Norman’s hands were trembling with excitement. In his hands, he was holding a treasure. Paper. Real, actual, paper. A paper he would write on with real ink. There was nothing Norman loved more than the scent of fresh paper and ink. Usually, said ink would be printer ink, but this was good enough. He was afraid that paper was unobtainable in this world, but the merchants guild had enough of it to make guild applications out of the stuff. He had inspected it with his [GOLDEN EYE] skill and found out that a single sheet was worth 1 Lapis. It was way too expensive for the average person who needed to spend every Lapis they had on necessities, but cheap enough that Norman could get an almost unlimited amount.

  He had exchanged his Earth socks for the 500 Lapis needed to register a business with the guild. He had been told that the verification process usually took two to three months, but the clerk had no problem instantly verifying him when he saw the last name on his ID card. Norman still had no idea why people treated him better after they saw his ID. Maybe he had the same name as someone famous? He doubted it.

  Filling out the document was easy enough. The questions were far more simple than the ones back on Earth. He didn’t need any additional documents, store location, or contracts. It was basically a questionnaire about his starting products, employees, and if he had any sponsors. The only thing that made him pause was the name. A fun and catchy name did have its advantages, such as being memorable and marketable. Something too quirky would put off serious buyers, though. There was also the luxury angle to think about.

  [HOW ABOUT FIRST CLASS CARAVAN?]

  Hmm… First Class Caravan as a name… It was both memorable and serious. The first class part gave the image of quality goods and luxury items, which was a plus. Yeah… that could work. It could work really well, actually. Norman lifted the quill with determination, writing the name of his new company on the application. The name that would shake the entire world of Silvae and switch the market on its head. Yes, this legendary merchant empire would go by the name;

  Persson Trading Company

  You thought he title was going to be the name of the company? No way. Norman could never bring himself to use anything other than the most basic of basic names. It was classic for a reason, he thought. It was simple and to the point, and it would look great on a branded company pen. Norman proudly handed in his application, and courtesy of having a last name that had been inscribed in the law of mana, he got his guild card within a few minutes.

  Norman valiantly showed the golden card to his family, not realizing that merchant guild cards are usually bronze, and golden cards are reserved for noble run companies. Nobody else in the group knew this either, so they would remain blissfully unaware for a good while longer. The kids, and even Rowboat, took turns marveling at the shiny card. It would grant them permission to sell products, set up stalls, and buy commercial property. They didn’t know what that meant, but they were glad that Norman was so excited.

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  “You see, if we do this right and save up a lot of money, we can buy a store in the capital… wherever that is.” Norman rambled on to the confused audience. He kept fidgeting with his glasses, the only sign that he was excited, as neither his voice nor face showed any hint of emotion. On the inside, though, he was ecstatic at the thought of getting to draft budget plans and calculate sales taxes.

  [THE CAPITAL OF THE LUX EMPIRE IS MOENE. MOENE IS A MONTH AWAY ON HORSEBACK.]

  “Could you also tell me why everything in this world is named after Latin words?” Norman asked Savant, inquiring for a lore explanation to the author’s lazy naming sense.

  [ONE OF THE FIRST HUMANS WITH A SYSTEM WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE LUX EMPIRE, GLORIA. SHE WAS A VESTAL VIRGIN IN ANCIENT ROME BEFORE SHE WAS TRANSPORTED HERE.]

  Norman had somewhat forgotten that he wasn’t the only person from Earth in this world. They were probably slaying monsters and traveling the world as heroes, something Norman had absolutely no interest in doing. He was glad that there were others, partly because they could relate to his struggles and partly because if they did all the fighting, he didn’t have to. Would they laugh at him at the hypothetical Earth reunion party? Yes. Was that a small price to pay for safety and financial stability? Also yes.

  After coming down from his excitement-fueled high, Norman had to think about the more practical things. He had unlimited materials, but he didn’t have the production methods needed to mass-produce any products. He knew how to make candles; he had never done it before, but it was common knowledge. Dye was trickier. He knew that certain plants produced certain pigments, but making sure the cloth stayed vibrant and wouldn’t wash out was going to be trial and error.

  [I CAN JUST TELL YOU THE PRODUCTION METHOD.]

  Oh yeah. He had a search engine in his brain. That seemed like something important that most people would remember, but Norman wasn’t most people. That narrowed the to-do list down a bit, but he still had a lot to do. He would have to level up his exchange skill a lot. He could only do one exchange until his mana ran out, and that was less than ideal when the entire business plan hung on the skill. After he got the hang of his skills, he needed somewhere to begin production.

  The children could help with the dyes, but he didn’t trust them around hot wax, so he would also need another employee. Setting up in Swaan seemed to be the best course of action for now. It was a large town with a steady tourist industry, but it wasn’t so large that property prices would be unreasonable. What he needed was a living space for him and the kids, someplace for his employees to stay, and an open space for making products.

  He would have to exchange his precious briefcase and the knickknacks in it to afford a property, but you had to spend money to make money. The things in the briefcase were his last connection to Earth. Well, other than his glasses, but those were pretty much part of his body at this point. His skill wasn’t high enough to exchange the entire briefcase yet, but he still felt a deep sense of loss when he saw the paperclips, highlighters, and portable battery pack fade into mana.

  Earth was behind him. He had a family in Silvae, and now he had a business here as well. He had probably already been pronounced dead or missing back home. Was anyone looking for him? He doubted it. One of the downsides to blending in was that nobody ever missed you. His mother was probably anxious about it or maybe just irritated. His father had always said that funerals were a waste of money since the dead person isn’t there to appreciate the effort, so he probably didn’t get a funeral either. He had to admit that the thought of nobody caring about his death hurt quite a bit. He pushed the depressing thoughts aside and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

  “Right! We’re getting a house!”