WMFW 10 - Raphael's Ink

Outside the store, the sound of conversations mixed with the light rustle of the slightly chilly wind that passed through Valenford's narrow streets.

The movement drew the attention of everyone who woke up and passed through the street.

Even those who hadn't come because they were interested in the book ended up approaching, curious about the small crowd of people forming early in the morning.

The store itself was modest, despite having been bought by a nobleman, apparently he wasn't so fanatical about luxury, keeping the appearance of the place more cozy than people expected, with the sign still smelling of freshly sanded wood, and a simple façade written with a few words that hardly anyone could read.

[Raphael's Ink]

“Will it be too expensive...?” a middle-aged woman whispered to her husband, who was wearing a flour-stained apron, despite how early it was.

"Books have always been a noble thing. Just by being here, I'm already feeling a bit nosy..." The man replied jokingly, with a low chuckle.

“Are you sure you saw the story that the baron himself drew?” A teenage girl with pigtails, holding the hand of her younger brother, who seemed barely able to sit still with anxiety, asked him skeptically.

Smiling, the boy nodded and said. “Yes, I saw with my own eyes the baron sending a kind old man to read the story to us, and I even think the story tells of an adventure the baron himself had when he was a child!”

Not only was the boy's sister surprised by this, but other people in the queue also became even more interested after hearing this.

“If it's too expensive, at least we can see the cover design...” Said another girl, this time alone, hugging her own body with cold curiosity, receiving nods from other people who had come just for the fun and novelty.

Despite knowing that the chance of buying was slim, people didn't have much to do in a place like Valenford. A new book, especially one that was already being talked about all over town as an exciting story, was more than enough reason to get up early and wait.

Besides, there was a certain charm in trying to see up close something that, according to the children, even the butler's baron said other nobles would be crazy to have.

Being commoners for generations, the closest these people came to seeing something noble was when they saw nobles walking down the street in luxurious clothes and various accessories, but even that was rare in Valenford, so a novelty like this new Baron's store was very interesting.

With the bell of the local church tower ringing the eighth time, the store door finally opened.

William came out first, with impeccable posture, dressed in a more sober suit, and holding a clipboard and a rolled-up parchment under his arm.

The old butler stopped a few paces beyond the door, looked out at the crowd and waited for the din of conversation to die down naturally before he began to speak.

“Good morning, everyone,” he began, his voice calm and loud enough to be heard. “On behalf of Lord Raphael Von Kaelen, I thank you for your interest and your presence.”

Some nodded, others just waited for the announcement to continue.

"Today is the opening of Raphael's Ink Bookshop. The book we have for sale is ‘Hansel and Gretel’, a story written and illustrated by our young master."

Several people whispered among themselves when they heard this.

“Each copy is being sold for twelve pieces of silver.” He continued.

A small collective sigh went through the crowd.

For most of the people there, this was unaffordable, considering that the average salary was around 10 silver coins a month, paying the money a person earned to support their family for a month, on an item that couldn't fill anyone's belly, was a luxury few could afford.

But William continued before discouragement set in.

"However... there is a sample edition inside the store. Anyone can come in and read it for free, as long as they respect the time limit and common sense."

The shock was immediate.

“For free?” one woman repeated, confused.

“But... if there's a book to see for free, why would anyone buy it?” One of the men whispered to a friend.

The doubt was legitimate. The crowd began to murmur, some with renewed hope, others with skepticism visible on their faces.

But before the uncertainty could take hold, a firm voice emerged from within the crowd:

“I'm going to buy one.”

Everyone turned.

It was a tall man with broad arms and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and sturdy leather pants, stained with soot.

It was Marren, the town blacksmith.

He walked up to William with sure steps, while pulling a small bag of coins from his waist.

“My daughter hasn't stopped talking about this story since she heard it at the public reading.” He looked at William. “And yesterday, when I got home from work, she had already drawn two pictures of the candy house with charcoal on our living room floor.”

Some people smiled when they heard that.

The man continued. "She never cared about reading, even though her mother struggled to teach her to read and write... barely sitting still for five minutes. But ever since she heard this story, she keeps asking me to buy it for her, using the excuse that she'll use it to learn to read better."

William was a little uncertain when he saw this, since the man wasn't the first in line, so asking for a second, he went back into the store and in a few seconds he returned smiling. "Congratulations good sir, you will receive the first autographed copy of a Lord Raphael Von Kaelen story sold in history. On behalf of our young master, I hope it brings much joy to your daughter, come with me to receive your copy."

Guiding the man into the store, the people standing outside looked around curiously, trying to see what was going on inside.

The first people in line had a better view of what was going on.

Inside, Marren was scared with his head down as he heard someone talking and scribbling something in a book above the counter.

Unfortunately, they couldn't see who the person talking to Marren was.

