“Hah!”

Ikasa woke up the next morning refreshed and full of energy. He, who had been under a lot of stress recently, looked at the pillows with appreciation.

“These pillows are truly amazing! No wonder the business of this Inn is booming!”

The words Yao Ya had said to Zhang Chun were not entirely false. When Yao Ya registered his name last evening, he happened to see the status of other rooms.

Of the 32 rooms available in the Inn, 26 rooms were already occupied! After his bookings, there was only 1 room left vacant!

This was a occupancy rate of as high as 97%!

With 100 gold per night, the Pleasant Dream Inn was earning 3100 gold per night.

Ikasa was tempted to invest in this Business upon hearing the incredible figures. However, when he thought about it, he realized that the business was not as profitable as it seemed.

The seasonal volatility of the Business was the first reason.

The Inn had a good amount of customers only during four months out of twelve. This was the time period when the Merchants from the Furnace Fire Empire arrived in the City.

The rest of the time, the Inn would hardly host 4 or 5 customers in a month.

Then came the operating costs. Each of the decorations in the Inn were rarities in the outside world. Their most famous feature, the Dream Swan Feathers alone cost around 400 to 800 gold per ding depending on the availability.

To make a pillow one needs at least one ding of the feathers. And the Pleasant Dream Inn had nearly seventy of those Pillows!

Even if they had obtained it for the cheapest rate possible, they still had to spend 28000 gold!

This was excluding the other luxurious decorations in the Inn, the various arrays laid in each room and the man power costs.

Such was a capital sucking industry of Hospitality.

Even on Earth, Ikasa had passed down the offer to invest in one of the major projects of the prestigious Hotel Group, W.J. Marionette for the same reason.

Ikasa stopped thinking about the potential risks and gains of investing in an Inn and started to get ready for the day. Just as he was checking his appearance in the mirror, he heard a knock on his door.

“Master Ikasa, Young Master Sang Yi is waiting for you.”

Yao Ya informed Ikasa as soon as he answered the door. Ikasa nodded and asked her to take good care of his people.

Then he picked up the three Spatial Storage devices hidden under the pillow and exited the room. When the door shut, a blue circle big enough to fit a person’s palm formed on the door.

“I really like these small conveniences.” Ikasa mumbled as he placed his hands on the circle .

This small circle was actually a temporary array disc which was attuned to Ikasa during his stay. It was connected to the array inside the room.

When this array was activated, it locked this room for anyone who did not possess the energy signature of Ikasa!

“No wonder, the people of Tier-2 Cities look down on people of Tier-3 Cities.”

Ikasa mumbled once the array turned yellow signaling its activation. He then proceeded downstairs to meet with Sang Yi.

Unlike the time Ikasa arrived yesterday, quite a few tables arranged downstairs were filled with people. Sounds of mundane chatter filled the eating area as the people enjoyed their breakfast.

“Look at that brave guy. Every year there are one or two young ones who want to achieve the impossible.”

A ridiculing voice from a nearby table fell into Ikasa’s ears. He started to pay attention to them as he descended down the stairs.

“Hehehe…  I had warned him that the people from the Nian Clan are very averse to business.”

Ikasa scanned the room upon hearing the name of the Nian Clan and spotted Sang Yi on a table near the entrance. Currently, he was staring down a young man in luxurious clothing.

Many of the people on tables were looking in the direction of Sang Yi, either discreetly or blatantly. They watched with amusement as the young merchant opposite Sang Yi sweated bullets under the latter’s gaze.

Soon, the young man gave up and returned to his table with an embarrassed smile. He was greeted to taunts and ribbing from his fellow merchants.

Then they saw Ikasa descend down the stairs and walk toward Sang Yi. Many of them thought he was another sucker.

The young man who had just been grilled under the gaze of Sang Yi felt a sense of camaraderie with Ikasa.

‘This guy should be a few years younger than me but he is also as ambitious as I am. To lessen his suffering, let me warn him as his senior.’

The young man thought with an appreciative gaze. Just as he got up from his seat, he saw Sang Yi stand up and greet Ikasa with a big smile!

“Brother Ikasa! You arrived earlier than I expected.”

The smile on the young man’s face freezed.

