The very first thing that greeted the group upon entering was an internal partition. The previously enormous living room had its lower third cut off from the rest via a sturdy shelf that had been nailed to both the floor and ceiling to ensure it would stay put. The old shelves had been pulled into that entrance area, putting their worst foot forward.This had been done despite initial protests by both Yuzuki and Aclysia. While those two had wanted to present splendour to visitors, Apexus, Reysha, and the craftsmen had all made the unignorable point that this was the base of an adventurer’s party. The entrance area would see a lot of muddy boots and changes of clothing. Putting the worn shelves there was a simple surrender to the design. Plus, for a party like theirs, showing off that even their furniture bore the scars of a hundred Quests was its own display of prestige.
Still, the Yuki-Onna and guardian angel managed to get two concessions out of it. First, the rug that was initially planned for the entrance area was replaced with a more decorated one. The red-gold thing was too expensive to be used as a boot cleaner by any reasonable standard, yet the party could afford it. Similarly, the statue of ice-like crystal that became part of the partitioning wall was an ornate version of something with a much simpler purpose.
It was enchanted to chill the air, a counterpart to the fireplaces in the Mobile Estate. The enchantment was fundamentally simple and the statue only had a room-wide effect because of its scale. Light blue, it stood framed by the practical shelves, resembling a grim angel wielding a mace. It was the first thing anyone entering saw. Aclysia insisted it added a degree of gravitas.
A wide gap in the wall let them step deeper into the estate and the living room proper. Additional shelves had been placed along the wall, many of them already filled with a variety of new books, games and conversation pieces, such as small figures made of glass. Their old, square carpet marked the transitioning point. It had been taken good care of so a quick professional cleaning was all it needed to fit in with the décor.
The heart of the living room, the couch with the low coffee table, was largely unchanged. They had added more pillows to the floor to give guests more space to sit and an absolutely enormous carpet had been put beneath that entire corner of the room to add an extra layer of comfort. It also considerably aided the acoustic situation.
West of the couch corner, a long counter and a simple but well made shelf had been installed. Together, they formed the basis of a simple kitchen. There they would prepare and temporarily store meals. It also allowed Aclysia to expand her utensil collection considerably.
The hallway connecting all the other rooms only saw the addition of a large shelf where it fit without getting in the way. They discussed putting some plants around for decorations, but that was halted in anticipation of a future expansion. For now, they did not want to cram too much into the area.
The latrine was a minor overhaul, with the pre-installed furniture of the Mobile Estate torn out and replaced with custom creations. It provided a little more comfort and, in the case of the water bucket, was simply more aesthetic. It took the craftsmen a bit of experimenting before they managed to connect a sink to the magical systems of the Mobile Estate. Once they managed, they used that knowledge everywhere else.
The bath was equipped with two shelves for towels and soaps, a stone bench, and two tubs replacing the one old one. The new tubs were metal and one of them was twice as large as the old one. It still would not be enough for the entire Inevitable party to soak in the same tub simultaneously.
Apexus’ alchemy lab was dis and then reassembled. He got a much larger desk with a multitude of additional instruments. The most important new asset was a metal tank that he could use to store semi-stable alchemical fluids, which was going to make his future work a lot easier. Not needing to create reactive bases every time and instead producing them in bulk every couple of months was just moreconvenient.
Their bedroom saw a minor overhaul as well. A sink was installed in place of the old bucket, as with all the other rooms. A desk in the corner gave Aclysia a proper spot to sit and keep her journal. A much larger bed replaced the old one, which came with the additional benefit of a new and improved mattress for Reysha to nap on.
Out in the garden, a number of plants were seeded or outright planted. Among the various herbs and vegetables, the most outstanding one was a local fruit bush called Warmberries. They had a light spiciness to them, harmonising nicely with their natural sweetness. Because they filled the mouth with a bit of heat, they were very popular with the locals, rich and poor alike. Yuzuki also insisted that they were very easy to get a delicious mead out of that sold for a decent amount in a lot of places. Reysha and Korith were both immediately onboard.
About half of the garden remained untouched for now. The party did not want to overplant local flora.
That left them with two empty rooms. The question was less what to put in them and more what went where. Was it better to place the guest room in the north or the south? Even in the latter case, there was only a bit of a corridor, hardly enough to prevent potential noise complaints.
The winning argument for putting the guest room next to their bedroom was simply that one room had water access and the other did not. Leaving a guest potentially parched during the night and unable to refresh themselves in private was poor manners. They had a quite large bed installed there.
The remaining room became a dedicated pantry. They bought several crates that were lined with the cooling crystals. They would have to recharge them with their own mana periodically, but it was still going to keep their stored food from spoiling for a while. This would be especially true if they managed to keep insects and such from making their way into the Mobile Estate.
To say they were better equipped than before would have been an understatement.
