Chapter 59: From Goat to Gourmet

Chapter 59: From Goat to Gourmet Griz, Borin, Skall, and the other goatfolk finally arrived back at Stonehorn Crossing. They made their way directly to the office, where their boss, Master Bjorn, was waiting. A heavy silence hung in the air as they entered, and Bjorn, a large goatfolk with a thick beard and an imposing presence, sat slumped in his chair. "So," Master Bjorn began, "debrief me on your findings about these overly rumored hermit master artisans and blacksmiths. Did you strike a deal?" The other goatfolk shifted nervously, but Griz, as their leader, stepped forward. "Master, we didn’t strike a deal, but—" "Then you failed," Bjorn cut him off, his voice flat and final. "That’s that. The expenses will be deducted from your salaries." The other goatfolk began to panic, their faces filled with worry. "Please, Master, hear me out first!" Griz pleaded. Bjorn leaned back in his chair, a scowl on his face. "What’s there to hear about? I already expected this to happen. And you," he pointed a thick finger at Griz, "insisted we check out this ’huge opportunity’ before the foxkins did. I told you these were just baseless rumors, a risky investment, a huge waste of time when you could have struck a guaranteed deal with the frogfolks. Now that you’ve failed on your little adventure, what’s there to hear about, huh?" "Master," Griz said, a small smirk on his face, "this isn’t a failure on my part. Instead, we found an opportunity that could turn our company around and take major control of Stonehorn." Bjorn laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "We are a small merchant company. We don’t even exist in the top ten companies in this town. What you’re saying is utter nonsense. Unless you found a gold mine, I would never believe you." "No," Griz said, his smirk widening. "It’s better than a gold mine." Bjorn’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of interest finally appearing. "Hmm... Go on, I’m listening." "This new establishment we found is located in the old dungeons," Griz explained. "What we found wasn’t exactly a dungeon like you’d imagine. A perfect word for it would be a noble’s mansion. But it’s a market, nonetheless and they are their own company." "What other races are dumb enough to establish their own company outside the jurisdiction of the three towns? Are they stupid?" Bjorn scoffed. "Please, Master, just hear me out," Griz insisted. "Fine," Bjorn conceded. "That’s only because you’re the least of my employees that suck up to me for a promotion or a pay rise, or another one of those foxkin sly informants." "It’s better if I just show you," Griz said. He took three items, each wrapped in a cloth, and a waterskin. "What exactly am I looking at?" Bjorn asked, skeptical. Griz revealed the first cloth to be the "burger" they had bought three days earlier. Griz smiled while the other goatfolk behind him stole glances at it, wondering if Master Bjorn would actually eat it, if not, they would share it amongst themselves. Seeing their faces, Bjorn grew even more skeptical. "Does this have poison in it? Or some kind of potion that would hypnotize me?" "Well... it’s not that kind," Griz said, "We would never do that, but it’s addicting enough, hence their faces." He glanced at his fellow goatfolk, who quickly wiped drool from their faces. Bjorn nodded in acceptance. "Seeing your faces, I guess it might be. But who knows. If this has poison in it, I’d fire you all and have the knights execute you in the town center." Griz just smiled. "Please, do try." Bjorn took the burger and smelled it. He nodded in approval. "This does smell pleasing enough." He paused and took a bite. His eyes widened slightly. "Hmmm, this tastes wonderful. I’ve never seen or tasted such food in my life. A perfectly grilled meat and vegetables mixed into a bread. This is amazing, but it would have been a lot better if it were hot." "Yes, Master," Griz said, "It is better, but since the journey was long, we had no way of reheating it without maintaining it’s quality.." "It still tastes better though, which is good," Bjorn admitted. "That is what I’m talking abot, Master," Griz said. Bjorn just listened, eating the burger. "The establishment sells food like these, as well as what’s in that waterskin." Bjorn, now interested, looked at the waterskin. "I thought this was just water. Is this some kind of liquor?" Griz shook his head. "It’s a lot better." Bjorn opened it and drank, a look of approval on his face. "The taste is good, but pairing it with this thing is just perfect. It counters the greasy part with mixed fruit flavors." "Yes," Griz said. "That is what they called a juice, and the meat bread is a burger." Bjorn nodded, muttering the words to himself, "Juice... burger..." A slow smile spread across his face as he realized something. "Ahhhhhh... I see where you’re going with this. You want us to start a restaurant chain?" Griz nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Master, with this we’re going to take over the food market." Bjorn leaned forward again, a familiar skepticism returning. "It’s not that easy, Griz-boy. The reason the Carabina