Chapter 307: Searching for a Base
“Excuse me for a moment.”
After that, I approached a Guild Staff member to inquire about a trading company that deals in real estate, and now I find myself here. This is a corner of the Main Street located on the southern side of the city center. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Rashiyu Trading Company, but it seems to be the Rialost Trading Company, one of the Six Great Trading Companies.
“Huh? What do you want?”
I called out to a burly man with a scruffy beard who was stationed at the counter near the entrance. He glared back at me. With muscles bulging and a fierce demeanor, he looked intimidating enough to scare away customers, yet there were a few patrons scattered throughout the store, examining the various goods on display.
“I was hoping to rent some vacant land if you have any available.”
“Oh? Planning to start a new business here?”
“No, I’m going to be active in the Forest of Enchantment for a while, so I’m just looking for a piece of land to use as a base…”
“Hmm? …Are you an Adventurer? Not looking for a rental, then?”
It seemed like our conversation was slightly off-kilter, but it made sense that if an Adventurer were to use a base, they would typically rent. Camping in an empty lot in the middle of the city wouldn’t be very relaxing, especially since it’s a safe area.
“I’ll be providing the building myself, so just a vacant lot will do.”
“I-I see… Just wait a moment.”
The man stepped away from his post and returned with a stack of papers from a shelf behind him, spreading them out on the table. After flipping through them for a while, he finally looked up.
“By the way… what rank are you?”
“Rank?”
“Your Adventurer rank. We can’t rent to Adventurers with low payment capabilities.”
Now that he mentioned it, that was a reasonable concern. It wouldn’t be easy to vacate if they couldn’t pay, so ensuring they could afford it was important. I pulled out my Adventurer Certificate from my collar and held it up for him to see clearly.
“Will this do?”
“Hmm? …Seriously? I’ve never seen one before.”
The man leaned in closely, examining the certificate with a look of surprise, but he didn’t seem to move for a while. I wished he would hurry up with the process.
“Oh, uh… sorry about that. So, um, do you have any specific conditions in mind?”
Clearing my throat to prompt him, he suddenly switched to a much more polite tone. The transformation from a gruff, bearded muscle man to a courteous employee was quite jarring. It seemed flaunting my S Rank was the quickest way to get his attention.
“I just need it to be reasonably spacious… Do you have anything available?”
I turned to ask the others, and Ivan suggested that it would be better if it were close to the Guild.
“Then let’s go with that.”
“Understood.”
The man began flipping through the papers again.
“When it comes to completely vacant lots, the options are limited…”
According to him, the most common types of land available were those with empty houses or ruins. This was a remnant from the time when monsters surged into the city during past Stampedes. He mentioned that there were particularly many such places near the northern gate.
“If it’s okay to demolish a building, then a lot with a house would also be fine.”
“In that case, the options expand. The largest available lot is probably the one facing the Main Street, located between the northern gate and the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s prominent due to its location on the Main Street, but the noise could be a downside…”
“Oh, that sounds pretty good!”
“Do you think that location would be alright?”
I glanced back at the others, and they didn’t seem to have any complaints.
“I’d like to see the place first, if that’s alright?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
With that, the man folded the stack of papers and retreated into the back.
As we made our way through the city center towards the northern side, the buildings began to show sturdier construction. This became particularly evident after passing the Adventurer’s Guild, where houses with gardens had thick walls, some even exceeding two meters in height.
“This is it.”
The burly man pointed to the designated location. The walls of the property stood about three meters high, obscuring the view of the interior. The length facing the Main Street was approximately thirty meters. It seemed quite spacious, but I couldn’t gauge the depth from here.
In the center, there was a sturdy metal gate secured with a hefty padlock. The man produced a key and unlocked it, swinging the gate open to reveal an overgrown garden. Various materials were left scattered about, and upon closer inspection, the mansion-like building at the back showed signs of decay, with crumbling walls.
“Wow…”
“This was the former lord’s residence. About twenty years ago, during a Stampede, monsters invaded this far into the city… The northern side of the city is close to the Forest of Enchantment, and since then, it has remained untouched. The walls of the property were repaired to prevent monsters from spreading out in case of an attack.”
It was incredible to see the scars of the past still visible on the building. It hinted at the ferocity of the monster invasion, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it should be preserved. …It’s not like a nuclear bomb memorial, though. Such considerations could wait until the threat of monsters was truly gone.
“You can do whatever you like with the property, except for the walls. Regarding termination of the contract, if you build a new house, you can keep it as is, so there’s no need for demolition. However, please refrain from leaving large amounts of trash or leaving big holes unattended.”
“Got it, understood.”
After circling the dilapidated mansion, it became clear that the property extended further back. The rear faced an alley, and it seemed that the only neighbors were on the left and right. The Camping House was well soundproofed, so a bit of noise wouldn’t be too bothersome.
“This seems good, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Looking over at Phonia and Nil, they were joyfully running around the garden. Ivan and El also seemed to have no objections.
“Then let’s go with this one.”
“Thank you very much!”
We made our decision on the spot and promptly returned to the trading company to finalize the paperwork. Since we weren’t sure how long we would stay, we opted for the shortest contract period of one month. By the way, the rent was set at one hundred fifty thousand Fron per month.