Evan arrived at the stall before sunrise because he knew growth always began with preparation The sky was gray and the street quiet except for a few mages returning from night rituals The enchanted fast food shop looked small in the dawn light but to Evan it felt like a new headquarters waiting to expand

He unlocked the door and stepped inside He carried fresh parchment and charcoal determined to begin writing the first official operations manual in this world Mila arrived a few minutes later holding a flask of warm herbal drink She had been practicing night spells and her eyes carried faint traces of fatigue

She greeted him then placed a small crystal on the counter She said the crystal recorded magic flow patterns and could help them control spell behavior Evan felt a surge of excitement because this was the missing tool he needed A monitoring system meant data and data meant control

He opened the parchment and wrote the first line
Arcane Flavor Standard Operating Guide Version 1

He started with layout diagrams explaining how staff should move from station to station Mila watched him draw arrows and boxes and asked why the steps had to be in a fixed order Evan explained that predictable movement created faster service and prevented chaos Many workers in his world learned by muscle memory and once trained they moved like a smooth machine

Mila nodded then asked if the machine had feelings Evan laughed softly and said no but the people running it did and systems kept them from stressing out She thought about it then said magic also behaved better when it followed a pattern Evan stared at her because that insight was exactly why this partnership worked

They began testing the magic stove again Mila cast a steady flame while Evan adjusted the distance of the grill top The flame held at a low shimmer He scribbled down notes temperature stability color consistency timing

Mila carved new runes on a frying pan Each rune controlled a specific part of the spell one for heat one for intensity one for direction Evan asked her to carve a fourth rune for compliance Mila looked confused so he explained it was a rune that forced the spell to obey the cooking sequence even if the caster became distracted Mila murmured that such a rune was unusual but possible

When she finished they tested again This time the patty cooked evenly every single second Evan grinned This was magic turned into structure something no one had done before

They worked through the system for hours The stall slowly filled with new notes on walls arrows diagrams and spell stabilization charts Mila said it looked like a wizard laboratory Evan told her it looked like a franchise headquarters They both laughed

By mid morning customers began knocking on the door asking if they were open Evan apologized and said they needed more time to prepare The customers complained but he held firm because he knew a brand needed discipline from day one

Once the door closed again he shifted to the next part of the manual customer experience guidelines He explained that smiles consistency and clear communication created trust Mila listened then attempted a smile Evan blinked because her smile was stiff like a statue She tried again then again until the expression softened into something friendly He wrote down a training note for expressions and tone control

Next they worked on supply planning Evan asked Mila where ingredients came from Mila explained that farmers used half magic and half effort to grow enchanted vegetables Some grew larger if sung to others grew sweeter if exposed to light spells Evan scribbled nonstop His mind saw the risk inconsistent farming methods meant inconsistent ingredients He asked if farmers used contracts Mila said rarely and usually only for debt

Evan told her they needed ingredient quality contracts She asked what quality meant He explained freshness size weight color Mila stared as if he was revealing arcane secrets Then she asked why the color had to be the same Evan explained presentation build customer trust She whispered customer trust like it was a summoning incantation

They listed potential suppliers in the region then Mila proposed binding each farmer with a magical taste rune guaranteeing their crops met the same flavor standard Evan nearly dropped his charcoal This was better than any certification program on Earth

Before noon a familiar figure returned to the door The man in dark robes from the night before He stood silently watching before speaking His voice was deep calm and slightly amused He introduced himself as Varos a representative of the Merchant Guild Evan sensed danger

Varos asked about the restaurant how it created stable flavor how the stove behaved so predictably Evan gave vague answers Mila remained silent Varos continued asking but Evan recognized the tone It was the tone of someone collecting competitive intelligence

Evan finally asked if the Guild wanted something Varos smiled a slow deliberate smile and said the Guild wanted to know if this new shop planned to expand Several guild members had already noticed the crowd from yesterday and considered the operation unusual Maybe dangerous Maybe profitable

Evan answered carefully saying they were simply testing new food ideas Varos studied him for a long moment then nodded and left without further explanation Mila shivered once he was gone Evan did too Competition had arrived faster than expected

They resumed work tightening their systems They rehearsed cooking sequences ten times twenty times thirty times until each motion felt identical Mila practiced the flame with steady breath while Evan repeated assembly steps The burgers came out the same again and again The Glow Soda tasted identical every round

They reopened the shop at lunch Customers rushed in and Mila cast spells precisely Evan cooked with calm rhythm They finished service without a single mistake Evan felt a quiet pride Mila nearly bounced with joy

After the rush they faced a new problem Three different merchants asked for franchise rights Evan politely declined explaining they needed training standards first The merchants seemed disappointed but one whispered he would return with a better offer

Evan knew the franchise wave was rising too fast

As night arrived he added one more page to the manual Franchise Eligibility Requirements

Mila read the list and asked if they really needed so many rules Evan told her rules were the shield that protected a brand from chaos Mila nodded with a seriousness Evan had never seen before

When they locked the stall Evan looked up at the night sky feeling a mix of excitement and pressure The world was changing faster than he could write But he was determined to stay ahead

He had built operations
Tomorrow he would need to build protection