CHAPTER 121: I just came to do some business (2)

Claude tilted his head in confusion at Ghislain's lukewarm response.

"To sell cosmetics, shouldn't you try to get close to the nobles?"

"How many would actually want to be close with a poor baron? Besides, just because we're friendly, doesn't mean they'll trust and use the products. They'd probably throw them away. You didn't want to use them at first either."

"Still, to sell to the nobles, shouldn't we at least make them aware that something like this exists?"

Ghislain shook his head.

"That's a fair point, but us promoting it directly won't be effective. We need to make it so the nobles come looking for us. First, let's find a place to stay. Promoting can come afterward."

Though Claude felt uneasy, he nodded.

"It'll cost us a bit, but what if we buy a building near the royal palace… in the central district?"

"Central district?"

"Yes, maybe even a mansion. Actually, to sell premium items to nobles, a fancy mansion would be ideal."

Nobles never directly go to typical shops frequented by commoners.

If they need something from such places, they send servants to purchase it.

For expensive and high-quality items, they prefer to meet and negotiate in person, like attending a social gathering.

"Exactly. Whether it's a mansion or a shop, if we're targeting nobles, it's best to make it as lavish as possible," Belinda chimed in.

It was a reasonable plan, but Ghislain still looked unimpressed.

"To get a decent mansion in the central district here, we'd probably need our estate's entire yearly budget. Don't you know how expensive things are here?"

Claude pursed his lips in disappointment and asked again.

"That's true, but… we still need a base in the capital, don't we?"

"Of course, we should look for a spacious mansion with a garden, where we can house everyone and store the wagons. The cheaper, the better. Let's check the outskirts."

"Then where do you plan to sell the products?"

"We'll sell them from the mansion. It'll do for now."

"It seems a bit lacking to sell high-end products out of a regular mansion. What would make nobles trust and buy from us?"

Ghislain grinned.

"That won't matter. Soon enough, they'll come knocking with bags of money, so don't worry."

"Oh, you're always so frugal when it counts. Fine, I'll check what's available, but if no customers show up, don't blame me."

Starting the next day, Claude searched all over the capital for a suitable mansion.

Not only were the prices in the central district astronomical, but there weren't even any properties available.

Finally, after gradually expanding his search radius from the royal palace, Claude found a large mansion on the outskirts.

"It's exactly what you asked for: cheap, spacious, and with a garden. A grand mansion!"

The agent smiled nervously as he described the property.

But everyone glanced around, feeling an unsettling vibe they couldn't shake.

It was spacious, with a garden, and it was tall and grand. Most importantly, the price was low.

The issue was… the whole mansion had a gloomy air, like something out of a vampire's lair.

The flowers in the garden looked withered, drained of life, their color a dull gray. Despite it being broad daylight, the dense shadows from the surrounding trees seemed to emit an eerie energy.

Belinda looked at the agent with a blank expression.

"This is the best you've got?"

"For a large, spacious, cheap house, this is the only option in the capital."

"But why is the mansion in this condition?"

"Haha, probably because it's been neglected. It has a bit of a bad reputation. But it's just rumors—nothing serious."

Apparently, there was a rumor that restless spirits of those who had died unjustly lingered here.

That explained why there wasn't a soul in sight despite the mansion's size.

Belinda shouted, as if it wasn't worth looking any further.

"Young master, just look for another place! How could anyone live here without constantly feeling creeped out? Staying here would just wear us down."

As if to affirm her statement, a flock of crows took off from the mansion, cawing loudly.

"See, even they agree with me!"

Unbothered by Belinda's protests, Ghislain examined the surroundings thoroughly, then nodded to the agent.

"Alright, let's go with this place. How much? You said it was cheap, right?"

"Young master! If you stay here, you might have all your mana drained out and die!"

"That won't happen. At worst, we might encounter some undead. Just beat them up, and there's nothing to fear."

Ghislain nonchalantly nudged the agent.

"Why aren't you answering? How much is it?"

"Oh, an excellent choice, my lord. This property, including the land, would usually go for over a thousand gold. But, considering it's been neglected… let's say 500 gold."

The agent smiled, finally relieved at the thought of selling this troublesome property.

Since they seemed reluctant and were arguing against it, he had already slashed the price, so it would be hard for them to refuse.

It was practically a giveaway… but as long as it sold, he didn't care.

What the agent didn't realize was how unreasonable Ghislain could be.

"200 gold."

"Excuse me?"

"200 gold, or no deal."

Ghislain added with a sly grin.

The agent flailed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No, I can't do that! Buying a mansion like this for 200 gold? I already reduced it significantly to 500!"

"What's the point of a big mansion if it doesn't sell? Fine, then sell it to someone else."

"Well… it's just that we've been busy with other matters. We could find a buyer if we wanted to, or even demolish it if necessary. You don't think we could?"

The agent, a seasoned player in the real estate market, attempted to bluff.

But it didn't work on Ghislain.

