Chapter 1031: Finding a Spot


    ?


    "So... have you made your choice yet?"


    After arriving at Astarto''s cksmith Guild, Valyr swiftly headed towards the Teleportation Hall, bringing himself back to Algerie Kingdom as there were a couple of things he needed to take care of before he could head to the empire without worries.


    Aside from having Julian inform him whether or not his proposal of meeting with Mystia had been approved or not, he also asked the man if he could search for sizable plots he could buy with the money Julian stashed for him.


    Utilizing the connections he''d built up along the years, the man had a friend of his take care of Valyr''s request, eventuallypiling a list of plots and estates that both fit the young man''s criteria and price range.


    "Hmm..." Looking through the documents Julian gave him, Valyr had a pensive expression on his face as he went through every potential choice in detail.


    "I''ve got to say... your friend has definitely made it difficult to choose," said the young man after some time, causing Julian to briefly let out a chuckle from pride.


    "Well, when ites to buying a ce to settle down, he''s the man almost everyone thinks about in the Algerie Kingdom," replied the man, putting his hammer to the side as he decided to help Valyr look for a good ce.


    "Other than that, you gave him quite a lot of time to look for ces thanks to your detour to Astarto Town."


    Merely smiling in response to the man''s words, Valyr continued looking through the documents given to him, with Julian giving him a few words of advice from the side.


    Eventually, the young man was able to narrow down his choices to two areas, both of which had their pros and cons.


    "The first spot is a barrennd located to the west, outside the kingdom''s walls," said Julian, his gaze focused on the two remaining documents in Valyr''s hands.


    "The kingdom initially nned on expanding in that direction by establishing frontier viges with the help of the noble ns, but they decided to cancel the project due to the war against the orcs."


    "Nevertheless, the kingdom still hopes that someone would upy that ce one way or another, which is why arge plot ofnd like that is avable for purchase."


    "On the other hand, your second choice is arge estate left behind by a noble n nning to relocate to a city due to the war."


    With Valyr cing one of the documents to the side, the two focused their attention on the other document, thankful that Julian''s friend added every single bit of detail that would help him in making his choice.


    "Though the estate as a whole isckingpared to the estates of actual noble ns, it''s still a decent plot ofnd for any person to own," said Julian, ncing at Valyr from time to time.


    "Not only would you already have a manor once you buy it, you''d also have a considerable number of attendants and servants at your beck and call."


    Hearing those words, Valyr''s expression slightly soured. "To think they''d even include their people in the offer."


    "They consider it mercy to the people who''ve been serving them all this time," replied Julian, hoping to shed some more light into the matter. "After all, aside from the threat of war, the usual reason why a noble n decides to relocate is due to ack of funds."


    "Now imagine if the n forced those attendants and servants apany them, even though they don''t have anything to give back to them. Don''t you think that''s a bit more harsh?"


    "...I see." With Julian''s exnation giving him a better understanding of the second location, Valyr fell into thought once more, rubbing his chin as he stared at the two choices he''d given himself.


    ''Though it would be handy to have a ce that''s ready for me and the Forsaken Ones to sleep in, it''s not really that much of a priority with all things considered.''


    ''If anything, what''s more important is the space of thend, seeing as both Ryvrthe and I have thoughts of possibly spearheading the development of Veldanyr''s technology back to its previous heydays.''


    ''However, it''s not like the first offer is a good location either,'' thought Valyr to himself, frowning as the gears in his mind continued to turn. ''Since it''s barrennd, there''s basically a lot of things to do to get it into livable condition.''


    ''Other than that, the people that are included in the second offer isn''t really something I can ignore that easily.''


    Closing his eyes for a bit, Valyr allowed the thoughts in his mind to flow freely as he eventually came to a decision.


    "Would it be possible to pay for the freedom of the attendants in the second offer?"


    As these words left Valyr''s mouth, Julian immediately knew what choice the young man had made.


    "Are you perhaps thinking of settling it in a way simr to thatpanion of yours?" asked Julian with a raised eyebrow, to which Valyr nodded in response.


    Seeing the young man''s reaction, Julian shook his head as he let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, they''ve signed a mana contract that forces them to serve that estate until either the estate is gone... or their lives end."


    In response, Valyr felt a chill from the man''s words.


    "Plus, even if there was a use in the mana contract they signed that they could pay for their freedom, the price of freeing them would be hundreds, if not thousands of times more expensive than just buying the manor itself and telling them to live freely," the man continued as he shrugged his shoulders.


    "..." For a while after that, Valyr was at a crossroads on what offer he should choose between


    in the two.


    Nevertheless, the young man eventually focused on what was more important to him, letting out a low sigh as he told Julian that he nned on taking the plot ofnd located to the west


    of the kingdom.


    Though he understood what was going on in the young man''s mind, Julian merely nodded in response as he updated his friend regarding the choice Valyr made.


    As for Valyr, he briefly closed his eyes, inwardly praying to the heavens above that someone in the future would take notice of the second offer and set the people bound to that estate free.


    By the time he was done praying, Valyr looked at Julian with a calm expression, seemingly having gotten over the moral dilemma he''d just gone through.


    Deciding to not delve deeper into the reason why Valyr decided to sport a poker face, Julian went ahead and told Valyr that he''d gotten the green light on the offer.


    Through the chat feature, his friend informed him that the contract confirming the purchase would be given in the next couple of days.


    "I''d assume it''lle before we head for the meeting with the directors," said Julian, reminding Valyr of the other reason why he''d returned to the kingdom.


    "Speaking of the meeting with the directors, how long would you be staying at the Meltierre Empire? After all, the meeting is only a couple of days away."


    "Hopefully a day at most," replied the young man, his tone slightly unsure.


    After all, the reason why he was heading to the Meltierre Empire was to talk with Mystia


    regarding Mystic Energy, hoping to improve his capacity and control over it to be


    another type of power he could rely on.


    If the strengthening process was simr to how he strengthened both his Shadow and Void Energy, then a day was more than enough time for him to make strides.


    However, if it didn''t...


    "Well, have a safe trip, then," said Julian, grabbing his hammer as he felt that their


    conversation hade to an end.


    In response, Valyr nodded before turning around to leave the man''s workshop, hoping to head


    to the guild''s Teleportation Hall as quickly as possible to make the most of the day.


    Yet, just as he''d taken a step outside the workshop, Julian stopped Valyr from taking another step as he recalled something.


    "Now that I think about it, you should use that disguise skill of yours while you''re there,"


    said the man.


    "To be honest, I''m not sure why the Zeihardt n in this kingdom hasn''t made a move on you all this time with your original appearance having already been seen by many people


    already."


    "Frankly, I can''t be bothered to think about why either."


    "In any case, there''s a high chance you''ll get caught by the n once you''re there," continued


    the man. "After all, if you exclude the Zeihardt Sovereignty, the Zeihardts are the most active


    in the Meltierre Empire."


    Listening to the man''s words, Valyr slightly shuddered in fear as he activated [Thousand Polymorph], transforming his appearance into the appearance he adopted as Ylvar, the genius prodigy of the cksmith Guild.


    Making sure that his disguise was hard to see through with Julian''s help, it was only then did Valyr make his way to the Teleportation Hall, letting out a sigh as he moved through the


    guild''s corridors.


    "This is definitely going to bite me in the back," muttered the young man to himself, thinking about how long he''d gone without using [Thousand Polymorph] after leaving the Four Pirs'' Inheritance.


    Because of that, the young man continued to frown and sigh until he arrived at the guild''s Teleportation Hall, only for all of it to disappear the moment he stepped foot in the empire.