The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 35 - 31: The New Owner of Hagrid Manor

A moment later, the trade among the three parties was completed, and Lancelot and Bruto had several dozen pounds of "cargo" on them.

Watching the two skillfully insert Metal Ingots into the gaps of the armor as if they were armor plates, Kalalin, who could only wear robes as a scholar, couldn’t help but feel some helplessness.

The Red Dragon Krivtar had already left, satisfied, while the Devilspawn Catez looked at them meaningfully and spoke:

"It’s said that the Sandworm Lord of the Shattered Mountain Range was slaughtered, a huge gash left on its body. Everyone says it was probably done by a Barlow Flame Demon passing by."

"Oh." Bruto raised his eyebrows, "What does that have to do with us?"

"Someone heard some interesting rumors in the Blacksmith District, too exaggerated, must have been those Dwarves bragging after a few drinks," Catez chuckled, "There’s also a rumor about a new Human Knight in town, incredibly generous, who sent our revered Lady Tijana a beautiful big Diamond, driving all the Succubus mad with envy."

"That’s just the Dwarves’ way of saying thank you," Lancelot replied coolly, unflustered, "The Demons in charge of the work wouldn’t actually go into the mines themselves, watching over every stone the slaves dig up."

"Of course, of course, no one takes such absurd rumors seriously." The Devilspawn leaned back, his bat wings relaxing and stretching out. "We had a very pleasant trade today, didn’t we? If you have any good items to sell in the future, remember to look for your old friend Catez, Sir Lancelot."

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Afterward, Kalalin ’borrowed’ some money from Lancelot and Bruto to buy some Parchment and writing materials for making scrolls.

After leaving the service area, the three of them came again to the entrance where the Six-Armed Serpent Demon was.

"Speak." Sonam clearly didn’t like her current role.

"We need to buy, no, rent a property." Now that he had money in his pocket, Bruto felt a bit more confident, although it might also be due to the several large chunks of Metal Ingots at his waist.

The Six-Armed Serpent Demon looked skeptically at the group before him. Most mercenaries were miserly until they survived long enough to reach the Silver Level, and even if they had some money, they spent it on brothels and equipment. Where did these guys get the money to buy property?

Lancelot took out a Platinum Bar and said:

"We just dealt with some spoils of war inside."

"Lucky you," Sonam turned around, and only then did Lancelot notice behind her many bronze tubes, open at the ends like trumpets, resembling the speaking tubes used for communication in castles.

The Six-Armed Serpent Demon knocked on one of the trumpets and spoke into it:

"Vidia, you have a customer."

After a moment, a Succubus flew out from a hole in the ceiling and landed in front of them.

"My, my, if it isn’t Sir Lancelot. You’re not thinking about renting a house too, are you? I heard Lady Tijana has reserved a room just for you in the castle!"

Lancelot, already accustomed to the Succubus’ teasing, responded with a smile:

"The entire Double River Town is Lady Tijana’s castle, isn’t it?"

"Hahahaha…" Vidia laughed heartily, "Fair point, fair point. So, do you have an area of interest? I must say though, the north district where the Succubus are won’t do; Lady Tijana would kill me."

"The Goblin at the entrance of the service area mentioned the Southeast District is nice."

"Ah, excellent choice, quite befitting your noble status, though the neighbors are rather dull." The Succubus pouted, "Lady Tijana neither allows them to hunt in the city nor to keep blood-fed pets; I think those bats will come down with something sooner or later. Come with me. There’s a nice house there that just became available."

Lancelot nodded, then led his companions as they turned and walked away.

The walk from the Mercenary Hall to the Southeast District, where the vampires resided, took about 20 minutes.

As they neared, the surroundings underwent a stark transformation: a thin fog began to appear in the air, rats and bats wandered the streets unabashed, the roadside plants were all dead, their twisted branches sprouting thorns that should not have been there, and even their own shadows seemed to stir restlessly.

"Honestly, I’m not very fond of this place," Bruto said, surveying the eerie environment with some nervousness.

"Don’t worry," Kalalin reassured, "aside from the vampires themselves, the various anomalies near their nests aren’t dangerous; their main purpose is to scare away those who wander here uninvited."

"Lancelot, you wouldn’t mind if I set up a forge in the basement, would you?"

"I would, actually. First, the sound of smithing is loud, and second, I’m worried you’d burn down the house if it’s in the basement."

As they tried to dispel the gloomy air through casual conversation, a charming small building appeared before them.

This building was made of stone bricks, boasting a beautiful three-story structure, each floor containing four to five rooms, resembling a country villa of some noble. Adjacent to the building was a garden about 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, enclosed by a low stone wall, but the flowers within had long since withered, leaving only strangely colored weeds growing among them.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Hagrid Manor," Vidia introduced with a smile like a real estate agent, "The former owner of this place was the renowned Count Wolfgang von Barlow, who was seen a week ago being staked in the chest and thrown into the Stygian River at noon, very thoroughly dead. The perpetrator was an unknown Lich. Naturally, the property was reclaimed."

"Liches have accumulated too much knowledge in their endless lives," Kalalin remarked with a curl of his lip, "Like the three major banes of vampires—stakes, sunlight, and running water. Silver or silver-plated weapons can also cause them extra harm. How did the Earl manage to provoke one of the top-tier undead, a Lich?"

"Clues to some divine artifact, mysterious rumors, who knows," Vidia shrugged, "But you can rest easy, that Lich definitely won’t come looking for trouble in Twin Rivers Town. Let’s go in and have a look now."

Lancelot was actually very pleased and didn’t have much in terms of interior décor requirements, but the furniture inside was somewhat beyond his expectations. Contrary to what he had anticipated, only the drawing-room and dining room felt somewhat luxurious, and the only presentable furniture was the kitchenware.

The furnishings in the other rooms were very modest, reflecting the former owner’s true financial situation, which wasn’t great, but everything looked very tidy, as if someone cleaned it often.

The first floor housed a dining room, drawing room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Both the second and third floors had five rooms each, but they were all empty. The basement was even more extensive than the building above ground, and unsurprisingly, Lancelot found a storage, prison cells, a torture chamber, and a tomb.

Considering the former owner’s identity, the tomb probably served as the actual master bedroom, containing several stone coffins, most of which were empty.

"I am satisfied," Lancelot finally decided, "How much would it cost to rent this place for three years?"

"Just seven thousand gold coins, and you’ll be the new master of Hagrid Manor."

"Why so expensive?" Bruto frowned, "Can’t we get a discount?"

"What mercenary level are you now?"

"Uh, iron."

"Sorry, no. Only Gold Rank Level mercenaries can enjoy a fifty percent discount."

"That’s pricey, Lancelot, shall we look somewhere else?"

Lancelot shook his head; the place met his requirements in every aspect. As a Spiritual Cultivator, he shared the need for discretion with the vampires.

"As the leader, I’ll cover the cost; this will be our base from now on. But Vidia, are you sure there’s no one from the Barlow family who can inherit his estate? I don’t want any disputes."

"Don’t worry, properties in Twin Rivers Town can only be inherited by residents registered in Twin Rivers Town. I’m certain that the guy thrown into the Stygian River was the last of the Barlows. Besides, this place has already been reclaimed by Lady Tigana, and once you pay, it’s yours."

A moment later, the succubus Vidia, carrying several pounds of metal ingots, flew away satisfied.

"Lancelot, can I have a room on the first floor?" Bruto asked happily as he sprawled onto the drawing room’s sofa, exhaling at the end of a long day.

"Hold on," Lancelot said, glancing at the setting sun and pulling a silver dining knife from a kitchen cabinet.

"We still have a little problem to take care of first."