Chapter 466: Landowner (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 466: Landowner (1)
With half an hour left until the first real estate sale in barbarian history took place, I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from lifting at the good news Ainar shared. "So 130 people came?"
"Yeah! Everyone is yelling and asking when you are going to start the sale!"
The turnout was higher than I had expected.
I quickly turned to the Minister of Barbarian Urban Development and asked, "Rick, what's the maximum number of plots we can sell today?"
"Seventy-three."
One plot of land was 4306 square feet or, in Korean terms, 121 pyeong.
That brings the total area available for sale today up to 8833 pyeong.
I could only imagine how hard it had been on Rick to divide and survey all that land by himself.
"But... are you sure it's okay to sell the land like this? A single plot of land is only—"
"Don't worry. This way will be much easier for everyone."
If you used numbers that were too big, the barbarians would end up confused. It was much easier to simply call a twenty square meter area one plot of land. Naturally, we would eventually be making plots of various sizes to sell to our consumers as well.
Half a plot was two hundred square meters. One and a half plots made six hundred square meters.
Doing it by the hundreds was much simpler.
"Anyway," I said, "we're only selling about forty this time."
"...What? You're not going to sell them all?"
"It's not time yet."
I had asked Rick to prepare as much land as possible just in case, but if I were to simply wave my hand and sell all of it now, my plans would fall apart.
"...I understand." He looked a bit depressed, which was understandable given the tough time he'd had with this project, but there was nothing for it. The heart of real estate was in a piece of land's future value.
"Then it's about time we start." Under my orders, they adjusted the lottery box so that fewer people would be chosen than there were plots of land available. We then headed to a section of the forest near the outer gate, which was chosen for its convenient access into and out of the city.
"Whoa, the chieftain is here!"
"Sell me the land quickly! I've brought plenty of money!"
The warriors started to shout excitedly when they spotted me. I offered perfunctory greetings as I eyed each one's equipment.
I'd say they're around fifth floor on average.
That meant the warriors here were among the upper-middle class of barbarians. That made sense. They'd be the only ones able to pay the two-million-stone price tag of the land, and barbarians weren't the type to save money when they could spend it. According to Ainar, some of the warriors here today had even sold their cherished weapons to be able to afford the land.
"It's good to see you, warriors. You all know how not to let an opportunity pass you by!" I took the stage Ainar had prepared for me and jumped right into it. "Do you all see these four yellow flags?"
"We do!"
"The land located inside those four yellow flags will be for sale today." First, it was necessary to explain the basics. Some of the warriors might have only come to watch, but I would make sure to pique their interest for next time. "What do you all think? It's big, right? More than one hundred of us can fit inside!"
"Uh... sure?"
"Just think of the inn you are all forced to live in! That small space can only fit one bed. But in this one piece of land, you can easily fit a hundred beds!" A room at the inn had other furniture as well as walls and a roof, of course, but this was neither the time nor place to bring that up.
"Th-that's true! It's big!"
That's right.
"Yes, it's a big piece of land! You can even build a house with a training ground in your yard! Oh, and it will be private property! That means you can use your special abilities on your land, unlike in the city!"
"...Private property?"
"That means the land will belong entirely to you!"
"Whoa!" the warriors exclaimed, apparently impressed by the totality of the term.
"In the city, hundreds of millions of stones would not be enough to buy this much land. In fact, unless you're a noble, you're not even allowed to buy it!"
I decided to skip the part about how that was only technically true in Karnon and not every district of the city. They wouldn't be as excited to buy this land from me otherwise. Judging by their growing excitement, I decided they were now ripe for the picking.
"Ahem!" I cleared my throat and cut to the chase. "Forty pieces of land will be sold today. All the same size as that!"
"...Forty? But there are over a hundred of us here?" The barbarians' eager demands to purchase land turned to confusion at the lack of supply. I didn't allow their discontent the opportunity to fester, though.
