The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Starlight Has Somehow Become a Major Business

The meeting room inside Starlight was considerably quieter than the rest of the building.

It was located on the upper floor, behind a private corridor that ordinary employees were not allowed to enter.

A large table occupied the center of the room.

Around it sat the four Black Roses and the Seven Crowns.

Aurora, Herrera, Octavia, Leonora.

Samantha, Bianca, Andrea, Celeste, Aoda, Nyxaria, and Valentine.

Every one of them had been given a position within Starlight.

It wasn’t merely a business they were managing.

It was an extension of the organization.

And judging from the reports scattered across the table, it had grown much faster than anyone had expected.

Aurora placed the final report on the table.

"All right. Let’s begin."

She looked around the room.

"We’ve been operating for half a month. I want every division’s current report."

Herrera opened the first document.

"I’ll start with general operations."

"Starlight currently employs 126 members. That includes the restaurant staff, kitchen personnel, craftsmen, sales staff, warehouse workers, guards, and administrative personnel."

He paused.

"All personnel are members of the organization, as instructed."

Aurora nodded.

"And the public?"

"Extremely favorable."

Herrera smiled slightly.

"Much more than we anticipated."

Samantha turned another page of the report, her eyes moving steadily across the figures.

"The restaurant division continues to perform well. Reservations have increased every day since the opening, and several of the private dining rooms are already being reserved nearly a week in advance."

Octavia glanced down at the figures in front of her.

"Yesterday’s revenue?"

"48,760 gold coins."

Octavia made a small note beside the number.

"The increase has been consistent."

"Most of it came from the higher-end menu," Samantha continued. "Wyvern remains one of the most requested meats, but the demand is becoming more diverse. Earth Dragon meat has also become popular among the wealthier customers, particularly when served as a slow-roasted dish."

"Earth Dragon?" Bianca asked.

"Yes. We sold fourteen portions yesterday, and all of them were reserved before dinner."

Samantha turned the page.

"The larger sea monsters are doing surprisingly well too. Leviathan Shark, Deepwater Serpent, Ironjaw Whale, and Stormback Crocodile have all been used in the menu recently. The Leviathan Shark steak in particular has been selling faster than expected."

"That’s quite a variety," Aurora said.

"We have the materials, so there is little reason not to make use of them," Samantha replied. "The chefs have also been experimenting with different preparations. The meat from some monsters is better grilled, while others are more suited for stews, smoked dishes, or slow roasting."

She continued reading from the report.

"Yesterday’s premium dishes included Wyvern, Earth Dragon, Flame Drake, Storm Serpent, Frostfang Beast, Crimson Drake, Thunder Roc, Moonstag, Silvermane Lion, Deepwater Serpent, Leviathan Shark, and Ironjaw Whale."

Aurora looked over the report.

"And the cheaper dishes?"

"They are doing well."

Samantha’s expression remained calm as she continued.

"Not everyone visiting Starlight is willing to spend several dozen gold coins on a single plate. Our lower-priced menu has been attracting merchants, wealthy commoners, academy instructors, and adventurers who want to experience the restaurant without spending their entire month’s income on dinner."

"That’s important," Aurora said. "If we make every dish expensive, we’ll lose a large portion of our potential customers."

"Exactly. The lower menu also gives them a reason to return. Many customers who first come for the cheaper dishes eventually try something from the higher menu once they become familiar with the restaurant."

Samantha paused before turning another page.

"And the desserts have become considerably more popular than anticipated."

Leonora smiled.

"I expected that."

"Several noblewomen have begun ordering them for their residences," Samantha said. "There are also private orders for banquets, birthdays, family gatherings, and other celebrations. One household placed an order large enough to require an entire carriage."

"An entire carriage for sweets?"

Bianca laughed softly.

"They apparently have a very large family."

"Or very little self-control," Andrea remarked.

A few of them smiled at that, and Samantha simply continued reading.

"Moving on to fashion. Yesterday’s revenue was 20,640 gold coins."

Leonora took the report from her.

"The lower-priced clothing continues to sell steadily, while the higher-end pieces are becoming increasingly popular among noble families. Monster materials have also given us an advantage that ordinary clothing stores cannot easily reproduce."

She turned a page.

"We have sold garments made from Moonstag hide, Silvermane Wolf fur, Frost Lynx fur, Crimson Drake leather, Night Panther hide, Azurehorn Elk leather, Blackwing Griffin feathers, and several other materials."

"Any particular material receiving more attention?" Octavia asked.

"Moonstag and Frost Lynx are currently the most popular among women. Griffin feathers and Crimson Drake leather are selling particularly well among noble families looking for something more extravagant."

Leonora placed another sheet on the table.

"We have also received several requests for custom clothing. Some customers want matching outfits for their families, while others are requesting clothing made from specific monster materials."

"Can we fulfill them?"

"For the current number of orders, yes. If demand continues increasing, we’ll need additional craftsmen."

Herrera nodded.

"Then we can arrange that."

He moved to the next report.

"The weapons and equipment division brought in 30,820 gold coins yesterday."

Andrea picked up the corresponding document.

"Most of the sales came from adventurers, mercenary groups, noble households, and magic swordsmen. We’ve sold weapons reinforced with Storm Serpent scales, Thunder Roc feathers, Earth Dragon bone, Crimson Drake claws, Ironhide Boar tusks, Basilisk fangs, Silvermane Lion claws, and Blacksteel Wyvern hide."

