"Mona? Never heard of her."
Amber's blunt remark made Mona blush slightly, but she quickly tossed her twin-tails and gave a proud "hmph."
"You've never heard of me, the great astrologist Mona? Then that's your own ignorance."
With that, she shifted her gaze toward Kael, who was standing behind Amber.
A tall, muscular build. Handsome features.
Mona nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad. As expected of the man fated to be entangled with me."
Kael thought carefully—
He was certain he'd never met Mona before.
Not in this life, and not in any of the Life Simulations.
"I don't think we've ever met."
"Not yet. But the stars never lie."
With a dramatic sweep of her hands, Mona conjured a floating star chart disk, glowing blue and inscribed with complex patterns.
"The stars tell me our destinies will be deeply intertwined.
But strangely, I can't clearly see you.
Your chart is… too complex—shrouded in fog.
Still, I can tell that I'm not the only one.
Many others will be entangled with your fate as well."
She glanced sideways at Amber.
"Just as I thought—the stars never lie. This girl is one of them, isn't she?"
Amber puffed out her cheeks.
"Don't talk nonsense! Kael already said he doesn't even know you!"
Mona ignored her and gazed deeply into Kael's eyes.
"But he does now, doesn't he?"
"You're going to check out a shop now, right? I'll come help evaluate it."
"Sure."
"Absolutely not!"
The two answers rang out at the same time.
Amber whipped around and glared daggers at Kael.
Feeling her eyes on him, Kael smiled a little awkwardly.
"Hey, she might be able to help see if the place is worth it. Be good, don't get upset."
He wasn't just saying that.
Kael knew Mona's astrology was legit. If she was offering to help, that was the best-case scenario.
He'd be living in this house for a while, and he really didn't want to get scammed by Goth, that shady landlord who sold tent blueprints for 50,000 Mora.
Amber reluctantly agreed.
Mona gave a confident smirk.
"To have me help with a reading—what an honor."
——
The three of them arrived at the property near Mondstadt's gate—
A modest two-story townhouse.
Kael was immediately impressed.
The first floor was perfect for a storefront, and the second floor could be used as living space.
And with its close proximity to the gate, it'd be super convenient for him to drag in wild boar and set up shop.
After checking the place out thoroughly, Kael didn't hesitate.
"I'll take it."
"Wait!"
Mona narrowed her eyes and scanned the interior.
"This house… has a malevolent spirit."
Amber blinked.
"A what?"
"Or as you common folk say… a ghost.
This house is haunted."
Amber let out a squeal and immediately clung to Kael's arm.
"Eek… a g-ghost?! For real?!"
Kael frowned.
No wonder a place in such a prime location had been sitting vacant.
"Can you deal with it?" he asked Mona.
Mona lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course. A magic circle is all it takes to banish the spirit."
"Good. And how much Mora would that cost?"
Mona's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Talking about Mora is so crude."
"Instead—if you agree to let me live with you, I'll drive the spirit out immediately."