Chapter 31 - A House To Rent

"Why are you asking?" Hecathe questioned, making it clear in his tone of speech that he was suspicious of the man.

The waiter chuckled as he waved his hand and defended himself, "I'm not someone shady, I swear!"

He's definitely shady.

Hecathe thought in his mind but he naturally didn't voice out his thoughts.

The waiter walked a step closer as he finally got to the point for which he had run after Hecathe.

"If you are looking for a place to stay, I might be able to help you."

Hecathe couldn't help but want to decline the offer as soon as he heard it, "If I want to look for a place to stay, I'm sure I can search it for myself. Why would I need your help?"

The smile on the waiter's face didn't falter as he heard Hecathe, "Sir, if you go out searching by yourself, you'll surely end up getting conned. There are not many places giving out a room to foreigners and as long as I know, the places that are, have already been booked completely."

"What's the guarantee that you're not trying to con me as well?" Hecathe asked straightforwardly without bothering to beat around the bush.

The waiter looked to be a bit stunned by the blunt honesty and it took him a minute to respond as he broke out laughing.

"Sir, you can rest assured that I'm not trying to con you or anything. I just want to help someone out. There is this apartment that my aunt runs and currently, it's completely empty with just one or two people living there. It's not in the center of the city which makes it a bit unpopular and it's not the best looking either so business has been pretty low for my aunt."

Hecathe squinted at the man as he let him continue.

"My aunt was asking me to find her some tenants and you look like you could appreciate the offer," The man beamed.

"How much is the price?" Hecathe asked.

"That..." The man awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, "The price would be relatively lower than any other apartments here, however, I have no idea what the exact amount is. You'll have to talk to my aunt about it."

Hecathe seemed to be seriously pondering over it for a minute.

"How many other people live there?" This was an important question since Hecathe was already looking for a place that didn't have a lot of people around. The more people that lived around him, the more chances he would have of being found out.

"Excluding my aunt, as I have said before, there are only two more tenants. One just recently moved in and the other has been living there for a really long time now."

Hecathe felt that the offer was quite good. There weren't many tenants and it was in a more deserted area with probably a comparatively lower rent. If there was one thing that made Hecathe frown however, it would be the fact that the waiter had actually run after him to give him such a nice offer.

Hecathe wasn't a person who trusted people he had just met. In fact, earning his trust was no easier than earning a degree from a reputable college.

"What's in it for you?" Hecathe asked as he looked at the man with suspicion.

"Eh?" The waiter tilted his head in confusion as he muttered back.

"There must be something in it for you as well, seeing as how you're desperately trying to find your aunt some tenants." Hecathe didn't bother hiding his thoughts.

The waiter looked to be a bit stunned as he heard this.

"If you refuse to be completely honest with me then I'll just think that you're a shady man trying to trick me and steal my organs."

"..." The waiter gulped as he panicked a little, "That's definitely not it, sir! I'm a law-abiding citizen!"

"Then tell me the truth. Why did you run after me and why are you trying to help me?" Hecathe questioned as he looked at the man with a serious expression on his face.

The waiter chuckled and at first, he looked to be a little hesitant but seeing as how Hecathe was stubborn, in the end, there was nothing he could do except for giving Hecathe the honest answer to his question.

"Naturally, there's some money in it for me as well," The waiter spoke up awkwardly as he explained, "If I bring my aunt some new tenants, I get a commission."

"That's it?" Hecathe asked with a bit of surprise, "You're doing it for just some extra cash?"

For some reason, Hecathe had a hard time believing this answer, but the waiter innocently nodded his head as he responded, "Of course. If I wasn't getting paid, why would I bother myself with this?"

"But you already have a job in this restaurant, don't you? Why would you be trying so hard to earn more?"

"Why not?" The waiter asked straightforwardly as he tilted his head and looked back at Hecathe, "Wouldn't everyone want to become rich. Only when you have a lot of money can you live off comfortably. The rich are free to do whatever they may like. Money may not buy you happiness but it can certainly buy you the things that bring you happiness."

Hecathe didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard the man's ideology about money.

"Young man, you're quite ambitious. I like it, however, your thinking is a bit too optimistic."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say a rich man lost his mother and compare that to a poor man that lost his mother. Would the pain felt by the two men be any different from each other? Would the rich man be a bit less sad just because he has money and would the poor man be even more depressed because he doesn't have any money?"

The waiter gulped but said nothing as he thought about it seriously.

Hecathe sighed as he saw the conflicted look on the man's face.

"But I would say this. You and me are alike," Hecathe added as he looked at the man.

"Eh? How so?"

Hecathe smirked proudly as he responded, "Money can't buy you happiness, but that's only because happiness isn't for sale yet.. I'm also such a man that believes in the power of filthy money."