Chapter 160: The Layout of Maple Leaf City (Part 1)

"Letende, this anomaly is related to the formation of the spatial passage recorded in ancient history," a beautiful woman in a long dress said softly to Letende, her eyes filled with deep affection.

Another woman, dressed in grand attire, blinked and said to her husband, "The approximate location is in the northeast, but the exact distance cannot be determined."

"Is that so?"

Letende touched his chin, falling into deep contemplation.

The silver-dragon maiden hugged her husband from behind, her soft touch interrupting his train of thought.

"Letende, there is no need to worry. With us here, any crisis can be resolved."

"Salarina, thank you for your concern. I am fine." Letende stroked the silver-dragon maiden's head affectionately, telling her not to worry.

"Teacher, the dispatch of the army will be left to you."

"Lilith, the overall coordination of various regions is in your hands."

"Understood."

The two women nodded and then left the high platform.

Letende walked to the edge and looked down, offering a view of the entire city of Letende.

"Salarina, let us go take a look in the northeast direction."

"Very well."

The silver-dragon maiden resumed her true form, carrying her husband as she soared into the air and headed toward the northeast.

On the way to Maple Leaf County, Velin looked up into the sky, where a silver dragon swept past.

"I did not expect the search to begin so soon; I must quicken my pace." Watching the figure in the sky, Velin felt a heavy heart and urged his subordinates to move faster.

Since they were all ranked knights, their bodies could fully withstand continuous days of sleepless travel; only their minds felt somewhat exhausted.

The group cast aside other distractions, concentrating on their journey toward Maple Leaf County.

After two days and a night of riding, the group finally arrived at the capital of Maple Leaf County.

Looking at the stone city before them, which bore the rugged architectural style of the Northern Territory, and after passing the search of the city gate guards and paying an entry fee of sixteen copper coins, Velin and his party of eight successfully entered the city.

Kyle handed his blue-purple horse over to a bronze knight, walked to the roadside, took a few pieces of candied fruit from his pocket, and asked a child sitting by the road in a gentle tone, "Excuse me, do you know where the real estate transaction office is located in the city?"

"Over there. Go past two streets, and you will see a place called the Rhine Architecture House. They sell houses there." The child clearly answered the information Kyle wanted to know, but did not accept the candied fruit being handed to him.

"What, you do not want it?"

Looking at the kind uncle before him, the child glanced sideways toward a counter, and upon seeing a middle-aged man nod, he happily accepted the candied fruit from Kyle's hand, putting it into his mouth and chewing slowly.

Kyle patted the child's head, then returned to the formation and reported the situation to Velin.

"Let us go check out that Rhine Architecture House first."

Following that, the group led their horses toward the center of the city.

The surrounding residents were somewhat curious about the strangers from out of town, but that curiosity was limited.

Passing through two streets, Velin looked at the small shop named Rhine Architecture House, had Kyle and the others wait outside, and entered the shop alone.

"Welcome to the Rhine Architecture House. How may I help you?" The idle merchant saw the wooden door of the shop push open, immediately changed his expression, and stepped forward to greet him warmly.

"I want to buy a house and land."

"Ah, a distinguished guest! Please take a seat this way, I will fetch the commodity catalog for you immediately."

The merchant enthusiastically invited Velin to sit down, then went to the back of the shop, brought out three books as thick as two fingers, placed them before Velin, and went to brew tea, serving it on the small wooden table.

Velin picked up one of the books and began to browse. It recorded available properties for sale in the capital of Maple Leaf County, including geographical locations and prices.

"Shop No. 134, Avenue No. 2, West District, Maple Leaf County. Covers an area of one hundred and twenty square meters, priced at eighty-five gold coins, with a set of furniture included."

"Residence No. 2352, Avenue No. 3, East District, Maple Leaf County. Covers an area of one hundred and eighty square meters, priced at sixty-five gold coins, with a wooden handcart included."

Inside the shop, apart from the sound of pages turning, there was no other noise.

Having roughly finished the first book, Velin began to browsing the second book, which recorded information on land sales outside the city.

"Black Stone Village, fifteen kilometers from the capital of Maple Leaf County. There is currently a courtyard covering three hundred square meters and thirty acres of land for sale, asking price three hundred and twenty gold coins."

The final book contained housing and land sales information for the counties under the jurisdiction of Maple Leaf County, though it was not as detailed as the first two, containing only general locations and price information.

"If I purchase the land of an entire village in bulk, how many houses and how much land can I own at most?" Velin placed the final book on the small wooden table and asked the merchant.

"My lord, according to the decree issued by the duke, the houses and land occupied by an individual or family cannot exceed one-fifth of a single settlement; otherwise, they will be punished by the local magistrate and the excess property will be confiscated," the merchant respectfully replied.

Velin did not speak; he merely asked the merchant for paper and pen and wrote down several pieces of information.

"These three urban residences, I want them today. Can it be settled?"

The merchant took the paper and looked at it, roughly estimating the price in his heart and how much profit he could make from it, and his attitude became increasingly deferential.

"Yes, my lord. As long as the gold coins are ready, you can own these three properties immediately."

"Good, then let us start with these three. I have intentions of purchasing land outside the city later," Velin said, tapping the table as he addressed the merchant.

"Rest assured, my lord. If you need to survey land and housing information outside the city, this humble one can guide you," the merchant said, his heart filled with incomparable excitement at the arrival of a major transaction, nearly kneeling on the ground to speak with Velin.

"Let us leave it at that for now. When the time comes to go outside the city, I will notify you," Velin waved his hand, signaling the merchant to get down to business.

Afterward, Velin had Kyle accompany the merchant to the City Lord's Mansion to handle the transfer declaration and register the three residences under his name. As for Velin himself, it was currently inconvenient for him to show his face; otherwise, how could he explain a noble traveling thousands of miles to a remote city to buy houses and land? Would that not be blatantly telling others that something was amiss here?

That very night, Velin moved into one of the three courtyards. Covering an area of three hundred and twenty square meters and priced at one hundred and sixty-five gold coins, it was located away from the city center. It featured six bedrooms, a main hall, a stable, a kitchen, a latrine, two storehouses, and a basement—which constituted all the structures of this courtyard.

For the next few days, Velin stayed in this courtyard, dispersing the other six bronze knights to taverns, shops, marketplaces, streets, and other gathering places to collect intelligence.

He needed a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the entire city of Maple Leaf to consider how to lay out his next steps so as to maximize profits after the spatial passage appeared.

At the same time, within the territory of a duke, how should related industries be laid out so as not to appear too conspicuous and draw the other party's attention?