Scrubbing, ripping, and nailing planks, Anne spent a week fixing the furniture, walls, doors, and windows. The result was… well, acceptable. She wasn’t a professional, so her perfectionism would only delay the critical work. After two days of redoing and not getting better results, she learned to compromise. Once she had the means, she would pay for better renovations.
Fortunately, she didn’t face any problems with sleeping or invading beasts. Being away from the town and close to a desolate part of the forbidden forest had its perks. Room and bed-wise, she chose one of the rooms on the first floor and used a furry coat to smooth her sleep.
Some beds had mattresses but those were unusable. Even so, she wouldn’t let these small details stop her, she only needed to hang out for a week more before her books and appliances arrived. Also, she did some cleaning on the second and third floors but chose to keep them empty for now.
Aside from waiting, now her only job was to prepare as many bookshelves as possible. Again, luck was at her side, the absurd amount of furniture left behind by the old owner would suffice to craft enough cases for her most precious possessions, the books.
With the schematics, the shelves were indeed easy enough for her to put together. She wouldn’t be doing anything pretty or elaborate, though. The most difficult part was fitting the wood planks, but thankfully, they were sized close enough and only required some polishing. The rough work was already showing on her hands, but the studying area was also taking form, everything was worth it.
The plants were also growing well, even faster than she expected. It might have something to do with the strong magic of the forest nearby and the water.
As for the water, it worked as she expected. She would activate the transfer array placed indoors and the water would flow from the well immediately. Better yet, the activation would only require a bit of energy and the rest would be provided by the magic circle that connected everything.
Another pleasant surprise was the amount and speed of the energy being absorbed into the crystal in the circle. She already expected a good result due to the proximity of the Wall, but it was way more than usual. Fortunately, she had prepared a high-quality crystal, otherwise, it would probably explode. Still, she could be storing a lot more energy. She would try to buy two or three more crystals when her finances allowed.
As the bookshelves were assembled and her bookstore took form, something else occupied her mind, the name of her business. It might seem stupid to prepare for a decade without even deciding on a name, but it seemed like something that she could do later. There was always something more important to do but now, she couldn’t postpone it any longer.
Although any name would suffice, it would also be the soul of the place, she wouldn’t feel comfortable changing it later. From history, she could get some ideas, but they were somehow outdated. For instance, most bookstores would bear the name of the owner’s ancestral line or a reference to their specialty. However, with the decay of the craft, the ancestral lines became unknown and specialty would mean nothing if there weren’t other bookstores around.
So, her store name would have to be connected to a higher purpose, a mission. But also something that would have meaning to others and attract more customers. Anne started taking notes of possible names until a daunting and bold thought appeared on her mind. She laughed at her simplemindedness, but the thought didn’t disappear immediately. It lurked in the depths of her mind connecting to points that she couldn’t deny.
“Moruh, what do you think of naming my bookstore, ‘The bookstore’?” She asked the familiar with a tone of uncertainty.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
The cat-like being, who was floating tiles from upstairs to the studying area, suddenly stopped and looked at Anne confusedly and in disbelief.
“Mistress… Eh, isn’t this name a little… too simple?” Moruh was careful not to provoke the wrath of his mistress.
“I supposed so… but I was thinking about how to make the name distinguished and also to catch the attention of potential customers. The truth is, almost nobody remembers bookstores, so most would just treat it as some sort of magic artifacts store. However, if I call it ‘the bookstore’, people might be curious about it. In fact, we will be recreating the meaning of a bookstore in common sense. Also, for those ancient beings who remember, it would mean the only bookstore still standing. And for the future bookstores, it would be the first one in this era or even the one who brought revived the craft.”
Anne was getting excited as she explained. The name lacked creativity, but there was a distinct tone of pride to it, it was something new for most people. And thus, ‘The Bookstore’ was born.
***
Anne finished moving another bookshelf and ran outside to search for any movement. It had been three days since she expected the courier to arrive. Of course, her estimate was based on the minimum time required to travel from the province capital, so any time within a week was considered normal. Still, she couldn’t wait to see her books again.
The crafted bookshelves were enough for the basic layout she planned, but it wouldn’t hurt to craft a few more, after all, she would need to fill the other floors later.
She continued going in and out of the building through the day until, in the middle of the afternoon, she finally saw some distant movement. The bookmancer took a deep breath and tried reigning over the raising emotions. Her books had finally come and she couldn’t make a fool of herself in front of potential customers.
Soon enough, she could make out the outline of a simple coach, followed by four big carts covered in the skin of some beast. The service she contracted belonged to a reliable mercenary company in the capital. It was terribly expensive, one gold for the service and additional 45 silver for each cart. These carts were a premium service, with spatial arrays that could double the internal space and a high-quality skin cover. So, she had to grit her teeth and spend three gold coins with some tips included.
The company also offered cheaper options, like a common cart for ten silver. Unfortunately, the common ones didn’t have any protection against rainstorms and her books would fill eight of those, which would require more hands to transport. In the end, the better option would cost almost the same as the cheaper one.
As the entourage got closer, she could see the figure of the town asset manager, Mr. Dorgh, and the hazel-haired bronze tier mercenary responsible for the delivery, Ms. Ceres.
A month ago, when she signed the contract with the mercenary, she had labeled the half-beast woman as a potential customer. Maybe she could even cut down the losses by getting some silver from the other side.
“Welcome, Mr. Dorgh and Ms. Ceres. I hope you had a pleasant trip. How about coming in for some rest and refreshments before we move the books in?” Anne used her best business smile, hiding her overwhelming excitement and eagerness to check the cargo.
“Oh, Ms. Anne. You look well. Ms. Ceres arrived at noon and I invited her to eat and rest in town, but she was eager to finish her job, so we came immediately. Wouldn’t it be better to unload the books and take our guests to town?” Dorgh was surprised to find the bookmancer so tidy.
However, he couldn’t imagine how she wanted to accommodate the mercenaries. As part of the town administration, he had an unspoken duty of receiving ‘guests’, especially those who could bring some business.
Ceres greeted Anne politely. Her impression of the girl got even better. Respectful, young, energetic and could also pay attention to their tiredness, the bookmancer was someone worthy of befriending, better yet if she could become a regular client. Dorgh had already “briefed” the mercenary on the building situation, so she was ready to refuse the other party’s offer, but Anne was faster:
“No need, Mr. Dorgh. My bookstore is a little shabby, but I have enough space and food to receive some friends. As long as Ms. Ceres and the others don’t mind having only water and bread. Later, they can go to the town and eat something heartier.” Anne made clear that she wasn’t offended, and also explained the extent of her hosting capabilities.
Yet, what caught the visitors’ attention, was the mention of her bookstore. From now on, people would come and Anne would happily invite them to enter the bookstore.