‘He must be an acquaintance or even friend of Sang Yi.’

The young merchant quickly recovered and composed himself. Since the person was just a friend of Sang Yi, there was no need for him to poke his nose in their meeting.

He pulled the chair out and began to sit down when their conversation fell in his ears.

“Hahaha! Brother Sang Yi, it’s good to see you too! How did the Clan Head react to my proposal? Did he approve?”

The word ‘proposal’ made the ears of every merchant perk up. Even the young merchant left his butt hovering over the chair as he listened carefully to the conversation.

Sang Yi and Ikasa noticed the sudden silence in the room. They looked at each other and helplessly shook their heads.

Most of the Merchants here were Sense Trainers or had Sense Realm Experts as bodyguards. Even if Ikasa and Sang Yi kept their voice low and tried to be secretive, the enhanced ears of these Sense Trainers would hear everything.

Sang Yi knew that these people would not stop until they had received the answer. He began to speak loudly on purpose so that these Merchants would understand that he was actually speaking to them.

“Of Course, Brother Ikasa! Unlike some other merchants, you were not trying to scam our Nian Clan. You truly showed your sincerity by agreeing to shoulder all the risks. So, the Clan Head approved your proposal immediately. In fact, he is very eager to meet you.”

The group of merchants were shocked by this revelation. So shocked that the young merchant had missed the chair and landed on the ground!

Looking at their dumbfounded gazes, Sang Yi shook his head and brought Ikasa outside.

As soon as the duo left the Inn, the merchants went into a frenzy.  Many of them admired him but more were envious of him for having the good fortune of working with the Nian Clan.

They quickly memorized the appearance of Ikasa and mobilized their contacts to find any and all the information available about this mysterious young man.

Soon the name of Ikasa, the founder of Gold Heart Business Group, was heard by almost every merchant in the Elm City.

After all, he had achieved what they thought was impossible!

The deliberate exposure of the deal with the Nian Clan had the effect that Ikasa intended. His Gold Heart Business Group turned from an anonymous name to a brand synonymous with the Nian Clan.

Due to this newfound reputation, Ikasa no longer had to worry about small players like Zhang Chun targeting his people as they all were now protected under the name of Nian Clan.

Sang Yi, the simple lad, did not understand these considerations. He was still profusely apologizing to Ikasa for attracting the attention of all the Merchants to Ikasa.

“I am sorry. I couldn’t help but let those idiots know that our Nian Clan appreciates sincerity. And you have been the only one to show us some.”

Ikasa’s lips twitched involuntarily.

‘The way the Nian Clan defines sincerity is very different from the way the world defines the word. Which merchant can let you eat his profits without having a share in his risks? Even I am straight up employing you guys for security under the guise of Partnership.’

Ikasa thought as he tried to change the subject.

“Brother Yi, can you lead me to the Auction House before we head to the Nian Clan? I need to consign an item for the upcoming auction.”

Sang Yi grew nervous at Ikasa’s mention of the Auction House. He shiftily looked at the surroundings before he asked with a whisper, “It is not ‘that’ Sword, right?”

Seeing his suspicious behavior Ikasa did not know whether to laugh or cry. If people were not looking at them before, they were now.

‘Brother Sang, do you think I am as dumb as you? Why would I auction off a sword that is easily recognizable? Wouldn’t the Mu Family find me immediately?’

Ikasa controlled his snarky retort and innocently blinked his eyes before exclaiming.

“Of course not, Brother Sang!”

Sang Yi immediately exhaled a sigh of relief. He quietly explained the reason for his vigilance.

“I have seen quite a few Su Family’s people around the market. They have been keeping an eye out for a sword named ‘Tyranny’.”

The tattooed man explained while nodding meaningfully. Ikasa did not react outwardly but he sighed with relief in his heart. His decision to not use this sword was the best one he had made.

Then he remembered the Spatial Bracelet embedded with Emerald in his possession. He hurriedly asked, “Are they also looking for a bracelet?”

Sang Yi shook his head. Then looking at Ikasa speculatively, he probed, “If you want a place to sell it, I can take you to the Blind Bazaar.”

Ikasa neither refused nor accepted his offer. He simply said, “I’ll ask for your help when needed, Brother Sang.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep