The first real estate sale in barbarian history was about to begin. Ainar brought me good news, and a smile spread across my face.
"130 gathered?"
"Yes! They're all clamoring, asking when the sale starts!"
The number of prospective buyers was much higher than I'd anticipated. I quickly turned to the Minister of Urban Development for the Barbarian Tribe.
"Rick, how many plots can we sell today?"
"73."
One plot of land was 400 square meters, or roughly 1,300 square feet.
'So we have about 30,000 square feet available for sale today.'
Rick had surveyed the land by himself, and I could only imagine how much work he'd put in.
"But... are you sure this unit of measurement is okay? One plot...?"
"Don't worry. This will be much easier for them to understand."
If we used larger units, it would only confuse the barbarians.
It was much simpler to define one plot as a 20-meter by 20-meter square.
Of course, I planned to offer smaller and larger plots later, to give buyers more options.
200 square meters would be half a plot.
600 square meters would be one and a half plots.
Much simpler, right?
"Anyway, we'll only sell 40 plots today."
"...What? We're not selling them all?"
"Not yet."
I had prepared as much land as possible, just in case, but selling it all at once would disrupt my future plans.
"...Understood."
Rick, who had worked tirelessly for this day, looked a little disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. The key to real estate was future value.
"Alright, let's go."
After adjusting the number of lots in the lottery box, we headed to the sales location. It was a forest near the outer gate, convenient for travel to and from the city.
"Oh, it's the Chieftain!"
"Start selling! I've brought enough money!"
The warriors who spotted me started calling out.
I greeted them briefly, scanning their equipment as I did.
'Their average level is around 5th floor.'
They were among the higher-ranking warriors in the tribe.
They needed to be at least this strong to afford the 2 million stone price tag I'd set for each plot. Barbarians weren't known for their saving habits.
Ainar had told me that some warriors had even sold their prized equipment to buy land.
"Greetings, warriors who seized the opportunity!"
I climbed onto the platform Ainar had prepared and began my sales pitch.
"Do you see those four yellow flags over there?"
"Yes!"
"The land within those flags is what we're selling today."
I needed to explain the concept first. Some of the warriors who had come might just be curious onlookers.
I needed to stimulate their desire to buy.
"It's quite spacious, isn't it? There's still room even with over a hundred of us here!"
"Uh... is it?"
"Think about the inn rooms you stay in! They're barely big enough for a single bed! This plot of land can easily fit a hundred beds!"
Of course, inn rooms had walls and a roof, unlike this open space... but that wasn't important right now.
"Hmm... Now that you mention it, it does seem spacious!"
Good.
"Yes, it's a vast land! You can build a house here, and turn the rest into a training ground. And since it's private property, you can even use the abilities you can't use in the city!"
"...Private property?"
"It means it's completely yours!"
"...Oooooh!"
The warriors seemed impressed by the fancy term.
"Ah, and by the way, land this size would cost hundreds of millions of stones in the city. And commoners can't even buy it!"
I casually omitted the fact that such prices only applied to Karnon, the Imperial City, and continued to stimulate their desire to buy.
And when the time was right...
"Ahem!"
I cleared my throat and got to the main point.
"Anyway, we're selling 40 plots today, all the same size as this one!"
"...Forty plots? But there are over a hundred of us here?"
The barbarians, summoned early in the morning and further motivated by my speech, complained about the limited supply.
But I just doubled down.
"Stop complaining! Land is a precious resource! We barely managed to secure 40 plots! If you don't want it, don't buy it!"
Limited supply meant the seller had the advantage.
The warriors immediately shut their mouths, and I continued as planned.
"Now, each of you will come forward and draw a lot! Those who draw a black lot will have the opportunity to buy land!"
We divided the 130 warriors into six groups, and they took turns drawing lots. Soon, cheers and groans filled the air.
"I got a black lot! A black lot!!"
"A white one?! This is unfair! I drew last! Let me draw again!!"
But complaining wouldn't change the outcome.
After the lottery, the winners were led to Rick Anderson, who handled the sales and collected the payments.
"Hey, human... I can't read!"
"Don't worry. It's the Chieftain's land. It's all legitimate."
"...Is it?"
The deed stated that the land could only be inherited by other barbarians, and if there were no heirs, the ownership would revert to the tribe...
But that was a minor detail.
"Now, just press your thumbprint here."
The barbarians happily pressed their inked thumbprints onto the documents.
And...
'80 million stones from selling undeveloped land... not bad.'
The average income from the coming-of-age ceremony was about 10 million stones, so this was enough to cover eight ceremonies.
"Hey! What are you doing?! This is my land! Get out!"
"S-Sorry! I was just looking around..."
"Just for a moment. And don't even breathe while you're here."
"Understood!"
The warriors who had bought land started setting up their tents, while those who hadn't looked on enviously.
