Chapter 222: East District

Gray rubbed his temple as the holographic blue screen in front of him finally faded. The excitement of completing the mission lingered in his chest, but he forced himself to stay composed.He cleared his throat and glanced at Mara.

"Guess we’ll finally get a decent night’s sleep," he muttered as a small playful smile appeared on his face.

Mara gave a light laugh and nodded.

"Yeah. Finally. We deserve it."

Gray chuckled with her before glancing back to the monitor on his desk. They continued to do light work after the meeting, but it was in full chill mode.

They were just working for the reason that it was still too early to leave the office. It was also good so that their workload for the next days would be lessened a little.

10 minutes before 4, they quickly packed up their things. Once everything was in order, the two of them left the office and went to their own homes.

By the time Gray stepped into his condo, the exhaustion of the day weighed down on his shoulders. He set his things on the counter and loosened his tie before collapsing into the couch.

His eyelids were heavy and closing.

However, his sleep could wait.

For now, there was a bigger thing he had to look at.

His reward.

Gray leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "System," he called out quietly. "Show me the reward. The land title."

Instantly, the familiar glowing panel appeared before his eyes.

"Why is it taking so long?" Gray’s excitement grew together with the numbers.

The smile on his face just widened with each passing second.

Gray’s eyes widened slightly as he read the location.

"East District..." he muttered under his breath. He knew the place well. It was one of the fastest-growing areas in the city. Each year, there were new establishments being built there. The development there was booming.

And to own a land there outright... that was more than just a reward! That was an opportunity.

Gray quickly sat back, letting the thought settle in his mind.

For weeks, he had been worrying about proving his worth to Conrad, about whether expansion was even realistic. And now, in his hands, he literally had the foundation for it.

What could even go wrong?

The system’s cold but encouraging tone followed.

Gray ran a hand down his face. A small and almost disbelieving laugh escaped his lips soon after.

"Unbelievable..."

But the weight of responsibility quickly made his smile drop. Land was one thing. But building and running a new store on it was another. He couldn’t rush it.

Still, it was already there. Just waiting.

The glowing panel flickered right before his eyes before fading out, leaving only the silence of his apartment. But Gray’s heart was still beating fast, his mind filled with a hurdle of thoughts.

Gray closed his eyes firmly before leaning into the couch with a long exhale.

"Alright, Gray," he whispered to himself. "Let’s take this one step at a time. Don’t worry about anything. You can do it."

Tomorrow, he would start planning. Tonight, he would allow himself to rest first.

And just like that, Gray stood up. He went to Lily’s room to check on her, seeing her peacefully taking a nap. After making sure that Lily was fine, he proceeded to his room, changed his clothes, and retired for the day.

The next morning, Gray couldn’t shake the thought of the land on his head. It was the only thing on it. Even while making coffee, even while scrolling through social media, even when watching videos, his mind kept circling back to it.

So, instead of heading straight to the office like usual, he decided to just go to the land and see it with his own eyes.

The East District.

He barely remembered ever going there. Years ago, he would consider it so far from their apartment.

But now, as Daniel drove him out of the West Arcadia District, he realized it wasn’t that bad.

Surprisingly, it only took him forty minutes. It was thanks to his condo. His condo sat in a prime location, almost dead center between different districts in the city.

That was why places that were once felt distant were just right around the corner now.

As soon as they entered the East District, the difference in atmosphere hit him.

Unlike the clean-cut polish of West Arcadia, this place was filled with people and buildings. Streets were lined with mid-rise apartments, small restaurants spilling out onto sidewalks, and vendors blending in with the foot traffic as they sold things on the street.

It was messy in some ways, but it was still clean and organized.

Daniel slowed the car and let Gray take in the surroundings.

This wasn’t the world of luxury and riches. Most of the people in this district were middle class.

There were office workers on their way to shifts, young couples walking hand-in-hand, and families balancing budgets while buying groceries in full. The people here weren’t poor.

They had money to spend, just not carelessly. For them, every penny counts, and every purchase matters.

The city also reflected that mindset.

Scattered around the district were affordable clothing shops next to small gadget stalls. There were medium-sized cafés where people lingered over single cups of inexpensive but good coffee.

Malls in this district were also busy but practical. They were less about extravagance and more about convenience.

And still, it was full of life.

"It’s not bad here. I guess the grocery store can live here. After all, the land was given by the system. It should be a good land."

And when Gray thought of it, this was actually his market.

His current market was also the same, though they were leaning more towards the upper middle class to the rich side because of their prime location.

They also sell quality goods at a fair price, so these people would appreciate it.

Gray exhaled slowly as the corners of his lips tugged upward.

"This is not bad at all," he murmured.

The East District was busy, messy, and a little loud. But it was exactly the kind of place that could sustain a new grocery store.

Now, he just needed to see the land itself.

"Are we still far from the location, Daniel?"

"No, Sir. Just a few more minutes."

Gray abruptly nodded his head and waited. As they drove more, the streets grew less crowded, the buildings became shorter, and the noise of the district slowly thinned out.

After another ten minutes of driving through side roads, the city blocks finally opened into a wide stretch of land.

Daniel slowed the car to a stop.

And there it was.

Gray saw the land from the car’s window.

The lot was enormous. It was far bigger than he’d expected. From the street, it stretched back almost endlessly.

The land wasn’t developed at all. There were patches of tall grass swaying in the breeze, bushes sprouting unevenly across the soil, and here and there, weeds had taken over as if nature had been waiting for its chance.

"We’re here, Sir."

Gray quickly stepped out of the car.

"Damn..."

He could smell the smell of dry earth carried faintly on the wind. He walked closer to the land, his eyes roaming across the sheer size of it.

It was big. Big enough for a full grocery complex, with parking too. Maybe they can even add a space for another small business beside it. A small cafe or a gasoline station. Maybe a takeout stand.

The potential of it was endless.

But the reality wasn’t.

Gray could imagine clearing the grass, leveling the land, laying down proper foundations. The construction alone would eat up a fortune of money, and that was before permits, labor, materials. Everything else stacked on top.

Gray pressed his lips into a thin line.

"This... would cost a lot."

The thought was definitely depressing. It was an opportunity, yes. But also a commitment that could drain him if he wasn’t careful.

Still, he didn’t look away.

Standing there, with the wind tugging at his shirt and the quiet hum of the district behind him, Gray couldn’t help but picture it. A clean building, with glass doors sliding open, customers walking in and out with bags full of groceries. His store’s name rises above the entrance, bold against the skyline.

The vision was so clear it almost startled him.

"I couldn’t wait to develop this."