From my own experience, there are always profits in providing safe haven for adventurers and players, as they will require foods and lodgings amongst other profitable things.
They are also a very good source of information, especially adventurers, who have travelled across the cosmos in their adventures.
Adventurers are not the same as players, but players can become adventurers once they have reached high enough level. Players are awakened people who have been acknowledged by the System, at least, that use to be the case.
I am not too sure with the new System, as it appears to be a dumbed down version of the old System, which is way better in my opinion. Not exactly a dumbed down version. More like a simplified version.
The Systems asides, establishing an Inn or a Tavern or similar establishment is possible as I only needed to level up my Establishment ability, unlocking the next type of buildings, which is the Storefront.
Inn and Tavern are considered as Storefront, and they are not the only storefront possible. As long as it is a building that exchange goods for profits, it is considered a Storefront.
And similar to Headquarter, Storefront are impregnable as long as I have money for instant repair. But of course, establishing them within a hostile is stupid, as constant repairs will cause my net income to be negative.
I need to move to somewhere more secured and secluded to establish a Storefront, and if I only have my mother to worry about, I would be on my way already.
These other people are fucking baggage, and whether they are useful or not in the future is still in the future. It is not of concern right now.
I examine my mother again, and once I am certain that she is sleeping peacefully, I activate one of my abilities, the Silk Road. Or simply just Silk Road.
It is a class-based ability, unlockable at level 6 Merchant, right after unlocking Establishment. While it is not as useful as Trade Network, it does have it uses.
Aside from me, only my employees and merchandises can use the Trade Network to travel. The former requires my permission to do so while the latter cannot travel alone because they are merchandises.
Living people can become merchandises if they lose their rights and freedoms.
Since my mother and these women are neither my employees or merchandises, I cannot use the Trade Network to travel, and I rather not turn my mother into my employee or a merchandise.
The women, however, will be one or another unless I dump them somewhere else. It is better to dump baggage, as they will just take up resources. Knowing my mother, she will certainly disapprove of such actions, but what she does not know will not hurt her.
A holographic map of the city appears in front of me, and only the part that I have travelled in the last few days are visible, as all the running around and scavenging accomplish more than one objective.
Using the mini map, I create a route towards where the Abandoned Subway Station is located. Once I did, a new trade route is created. The icon on at one end of the trade route is the caravan.
While I can start the journey, I decide to pay for the luxury of Fast Travel instead.