"Shrive's son, Byukan! I'll give you 100,000 stones more. Sell me your land."
"Hmm, 100,000 stones...?"
The situation I had anticipated was already unfolding.
Well, the deal didn't go through in the end.
"Sorry, but that's not enough."
"I see... Let me know if you change your mind."
The warrior, reluctant to pay such a high premium, backed down.
But that didn't matter.
"Ainar."
I called her name, and she nodded resolutely, disappearing into the crowd.
I watched her leave and sighed.
"Phew..."
There was no turning back now.
____________________________
The day after the forty plots were sold out,
A rumor swept through the sanctuary.
"Did you hear? Shrive's son, Byukan, sold his land for 3 million stones!"
"He earned a million stones in a single day!"
"What?! A million stones?! That's enough to buy a Laithium breastplate! The one the Chieftain wears!"
The land that had been sold for 2 million stones had doubled in value in a single day.
Of course, it wasn't a normal transaction.
"Is that guy insane? I mean, the Chieftain's words made sense, but... 3 million stones for a plot of land?!"
"Who bought it?"
The buyer was Bytol's second son, Seirik.
A member of the 'Comrade Association', a secret organization within the tribe created by Charon, the 2nd Elder who had started the Backpack Revolution.
"...I heard he made a fortune from selling backpacks... but I didn't know he had that much money!"
I had secretly funded Charon, instructing him to choose a trustworthy warrior with a tight lip.
The reason was simple.
"But... maybe the Chieftain was right..."
No matter how much I talked about the value of land, not all barbarians would believe me.
"You mean when he said the land would become too expensive to buy later?"
"Yes! I heard he's selling more land this month! I'm thinking about buying some too."
"Hmm, I thought you didn't need land. What changed your mind?"
"I still don't need land! But think about it. We can buy it now and sell it later for a profit! It's like getting a free weapon! You should buy some too!"
"Hmm... I'd rather save the money and buy a weapon! At least weapons are useful in battle. Land is just..."
There were still many warriors who were skeptical, but that was just a matter of time.
The land that had been sold for 2 million stones was resold for 3.5 million.
And then 3.7 million.
And then 4 million.
All thanks to our 'comrade'.
"...W-What?! 4 million stones for a plot of land?! Are they all insane?!"
In just four days, the sanctuary was in an uproar.
"Why aren't they selling?! I'll pay 4 million stones!"
Some barbarians were eager to buy, but no one was selling.
They weren't fools.
"It'll be worth even more tomorrow! Why would I sell it now?!"
"B-But...!"
The next day, the land was sold for 4 million stones, and the warriors were hooked.
It wasn't just the barbarians who were caught up in the frenzy.
Even the modern clerks, trained in economics, were starting to lose their minds.
"4.3 million! I'll buy it for 4.3 million!!"
In just a week, the market had become self-sustaining.
I no longer needed to rely on 'comrades'.
I instructed Charon to continue buying land until the 50 million stones I had given him were all spent. It was two-thirds of the profit, but I didn't mind.
'The next batch of land will sell for 6 million stones each.'
Why the price increase?
It was simple.
The new plots were closer to the city center, so of course they were more expensive.
And the barbarians would buy them anyway.
After all, they believed that buying land was a guaranteed profit.
'Okay, then I don't have to worry about this anymore...'
I was about to leave the chieftain's tent when Rick Anderson, who was in charge of the real estate project, approached me.
"This is strange, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"The land prices. I don't see any reason why they should be increasing. The sanctuary isn't that small, you know. Mathematically speaking, even if every warrior owned a plot of land, there would still be land left over."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Yes. The warriors who bought land will regret it later."
"Why should I stop them? They're the ones who want to buy it."
"That's... true."
"Anyway, I'm leaving!"
Finally, I could go home.
I rushed back to the city, expecting to be scolded by Amelia and Erwen... but there were no complaints.
"Amelia, Erwen! I'm—"
"Read this."
Amelia tossed me an open envelope.
"It's from Mozelan."
"...?"
I felt a sense of unease as I read the letter.
It was written in formal language, befitting a letter from Mozelan, the noble's police force. It was unnecessarily long, but the first three lines were enough.
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
[...This is a formal request from Count Alminus, acting as a representative of the Sawtooth Clan, to the Mozelan Dispute Resolution Committee...]
Who had filed the complaint.
[...We demand compensation of 2.135 billion stones, half the appraised value of the Chaos Lord Riakis essence...]
What they wanted.
And...
[...Baron Bjorn Yandel is requested to appear at Mozelan Headquarters within 15 days of receiving this letter.]
When I had to go.
I tore the letter to shreds and swallowed it.
'I've never received a lawsuit in my life, and now I'm getting one here?'
It was ironic, but I wasn't scared.
I had been in this world for four years now.
'Count Alminus...'
I had never lost a fight.
At least not to someone who had more to lose than me.