Purchasing the Manor

After spending a night in a luxury inn and enjoying the aristocratic service of this world, Donald arrived early the next morning at the Giant Stone City branch of the Kingdom's Noble Council Administration Office, accompanied by his steward and attendants.

Beyond earning some Elemental Crystals to keep in reserve, the primary reason he had orchestrated this auction of ancestral treasures was to secure a sum of Gold Sol to purchase a manor.

The tradition of noble manor estates had existed for a long time. Whether they were court nobles with only empty titles, lifetime peers or knights with mere designations, or great lords ruling over vast territories, everyone of status maintained at least one manor for vacationing, leisure, and covering their living expenses.

The Celt Royal Family possessed numerous famous and beautiful manors, the most renowned being Sherlock Manor, one of the three great vacation resorts of the Kingdom and the production site of the top-tier white Sherlock Wine; it was the private property of the successive Kings of Celt.

When Donald first arrived in this world, before he had successfully unlocked the Book of Truth, he had already set his sights on buying property and land.

As a man from China in his previous life, Donald—who had worked and lived in a crowded metropolis—had always held the goal of owning his own home, no longer living in a cramped apartment or struggling for survival. This was a common sentiment among his generation.

Now that he held a noble title in this life, while acquiring a new fief was extremely difficult, purchasing a manor to maintain daily expenses was a very reasonable endeavor.

After all, in this world, nobles without territories or those with small, barren lands were in the majority. For the great nobles, a manor was merely the icing on the cake, but for the financially strapped minor nobles, most owned one or several manors producing cash crops, relying on the profits to maintain the extravagant expenses required for a dignified noble life. This was especially true for court nobles who lacked actual fiefs; they were worse off than the lowest-ranking lifetime nobles who had received titles through merit and could live affluent lives on rural estates. Court nobles serving in the Royal Capital had to maintain appearances and engage in constant social obligations, with all expenses supported solely by the output of their manors.

Now that he had ample funds, Donald naturally came to learn about the process and conditions for purchasing a manor, intending to start the acquisition that very day if he found something suitable.

In the human society of this world, the buying and selling of manors could only take place between nobles, and it was naturally placed under the management of the Noble Council, which was presided over by the Royal Family. The commissions extracted from these transactions were one of the largest sources of income for the royals.

Except for nobles with titles, others were prohibited from buying or selling manors. This meant that no matter how wealthy a merchant was, as long as they lacked noble status, they could not own land beyond their urban shops and private residences.

This was why some wealthy merchants were obsessed with noble titles, going to great lengths to obtain one, even if it were merely a lifetime peerage without a fief or the right of inheritance.

Some merchants even collaborated with down-and-out nobles, using their names to purchase a manor and then splitting the operating profits with their partners—a win-win situation that sustained the noble's lifestyle while fulfilling the merchant's desire to be a landowner.

The Noble Council Administration Office was a two-story building located in the noble district of Giant Stone City. The lower floor served as the reception hall, while the upper floor housed the meeting rooms for officials. Since nobles could not be managed by commoners, the officials at each local Noble Council branch were either appointed by the Royal Family or were noble members selected from the local youth.

After entering the hall, Donald observed his surroundings before learning the conditions and procedures for purchasing a manor from a receptionist. Naturally, he tipped the man one Silver Moon. This was the income these attendants, who served the nobles, looked forward to most—sometimes even exceeding their actual wages.

They loved the arrival of truly generous nobles rather than stewards acting on their masters' behalf. Those stern and stingy stewards would never give a tip beyond a few Copper Horns without their master's explicit order!

Armed with insider information, Donald headed straight for the official in charge of manor transactions with his steward and attendants in tow.

There were only three true officials in this building: one handled noble disputes, one managed correspondence between the Royal Family and local nobles, and the last was responsible for registering land taxes and manor transactions.

The first two were idle positions, while the last was a lucrative post that truly controlled the money; without a certain background, it was difficult to secure such a position.

The Sir Jesse whom Donald sought was an official sent to Giant Stone City by the Royal Family.

Sir Jesse was around thirty years old, but his well-maintained appearance made him look like a noble youth in his early twenties. Many nobles in Giant Stone City had praised Sir Jesse for his elegant manners, worthy of a noble from the Royal Capital, though to Donald, this demeanor felt somewhat affected.

While his appearance was indeed flamboyant, this Sir Jesse reminded Donald of characters from the anime of his past life, and the man's overly intimate tone and gestures made Donald feel nauseated, his expression turning somewhat strange. One had to know that in his previous life, the "otaku" and the "fujoshi" were two extreme, clashing groups that frequently sparked disputes on internet forums!

"Sir Jesse, this is our first meeting, but I have long heard of your great name, Donald!"

