Chapter 36 Amanda's Mansion
Although the eastern outskirts of Vera City were full of hills, many mansions were built here, each with a large area of land.
Actually, what makes land prices there expensive is because of the very high taxes. If not, given how large the area is, the land shouldn't be as expensive as it is right now.
Of course, the high prices haven't discouraged rich people from living there.
The cool air plus the clear view of the City of Vera will make those who live there get mental healing every day.
Today was Arthur's first time coming here, normally he could only see it from afar.
He thought it was indeed a good place. On each side of the road there is a wide expanse of grass, which can be used to play football.
Even though it is quite crowded, there are not many vehicles, most people come by bus.
About one kilometer after entering the area, Amanda's car entered a smaller road. It headed to a higher area. A sign saying 'private property' on the front of the street prevents anyone from entering.
Rows of pine trees lined each side of the road, some filled with monkeys who were clearly imported products.
Arthur guessed it was Amanda who bought them.
About a hundred meters ahead, he saw a mansion, probably four stories high, surrounded by a 4.5 meter high wall.
Arthur couldn't guess the price of this property, 10 Million Euros was definitely too little, it was just the simplest of residences.
"Do you live here alone?" Arthur asked, glancing at Amanda who had not spoken earlier.
"Of course, I'm an adult, it's impossible to still live with my parents" she replied with a faint smile as she looked at Arthur, which was obviously a mockery since he was a student and still living with his aunt.
Unfortunately, Arthur wasn't fazed in the least. And what Amanda said wasn't entirely true because she wasn't really alone. Passing through the wall, Arthur found several old men who should have retired cutting the grass, raking dry leaves, and tending to the various plants in the mansion grounds.
"Actually, I don't live here much anyway, I have work to do, so I stay in city more." Amanda added as she saw Arthur didn't change his expression.
"That makes more sense," Arthur replied.
However, if she wanted to stay here every day without disturbing her work it really wasn't difficult. She was able to go into city by helicopter and Arthur saw one parked above the mansion.
The old men mowing the grass were quite surprised when they saw a large truck carrying containers following Amanda's car and behind the truck following two black vans. They seemed to be wondering what she was carrying.
The truck stopped halfway between the wall and the mansion. The men from the two vans then got off, they were ten in number, twelve plus the two in the truck.
Arthur and Amanda got out of the car after them.
The latter signaled the old men to come closer. They were led by a tall old man, still looking strong despite his age.
"Miss, what did you buy?" The tall old man asked, looking familiar with Amanda.
"Uncle Joe, this is quite a shock, so I need to tell you all first, there are four tigers plus two harpy eagles in the container," Amanda replied.
"T-tigers?" Joe may be an ex-soldier, but it's clear he's just a lowly soldier or he wouldn't be a mansion caretaker in his old age. Hence, things like tigers easily shocked him.
As for the other old men, some had jumped up.
"Let's see." Amanda smiled before stepping towards the back of the container.
Joe was the first to recover, he quickly followed Amanda.
Occasionally, he glanced at Arthur suspiciously as it was the first time he had seen a man here. And this man was clearly of high caliber, so a strange thought was going through his head. Only, he was confused because Arthur was too young.
"Mrs. Amanda, would you like them to be put here?" The leader of Erick's subordinates asked. He wears a hat, and carries a staff that can actually be used to shoot needles.
"Yes!" Amanda answered briefly.
Considering that there was only her and a few old men here, the presence of four tigers must have been extremely dangerous even if they were in a cage, but Arthur's presence spared Amanda no worries.
The men also thought the same, they were used to dealing with beasts, but being compared to Arthur casually touching their foreheads was something they wouldn't dare do even if they were mad.
After Amanda's confirmation, the man in the hat immediately ordered his subordinates to open the container.
The old men, though scared, still tried to take a peek and quickly their faces turned deathly pale.
Amanda was probably worried they were having a heart attack so she said, "don't worry, they are very docile, tamer than a dog."
Of course, she didn't know how docile they were, but in front of these old men, exaggerating a little was definitely better.
Because of their trust in Amanda, they calmed down quite a bit, starting to stare at the tigers seriously.
Some even chat.
"I've only seen tigers on TV, it turns out they are really big," said one of them in amazement.
"Yes, I'm afraid their mouths can immediately swallow my head," answered another.
"Oh, so that's what a harpy eagle looks like, really huge." Some are more interested in the pair of eagles.
Once they were all removed from the container, they looked around, seemingly curious about their surroundings.
"Wk-wk!" The two eagles pointed their beaks towards the sky and then chirped.
The tigers might be interested in doing the same thing, but they didn't dare to do it in person. They stared at Arthur, looking like they were asking him if he would allow them to roar.
However, through his fingers, Arthur motioned for them to wait. The situation wasn't right yet, their roars would probably make those old men think they were still very wild.
Arthur's gesture seemed to have disappointed them a bit, but they didn't dare argue, a rather amusing sight.
"I think they are smarter than dogs," said Amanda. Their expressions and behavior were too obvious, Amanda and the others could see through it.