"Don't complain! This land is so precious, we were barely able to prepare forty plots to sell here today! If you're not happy with that, then don't buy it!" I declared. The supplier had the upper hand, not the consumer. The warriors immediately went silent, allowing me to proceed as planned. "Now, each of you will take turns and draw lots! Whoever draws a black paper will be given the chance to buy land!"
After dividing the 130 warriors into six groups, they began drawing lots one by one. Before long, the field was full of shouts of both joy and sorrow.
"Black! I got black!"
"W-White! That's not fair! This is why I didn't want to pick first! Let me pick again!"
I made sure that the ones who complained weren't given the chance to draw again. Those who picked black were then sent over to Rick Anderson to purchase their plots.
"But Mr. Human! I can't read!"
"That's okay. The chieftain himself is selling the land, so there's no need for you to worry."
"...That makes sense!"
All the contracts stated was that the land could only be owned by a barbarian and that if the owner passed away before designating an heir, ownership would be transferred back to the tribe. Nothing special.
"Now, let's have you stamp the documents."
The barbarians grinned as they slathered ink on their hands and pressed them against the paper.
I can't believe I made eighty million stones just selling land...
The average coming-of-age ceremony cost around ten million stones, meaning I'd made enough for eight of them in the blink of an eye.
"Hey! What are you doing?! This is now my private property you're standing on! Get out!"
"S-Sorry! I just wanted to take a look..."
"Uh... sure?"
"Just think of the inn you are all forced to live in! That small space can only fit one bed. But in this one piece of land, you can easily fit a hundred beds!" A room at the inn had other furniture as well as walls and a roof, of course, but this was neither the time nor place to bring that up.
"Th-that's true! It's big!"
That's right.
"Yes, it's a big piece of land! You can even build a house with a training ground in your yard! Oh, and it will be private property! That means you can use your special abilities on your land, unlike in the city!"
"...Private property?"
"That means the land will belong entirely to you!"
"Whoa!" the warriors exclaimed, apparently impressed by the totality of the term.
"In the city, hundreds of millions of stones would not be enough to buy this much land. In fact, unless you're a noble, you're not even allowed to buy it!"
I decided to skip the part about how that was only technically true in Karnon and not every district of the city. They wouldn't be as excited to buy this land from me otherwise. Judging by their growing excitement, I decided they were now ripe for the picking.
"Ahem!" I cleared my throat and cut to the chase. "Forty pieces of land will be sold today. All the same size as that!"
"...Forty? But there are over a hundred of us here?" The barbarians' eager demands to purchase land turned to confusion at the lack of supply. I didn't allow their discontent the opportunity to fester, though.
"Don't complain! This land is so precious, we were barely able to prepare forty plots to sell here today! If you're not happy with that, then don't buy it!" I declared. The supplier had the upper hand, not the consumer. The warriors immediately went silent, allowing me to proceed as planned. "Now, each of you will take turns and draw lots! Whoever draws a black paper will be given the chance to buy land!"
After dividing the 130 warriors into six groups, they began drawing lots one by one. Before long, the field was full of shouts of both joy and sorrow.
"Black! I got black!"
"W-White! That's not fair! This is why I didn't want to pick first! Let me pick again!"
I made sure that the ones who complained weren't given the chance to draw again. Those who picked black were then sent over to Rick Anderson to purchase their plots.
"But Mr. Human! I can't read!"
"That's okay. The chieftain himself is selling the land, so there's no need for you to worry."
"...That makes sense!"
All the contracts stated was that the land could only be owned by a barbarian and that if the owner passed away before designating an heir, ownership would be transferred back to the tribe. Nothing special.
"Now, let's have you stamp the documents."
The barbarians grinned as they slathered ink on their hands and pressed them against the paper.
I can't believe I made eighty million stones just selling land...
The average coming-of-age ceremony cost around ten million stones, meaning I'd made enough for eight of them in the blink of an eye.
"Hey! What are you doing?! This is now my private property you're standing on! Get out!"
"S-Sorry! I just wanted to take a look..."
