The tension and atmosphere within the VIP Room were palpable, with everyone taking a moment of silence.
Well, silent it was, Howard merely continued to sip on his tea, seemingly unfazed by the decision that Xu Feng would make.
Since Xu Feng was recommended by that person, Howard was confident that he would accept the mission no matter what.
Naturally, he also expected Xu Feng would bring up some of his own conditions to accomplish the mission.
If Xu Feng didn't even have the intention of asking for some condition to achieve the city population of reaching 1,000,000, then Howard was seriously wondering if it was a fake.
Sure enough, once Xu Feng opened his mouth, he began requesting some conditions.
"To increase the city's population is a difficult task, but it's not impossible. As long as you allocate a few shops to me in some location and give me full authority, I will do my best to increase the population." Xu Feng requested, outright demanding a ton of shops to be his.
"That's not a problem." Howard smiled lightly, but before Xu Feng could be happy, he continued, "The shops can at half their original price and you can pay in installments if your funds are not enough. In return, you must complete the mission within two months at the very least."
Two months might seem very short at a glance. However, considering the rapid change and development of the Divine World, two months were equivalent to 2-3 years in the real world.
Hence, the time was not his concern, but the so-called pricing of the shops.
"How much do you charge for a shop currently in Star Falls City?" Xu Feng asked, feeling slightly bitter about being forced to still pay for the shops to assist their predicament.
Hence he asked for the price, given he would be a fool to agree to pay without knowing the price.
Once again, upon hearing another sensitive or uneasy question, Howard simply sipped his tea, the corner of his eyes signaling for Jessica to speak on his behalf.
Jessica twitched her brows, wondering if the manager was trying to get her to face all the scoldings.
'This is the worst.' Jessica thought, glancing back and forth in between Xu Feng and Howard.
Both are entities that she could not afford to offend and offending either one would result in her disastrous end.
Howard, for one, was her direct superior, meaning he could easily make her suffer.
As for Xu Feng, he was a noble despite being the lowest rank. Just a word for him could be the end for a mere commoner like her, even if she had the Adventure Association background.
With Howard casually sipping his tea which seemed to have an infinite amount, Xu Feng's gazes were locked on Jessica, clearly waiting for her reply.
Without a doubt, Jessica could only resign to her pitiful fate, "T-The shops in the central area cost 500 gold coins, whereas those in the inner area cost 300 gold coins. As for the outer area, it cost 150 gold coins."
By the time she finished announcing the price, she noticed Xu Feng putting up a frown, clearly displeased with the pricing.
Those rent prices might be fine or acceptable if the city was boisterous with at least 3,000,000 people.
However, what was Star Falls City?
Not only was the population at a pathetic number of 50,000 when it could cover up to at least 7,000,000 people, but the traffic here was complete trash as well.
Other than the time people occasionally came here to use the teleportation platform as transit to another place, there was practically zero venue in the city.
In fact, it was already a miracle that the city hadn't fallen into ruin.
"You're kidding me, right?" Xu Feng's gaze remained fixated on Jessica as he asked, "Even with half price, you want me to fork out 250 gold coins to rent the shop in the central area with this kind of traffic?"
As Xu Feng wanted to continue, the initially timid Jessica, who had her head lowered and long prepared for a scolding, suddenly lifted her chin up.
She held a confused expression as she hurriedly explained, "Y-You've mistaken me, Baron Lin Feng. Those price values are for the sale of the shop, and not for rent."
"Wait a minute. You're saying those shop prices are for purchases and not for rent?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Suddenly, Xu Feng's initial displeasure vanished, replaced with a happy smile.
"Well, why didn't you say so earlier." He chuckled softly, feeling like she had been teasing him.
Normally, a city would only ever put a prime location for rent, and never for sale. After all, selling it meant the profit would decrease tremendously, with the revenue only leaving to taxes.
It was not as profitable as renting the location out and still collecting the same taxes.
Additionally, he recalled the lands back then in Star Falls City when it returned to its prosperous form cost around the same price for rent--- if not more than what Jessica stated.
The only reason he was displeased was due to the drastic change between the one he remembered and the current state of the city. You can't expect to charge someone such a high price if your city isn't ideal.
However, everything changed once he realized he was eligible to purchase the land and own it completely.
"This mission, I shall accept because the one who recommended me must have great trust in my ability." Xu Feng flashed a solemn expression.
"I can't possibly disappoint them, especially when I'm going to have to develop in this city from now on. Your burden is also my burden." He added, not an ounce of shame could be detected in his tone or expression.
"With your promise, I'm reassured then," Howard smiled, clearly satisfied that this tedious assignment was finally passed on to another person.
"Jessica here will be in charge of assisting you. Do let me know if she fails to assist you properly."
Once that was said, Howard legitimately stood up and exited the room in the blink of an eye.