What Luido Has Going for It

I woke at dawn to loud bird calls.

There must have been a livestock farm nearby.

The bed was warm, but the moment I sat up, cold air wrapped around me like needles.

Azu and Elza had also been roused by the shrill cries.

Azu, stifling a yawn with one hand while she stretched, and Elza combing through Azu's disheveled hair.

They looked like sisters with a wide age gap.

In Kassad, the noise alone would keep anyone from building an inn this close, but in Luido, nobody seemed to mind.

Even Alexia, whose mornings were normally rough unless there was an emergency, couldn't endure the noise and had woken up.

Looking out the window, people were already hard at work despite the dead of winter.

They started when the sun rose and would no doubt head home when it set.

Wholesome and healthy. That was my honest impression.

I confirmed everyone was awake.

We changed and loosened up with some stretching.

Cold, but it looked like the day would be clear.

Stepping out of the room, a savory aroma greeted us.

The kitchen fires must have been lit.

The innkeeper spotted us and came over to greet us.

"Up already, are you?"

"The birds woke me right up. Is it always like that?"

"Sure is. Folks from out of town say it's pretty loud. Me, I'm used to it by now. Want breakfast?"

"Please."

"Then sit tight."

With that, the innkeeper bustled off.

She moved fast. Less walking and more power-walking.

People like her got things done. And quickly.

The type to plow through a mountain of work without blinking.

As promised, we waited, and she returned with plates balanced on both hands and along her arms, laying everything out in one fluid motion.

The table was covered in an instant.

"Our meat and vegetables are top-notch. Bread too, of course."

She flashed a broad grin and swept away.

A large pot of drinks sat on the table. We were apparently expected to pour our own.

Not a bad approach for cutting down on work.

I'd keep it in mind for our own inn down the line.

I lifted the lid and poured. Brown liquid filled the cup, steam curling upward.

The rich, toasty aroma cut through the morning fog in my head.

I took a sip and nearly spilled it. Scalding.

"Hot!"

Alexia yelped. She must have taken too bold a gulp.

Azu, watching from the corner of her eye, blew on hers carefully before sipping.

Sharp girl.

Even so, it was still too hot; she stuck out her tongue with a little "hot-hot-hot."

Elza drank hers without batting an eye. What was she made of?

Finn cooled hers even longer than Azu, taking tiny sips. She was probably sensitive to heat.

I turned my attention to the food.

A salad topped with bacon. Toast, crisped to perfection.

A chunky corn soup loaded with whole kernels. And the main: fried chicken.

"I thought so yesterday too, but this is quite a spread."

"You're right. And the room rate wasn't even expensive."

Alexia had a point. We'd paid an average price.

In the Royal Capital, the same amount would get you a room and nothing else.

Getting a spread like this for that price came down to the innkeeper's generosity.

That, and cheap local ingredients.

With no transport costs for the produce and livestock, the base price stayed low.

Which let her put out a fuller menu.

The fried chicken had a crispy coating, and the inside was juicy and tender.

It had been marinated; the flavor was well-seasoned throughout.

The salad was fresh, and with just a pinch of salt, it was delicious on its own.

Paired with thick-cut, well-done bacon, I could have eaten it endlessly.

The corn soup and toast combination was irresistible.

Better yet, toast refills were free. Generous to a fault.

I ended up eating until I was on the verge of bursting.

The seasoning leaned heavy overall, but the drink washed away the richness and grease beautifully.

"If you don't mind my asking, what is this drink?"

"That? Roasted tea. It's been a local favorite around here forever. Good, right?"

"Very. I'd love to have it at home."

"Is that so! Glad to hear it. If you want some, there's a shop in town that sells it. We've got nothing much going on here, but the food's good, so take your time and enjoy yourselves."

She cleared the empty plates in the blink of an eye.

I poured myself another cup of roasted tea.

Partly because we were full, we spent a while relaxing before moving on.

When other guests started filtering in, we gave up our seats.

Back in the room, Finn had already headed out to begin her work.

"I'd written this place off as just some backwater, but I need to rethink that."

That roasted tea.

It would sell. I'd asked Alexia, and apparently there was nothing quite like it in the Empire.

There were plenty of aromatic teas out there, but none with a fragrance that soothing.

The Grabahl ducal family in the Empire might take a liking to it.

I'd been meaning to check in on Orleans anyway.

If the duke and duchess liked it, I'd want to pitch it to the Kingdom's duke as well.

Having connections to get an audience with dukes wasn't a privilege ordinary merchants had.

It was only an audience, just the chance to be heard, but that alone was extraordinary.

For all of that to happen, Luido needed to stay peaceful.

The combination of duty and profit ignited my motivation like a furnace.

Merchant to the bone, I thought, and it struck me as funny.

"You look happy, Master."

"Just thought of my next venture. Let's get this mess wrapped up fast."

"Yes!"

Azu's energetic reply drew a nod from me.

As a sort of uniform, I had everyone, myself included, put on matching aprons over our clothes.

We moved the crates of candy into position and staked out the spot with the heaviest foot traffic.

A handful of food stalls were already set up, but they were all selling breakfast fare.

No competition. No grudges to worry about.

I took a deep breath and called out to the passersby.

"Everyone! Care to sample some candy? We're giving away free samples of a new product and would love your opinions!"

There's no merchant alive who can't do a good pitch.

A few people noticed and started drifting over.

The merchant's battle had begun.