Evan woke early but he was not calm His mind replayed every regulatory nightmare he had seen back on Earth health inspectors arriving without warning city officials shutting down stores for minor violations franchise auditors demanding perfect documentation Now he had to deal with a version far more unpredictable the Merchant Guild inspector empowered by magic runes legal authority and political influence

Mila sensed his tension and brewed a calming herb drink She said inspectors were strict but fair if rules were followed Evan thanked her but his stomach still felt tight Loras arrived looking nervous as well clutching a stack of training notes Rinna stopped by saying she heard rumors that the inspector was one of the toughest in the region Evan sighed because of course the toughest one would come to them

By mid morning the street outside grew unusually quiet Merchants avoided the area Customers stepped back in anticipation Then a tall figure in a dark blue coat approached His steps were steady the air around him colder than natural His name badge carried a glowing mark Inspector Aldros

Aldros scanned the stall with eyes that seemed to measure everything the layout the equipment the runes the staff even the temperature of the air Evan stepped forward introduced himself and invited him inside Aldros entered without a word

The first thing he inspected was the magic stove He touched it lightly then withdrew his hand His expression remained unreadable He asked Mila to activate it Mila cast a calm flame spell The fire rose in a stable arc Aldros narrowed his eyes and asked how they controlled the fluctuation Mila explained the stabilization rune sequence Evan added that consistency was essential for food quality

Aldros asked if the rune sequence was registered Evan admitted it was not yet but they planned to file a registration soon Aldros wrote something on a glowing clipboard Evan hoped it was not an immediate violation

Next Aldros examined the teleportation delivery circle He stepped around it slowly his boots echoing against the frame Runes shimmered beneath his coat He asked them to demonstrate Evan placed a tray on the sending panel Mila activated the circle The food teleported smoothly to Loras waiting outside

Aldros’ eyebrow rose slightly the first sign of emotion all morning He asked if they understood the legal responsibilities of maintaining teleport safety Evan explained they would create a maintenance schedule Mila added that only licensed staff could activate the runes Aldros wrote more notes Evan felt sweat on his back

Then the inspector examined the operations manual He flipped pages slowly reading every line He paused at the section on training compliance then again at the quality standards He asked Evan how many employees they currently had Evan explained they had a small team but were training Loras as the first franchisee

At the word franchise Aldros looked sharply at him asking if they intended to expand Evan answered honestly yes but only with full control standards The word control seemed to satisfy Aldros He said uncontrolled expansion could damage the economy Evan agreed saying that structure prevented collapse

Aldros then inspected Loras asking him to demonstrate greeting procedures Loras bowed slightly and spoke with steady tone Aldros nodded He asked him to cook a burger Loras stuttered at first but then followed the sequence carefully The patty cooked evenly He assembled the burger with acceptable precision Aldros tasted it

A long silent moment passed

Finally Aldros said the flavor was stable He wrote something positive on the clipboard Evan almost sighed out loud

Then Aldros requested their magical contract He studied the glowing parchment The runes flickered around his eyes indicating he had activated a detection spell He read the clauses then looked at Evan asking if he truly expected franchisees to follow standards this strict Evan replied that standards protected both brand and customers Aldros nodded saying such discipline was rare in the Kingdom

The inspection continued for another hour He checked storage He analyzed ingredient freshness He measured rune output He even inspected their waste disposal channel Mila whispered that she did not know inspectors could evaluate smell intensity Evan said Earth inspectors had done stranger things

Finally Aldros stepped outside and closed his clipboard The street was silent Everyone watched as he raised his hand releasing a floating seal A faint pulse spread through the air landing on the stall wall

Evan read the glowing words
Provisionally Approved Operating with Conditions

Mila asked what conditions meant Aldros explained They must register all rune systems within one week They must record teleportation usage daily They must submit ingredient source documentation They must not expand beyond two locations until further approval

Evan accepted immediately He knew conditions were better than shutdown Aldros ended with one more warning The Merchant Guild would monitor their rise closely because innovation always disrupted old power structures Then he walked away leaving whispers behind

Mila collapsed on a crate saying she almost fainted Rinna laughed saying it could have gone worse Loras sighed in relief Evan leaned against the wall breathing slowly They had survived the first regulatory storm

But one sentence from Aldros stuck in Evan’s mind Innovation disrupts power

He knew more storms were coming
He also knew they were ready to meet them

Because today they were not just a stall
They were the foundation of a coming empire