Overlord Niall made a few notes and then put the notepad away.
“Alright, I will arrange for proper Acolytes to join your team while they are in the city. I am looking forward to great results from you, and I will try to keep the annoyances away while you’re all settling back into the civilized life for a bit.
Is there anything else that you’re going to need right away, other than somewhere to stay? That has already been arranged, of course. The Archbishop wants your team close, so he has arranged rooms at the Cathedral.”
Karl laughed. “It’s always the Cathedral when we come to the Capital. If I was there any more often, I would end up with my own room.”
“That can likely be arranged. There is a separate building for high-ranking Elites, next to the Inquisition dorms. You’re a Monarch now, so it wouldn’t be unusual for you to rent a room there to always have a place to stay in the Capital. Even Johann and Ahmad have rooms there, though they also have houses nearby.” Niall explained.
“Oh, that does sound like a good plan. I will have to find out the costs and arrange something. The dorms in the Cathedral aren’t terrible, but the lights out policy is a bit strict.”
The Rogue laughed at Karl’s complaints. Indeed, the Cathedral did shut down very early so that the pious could pray in silence for a few hours before sleeping. But if you weren’t on a pilgrimage, it was an extremely early bedtime.
“Why don’t I call them over now? There should be someone on duty.”
Karl nodded, and Niall went to the phone on the wall to make a call, requesting an agent for the Ranking Elite dorm, as well as accommodation for two new Royal High Priestesses, who would be confirmed later in the day and the two visiting Royal Rank Elites.
Lotus and Tessa would get permanent rooms here by default, as well as wherever they were assigned when they were no longer travelling with Karl. Karl suspected that nobody was in too big of a hurry to make them quit that mission, as they had gained so much already, but eventually, they would all want some downtime with no violence.
[No violence?] Rae asked in Karl’s mind.
[Minimal violence.] He amended.
[Still sounds boring. Can we leave yet? These people are annoying.]
[Return to your space whenever you want. I will make excuses for you when I’m done here.]
That was all the motivation that they needed, and everyone but Cara was back in their space within seconds. Even Thor.
That part was surprising, but the Cerro looked harassed and ready for a nap.
[You alright buddy?] Karl asked.
[Flash photography is evil.] Thor replied as he sunk his head into the pond lined with Holy Stones.
That explained a lot. Thor loved people, but like all beasts, his eyes were sensitive, and if they had been taking constant photos in his direction with the flash on, he would have a terrible headache by now.
The real question was what Cara was up to, and why was Karl so certain that it involved Lotus.
But he didn’t have long to consider what sort of chaos those two might be causing. The representative from housing had already arrived, possibly from outside with the welcoming committee.
“Monarch. It is an honour to meet you. I am informed that you would be interested in renting a unit at the Ranking Elite apartments.” The slim man greeted Karl, before adjusting his poorly fit budget suit and taking a seat to spread out an array of diagrams and pictures.
“We have various options starting with infrequent visitor residences at under one hundred square metres, or if you are to be stationed here in the Capital, we do have some options in the five hundred square metre range.”
Karl did his best to hide his dismay at the opulence visible in the photos of the units. Even the smallest of them was far larger than the house he had grown up in, and at five hundred square metres, the largest would require cleaning staff even if he had his whole team staying there.
Though, if the beasts were in human form, they would take up a lot of space, so a floor plan with more common area might be best.
Overlord Niall gestured at one of the plans. “I think that this one might be a suitable option. There are three bedrooms, including the master bedroom, but there is a large sitting room.
It’s normally for the sort of Elite who has a lot of informal business meetings at home, but with your friends around all the time, it might be a good choice.”
The agent nodded. “Yes, this one is suitable for task force teams when they are in the Capital, and it has easy access to the rooftop helipad, should you be on rapid response duty. But fear not, the soundproofing is excellent, and the noise won’t unduly disturb you.”
Karl chuckled. “I can hear your heart beat and the shifting of your coat against your shirt. It takes much more than some basic soundproofing for me to miss a helicopter landing. But I am certain that it doesn’t take much to get used to those interruptions, and I don’t intend to be in the Capital the majority of the time.”
“Oh, are you working on something?” The agent asked.
“I am in the middle of a deal with Roth Savings and Loan to build a facility for magical beasts that can be raised as assistants to the Elites.” Karl explained.
“Fascinating. I know that many of the Ranger classes struggle to find just the right partner. However, as I am not one myself, I am not privy to all the details.” “That’s fine. It’s not really relevant to this deal anyhow.”
[Oh, get the one with the huge bathroom with the hot tub. I want that one.] Remi insisted.
[Yes, a gigantic tub is what we need.] Rae agreed.
Karl gestured to the floor plan. “Do you have an option with a large common area, and the oversized bath area with the hot tub?”
“I have this one. It’s slightly smaller overall, but still has three sleeping rooms, a large common room and the spa. However, it lacks a formal dining room, and instead only has a smaller table and dining counter in the kitchen.”
[Hot tub!] Rae cheered.
“Can we go see the unit?” Karl asked.
“Of course, Sir. However, it is customary to put down a deposit first, as a show of sincerity, as the units are rather expensive.”
Karl nodded. “How much?”
“The deposit amount is fifty thousand credits, which will be deducted from the two hundred and forty thousand credit total annual fee for the unit, should you choose it.”
“Give him shiny rocks. I got a whole bunch of useless ones from the grave.” Remi suggested.
“Can you do conversions? I have no idea how many actual credits I have.” Karl asked.
“I can bring an appraiser from the supply department.”
“Wonderful, I can wait. Also, if they can send someone for the rest of my people, it would make life easier. I’m sure they are wondering where I went by now.”