The next morning, Ryo woke up in the Sleeping Dragon's guest room feeling more rested than he had in years. The bed was simple but comfortable, and the complete absence of traffic noise or city stress had let him sleep like the dead. Through the window, he could see villagers already going about their morning routines—farmers heading to their fields, women hanging laundry, kids chasing chickens around the street.
This was exactly the kind of quiet life he'd been dreaming of.
Downstairs, Marcus was already serving breakfast to a handful of early risers. The smell of bacon and fresh bread made Ryo's stomach growl, reminding him that yesterday's travel rations hadn't exactly been filling.
"Morning," Marcus said as Ryo settled at the bar. "Sleep well?"
"Better than I have in years," Ryo said honestly. "What's for breakfast?"
"Bacon, eggs, bread, and porridge. Nothing fancy, but it'll fill you up." Marcus started loading a plate without waiting for an answer. "Elena stopped by earlier. Said you two looked at the old bakery yesterday."
"Yeah, I'm definitely interested. Fifty gold seems fair for what I'm getting." Ryo dug into the food, which was simple but well-prepared. "Who do I need to talk to about making it official?"
"That'd be Old Henrik. He's sort of the unofficial mayor around here, handles most of the property deals and disputes. Lives in the house with the blue shutters, about halfway down the main street." Marcus refilled Ryo's mug with what turned out to be surprisingly good coffee. "Fair warning though—Henrik's going to want to know you're serious about this. We've had people come through before talking about settling down, then disappear the first time they realize how much work rural life actually is."
"I'm not going anywhere," Ryo said. "This is exactly what I've been looking for."
"We'll see," Marcus said, but he didn't sound skeptical. More like he was reserving judgment. "Tell you what—if you can get the place cleaned up and serve decent food, I'll send overflow customers your way when I'm full up. Competition's good for business, keeps us both honest."
"That's generous of you."
"Enlightened self-interest," Marcus corrected. "More businesses means more people coming through town, which means more customers for everyone. Plus, I'm getting tired of being the only place people can get a meal around here. The responsibility's wearing on me."
Ryo finished his breakfast and headed out to find Henrik. The morning air was crisp and clean, carrying the smell of woodsmoke and growing things. A few villagers nodded to him as he passed, word having apparently gotten around that he was the potential new tavern keeper.
Henrik's house was easy to spot—not just because of the blue shutters, but because there was a small crowd of people gathered outside. As Ryo got closer, he could hear raised voices coming from inside.
"I don't care what the contract says," a woman was shouting. "That grain was supposed to be delivered last week! My animals are getting hungry, and if they start dying, I'm holding you responsible!"
"The contract clearly states delivery by the end of the month," a man replied in the kind of calm voice that suggested he'd had this argument before. "We still have three days."
"Three days doesn't help me today!"
Ryo hesitated at the edge of the crowd. Getting involved in local politics on his second day probably wasn't the smartest move, but he was curious about what was going on.
"Excuse me," he said to a middle-aged woman standing nearby. "What's all the fuss about?"
"Merchant caravan was supposed to deliver grain for Elena's horses," the woman explained quietly. "But the caravan leader's being a bastard about the delivery schedule. Says the contract gives him until the end of the month, even though he knows she needs it now."
"Elena has horses?"
"She runs the town's courier service on the side. Takes messages between here and the bigger towns, brings back supplies we can't make ourselves. Good business, but it depends on keeping her horses fed."
Through the open door, Ryo could see Elena facing off with a well-dressed man who looked like he'd never done manual labor in his life. The merchant had that particular brand of smug confidence that came from knowing he was technically in the right, even if he was being a dick about it.
"Look," Elena was saying, clearly trying to keep her temper in check. "I can pay extra for early delivery. Just bring me half the grain today, and I'll give you a bonus on top of the agreed price."
"The contract doesn't allow for partial deliveries," the merchant replied. "I'm sorry, but business is business. You'll get your grain at the end of the month, as agreed."
Ryo had heard enough. He pushed through the crowd and stepped into the house, ignoring the surprised looks from everyone present.
"Henrik?" he said, addressing an elderly man with white hair who was sitting behind a wooden desk covered in papers. "I'm Ryo. Marcus said you were the person to talk to about buying the old bakery."
Henrik looked up, clearly grateful for the interruption. "Ah, yes. Elena mentioned you yesterday. We can certainly discuss that, but as you can see, I'm dealing with another matter at the moment."
"No problem," Ryo said. He turned to the merchant, who was glaring at him for interrupting. "Sorry to butt in, but I couldn't help overhearing. You've got grain that Elena needs, but you don't want to deliver it early?"
"The contract specifies—" the merchant began.
"Yeah, I heard about the contract," Ryo cut him off. "Here's a different deal. I'll buy the entire shipment from you right now, full price, cash up front. Then I'll sell Elena what she needs and keep the rest for my own business."
The merchant's eyes lit up at the mention of immediate payment, but then his expression turned suspicious. "You're opening a business? What kind of business needs that much grain?"
"Tavern," Ryo said simply. "I'll need grain for brewing, cooking, and feeding horses for travelers. Buying in bulk makes sense."
"I don't have that kind of money on me," Elena said quietly.
"Don't worry about it," Ryo told her. "We can work out a payment plan. I'm going to be your neighbor, after all."
The merchant looked back and forth between them, clearly calculating. Ready cash was always better than waiting for payment, especially when dealing with small-town customers who might decide to dispute the terms later.
"The full shipment is worth two hundred gold pieces," he said finally.
Ryo almost choked. That was literally all the money he had. But Elena had been helpful yesterday, and making friends with the town's security officer seemed like a smart investment.
"Deal," he said, pulling out his money pouch.
Elena's eyes widened as Ryo counted out the coins. "Are you insane? That's way too much money to spend on grain, especially for someone who doesn't even own a tavern yet."
"I will in about an hour," Ryo said, handing the money to the merchant. "And grain keeps. Worst case, I've got enough supplies to last my first year in business."
The merchant snatched up the coins and started backing toward the door. "Pleasure doing business with you. The grain will be delivered within the hour."
After he left, the crowd outside began to disperse, but Elena and Henrik both stared at Ryo like he'd lost his mind.
"You just spent your entire fortune on grain to help someone you met yesterday," Elena said slowly. "Either you're the most trusting person I've ever met, or you're completely fucking crazy."
"Maybe both," Ryo admitted. "But I figure if I'm going to live here, I might as well start building relationships with my neighbors. Besides, you seem like the kind of person who pays her debts."
"I am," Elena said firmly. "But that was still incredibly stupid. What if I can't pay you back? What if I just take the grain and disappear?"
"Then I guess I'll have learned an expensive lesson about trusting people," Ryo said with a shrug. "But somehow I don't think that's going to happen."
Henrik cleared his throat. "Well, this has certainly been educational. But if you don't mind, young man, let's discuss this property purchase before you spend any more money you don't have."
Ryo grinned. "Actually, about that. I don't suppose you'd be willing to take payment in grain?"
Both Elena and Henrik burst out laughing.