CHAPTER 48: Renting a house

Last night, after Jay woke up, Ray personally took him home and apologized to his mother for the delay in sending him back.

Then he also saw the guards on the way home guarding a particular area that was frozen solid.

Seeing that they were not searching for the culprit of the incident and decided to guard it, he took it as a sign that they were not pursuing the person responsible, and Ray decided the case would not lead to him.

The next morning, everyone in the inner city knew about the incident in the outer city.

The inner-city families sent an envoy to the city lord's mansion to gather details about the incident. They then warned their family members in the outer city about the consequences of bypassing city laws and urged them to curb their pride and avoid illegal activities to prevent bringing doom upon their families.

Ray learned about the incident while listening to people talk in the hotel lounge. He found out that the gang involved in illegal smuggling, the Black Fang gang, had been eradicated. This made him happy because it meant that the chief and his villagers didn't have to get their hands dirty by assassinating them.

Now all he has to do is wait for the city lord's decision to sell the plot of land in the outer city and participate in the auction to get it at a premium cost.

He took Lily and started his quest to visit every building he had listed as available for rent and choose one from them.

He has a total of 10 houses for rent on his list which ranges from independent villas to apartment-type houses where multiple persons stay with a unified hall and different rooms equipped with bedrooms and bathrooms separately.

They are all located from the city center to the city edges.

2 independent villas are located on the west and north of the city lord's mansion, while 2 more are located on the edge of the city close to the city walls.

The remaining options are apartment-style houses with rooms ranging from double to single bedrooms. They are mostly close to the market, but they don't offer much privacy for tenants since they share a common hall. These apartments are typically chosen by those seeking more affordable accommodations.

Which were promptly crossed off the list after visiting them in person.

Ray then eliminated the two independent villas on the city's outskirts. While they offered plenty of privacy, they were too far from the city market and had less security due to their location on the city's edges.

Now Ray has only two options left: the medium-sized villa to the west and the small villa to the north near the market.

After extensive thinking, Ray decided to cross out the medium-sized villa due to its remoteness from the market and the fact that many city facilities are too far from there.

The North villa may be small, but it's perfect for them. It's conveniently located near the market, allowing them to stay connected to city center facilities and get the news in the city by walking just a few meters.

Ray took Lily's hand and started walking towards the administrative office to discuss the rental agreement.

As he approached the office, Ray noticed many city members visiting the city lord's mansion with a variety of gifts. A young lady was surrounded by them as they tried to flatter her with their offerings.

Ray watched this scene unfold for a few minutes as entertainment and then entered the office.

As soon as they entered a young guard came and received them into the office and asked them to wait as he would call the old sir immediately.

He then went outside and searched for the old man in charge of the office. He spotted him standing beside the city lord's daughter, who was surrounded by people.

He slowly began pushing his way through the crowd and finally reached him, informing him of the guest's arrival.

The old man heaved a sigh of relief when the guard informed him of the arrival of the guest at his office.

He then casually informed the young lady that he had some work to take care of and would be back soon after finishing his duties at the office.

The young lady's eyes lit with brilliance, and she slowly extended her hand to stop his departure and spoke.

"Uncle, as the butler of the city lord's mansion, it is your duty to entertain our guests. Kindly take care of them on my behalf. I have a small task in the office and will return shortly after attending to it."

She then signaled all the members around her to stop talking with a hand gesture and began speaking once they were quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm terribly sorry, but I have some work to sort out. In my stead, my family butler will entertain you until I return," she declared, and with the help of the guard, she left the place.

The old man watched in despair as the young miss quickly escaped, leaving him with the duty of entertaining the group of young men who had come to impress her.

Misha who had escaped quickly made her way into the office where Ray and Lily were seated.

As she opened the office door and saw a young man and a girl seated in the office.

In the puzzled gazes of both of them, she slowly walked to the chair of the office head and sat in it.

"Hello, my name is Misha, and I'm the daughter of the city lord, I heard you are here to rent a house in my city, so have you decided which one." she introduced herself and asked Ray.

Ray realized she was the daughter of the lord, so he shook her hand, introduced himself and Lily, and expressed his decision on the villa he wished to rent.

"Miss, after careful consideration, we've decided to rent the small independent villa in the northern area," Ray informed her.

Misha took the catalog with the prices and showed him the cost of the villa.

"It will be 100 low-grade spirit stones per month, and the cost of maintaining the defense array attached to the villa is the responsibility of the individual after renting the villa," Misha informed Ray.

Ray pulled out 300 low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, paid her, and signed the rental agreement for 3 months.

Misha then took a key from the hanger on the wall and handed it to them.

Ray accepted the key with a smile and left the office with Lily, carrying an extra copy of the rental agreement.