I Opened an Inn Next to a Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 147



Only Noblemtl

Episode 147

There are always people who can smell money, anytime, anywhere.

These people always keep their ears open and constantly listen to the news of the world.

It’s like throwing a fishing rod into the water.

They listen to the news of the world because they want to find something profitable among all the news that is pouring in.

As each day passed like that, a rumor was caught on the radar of those who had a good sense of smelling money.

-They say that many merchants come and go through the new trade route through Delphi Forest!

Sweet news that people have begun to enter the Delphi Forest, an unknown place that was thought to be inaccessible.

And along with it, rumors about the inn spread.

-There’s an inn in the forest of Delphi, and they say it’s really amazing!

-They say that the accommodations there are large, so they can accommodate large merchant groups!

-I heard the hot springs there are amazing! I heard it’s really effective at relieving fatigue!

-They say you can see other races there! First of all, the staff are all elves!

-They say that the customers there are really crazy, so I’m sure they’ll make a lot of money!

Ordinary people would just ignore the rumors and ignore them, but those who could smell money were different.

They smelled money there. And a very dazzling smell of money!

The merchant Pelo was one of them.

“That’s it, that’s it! How to make a fortune!”

In fact, the new trade route through the Delphi Forest was already quite famous among merchants. There was almost no one among the writers who did business in the area who did not know about it.

The fact that even at this moment, there were many merchants rushing into the Delphi Forest was proof of this.

That’s why Pello didn’t pay attention to the new trade route he was going through like everyone else.

‘It’s too late. It’s too well known.’

Rumor has it that it can drastically shorten time, so everyone is heading to Delphi Forest, and now there are too many of them. That means the competition is going to be fierce.

That’s why Fellow didn’t make the same choices as others.

Instead, I noticed something else that others weren’t paying attention to.

That’s right, an inn.

An inn located in the Delphi Forest, rumors of which spread that you might make a lot of money there.

That’s it.

Accommodation business!

If you build an inn to accommodate the people pouring into the Delphi Forest and do business there, you can make a lot of money like that inn!

This was the smell of money that Pello had been carrying.

‘The Delphi Forest is large, but there is only one inn in it. In fact, that was abnormal.’

Fellow admired himself. Even he thought it was a great choice.

This is a business that cannot fail.

Of course. Think about it. There is a huge floating population. You build an inn in the middle of the road? Would merchants passing through the rough forest path not stop by this inn?

‘This can’t fail. It’s a no-brainer!’

A rosy future was pictured in Pello’s mind. It seemed like he had already made a fortune.

They build large-scale accommodations and charge high rates. Since guests will flock in every day, they can make money just by collecting those rates.

‘Besides, there will be no risk. You won’t have to wander around dangerously.’

No more encounters with bandits. No more crossings of wilderness. No more passing through war zones.

It’s literally a piece of cake!

‘This needs to be done quickly. I’m not the only one who came up with this idea.’

He was not conceited. Although he prided himself on having a good sense of smell, there were many people like him in the world.

I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure other people are already thinking about opening an inn with the same idea.

The calculations in Pello’s head were complete. He immediately put them into action.

The first thing I did was do some preliminary research.

He joined the procession with his men as if he were going on a journey like everyone else, and arrived at the inn of which there was a rumor.

To the inn that is rumored to be the only one in the Delphi Forest.

All he did while staying at this inn was this:

To put it nicely, it is a thorough observation and investigation.

To put it badly, it’s just copying.

“Guys, you know? Don’t miss a single one and take them all in. If you think you’ll forget, write them down. But don’t let the staff catch you.”

“yes!”

I’m going to find out exactly why this inn is so popular!

How the building was built, what the inside looks like, how they charge, what the food tastes like. I will learn every single thing about it and put it to use!

With that in mind, Pello and his subordinates stayed at the inn for a long time and memorized each and every thing in their heads.

I was cautious and slow because I was doing it without the knowledge of the innkeeper and the staff, but I still did it steadfastly.

It was only when they felt there was nothing more to find out that they stopped staying.

And it ran.

We looked for a suitable location. We built a building on a road where merchants passed by.

Building a building wasn’t difficult. All you had to do was pay a little more and hire laborers.

After building the building, he cut down the surrounding trees and cleared the area cleanly. He put up an inn sign and made the interior similar. In this way, a pretty nice inn was completed.

“Hehehe. Isn’t this okay? Guys. What do you think?”

“Wow! It’s great!”

“yes?”

Next, he hired a cook. Neither Pelo nor his men knew how to cook. He said he would pay them a reasonable wage and provide them with a place to stay next door, so many people agreed. That’s how the cook problem was solved.

Of course, things didn’t go smoothly. I benchmarked diligently, but there were things I couldn’t follow.

“Captain. But, what about that hot spring?”

“What about that zoo?”

“That inn has a lot of interesting facilities in its annex… … .”

The hot springs, the zoo, the arcade in the annex, and the massage parlors were all things that could not be replicated.

“What should I do? Should I just dig the ground roughly? You never know. Water might come out.”

“Really? Let’s give it a try, okay?”

But can you just build a hot spring facility as you wish? You can’t. It would be nice if Pelo had a great spirit master subordinate, but Pelo is just a merchant.

