CHAPTER 186: BACK TO BUSINESS

The day of the reopening arrived with the city already awake. Elandra thrummed like a beehive, streets full of guild messengers, children weaving between carts, vendors hawking oranges and skewers. Inigo had chosen a space near the plaza, not far from the Adventurer’s Guild and the market lane, because foot traffic mattered more than anything else.

The sign was freshly painted. Riko, the boy who had insisted on misspelling everything on the chalkboard menu, had already been by earlier, whistling while he set out benches. The golden arches—a crude but recognizable emblem Inigo had carved and painted himself—hung proudly over the stall.

Inside, it smelled like sizzling meat and hot oil.

"First order of the day," Inigo said, tying on an apron. "Keep it simple. Burgers, fries, drinks. No experiments. We want people remembering us exactly how we left them."

By midmorning, the first customers arrived—apprentices from the Alchemist Guild who had clearly followed the smell. They stood in line with coin purses in hand, whispering to each other like conspirators.

"Two burgers, one fry," Inigo called, sliding patties onto the griddle. The hiss was music, the smell already curling out onto the street. "Riko, drinks. Move."

The boy scrambled, nearly dropping a clay cup but catching it at the last second. Lyra assembled buns with neat precision, a rhythm she picked up as naturally as nocking arrows. Bread, patty, slice of cheese, top bun. Wrap in paper. Done.

The apprentices bit into the food, and their eyes widened as if struck by lightning. "Gods above," one muttered with reverence. "What is this?"

"It’s a burger," Inigo said simply. "Tell your friends."

They did. Word traveled fast. By noon the line snaked past the plaza fountain, drawing in townsfolk, adventurers, even off-duty guards who leaned on their spears as they waited. The smell of frying oil was irresistible; the sound of sizzling meat was a call no one could ignore.

Lyra worked the station with soldier’s efficiency, sliding wrapped burgers across the counter like passing ammunition. Inigo manned the fryer, timing each batch until the fries came out golden and crisp. Salt scattered like snow, oil hissed, people cheered.

"Next!"

Thorne came by around midday, not in armor but in a simple shirt rolled at the sleeves. He cut the line like only a guild officer could, and no one dared complain.

"Back in business, I see," he said.

"Back," Inigo answered, sliding him a burger before the man even asked.

Thorne took one bite and closed his eyes. "You’ll bankrupt the taverns at this rate."

"They’ll adapt," Inigo said with a grin. "Competition makes people honest."

"Or dead," Thorne muttered, but he paid double the price and left with a nod.

The afternoon blurred into a rhythm—grill, fry, wrap, serve. The line never seemed to shorten. Lyra laughed once, shaking her head as she stacked another bun. "You’d think we were serving potions."

"In a way, we are," Inigo replied, flipping patties with practiced ease. "Food that makes you forget you nearly died yesterday. That’s worth more than gold."

By evening, the last of the potatoes were gone. Inigo wiped sweat from his forehead, apron stained, arms aching in the good way. Lyra leaned against the counter, cheeks flushed but smiling. Riko collapsed on a stool, flour dusting his hair like snow.

"That," Inigo said, looking at the empty baskets, "is how you reopen a store."

Lyra stretched her arms overhead, back popping. "How many did we serve?"

Inigo counted quickly in his head. "Over a hundred. Maybe more. We’re going to need more supplies."

"And more hands," Lyra said, glancing at Riko, who had already fallen asleep upright.

"Maybe," Inigo agreed. "But first... we celebrate."

They closed the stall as the lanterns lit across Elandra, streets alive with laughter and music. People still lingered nearby, talking about the taste, the smell, the way the food had felt both strange and familiar. Already, Inigo heard a boy promising his mother he’d spend tomorrow’s copper on "the thing with meat and cheese."

They walked home side by side, tired but light. For once, the day’s battles had been fought not with blades or bullets, but with bread and oil.

"You know," Lyra said quietly as they reached the corner of their street, "you might actually change this city with food."

Inigo chuckled. "Better food than firepower."

She smiled faintly. "You use both."

He didn’t argue.

At their table, under the quiet glow of a single lamp, they split one last burger between them. It wasn’t hot anymore, and the bun had gone soft, but it tasted like victory.

The next morning, the chalkboard outside Mcronald’s bore a single message in Riko’s careful hand:

"We’re open. Come hungry."

The line had already started.

By the time the sun cleared the rooftops, a dozen customers were queued outside the stall. Some were familiar—apprentices and adventurers who had tasted the food yesterday and dragged their friends along. Others were new, curious townsfolk who had only heard whispers about "the strange meat-bread thing" sold near the plaza.

Riko proudly stood by the chalkboard, waving people in as though he were the official herald of Mcronald’s. "Line up! One coin for fries, two for burgers, drinks extra! Don’t push, plenty for all!" His voice cracked halfway through the announcement, but no one seemed to mind.

Inside, Inigo was already working the grill. Lyra handled buns and wrapping while humming a tune she had picked up from a bard weeks ago. The whole place smelled like charred meat and salt, so thick and inviting it seemed to pull people in by the nose.

"Two doubles!" Lyra called out.

Inigo flipped the patties, grease popping, then slid them onto toasted buns. The customers grabbed them eagerly, tearing into the food with wide eyes. Once again, silence fell in that odd, reverent way—then came the murmurs, the laughter, the shouts of amazement.

"It’s even better than yesterday."

"I swear I could live on this."

"This is what adventuring money is for!"

Word traveled faster than fire in dry grass. By midday the line stretched halfway down the plaza, and merchants from other stalls began looking over jealously. One baker tried to hand out free samples of bread to compete, but people still kept drifting toward the golden arches.

Inigo caught the baker glaring at him once and just smiled faintly. "That’s the market," he muttered under his breath, tossing another batch of fries into the oil.

When dusk finally rolled in, the last burger wrapped, the oil drained, the benches cleared, the three of them sat together behind the counter. Lyra leaned back, exhausted but smiling. Riko looked like he might pass out where he sat.

Inigo stretched his arms and stared at the lanterns glowing over the plaza. The crowd was gone, but echoes of the day lingered in his mind: laughter, clinking coins, the chorus of satisfied voices.

"This," he said softly, almost to himself, "feels like winning a battle."

Lyra glanced at him, then nodded. "One we’ll fight again tomorrow."