After Leyvi and the others entered the Leyan Family mansion, Layla brought them to the City Conference Hall to discuss the contract.
Ava also jumped off the balcony, leaving the annoyed Dorin alone to accompany Layla. After all, she had volunteered to be her bodyguard.
"Everyone, thank you for coming here. My name is Layla Leyan. I'm the current city lord of this city. As you can see, my cultivation is just in the Foundation Building realm. I need many helpers on my side to govern the city, which is why I am recruiting people," Layla said.
"City Lord Layla, is everything in the contract real?" Chloe got straight to the point, her tone firm but respectful. She was known for her meticulousness and rarely left room for ambiguity in discussions.
"Of course. I decided on all the terms and conditions. Is there any part that you aren't satisfied with? We can discuss it right now."
And so, their negotiation began. It took three hours of discussion before they finally reached an agreement and signed the contract.
Chloe asked about every single clause in the contract to ensure there were no inconsistencies. After all, they were in a new place and environment. She couldn't afford to make a single mistake, with so many people relying on her.
"City Lord Layla, we will be under your care from now on," Chloe said.
"Hehe. Don't be so formal. I am the one who needs your help the most. Even though I have also recruited some local people, I'm afraid they won't be strong enough to intimidate the bad actors here and carry out their duties effectively. With cultivators as strong as you helping me, I can finally carry out my plan to make Bara City great again," Layla said.
Chloe nodded and smiled. Her first impression of Layla was positive. She didn't seem like someone who would put on airs with them just because she was their employer.
Afterward, Layla brought them to the City Lord's Private Estate, located not far from the Leyan Family mansion. This was where all the previous city lords used to reside during their tenure.
However, Layla didn't need it because she already lived in the Leyan Family mansion. Their estate was a bit smaller, but not by much.
The City Lord's Private Estate consisted of a mansion similar in size to the Leyan Family mansion and a hundred medium-sized houses built for the people who worked with the city lord. This was where they would live from now on unless they decided to buy a better house elsewhere. As for the mansion, Layla had no plans to use it at the moment.
Each house was spacious enough for a cultivator family of five to live in. Layla had included housing benefits for those who signed the contract with her. Including the 36 Core Formation realm ex-mercenary ladies, there were a total of 82 people in her private force at the moment. Each of them would receive a house for their family.
Layla planned to create two teams for her private force, alternating between three months of active duty and three months off for cultivation. This was important because she wanted her private force to continue growing stronger, even if it required using a large amount of resources.
She wasn't worried about the resources, as solving the city's corruption and shady dealings later would yield a massive amount of resources. Not only would it be enough to support her private force, but it would also allow her to reinvest in the city's development. This didn't even include the tax evasion cases she intended to address, which would keep more money and resources within the city to benefit Bara City citizens.
Based on the current number of people under her, each team would have 41 members. One team would be led by Chloe Petra and the other by Paulina. She had already named her private force The Bara Corps, a simple name signifying their commitment to Bara City.
After settling them into their new houses, Layla returned to the Leyan Mansion. She decided to let them familiarize themselves with Bara City first. After a week, they would begin training in various areas: team coordination, defense and protection, mobility, tactics and strategy, and more.
Since many of them were former mercenaries specialized in hunting demonic beasts, Layla was concerned they might have a habit of killing their targets. Training to subdue targets without fatal injuries was also necessary. This additional training was crucial, as the line between control and destruction could often blur in high-pressure situations.
"Hahaha! How are they, Layla? Do they meet your expectations?" Leyvi asked when he saw Layla return with Ava. He was lounging in the living room with the others, including June and her junior sisters. It had been a while since Leyvi felt this relaxed.
Lilian was absent from the living room, tending to the mansion's plants as soon as they arrived.
"They are much better than I expected. They seem to respect me a lot, even though they are much stronger than me. Their attitude is very different from those Core Formation big shots who attended the last meeting. I was worried for nothing," Layla said. Her demeanor had shifted significantly from that of a secretary to a dignified city lord. It was clear her confidence had grown since taking on this role.
"Well, you have Nala to thank for that. Without her suggestion, we would've had trouble finding cultivators of their caliber so quickly," Leyvi said.
Layla nodded, smiling in agreement.
"Hehehe! Since I contributed a lot, I want my reward. I want a special night battle day with darling at a love hotel! I heard from Big Madam that Darling used to bring her and Madam Lilian there to have fun! I want that too!" Nala excitedly demanded. Her enthusiasm was matched only by her complete lack of embarrassment in front of the others.
Leyvi fell off the sofa.
Nala, can you not talk about that while our guests are still here? Also, why is Anda telling her about the love hotel stories?
Leyvi glanced at the ladies and saw them staring at him with expectant expressions. The maids, Valenia, Layla, Nala, and even Sawi, all seemed eager for him to bring them to the love hotel. He then looked at Anda, who was giggling mischievously.
This panda girl, always setting me up, Leyvi complained inwardly as he climbed back onto the sofa.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind him.
"Leyvi, I think I am ready now to be a real woman. Please bring me to the love hotel too."
The voice belonged to Selene Goldstone. Hearing the conversation had convinced her that the longer she delayed, the more fun she might miss. Gathering her courage, she expressed her resolve.
Leyvi slipped off the sofa again. He felt like crying.
Why do they keep bringing up this kind of topic while guests are listening?
Leyvi looked at Anda again and saw her clutching her stomach, laughing silently. Of course, it was none other than this panda girl who made such topics seem normal to discuss openly.
Taking a deep breath, Leyvi sat back down, acting as though the bizarre situation hadn't affected him.
"Alright, alright. If everyone wants to try the love hotel, I'll take everyone there next month. You ladies can decide the schedule among yourselves. Is that fine?" Leyvi said, relenting to their wishes. It wasn't a difficult request, after all.
"Yay!" the ladies cheered, their collective enthusiasm filling the room. The scene was almost comical.
Only Ava glared at Leyvi with a look of disapproval. Hmph! You won't get my body, you sex fiend! I won't give you any chance to defeat me in a spar! The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩
June and her junior sisters exchanged speechless glances. Why do we keep getting subjected to these strange and embarrassing conversations? What is wrong with this family?
"So... why have you ladies decided to here, Fairy Maiden June?" Leyvi finally managed to change the subject to something less awkward.
"Oh my, I almost forgot about that because of all the strange things happening. Hehe."
Are you calling us strange? Ugh… I can't really deny that, Leyvi thought.
"The reason I'm here is simple. I want to explore this city first," June said with a smile.
"Explore? For what?" Leyvi asked, feeling a sense of unease.
Her smile widened. "Since you aren't willing to come to our sect, then our sect will come and settle here. Problem solved."
Leyvi fell off the sofa for the third time.
"Wait, wait. What do you mean, 'problem solved'? What do you mean by bringing your sect here? How is that even possible?" Leyvi asked, losing his composure.
"What do I mean? That is exactly what I mean. Didn't I tell you that our sect is only a small sect with very few people? We don't really have a fixed location and always move around. How else are we supposed to find cultivators with multiple-element spirit roots if we only stay in one place?" Senior Sister June explained.
Leyvi was stunned. He didn't know what to say.
Seeing Leyvi's expression, June smiled and added, "Including us four, we have a total of only 23 people in the sect. Just a small number. You don't have to worry that much."
"Fairy Maiden June, may I ask how strong your sect is?" Layla joined the conversation and asked.
"I would say we are pretty strong. Including me, there are three Soul Formation experts in our sect. I am the youngest," she replied.
"Three?" Leyvi and the others were shocked.