Halfway there, Draven was stopped by Rurik.

  Rurik pointed to a building on the other side of the square. "If you want to buy a stone house now, you have to go to the Succubus Trading Company over there. It's no longer under the lord's jurisdiction."

  Draven followed his finger and looked over. On the other side of the square, a row of new buildings had appeared at some unknown time.

  Although they were still the usual arched stone houses common among demi-humans, with little difference in appearance, the stone house in the middle had a sign hanging at its door that read Succubus Trading Company.

  Draven raised his eyebrows — the sign immediately caught his attention. When he heard that Lady Selene had recently accepted a group of people from the south and appointed one of their members as a deputy city lord, he couldn't help but feel a jolt inside.

  "Deputy city lord?" he muttered quietly, his mind racing.

  This was a major move, even a strategic-level change. Accepting people of equal rank wasn't mere tolerance; it was a gamble.

  If the gamble paid off, they could form a strong alliance and elevate Selene City to a new level. If it failed, it meant waiting for those people to seize power from within.

  Draven thought it through clearly. Selene was no fool. For her to make this decision meant that southern faction wasn't ordinary.

  Moreover, succubi were generally skilled in political intrigue. For her to entrust someone else with power, there must be a plan behind it.

  Knowing time was tight, Draven told Rurik to hurry and lead the way to the trading company. He needed to settle the housing matter quickly.

  The stone house where the trading company was located was even larger than the chief's hall of Black Flag Territory's second village, clearly a place of considerable status. As soon as he entered, two succubi dressed to the extreme in revealing clothes approached.

  Draven was momentarily stunned. The two succubi barely wore any cloth, their chests almost bare, the edges of their shapely hips barely hidden under short skirts.

  Especially their tails, lightly swaying with a rhythmic teasing motion, casually brushing across his line of sight. He swallowed unconsciously.

  Wow. He silently marveled.

  He wasn't unfamiliar with succubi — there were many in Selene City. But those were all trained by Selene herself, cold and statue-like; not one would tease or even smile easily.

  But these succubi were so proactive, so open; there was no way they were native to Selene City.

  "Definitely from the south," he murmured inwardly, though outwardly he kept calm.

  The interior décor surprised him too. Instead of a hearth in the center, there was an elegant curved counter, behind which stood a smiling, alluring succubus receptionist.

  For a moment, Draven felt a bit dazed. Behind her was a row of long counters, with four or five succubi of varying appearances seated, each dressed just right — scantily but tastefully.

  Opposite each was a lounge chair, obviously for customers. This place was even more upscale than he had imagined, he thought to himself in surprise.

  The waiting areas on both sides were neatly arranged with chairs for people to rest, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air, as if scented deliberately.

  Without waiting for Rurik, Draven walked toward the curved counter himself.

  The succubus receptionist saw him coming, her lips curling into a faint, elusive smile, her voice soft: "Hello, looking to purchase a stone house? We have five different grades available. If you have other needs, we can discuss them privately."

  Draven was momentarily stunned, then realized the hint in her words. He smiled and nodded, pretending not to understand, but his heart was already stirring.

  She was basically saying, if I can pay the price, she could go with me tonight?

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  His mind heated up, though his reason hadn't completely slipped away. He knew this was the kind of temptation that could easily cloud a man's mind.

  But he was no teenager. He knew this allure was real — part of the succubi's natural talent. He could feel his body's reaction; the dizzy sensation was not an illusion.

  Strangely, he didn't dislike it. In fact, he kind of liked it. This is how succubi are supposed to be! he sighed inwardly.

  Following the succubus's guidance, he moved toward an empty counter in the back, trying to focus his attention as he walked.

  He knew he couldn't make a mistake now — this deal was to solve his housing problem. Stay calm, don't get distracted by a shaking tail, he thought, taking a deep breath as he sat down.

  They divided the stone houses into five grades based on size and features.

  The lowest grade was the kind Angelica and the others had lived in before. The house was so small it was hard to even turn around; Draven had been there once and found it uncomfortable to even lie down straight overnight.

  The fourth grade was the kind Rurik currently lived in.

  The third-tier stone house was already considered the best residence in the slums, with an interior radius of about five meters—enough for a basic life of a family of three.