Donald took the initiative to introduce himself and explain his purpose.

"I have come to purchase a manor, but in appreciation of your great contributions to the nobles of Giant Stone City over the years, please allow me to present a small personal gift. I hope you will accept it!"

"Knight Merlinar, you truly surprise me!"

After Sir Jesse opened the leather pouch Donald handed him, his eyes were dazzled by the golden glow, and his tone became at least three times more enthusiastic in his excitement.

Nobles of equal or higher rank could only address a lifetime peer without an actual fief as "Sir," never "My Lord." Many non-inheriting children of noble families or illegitimate royal offspring were granted such titles upon reaching adulthood, along with a small portion of assets, to leave home and live independently. This was a sound tradition in this world to prevent the number of nobles from becoming excessive.

Commoners who performed meritorious service on the battlefield were granted a lifetime knighthood, becoming the envied Knight Lord; this was why some young men flocked to join the army. However, the commoners who truly succeeded were one in ten thousand; most either died on the battlefield or returned home to live out their days in pain with a meager pension.

Those who were born into nobility but lacked actual power, and whose wealth could not compare to that of wealthy merchants, often joined a kingdom or local institution as officials to seek a better quality of life or to become true hereditary nobles with their own land. Others joined the military, hoping to rise through the ranks via military merit.

This Sir Jesse was a typical example. He was born into a great noble family in the Royal Capital but was not a legitimate heir, merely an illegitimate son. He had only secured his current post because his father doted on his mother, who had been his mistress.

However, the low-status Jesse did not resign himself to mediocrity; instead, he schemed diligently, hoping to obtain at least a hereditary peerage before the age of forty to establish a new noble family.

The sight of this young man, who already held the status of a hereditary knight heir, immediately stirred his jealousy. He had heard that the other's family had possessed rich manors and a small fief decades ago, but had lost their territory long ago, leaving the boy to grow up as a fallen noble—a thought that brought Jesse a measure of satisfaction.

However, hearing that the boy wanted to buy a manor and then receiving such a generous gift left Jesse both envious and delighted.

When he was kicked out of his home and used his share of the inheritance to buy this position, the young Jesse had been full of ambition. After living in Giant Stone City for a few years, he knew his wish to become a hereditary noble by forty was now a pipe dream; without merit or backing, receiving an empty honorary title before he died would be a favor from the Royal Family.

Now thirty years old, his goal had shifted to acquiring at least one manor by thirty-five, which would guarantee his livelihood for the rest of his life.

This was why Sir Jesse occasionally took bribes under various guises; for someone with a bit of real power, earning a few Gold Sol was relatively easy. However, a high-quality manor was incredibly expensive. In several years, he had only saved two thousand Gold Sol, so how could he not be surprised and delighted that this Knight Merlinar had gifted him one hundred Gold Sol upon their first meeting?

Accepting such a large bribe for the first time made Jesse feel a bit uneasy. But after a moment of consideration, he could not resist the temptation of the Gold Sol and chose to accept the favor.

It's a matter of mutual consent, and no one else will know. With these one hundred Gold Sol, plus the commission from this manor purchase, I'll have enough to buy a small manor in the most prosperous area near Giant Stone City.

At worst, as long as I don't break the Kingdom's laws, I'll just put in some extra effort during this process to pick the best manor for him.

Casually tucking the heavy pouch into his robes, Sir Jesse smiled and continued:

"Knight Donald is truly a model of the Kingdom's nobility. So, you wish to acquire a manor? Please, follow me!"

Seeing the man accept his gift and lead him to an upstairs lounge rather than staying in the office below, Donald knew the Silver Moon he had given the attendant had not been wasted.

"Knight Donald, please look. These are all the manors near Giant Stone City that have been listed with the Noble Council Administration Office over the years. These few are excellent manors newly listed and not yet announced to the public; you may have priority in selecting them."

After they sat down in the upstairs meeting room, Sir Jesse pulled a three-foot-square piece of animal hide from a drawer. The map depicted the terrain of the vast land where Giant Stone City was located, with scattered red paper slips pasted onto it, clearly representing the various manors for sale.

Donald immediately observed it carefully, noticing that the manors were clustered around Giant Stone City and in the southern areas between other territories. To the north, near the Green Cloak Forest and the Cloud-Rising Mountains, they were quite sparse.

Sir Jesse proved worthy of the bag of Gold Sol, enthusiastically pointing out several popular manors with the best locations, abundant produce, and fertile soil.

However, neither the terrain nor the size of those locations satisfied Donald. Suddenly, Donald noticed the location marked Red Maple Town, where two adjacent slips were placed. This was already the outermost edge of the North Shire, and there were no more slips further north.

