Chapter 168: Landlord

?Quickly recovering his professional composure, he began processing the exchange. "Of course, sir. Please allow me a moment."

?Cassian waited patiently as the teller verified the currency transfer and executed the necessary clearance protocols. Within minutes, the transaction was finalized, and one hundred million Astral coins settled into Cassian’s account.

?"Your exchange is complete, sir."

?"Thank you."

?Cassian grabbed the transaction receipt and turned toward the exit.

?Behind the counter, the banker watched him disappear through the heavy glass doors. He had a distinct feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he saw that young Lord.

?Once outside, Cassian checked his communicator interface.

?Account Balance: 100,000,000 Astral Coins

?It was a massive sum, but he already had an extensive shopping list prepared. Between buying a high-tier property, securing long-term provisions, and acquiring several rare items he had been putting off, the money would likely disappear faster than most people could fathom.

?Fortunately, he still held a vast treasury within his Lord’s Domain.

?The total conquest of the Kragmar Dominion had yielded over a hundred thousand Lord coins, and that was merely one component of the wealth he had accumulated through his explosive expansion.

?Money wasn’t his bottleneck.

?Time was.

?Cassian scanned the schedule on his communicator.

?He needed to wrap up these errands before departing for the Orion Rift with Nyxara. The mysterious anomaly had already drawn the covert attention of the Arachnid Empire, and their desperate tactics to keep the Astral Dominion away suggested that something extraordinary was hidden within its depths.

?He couldn’t afford to delay his expedition for too long.

?After returning from the rift, he also intended to inspect his domain in person.

?The Graveshade Expanse had developed at a blistering pace under his strategic directives, and the high-tier defensive barrier surrounding it offered immense protection.

?His commanders were exceptionally capable, his internal infrastructure was self-sustaining, and the realm’s automated defenses provided absolute security against outside threats.

’?It should hold up fine while I’m away.’

?Cassian closed his communicator interface.

?There was zero reason to waste time traveling through city streets when he possessed a skill that could bypass physical distance within the Astral Dominion entirely.

?He activated [Gate].

?Spatial energy rippled around him, and his figure vanished from the bustling street in a silent flash.

?First stop complete.

?Now, it was time to spend some money.

....

The residents of the apartment complex had gathered outside the building for a meeting with their landlord.

?Ordinarily, such a gathering would have been nothing worth mentioning. However, this particular meeting had been a long time coming.

For months, the tenants had complained about the building’s deteriorating condition, from malfunctioning elevators and faulty plumbing to cracks in the structural walls and unreliable power grids.

Unfortunately, their grievances had consistently fallen on deaf ears.

?The landlord had either ignored their requests outright or offered empty promises that never materialized.

?Naturally, the residents were less than pleased.

?Now that the old miser had finally called for a meeting, they intended to make the most of it.

?"Today, I’m going to give that old bastard a piece of my mind!" one resident declared, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "I’ve complained about the plumbing in my apartment three times this month alone. Three times! And what did he do? Absolutely nothing!"

?"You’re lucky it’s only the plumbing," another tenant interjected grimly. "The elevator nearly crushed me yesterday. If I hadn’t managed to pry the doors open, I’d probably still be trapped in there."

?A neighbor shook her head in frustration. "And don’t get me started on the electrical grid. My refrigerator cut out twice last week. I lost an entire week’s worth of groceries!"

?The complaints continued to pile up, with nearly every resident airing their grievances regarding the building’s neglect.

?Among the crowd stood Seraphina, accompanied by Nyxara.

?Ruby had been left upstairs, where she was presumably behaving herself. Seraphina had considered bringing her granddaughter along, but the little girl had expressed zero interest in listening to a group of adults complain about faulty pipes.

?Instead, she had opted to stay in the apartment with her books.

?Nyxara, meanwhile, commanded a considerable amount of attention.

?This was hardly surprising. Although the residents lived in a hyper-advanced civilization where Lords could summon entities from other realms, most ordinary citizens had never encountered a High-Race elf in person.

Seeing a breathtaking woman with pointed ears, pale skin, and striking violet hair standing among them was more than enough to turn every head in the courtyard.

?Mr. Atlas was particularly intrigued.

?He strolled over to Seraphina, looking between her and the Undead Champion. "Sera, is this one of the boy’s summons?"

?Seraphina offered a warm smile. "Yes, but she’s technically his Champion."

?"His Champion?" Atlas repeated, his thick eyebrows shooting up. "Well, I’ll be damned. It seems that boy is even attracting beauties from other worlds."

?He cast another appreciative glance at Nyxara, earning a faintly amused look from Seraphina.

?"Are you perhaps interested in my son’s Champion, Atlas?"

?Atlas immediately held up his hands, shaking his head. "No, no. She’s far too young for my taste." He paused, flashing Seraphina a bold grin. "I prefer older women. Women with a little more experience. Someone like you, Sera."

?"..."

?Seraphina stared at him.

?Was that supposed to be a flirtatious compliment? She wasn’t entirely sure whether to laugh or question his sanity.

?Beside her, Nyxara silently observed the exchange. She had heard enough human conversations to recognize that Atlas was attempting to flirt, though she couldn’t quite grasp why he had chosen such a bizarre approach.

?Fortunately, before Seraphina could respond, a resident raised his voice. "The landlord is here!"

?The surrounding chatter immediately died down.

?Everyone turned toward the complex entrance just as a hovercar glided into view. The vehicle descended smoothly, parking directly before the gathered crowd.

?An elderly man stepped out. He wore an expensive, tailored suit, and his posture made it clear he possessed zero patience for whatever complaints the tenants planned to hurl at him.