Webster returned to his room and summoned a subordinate mercenary to pass along instructions regarding Ron:
"Head to the City of Chaos tonight. Have the local office finalize Ron's arrangement. Once we arrive tomorrow, assign him a shop on Aikley Street."
The mercenary nodded but hesitated. "Commander, shops on Aikley Street are in high demand... competition there is intense."
"That's the whole point." Webster glanced at him. "His Majesty wants Prince Ron to live a quiet, idle life—not actually run a business."
The mercenary instantly fell silent, bowed, and withdrew.
He's lived too long in the palace greenhouse... has no idea how brutal the outside world really is. Let him struggle a bit, then settle down and accept his fate as a pampered noble waiting for his days to pass.
Webster didn't say it out loud—just kept the thought to himself.
Earlier, when he'd seemed reluctant in front of Ron before agreeing to help, that was all for show. He hadn't paid any real price—yet now Ron owed him a favor.
And even if Ron's favor didn't mean much, he was still the emperor's blood son. No harm in building a little goodwill.
Meanwhile, back in Ron's room...
Didn't expect that to go so smoothly.
Lying on his bed, Ron mulled things over.
To him, the villa was useless anyway. Maintaining it would require servants, which meant more expenses. Trading it for a storefront? Total win.
Sell the villa instead?
Forget it—he didn't even know how real estate worked in this world, let alone how property transfer was handled here.
Sure, some might think swapping a house for a shop was a dumb move. But with a system backing him up, it was definitely worth it.
Now that the storefront was secured and the 100 gold monthly living allowance confirmed, Ron felt much more at ease.
Even if the system ended up being underwhelming, he could still live a pretty chill life off that gold alone.
For the first time since transmigrating, Ron actually felt... grounded.
He began sorting through the remaining memory fragments left behind by the original Ron, hoping to better understand the world he was now living in.
The next morning, Ron got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.
He splashed some water on his face, then looked up at the mirror—
"Whoa!"
Startled, he stumbled a step back, stunned by the reflection staring back at him.
Messy light-brown hair, piercing reddish-gold eyes, a perfectly sculpted nose, thin and alluring lips, sharp and handsome features, and smooth, pale skin—
He was stupidly, unfairly handsome.
"This... this face is criminal..."
Ron leaned in closer, poking and prodding his cheeks. "And it's all natural too... wow."
He spent a long time admiring his reflection, nearly getting lost in his own beauty.
After a long, hot shower, he finally walked out of his room to board the carriage, still mumbling to himself:
"Thought I'd be one of those all-looks-no-brains types... but turns out I've got real capital to work with."
The merchant convoy's journey was smooth and uneventful.
Escorted by the Radiant Mercenary Corps, most bandit groups fled at the mere sight of their insignia.
Even the more notorious ones didn't dare make a move with Commander Webster around.
By afternoon, the convoy arrived at the center of the continent:
The City of Chaos — Disorder.
The city was backed by the southeastern Boundless Mountain Range, with parts of it built into the hillside, protected naturally by cliffs and terrain. The plains-side districts were surrounded by tall, fortified walls.
As the most prosperous trade city on the Rixis Continent, merchant caravans came and went all day long. Deals between the major races were often struck right here.
People of all races lived side-by-side, and cultural customs mixed freely, creating a unique and chaotic atmosphere.
The city was remarkably inclusive. Even the most violent beastmen from the far north could enter without issue.
Ron's convoy blended into the flow of traffic like a drop in the ocean. No one paid them any special attention.
Once inside the city, the merchant wagons parted ways with the mercenaries.
Ron followed the mercenary corps to their local branch office.
Webster took him to see Jasper, the operations officer, gave a few brief instructions, and then left—he had more important things to deal with.
Escorting Ron was a side job. Now that they'd arrived, someone else could handle the details.
"Prince Ron, your shop is ready," Jasper said.
He'd already received the message last night and had finalized everything early that morning. The deed was ready and waiting.
"All we need is your signature here."
Ron double-checked the document, signed it, and tucked the deed away safely.
"Can I go see the shop now?"
"Of course. I'll have someone take you there immediately."
After receiving his monthly 100 gold coin allowance, a system notification chimed:
[Wealth +100]
A mercenary led him to the shop.
The storefront was located in the Ruby District of Aikley Street and had three floors, plus a backyard.
Aikley Street was the central artery of the entire city, broken up into several zones. It was by far the busiest commercial street in the City of Chaos.
The Ruby District was in the second-highest tier of the street—an excellent location by any standard.
"This shop was recently renovated," the mercenary explained.
"The first floor has a main hall and a front desk, with a storage room in the back that leads to the yard."
"The second and third floors are residential. The second floor has a kitchen, bathroom, living room, study, two bedrooms, a storage closet, and a balcony."
"The third floor has one bedroom and one bathroom."
Ron nodded along while exploring. "The third floor looks smaller from the outside—is it fully livable?"
"Yes," the mercenary replied. "The previous owner lived here with their whole family, so there are extra bedrooms. After the recent renovation, something happened back in the owner's hometown, so they had to sell fast. Our corps stepped in and acquired the property."
"I can start living here today, right?" Ron asked.
The mercenary nodded. "Absolutely."
"Great. You can head back then. Thanks for the help."
After sending the mercenary away, Ron shut the door and headed upstairs.
He collapsed onto the second-floor couch in the living room and opened his system panel.
[Main Quest] – Own a Flower Shop of Your Own
"Congratulations, Host. Main Quest Completed. Reward has been placed in [Inventory]."
"Shop Transformation Initiated. Estimated Completion Time: 11h 59m 59s."