Construction Mage - Chapter 22: City Administration

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“All hail the new land development policy! I can’t believe I can become a landowner with no obligations attached. Brother, you should come over here too, before it’s too late. You won’t have to sign any service tenancy agreement anymore just to rent a place. I’ll be sure to have a room for you and your family. I have invested more than enough money into my own merchant house, after all. You’ll no longer have to brave the dangers of the wilderness to the benefit of others!”

-Letter from the Chairman of the Merchant House of Tomlin, three days before losing his fortune to a monster raid

***

The long lines of the city administration made Clay’s mind wander. There was a lot to consider, as many paths were open for him. He needed to get a sense of how efficient the earthen elemental was at construction before finalizing his work schedule, but it was good to get a head start.

He was even considering starting a business of some sort eventually, one that could manage with minimal intervention from him. After all, playing it safe in the dungeons wouldn’t get him rich.

If there was one thing he learned from watching all the rich people in his old world, it was that they were smart with their investments. They diversified their money into starting new ventures, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, or real estate. With no stock market in sight and the nobles dominating the last option, there weren’t many options left. 

Running a business was known to be risky, but he would only get stronger over time. He could always get by with clearing the areas of dungeons that were vastly lower leveled than he was. Even if a few business ventures failed, he could just keep opening new ones until one became successful enough to support his retirement. 

However, that would all have to wait until he set up the framework for an Adventurer’s Guild first. He needed to guarantee the safety of his living space first before worrying about money.

“Sir, do you happen to be from the knight order?” a voice asked from behind Clay, breaking him from his musing.

He turned around to find a woman in a neat dress that fit right in with the folks of the second ring.

“No ma’am. Why? Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no. I found myself wearied by the wait and was curious about you. I hope you don’t find me a bother.”

“No, it’s alright. I doubt there is anyone who actually enjoys waiting in lines. Especially for something as dull as speaking with someone from the city administration.”

The woman’s face lit up as she laughed. “You’re quite right. I may be able to bear with it more if it were for the latest release of a master tailor or a famed baker, but for paperwork? It can drive even the most pious keeper crazy. Oh, I’m Isabella, by the way.”

“Clayton.”

“Hmm, tell me then, Clayton. What is your profession if not a knight? With a build like that, not many options come to mind. Especially when you seem to have a preference for simple clothes during what I assume to be your day off.”

Clay held down a depreciating chuckle. He didn’t need to be reminded that his simple outfit screamed poor. For a moment, he regretted denying being a knight, as that would be a lot simpler to explain. Wearing cheap and breezy linen clothes could then be excused as taking a break from the stuffy plate armor.

On second thought, he recalled numerous Delvers wearing a similar type of armor. Perhaps it wasn’t so hard to explain, after all.

“I’m a Delver,” Clay replied.

“Oh?” Isabella gave him another once-over. “One of those who quit the knight orders, then? Pleasure to meet you. I happen to be a Delver myself. I’m visiting from the capital, and I can’t say I’m impressed with this city so far. Do you happen to know a few good spots to visit so I can forget about this mess once it’s over?”

From the way she swayed and batted her eyelashes at him, Clay suspected she was flirting with him. As much as he wanted to accept, there were just too many things awaiting him to do right now. It could also have something to do with not wanting to embarrass himself. If he accepted, it would be hard to hide the truth that he was nothing but a broke beginner. 

Either way, he was set on his decision.

“Perhaps another time. I unfortunately have some matters to attend to for the next week or two. Maybe if you’re still around by then?”

“That is most unfortunate, then. I’ll likely be on the road back to the capital in a week.”

The two adults conveyed a plethora of intent and information through their nonverbal cues, and their conversation soon died down. Clay welcomed the return of the silence.

Hmm, foreign Delvers having to wait in these lines too to deal with their matters, huh? Another thing that a dedicated Adventurer’s Guild can help with. 

I can’t really blame them, though. The dungeons have only been around for ten years. It’s not like the natives of this world had thousands of games, manga, and novels to learn from. The concept of magic and dungeons is just too new to them.

Numerous methods of dipping into the pockets of the wealthy Delvers flooded his mind. The idea of starting a business quickly escaped him as he recalled various ways to make money using the Adventurer’s Guild idea.

He believed it wouldn’t be long before he could sit back and relax. It was a win-win situation, where he could leverage his unique advantages to streamline Delver activities, making it safer for all the brave folks who would be preventing the world from being overwhelmed by monsters.

Just as his fantasies went on to the part where he could retire peacefully, sipping on tea and reading the day away, a voice broke him from his musing. Quickly snapping out of it, he proceeded to the open counter, where a clerk impatiently awaited him.

An old man wearing a closely fitted vest over a white shirt grumpily greeted him. The way he carried himself reminded him of Thalia, which wasn’t surprising, as his language teacher often came here to help the administration. 

It was the only reason he learned about this place. His mentor had no shortage of complaints when it came to work. The nobles only bothered to give them minimal funding and left all the work to the administration, made up of their confidants and various influential commoners. They, in turn, offloaded all the tedious work to the few literate commoners in the city. Unfortunately, there were never enough of them, causing them all to be overworked.

“What can I do for you, sir?” the old man said politely, yet sharply, making it clear he expected Clay to get straight to the point.

“I would like to claim a lot of land in the fourth ring.”

The old receptionist raised an eyebrow as he gave Clay a look.

“I see, but just to clarify, if you claim the land now, you’ll be subject to the taxes all landowners have to pay. You’ll also have to start development of the land right away, or it’ll be forfeited to the city administration after a week of unauthorized inactivity. If you wish to proceed, I would recommend hiring personnel to guard your property, too, as the fourth ring is far from completion.”

“Understood. I wish to proceed,” Clay responded without missing a beat.

“Very well. For what purpose will you be claiming land for, and how large a plot are you seeking?” the man asked as he promptly fetched a form and began filling it out.

“Residential for now. I plan to claim another lot for a guild building, so somewhere on the border of the residential zone and commercial zone would be appreciated.”

“That can be arranged. There are still many openings left, after all. Hmm, let’s see, feel free to pick a lot from the map here. You’ll be able to see the tax obligation for each location as well.”

A rough map was laid out between the city worker and Clay. It had few details, with the central parts of Ravenhold grayed out. Only the area belonging to the fourth ring was colored in. The lots were color-coded, and on the side was a legend detailing the amount of tax for the different zones.

Fortunately, all these prices were for the monthly tax owed. There weren’t any upfront prices besides several silver coins for the registration fee. That meant it wasn’t something Clay had to worry about paying right away, and he was confident his earning ability would only rise with time.

The bureaucratic process was long and tedious, but thankfully, the clerk did most of the heavy lifting. 

Walking out of the city administrator’s office with a deed in hand, he couldn’t help but bring up the parchment against the sun to get a good look at out. With a grin on his face, his next destination was clear.

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