Chapter 26

In the evening, as the store was about to close, they appeared.

"I am Gammets. I heard about the offer of 1.5 million S for the property I own, and I would like to propose some conditions for setting the price at 1.5 million S."

The man's words were laced with thorns.

His lecherous smile made me feel like my SP had decreased a bit.

Not that I have any SP, though.

"I am Christoph von Brütsels. What conditions do you have in mind?"

"Nothing complicated. I am in business as well, and I was wondering if you could supply me with magic items from the Brütsels Trading Company. Of course, you can set the price, but I would like to limit the sales to my store only."

The man, who owns the property, is sharp.

Limiting the sales to a single store means exclusive sales, which would make it easier for me to earn high profits even if I supply at a high price.

I think this is a natural business move.

However, something feels off... I can't quite put my finger on what, but I have a feeling I shouldn't trust this man.

No matter how beneficial a deal may seem, doing business with someone you can't trust is very scary.

Even though I have the prestige of the Brütsels Margrave family behind me, there's no guarantee I won't be deceived, and it's even possible that an enemy of the Brütsels Margrave family might deliberately try to deceive me.

"Hmm, what kind of items do you have in mind?"

Though I look like a child, I try to respond in a gentlemanly manner since I am an adult inside.

I can handle myself well enough to not let a momentary feeling or intuition of dislike drive me to distance myself from someone... I think.

Of course, if someone is clearly hostile or causing trouble and causing actual harm, that's a different story.

"Any kind of item will do, as long as it's a magic item."

"The items, quantities, and prices will be decided by us. If you want to involve the Commercial Guild, I will accept those conditions."

"That seems too one-sided."

"Then, let's consider this conversation never happened."

Since I don't know what this man is thinking, it would be wise to involve the Commercial Guild.

The orders will go through the Commercial Guild, and the payments for the items supplied will be made to the Brütsels Trading Company by the Commercial Guild, so there's no risk of non-payment. Most issues can be handled through the Commercial Guild, which is a benefit.

I don't think the Brütsels Margrave family will become an enemy, but it's better to be safe.

The problem with that property is the neighboring nobles.

There aren't many people who would deliberately invite trouble.

Given its dilapidated state, it could collapse at any time, and the nobleman wants to dispose of the apartment as soon as possible.

If it were to collapse, it could cause significant damage to the noble's store, leading to a huge compensation claim.

The man thought for a while, consulted with a female Commercial Guild employee, and seemed to have reached a conclusion.

His expression was reluctant, but he agreed to my conditions.

To purchase the dilapidated apartment with the land, I went to the Commercial Guild to sign the contract and paid in cash.

How much of the 1.5 million S will go to the Commercial Guild?

Ten percent? That seems low... Thirty percent might be a bit high... Twenty percent sounds about right?

After that, I purchased the second commercial license for 2 million S.

Due to the higher-than-expected sales, I now have over ten servants, so the third commercial license would be too large and violate the regulations.

The second commercial license grants exclusive sales rights in the capital, with no other business restrictions, but the tribute will increase. ...There's no choice.

The third commercial license is limited to small-scale transactions in the capital, so it's better to think of it as removing the small-scale restriction.

Incidentally, the 2 million S is because I originally purchased the third commercial license for 1 million S, and I'm treating it as if I sold it to the Commercial Guild at the same price and paid the difference.

So, it's originally 3 million S.

When upgrading from the third commercial license to the second, everyone does it this way, and it's part of the Commercial Guild's service.

The Commercial Guild also benefits from the higher tribute of the second commercial license, so it's a win-win situation.

It's now night, and the city is quite dark despite the streetlights.

Since the payment and name change are already complete, the dilapidated apartment is now mine.

I want to start working on it right away.

However, my guards are always around, so I want to go there secretly at night.

I don't plan to renovate the dilapidated apartment.

I also don't plan to demolish it and build a new one.

So, how do I make it habitable? I intend to use the king-level time attribute magic, 'Time Manipulation.'

This 'Time Manipulation' magic can control time, and I plan to use it to rewind the entire dilapidated apartment to its newly built state.

...Theoretically, it should work. Theoretically, that is.

Here we are, at the dilapidated apartment.

Shall we begin?

First, I'll set up a spatial barrier around the entire property to prevent any damage to the surroundings in case something goes wrong.

I can easily set up a barrier of this level.

Next, I'll imagine enveloping the entire dilapidated apartment with 'Time Manipulation.'

At this point, a vast amount of mana is required.

I feel sweat dripping from my forehead, a sensation I haven't experienced in a long time, which brings back some nostalgic feelings.

Once the mana has permeated the entire dilapidated apartment, I'll activate 'Time Manipulation.'

Even more mana is consumed.

My MP exceeds 4,000, but using nearly 4,000 mana didn't allow me to rewind 180 years.

I managed to rewind enough to prevent it from collapsing, so I decided to spread the work over a few days.

Incidentally, the average human's mana is around 100, and even Rosaria, the respected and talented captain, has about 1,000 mana, so you can understand how high my mana is.

Even with my high mana, 'Time Manipulation' is so inefficient that I can't rewind 180 years all at once.

I'm exhausted. It's been a long time since I consumed this much mana.

The sweat on my forehead has changed from a trickle to a steady stream, so I sit down on the spot.

After a while, my mana has recovered a bit, so I decide to return to the mansion.

I'll leave the barrier in place to prevent anyone from entering or interfering with the property.

This is to avoid any arson or destruction while no one is around.

I don't think it's necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.