Chapter 7: The Rise of a New Merchant Guild
The success of Li Wei's coffee and healing potions had spread far beyond the village he had first visited. Towns and even cities in Agara were starting to see the value in the goods he offered. But with success came complications. The more people sought his goods, the more Li Wei realized that simply trading on his own wouldn't be enough. If he wanted to scale his business and compete with the larger, more established merchants and guilds, he needed to think bigger.
He spent the following weeks researching the structure of trade in Agara. Merchants operated in guilds, groups of traders who worked together to control the flow of goods, set prices, and maintain their influence in the markets. These guilds often had deep political connections, wielding significant power over the towns and villages. But they were also slow, rigid, and resistant to change.
Li Wei could see an opportunity.
By combining modern e-commerce strategies with the guild structure, he could create something revolutionary—a new merchant guild that operated faster, more efficiently, and with a wider range of goods than any of the existing guilds. He wasn't just selling items; he was offering a service, a way of life that could completely change the way the people of Agara did business.
But to do that, he needed allies. He couldn't take on the established guilds alone.
Li Wei began by reaching out to those who had benefited most from his goods: the tavern owners, the apothecaries, and the local vendors who had sold his coffee and potions. He spoke to them in private, explaining his vision of a new kind of merchant network. A system where trades could be made more easily, where items could be delivered to different regions of Agara without the delays of traditional trade routes, and where modern products would be made available at competitive prices.
Some of them were skeptical, especially the older merchants who had been in the trade for decades. But others—those who had seen the demand for Li Wei's goods firsthand—were intrigued. They saw the potential, the way Li Wei's ideas could modernize trade and bring in more customers. Slowly, a small but growing group of merchants began to form around him, agreeing to join his cause.
The first step was creating a proper structure. Li Wei, using his knowledge of modern businesses, began organizing his growing network. He set up a rudimentary "storefront" in each town, where customers could place orders for his goods. This was a significant shift from the traditional marketplace model, where customers had to physically visit each vendor. With Li Wei's new structure, people could place orders at any one of his outlets, and goods would be delivered in a timely manner—an efficiency unheard of in Agara.
To further ensure the success of his guild, Li Wei introduced a loyalty program, giving regular customers rewards for their continued patronage. It was a small step, but it helped build trust and reliability in his brand.
The system wasn't perfect at first. There were hiccups, delays, and some resistance from traditional guilds who saw Li Wei's success as a threat. But with every passing day, the demand for his goods continued to grow, and the people began to see the advantages of the new merchant guild.
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Author's Comment:
In this chapter, we see Li Wei take the next step in his journey—establishing a new merchant guild. This is a significant development in the story, as Li Wei is now positioning himself to become a major player in Agara's trade scene. I wanted to show how even in a world of magic and medieval politics, the principles of modern commerce can offer a real advantage. Li Wei is bringing efficiency, innovation, and customer service to a world that's been stuck in a slow, traditional trading system. His business model—combining e-commerce principles with medieval commerce—is starting to change the landscape, and I'm excited to see how the established guilds will react to this new force in the market.