After surviving the inspection Evan knew their next weakness supply Without reliable ingredients no franchise could survive He had worked with enough chains back home to know that supply chain failures destroyed consistency faster than any incompetent employee

Mila agreed saying that farmers in this world worked with unstable magic Some crops grew too large others too sour others randomly caught fire Evan imagined having to explain flaming lettuce to a franchisee He could feel a headache forming

He called a meeting inside the stall Mila Loras and Rinna gathered around a table Evan drew a simple map showing surrounding farms He marked suppliers they had used and circled regions known for good produce He said they needed stable partnerships not one time purchases

Mila suggested visiting the largest produce village Greenfall They grew enchanted vegetables in controlled fields Evan liked the idea and asked Rinna to join since her knowledge of runes might be helpful Loras would stay to run the stall with basic operations Mila cast travel runes on their boots allowing faster walking

The road to Greenfall passed through rolling hills glowing lightly with ambient magic Small creatures with shimmering fur watched them from trees Rinna explained that the animals reacted to spell energy Mila pointed at glowing grass patches saying that magic density changed flavor Evan scribbled notes imagining supply variance charts

When they reached Greenfall they saw fields arranged in circles Vegetables grew in colorful clusters Some lettuce heads hovered slightly above soil Some tomatoes pulsed with faint warmth Some onions rotated slowly in air like spinning lanterns Farmers sang spells as they worked guiding growth with tone and rhythm

The village chief came out a stocky man named Farven He welcomed them politely offering samples Evan tasted a tomato and nearly jumped because the flavor changed twice mid bite He kept a polite smile but internally screamed for consistency

He explained their purpose They needed produce that tasted the same every day Farven blinked confused He asked why anyone would want flavor to stay the same Evan explained that consistency built trust Farven scratched his beard saying trust was a strange thing to base food on Mila explained in simpler terms that customers wanted predictable comfort Farven nodded slowly

Rinna stepped in asking how they controlled magical growth Farven admitted they did not control much The fields responded to emotion and weather Mila asked if they used binding runes He laughed saying why would vegetables need runes Evan inhaled sharply because this was exactly the problem

Evan asked if they could test a controlled growth field Farven hesitated but agreed He led them to a small patch used for experiments The vegetables were less chaotic but still inconsistent Mila examined the soil and found faint rune lines someone had attempted stabilization long ago but gave up

Rinna studied the runes then began drawing new lines in the dirt She explained that runes could guide plant magic the same way they guided stove magic The key was laying runes for calm energy flow not raw power Mila assisted her casting stabilizing spells Evan watched fascinated because this was the agricultural version of a kitchen system

After carving and tuning the runes they waited Mila picked a leaf and tasted it She said the flavor was balanced Evan tasted too and for the first time the flavor stayed the same without shifting He felt excitement surge

Farven watched with wide eyes asking how they did that Rinna explained that magic could be shaped but few tried on crops Evan told him consistent crops meant higher profits because restaurants would pay premium for reliability The chief straightened immediately because profit spoke louder than theory

They negotiated a supply agreement Farven would dedicate three fields to stabilized growth Rinna would craft the first rune set Mila would calibrate spell instructions Evan would sign a magical contract guaranteeing purchase volume

The contract formed glowing lines across farmland carrying their signatures bound by magic witnesses A faint shockwave rippled across the soil The farmers gasped because they had never seen agriculture tied to contract magic

When they returned to town Evan felt the scale of what they had started They had built not just a restaurant system but a supply chain system something the kingdom had never imagined

Loras greeted them excited saying customers praised the teleport delivery Mila checked the stove Rinna prepared rune tools Evan sat at the table drafting phase two of their expansion

But outside the stall something stirred again Varos from the Merchant Guild watched with calculating eyes He had heard rumors that Greenfall fields now grew stable produce something that could disrupt entire markets He clasped his hands behind his back whispering to an assistant

If the Arcane Flavor brand gained control of supply
They would become unstoppable
And the Guild would not allow anyone to monopolize economic power

The franchise revolution was moving faster
The shadows around it growing darker

Evan closed the stall late that night unaware that the next conflict had already been set in motion