Chapter 222: The Dragon Who Deals in Real Estate

"Territory?"

Lei En was very surprised; this request was truly unexpected.

Dragons all possess a strong sense of territory. In the Second Era, when dragons and giants ruled the world, the dragons divided the lands into separate territories, each resembling an independent kingdom, with the dragons as the supreme rulers.

This tradition has continued to the present; today it is no longer the dragons' realm. They can only claim mountains as kings and build nests in places rarely trodden by humans, such as high mountains, swamps, islands, or primeval forests.

However, it has never been heard of a dragon attempting to establish a territory within a bustling human city.

That sounds quite strange.

Lei En did not expose Xia Lanwei's identity; he merely pretended not to know and asked, "What do you want a territory for?"

"This is my personal ideal!"

Madam Xia Lanwei's face showed a hint of yearning, "Since I can remember, I've wanted a piece of land of my own—build whatever I wish, plant whatever I wish, let my ideas be realized. It would satisfy my hobby and bring me wealth."

"Unfortunately, that's far too difficult!"

"Especially within the Empire, I've worked hard for many years and still haven't achieved it," she said with sighs, looking at Lei En and earnestly adding, "Lord, I know this is presumptuous, but I hope you can grant it."

Lei En frowned, shook his head, and said, "I'm afraid I can't help you."

The Oriense Empire is a feudal state, yet unlike typical feudal nations, the Empire has no emperor; governance belongs to the Kermitis Supreme Council.

Commoners in the Empire have only three ways to obtain a territory.

First, receive a Title: Duke's investiture, carving a piece of land from one's ducal domain and granting it to a vassal.

Lei En and Viola both became actual title Counts in this way.

The second is to merit the Empire, after which the Chief Consul initiates a proposal in the Imperial Council; once passed by vote, a piece of the Empire's territory is carved out as a reward.

Gaining a territory through this route is extremely difficult.

Since the Supreme Council seized power, the Empire's millennial trend has been to reduce the number of actual title nobles, replace them with honorary titles, and reclaim fiefs under imperial jurisdiction.

The old‑established noble families that existed since the Empire's founding have become increasingly few.

In these thousand years, the actual title nobles granted imperial investiture are so few they could be counted on two hands, and their fiefs are mostly on borders or desolate lands—do not expect to obtain densely populated towns.

There is a final method.

That is to ascend to a Holy Soul Wizard, enter the Supreme Council and be granted a Title: Duke, allowing one to designate any province or major city within the Empire as one's ducal domain.

These three paths, each more difficult than the last.

Lei En was lucky to obtain the Gela Morgan Territory; otherwise he never even considered becoming a lord.

"No, my lord."

Madam Xia Lanwei said, "You can help me: simply grant me the rank of knight, and then award me a knight fief."

Lei En was startled by the words, then immediately understood Xia Lanwei's plan.

Unlike honorary nobles, actual title lords can invest loyal knights; knights are only half‑nobility and cannot be hereditary.

If the lord wishes, he may also grant a knight an estate or a tract of fertile land.

If the area is large enough, it can be called a knight fief.

But today, with fiefs so precious, few lords grant knight fiefs; for loyal knights, most rewards are Gold Shields or other tangible items.

Especially since the advent of steam and mechanical technology, productivity has surged; the economic output of a knight fief is far less than before—farmers plant a few crops and collect modest taxes from the subjects, which is far inferior to.

Land remains important, but it now ranks behind capital.

Unless the land possesses extremely high ancillary value, such as an excellent location, it cannot attract desire.

Lei En had already guessed Xia Lanwei's purpose, yet he did not refuse immediately.

Instead he asked, "Which piece of land do you want?"

"Shibi Village."

Xia Lanwei answered with slight delight, though her expression was also a bit uneasy.

Lei En had long memorized every road, plot, and village within the Gela Morgan Territory; when Xia Lanwei mentioned Shibi Village, he recalled it instantly.

Shibi Village lies along the Yero River, upstream of the Liushen Jiao commercial district. Its terrain resembles Liushen Jiao, forming a protruding riverbank; opposite the riverbank is Count Atlanck's Grey Beard District, situated between the city and the suburbs, still insufficiently developed.