Donald's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but point to that area and ask:

"Sir Jesse, why are these two manors placed together? Is there a story behind them?"

Sir Jesse saw what Donald was pointing at and seemed to recall something; his brows furrowed as he said in a slightly heavy tone:

"Sir Knight Donald, these two manors have been listed for sale at our administrative office for years without a single inquiry. I would advise you not to take an interest in them."

"Oh? How so?"

"It is like this: this place was originally a fief granted to a Hereditary Peer for his military service. Because he offended a high-ranking noble in the Royal Capital, he was relegated to Giant Stone City in the North Shire, the most remote city in the Kingdom. That land was once a small part of the outer perimeter of the Green Cloak Forest. After that peer developed it, it became the most fertile land around Giant Stone City. The small manor on the left belonged to that peer, while the vast expanse of land on the right was his direct fief. However, decades ago, a magical beast riot broke out in the Cloud-Rising Mountains. The peer's territory happened to be located on the edge of the forest, and since the land had just been established and lacked the strong defenses of a place like Red Maple Town, it was quickly trampled into nothingness by the surging herds of beasts!"

"The poor peer died in the jaws of the magical beasts, and having no heirs, the Royal Family reclaimed the title. The manors reverted to the Kingdom's possession, were listed at the office for sale, and the land was left for future enfeoffment. But with the tragic fate of that peer as a warning, no one dared to accept this fief for decades. Eventually, the Royal Family decided to designate that small peerage territory as a large manor as well, bundling it with the adjacent small manor to sell them together and recoup expenses for the Royal Family!"

After listening, Donald considered for a moment and asked, "Sir Jesse, what is the price of these two manors?"

Sir Jesse's eyes nearly popped out of his head upon hearing this, and he hurriedly said, "Sir Knight Donald, you aren't actually thinking of buying these two manors, are you? You absolutely must not! To be honest with you, while these two manors are much larger than others, they are nothing more than a trap set by the Royal Family to extract cash!"

Seeing Donald's puzzled expression, Sir Jesse explained:

"Others have been tempted by the low price before, buying them with the intention of making a grand start, only to flee in defeat within half a year. You must understand that after years of abandonment, that large manor has turned from fertile soil into barren wasteland. As for the small manor, even though the soil remains fertile, it cannot withstand the constant harassment of wild beasts and magical beasts. It is a place where whoever buys it loses money. Even the Royal Family doesn't care about these two plots; the asking price drops lower every year just to attract nobles to buy them so they can collect the money. You must think this over carefully, Sir Knight Donald!"

Hearing Sir Jesse's sincere advice, Donald couldn't help but feel a sense of favor toward this flamboyantly dressed young noble. However, the more he heard, the more interested he became in these two manors. As for the magical beasts, with his artifact, the Book of Truth, he had many ways to easily resolve them; what others saw as the greatest obstacle was, to him, no major issue at all!

As for the problem of the barren soil, that was even easier to solve. Some simple agricultural knowledge from his past life should be enough to achieve improvement. Most importantly, these two manors were located in a remote area, which was perfect for Donald, who had many secrets he didn't want outsiders to know. Furthermore, because the area was originally forest and wilderness that required the lord to develop it personally, the Royal Family had provided significant compensation in terms of acreage, making this territory much larger than the average knight or peerage fief.

Thinking of this, Donald had already made his choice.

"I have considered it. I want these two manors. Sir Jesse, there is no need to persuade me further. May I ask what the price is?"

Seeing that Donald's expression was solemn—not like he was joking or making a decision on a whim—Sir Jesse tried to dissuade him one last time. When the other party insisted with a smile, he had no choice but to say helplessly:

"Since you have already decided, Sir Knight Donald, I have nothing more to say. As for the price of these two manors, despite their vast size, because they have gone unsold for years, the Royal Family has lowered the price to 1,800 Gold Sols. If you pay today, I can shorten the surveying process and paperwork to three days. In three days, the official deed to the manors will be in your hands."

Donald was naturally very satisfied. He made an excuse to return to the inn to retrieve his funds, but in reality, he took the 1,800 Gold Sols from his Space Mark. He then checked out, took a carriage back to the administrative office, and after paying the money, successfully obtained the contract for the purchase of the manors.

After exchanging contact information with Sir Jesse for future gatherings, Donald boarded the carriage again and headed toward his next target.

The information that servant leaked to him was indeed accurate. If I hadn't won over Sir Jesse, not only would I have failed to purchase my ideal manors, but the preliminary surveying procedures would have dragged on and on. By the time the manors were in my hands, I would have missed the best planting season and would have had to wait until next spring to begin cultivation.

One hundred Gold Sols was a small price to pay for Donald now; it was all worth it to secure the manors so smoothly.