Chapter 82: Booming buisness

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Booming buisness

"You’ll still train. You’ll still fight. You’ll still become stronger."

"But your cultivation should support the bigger thing you’re building rather than being the only thing you pursue."

Tolu looked down at his hands.

For a moment, he thought about the three people who had always been beside him.

The four of them had started together.

They had struggled together.

They had nearly starved together.

Even when things were difficult, none of them had been left behind.

And now, for the first time, he was being told that their paths were separating.

Not permanently.

But enough to feel strange.

Tolu suddenly looked up.

"Why didn’t they say goodbye?"

Folami was quiet for a moment.

"They didn’t want to."

Tolu frowned.

"What?"

"When I explained everything to them, they didn’t want to go."

Tolu’s expression changed.

"Then why did you send them?"

"Because I knew what was best for them."

Folami’s answer was simple.

"They argued."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"More than once."

Tolu could almost imagine it.

"But eventually they understood."

Folami looked toward the training grounds.

"Seeing you would have made it harder."

Tolu said nothing.

"They knew if they came to say goodbye, you would probably convince them to stay."

Tolu opened his mouth, then closed it.

Folami continued.

"And they weren’t wrong."

Tolu looked away.

Folami sighed quietly.

"They aren’t gone forever."

He spoke more gently now.

"You’ll see them again."

"How often?"

"Every few weeks."

He paused.

"Sometimes it may take a few months depending on their training."

Tolu nodded slowly.

"They’ll come back."

"Of course."

Folami picked up his book again.

"They’re still your friends."

Tolu remained standing there for a few moments.

He didn’t say anything else.

Then he simply nodded.

"All right."

He turned around.

Folami watched him walk away.

Tolu didn’t look back.

He left the training grounds quietly, his footsteps fading into the manor.

Folami remained beneath the tree.

He knew separating the four of them had not been easy.

But sometimes, staying together was not the same thing as growing together.

And if Tolu truly wanted to stand beside them in the future, he would eventually have to understand that.

.....

The day finally came.

The three-story shop that had sat empty for so long no longer looked abandoned.

The lower floor had been cleaned from top to bottom. The wooden shelves had been repaired and polished, the counters wiped until they shone, and the goods had been arranged carefully instead of simply being piled together.

The first floor contained the herbs.

Emberleaf.

Clearroot.

Dreamgrass.

Each was separated and labeled according to quality and intended use.

The second floor contained the minerals and other materials they had managed to acquire.

Among them were several pieces of Verdant Iron Ore.

The quality was not extraordinary by the standards of the wealthiest families in Ilebi, but it was far better than ordinary iron and had properties that made it particularly attractive to cultivators and craftsmen.

Everything had been priced deliberately.

Not cheaply.

That would have attracted the wrong kind of attention and made people question the quality.

But not excessively either.

The prices were low enough compared to the quality that anyone who understood cultivation resources would immediately recognize the opportunity.

Tolu stood behind the main counter.

He looked at the entrance.

Then at the shelves.

Then back at Folami.

"Do you think anyone will come?"

Folami was sitting behind another section of the counter, looking through a document.

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Enough."

Tolu frowned.

"That’s not very reassuring."

Folami looked up.

"You wanted to open a shop."

"I know."

"Then open it."

Tolu looked at the doors.

For the first time since they had started preparing the place, he felt nervous.

This wasn’t a dungeon.

It wasn’t a fight.

There was no creature he could hit with his hammer if something went wrong.

This was business.

The door was opened.

The sign outside had already been hung.

People walking through the street had begun noticing the new establishment.

A few slowed down.

Some glanced at the display.

Others continued walking.

Tolu watched them all.

Then, not long after the doors officially opened, someone stepped inside.

A middle-aged man wearing the clothing of a merchant entered the shop.

He wasn’t dressed extravagantly, but the quality of his clothes immediately told Tolu that the man wasn’t poor.

His eyes moved around the shop.

He looked at the shelves.

Then at the prices.

Then back at the shelves.

He picked up a packet of Clearroot.

"How much?"

Tolu gave him the price. " Ten bronze per root. A silver for one dozen."

The man’s eyebrows rose.

"That’s all?"

"That’s the price."

The merchant examined the herb carefully.

He turned it over in his fingers.

Then he looked at Tolu.

"Where did you get this?"

