Bella was assigned to the Lyman Dormitory, located on the west side of the campus. It was a four-story building comprising 112 two-bedroom apartments with a living room, bathroom, and kitchen. As a private university, the name indicated it was donated by an alumnus.
Rumor had it that this well-equipped and comfortable dormitory was intended for graduate students, so Bella considered herself lucky to live there, though she wouldn’t admit she used enchantment to get in.
In front of the dormitory stood an 18-meter-high oak tree, approximately 60 feet tall. The oak tree was a symbol of Stanford, and many important buildings had oak trees planted in front of them. The taller the tree, the older the building.
The dormitory could accommodate 224 students. Although not the largest at Stanford, Lyman had excellent facilities. It featured a laundry room, lounge, recreation room, piano room, mailroom, computer room, storage, bike garage, and an outdoor BBQ area, providing everything students needed for daily life and entertainment.
The dormitory was quiet and well-furnished, with each student having their own room. As long as they didn’t break the law or university rules, no one would bother them.
Bella’s roommate had checked in a few days earlier and left a note on the door of the west-facing room, but she wasn’t there; she was probably out.
Bella didn’t care about the room’s orientation. She walked into her east-facing room, put away her belongings, grabbed her bag, and went to explore the campus.
With a few days before the official start of classes, she headed straight to her target: the library.
Stanford had 20 libraries with over 8 million books and 260,000 rare volumes. Bella was particularly drawn to these ancient texts, as many contained bits of magical knowledge within their lines.
She sensed that the world’s magical levels had been declining over time. Ancient sorcerers could move mountains and seas, wielding powers comparable to gods. In modern times, witches were hunted, and only a few, like the Ancient One and Doctor Strange, could harness significant magical power. The overall magical environment was deteriorating.
But that wasn’t Bella’s concern. Over the next two days, she spent her time in the library, using the knowledge in ancient texts to refine her psychic abilities.
“Do you have enough pocket money? Take care of yourself in San Francisco,” Charlie’s call reminded Bella of a problem. Keeping her money in the bank was a waste; she needed to find investment opportunities.
She left the library and went out to look for business opportunities.
Stanford University was located in the San Francisco Bay Area, officially known as Santa Clara County, but commonly referred to as Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley had a population of over 1.7 million and housed the headquarters of many major companies Bella had heard of, like Apple, HP, Yahoo, and Google, as well as many others renowned in the tech industry.
Her pickup truck, which was novel in Forks, was nothing special here. The roads were filled with high-end sports cars, and despite the Nasdaq bubble hitting Silicon Valley hard, plenty of wealthy people were still around.
Her truck now had California plates, and she drove around looking for opportunities.
Bella didn’t know much; she knew about Apple and Google, but that wasn’t helpful. Apple hadn’t released the iPhone yet, and even if it did, a massive company like that wouldn’t take her investment.
The plane crash settlement had given her $300,000, but she had already spent over $30,000. After setting aside some for emergencies, she had around $200,000 available.
With an average salary of $100,000 in Silicon Valley, there were plenty of wealthy people around.
Going to Apple headquarters to invest $200,000 was laughable. Buying stocks wasn’t an option either; tech stocks were falling, and she feared getting stuck in a bad investment. Natasha’s parents divorced over stock market losses, after all.
After driving around Silicon Valley with no luck, Bella decided to start her own business.
She didn’t understand high-tech but knew about Kukulkan, Amaterasu, Shiva, and Moses. Combining her unique knowledge and talents, she planned to open a shop selling mystical items. Whether they worked was secondary; the main goal was to give customers peace of mind.
Such a store in Silicon Valley might be out of place, potentially lowering the area’s tech reputation. Selling holy water between Intel and Sequoia Capital would be odd and potentially dangerous.
Silicon Valley wasn’t the right place for her venture, so she drove down Interstate 280 and reached San Francisco in under an hour.
After exploring famous sites like the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf, she found they weren’t suitable for her mystical shop either.
While calling her contacts for any leads on available stores, she got a tip from Chris Redfield, whom she met during the Invisible Man incident.
“A buddy of mine is retiring to Europe. You might want to talk to him.”
Bella, thrilled, followed the lead. With Chris’s introduction and the owner’s eagerness to sell, she negotiated and bought a two-story store in the Fillmore District for $85,000.
The store’s simple decor was perfect for her needs. Bella personally painted a crooked hexagram at the entrance, which looked like a child’s drawing but added to the mystical ambiance she was aiming for.
She adorned the walls with various symbols, from runes to Maori tattoos to Voodoo script, covering them with every mystical marking she had ever seen.
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