Lawrence, having woken up refreshed, had put on his armour after brushing his teeth and changing his clothes. He then pulled the wagon with him back to town, on it carrying a few bottles of wine that he had taken out from his inventory that he knew he would be able to recreate.

Aside from the wine, he had also brought several baked buns that he thought he’d try to sell. When he had enough money, he would create this world’s first mega mart, was what he thought.

Need weapons for killing and food to recover your energy!? You’ve come to the right place!

At the marketplace, Lawrence saw Roland sitting on a stool watching him curiously.

“Well, I heard from Craig that you cheated a little in rebuilding that little house eh?” Roland smirked, raising a waterskin filled with water in his direction.

“No thanks to you at all, Village Chief. Do I need to pay anything to set up a stand here in the marketplace?” Lawrence asked, pointing at his wares.

“Ah, uh, there’s a fifteen copper fee from the Lord’s Levy and 15% of your profits every month, got it?” Roland said, stretching out his hand and Lawrence gave him the coin pouch that Roland had given him the day before.

“… However, in view of your recent service to the Village of Black Bay, your fee is hereby waived and you are tax exempt for a year. If Lord Black raises taxes, I’ll have to collect that increase in amount, you understand that right?” Roland said, quickly pocketing the pouch.

Lawrence almost wanted to call him out on his nonsense. Lawrence had returned the entirety of the Hero’s Bounty that Roland had given him which far outstripped any tax or fee. Yet, all he got was 15 coppers waived.

Swallowing his annoyance, Lawrence set his shop up beside that of—

“Oh, isn’t this the heroic Honourable Lawrence Carstein that Jacob talked about before he left?” a plump woman with curly brown hair laughed heartily, looking up from cutting up a thick slab of meat.

“I am Jennifer Witzger, wife to Jacob Witzger, I believe you two know each other, yes?” Jennifer gave another hearty laugh.

“I watched you fight the bandits but I could not get a very good view of your face, but judging from how you are dressed, you should be him! I will remember the colour of that armour!” Jennifer boomed, walking over and taking off her butcher’s glove and extending her hand.

Lawrence gripped her hand and shook it, offering his warmest smile.

“I will be under your care from now on,” Lawrence said respectfully and Jennifer giggled like a girl in her twenties.

“Jacob will be back soon, I reckon. I see that you plan on setting up a stall here?” Jennifer folded her arms, walking over to inspect what was for sale.

“Have you worked out a price point for these things yet?” Jennifer asked and Lawrence nodded confidently.

The food produced using Create Food and Water spell which was croissants or doughnuts would go for three coppers each, piping hot and fresh as he kept it in an item called the Dragon’s Nest, which in actuality was a massive dim sum basket capable of keeping food piping hot.

There was a pathetic table provided free of charge at the empty stall, as well a chair that Lawrence suspected may break if he sat on it a few more times. However, he could overlook something small like this. All small businesses started in their parents’ garage, their own bedroom or from a 6.80 vanilla latte in Starbucks.

Therefore, after quietly asking Craig how much the various things cost while on his way to what he thought was the few stalls and stands available, he came up with the following price strategy.

Apparently, butter was something that was for nobility in this world and Lawrence knew that his croissants tasted of butter and his doughnuts were all chocolate doughnuts.

Three coppers each was a steal, but he intended to gradually raise the price after he ran everyone out of business. This was essentially what the Rockefellers did in a way, having bought over their competitors rapidly then shut them down and Lawrence essentially wanted to replicate that, but in the food and beverage business.

Setting everything down, he also placed the bottles of wine on sale, going at 10 silvers each, which was 10 silvers cheaper than the average wine. However, with both the quality and price of the wine being so much more superior, no one would be able to beat it, Lawrence was sure of that.

“How much for that… Croissant?” a wandering traveller with a mighty belly said, having arrived earlier in the day, pointing at the croissant sitting in the steaming Dragon’s Nest, having lost most of his money aside from 2 silver coins in a bandit robbery en route to Black Bay Village several days earlier.

Lawrence smiled and welcomed his very first customer.

It was a small stand, nothing outstanding in particular aside from the fact that a man so heavily armoured ran a food stall.

I held little, or rather, no expectations of what I would taste with whatever little money I had.

However, it was on that day, that I knew that something amazing was to be had. The amazingly soft texture of the croissant, the amazing taste of chocolate on the doughnuts so soft that they reminded me of the cotton fields of Baria.

I knew that I had to let the world know.

Vol 1. Enik Don’s Guide to the Food of the World

He would name the food, the Guardian’s Bakery, with their slogan being- The Kingdom runs on Guardian’s Bakery!

Many historians later attributed the mass increase in production of butter, sugar and other food items that made them readily available as well as affordable to the average family to the sheer popularity of the Guardian Bakery. The average family was able to afford the occasional Guardian brand of wine to go with their meals and what was once an acquired taste by nobles became widespread.

The Guardian Bakery would go on to become a massive franchise, but that would be a tale for another day.