"We’re selling it, not discussing where it came from."

The merchant stared at him for a moment.

Then he chuckled.

"Fair enough."

He brought the packet closer to his nose. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He examined the color, texture and smell.

Then his expression changed.

The herb was genuine.

And it was good.

Very good.

He immediately looked toward the shelves.

"How much do you have?"

Tolu glanced at Folami.

Folami didn’t even look up from his book.

"Fifty dozens ."

The merchant smiled.

"I’ll take all of it."

Tolu blinked.

"All?"

"All."

The first transaction was completed.

The merchant left carrying several packages.

Tolu watched him go.

He barely had time to process what had happened before another customer entered.

This one was a young woman accompanied by two attendants.

She went straight toward the Emberleaf.

She inspected it.

Asked about its quality.

Checked the price.

Then bought a considerable amount.

The next customer came for Dreamgrass.

The one after that wanted Clearroot.

Then another merchant came specifically looking for herbs.

He checked the prices.

Checked the quality.

Then asked whether they could supply him regularly.

Tolu gave him a number.

The merchant accepted.

Another order.

Then another.

The pace gradually increased.

People who had entered simply to look began buying.

Those who bought small quantities returned after speaking to others.

Merchants began asking questions.

"How often can you restock?"

"Can you supply this quantity every week?"

"Do you have other varieties?"

"Do you have higher-quality herbs?"

"Can you provide ores as well?"

The shop became increasingly crowded.

Tolu barely had time to breathe.

At one point, he looked toward Folami.

The older man was still calm.

He was no longer reading.

He was watching the transactions.

Not interfering.

Just observing.

Tolu turned back toward the customer in front of him.

"How many?"

"Twenty dozens."

"That will be—"

Before he could finish, another merchant called from behind.

"I’ll take thirty."

Tolu looked over.

"Thirty?"

"Yes."

The merchant pointed toward the remaining stock.

"If the quality is consistent, I’ll take this quantity every time you restock."

Tolu nodded.

"We’ll see what we can do."

The merchant smiled.

"I hope you can."

The morning passed faster than Tolu expected.

The shelves that had looked full only hours earlier were becoming empty.

Emberleaf disappeared first.

Then Clearroot.

Dreamgrass followed shortly after.

The Verdant Iron Ore attracted a different kind of customer.

A blacksmith inspected one of the pieces for nearly ten minutes before purchasing several.

Another cultivator came later and bought more.

By late morning, Tolu finally realized something.

He looked toward the shelves.

There was barely anything left.

"Folami."

"Hm?"

"We’re almost out."

Folami looked around.

He had already noticed.

"What time is it?"

Tolu glanced toward the window.

"Not even noon."

Folami nodded.

"Then we’ve done well."

Tolu stared at the empty shelves.

"We sold everything."

"Most of it."

Tolu looked toward the counter.

There were several order slips stacked there.

His expression changed.

"People left orders."

"Yes."

"More than we have goods for."

Folami nodded.

"That’s usually what happens when demand exceeds supply."

Tolu slowly picked up one of the order slips.

Then another.

Then another.

He looked at the growing pile.

"We’re going to need more herbs."

Folami gave a small smile.

"Now you understand why I told you influence matters."

Tolu looked at him.

"This isn’t influence."

"No?"

"It’s just selling herbs."

"Today."

Folami stood and walked toward the empty shelves.

"Tomorrow, those merchants will tell other merchants."

He picked up one of the empty containers.

"Then they’ll come back."

He placed it down.

"And they’ll expect you to have what they need."

Tolu looked at the orders again.

Folami continued.

"That’s how a business grows."

Tolu nodded slowly.

Outside, more people were still stopping to look at the shop.

Some were asking whether they could still purchase something.

Tolu looked toward the entrance.

They had opened their doors only a few hours ago.

And already, the shop had sold almost everything.

More importantly, people weren’t simply buying.

They were asking when they could buy again.

Tolu looked at the empty shelves.

For the first time, the three-story building no longer felt like an empty shop that belonged to someone else.

It felt like the beginning of something.

Something he could actually build.

Folami walked past him.

"Come."

"Where?"

"We have work to do."

Tolu looked at the order slips.

Then at the empty shelves.

Then he followed.

The shop had only been open for a morning.

And already, they had discovered their first problem.

They didn’t have enough goods to meet the demand.