Choice

Naturally, Director Slav of the Land Bureau was the perfect candidate for this matter. Lizer had already thought of this back when Jackson challenged him to a duel.

Jackson's home was located at No. 06, Foduo Street in the west of the town. Strictly speaking, he and Lizer were neighbors, though they hadn't been close in the past.

Had it not been for his son's repeated requests, Slav originally had no intention of meeting Jackson's so-called outstanding classmate.

In his mind, what kind of big business could a mere student possibly bring to him? However, Lizer got straight to the point and gave him a massive surprise:

"Director Slav, I asked my classmate Jackson to arrange this meeting with you because I want to purchase four to five hectares of land. I have some specific requirements, and I figured only you, the director who knows Ashmist Mountain Town best, could fulfill them."

Four to five hectares?!

Making sure he hadn't misheard, Slav's jaw dropped. Was this Jackson's classmate or some wealthy tycoon coming to invest in Ashmist Mountain?!

"Please, come in! Student Lizer, if the town government hadn't been tied up with important meetings these past few days, I would have loved to meet this brilliant classmate Jackson speaks so highly of much sooner. Come in, come in! Haha!"

After all, he was a powerful official in the town, and his ability to maintain his composure was quite refined. Even though he was utterly shocked on the inside, on the surface, he was as warm as fire, not showing the slightest hint of his true emotions.

Lizer nodded. He understood the temperament of such officials; one had to be direct with them. After entering the apartment's study and taking their seats, amid Slav's enthusiastic inquiries, Lizer detailed his requirements:

The first plot of land needed to be about two to three hectares. Ideally, it should connect to existing main roads and be as close to the academy as possible. It had to be flat land that required no major demolition or reconstruction. If there were existing buildings that could be converted into factories, that would be even better.

Lizer planned to build four factories here. Two would be dedicated to producing equipment and weapons for the academy and Feting, while the other two would prepare for the production of the Little Witch Donkey and the three-wheelers.

The second plot of land needed to be about two hectares. It should preferably be in a remote, sparsely populated area far from the city, but it still had to meet basic transportation conditions. This would primarily be used as a warehouse.

In the future, if Lizer had any inconvenient experiments, he might also need to conduct them here.

Listening carefully to Lizer's requirements, Slav was both tempted and suspicious.

A land purchase of nearly five hectares, including three hectares of factory construction—even in Gele City, this would be considered a massive factory.

Was an impoverished backwater like Ashmist Mountain really suitable for such a large factory?

Lizer naturally understood his doubts. He took out the academy's order contract and the police station's filing documents.

Looking at the two documents, Slav knew they were genuine. However, seeing a mere student negotiating such a massive deal right in front of him without the slightest stage fright, and even exuding a confident, commanding aura, made him feel both envious and a bit uncomfortable.

Slav thought to himself:

This kid is much better than my own son, who is supposedly a promising wizard apprentice seed. His future is limitless. It seems I need to have my boy spend more time with him.

Since the rationality and legality of this deal were proven, standing in his position as the Director of the Land Bureau, Slav naturally had to do everything in his power to facilitate it.

Selling vacant land to improve the town's financial revenue and pulling in a massive investment to drive regional development—there was absolutely no way he was letting such a political achievement slip through his fingers.

Moreover, by putting his heart into facilitating this deal, he could collect the kickback from his son's classmate without worrying about leaving any leverage for his political rivals.

Why not do it?

Jackson accompanied Lizer with a complex expression, watching all of this. Having followed his father in dealing with all sorts of people, he could naturally see his father's current earnestness and caution, an expression reserved for facing big shots.

He stared blankly at Lizer's figure, wondering when this classmate, whom he had never even looked at properly before, had unexpectedly become a big shot in his eyes.

He quietly clenched his fists in unwillingness, secretly wondering if it was just because he hadn't worked hard enough.

After carefully inquiring about Lizer's detailed requirements, Slav went over the terrain of Grey Mist Mountain in his mind several times. Due to unfamiliarity with some areas of the business, certain parts were a bit blurry.

Ultimately, he decided to have his son fetch a large roll of pristine, white leather map, measuring 3 by 3 meters, from the lower cabinet of the nearby bookshelf and spread it out on the floor.

[Consume 10 energy points to analyze the Grey Mist Mountain Town map and unlock the map positioning function within the town.]

Lizer rejoiced inwardly. To think there was such an unexpected bonus! He definitely had to spend these 20 silver coins!

Slav was indeed the head of the Land Bureau; he knew the terrain of Grey Mist Mountain like the back of his hand.

First, regarding the factory's location, Slav provided three options within a 5-kilometer radius of the academy. Lizer was very satisfied with the first one.

He clapped his hands and pointed to an empty plot of land on the north side of the map, right next to the southwest corner of the academy, separated only by a lake.

Further north of the empty plot was a mountain forest. On the map, one could faintly see some abandoned, useless buildings within the plot. Directly south of it was a wide avenue that led straight to the main road connecting the town center's government and police station.

Most importantly, last night Lizer had happened to see a lake from the window of Felina's apartment bedroom, and it had to be this very lake.

Lizer chuckled to himself. When the time came, he could build another apartment on this side of the lake. Then Felina could secretly sneak over around the lake at night without any fear. When they were free, they could also fish or take walks by the lake. This plot of land was great!

"This plot for the factory, I'll take it."

Lizer patted the map and made his decision. Slav leaned in to look, gave a thumbs-up, and praised:

"Student Lizer has a great eye. This plot is a treasure. It covers exactly about 3 hectares. The original academy used to be here, but later, needing to expand, it was moved across the lake and rebuilt. It's quite a pity that such a large piece of land has been left idle here ever since."

Lizer nodded noncommittally. He had his own reasons for choosing it that couldn't be shared with outsiders. He asked:

"How much is the land here?"

Slav glanced at Jackson, signaling him to step out first, and then said to Lizer:

"The town government's listed price is 5 copper coins per square meter."

Seeing that Jackson had left the study, he lowered his voice and added:

"However, I am quite familiar with the directors of the Planning Bureau and the Commerce Bureau. This year, the Planning Bureau has an incentive policy. For land used for production facilities that meet the policy, the Planning Bureau can grant a 30 to 40 percent reduction. The Commerce Bureau has a similar policy; for newly introduced industrial facilities that reach a certain scale, they can also refund 20 to 30 percent of the land purchase price."

At this point, Slav stopped speaking and instead gave Lizer a knowing look...

Lizer did a quick calculation in his head and realized that the water here was damn deep.

For an outsider who didn't know the ropes, buying five hectares at the government's listed price would cost a solid twenty-five gold coins. But by cleverly navigating the policies of the principality and the local government, the cost could be slashed to just seven gold and fifty silver!

Seeking out this Slav today was absolutely the right move!