A moment later, the trade among the three parties was completed, and Lancelot and Bruto had several dozen pounds of "cargo" on them.

    Watching the two skillfully insert Metal Ingots into the gaps of the armor as if they were armor plates, Kalalin, who could only wear robes as a scholar, couldn’t help but feel some helplessness.

    The Red Dragon Krivtar had already left, satisfied, while the Devilspawn Catez looked at them meaningfully and spoke:

    "It’s said that the Sandworm Lord of the Shattered Mountain Range was slaughtered, a huge gash left on its body. Everyone says it was probably done by a Barlow Flame Demon passing by."

    "Oh." Bruto raised his eyebrows, "What does that have to do with us?"

    "Someone heard some interesting rumors in the Blacksmith District, too exaggerated, must have been those Dwarves bragging after a few drinks," Catez chuckled, "There’s also a rumor about a new Human Knight in town, incredibly generous, who sent our revered Lady Tijana a beautiful big Diamond, driving all the Succubus mad with envy."

    "That’s just the Dwarves’ way of saying thank you," Lancelot replied coolly, unflustered, "The Demons in charge of the work wouldn’t actually go into the mines themselves, watching over every stone the slaves dig up."

    "Of course, of course, no one takes such absurd rumors seriously." The Devilspawn leaned back, his bat wings relaxing and stretching out. "We had a very pleasant trade today, didn’t we? If you have any good items to sell in the future, remember to look for your old friend Catez, Sir Lancelot."

    ---------------------

    Afterward, Kalalin ’borrowed’ some money from Lancelot and Bruto to buy some Parchment and writing materials for making scrolls.

    After leaving the service area, the three of them came again to the entrance where the Six-Armed Serpent Demon was.

    "Speak." Sonam clearly didn’t like her current role.

    "We need to buy, no, rent a property." Now that he had money in his pocket, Bruto felt a bit more confident, although it might also be due to the several large chunks of Metal Ingots at his waist.

    The Six-Armed Serpent Demon looked skeptically at the group before him. Most mercenaries were miserly until they survived long enough to reach the Silver Level, and even if they had some money, they spent it on brothels and equipment. Where did these guys get the money to buy property?

    Lancelot took out a Platinum Bar and said:

    "We just dealt with some spoils of war inside."

    "Lucky you," Sonam turned around, and only then did Lancelot notice behind her many bronze tubes, open at the ends like trumpets, resembling the speaking tubes used for communication in castles.

    The Six-Armed Serpent Demon knocked on one of the trumpets and spoke into it:

    "Clues to some divine artifact, mysterious rumors, who knows," Vidia shrugged, "But you can rest easy, that Lich definitely won’t come looking for trouble in Twin Rivers Town. Let’s go in and have a look now."

    Lancelot was actually very pleased and didn’t have much in terms of interior de?cor requirements, but the furniture inside was somewhat beyond his expectations. Contrary to what he had anticipated, only the drawing-room and dining room felt somewhat luxurious, and the only presentable furniture was the kitchenware.

    The furnishings in the other rooms were very modest, reflecting the former owner’s true financial situation, which wasn’t great, but everything looked very tidy, as if someone cleaned it often.

    The first floor housed a dining room, drawing room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Both the second and third floors had five rooms each, but they were all empty. The basement was even more extensive than the building above ground, and unsurprisingly, Lancelot found a storage, prison cells, a torture chamber, and a tomb.

    Considering the former owner’s identity, the tomb probably served as the actual master bedroom, containing several stone coffins, most of which were empty.

    "I am satisfied," Lancelot finally decided, "How much would it cost to rent this place for three years?"

    "Just seven thousand gold coins, and you’ll be the new master of Hagrid Manor."

    "Why so expensive?" Bruto frowned, "Can’t we get a discount?"

    "What mercenary level are you now?"

    "Uh, iron."

    "Sorry, no. Only Gold Rank Level mercenaries can enjoy a fifty percent discount."

    "That’s pricey, Lancelot, shall we look somewhere else?"

    Lancelot shook his head; the place met his requirements in every aspect. As a Spiritual Cultivator, he shared the need for discretion with the vampires.

    "As the leader, I’ll cover the cost; this will be our base from now on. But Vidia, are you sure there’s no one from the Barlow family who can inherit his estate? I don’t want any disputes."

    "Don’t worry, properties in Twin Rivers Town can only be inherited by residents registered in Twin Rivers Town. I’m certain that the guy thrown into the Stygian River was the last of the Barlows. Besides, this place has already been reclaimed by Lady Tigana, and once you pay, it’s yours."

    A moment later, the succubus Vidia, carrying several pounds of metal ingots, flew away satisfied.

    "Lancelot, can I have a room on the first floor?" Bruto asked happily as he sprawled onto the drawing room’s sofa, exhaling at the end of a long day.

    "Hold on," Lancelot said, glancing at the setting sun and pulling a silver dining knife from a kitchen cabinet.

    "We still have a little problem to take care of first."