Chapter 283: An Attorney’s Efficiency

Ten hours later, Silas’s phone rang.

He was sitting in the estate’s lounge, half-listening to a conversation between Chloe and Gromda while scrolling through information about modern guild structures, when his phone vibrated. It was from Marcus.

Silas answered immediately.

"Bossman."

"Please stop calling me that."

"You called."

"I have something for you."

Silas sat upright.

"The property?"

"Yes."

"Already?"

"I told you I would handle it."

"You’re fast."

"I’ve had an entire team working on it."

Silas grinned.

"So?"

Marcus paused.

"I found a property that matches almost everything you asked for."

"Almost?"

"The only thing it doesn’t have is an existing dungeon entrance."

"I didn’t expect that." Silas shrugged.

"Good. Because getting one would involve an entirely different set of permits."

"Where is it?"

"City A. More specifically, the western outskirts. It’s far enough from the major urban districts that you won’t have neighbors breathing down your neck, but it’s still within reasonable distance of the city."

"Sounds good."

"It gets better. The property was originally built as a private high-tier training and research compound. It has been unused for several years."

Silas’s eyes brightened.

"So it already has facilities?"

"Yes."

"How big?"

"Just over four hundred acres."

Silas leaned back. "Perfect."

"The main structure is also considerably larger than a normal estate."

"Send me the location."

"I already did."

Silas checked his phone. A map had appeared.

Marcus continued.

"The owners are willing to negotiate, but they want to meet you personally."

"Fine."

"I’ve also arranged for representatives from the relevant municipal authority to be present. They’ll explain what can be modified, what requires permits, and what they recommend if you’re planning to turn the property into a guild headquarters."

Silas smiled.

"Even better."

"Can you get there today?"

"Give me a few minutes."

"I expected that answer." Marcus chuckled.

The call ended, and Silas immediately stood.

Chloe looked up. "Found the place?"

"Yeah."

"You’re going?"

"Right now."

"You’re taking us?" Gromda looked toward him, and asked.

"Nope." Silas shook his head.

Chloe immediately frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to see what I’m buying before everyone starts giving me opinions."

"You literally just said they’re going to give you opinions."

"Exactly. I’ll be back."

***

He walked toward the garage.

A few minutes later, the estate’s enormous garage opened- and Silas chose speed; his silver McLaren 765LT sat beneath the lights. Low enough to almost kiss the ground, the car looked less like something designed for ordinary roads and more like a machine that had accidentally escaped from a futuristic exhibition.

Carbon fiber accents ran across the body, emphasizing its aggressive shape. The butterfly doors were raised slightly for maintenance, making the vehicle look even more exotic.

Silas walked around it once.

"Beautiful."

He opened the driver’s door, then stopped, and looked back toward the house.

"Definitely not taking the family."

He climbed inside, and the engine roared to life. A few minutes later, the gates opened. Silas accelerated, and immediately caused a problem.

Heads turned, phones came out, and people slowed down. Drivers stared through their windows, while a group of pedestrians stopped in the middle of a sidewalk just to watch the silver machine glide past. Someone actually ran after it for several meters while recording.

Silas didn’t care.

The McLaren moved through the roads of City A with a smoothness that made the journey feel shorter than it actually was.

Silas tapped the steering wheel.

"Yeah." He smiled. "This was a good purchase."

His phone briefly displayed an incoming notification, but he ignored it. He wasn’t ready for an accident that would destroy his car. Not yet.

The road opened ahead, and the scenery gradually changed. The dense city disappeared behind him. The buildings became fewer, and the roads became wider.

Eventually, he arrived at the western outskirts, and there it was. Silas slowed, his expression changing.

"Whoa."

The property was enormous.

A massive perimeter wall surrounded the entire compound, reinforced with layers of defensive materials and embedded mana circuits.

Beyond the gates stretched hundreds of acres of land. There were fields, forested sections, open training grounds, several large structures, a helipad, what appeared to be an underground facility entrance, and at the center stood the main building.

It wasn’t a mansion. It looked more like a private academy crossed with a military headquarters. It was modern, elegant, and massive.

Silas drove through the gates.

Marcus was already waiting, and beside him stood several people: two older men who appeared to be the property owners, a woman holding a tablet, two municipal representatives, and several other officials.