"Who said you couldn't? Sure, you could demolish it. But there must be a reason you haven't done it already, right?"

"That's…!"

"With the bad rumors circulating, you'd probably need to pay extra to workers to tear it down. Even if you manage to clear the land, who's going to buy land known to be haunted?"

"Well…!"

"You've left it alone all this time because the cost-benefit doesn't add up, haven't you?"

"Exactly, but…"

The agent broke into a cold sweat, realizing that Ghislain had read him completely.

Ghislain patted his shoulder and whispered.

"You're hard to bargain with. By now, you should know to take a good offer quickly."

"But 200 gold is just too low…"

"Hm, you don't seem desperate enough. Alright, let's go look at other properties."

Ghislain turned, and the others followed without hesitation. None of them tried to stop him.

"Wait! I'll lower the price a bit more!"

The agent called out desperately.

Realizing what he'd done, he winced, but there was no going back now.

Ghislain turned around leisurely and warned him.

"Think carefully before you answer. This is your one and only chance. If I'm not satisfied, we're really leaving this time."

"…"

The agent, who had been about to say 300 gold, held back tears internally.

He had hoped to trap a gullible buyer, but now he was the one being cornered.

He had tried everything to offload this property.

He had even tried giving it to a noble for free, but they had politely and decisively declined.

Unable to figure out how to get rid of this haunted land, he had been losing sleep over it recently.

His hairline had started receding more noticeably, not just in his imagination.

"Fine. At least I'll be able to sleep at night."

After a moment of hesitation, the agent finally nodded, defeated.

"I'll sell it for 200 gold."

"You made the right decision."

Caw! Caw!

The crows circled the mansion, crying out as if to welcome their new owner.

***

The contract was finalized in no time.

Ghislain's desire for a cheap, large mansion matched perfectly with the agent's desperation to sell.

Belinda and Claude sighed and muttered behind Ghislain as the contract was signed.

"Why would you buy a place like this? Wouldn't it be better to get a smaller, more comfortable place?"

"Who's going to come here to buy anything?"

Ignoring their complaints, Ghislain laughed brightly.

"It's fine. All that stuff is just superstition and rumors. Do you think we'd get a mansion this big and spacious for this price otherwise? We need to save money."

"Ah, who could argue with the young lord's stubbornness…"

"Alright, let's head inside."

Ghislain energetically pushed open the door.

Creeeeak!

Claude shivered at the eerie sound. Even the door's creak was unsettling.

Ghislain looked around the dim interior and nodded.

"Wow, it's huge! It just needs some cleaning and repairs. With a bit of decoration, it'll look…"

"Ahhh! What's that? There's a monster!"

"Eek! Attack it! Attack it!"

Suddenly, Belinda and Claude shrieked and jumped back.

"What the—? What is it?" Ghislain snapped, irritated.

Claude pointed frantically to a dark corner of the lobby.

Something with long, flowing hair stood in the shadows.

Instinctively reaching for his sword, Ghislain inspected it closely and then chuckled.

"It's just armor."

An old suit of armor covered in dust stood there, with a mop resting on top. In the shadows, it looked like a person.

Realizing it wasn't a monster, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling sheepish.

"Well, now that we have a place to stay, let's get it cleaned and repaired. Get some workers, and chase out the crows."

Caw?

At Ghislain's command, they all sighed and began moving.

A short while later, a few mercenaries returned from searching for laborers with troubled expressions.

"Finding workers is harder than we thought."

Due to the widespread rumors of hauntings, workers wouldn't come, even with a generous bonus.

Only those in desperate need of money were willing to agree.

In the end, they had to buy materials and repair the place with their mercenaries and staff.

Fortunately, there were enough people with Ghislain, and the repairs took only three days.

It wasn't decorated to match a noble's mansion, but it was clean and had all the basic necessities.

The mansion looked far less ominous than it had before.

If they could eventually replant the garden and remove the withered look, they'd get rid of the "haunted mansion" reputation completely. But redoing the garden would take longer than fixing the interior.

"We'll work on the garden later. For now, it looks like we'll be sharing the place with them."

Caw! Caw!

Unfortunately, they couldn't chase out all the crows.

After sealing the windows and adding new ones, the birds stopped coming into the mansion.

But the ones driven out simply settled in the garden and showed no signs of leaving.

"Well, now that it's habitable, let's start promoting cosmetics. We need to sell quickly."

"What's your plan? You're not attending any social events, right?"

"Let's send out samples as gifts to every noble household in the capital."

"…Cosmetics?"

"Yep."

Claude barely held back a shout, taking a long breath.

"So… you're saying just giving them out as gifts will count as promotion?"

"Exactly."

Claude couldn't hold it in anymore and yelled.

"No! Even if you beg them to use it, they might not, but you think they'll use it if it's just given as a gift? They'll probably just toss it out!"

"Nobles would do that, sure."

"Then why…!"

Ghislain grinned, rubbing his chin.

"We're not giving them to the nobles. We'll send them to their servants instead."

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