บท 6: Chapter 6: Renting a Stall
"Essence of Pure Water Turtle, body fluid of the Wind-splitting Beast... You have a complete selection of materials here."
Lu An complimented sincerely as he looked at the array of materials on the table.
The vendor, seeing a customer, quickly displayed a smile.
"Good eye, sir. What can I get for you? As for materials for talisman making, I have everything you could need, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Lu An shook his head slightly and said:
"That's not urgent. I'm looking to rent a stall here to sell talismans. There will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future."
The vendor became interested immediately.
If it were a casual customer, he wouldn't make much profit. But if Lu An bought supplies from him, not only would his profits increase, but they would also be more stable.
"Is that so? May I ask your name?"
"Lu An."
"Friend Lu, if you purchase from me, I can offer you some discounts. How about that?"
Lu An smiled slightly and replied:
"That's great. Once I've rented the stall, we can discuss the details."
"I just don't know where to handle the rental. Could you guide me?"
The vendor, pleased to have a regular customer, pointed in a direction:
"Go along this street to the middle. There's a loft with a sign saying 'Market Office.' You can rent the stall there."
Lu An glanced in that direction, thanked the vendor, and set off.
It didn't take long for him to find the loft the vendor mentioned.
The loft door was open, and inside was a small table and a single wooden bed.
A plump middle-aged man was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. He looked like the person in charge of the market office.
Lu An didn't disturb him. He found a seat and waited for the man to wake up.
After a full half-hour, the plump man slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze gradually focused, and he saw Lu An sitting nearby.
"Ah, when did you arrive, fellow? I'm sorry for the oversight."
This market was an asset of the Li family of Guyang County. Although he was in charge, he was essentially just an employee.
If Lu An reported him for napping during work hours, he might lose his job.
Lu An didn't mind. Having been an employee in his previous life, he understood the pleasure of slacking off.
"I'd like to rent a stall here. Could you provide some details?"
The plump man, relieved to see no sign of anger, responded warmly:
"Certainly. Take a look at this map."
He pulled out a scroll from a drawer, opened it with one hand, and spread it out on the table.
The scroll depicted a miniature map of the market.
Each small square represented a store, and the small circles on the other side were the stalls available for rent.
The plump man pointed to one of the circles on the scroll and explained:
"The solid circles represent rented stalls, while the hollow ones are available."
Lu An nodded.
Most of the circles on the scroll were solid, with only a few hollow ones remaining.
"How do I go about renting a stall, and what are the costs?"
"Prices vary by location, but renting is straightforward. Just pay the spirit stones, complete the paperwork, and you can move in immediately."
After finishing his True Method, the plump man pointed to a hollow circle and continued:
"This sector, marked as 'A,' is the best location. It's close to the entrance of the market with high foot traffic, so the price is higher—fifty spirit stones per month."
"The 'B' sector, in comparison, is less desirable, located in the middle of the market, and costs thirty spirit stones per month."
Lu An thought for a moment and asked:
"What's the lowest price available?"
The plump man was a bit surprised. In business, foot traffic is crucial. If someone only seeks cheap prices, they might end up with unsold goods and lose their investment. It's normal for someone as young as Lu An not to understand this principle.
He wanted to remind Lu An but appreciated that Lu An hadn't caused a fuss about waking him or held it against him.
"The cheapest option is here, in the 'D' sector, for just twenty spirit stones per month. However, this is the farthest part of the market with very few visitors, so business might not be great."
"If you have limited spirit stones, I recommend renting a 'B' sector spot. It's thirty spirit stones, has decent foot traffic, and offers the best cost-performance ratio."
The plump man then pointed to what he considered the best location.
"B16."
Lu An pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head.
"No, I think D13 is good."
He had his own considerations. Aside from the limited spirit stones, if the foot traffic was too high, he couldn't supply enough talismans with his current speed, making a prime location a waste.
The depth of the market suited him well. He could practice making talismans during the day and sell them casually, while spending evenings on cultivation—both activities would not interfere with each other.
As for whether the business would be good or not, he wasn't too worried. A good product doesn't fear a deep alley. If he improves the quality of his talismans, he'll surely gain recognition.
At that time, who would expect that among these stalls, there would be high-quality, even top-quality talismans for sale?
Seeing that Lu An had made up his mind, the plump man didn't try to persuade him further.
"Let's go. I'll show you the stall. If there are no issues, after you pay the spirit stones, the stall will be yours."
They walked for a while, and as the number of pedestrians decreased, they finally reached the stall area, which was empty.
Seeing the scene, Lu An couldn't help but doubt whether his decision was right or wrong.
To his surprise, despite the sparse visitors, there were still quite a few stalls occupied.
Only Lu An's stall was vacant, while the others had vendors.
"This is D13. What do you think?"
Lu An examined the stall. It was square, about five feet on each side, with a wooden table and a bamboo chair, and nothing else. The floor was marked with a large "D13."
The space was a bit small, but it was sufficient for selling talismans.
Satisfied, Lu An nodded and looked at the neighboring stalls.
On the left, D12 was occupied by a middle-aged man with a full beard, looking quite fierce. He sold various beast bones and blood, presumably from some source.
On the right, D14 was run by an elegant middle-aged woman, who moved with a graceful charm. In front of her were several old, yellowed paper books.
Lu An glanced at them: "Record of Master Li's Travels on the Clear Lake," "Geography of the Vast Wilderness"—all miscellaneous books.
He wondered if anyone really bought such things with spirit stones.
He shook his head, pulled his gaze back, and said to the plump man:
"This spot is fine."
He then took out twenty spirit stones and handed them over. If Zhao Shu hadn't returned the thirty spirit stones to him, he wouldn't have had enough to rent this stall.
The plump man accepted the spirit stones with a cheerful smile.
"There are two things you need to note: first, fighting is prohibited within the market, with severe consequences for violations."
"Second, the rent for the next month needs to be paid three days in advance. The same applies to everyone. If you decide not to rent, you need to notify me five days in advance."
Lu An nodded and mentally noted these points.
"Got it. I wish you prosperous business and wealth rolling in. I'll take my leave now."
After bidding farewell to the plump man, Lu An didn't immediately set up his stall. Instead, he headed toward the center of the market.
He had no talismans to sell yet, so he needed to buy materials and create some before he could start selling.
Having paid the rent, he still had twenty-five spirit stones left, which would be enough.
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