"Tsk, just for a minute. Got it? And if possible, hold your breath."
"I will!"
Soon after, the warriors who purchased land began to pitch their tents while the unlucky warriors who couldn't simply watch in envy.
"Vukan, son of Shreev, would you sell me that land for an extra hundred thousand stones?"
"Hm, a hundred thousand stones...?"
Things were already starting to play out as I had hoped. The deal between those two didn't seem to go through, however.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it for that price."
"Oh, well... If you change your mind later, come and find me."
A hundred thousand stones extra wasn't enough for him? Well, that wasn't an issue for us.
"Ainar." I quietly gave her orders, and she nodded her head with a determined look in her eyes. Once she snuck away, I looked at the now-empty spot where she had been standing and heaved a sigh.
"Phew..."
There was no time to rest on our laurels.
***
The day after the forty plots of land were sold, a rumor swept through the holy land.
"Did you hear? Vukan, son of Shreev, sold the land he bought yesterday for three million stones!"
"He earned a million stones for free in just one day!"
"No way, is that true?! One million stones are enough to buy lithinum armor! The type our chieftain wears!"
A piece of land had been sold for a 50 percent profit in just one day. Needless to say, this wasn't an ordinary transaction.
"The one who bought it, were they not right in the head? I know the chieftain said the land is valuable but for that many stones...?"
"Yeah, who bought the land?"
The buyer's name was none other than Seirik, the second son of Burtol. He was a member of a group run by our second elder, the backpack revolutionary.
"...I heard that he made lots of money during the Backpack Revolution, but I had no idea he earned that much!"
I was told by Kharon that he was good at keeping secrets, so I secretly funded him from behind the scenes. I did so for one reason and one reason alone.
"Then maybe what the chieftain said was true..."
With that, I no longer had to preach the value of owning land for my fellow barbarians to realize its worth.
"Right! And he said that we won't be able to buy it later because it will become too expensive!"
"Yeah! I heard they were going to sell even more land later this month. I'm thinking of participating this time."
"Hm, but I thought you said you didn't need any land. Did you change your mind?"
"I still don't need it! But think about it. If I buy it and sell it afterward, doesn't that mean I'll be able to buy a new weapon for free?! You should do it too! Let's both buy land!"
"I'm not sure... I think it's better to just save money to buy a new weapon! Weapons can be used to fight enemies. What can you do with land?"
Well, not every warrior would be open to the idea right away, but it was only a matter of time before they started to change their minds.
A plot of land worth two million was sold for 3.5 million, then 3.7 million the next day, and four million the day after. All because of our strategically placed moles.
"Tsk, just for a minute. Got it? And if possible, hold your breath."
"I will!"
Soon after, the warriors who purchased land began to pitch their tents while the unlucky warriors who couldn't simply watch in envy.
"Vukan, son of Shreev, would you sell me that land for an extra hundred thousand stones?"
"Hm, a hundred thousand stones...?"
Things were already starting to play out as I had hoped. The deal between those two didn't seem to go through, however.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it for that price."
"Oh, well... If you change your mind later, come and find me."
A hundred thousand stones extra wasn't enough for him? Well, that wasn't an issue for us.
"Ainar." I quietly gave her orders, and she nodded her head with a determined look in her eyes. Once she snuck away, I looked at the now-empty spot where she had been standing and heaved a sigh.
"Phew..."
There was no time to rest on our laurels.
***
The day after the forty plots of land were sold, a rumor swept through the holy land.
"Did you hear? Vukan, son of Shreev, sold the land he bought yesterday for three million stones!"
"He earned a million stones for free in just one day!"
"No way, is that true?! One million stones are enough to buy lithinum armor! The type our chieftain wears!"
A piece of land had been sold for a 50 percent profit in just one day. Needless to say, this wasn't an ordinary transaction.
"The one who bought it, were they not right in the head? I know the chieftain said the land is valuable but for that many stones...?"
"Yeah, who bought the land?"
