Chapter 141: Three Elders Approve. Seraya Does Not.
"Of course."
Mirabelle nodded in agreement. Elder Nara returned the gesture with a satisfied smile.
"We also want Beastmen and Beastwomen who must remain there for longer periods to receive visits from their families."
She folded her hands in her lap.
"That’s why I’d like to build a modest, affordable inn next to the hospital. Many families will have to travel considerable distances to visit their loved ones, and they’ll need somewhere to stay."
She smiled softly.
"Some may even wish to remain there throughout the patient’s recovery. That’s perfectly fine, provided they respect the visiting hours established by the hospital.
As I mentioned before... The sick also need rest. And sometimes... they need a little distance in order to recover."
Her gaze drifted thoughtfully across the table.
"I’m also confident that the healers themselves will continue improving the way the hospital operates. Once they begin working together every day, they’ll learn from one another.
They’ll develop better methods.
Better treatments.
And, over time, discover the most effective ways to help their patients heal."
This time, Elder Brina, the goat Beastwoman, leaned forward slightly.
"As for these inns..." A thoughtful smile touched her lips. "That’s an intriguing concept.
At present, traveling Beastmen usually stay with relatives. Or they pay strangers willing to earn a little extra by opening their homes."
She slowly rotated one of the golden bangles around her wrist. Her sharp eyes settled on Mirabelle once more.
"Which makes me wonder... wouldn’t that take income away from the families who currently host travelers in their homes?"
Mirabelle nodded, signaling that she understood the concern.
"At the moment, the entire system depends on chance. A family begins a journey without knowing where they’ll spend the night. They don’t know whether anyone will have room for them.
They don’t know what condition the house will be in, what food they’ll receive, or whether they’ll be welcome to stay for more than a single night."
She smiled.
"By establishing dedicated inns with permanent staff, managers, cooks, and attendants responsible for maintaining the rooms, we create something far more valuable than accommodation.
We create certainty.
Both for our own citizens and for visitors from beyond our borders.
They’ll know that, no matter when they arrive, they’ll find a clean, dry bed, a warm meal, and a comfortable place to rest."
She leaned forward slightly. And the elders mirrowed her
"And the Beastmen and Beastwomen who currently earn a little extra by occasionally hosting travelers won’t necessarily lose that opportunity.
They’ll gain new ones.
We’ll need people to operate these inns.
Innkeepers, Cooks, Servants.
Instead of receiving money only when a traveler happens to knock on their door, many of them will have the opportunity to earn a reliable, steady income."
She gave a small shrug.
"It’s true that we won’t need enough inns to employ every family that might occasionally host guests today. But my long-term goal is much larger than replacing what already exists.
I want to attract so many travelers from outside Luchsenstein that the additional wealth flowing into our duchy far exceeds what those families would have earned from hosting the occasional visitor."
Elder Rina slowly stroked her chin several times. The gesture reminded Mirabelle so strongly of an old man thoughtfully stroking his beard that she had to fight the urge to laugh.
The elderly goat Beastwoman spoke again:
"You’ve mentioned attracting Beastmen from outside the duchy several times.
Some as visitors. Others permanently, by offering tax exemptions to skilled craftsmen and merchants willing to settle here."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"I support that idea." Her golden eyes sharpened. "However... I do have a question regarding your market hall."
She took a sip of her wine glass first. It chimed softly against her bangles .
"I welcome the idea of giving the people of Steinstein a place where customers naturally gather," Elder Brina said.
"It may even encourage visitors to discover craftsmen they would never have found otherwise. Selling from one’s own home has always seemed... strategically limiting."
Her fingers tapped lightly against the wooden tabletop. The soft rhythm echoed through the otherwise still room, each tap measuring the weight of her concern. Her eyes seems to gaze at the future.
"However, you also intend to lease stalls to merchants from outside the duchy."
She now looked directly at Mirabelle.
"In my experience, when too many merchants gather in one place, two things tend to happen:
The first is a price war. Everyone lowers their prices to attract customers until no one is earning what their work is truly worth."
She paused before continuing.
"My second concern is even greater. What if wealthy merchants from outside Luchsenstein slowly dominate the market?
They possess more capital. They can afford larger inventories. They can survive losses that would ruin one of our own craftsmen.
What prevents them from gradually driving our citizens out of business?"
The room fell silent.
But Mirabelle smiled.
"I’ve been thinking about that as well."
