The Mafia Empire
Chapter 25: Chapter 25 The Rundown Ranch

Buying a ranch and rebuilding it wasn't a great investment for anyone looking for short term profits. It was cheaper to just buy empty land.

And so the ranch sat abandoned.

That is, until Graf brought Julian there.

"It's pretty desolate!" Julian remarked as he looked at the waist high weeds, but in truth, he was very satisfied with the place.

The ranch was next to a country road, and although the road conditions weren't ideal, transportation wasn't an issue. The location was secluded, surrounded by a few fields and barren land. It was so isolated that they hadn't seen a single person for half a day. The overgrown weeds made it even more unlikely that anyone would come here without a specific reason.

During distillation, some alcohol vapor would inevitably escape from the still, and if the strong scent lingered in a populated area, it could cause trouble. Without a proper license, any report would lead to a shutdown.

The only problem now was that the dilapidated buildings couldn't be used. They would need to be rebuilt, which was an additional expense. Fortunately, Mr. Heidler's second payment arrived just in time, or Julian would have had to resort to means he didn't want to use to raise cash.

As they walked along a small path toward the rancher's house, Julian asked, "How much debt does this guy owe? And what's his asking price?"

Graf, clearing the way ahead, replied, "I heard he owes 2,200 dollars, and he's asking for 3,000."

Julian frowned. After accounting for other expenses and Heidler's money, he still had a shortfall of about 500 dollars. Realistically, he was facing a gap of 1,000 dollars, since he couldn't leave himself without any emergency funds. He would need to keep at least 300 to 500 dollars on hand. Raising that 1,000 dollars in a short time wouldn't be easy, but he would take it one step at a time.

The two of them, along with two members of the Fellowship association, visited the rancher's house.

A woman in her thirties opened the door. She had blonde hair a clear sign of her Ordinians heritage. She had a decent figure and was fairly attractive, which explained why the creditors had threatened to sell her. Women like her, especially with blonde hair, were highly sought after in entertainment establishments.

The Ordinians people had a certain nationalist arrogance, looking down on other "lesser races." So even in such establishments, customers who wanted intimate encounters would prefer Ordinians women.

Others, who had been oppressed or scorned by the Ordinians people, would also likely choose an Ordinians woman for a night of indulgence, as if conquering them somehow alleviated their own resentment.

If the woman had a daughter, the price would probably double!

The woman eyed the visitors cautiously through the crack in the door, her gaze lingering on Graf, instinctively assuming that if this group was trouble, Graf would be the worst of them.

Julian stepped forward with a friendly smile, "Good afternoon, ma'am. My name is Julian. I've come to inquire about the ranch. I heard it's for sale, is that right?"

The woman hesitated, then nodded. Her shoulder moved slightly behind the door, and the sound of footsteps could be faintly heard moving away.

Sure enough, after about twenty seconds, heavy footsteps approached. The woman stepped aside, revealing a man. His golden brown hair and beard indicated that he was of mixed race, likely part Ordinians. He looked tired, with a weary expression. He peered through the door at the four visitors, his gaze finally resting on Graf.

"Are you here to buy the ranch?" he asked.

Graf felt a bit awkward. The women looked at him with wary eyes, while the men regarded him with a hint of hope. The problem was, he was not the one who could make decisions. So he took a step back, highlighting Julian's status, and said, "This is our boss."

The man's face clearly displayed an expression of skepticism, but his eyes brightened. In this capital driven world, if a young person claimed to want to buy something valuable, there were only two possibilities.

He was either a con artist or he was a decendent of a wealthy family.

It was unlikely that someone could afford to hire a young man like Graf, who had a threatening appearance, if he were merely a con artist. Moreover, even if he were a con artist, there was nothing here that could catch his interest.

Just like those traders who had previously inquired about prices, the high selling prices had dissuaded them; they would be better off buying empty land rather than overpaying for this desolate ranch.

Of course, empty land was indeed cheaper, but there was a small problem: time.

Buying land wasn't a simple matter. Since a ranch tycoon had crazily enclosed land, causing public outrage, the Empire had become extremely cautious about selling land and imposed many formalities.

For example, if one wanted to buy a piece of empty land for developing a ranch or farmland, they first had to get approval from the "Star Empire Land Use Office." From submission to approval, if everything went smoothly, it would take about twenty days.

Then, they would need to seek the votes of surrounding farmers, herders, and a few city residents for consent; a sixty percent approval rate was required to proceed to the next step.

To buy a piece of empty land, regardless of the purpose, from initiation to completion would take no less than two to three months. This was also why Julian chose to come here, knowing that empty land was cheaper.

He couldn't wait that long otherwise, those three suppliers would go crazy, and he might even be sued for fraud.

The man's expression relaxed a bit as he unlocked the door from the inside and opened it. "Welcome! Regardless of whether we can come to a satisfactory conclusion, I welcome you."