Renting a House

Farul Street.

Highland City Housing Trading Center.

Roland had barely stepped down from the carriage when a young man, not particularly old but clearly experienced, immediately stopped him.

The man warmly bowed to Roland and greeted him. "Honored Mage, do you require the services of a real estate agent?"

Faced with the man who had suddenly appeared, Roland grew somewhat wary and examined him closely.

Beads of sweat seeped through his messy short black hair, and his clothes were stained with dust. A long string of keys hung from the gray belt around his waist, making him look rather bedraggled.

Seeing Roland's guarded expression, the young man immediately pulled a certificate from his robes and respectfully handed it over for Roland to inspect.

"Jonathan, Real Estate Agent?"

"Yes, Honored Mage. I have undergone rigorous training, possess a professional qualification certificate, and am affiliated with the Highland City Housing Trading Center. I am certain my expertise will satisfy you."

Roland did not believe him so easily. He took the certificate from Jonathan and inspected it carefully. Only after seeing the official seal representing the Housing Trading Center did he reluctantly lower his guard.

Though he was not entirely sure whether the seal was genuine, he knew Highland City had such a strong commercial atmosphere that the Oroko Family, as the city's rulers, must have put in enormous effort. They would never allow a fraud to brazenly swindle people outside a Housing Trading Center with official backing.

Roland also looked around and saw seven or eight people dressed similarly, all actively promoting themselves to passersby.

"Hmm, I do need one. What is your service fee?" Roland asked in detail.

Though it went against the bearing expected of a Mage Lord, the meager property left behind by his predecessor gave him no room to be extravagant.

"One percent. Whether you buy or rent, I only charge one percent." Seeing Roland's interested expression, Jonathan immediately replied excitedly.

"All right. Show me your professionalism, then." After thinking it over for a moment, Roland readily agreed.

After all, he was only renting short-term, and the transaction amount would be small. A one-percent agency fee was indeed not high.

"At your service, Honored Mage. May I ask whether you intend to buy or rent? Do you have any preferred properties within the city? And do you have any special requirements?"

"Renting. Three months. Anywhere in the west of the city will do. Preferably somewhere secluded and quiet," Roland replied after some thought.

After hearing Roland's answer, Jonathan did not show the slightest disappointment. He remained respectful as he said, "Please follow me. I know several excellent houses that should meet your needs."

Jonathan's attitude made Roland nod slightly, and he began to feel a bit more favorably toward him.

Time passed. Half an hour later.

Under Jonathan's guidance, Roland, Old Nob, and Jonathan arrived before a two-story house beneath Highland City's western wall. Judging by its location, it was already close to the city's northwestern corner, an extremely secluded area.

The house was not large. Though it looked somewhat old from the outside, it was detached, with a small courtyard of a little over twenty square meters behind it. Some ordinary flowers and plants had been planted there, but they had been neglected for quite some time.

Because it stood near the city wall, there were very few people nearby. Most of those passing through were soldiers changing shifts, making the area exceptionally quiet.

That alone satisfied Roland somewhat. As a mage, he truly needed a quiet environment for his various experiments and meditation. Besides, its secluded location also meant it would be cheaper.

"Let's take a look inside," Roland said to Jonathan beside him.

At his words, the tension on Jonathan's face eased slightly. Before this, he had already shown Roland three houses, all of which Roland had rejected for various reasons. If Roland did not like this one either, Jonathan truly had no more options left. That would likely mean this deal would end in failure.

Jonathan therefore did not dare delay. He immediately took out the keys hanging from his waist and opened the front door.

When the creaking wooden door was pushed open, a rotten, moldy smell rushed out. Jonathan looked rather embarrassed and hurriedly explained, "Honored Mage, this house has indeed been unoccupied for a long time, so its cleanliness is much worse than the previous properties."

"It's fine. Keep looking," Roland said, taking the lead into the house without caring about the nauseating smell.

He believed Old Nob had plenty of experience dealing with such conditions. After all, he had lived with Roland's predecessor in a dark basement for five years. When it came to cleaning, he was absolutely a master.