  Though not spacious, it was much better than those tiny stone houses where you had to curl up just to sleep.

  The succubus beauty behind the counter, dressed revealingly and smiling sweetly, spoke softly: the stone houses in Selene City could only be purchased with currency, no bartering was accepted, and credit was out of the question. She quoted a price of fifty gold coins.

  Draven frowned slightly but soon relaxed. The price wasn't outrageous—in terms he was familiar with, it was roughly equivalent to the value of two decent low-grade magical beasts.

  He had once seen absurd deals elsewhere where three magical beasts were traded for a dilapidated stone house. Compared to that, Selene City's housing prices were quite reasonable.

  He considered his needs. The first- and second-tier stone houses were larger and more comfortable, but they weren't located in the slums; rather, they were near the main residential area of the succubus clan—places totally unsuitable for him.

  Moving in there would make him stand out and attract unwanted attention. The third tier was just right—not too conspicuous, yet sufficient.

  He planned to live there for now, and after leaving Selene City, let Rurik's family move in. The small stone house they currently occupied could then be freed up for his future use. This arrangement was the most practical.

  Rurik, following instructions, quickly pulled out several boxes of coins from a storage ring and placed them on the counter. Since their business was low-profit and small-scale, they mostly had copper coins, very few silver coins, and even fewer gold coins. Gathering fifty gold coins had been a real effort.

  The succubus beauty kept a charming smile on her face as she patiently counted each heavy copper coin.

  Draven stood nearby, admiring her professionalism, and also her ability to stay composed doing bank clerk work despite her fiery, provocative outfit.

  After counting, she took out a parchment map and spread it on the counter. The map was densely marked with stone houses in the slums, each with a blank slot beside it.

  Pointing at the map, she smiled and said, "Honored Werewolf Leader, these are the available stone houses for you to choose from. Those without marks are vacant; you may select any freely."

  "Alright," Draven nodded, but inwardly scoffed. The succubus's real estate system was too casual—same price regardless of location, orientation, or structure? No differentiation of good or bad districts? The pricing was ridiculously haphazard.

  He stared at the parchment map for a long time, then, together with Rurik, chose a house not far from their original residence to make moving easier.

  "This one, this room," Draven said, pointing to a small square on the map.

  The succubus bent over to look, her rounded chest nearly pressing on the map, smiling sweetly, "No problem, this one's vacant. I'll register it for you right away."

  Rurik's eyes were glued to the swaying white curves before him, his expression complex—an odd mix of excitement, shame, and struggle. Only after Draven gave him a hard shove did he snap out of it.

  "Ah, what's up?" Rurik looked up, confused.

  The succubus couldn't help but laugh, her voice teasingly seductive, "Your name, what's your name~"

  Draven rolled his eyes, "She's asking for your name, for registration."

  "Ah, Rurik… just call me Rurik…" He spoke while his gaze flickered, clearly still lost in the earlier scene.

  The succubus marked a red dot on the map to indicate that house had been sold. Then she took out two pieces of parchment documents, quickly filled in the necessary information, and handed them to Rurik for signature.

  "Two copies of the documents—one we keep, one for you."

  Rurik carefully took the parchment, as if it were a treasure.

  After the deal was done, Draven and Rurik left the stone house trading office. The moment they stepped outside, they both let out a breath almost simultaneously.

  The air outside felt much fresher, but more importantly, the heady, heat-inducing atmosphere was finally gone.

  "Those southern succubi really aren't people you can mess with," Draven shook his head, muttering to himself.

  He never thought of himself as especially strong-willed, but he was definitely not someone easily swayed by lust. Yet inside that trading office, the succubi didn't even try to seduce him verbally—just a look, a gesture, nearly short-circuited his brain with impulse.

  Rurik was even more obvious—he couldn't even walk straight, hunched over like a possessed man.

  Draven sighed inwardly, "Succubus business is a sure profit. Even if you only come to buy a house, you'll feel like you just finished some adult initiation when you leave."

  He glanced back at the sign that read "Succubus Trading Office" and clicked his tongue, "Is this really a proper place to sell houses?"

  If Liliana hadn't been waiting for him, he might've spent all his gold coins here.

  He shook his head, pushing those distracting thoughts away, then briskly led the still-dazed Rurik to meet up with Liliana and the others.