The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 767  Home Sweet Barracks

Karlʼs group went home before midnight as the buildings were getting close to complete. The locals could celebrate and fight about their new homes without their presence. They returned to the Inn for the evening, then made their way to the new house right after breakfast.

The first thing that Karl noticed when they got close was the dilapidated condition of the building. But a split second later, the recognition that the building was not empty slowed his approach.

That could be problematic. If a group of homeless demons had made the abandoned building their home, he would ruin his hard-earned good reputation to just throw them on the streets. But if it was a criminal organization using this building as their base, it would be even more problematic.

Perhaps this gift wasnʼt all that it seemed to be.

Karl walked up to the simple stone wall around the courtyard, barely shoulder-high and more of a boundary marker than a serious deterrent. Then he waited a moment to see what the response from the people inside would be.

They didnʼt seem to notice he was there, but Karl could clearly see with Soul Sight that they were all smaller, and mostly in the Awakened Realm.

So, most likely it was children playing. After all, if you couldnʼt make it to Ascended Rank as an adult, you would be chased out of the city to the outlying regions or the Black Shade slums.

Karl led the team into the courtyard, and finally the occupants noticed them.

But now that he had a clear view through the open door, Karl could tell what they were doing as well.

It was some sort of martial arts class, with tattered uniforms that didnʼt fit quite right, and one small but elderly Ascended Rank female trainer.

”Good morning, ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Karl.” He greeted them.

A number of the kids nodded happily.

”We know you, you beat up the Undead Knight Champion.” A young boy insisted.

”Thatʼs right. And as a reward, the City Governor transferred me the ownership of this building and its courtyard. It looks like youʼve been training hard to become Guardsmen. Or were you hoping to become shipʼs guards?” Karl asked.

The boy raised his fists and shadow-boxed the open air for a second as a demonstration of childish might.

”Iʼm going to be the next Arena Champion in Lared.” He announced, determined in his path to greatness.

Lared was the capital of the nation to the south, and a major trading partner of Drodh, just across the border.

One of the girls laughed at his ambition. ”But arenʼt all the Arena Champions Overlords? Your mom is a Satyr.” ”But my dad could be powerful.” The boy insisted.

Karlʼs team tactfully ignored the fact that the boy didnʼt actually know who his father was, and let Karl continue with their introductions.

”So, how often do you all train your skills here in the main hall?” Karl asked.

”Pretty much every day. We come down, mop the floors, and then we start training while Teacher Jo goes to find breakfast.” The boy explained.

Karl turned to Tessa. They were firmly in her territory if these kids were living here without parents.

”How about you continue your training, and we will borrow Teacher Jo for a moment?” Karl asked.

The elderly demon waved her hand for them to get back to work, and Karl led her out into the courtyard, where he could see a number of nosy neighbours watching intently.

”I would do this inside, but I donʼt want to worry the kids unnecessarily. I take it you all live here?” Karl began.

The diminutive Demoness nodded. ”I was the housekeeper here when the guard left, and I couldnʼt find other work. So, I just stayed. Most of these kids have parents in the district outside the gate. Just not good ones. Once they finish their training in the morning to help them grow, they go looking for part-time jobs. Itʼs not a permanent group. The boy you were talking to has been here three weeks, and he will be starting as a bakerʼs apprentice in a week. A few of the others have been here for months, but itʼs only myself living her long term.”

Karl nodded in understanding. ”So, itʼs something like a hostel? Cheap living for young workers who just arrived in the city without backing, and right at the gate, so they donʼt have to go outside and then find another silver coin to get back in?” He asked.

”A silver? The fee is three silvers an entry.” Teacher Jo replied, clearly confused.

”Odd. They only charged us one each at the Forest Gate, and that was the price they quoted to get back in from the Black Shade, though they didnʼt charge us.”

The elderly violet skinned Demoness laughed, which made lightning crackle between the curved ram horns on her head and her hair stand on end.

She smoothed it back down in annoyance and shook her head in dismay.

”It depends on who is entering. A War Champion at the Monarch Rank and his friends? It might be a Silver. If you were an Overlord, they would likely waive it entirely. For children and Ascended workers, itʼs three silvers. For Awakened adults, itʼs five silver for a visitorʼs day pass with a tracking spell on it.” She explained.

That explained why the city was so crowded when there was a suburban area outside the walls. It wasnʼt danger, it was economics. By Karlʼs math, two or three silver was a dayʼs wages for most workers. They simply couldnʼt go back and forth every day.

Karl looked at Dana, who just shrugged. She didnʼt care about this place one way or another. Sure, they owned it. But this was the first time they had seen it. If Karl wanted to sell it, they would take the loss and consider it a goodwill gift.

Remi had a better idea.

[The whole place is full of tiny workers, right? Why donʼt we make them our tiny workers? We can use the main floor as a shop for Runic items and potions. Then people can come to us to buy them, and we donʼt need to pay someone to sell them. Well, other than the workers. But workers are cheaper than Runic Rings.]