The Ultimate Man

Chapter 7 - Oldham Palace

"Of course!" Daniel replied with a forced smile.

Feeling like he had obtained all the information he wanted, Daniel changed the topic of conversation.

"Miss Insignia, do you have any information about a peaceful house in the area of this town?"

He asked because he was a bit desperate in his efforts to find a house online. He thought that the girl might know some things that were not available on the Internet. Therefore, he wanted to ask her opinion.

On the other hand, the question triggered a memory in Clara's mind of a place that had long been the focus of her attention.

"Have you ever heard of the Palace?"

Daniel shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, I'm just now hearing about it."

"Its official name is Oldham Palace. It's a palace in the true sense of the word!" Clara said with a serious look on her face.

"The palace is on the edge of a forest that borders the sea. From the backyard you can see the calm blue sea in the morning and in the evening. On quiet nights, you can even hear the sound of the waves crashing," she continued.

Outside the palace gate, to the left, there are several small hills filled with very large oak trees. At night, the sounds of the nocturnal animals that live in these trees can be heard calling to each other, like a beautiful symphony.

"If someone is looking for a peaceful and quiet place, no other could offer better comfort than this palace," Clara was about to finish her explanation when she realized that she had left out the most important piece of information. "One more thing..." Clara continued. "In the past, the palace was the residence of a duke's family!" Her face showed great enthusiasm as she stated this fact.

In the entire Greatland Kingdom, the status of nobility is not bestowed upon one person alone. The status is also given to all members of the family. Anyone who is in the lineage of a noble automatically possesses the same status.

Meanwhile, Duke is a title given to a noble family with the highest status in a province. The noble family with this title is the leader of other noble families in the given area. They have the most influence in the whole territory, even above a governor.

Below the Duke is the Earl. This second title is given to the highest noble family in a city. With this title, they will lead other noble families in the same area.

Below them are the titles of Viscount and Baron. The former is the title for the highest noble family in a small town, while the latter is the title for the leader of noble families in rural areas.

"Very interesting!" Daniel said. However, there was no expression of admiration on his face. It didn't mean that the palace didn't look interesting when he tried to picture it in his mind. Palace, of course! In addition to its age, which is more than seven hundred years old, this palace is also one of the largest in the Greatland Kingdom, even in the whole world.

However, despite having unlimited money in his hands, Daniel remained a commoner. This is an unchangeable destiny. No one can choose which family he will be born into. There is no way to become a nobleman except to be born into such a family!

Even a girl from a commoner's family would not dare to dream! The rules of nobility state that marriage can only take place between nobles. A nobleman is forbidden to have a relationship with a commoner girl, and vice versa.

Besides, Daniel also knew one important rule. "Miss Insignia, isn't it forbidden for commoners to enter the residence of noble families? Even if the palace is a very beautiful place, in the end there will be no opportunity for us to visit it even once."

Clara looked at Daniel for a moment, as if thinking about something, then slowly nodded. "Absolutely right!"

Strict nobility rules also apply when it comes to visiting. Nobles with a lower title are not allowed to visit the homes of nobles with a higher title unless they have an invitation to do so. According to these rules, even Clara, who comes from an earl family, should not be allowed to visit the Ackerley family palace.

"In principle, this place is not open to the public," Clara continued. "But now the situation has changed. A few months ago, the palace was severely damaged by a group of vandals. At the same time, the city government of Tectona was unable to cover the cost of repairs, as most of the budget had been allocated to other projects."

Historically, the palace was owned by the Ackerley family. However, since the family moved out of Tectona, the supervision and management of the palace is legally in the hands of the Insignia family. They then decided to involve the general public as donors.

"In return, donors will have the right to visit Oldham Palace. Those who donate a certain amount will even have the opportunity to stay in one of the palace's guest rooms. However, the donations we have collected so far are far from enough," Clara concluded.

Daniel may not be interested in luxury homes, but after hearing Clara's explanation, he had an idea. With his unlimited funds, he could repair the palace immediately. However, he was not satisfied with just making a donation. As he had experienced before, it would not increase his points in the system. Daniel had to do more!

After Clara left, Daniel opened the official government website of Tectona.

"Oldham Palace is very big indeed!" Daniel exclaimed as he looked at the pictures of the palace. He could estimate that the total size and area of the palace was almost equal to that of Tectona University. Daniel scrolled down to the bottom of the website where he found a contact number for donations and another for general inquiries. He clicked on the general contact and sent a message.

A few minutes later, he received an email reply on his phone.

[Dear Mr. Elrod,

We are delighted to hear that you are interested in making a donation to help repair Oldham Palace. This is great news for us. As you may know, the total cost of repairing Oldham Palace is two hundred million dollars. If you would like to proceed, we would be happy to arrange for someone to meet with you and guide you through the process.

Thank you for your assistance in preserving this important part of Tectona's history.]

"Two hundred million dollars? Not bad!" Daniel said to himself before sending another message.

[What if I offered ten times that amount to buy the palace? Would that price be acceptable?]

Daniel wanted to buy the palace. So he offered two billion dollars. Despite the severe damage, most of the palace buildings were not seriously affected. In addition, if you nominalize the price of Oldham Palace, it is actually a little less than one billion dollars, without considering the historical value of the building. Taking that value into account, the price of one billion dollars is a fair price.

Daniel got the estimate from Clara, who knew a lot about the price and quality of luxury and historic buildings in the city of Tectona. When he learned that the estimated price was one billion, Daniel offered twice as much. Daniel wouldn't even mind if the government came up with a higher price later.

Daniel received a response on his phone, and it was longer than the previous one.

[Mr. Elrod, we appreciate your offer. Unfortunately, the final decision on this matter is not within our power or jurisdiction. Could you please be patient and wait a little longer? We will make every effort to provide you with an answer within the next few days.]

Daniel was not disappointed or worried, even though the reply did not provide a definitive answer. He knew that the purchase of such an important historical site would require lengthy discussions. The Tectonian government would talk to the noble families, who had the final say on whether to sell Oldham Palace.

On the one hand, Daniel had a strong desire to move out of the campus dormitory as soon as possible. However, looking at the progress of the negotiation, he had to be more patient. Besides, Daniel had also prepared himself for the worst-case scenario. If the government decides not to sell the site, Daniel will look for another place.