The whole village has a population of about twenty thousand, mostly newcomers; with Mo Du's development momentum, its value will surely multiply in a few years.

Lei En recalled that Shibi Village's area is nearly five thousand mu.

In the Empire, a "mu" is formally called an "Alfa mu", named after Emperor Alfa, commonly shortened to "Ai mu"; an area of fifty steps in length and width constitutes one mu.

One step is about ninety centimeters, so five thousand mu is roughly just over ten square kilometers.

That amounts to about one percent of the Gela Morgan Territory!

And it is land with extremely high potential.

Even the most generous lord would not grant such a valuable village as a knight fief.

Lei En couldn't help but hum, "Madam Xia Lanwei certainly has keen eyes, eyeing Shibi Village. On what grounds do you think I'd agree?"

Seeing his displeasure, Xia Lanwei quickly rose and said, "Lord, please hear my explanation."

"Go ahead," Lei En replied calmly.

Clearly, Xia Lanwei had already devised a plan and began speaking at length: "I have drafted a long‑term commercial plan for Shibi Village, intending to turn it into Mo Du's most upscale residential district."

"Unlike ordinary housing, I aim to construct at least one hundred towers over twenty stories, modeled after the Wu Shi Ta structure, with each floor habitable and divided into several apartments for sale."

"Such high‑rise residences can fully utilize land and space; each building can house at least one hundred families."

"Units on different floors will have varying prices."

"In my projection, even the cheapest units will be priced above five hundred Gold Shields."

"Lord, do not underestimate Mo Du citizens' wealth; my survey shows many keep money in banks, and a family can pool two to three hundred Gold Shields without issue."

"Moreover, I plan to partner with banks to lend money to prospective buyers, charging interest with a set repayment period."

"Once these high‑rise residences are built, they will become a prosperous small city district. We can also develop various commercial facilities around them—luxury restaurants, hotels, clubs, brothels, and of course pricey luxury goods, jewelry, cosmetics, clothing stores, commercial centers—essentially anything only the rich can afford must be present."

"All services and amenities must be the finest, and consequently the most expensive."

Once the scale grows, it will attract more wealthy people to buy high‑rise residences here, creating a virtuous cycle that brings endless wealth.

"Lord, if you are willing to trust me, you will certainly not regret it."

Xia Lanwei grew more excited as she spoke, as if she could already see the scene after Stone Platinum Village is completed.

Lei En was also left staring in amazement.

This business model is downright familiar; if it weren't for the Soul Eye confirming, Xia Lanwei would be a dragon, and he even doubts whether she, like him, is also a transmigrator!

No, even a dragon could be a transmigrator.

Lei En tentatively said in Chinese, "Heaven‑king covers the earth‑tiger."

"What?" Xia Lanwei was completely confused, clearly not understanding.

Could she be a foreigner?

Lei En then said in English, "ARE‑YOU‑OK?"

Mrs. Xia Lanwei wore a full‑face of question marks, looking at Lei En bewildered; the Soul Eye showed that her expression was genuine, not pretended, and she truly didn't understand.

Lei En felt a tinge of regret; it turned out she wasn't a fellow countryman but a native dragon.

However, this dragon was extremely eccentric—her business mind was at least several hundred years ahead of the world, and she even wanted to do real estate in Ai Lun E Si!

A dragon that lends money to people and does real estate is truly both laughable and pitiful.

Xia Lanwei was baffled by the two sentences Lei En said, thinking he was unwilling to support her idea, and felt deeply disappointed.

In fact, she had had this plan decades ago.

She had also selected several other suitable plots in Mo Du, contacted a few Mo Du lords, meticulously prepared and presented blueprints, but each was rejected without exception.

In Xia Lanwei's view, the best plot in Mo Du was Stone Platinum Village.

But previously Ge La Mo Gen had no lord, only an acting overseer; the overseer lacked the authority to confer knighthood, so it could not be carried out.

After much waiting, Lei En finally arrived, and with two Holy Soul Wizards behind him, he was an ideal partner.