She reached for the glass beside her, took a small sip, then carefully set it back onto the table. The cool crystal eased the dryness that had crept into her throat after speaking for so long.
"The market hall isn’t meant to exist for merchants from outside Luchsenstein." She looked around the table. "It exists for our own people.
The outside merchants are merely... a tool."
A slight smile tugged at Elder Brina’s lips.
Mirabelle continued before anyone else could speak.
"The first stalls will always belong to our own citizens. That part isn’t negotiable. If every stall is occupied by Beastmen and Beastwomen from Luchsenstein, then no merchant from another territory will receive one."
She folded her hands together.
"Only if there is still room will we lease additional stalls to outsiders.
And those leases won’t be permanent. I don’t want anyone from another territory believing they own part of our market.
They’re guests. They’ll receive contracts that must be renewed regularly. If we ever need additional space for our own craftsmen... the visiting merchants will be the first to lose their stalls."
Elder Seraya gave a small approving nod.
The faint creak of worn leather accompanied the movement as the former warrior shifted in her chair.
Mirabelle noticed it but continued without interrupting herself.
"I also don’t intend for outside merchants to pay fees while our own citizens don’t.
Merchants from other territories..." She smiled again. "They’ll finance part of the market simply by being there.
That money can be used to maintain the building, improve the roads leading to it, or fund other public projects.
And I don’t want them competing with our craftsmen by selling exactly the same goods whenever possible.
If Steinstein already has three excellent blacksmiths...why should I invite a fourth?"
All four Elders nodded in quiet approval. The satisfaction on their faces was unmistakable. Mirabelle allowed herself to lean back slightly, the tension slowly leaving her shoulders.
"But if a merchant arrives selling spices we’ve never seen or glassware or books or tools our craftsmen don’t yet know how to produce...
Then they enrich our market instead of replacing someone already here."
Elder Nara tilted her head ever so slightly:
"And if they simply lower their prices until no one else can compete?"
"Then we intervene."
The lynx female answered without hesitation.
"The market belongs to the duchy. We decide who may trade there.
If someone repeatedly sells below a reasonable price with the intention of bankrupting our own craftsmen, they lose the privilege of renting a stall."
She shrugged lightly.
"I don’t mind honest competition. It encourages people to improve. But destroying livelihoods simply because someone possesses greater wealth..."
She slowly shook her head.
"...benefits no one except the richest merchant."
She allowed the thought to settle before continuing.
"I think many rulers see trade as a battle.nI don’t. I see it as movement."
She rested a fingertip on the tabletop.
"A merchant doesn’t arrive with empty hands. They pay for a market stall. They rent a room. They eat in our inns. They buy food from our citizens. They purchase supplies. They hire laborers. They repair wagons.
They spend coin from the moment they cross our borders until the moment they leave them.
Her smile widened.She could almost see the coins changing hands. Hear wagon wheels rattling through Steinstein’s streets. Smell fresh bread drifting from bakeries that hadn’t existed yet.
"And that’s before they’ve sold a single item."
A few of the Elders exchanged thoughtful glances.
"So my goal has never been to let outsiders take wealth from Luchsenstein. It’s the opposite. I want them to leave part of their wealth here."
She drew a deep breath.
"The market hall isn’t simply a place to buy and sell. It’s a mechanism. A place designed to pull people into our duchy...
...and gently encourage them to spend their money before they return home."
Her smile turned almost playful.
"If we’ve done our job well...they’ll already be looking forward to their next visit before they’ve even crossed our borders again."
Elder Seraya gave a slow nod.
"I can see your vision, young Duchess."
It was the first time one of the Elders had addressed Mirabelle by her future title.
"And I believe it could make Luchsenstein prosperous beyond anything we’ve known."
She folded her scarred hands atop the table.
"But prosperity has a habit of attracting more than merchants."
Her gray eyes settled firmly on Mirabelle.
"It attracts envy.
The envy of individual Beastmen.
"The envy of neighboring territories.
And eventually... the attention of those who take rather than build.
I’ve listened carefully to your ideas for protecting our people. Your signal towers are an excellent beginning."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Frankly, I wish I’d had them during my years in the army. But they won’t be enough."
The smile disappeared again.
She leaned forward.
"A thriving market will attract thieves.
Successful merchants will tempt Rogues.
The richer Luchsenstein becomes... the more valuable it becomes as a target."
Her gaze never left Mirabelle.
"Your vision convinces me.
Your security does not."