Chapter 648: Renting Dojo
Chapter 648: Renting Dojo
Montrael, Action Street, ten in the morning.
The sun was shining brightly over the city of a thousand dojos, and it was slowly becoming alive with activity.
The schools had their classes going on, and thus, the dojos were currently only filled with middle-aged men and a few graduates who were practicing their forms diligently.
“The wind sure feels good.”
Kiernan thought out loud as he was sitting on a bench by the sidewalk, sipping on water, and enjoying the cool wind breezing against his face.
He woke up early today. Six in the morning. As he had a meeting with some of the government workers, they asked about where he had been all this time.
It seemed like his excuse worked. They seemed to believe his explanation and didn’t ask any further questions.
After that, he had another meeting scheduled with a realtor, as he was going to check on any available dojos in the area for rent.
Luckily, in Montrael, there was no shortage of dojos available for rent, but there weren’t any at a reasonable price.
There were also none over on Quebec Street, as all of them were taken. It was easily the best location for a dojo, as it was close to all schools, and it was an easy place to get new students.
Action Street was slightly further away, but still a viable option. There were little bit cheaper dojos available, but they were further away from the main area of town.
“Hello! Could it be that you are Mr. Hunter?”
With a disheveled appearance, the realtor came in with a brown briefcase that looked like it had seen better days.
He was smiling, but then he recognized Kiernan Hunter. It was hard not to. And he thought he was dreaming for a moment.
There hadn’t been a shortage of news about Kiernan Hunter for the past year. He is one of the hottest names in the martial arts circle these days.
The realtor remembered the day of the tournament like it was just yesterday. The amazing battle between Kiernan and Beast Prince Arazimir.
While he wasn’t that trusting that Kiernan could pull it off, his three children were adamant that he would win.
“That is indeed me.”
Kiernan stood up, and with the hand that wasn’t holding the water bottle, he shook the realtor’s hand.
“This is an immense honor. I heard that you are looking for a dojo to rent. Could it be that you are seeking to become dojo master?”
The realtor asked with a smile.
It surprised him that the so-called hero of humanity was in Montrael out of all places, but if he sought to become a dojo master, this was the best place to begin!
“That’s the plan, for now, at least.”
Kiernan said.
“Good, good. We do have one dojo to show you, and I think it is a very good spot to start your very own dojo. The size isn’t that big, but it isn’t like you need a huge space to begin, and it is slightly costly.”
The realtor said.
“Show me.”
Kiernan said.
With a smile, the realtor led him to cross the street, and they walked down a sidewalk, accompanied by the sunlight and the cool wind.
The pedestrians took notice of Kiernan, gasped in wonder, and some even took pictures in secret, but of course, Kiernan noticed them.
However, he didn’t pay any attention to that.
A short walk later, the realtor stopped in front of a slightly dilapidated dojo.
The dilapidated dojo rose from the ground, about two stories tall, its wooden beams darkened with age and polished by years of hands sliding along them.
The roofline curved in a graceful sweep, its tiles catching the faint glimmer of sunlight like scales on a patient dragon.
Paper-screened windows stretched along the length of the building. It gave the place an air of quiet elegance.
A small yard stretched beyond the entrance of the dojo, covered not in grass but in carefully raked pebbles.
In front of the realtor and Kiernan, there was a low stone fence, sturdy and weathered. Its surface was mottled with moss and time.
At the center of the fence, an iron gate stood fast—black and simple, its bars wrought into clean lines.
The gate opened with a creak.
‘The yard is very small. It’s about five meters wide and long. It can’t really be used as training space for students unless one does individual training.
‘I could put a tree growing at the corner of the yard and hang a punching bag from it.’
Kiernan thought, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and followed the realtor into the small yard.
“This yard alone boosts the value of this dojo immensely. Sure, it is slightly small, but most of the dojos don’t have the luxury of having their own yard.
“Unless you are one of the Five Star dojos, then a yard is a far-fetched dream!”
The realtor said with a smile.
‘…Five Star. I studied a little bit about Montrael’s dojo systems, and all dojos are ranked with stars. The more stars, the stronger the dojo is considered to be, but also vastly more expensive.
‘When I start my dojo, I will start from Zero Stars.’
Kiernan thought.
In that moment, the realtor entered the dojo, but before that, he took off his shoes and put them outside.
Kiernan did the same and entered behind him.
The bottom floor of the dojo was filled with dust and cobwebs, indicating that it had been abandoned for quite some time.
It was spacious enough with deep brown wooden floors, and the walls were painted a faded shade of gold.
At the corner of the floor, there were stairs leading up to a second floor. There were only a couple of rooms there.
“This is a good size for a dojo that is only beginning, and there is a small storage room over there. Stairs that lead to the second floor. About three rooms on the second floor, so one of them can be your office, and two can be used as guest rooms.”
The realtor said.
Kiernan walked to the storage room. The door slid open sideways. There were some training mats inside, some weights, an old punching bag, and a shelf full of boxing gloves and wraps.
“Hmm.”
He rubbed his chin.
“Want to see the second floor?”
The realtor asked.
“Definitely.”
Kiernan said.