What about the zoo? That was even harder. When he visited the zoo, Pello was truly amazed. How on earth did they think of bringing and raising so many animals? And how did they do it? It wasn’t like the legendary Beast Master or anything.

“Ah, give up on that. Don’t follow along until then.”

Pello decided to give up on things that couldn’t be done cleanly. What can you do about things that can’t be done? They’re the ones who can do it. That inn is strange.

“You can do it without that, you know?”

“Yes, that’s right, Captain.”

“We focus completely on accommodations. People will come in large numbers anyway. If we charge a good rate for accommodations, we’ll make money anyway.”

“As expected, you’re smart! Our captain!”

Pello focused only on one thing. In fact, the inn was ridiculous. If it’s an inn, all you need is a good night’s sleep, why do you need anything else?

“Captain, but there are quite a few people who have opened inns besides us. If you go a little to the side, there is a newly opened inn.”

“That’s right. Well, it doesn’t matter. We can’t accept all the guests anyway. We don’t have that much ability. So we’ll do it step by step. We can increase it little by little.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Go to sleep! Business starts tomorrow! Go to bed early today! Let’s greet our customers!”

“yes!”

Even though we haven’t opened yet, there were customers who came and asked if we could stay there. What does this mean? It’s a sign that we’re going to hit the jackpot.

Fellow imagined before going to bed. I hope there are many guests.

* * *

Fellow’s choice was a success.

oh my god.

There was no other way to say it.

There’s too much!

what?

Guest!

“Hahahaha!”

Fellow was happy. It couldn’t have been better. How many days has it been? Every day, the rooms are full?

He sat at the counter and looked around the first floor of the inn with a happy expression. The first floor was full of restaurant tables and was bustling with customers. The customers were drinking beer and chatting.

‘My choice was right. I was right!’

Just a month ago, there were many people who laughed at him. They all laughed at him, saying, “What kind of inn are you running?” Some even advised him to stop doing useless things and just go up and leave. However, he did as he pleased, and now the results are proving it.

In the early morning, when the moonlight was soft and all the guests were asleep, Pello celebrated this success by drinking with his subordinates.

“Captain. Congratulations again. It won’t be long before you start raking in the money.”

“Haha. Thank you. It’s thanks to you guys.”

“Shouldn’t we be raising the accommodations instead?”

“That’s right. We need to expand the restaurant and cut down more trees around it. Wouldn’t it be better if there was a more open view?”

Pello chuckled and listened to his subordinates’ advice. Now, it seemed like he could listen to any advice with a smile.

I was so happy, really. So happy. It felt like this happiness would last forever… … .

* * *

It had been about a month since Pello had started his inn business. Pello’s inn was still thriving. The number of customers had decreased slightly, but they were still very popular. The past month was probably the most profitable month in Pello’s life.

Huge sales! Even higher than when he was working in the upper class! But Pello couldn’t just smile.

“Captain. Why are you looking like that? You don’t look so good.”

“I did the math… … and the expenses are too much.”

“Huh? Expenses?”

“Yeah. It costs too much money.”

The expenses were too high, so the net profit was not as high as expected. That was what upset Pello.

In short, there isn’t much left over compared to what you might think.

Why are we spending so much?

Fellow slowly looked through the ledger. After looking through it for a while, he figured out the reason.

‘The employees’ salaries are too high.’

The amount of money that was being spent to feed the employees was more than I thought. It was a level that could not be ignored.

He had paid a lot of money to his subordinates who had been following him from the beginning, but the salaries of his cooks were even higher.

The cooks said they didn’t want to live in the forest unless they were paid a lot of money, so they had to pay more than they thought.

So what should I do? Should I cut back on the money I give to my employees? Should I do that?

‘No. That’s ridiculous. If that happens, everyone will quit their jobs.’

He knew that the loyalty between subordinates that seemed so close wasn’t that close.

This is all a relationship built on money. But if you give a little money? It will all disappear like an illusion.

‘No. Absolutely not.’

If we couldn’t reduce that, there was only one thing left.

Logistics costs.

Actually, that was the biggest one.

Actually, it would have been okay if I had done business in the city. But this place was in the forest. It was quite far from the city.

Naturally, logistics costs had to increase. That was the problem.

In the city, it wouldn’t have cost much, but here, it cost more than double. Fruit, meat, bread, and other groceries were all quite expensive.

It’s frustrating. How on earth does that inn owner make so much money? The accommodations and food are cheap there. How does he make a profit with those prices? Surely he’s not doing business at a loss.

The fellow had no idea that the inn owner was not running the business with the intention of making money in the first place.

‘It’s okay. But you still earn a lot. You still have a lot left over.’

It wasn’t as big a hit as he’d hoped, but he still earned more than he had earned the previous time he left the company. Pello decided to be satisfied with that. At least he could say that he was indebted to him.

How can you get full after just one drink? From now on, you just have to grow step by step. Yes. That’ll do it… … .

With that in mind, I went to sleep.

Problems started to arise the next day.

“Captain! Come over here!”

“Why? What’s the problem?”

“The customer is protesting!”

“What protest?”

“It stinks! It smells like shit! I think there’s something wrong with the side!”

It all started with complaints from guests who said the room smelled so bad they were going crazy.