Ms. Jones guided Ashton on how to navigate the hologram in front of him. That being said, Ashton still doesn't recognize most of things written in it.
He could read yes, but barely. The Orphanage never really focused a lot when it comes to the basic knowledge. Old Ashton was the one who worked really hard to make sense of things.
There are terminologies in there that he can't quite grasp just yet. That being said, navigating the hologram was quite simple, it's touch-activated just like smartphones back in his home world.
Still, Ashton was never been one to understand maps thoroughly. There's too much in the screen that doesn't completely makes sense to him.
"Uh, Big Sister. Can you help me?" He asked.
Ms. Jones seems amused by how Ashton addressed her but she doesn't seem to mind. She asked: "Is there anything you don't understand?"
"Uh, a lot actually." Ashton didn't bother lying about that. "I can barely read the words written in here. But that's not it. Um, I need help in choosing a house."
"I see." Ms. Jones seems to understand where he's coming from. "Tell me then, do you have anything in mind that you want for a house?"
"Uh, I saw the houses here. They look pretty much the same on the inside and out, if they are like that and they're that big, I don't really have any problems with it."
"But um...is there a house here that's close to a school? And maybe a supermarket? I would like to see it if there's one." Ashton requested.
He then saw Ms. Jones looking at him in interest, which puzzled him a bit.
'Clever child.' Ms. Jones thought to herself. 'It's hard to think that he's an orphan like this. Or maybe it is because he's an orphan that he's this clever? Either way, it's good. At least, he'll be fine on his own.'
"Good thinking!" Ms. Jones recovered, she then waved her hand and filtered the list according to Ashton's requirements. Ashton then saw the list shrinking, leaving only one.
"You came at a great time. If you're a little bit late, this house would've been taken by someone else."
"This location right here fits the requirements you asked for. It is close to a school, The Mystic Academy in fact, it's probably the best school there is in City M. If you can pass their examination, you'd be golden and since this house is close to it, you can save-up money for vehicle fares."
"This area right here is a commercial space actually. Basically, it is rather famous and populated, there is a lot of stores around this area which where you can go to purchase your needs. Just a walking distance away."
"The security is top-notch, there are Knights and Mages always in patrol so criminals wouldn't even dare to think about causing trouble in there. So? What do you think?"
"Mn! This is the one. I'll choose this, thank you Big Sister!" Ashton didn't dare to waste time thinking about it. This location is already really good based on her description.
He didn't doubt the woman since she's a government employee, plus Agent Theta is beside her. In addition to that, Ashton felt that she's trustworthy so he believed in her.
If it turns out that his instincts are wrong...oh well, at least there's an inheritance for him, right?
"Okay! Since you have chosen, we can finalize your registration." Ms. Jones didn't dally either. She finalized Ashton's profile and updated his address and his citizenship.
After a few minutes, she stopped. Beside her, a couple of cards appeared as well as some documents. She took them and passed them down on Ashton.
"Here, this one will be your Federation ID, have it with you at all times since most of the facilities around your area will require you to show that. This one would be your Credit Card, this card can access your inheritance money and you can use it to pay for the things you'll but without needed to carry paper bills."
"As for these papers, these are important documents about your profile. Keep this secured since there are times where people will ask you for this. For example when you enroll to the academy and had your interview, you will need to show that to the professors there."
"Never lose these things, alright? At the instance that you lost them, immediately contact us and report it okay? You have to protect your credentials. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Thank you very much. I'll be careful, I promise."
"Good boy!" Ms. Jones smiled, she then looked at Agent Theta for a bit and then back at Ashton. "Since we're done here, you can leave with Agent Theta. He will take you to your new home. Be good and stick close to him okay?"
"I will. Thanks again Big Sister." Ashton nodded and stood up.
"Alright, bye Ashton. I hope you have a nice day ahead."
"You too, Big Sister. Bye-bye." Ashton waved and then exited the office along with Agent Theta.
The Agent didn't say a word, he just expected the kid to follow him around like he's supposed to do. Ashton then saw him fiddling his watch for some reason and he doubt that he was adjusting the time.
They entered the Elevator and once inside, Agent Theta pressed the button for the ground floor. They rode the elevator in silence.
Once they reached their destination, Ashton was surprised that they weren't on the first floor. Instead they're at the parking space where there are cars as far as the eyes can see.
Agent Theta seemed to have noticed his surprise, he then asked: "Did you want to say goodbye to those who took care of you?"
He's referring to the Nuns. Admittedly, Ashton was bit a torn. While it's true that he found them shady as hell, at the end of the day, they still took care of him. He grew up in their Orphanage, they fed and clothed him when in truth, they didn't have to do so.
"Does the Awakening Ceremony cost money?" He asked instead while he followed the Agent.
"500 Federation Dollars per person." He replied.
"That's 3,000 in total since there's six of us who came with the nuns." Ash counted, he didn't see the surprised expression of the agent when he realized that the kid can do math.
"Can I use this to make a donation to the orphanage?" Ashton asked.
Agent Theta recovered from his surprise and said: "Yes. How much are you thinking?"
"15,000." He replied, "Also, if I can leave a message with the donation, that would ne great."
"I'll arrange it for you." Agent Theta nodded and he began fiddling on his watch.
Ashton then saw a hologram appearing in front of the Agent, he swiftly did his thing and not even a minute later, a form was already ready.
'Oh cool! So that's like a smartwatch! Maybe I can buy one for myself.'
"Millibeth's Orphanage, right?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"What's your message for them?" He asked.
"Thanks for taking care of me. Use this money however you like." Ashton replied.
"Pass me your Credit Card."
Ashton did that and he saw the Agent tapping his credit card on the hologram. After doing that, a green light flashed and some notifications showed-up on the side which the Agent dismissed right away.
"It's done." Agent Theta passed the Credit Card back to him. "They'd be receiving that within three to five business days."
"Thank you, Agent."
"...I know that you donated that much to repay the favor but Kid, be wise on spending your money. You might think that you have a lot of it but if you get careless, all of your money will disappear before you know it."
"I understand. I'll be careful."
Inwardly, Ashton couldn't help but snicker. Of course he would know how to handle his money. If the industry works even slightly similar to that of Earth, Ashton has no doubts that one slip and he'd be homeless before he knew it so it's already given that he'd be careful.
"Anyways, here's our ride. Get in, I'll drive you to your new home."
Interestingly enough, cars here looks similar to that of earth so he didn't really have problems adjusting to it. He sat on the back while Agent is obviously on the driver's seat.
Ashton instinctively looked for the seatbelt but he didn't find any so he just let it go. The seat on the other hand was heavenly. The interior of the car was sleek and handsome. Weirdly enough, he didn't see a steering wheel, instead there's some sort of a circuit board in there which confused him.
Agent Theta of course understood how this thing works. Ashton saw him pressing things here and there then all of a sudden, the engines started. By the time he realized it, the car was already moving without the man doing anything.
'Auto-pilot? Wow!' Ashton was really impressed. And the surprise didn't end there. Once they're out of the Parking Area, the agent's seat suddenly rotated and is now facing him.
"A few things for you to know before we arrive at your new home..."
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