn't exist; or the scales of an ichthyosaur, half a meter in diameter, shining and cool.
Even without considering their use in the magical world, just taking them back as decorations, many people would be willing to buy them.
Some magical creatures also brought roughly processed handicrafts, like daggers carved out of bone or paintings woven from certain plants. They would bring these items when they visited and exchange them for money.
In the magical world, such items weren't as valuable as raw materials, so acquisition prices were low. Converted, they cost just tens or even a few dollars.
After all, many magical creatures had infinite lifespans. Their time wasn't valuable, and raw materials were everywhere, not worth much. They didn't believe they could sell them for high prices; thus, the acquisition prices were naturally low.
Shiller thought he could collect these little trinkets, sell them in his store as Gotham souvenirs, and they would probably sell well.
Yes, Shiller decided to open a souvenir shop, selling quirky items from the magical world. With good decoration, the shop would attract many customers.
He didn't expect to make a fortune, but if it could cover his property taxes each year, he'd be satisfied.
Of course, he wouldn't be minding the shop himself. Shiller glanced at his phone, knowing he didn't need a butler for his new home, and his butler was coming back soon. It was time to find him a new job.
But before that, he had to find Pamela to add a layer of protection to all the decorative plants and possible new inventory, to prevent Merkel from taking them all.