Bliss’s eyes twitch at the sight before her.

She had ridden in a truck pulled by Petey (which is Mr Li Heng’s scarecrow) for hours, then walk for another couple of hours through the woods to reach this place which very much not what she had been expected.

“Um...Mr Li, ar-are we at the right place?” Bliss timidly ask the plump man beside her, looking left and right for traces of human habitation.

Bliss lifts up the flyer stating ‘Vacant Home! The beautiful home you’ve been looking~’. In the flyer the small house looks like a cottage coming out from a fairy tale but...what she sees before her is the total opposite.

The building in front of her looks exactly like an abandon haunted house!

“Of course! Isn’t she a beauty?” Li Heng said, smoothing out his tiny mustache while fishing out for a key through his worn out briefcase.

He covers up his mouth, earning confusing glances from Bliss, Blitz and Sherlock. But soon, the trio gets why. As he swiftly opens his briefcase, a tornado of dust flew out.

The three cough their tears out while Li Heng pulls out a metal key.

Bliss coughs, waving her hands in the air trying to fan the dust out from her face.

“Now, come along, I’ll show you the interior of this beauty.” He said.

“O-Okay!” Bliss said, trotting towards the man, her baggage float behind her, following her to the door.

Sherlock edges over and whispered to Blitz: “If I’m Bliss, I am most certain that I wouldn’t step foot into that kind of house.”

Blitz looks at building that looks like it gonna fall apart any second and couldn’t help but agree with Sherlock.

Bliss jumped when the door fall inside without needing to unlock, she glances over to Li Heng while he let out a string of awkward laughs, rushing inside and grab hold of the door.

“No need to worry, it is just a minor mishap. Petey here can fix it in a jiffy~” He said, eyeing Petey.

Bliss turned towards Petey, questioningly, “Really?”

Petey crack up a persuasive smile and nods under the threatening gaze of Li Heng.

“Alright then~” Bliss smile.

Turning towards her two companion, she urge them to quickly enter the house with her.

Sherlock and Blitz gulps as they got no choice but to go inside with Bliss.

“Okay...so, although the place doesn’t look like much from the outside but it is what the inside that counts right?” Li Heng said, lying on the wall, arms crossed.

Blitz felt a sprinkle of dust rains on its head, looking up, it swear that Li Heng’s weight is going to broke the house! It quickly leap forward biting him by his trousers, woofing at the plump man.

“Looks like your puppy is excited to see the house as well.” Li Heng signals the trio to follow him upstairs.

Blitz let out a sigh of relief, seeing that the wall and ceiling are not in risk of crashing down.

“I’m sure you will like it when you see the room. The view from the window is breathtaking! With all the greenery and nature.”

Bliss nods, her mouth twitching as she walks up the stairs. For Heaven’s sake, we’re in the middle of the forest. I would be surprise if he said there’s a beautiful city view.

Li Heng turned towards Bliss, opening his mouth to say something when he sees Bliss is going to put her foot on one flight of the stairs.

He shout: “Wait!” He quickly stop her, grabbing her hand, leading Bliss to skip that one and step on another flight of the stairs, earning a confused glance from Bliss.

And soon enough she knows why. Without knowing anything, Blitz jumps onto that stair and it instantly fall off. Blitz let out a shock bark and a piercing squeak escapes Sherlock’s mouth. In a flash, Bliss extends her hand casting her levitation magic on her two companions. Bliss levitates Blitz and Sherlock towards her, carrying them in her arms.

Sherlock lets out a relief sigh exchanging glances with Blitz before they both turned over sending daggers at Li Heng. Li Heng felt a shiver down his spine when he met both of their gazes, he lets out a string of awkward laugh before continuing upstairs muttering ‘Minor mishap, minor mishap, Petey can fix that as well’.

When he open the door to the bedroom, Bliss is once again at a loss of words.

As soon as he swings open the door, the door fell apart. Petey quickly hold the door up, signalling that he will gets it fix. Spiderwebs filled the room, Bliss felt like she enters the nest of the spiders and she swear she just saw a whole army of cockroaches marches through.

“Just look at the view!” Li Heng said strutting to the window.

Bliss looks out the window, a wilting tree stood right outside the window with cawing crows sitting on the branches of the leafless tree.

“What kind of view is that?!” Sherlock stood on the windowsill, looking at the scenery outside in disbelief. It suddenly wonder whether it made the right choice coming to Hilmoria with both Bliss and Blitz.

To think that Sherlock Magnolia Hildagart De Norman the Third had been reduced to staying in such places. Sherlock screams internally asking god why it have to suffer such misfortune. It scorns at the thick layer of dust everywhere as it took out a handkerchief from his coat placing in on the windowsill and sat on the suppose-to-be-white-but-turned-to-grey handkerchief.

Sherlock directs it’s attention to the pup, “Blitz, be a dear and aid me with my bag-”

Its words are interrupt by the banging on the window; brows furrowed it turned towards the commotion and a piercing scream escapes from its mouth as it scramble towards the pup.

Li Heng opens the window, waving his hat, shooing the crows. “Go away! You pesky critters!”

Bliss coughs as the waves of dust hit her like a tsunami.

Shutting the window, Li Heng went over to Bliss, rubbing both of his hands sheepishly.

“As you can see, everything is in its tip-top condition. So, the rent for the first month...” He wiggles his brows.

“Ah! Umm...” Bliss eyes take a quick scan of the place and behind Li Heng, both Sherlock and Blitz shakes their head, practically begging Bliss to reject this abandon/haunted house.

Li Heng caught the doubts flashing in Bliss eyes and he instantly puts on a sorrowful face.

He let out a deep sigh, “I know this place may look a liiiittle rusty, that’s why the rent is so low since I eagerly needed the money to cure my sick Aunt. Poor Aunt...”

Sherlock and Blitz rolled their eyes at the plump man and his sob stories.

“Oh please. He think we would actually believe in his stories.”

Sherlock said looking at Li Heng mockingly, taking a puff on its pipe while Blitz nods in agreement.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that Mr Li.” Bliss said, her eyes filled with tears as she hold both of Li Heng’s hands.

A puff of smoke stuck in its throat as Sherlock heard what Bliss just said, Blitz’s jaw dropped upon her words. Sherlock almost cough its guts out as it look at Blitz in disbelief. Both of them can only gape as Bliss pay Li Heng the rental for the first month and wave him goodbye, wishing his Aunt to get well soon.

The two of them get back to their senses when Li Heng glances at them when he exit the creaking door, his eyes are clearly saying that they are idiots and the curl of his lips mocks their dignity.

Sherlock felt anger boils in the pit of its stomach and Blitz directly sent a lightning bolt towards him but he easily dodge it, sticking his tongue out while speeding away in his truck.

“Blitz, Sherlock~ What are you guys doing outside? Come on in, we still have lots to do to settle in.” Bliss said, already have a broom in her hand.

Looking at her innocent expression and her naivety, Blitz turned towards Sherlock, a sigh escape its mouth.

“Now, you know why I have to be with her. Do you think she can make it out alive on her own?”

Sherlock opens its mouth, but couldn’t think of a word to deny this fact. It can only say: “You’ve worked hard.” and pat Blitz lightly on the shoulder.

While the two are bonding over Bliss’s guilelessness, Bliss looks at them with softness in her heart.

“Aww~ They’re becoming best friends already~” She said, feeling glad.

Glancing over to the house that she will be staying for the next month, she smiled.

“This wasn’t so bad, at least I have a place to stay.”