The buyer's name was none other than Seirik, the second son of Burtol. He was a member of a group run by our second elder, the backpack revolutionary.
"...I heard that he made lots of money during the Backpack Revolution, but I had no idea he earned that much!"
I was told by Kharon that he was good at keeping secrets, so I secretly funded him from behind the scenes. I did so for one reason and one reason alone.
"Then maybe what the chieftain said was true..."
With that, I no longer had to preach the value of owning land for my fellow barbarians to realize its worth.
"Right! And he said that we won't be able to buy it later because it will become too expensive!"
"Yeah! I heard they were going to sell even more land later this month. I'm thinking of participating this time."
"Hm, but I thought you said you didn't need any land. Did you change your mind?"
"I still don't need it! But think about it. If I buy it and sell it afterward, doesn't that mean I'll be able to buy a new weapon for free?! You should do it too! Let's both buy land!"
"I'm not sure... I think it's better to just save money to buy a new weapon! Weapons can be used to fight enemies. What can you do with land?"
Well, not every warrior would be open to the idea right away, but it was only a matter of time before they started to change their minds.
A plot of land worth two million was sold for 3.5 million, then 3.7 million the next day, and four million the day after. All because of our strategically placed moles.
"...Wh-who the hell is spending that much to buy land?! D-Did everyone lose their minds?!"
After only a few days, the attitude across the whole of the holy land began to change.
"Why won't you sell it to me?! I said I'd give you four million stones!"
Some barbarians rushed around trying to buy land, but now, no one wanted to part with their plot. After all, the landowners weren't complete fools.
"Why would I sell it today when I can sell it for more tomorrow?"
"B-But...!"
As one discerning landowner said, the price of land skyrocketed. The warriors who had stayed on the sidelines during the initial auction began to panic as they scrounged up as much money as they could. But it wasn't that barbarians were inherently less intelligent or something. Even modern people who were well-versed in economics tended to behave the same way.
"Going for 4.3 million! I'll buy it for 4.3 million stones!"
Everything had changed in the span of a few days. The market was so active that we no longer needed our moles to do anything, though I still ordered Kharon to have his people continue purchasing land with the fifty million stones I gave them. That was two-thirds of our net profit, yet I didn't regret it.
At this rate, we could sell a plot of land for six million next time, and they'll all still buy it.
Of course, there was the matter of what we would do if they complained about the price increase. However, if everyone was going to buy it from each other at that price anyway, then wasn't it only natural that we also increase the cost? No matter how high the price got, they would do anything to purchase a plot. In their eyes, owning a piece of land was no different than owning a money-making machine.
Great, then I don't think I need to worry about real estate anymore...
Just as I was about to leave the chieftain's tent, Rick Anderson approached me. "It's strange, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"The price of the land. I don't understand why it's rising so high. After all, the barbarian holy land is massive. Mathematically speaking, even if we were to give a plot to every single warrior, we would still have some to spare."
"Hm, is that so?"
"Yes. All the warriors who are spending ridiculous amounts of stones to buy land now will come to regret it, I'm sure of it. Why don't you stop them?"
"Well, why should I stop them if they want to buy it?"
"That's... true."
"Anyway, I should get going!"
Phew, how long has it been since I've gone home? I'm sure Erwen and Amelia will give me an earful.
Well, that was what I assumed, yet when I got home, they didn't scold me at all, much to my surprise.
"Emily, Erwen! I'm back—"
"Read this." Amelia quickly threw me an open envelope. "It's a letter from the Mozlan."
"...Huh?"
I read through the letter, feeling inexplicably nervous. Since the Mozlan served as the aristocracy's police force, the letter they sent me was unnecessarily long and formal. Only the last few lines were actually important.
On behalf of Count Alminus, the sponsor of the Sawtooth Clan, the Mozlan Dispute Committee has been asked to formally oversee...
One told me who exactly had filed this complaint against me.
...hereby request the sum of 2.135 billion stones, constituting one-half of the total value of the essence of the Lord of Chaos, Riakis...
The next told me what they wanted from me.
...that the Right Honorable Lord Bjorn Yandel respectfully visit Mozlan's main office within fifteen days of receiving this letter.
And then came the final line, which told me where I needed to go and when.
Rip, rip.
I ripped the letter into pieces and swallowed it.
Back home, I could have never imagined receiving a letter of complaint like that.
It was a strange feeling, reflecting on how much I'd changed since coming here, but I wasn't terrified at the realization. I'd been here for four years already, after all.
Count Alminus...
And in those four years, not once had I been beaten, especially not by a guy who had a lot to lose.
"...Wh-who the hell is spending that much to buy land?! D-Did everyone lose their minds?!"
After only a few days, the attitude across the whole of the holy land began to change.
"Why won't you sell it to me?! I said I'd give you four million stones!"
Some barbarians rushed around trying to buy land, but now, no one wanted to part with their plot. After all, the landowners weren't complete fools.
"Why would I sell it today when I can sell it for more tomorrow?"
"B-But...!"
As one discerning landowner said, the price of land skyrocketed. The warriors who had stayed on the sidelines during the initial auction began to panic as they scrounged up as much money as they could. But it wasn't that barbarians were inherently less intelligent or something. Even modern people who were well-versed in economics tended to behave the same way.
"Going for 4.3 million! I'll buy it for 4.3 million stones!"
Everything had changed in the span of a few days. The market was so active that we no longer needed our moles to do anything, though I still ordered Kharon to have his people continue purchasing land with the fifty million stones I gave them. That was two-thirds of our net profit, yet I didn't regret it.
At this rate, we could sell a plot of land for six million next time, and they'll all still buy it.
Of course, there was the matter of what we would do if they complained about the price increase. However, if everyone was going to buy it from each other at that price anyway, then wasn't it only natural that we also increase the cost? No matter how high the price got, they would do anything to purchase a plot. In their eyes, owning a piece of land was no different than owning a money-making machine.
Great, then I don't think I need to worry about real estate anymore...
Just as I was about to leave the chieftain's tent, Rick Anderson approached me. "It's strange, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"The price of the land. I don't understand why it's rising so high. After all, the barbarian holy land is massive. Mathematically speaking, even if we were to give a plot to every single warrior, we would still have some to spare."
"Hm, is that so?"
"Yes. All the warriors who are spending ridiculous amounts of stones to buy land now will come to regret it, I'm sure of it. Why don't you stop them?"
"Well, why should I stop them if they want to buy it?"
"That's... true."
"Anyway, I should get going!"
Phew, how long has it been since I've gone home? I'm sure Erwen and Amelia will give me an earful.
Well, that was what I assumed, yet when I got home, they didn't scold me at all, much to my surprise.
"Emily, Erwen! I'm back—"
"Read this." Amelia quickly threw me an open envelope. "It's a letter from the Mozlan."
"...Huh?"
I read through the letter, feeling inexplicably nervous. Since the Mozlan served as the aristocracy's police force, the letter they sent me was unnecessarily long and formal. Only the last few lines were actually important.
On behalf of Count Alminus, the sponsor of the Sawtooth Clan, the Mozlan Dispute Committee has been asked to formally oversee...
One told me who exactly had filed this complaint against me.
...hereby request the sum of 2.135 billion stones, constituting one-half of the total value of the essence of the Lord of Chaos, Riakis...
The next told me what they wanted from me.
...that the Right Honorable Lord Bjorn Yandel respectfully visit Mozlan's main office within fifteen days of receiving this letter.
And then came the final line, which told me where I needed to go and when.
Rip, rip.
I ripped the letter into pieces and swallowed it.
Back home, I could have never imagined receiving a letter of complaint like that.
It was a strange feeling, reflecting on how much I'd changed since coming here, but I wasn't terrified at the realization. I'd been here for four years already, after all.
Count Alminus...
And in those four years, not once had I been beaten, especially not by a guy who had a lot to lose.