Lucas left the castle a little after six in the morning without even eating breakfast. Nicole brought breakfast over for him, and not long after she set it down, he heard someone asking to buy advertising space in the newspaper.
He didn't expect it to be Bryan, but after a moment's thought, he realized it was inevitable. Bryan was very open-minded when it came to new things. After all, he was currently the only nobleman who had moved to Sedona City. "Lord Lucas," Bryan hurriedly bowed, his eyes glued to the breakfast on the table.
"Sit," Lucas gestured with his hand, glancing at the nervous Emma and Gaba.
"Yes," Bryan replied respectfully, sitting opposite Lucas. His throat tightened. Having left home without breakfast, the aroma of the breakfast was making his stomach churn uncomfortably.
"Nicole, prepare some breakfast for Mr. Bryan," Lucas said calmly, picking up a red bean pastry with his thumb and forefinger and placing it on Emma's plate.
"Thank you, Lord Lucas," Bryan said with a beaming smile.
"Thank you," Emma said in a soft voice.
"Even if you've had breakfast, you can have them as a post-meal snack," Lucas said, giving Gaba a red bean pastry as well.
"Yes," Gaba replied respectfully.
How could the two of them not be nervous? They had arrived at the newspaper office at seven-thirty, only to find out that the City Lord had been there since just after six. It had given them quite a fright.
Gaba and Emma had been a bit too excited the previous night. On top of that, Gaba had decided not to go to the weaving workshop anymore, wanting to stay with Emma to protect her. As a result, they had spent the whole night trying to persuade each other and didn't get to sleep until three in the morning.
"There are plenty more pastries here, don't be shy," Nicole said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a gentle smile. She had brought several boxes of pastries for the young master and the cat-eared girl for breakfast and snacks. She got a plate of pastries for Bryan, then gave Gaba and Emma each a plate of red bean pastries.
"Mmm... The food from Lord Lucas's castle is as captivating as ever. It's absolutely delicious," Bryan praised, his eyes narrowed in pleasure.
"Then have some more," Lucas said, lifting his teacup for a sip and beginning to eat in an unhurried manner.
"Yes," Bryan replied with a smile. You don't get to eat if you're not thick-skinned.
Twenty minutes later, Bryan was stuffed. He sat slumped in his chair, looking at Lucas sheepishly. He had accidentally eaten too much.
"I hear Mr. Bryan wants to buy advertising space?" Lucas put down his teacup. The potential effect of advertising was still unknown; after all, there were no advertisements in this era, and this was his first attempt.
"Yes," Bryan wiped his mouth and said seriously, "Business at the shop has been getting worse and worse lately, and lowering the prices hasn't made much of a difference. So I'm hoping the newspaper can help promote my shop."
"If the price isn't an issue, then it's fine," Lucas said calmly. This advertisement would be an experiment. He was thinking about the future, when the 'Sedona City News' became famous. Future advertising slots might go to the highest bidder, likely calculated in gold coins per day.
"Lord Lucas, may I ask how to make the advertisement eye-catching?" Bryan asked humbly.
"What's the cheapest piece of clothing in your shop?" Lucas asked nonchalantly, glancing at Emma who was taking notes. That silly girl was actually writing down the entire conversation.
"The cheapest piece of clothing is ten copper coins," Bryan replied without hesitation. He only made a profit of one or two copper coins on clothes at that price. They were meant to attract customers.
Ten copper coins? Gaba was surprised. She decided to go buy a couple of pieces after work. It was so cheap.
"The advertisement slogan will be: The cheapest clothing store in Sedona City—Bryan's Clothing," Lucas said slowly.
"Huh? That could work," Bryan's eyes lit up. Anyone with an interest in buying clothes who saw an ad like that would definitely come to his store to have a look.
"Let me be blunt about a few things first. Writing an advertisement like this is fine. However, if you fail to meet the requirements stated in the slogan, if you don't have clothes for ten copper coins, the ad will be pulled immediately, and we will issue a notice criticizing your shop," Lucas said with a stern face. This was the bottom line for advertising; it wasn't about helping people spread false information.
"Absolutely not," Bryan waved his hands hastily. If his shop were to be criticized in a public notice in the newspaper, its reputation would be ruined for good.
Emma frowned and drew a large circle around the passage the City Lord had just spoken, marking it as a key point. It was this habit that later led her to publish a book dedicated to writing about Lucas's daily life and insights.
"One day? Or several days?" Lucas asked calmly. Since he was creating a new industry, he had to set the basic rules to avoid a chaotic mess later on. "Four days," Bryan said, gritting his teeth. He took out two silver coins from his pocket; it was all the money he had brought with him today.
"Alright. Five hundred copper coins per day. If you want to place another ad after four days, the price will be different. Also, a single ad can run for a maximum of seven days. After seven days, the price must be renegotiated."
As Lucas spoke, he turned to Emma and said, "Write all of this down. If anyone comes to buy ad space in the future, tell them this."
"Yes, my lord" Emma noted it down diligently.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave," Bryan said, standing up. He needed to hurry back to get his shop in order and prepare more of those ten-copper-coin clothes.
"Go on," Lucas nodded slightly. Today's advertisement had given him many ideas. For instance, could shadow puppet shows also have advertisements? Could ice hockey and boxing matches find sponsors?
Lucas shook off these stray thoughts and turned to look at Gaba, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have a job?"
"I..." Gaba lowered her head in guilt, unsure of how to begin. After all, by not going to work, she was letting down the opportunity the City Lord had given her.
"City Lord, my sister didn't go to work because she was worried about me," Emma quickly explained.
"Go to work. I will figure out a way for Emma to get around," Lucas sighed. His only option was to get a wheelchair from Earth.
"Really? City Lord? Can you really let Emma move on her own?" Gaba cried out eagerly, her brown eyes wide as she looked at him with anticipation.
"Simple movement will be possible," Lucas nodded calmly. A wheelchair could go straight and turn without any problem. Or he could modify the newspaper office itself.
"City Lord, as long as Emma can move, I am willing to pay any price," Gaba said with a serious expression.
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