Silas parked and stepped out, and every person waiting there looked at him. One of the property owners smiled.

"Mr. Ashard."

Silas closed the door.

"Nice to meet you."

Marcus walked over. "You made good time."

"I like driving."

Marcus glanced at the McLaren. "I noticed."

Silas looked at the property.

"This is bigger than I expected."

"That’s because you asked for a couple hundred acres."

"I didn’t think it would actually look like four hundred acres."

Marcus laughed.

One of the owners extended his hand.

"My name is Richard Hale. This is my brother, Jonathan."

Silas shook his hand.

"Silas Ashard."

"We know." Richard smiled. "Your name has been difficult to avoid lately."

Silas chuckled. "Hopefully that’s a good thing."

"Depends on who you ask." Jonathan laughed.

Marcus quickly stepped in.

"Why don’t we show him around?"

"Good idea."

They began with the main building.

The entrance opened into an enormous lobby. The walls were reinforced, with mana conduits running beneath the floor. There were several empty reception areas, offices, meeting rooms, storage spaces, and large halls.

Silas looked around.

"This was a training facility?"

"Originally," Richard explained. "The previous owner operated a private awakened training organization."

"Why did it close?"

"Funding issues."

Silas nodded. "That explains the empty rooms."

They moved farther inside. The group entered a massive training hall. The room was enormous. The floor was made of reinforced material capable of absorbing mana-based impacts. Several damaged training constructs sat against one wall.

"There are already combat facilities."

Jonathan nodded. "Multiple."

He pointed toward the far end.

"That section can be renovated into a combat arena."

Silas walked over.

"And that?"

"Observation deck."

Silas looked upward. A large glass section overlooked the training floor.

"That could be useful."

The municipal representative stepped forward.

"If you’re establishing a guild here, we recommend keeping the observation area. You could install monitoring systems and emergency control stations."

Silas nodded.

"Good."

They continued. There was a medical wing, dormitories, storage facilities, an administrative section, a cafeteria, several laboratories, a massive garage, and eventually, the underground facility.

Silas stood at the entrance.

"What’s down there?"

"Research and storage," Jonathan answered.

"Can I renovate it?"

"With approval." The municipal representative nodded. "Most of the existing infrastructure is already compliant. You’ll need additional permits if you’re installing high-output mana equipment or creating restricted training zones."

Silas looked at Marcus.

"Handle it."

Marcus sighed.

"Naturally."

They continued deeper. The underground section was enormous. Silas immediately saw potential.

"This could become the guild’s equipment storage."

Marcus nodded.

"That’s what I was thinking."

"Then this room can be an armory."

"Agreed."

"That one?"

"Workshop."

Silas pointed toward another area.

"Medical storage."

The municipal representative began making notes.

"If you’re planning long-term operations, I’d recommend separating civilian and guild traffic. The western entrance could be converted into a dedicated logistics entrance."

Silas looked toward the map on her tablet.

"Do it."

She blinked.

"You’re approving that immediately?"

"Why wouldn’t I?"

"It’s your property."

"Exactly."

The group continued walking. Every few minutes, someone offered another suggestion. Convert one building into guild dormitories, expand the training grounds, add defensive barriers around the perimeter, build a private medical center, create a dedicated vehicle hangar, install emergency teleportation anchors, build an awakened equipment workshop, create a command center, add a cafeteria capable of serving hundreds.- Silas listened to everything.

Some suggestions he rejected. Others he immediately approved. Eventually, they returned outside. Silas stood on the elevated terrace overlooking the property. The land stretched into the distance.

For the first time, he could actually visualize it as something bigger. Marcus approached.

"Well?"

Silas smiled. "I’ll take it."

Richard’s eyebrows rose.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"You haven’t even negotiated the price."

Silas looked at Marcus.

"Handle that."

Marcus nodded.

"I’ll get the contracts prepared."

Silas turned back toward the property. The wind moved through his pink hair, and his eyes gleamed. There was still a lot to do. The buildings needed renovation, the guild needed a name, members would eventually have to be recruited, security needed to be upgraded, and he still had no idea what he was going to call the damn thing.

But that could wait. For now he had a place.

Silas smiled.

"Let’s make this place ridiculous."