Xia Lanwei, eager, paid a huge price to Title: Master Ge Lu Nu Si to obtain the Thunderbolt Hammer, solely to lure Lei En.

Unfortunately, Lei En seemed still unsupportive.

She remained undeterred and tried to persuade further, "Lord…"

Lei En raised his hand to stop her, smiling, "Your idea is good."

Xia Lanwei instantly rejoiced, but Lei En added, "However, with only a Thunderbolt Hammer, I will not grant Stone Platinum Village to you as a knight's fief."

Lei En had considered a price before coming in.

This Thunderbolt Hammer is comparable to an epic weapon, fits him perfectly, and can serve as a cover for eventually obtaining the true Thunder God's Hammer; his expected mental price is around one hundred thousand Gold Shields.

Anything higher would be unacceptable.

Even a genuine epic weapon wouldn't exceed two hundred thousand Gold Shields, far less than the value of a land parcel of five thousand Ai Mu.

Even without Xia Lanwei's plan, Lei En will later prepare to develop Stone Platinum Village himself.

It may just take a few years.

However, considering Xia Lanwei's commercial acumen, he decided to give this real‑estate dragon a chance, letting her showcase her talent, which can bring wealth and also attract a dragon whose power reaches the legendary Mid‑stage, perhaps useful in the future.

"Lord, what do you mean?" Xia Lanwei asked cautiously.

"I can grant you Stone Platinum Village, but you must pay me taxes each year as a true knight would, though you need not fulfill knightly duties," Lei En set his terms, "Moreover, I will take nearly half of the shares in your high‑end residential project and all completed enterprises."

Xia Lanwei was happy at the first half, but the second half made her immediately anxious.

If half the ownership is taken, it can no longer be a domain she fully controls; aside from lost economic benefits, Lei En might later meddle.

In her view, Lei En is far less business‑savvy than she is; having an incompetent boss above him makes everything sluggish.

It also saps the drive to fight wholeheartedly.

"Lord, your conditions are too harsh," Xia Lanwei tried to bargain.

Lei En saw her hesitation at a glance, smiling, "Listen carefully: I want close to half the shares, that is 49%; Stone Platinum Village remains under your control, I will not interfere."

Xia Lanwei's eyes lit up.

That ratio seemed acceptable and also revealed that Lei En highly favored her plan.

She did not answer immediately, her face showing difficulty, "Lord, you cannot claim 49% of the shares on a single statement; you must contribute some capital."

"Sure."

Lei En readily agreed; he does not like taking advantage of others, and asked, "Prepare a proposal and submit it to me, the more detailed the better, including preliminary budget, and I will fund you proportionally."

He currently has a large sum of money on hand that he cannot spend elsewhere; investing in real estate is a good choice.

Xia Lanwei's heart blossomed instantly; her years‑long wish could finally be set in motion.

She bowed joyfully, "Thank you, Lord."

"Madam need not be so formal; we have a win‑win cooperation," Lei En waved his hand, not forgetting the matter, "I will grant you a knight's fief, and you give the Thunderbolt Hammer in exchange…"

Before he could finish, Mrs. Xia Lanwei immediately said, "The Thunderbolt Hammer belongs to the Lord."

"Very good."

Lei En nodded with satisfaction; today's transaction ended in universal happiness.

Mrs. Xia Lanwei was about to go out and announce the deal when Lei En suddenly called her back, asking, "Wait, what price did Serik give for the Thunderbolt Hammer?"

"He did not give a price; he intends to exchange a magic soul with me," Mrs. Xia Lanwei replied without hesitation.

"What magic soul can be exchanged for the Thunderbolt Hammer?"

Lei En grew more curious, as Serik seemed very confident.

Mrs. Xia Lanwei hesitated briefly, then said, "It is a high‑grade magic soul, a luminous jellyfish, accompanied by a Superlative Element."

"Luminous jellyfish!"

"Superlative Element!" Lei En was astonished, "Are you sure?"

Mrs. Xia Lanwei nodded, whispering, "I have appraised that magic soul; it indeed contains a Superlative Element, a very rare one called the Key of Doors."

(End of chapter)