Chapter 1039: Chapter 1039: Settling Down

“True Person, what do you think of this mansion?”

A cultivator of the Purple Mansion tier, dressed in a green robe, respectfully said to Wang Chen, “If you are not satisfied, I can continue to look for a better dwelling for you.”

Glancing at the building in front of him, Wang Chen also looked around and was quite pleased with the environment here.

Now, he was already a registered cultivator of the Immortal City of Luodu, holding a B-tier City Registry.

With a B-tier City Registry, Wang Chen could buy properties and open shops both inside and outside of the Immortal City, managing many affairs.

But the cost he paid was extremely high.

And with the City Registry, of course, one must buy a house in Luodu to settle down; otherwise, it would be a wasted purchase.

As Wang Chen had just arrived, he was unfamiliar with the Immortal City of Luodu, and therefore, upon recommendation, sought out the most reputable Real Estate Agent in the area to help him find a house.

Consequently, the Real Estate Agent quickly recommended to him a mansion.

This mansion was located in the eastern part of the city, built below a peculiar peak, surrounded by forests of immortal trees and numerous Spirit Springs. Compared to the bustling but crowded city center, the environment was undoubtedly far better for cultivation.

According to the Real Estate Agent, such immortal mansions were limited in number, rarely available for sale as most were inherited through generations, considered as the millennia-old foundation of a family.

But there are always unexpected circumstances.

Wang Chen was quite fortunate; he encountered such a mansion right after his arrival, truly a matter of fate.

Wang Chen remained non-committal to the Real Estate Agent’s sales pitch.

But he was genuinely interested in this mansion.

At this moment, sounds of grieving and many noisy voices emanated from inside the mansion.

The Real Estate Agent immediately showed an embarrassed expression and hastily said, “True Person, please wait here for a moment while I go in to speak to the master of the house.”

Wang Chen nodded, “Go ahead.”

The Real Estate Agent had previously told him that the master of the mansion was a Mid-Order Golden Core True Person, who unfortunately perished not long ago while exploring Fulong Mountain.

As the pillar of his home, the death of this True Person was tantamount to the sky collapsing and the earth caving in, bringing immense grief to his family, as well as leaving behind a multitude of troubles.

Such as a plethora of debts rapidly descending upon them.

The registration fee for Immortal City of Luodu is very high, and so are the housing prices within the city, not to mention the naturally high cost of living.

The cultivators living in the Immortal City need to pay a head tax every year, and if they own property, they also need to pay a property tax; the combined cost is quite significant.

Added to daily expenses and the purchase of cultivation resources and the like, the family, having lost its main provider, no longer had the means to maintain the mansion, and so the widow entrusted the Real Estate Agent to list it for sale.

The Real Estate Agent had previously told Wang Chen that several buyers had already seen the mansion but mainly the price negotiations had fallen through.

The asking price remained high.

It had been previously arranged to view the house at this time, but it seemed that there was a problem on the owner’s end.

Naturally, Wang Chen wasn’t going to interfere, and he sat down with Su Ziling at a bamboo pavilion beside a small stream nearby.

Of course, Su Ziling also obtained the City Registry of Luodu, albeit a C-tier one.

This meant that every year, Wang Chen had to pay two head taxes.

The head tax of the Immortal City of Luodu is calculated based on Cultivation Level, with different prices for Nascent Soul, Golden Core, and Purple Mansion, and within the same tier, different ranks also have variances.

It is calculated down to the last detail.

Of course, there is a reason for this, because the Immortal City of Luodu has a massive City-Protecting Immortal Array, not only protecting the cultivators within the city but also converging Spiritual Energy from all directions and the Earth Vein, creating an excellent environment for cultivation.

And maintaining such an enormous immortal array, the consumption is unimaginable.

Taxing the city’s residents is very reasonable.

Wang Chen was actually doing quite well, just by himself and Su Ziling.

For a major family, just the annual poll tax payment alone was an astonishing figure.

However, as an Earth-Level Immortal City, Luodu’s prosperity was no less than that of Thousand Star; while its overall business atmosphere was not as good, such a place was bound to offer plenty of opportunities.

For the current Wang Chen, there really was no better place to settle down.

Underneath the elegant bamboo pavilion, a clear stream babbled, with fish competing in its flow, full of vitality and spiritual charm.

Merely the concentration of Spiritual Energy here could meet the cultivation needs of a Purple Mansion cultivator!

Wang Chen and Su Ziling waited for roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when the real estate agency arrived with a woman dressed in a plain skirt and a middle-aged cultivator with a stern expression.

“Greetings, True Person, I apologize for having kept you waiting.”

The woman in the plain skirt, a high-order Purple Mansion cultivator, looked wan and sorrowful, her beautiful features evoking pity.

The middle-aged cultivator had a stern face, looking as if someone owed him a million Spirit Stones.

The real estate agency introduced the woman in the plain skirt as the widow of the Immortal Mansion Master, and the middle-aged cultivator was identified as her brother-in-law.

Wang Chen didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “For this residence, I’m willing to offer 135,000 Middle Spirit Stones. If you agree, we can transact now. If not, then forget it. I don’t like to haggle.”

The real estate agency had previously mentioned that the other party’s initial asking price was 150,000 Middle Spirit Stones and later reduced their price to 138,000 Middle Spirit Stones, but no one was willing to take the offer.

After all, while this Immortal Mansion was nice, within Luodu Immortal City, it was far from the best. It was merely at a mid-tier level; the truly top-notch Immortal Mansions were located on top of various extraordinary peaks.

It was said they even had access to Cave Heaven and Blessed Lands.

The real estate agency had also made an estimate for Wang Chen, and 135,000 Middle Spirit Stones was about the bottom line for the other party.

Hence, Wang Chen quoted a firm price.

As for the possibility of the real estate agency colluding with the homeowner to deceive him, such a likelihood was not completely non-existent, but it was extremely low.

After all, Wang Chen was a High-Order Golden Core, and what the Real Estate Agents valued most in business was reputation.

It was quite different from the intermediaries of Wang Chen’s previous life.

The woman in the plain skirt and the middle-aged cultivator looked at each other; the latter obviously wanted to try and bargain further, but noting Wang Chen’s expression, eventually swallowed his words.

The woman in the plain skirt hesitated for a moment, then asked, “True Person, is it to be paid entirely in cash?”

Could it be that mortgages were available here too?

Wang Chen sneered inwardly, then answered firmly, “Of course.”

With a wave of his hand, a pile of Spirit Stones appeared on the stone table in front of him.

All of them were high-grade Upper Spirit Stones!

Wang Chen was not using these Upper Spirit Stones to pay for the house, but rather to show off his financial strength to the other party.

Sure enough, the expressions of the other two changed.

The woman in the plain skirt gritted her teeth and said, “Then we shall do as the True Person wishes!”

“Fine.”

Wang Chen put away the Spirit Stones, stood up, and said, “Let’s go now, the sooner we handle this, the better.”

There was an official office in the city specifically for handling real estate transactions. After paying a deed tax, Wang Chen obtained a new deed, officially establishing his business and property in Luodu.

The payment for the house was also made on the spot, and he additionally paid a commission to the real estate agency.

The next morning, he moved into his new residence!

——-

Here’s the first update.