She flipped through several pages.

"Defensive equipment is also selling well. Shields made with Earth Dragon plates have been particularly popular because of their durability, while armor reinforced with Frostfang Beast hide is attracting adventurers who value mobility."

"Any unusual requests?" Octavia asked.

"Several."

Andrea smiled faintly.

"One noble house requested a complete set of weapons and armor for their personal guards using Earth Dragon materials. Another requested equipment made with Storm Serpent scales because of their resistance to magical attacks."

"Those should be handled carefully," Herrera said. "The quality of the materials is one of the reasons customers are coming to us."

"They’ll receive exactly what they paid for."

Celeste opened the next report.

"The luxury collection division earned 26,450 gold coins."

She placed several smaller documents beside it.

"Most of the sales came from limited collections made from rare monster materials. We sold pieces using Azure Serpent scales, Golden Griffin feathers, Frost Drake horns, Moonstag antlers, Crystalback Turtle shells, Silvermane Lion claws, and the polished horns of Azurehorn Elk."

Nyxaria glanced toward the documents.

"The Crystalback Turtle collection?"

"Almost completely sold."

"How much remains?"

"Three pieces."

Nyxaria nodded.

"Keep them in storage."

Celeste raised an eyebrow.

"Not for sale?"

"Not yet. If the remaining pieces disappear too quickly, the next collection will lose some of its value."

Celeste gave a small smile.

"Understood."

She continued.

"We’re still maintaining the policy of releasing only a limited number of collection pieces each week. The scarcity appears to be increasing demand rather than reducing it."

"That’s exactly what we want," Leonora said. "Luxury goods should not feel like ordinary merchandise."

Aoda then placed her report on the table.

"The materials division recorded 34,760 gold coins in revenue."

Herrera looked over.

"That much?"

"The demand is coming from several industries," Aoda explained. "Blacksmiths are purchasing Earth Dragon bone and plates, alchemists are purchasing monster glands and magical ingredients, craftsmen are buying hides and scales, and magic-tool manufacturers are particularly interested in materials with natural magical conductivity."

She turned another page.

"The most frequently requested materials yesterday were Earth Dragon bone, Storm Serpent scales, Thunder Roc feathers, Crystalback Turtle shell, Silvermane Lion claws, Frostfang Beast hide, Moonstag antlers, Deepwater Serpent scales, Ironjaw Whale bone, and several varieties of magical crystals harvested from suitable monsters."

"Any shortage?"

"Not currently."

Aoda looked toward Herrera.

"The headquarters is maintaining enough inventory to satisfy the present demand, although several materials are being consumed faster than anticipated."

"And the supply routes?"

"Operating normally."

Herrera folded his hands together.

"All major shipments continue to leave the main headquarters after nightfall. Our members handle transportation, storage, and delivery themselves, so there is no need to involve outside merchants."

"That should remain the case," Aurora said.

"Of course."

Herrera nodded.

"The hunting teams have also increased their gathering efficiency. Since Starlight requires materials for several divisions at once, we’ve begun separating the teams according to what they’re hunting rather than sending everyone after whatever happens to be nearby."

"Good," Aurora said. "That will reduce unnecessary waste."

Octavia gathered the reports and arranged them into a neat stack.

"Then let’s see."

Her eyes moved over the figures once more.

"48,760 Forty from the restaurant."

She moved to the next page.

"23,640 from fashion."

"31,820 from weapons and equipment."

"26,450 from luxury collection£."

"And 34,760 thirty from materials."

Octavia added the figures together.

"That gives us a total of 165,430 gold coins yesterday."

Nobody particularly reacted to the number.

Samantha simply turned another page.

"And that doesn’t include the advance payments."

Octavia looked at her.

"How much?"

"28,920 gold coins."

"Custom orders?"

"Among other things. Three private dining reservations, four custom fashion orders, two large equipment contracts, and several reserved luxury pieces."

Bianca leaned back in her chair.

"So yesterday’s actual income was close to two hundred thousand."

"194,350 gold coins, including the advance payments," Octavia corrected.

"That’s considerably more than when we opened."

Andrea smiled.

"It would be strange if it weren’t. We’ve been operating for half a month now."

Celeste rested one hand against the table.

"And word has spread quickly. Starlight is no longer being described as merely a new restaurant. People are beginning to regard it as a place where they can obtain things that cannot easily be found elsewhere."

"That’s the important part," Aurora said.

She looked around the table.

"We aren’t trying to compete with ordinary shops. The restaurant provides rare cuisine, the fashion division provides clothing made from unusual materials, the weapons division provides equipment, the luxury division provides limited collections, and the materials division supplies craftsmen who cannot obtain those resources elsewhere."

Herrera nodded.

"Which means every division supports the others."

"Exactly."

Aurora’s gaze settled on the reports.

"Starlight is growing because all of its divisions are connected. The restaurant needs rare ingredients, the fashion division needs monster hides and feathers, the weapons division needs bones, scales, and other materials, while the luxury division uses the rarest pieces. All of those supplies come from the headquarters."

Samantha smiled slightly.

"And the headquarters receives the profits."

"Which are then used to expand the organization."

After all, they were merely carrying out the wishes of the Great Eclipse.

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