Once inside, Roland casually surveyed the interior. The two floors combined covered just over a hundred square meters. The first floor mainly consisted of a living room, kitchen, Dining Room, bathroom, and a small servant's room.

The second floor had two bedrooms and a study. Overall, the layout was very simple, and the whole place could be seen at a glance.

Though the entire house was covered in dust and most of its sunlight was blocked by Highland City's western wall, making it somewhat dim, Roland was still fairly satisfied. There was no other reason—the majority of the furniture was still there, which would save him some expenses.

"Honored Mage, there is also a basement beneath this house. It is a little smaller than the first floor. Let me show you," Jonathan introduced even more enthusiastically when he saw Roland's increasingly satisfied expression.

"Let's see it." Roland's eyes lit up.

Under Jonathan's guidance, the three of them went down through a small door on the left side of the living room and entered the basement.

With the faint light, the entire basement was mostly visible at a glance. It was not large, only half the size of the first floor. The corners were piled with all sorts of clutter, most of it old, unusable furniture and some clothing. There was nothing particularly noteworthy.

After merely sweeping his gaze across it once, Roland turned around and returned to the first floor.

"How much is the rent for this house?"

Having finally heard that question, Jonathan immediately looked delighted and quickly replied, "Honored Mage, the monthly rent for this house is five gold coins. If you choose to rent for a year, one month's rent can be waived, and no deposit will be required."

Jonathan's quoted price made Roland pause. He had indeed prepared himself for a heavy expense. After all, this was Highland City, known as the Pearl of the East of the Terra Kingdom, where land was worth its weight in gold. Yet he had not expected that even in such a remote location, the rent would still be so high—enough to rival rents in the capital of the Terra Kingdom.

Seeing Roland's somewhat surprised expression, Jonathan immediately guessed what he was thinking and continued, "Honored Mage, housing prices in Highland City have always remained high, especially for detached houses like this. Even if the location is somewhat remote, they cost far more than row houses. How about the row house by the street we viewed earlier? That one only costs thirty-five silver coins per month."

After considering it for a moment, Roland ultimately shook his head and rejected Jonathan's suggestion. He then asked, "I can only rent it for three months. Can the price be lowered?"

"Honored Mage, I am truly sorry. The price of every house is set by the Housing Trading Center. I can only introduce them at the prices they provide, and I have no authority to change them privately," Jonathan replied apologetically.

"All right, then. I'll take this one. How much is the deposit?" Jonathan did not seem to be pretending, so Roland gave up on bargaining further.

"The deposit is ten gold coins. If you rent for three months, you only need to pay twenty-five gold coins in total."

"Fine. It's a deal."

"Honored Mage, thank you for your generosity. Please follow me. We need to go to the Housing Trading Center to sign the contract." The successful transaction clearly made Jonathan very happy.

In this line of work, he could not only charge renters a one-percent fee, but also collect one percent from the landlords. Though Roland's deal was not particularly large by Highland City standards, he would still earn thirty Copper Coins from it, enough to live in Highland City for a week.

After Roland agreed, the rest became much simpler. Leaving Old Nob behind to clean up first, Roland returned with Jonathan to the Housing Trading Center on Farul Street. Before a notary, they signed a simple contract, and Roland paid twenty-five gold coins to the Housing Trading Center, which would transfer the money to the property owner.

The twenty-five gold coins had not been spent for nothing. Not only had Roland obtained the right to live in that house for three months, but as a tenant of Highland City, he was also exempt from paying the city entry fee. That made him feel much better.

"Honored Mage Roland, do you still require a servant to help clean the house?" Having learned Roland's name from the contract, Jonathan diligently tried to earn more gold coins from him.

"No. That will be all for today. I have other matters to attend to." After refusing him, Roland headed directly back toward the house he had just rented.

Watching Roland's departing back, Jonathan could not help feeling disappointed. But seeing that it was still early, he might have a chance to close another deal. So he returned to the Housing Trading Center to seek out customers looking to rent or buy.