Company leads the food market is because of their business model. They buy recipes from other beastkins and improve them, then sell them at an enormous price. But you know why customers keep coming? It’s because they feel like kings and queens in their restaurants. Luxury is their business model. Despite the taste and price, others dream of even ordering food inside. They don’t sell food, they sell feelings. That feeling of eating in one of the most luxurious restaurants in Stonehorn. And besides, cooking this kind of food must have taken you ages to wait." Griz looked at the other goatfolk and then back at Bjorn. "Uhhh... it’s not really that long. It’s quite fast, in fact," Borin chimed in. "After we ordered, maybe 10-30 seconds, the food arrived at our table and it’s still hot, like they just cooked it in a few seconds." Bjorn’s eyes widened. "Really?!" "Yeah," Griz said. "Which really surprised us. And also their fixed food ordering system. They have some kind of food sets. Usually, restaurants here, have separate pricing, which is flexible, but theirs is a food set. For example, this ’Burger Set,’ one burger and one juice, costs around 25 to 35 bronze coins or something." "Whaaat?!!" Bjorn stood up, stunned. "That’s too dirt cheap! Even a glass of water at Carabina restaurants costs 40 bronze coins! How do they even profit from that?" "That’s what surprised us, too," Griz said. "I only learned from one of their assistant managers that they earn quite a little from each set." Bjorn sat down, confused. "Of course, they do" he muttered. Then he froze, realizing something. "Wait... think about it. If even one meal set costs so little that even a beggar can afford it, won’t—" "Yep," Griz said, smiling triumphantly. "Every single person would flood towards them. Despite the cheap price, it’s also delicious. It’s affordable, and even a small, poor family can enjoy and still taste luxury." Bjorn was stunned. "No, the taste is even better than Carabina’s. What a brilliant strategy. The low price doesn’t really matter if the entire population buys. No, even if it’s just one-tenth of the population, you could earn more than 100 gold per day!" "That’s not all," Darek added. "The food also makes it addictive enough, that you would come back every time, and trying other food is disgusting. The regular customers would automatically make a comparison with others. Their food business model is a never-ending food addiction." "You’re right, Darek," Bjorn said, a new, cunning smirk on his face. "Which is why it’s perfect. It’s even better than a gold mine." He turned back to Griz. "So, did you talk to them if we could also sell it?" "Yes, Master, but it’s also not what you think," Griz said. "Go on," Bjorn urged. "They have a franchise system," Griz explained. "Any franchise owners can benefit from the profit but must also follow the rules of the company. In my opinion, the rules are just for customer service, professionalism, a better environment, and benefits for the employees and stuff." "If that’s the case, then it’s not a problem," Bjorn said dismissively. "We are a company that seeks profit, after all, what’s a little rule. So, how do they do the cooking? Do they send chefs or something?" "No," Griz replied. "We purchase pre-cooked or pre-seasoned food in bulks that they will deliver themselves upon contract signing, whether it’s monthly or weekly. And then we can hire our own chefs to cook them." Bjorn leaned back, a deep line of thought etched on his brow. "They’re really being smart about it. It would make sense why customer orders arrive very fast, faster than most restaurants that usually take 10-20 minutes, or you can endure eating reheated food." "What other opportunities have you managed to snag?" Bjorn asked. "I also reserved a spot for our company to sell at their market," Griz said. "Why?" Bjorn said, confused. "It’s not like there are many customers who will come and visit, especially when it’s located so far up in the mountain." "That..." Griz began, "during our journey back here, we encountered Captain Luma’s convoy, with maybe 30-40 beastkins. The environment there is also kind of addicting, but I think it’s better if you visit and see it for yourself." Bjorn’s eyes went wide. "Luma, huh? If that’s the case, Commander Urma has found interest in such a place." He smiled. "Interesting. Then I guess I will visit there by the end of this week, so I can inquire more about the franchise as fast as possible before others can catch up." He paused, trying to think who would accompany him. "Then I guess I’ll just take all of you." "What about the seniors, Master?" Griz asked. "Nahh... don’t mind those bootlickers," Bjorn said, waving his hand dismissively. "They just want to continuously suck up to me so I can promote them and give them a share of my company. I’d rather trust you, you young-uns. Older goatfolks tend to be schemy than most. And besides, there’s no one more familiar with the place than you guys." He smiled. Griz and the other goatfolk smiled at each other and cheered, knowing they could visit the Necro Market again, and this time, Bjorn would be tanking all the expenses.