In Search of a Home 

It didn't take long for Vicente's group to spring into action to find property in the town after they rested and enjoyed their meal.

Based on the information they had gathered from the inn where they had stayed, the group drove halfway across the town, making their way to a house that was located farther from the town's center.

That appeared like a piece of a residential neighborhood where the main businesses were scattered around the area.

The businesses included stores selling food, restaurants, and taverns. It also included shops that sold clothes, shoes, and various other goods as those.

Although this was a world that very much resembled the medieval Europe, the services and businesses were much more extensively developed.

The reason behind this is the abundance of those who were able to manipulate mana in their bodies, resulting in the services of this society developing faster than certain aspects.

While education in this society was not accessible to all, anyone knew that the skills of people who were unable to manipulate mana could still bring them opportunities for social advancement. Cooks, shoemakers, sewists, and many other ordinary professionals toiled diligently, and some even had their own stores in districts like this one.

The demand for such services and businesses in the society ensured that even the streets located further from the center of cities, which were the size of Millfall, had thriving commerce in their main avenues.

In the middle of this bustling trading area in the middle of a residential neighborhood, Vicente and his group got off their carriage. They directed their attention towards a house situated on one of the main avenues.

At first glance, the location didn't seem unremarkable, a typical dwelling, as an ignorant observer might assume.

However, Vicente and his companions were aware that this house belonged to one of the selected few people in this city who was authorized to facilitate the sale of local property.

This underdeveloped society also had its rules!

Although private property rights existed only in cities, where the king relinquished his land claims within his dominions, not just anyone could sell it.

The Duke was the one who appointed people for this kind of service, and only such designated people had the authority to trade properties within cities.

Each city had one such person for every 20,000 inhabitants. Hence, only three people were authorized to trade local properties in Millfall.

The house in front of Vice's group was one of the workplaces that belonged to one of these three brokers!

Seeing a queue of people gathered at the sole entrance to that house, Rory displayed an unhappy expression and turned to Vicente, "Do we have to wait our turn?"

"Why not? We are not special, and there are only five people ahead of us," Vicente responded with a smile, "We can use this opportunity to try to learn a little more about this place."

After saying those words, Vicente approached the group of people in the muddy line outside that house.

"Excuse me, mister. Could you please tell me what this line is for?" Vicente politely inquired a short, portly, middle-aged man who had a standard Magic Gem on his forehead.

The man scrutinized Vicente for a moment, noticing how well-dressed this young man was.

Vicente already looked more like an adult than a child by the standards of this world, so that man did not underestimate this youth. 

"Young man, this line is for people interested in buying property. Broker Grant is confirming some deals with a local officer at this property."

"Oh? What advice would you give to someone interested in visiting the properties negotiated by broker Grant?" Vicente asked as Rory and his men joined him.

This time, a well-dressed man with rich looks, smell, and manner of speaking turned to them and replied, "If that's what you are seeking here, kindly wait for a moment. You won't need to speak directly with broker Grant himself but with one of his assistants.

One of them has just entered the house, so she should return shortly to assist those interested in local properties."

"So that's it... Thanks for the information. Have a good time," Vicente replied politely.

After that, Vicente smiled at Rory and shook his head negatively to indicate something to this friend of his.

A few minutes later, they overheard various conversations taking place in the surroundings, which provided them with a little more insight about Millfall, until a blonde-haired woman in a dark blue dress emerged from the house.

"Is anyone here waiting to meet our properties for sale?" The woman inquired.

Vicente raised his hand to attract that woman's attention.

"Are you guys after land or a house?" she inquired further as she approached them, carrying a clipboard in one of her hands.

This time, Rory answered, "We are in search of both. We'll need two properties, but we want to check out the options before deciding between building or buying a ready-made property."

"So that's it," the assistant responded with a gentle smile, clearly interested in the two potential businesses they wanted.

Vicente and Rory didn't possess a noble appearance, but they didn't look poor either. Besides being well-dressed, they displayed polite manners and were accompanied by guards.

This was a good enough sign for this saleswoman not to despise them just because of their juvenile appearance.

"May I have your names?" She asked as she led them inside the house.

"This here is my friend, Rory, and I am Vicente." He replied.

"My name is Aurora. So, Vicente and Rory, would you be willing to sign a purchase commitment with us? Of course, we will provide you some benefits with that," she suggested, aiming to avoid wasting her time with people who were unable to pay for her commission.

In a city where only three people oversaw the local property business, none of them had time to waste with people who were unsure about their buying interests!

"It wouldn't be a problem," Vicente replied, "but what benefits would those be? Can you please elaborate?"

She welcomed them into her compact office and explained, "With a purchase commitment, I will be available to meet you at any time of day, escort you to visit each of our available properties, and Broker Grant will guarantee 10 years of tax exemption for you."

This proposal left everyone in Vicente's group quite surprised as their eyes widened.

This guarantee was pretty attractive!

In the Seidel Kingdom, while there was no income tax, there were taxes on private property located in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.

The amount of these taxes wasn't low and amounted to 5% of the property's value!

However, they did not know that anyone buying property in Millfall would already receive this tax break for 10 years...

"Well, I guess we can sign that agreement," Rory concurred with Vice's decision.

With those sweet words, they soon signed the purchase commitment, and the beautiful Aurora continued, "Very well, we currently have six houses and ten plots of land at our disposal.

However, only one of the plots is located in the central part of town. Millfall has expanded considerably in recent years, so if I were you, I would take advantage of the opportunity. There won't be any others after that..."

As she spoke, she unfolded a book containing a town map, indicating the locations of the houses and land parcels to Vicente and Rory.

After nearly half an hour of careful consideration, the two selected which locations they wished to see first.

Without further ado, they set off to explore these properties!

...

Two days later, Vicente and Rory had inspected all the properties available in Millfall and, at this moment, stood before the one they had decided to buy.

They hadn't yet decided on what second property they would buy because they intended to meet Aaron the following day. However, the place where Nina would live with Vicente would be the one in front of them, a charming three-bedroom property situated in a residential neighborhood near the heart of Millfall.

"It's not bad. From this place, Nina will have the convenience of walking to the local academy," Vicente commented to Rory, expressing his satisfaction with their choice.