<Blossom, are you available?>
<Yes, Master, Blossom has finished her personal quest!>
<Then I need you to observe us. Check if we’re being followed. We’re at…>
I instructed my stealthy companion to ensure the monster material pair kept their word and didn’t try stalking us for our secrets. We parted ways with the contract copied so that both sides would have one.
We haven’t gotten exactly a gold coin for our haul like I so hoped. They said the stuff I brought in today would be valued at barely 25 silver coins, and that’s them being rather generous. It seems I was way too optimistic with my one gold coin estimate.
We got 50 silver for our trouble, a great boost that only happened due to their words of doubling whatever I bring from Aldoria.
We need to make use of this golden opportunity the greenskin invasion has presented us with, as after they’re driven away, conducting labyrinth runs will lose some financial benefits. Not that 25 silver is a bad haul for what we did, not at all.
A business-running family like Lucille’s would need to save coin after coin for a year straight to even save 10 silver coins ready to be splurged, and that’s if their business is going well.
25 silver is 2500 bronze, and a simple construction worker earns 50 bronze through a day of back-breaking labor. We’ve basically completed two month’s worth of work in the matter of an afternoon, and even if we don’t count Luke’s part of the haul, it was nearly a month’s worth.
People with our strength level enjoy an immense jump in lifestyle compared to the normal commoners, but our expenses also tend to increase astronomically.
Afterwards, the two of us made our way to the slave merchant where I bought the collars for my two ladies previously. The same employee welcomed us, and his eyes visibly widened when he saw Ayame.
Not only because of her extreme beauty- she really was turning a lot of heads just by casually strolling down the street with no makeup or any other beautifying product being used- but also because he visibly recognized the collar that I bought with his assistance.
After a few awkward seconds, he snapped out of it, glanced at me, and gave me a meaningful nod. It was a gesture that I could only describe as a professional man’s high-five. I nodded back, appreciating someone with good taste. Ayame certainly looks amazing with her choker strapped around her neck.
<What are you two staring at?!> She growled with an accusatory tone, but I elected to let her decide that for herself.
“We’re looking for a very experienced architect who can help us start a construction venture. They need to have experience working on not only simple housing but more intricate projects, ideally ones they performed for very wealthy clients.” I informed the man, who nodded and brought us to a private room.
He came back soon after with a few notes, each detailing a slave.
I didn’t feel right saying that I wanted one that had built a military outpost before, so I had to be more tactful with my approach.
Such a man could be a very expensive purchase, as I imagine not many with a background like that would find themselves enslaved, especially not waiting to be sold. They would have long since found their new home and master.
Indeed, none of the available ones were from the military, but other architects could’ve also built similar buildings before, such as for noble or even illegal organizations like the Consortium’s Shadowhold.
After some searching Ayame and I decided on five that at least somewhat fit the bill. Not all are professional at the job, but at least have some similar design experience, like decorating a noble’s mansion’s interior and such.
Naturally, even a big organization like this doesn’t have five such people waiting in their cells to be sold. It seems the more respectable firms in Braedon have some alliance going on, as only one of the slaves is from this house, and the other two are properties of other ones.
With our selection done, the employee asked me for proof of funds, and after I showed him my pouch containing the thousand silver coins we got from Luke and the ones we got from our new potential business partners, his eyes lit up greedily and he happily scurried away, leaving us in our lonesome.
We took the time we were given to discuss our plans for the stronghold through our mental link. Ayame really wanted something that was both handy to serve as an actual base of operations, but also as a home we would love to live in. A cold bunker surrounded by traps wasn’t her ideal home, and neither was mine. I also love luxury and had no plans to go full utility with our home’s design.
This is the place where I could have all the fun I would ever want with my cherished harem, where I could chill without a care in the world after a stressful battle or situation, and where we could be ourselves without having to plan for the thoughts and reactions of outsiders.
Where we could conduct any illegal activities we wish without alerting anyone about it.
I’ve decided that I would plant Geim in the center of the stronghold so that when it grows up it will be able to oversee the entire base using its long vines and even branches. I will also have a main mansion built somewhere close to Geim, where only women- and me- would be allowed to enter.
Men, if we do decide to house them at the stronghold for some reason, would have to settle for living in the more utilitarian buildings surrounding the mansion, the ones used for actual protection and other activities.
I’m not doing this because I’m worried I would get cheated on, I just don’t want men around my home, as simple as that. I see them enough when I’m in the outside world, when I’m in my sanctuary I would rather be surrounded by under-dressed beauties, in their panties- or birthday suits.
I know my girls well enough to confidently say that they wouldn’t feel at home enough to do so if other males could waltz into our home at any moment.
Naturally, professional maids will have to act as the servants of the mansion. Beatrice and Anna might even find themselves being the leaders of a maid ‘army’, should they prove to be good enough, and us wealthy- and me hedonistic- enough to get a full brigade of alluring lady servants.
Maybe if someone I really trust comes along I would welcome him in, but definitely not general servants like the laborers I plan to purchase.
Ayame for her part wants a heavily reinforced basement somewhere near our home where we could conduct our duels and other practice exercises to our hearts’ content.
She also wants a garden segment that resembles her home’s design with fish ponds, eastern plants, and such, and she even plans to have a room dedicated to display her future collection of Fujimori arms and armors, as well as those that she takes from her slain enemies.