The Commercial City of Ganos
After having lunch at the mansion, we traveled by carriage to Ganos.
The distance wasn’t far, and we reached our destination relatively quickly.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
Connie’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly took in her surroundings, glancing about like an excited puppy presented with a pile of new toys.
“It hasn’t changed much since I last saw it.”
“Yeah, still bustling with people, and the shops are as lively as ever.”
The merchants here are all desperate to succeed, as they must pay steep land fees to set up shop.
The fierce competition breeds affordability and quality. While there are some high-end stores catering to the wealthy, they’re the minority. Most shops are aimed at the general public, and the lively variety hasn’t changed from what I remember.
“Young Master Lake! There are so many food stalls here! The delicious smells are coming from everywhere! It’s like the food wants me to eat it!”
Connie was utterly captivated by Ganos.
Clearly, hunger had dulled her vocabulary somewhat.
She’s more about satisfying her appetite than exuding allure.
Then again, her already impressive figure practically radiates charm.
“I’m looking forward to exploring too, but first, we need to check out the vacant property slated to become our new shop.”
This would be the location for my new store, which I planned to open as soon as preparations were complete.
Managing a branch of the trading company while still attending the Royal Academy… it’s going to be exhausting.
Ideally, I’d like a capable advisor—someone to handle the operations efficiently, or even take over entirely.
Unfortunately, such talent won’t appear overnight, so for the time being, I’ll have to do it myself.
With my academy project also underway, my schedule is about to get very hectic.
“By the way, Young Master Lake.”
“What is it, Connie?”
“You mentioned planning something at the academy before. What exactly was it?”
“I was curious about that too. Would you mind sharing?”
“Mhm.”
This seemed like a good time to explain.
“I’m planning to open a small shop within the academy.”
“A shop *inside* the academy!?”
“I never imagined such an idea.”
Both Connie and Lucina stared at me in astonishment.
In my previous life, this concept was fairly common. Essentially, it’s like a school store.
Honestly, I’m not aiming for profit with this venture.
The main revenue will come from the populous and high-demand Ganos.
The academy store’s purpose is to showcase the excellence of the Gallard Company to the noble sons and daughters studying there.
“I’ll need your cooperation for this.”
“Of course!”
“Leave it to me.”
Good, good. Connie and Lucina’s diligence and dedication were admirable, like model employees. I’ll have to reward them with something later.
While discussing this, we arrived at the vacant property designated for the shop—only to find it in an appalling state.
“W-What… is this…?”
The place looked like it had been ransacked by thieves.
Restoring it would require a considerable amount of time and money.
What on earth had happened here?
As the three of us stood there in stunned silence, a woman approached us.
“Hey… are you with the Gallard Company by any chance?”
“Yes, we are. And you are?”
“Ah, I thought so. You all look so dumbfounded, standing there together like that. Must’ve been quite the shock seeing it in this condition, huh?”
She spoke in a casual, almost flippant tone, a grin plastered on her face.
Her overly familiar attitude put Lucina on guard.
She stepped forward to block the woman’s path, but I raised a hand to stop her.
“Who are you?”
“Me? I’m Arze, an information broker.”
“An information broker?”
In big towns like this, you’ll often find people who make a living by gathering and selling information.
Usually, they’re seasoned individuals with extensive connections, but this woman was far from the image I had in mind.
“Hey, how about buying some info from me? I can tell you exactly why this place is in such a mess.”
Arze the information broker, huh?
She didn’t seem entirely trustworthy, but if she really held the answers we needed, I was willing to listen.
What do you think about this chapter?
