Chapter 217 - 0217: Apartment (third update, seeking monthly votes)
“Mr. Sean…”
By the time Su Lu had organized a ‘ritual’ process, the sky was becoming dark. A nervous Duran entered, originally intending to address his elder, but seeing the individual next to him, quickly corrected himself: “The task you assigned has been completed, please follow me!”
“Very Good!”
Su Lu tucked a 1 silver dollar bill under his coffee cup and followed Duran out of the café, boarding a carriage waiting by the roadside.
The coachman was Wood, silently leading the horses up front.
In the carriage, Duran held out a document to Su Lu, “Your identification… has been filed with the police station, it is not subject to scrutiny!”
At this point, he was somewhat heartbroken.
As a gang member who often broke the law and skirted legal boundaries, having access to this type of approach was normal, but the cost was dreadfully high.
Not to mention the favors burned in the process of getting things done.
“Very good…”
Su Lu looked over the document, his new name was ‘Sean·Beta,’ a folklore scholar from Gusta State.
“As for apartment locations, we have found three places for you as per your requirement. Do you need to inspect them one by one?”
Duran asked: “The first one is located at 12 Kreber Street, the rent is 7 silver hawks per month, and a three-month deposit is required initially, which is for furniture insurance.”
“The second one is located in the affluent area, suitable for businessmen and wealthy people to live in, with rooms specifically prepared for maids, as well as dance halls prepared for parties… Its price is very high, 5 golden dragons per month.”
“The last one is closer to the suburbs, but the transportation is very convenient, very close to the public carriage station, and the rent is also the cheapest… 3 silver hawks per month is enough.”
He covertly glanced at Su Lu, fearing that the latter wanted to live in a mansion in the affluent area, and he and Wood would have to foot the bill… that would be unbearable.
“Exclude the second one, let’s look at the first and third ones!” Su Lu made his decision quickly.
He was not here for enjoyment, and he had not yet recovered his strength. Keeping a low profile was the best course of action.
“Alright!”
Duran’s voice became noticeably lighter, he called out to Wood outside: “Go to Kreber Street first!”
Black Rose Road.
Su Lu stepped out of the carriage and looked around at his surroundings.
What he saw was a row of houses, all a bit apart from each other, with little gardens in between.
However, at this time, some of these gardens had been converted into vegetable patches by industrious housewives, giving off a pleasant rural vibe.
“The apartment available for rent is number 13…”
Duran’s voice was somewhat low, 13 was not a good number in this world; it had an ominous implication.
And the apartment appearing before them looked rather similar.
But since Su Lu did not take a liking to the first apartment, they had to come here.
It was a two-story wooden villa, seeming somewhat gloomy in the faint darkness of the night.
“So it’s you guys who are interested in renting my apartment?”
At the gateway stood a young man who appeared to be waiting for them.
He was likely in his twenties, seemed lethargic, had dark under-eye circles, and was frequently yawning as if he hadn’t got a decent sleep in a long time.
“This is Mr. Owen Dougwille, the owner of the apartment!”
Duran quickly introduced them: “This is Mr. Sean·Beta who is interested in renting the apartment!”
“Hello!”
Su Lu glanced at Owen, realizing he was a commoner, reached out, and shook hands with him.
“Let me show you around…”
Owen lazily took out his keys and opened the main door of the apartment: “It’s quite nice here…”
Upon entering the compound, Su Lu first saw a flower garden filled with a type of green plant. Their strong fragrance wafted in the breeze: “Hmm… this is… wormwood?”
“Yes… it’s a crop planted by the previous tenant, if you don’t like it, you can replace it…”
Owen casually said: “But I think they’re pretty good, it tastes lemony when made into tea…”
Although wormwood is a transcendent material, in reality, it’s an ordinary plant used in brewing alcohol. It has attractive colors, is often used as teaching material by floral design teachers, and can also be used to make perfume and repel mosquitoes, etc.
It could be said to be a very economical crop.
“No… I really like it!”
Su Lu walked into the apartment, took a look around, and found that although the furniture was old and worn, the space was large, with many rooms.
The coffee table, cupboard, chairs and tables, and even the paintings on the walls, everything exhibited a certain aesthetic.
“If you’re too lazy to clean, you can hire a maid…”
Owen lit a candle: “What do you think? Nice, right… If it wasn’t for the previous owner dying here, I wouldn’t have cut the rent down so low…”
“Huh? The previous owner? Died here?” Su Lu was startled.
And Duran turned pale: “Sorry… Mr. Sean, I didn’t know…”
The other party was in a hurry, and he didn’t pay detailed attention to this aspect of the business. It seemed like he got tricked by some agent.
“Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t ask for only 3 silver hawks per month…” Owen was honest: “The previous tenant was Old Mad, a very humorous single elder… oh, you don’t have to worry, he died of natural causes, it was a peaceful passing, I even attended his funeral.”
“Is it really okay to be this blunt?”
Su Lu sensed that there was nothing dirty or resentful in the apartment and couldn’t help but ask.
“It doesn’t matter, you would know sooner or later…”
Owen yawned: “And also, losing this deal won’t really affect me… I’m the owner of all the apartments in this area. After failing my business venture since graduating from college, I slunk back home and inherited these apartments from my old man… worth approximately 1000 golden dragons.”
‘Being a landlord was once my most desired life…’
Su Lu couldn’t help but calculate for him, even using the lowest rate of return, he would still have an income of about 5% to 10% annually, which is 50 to 100 golden dragons. The returns were very stable, sufficient for a family to live comfortably and worry-free at a middle-class or slightly affluent standard.
‘Just… Are you sure it’s fine to be so frank? Didn’t you see that the eyes of Wood and Duran with me are almost glowing?’
Su Lu silently glanced at the landlord: “I plan to live here, initially for one year, two months of rent paid in advance, any problems?”
“No, no problem, wait for me to draft the contract, of course, I also need your identification!”
Owen chuckled and walked out.
The security in this area is quite good. Moreover, his old man secretly appointed bodyguards, so there’s nothing to fear.
After another ten or more minutes, he came back in, holding two copies of a contract.
Su Lu took a look at it, confirmed there was no problem, signed the pseudonym Sean, paid the first sum of money, and got the key to the house.
“Then… I wish you a pleasant stay, I won’t invite you over for dinner!”
Owen yawned and got on a carriage.
“Really… such a carefree rich young master…”
Duran followed behind Su Lu: “You can see… this job is just his pastime… otherwise he could totally have the butler do it.”
“The world is like this, being envious or jealous is useless.”
Su Lu, on the other hand, was very optimistically looking at the situation.