Surprisingly, even a drink was served alongside a plate of small rolls to Marren, who at first seemed to refuse, but after some insistence, finally accepted it and showed a shocked expression as he ate and drank.

People were confused and curious, not even bothering to stay outside for a few minutes.

After five minutes, Marren took the book carefully, as if it were a delicate piece, even though his hands were calloused, and left the store.

Seeing people staring at him in shock and curiosity, he held up the volume so that the curious could see the cover, and then he smiled and said excitedly. “It's even more beautiful up close, and this store doesn't just sell books, they also sell something called Tea and Biscuits which is delicious, as I bought the book, they gave it to me for free to try!”

The gleam in some of the children's eyes lit up again, and the whispering resumed, this time with enthusiasm.

As Marren walked away with the book in her hands, a few people began to queue, now not to buy, but to enter the store, see the sample copy and see this Tea and Biscuits.

The idea of being able to see that story, even without taking it home, was too tempting.

So the first people in the queue began to enter the store, with hesitant steps but eyes wide with curiosity.

The interior of the store was welcoming, with simple shelves made of light wood, a faint smell of fresh paint in the air and soft lighting coming from lamps hung carefully in strategic places, without worrying about consuming oil to keep it lit.

In the center, a small, low table displayed the sample edition of[Hansel and Gretel], open on a wooden stand decorated with hand-carved floral details.

A middle-aged couple were the first to approach the book. The woman leaned over a little and let out a small sigh when she saw the cover illustration. “It's really beautiful...” She murmured.

Her husband was shocked too. Being a country man, he thought he wouldn't find anything funny in a book written by a nobleman, but he was still forced to come at his wife's insistence. But even he was shocked by the quality and how beautiful the drawings were. “It's like something out of a dream...” He said, running his fingers along the edge of the page, but afraid to touch it.

Right behind them, a mother with two children entered, and the little ones' eyes lit up as soon as they saw the vibrant colors of the candy house drawing. One of them tried to tiptoe up to get a better look, but William realized this, quickly brought over a small wooden stool and smiled as he said gently. “Here, young readers also deserve a good place to peek into the world of fantasy.”

As people took turns reading and admiring the book, others began to notice the small sign next to the counter:

[Tea with Biscuits - 10 Copper].

It was a relatively high price, almost the price of a meal with meat and a drink in a tavern... but the presentation was too elegant to compare.

Although everything was served in wooden pots, the pot was beautifully painted like the sweets in the story, while the cookies were delicately shaped like flowers, leaving people who knew how to cook shocked without knowing how it was done. Even the aroma of the tea was slightly sweet, very different from the bitter herbal teas people were used to drinking.

“It's like something from a nobleman's house...” muttered a middle-aged man.

“It should be,” replied a woman, before smiling and approaching the counter. “I want to try it.”

She paid the ten copper coins and received her plate with a slight smile from the attendant. As soon as she tasted the first cookie, her eyes went wide.

“This... this melts in your mouth!” She said, turning to the others. “It's sweet, but not too sweet... I've never had anything like this.”

Her enthusiasm infected those nearby; another man, although frowning as he handed over the coins, ended up buying too.

Within minutes, four people were sitting in a corner of the store, drinking tea, munching cookies and looking at the beautiful books on the shelves.

And then another sale happened.

This time, a lone woman wearing a patched dress approached the counter with watery eyes. She handed over the twelve pieces of silver, counted out one by one, and asked in a low but determined voice. "It's for my daughter too. She keeps asking me to count it again, but I can't remember... now she'll be able to see it for herself."

The clerk guided her to the counter to hand over the book, and all eyes discreetly turned to that scene.

Outside the store, watching everything from an upstairs balcony, Raphael watched in silence.

The expression on his face was hard to define... a mixture of surprise, pride and a little disappointment.

He was very happy that people were loving the store, even if they couldn't buy the books, the tea and cookies could make enough money for the place not to make a loss.

But his disappointment also came from that tea and cookies.

That was an idea he had in the early hours of that night.

Considering that when people listened to the stories he copied with the grimoire, he received an amount of Mana, if he used the grimoire to make some ingredients and people were happy to eat some food made with those ingredients, wouldn't he also gain Mana from those people?

To test this theory, Raphael spent a large amount of Mana to make a kilo of caster sugar and some other ingredients he remembered from a cookie recipe he learned on the internet to impress his ex-girlfriend.

The ratio of Mana spent to sugar produced was terrible, but if it worked to earn more Mana, it would be a good way to earn more money and a lot more Mana, with the possibility of exporting it.

Unfortunately, he didn't earn any Mana even if people ate and liked the sugar cookies he made, so this idea wasn't worth pursuing.

But seeing that people liked them, it would still be worth making the ingredients once a week to supply the store and earn some extra money.