79th of Ash 4622
The end of the season was approaching, the days were growing shorter and the night was lengthening. The weather began to grow colder whilst birds began migrating southwards to remain in a more ideal climate. The touch of Frost had not yet set upon the land yet, literally and figuratively, yet it was growing closer. These words could also be applied to Hugo, for though it had been several weeks since his 'adventure' in Amoren, he had not recovered yet. Physically he was certainly looking far better, but emotionally he was still aimless. His mind had been cast adrift by the pain and multiple near-death experiences he went through. Yet even after weeks of contemplation and consideration of the thoughts that had floated around his head Hugo had still not managed to reach a conclusion yet of what this event had changed in him. He knew that it was different, that his worldview was no longer the same, yet Hugo could not yet point out where his views had changed and what kind of different solution had been concurred. The process of self-reflection was far from over for Hugo if it would ever end. However, after several weeks of recuperation Hugo decided to go back to his job as a trader of some sort. At the very least occupying his mind with thoughts of business might keep the internalized worries and insecurities that he felt away.
Thus Hugo decided to head to one of the markets in the centre of Genteven. Specifically, he headed to a market where many Valran made their purchases or where generally rich traders would sell their wares. After about half an hour's walk through the crowded city streets, Hugo arrived at the market. Despite the somewhat cold weather, Hugo could see how the market was bustling with a healthy amount of traffic. Nothing compared to the number of people that walked through the too-narrow lower-class districts of Genteven, yet still a healthy crowd. As he neared the market he could see how the total quantity of market stalls was smaller than those in the lower-class districts. However, these stalls were bigger and more well-built. Furthermore, whilst the number of stalls was clearly fewer in number the number of physical shops and storefronts was greater in number. Hugo had not been to this market for a long time, so instead of immediately immersing himself in it he first decided to go to a small tavern with an outdoor terrace. Here he took a seat at a small wooden table whilst ordering a glass of watered wine. It would be inappropriate to get a low-class drink but neither did Hugo wish to be inebriated and have his mental functions severely impaired. Thus the choice had come to drink a glass of watered wine.
Whilst he waited for his drink of choice to be delivered by one of the servants of the establishment Hugo's eyes were focused on the market itself. When he had come here last it was a customer, now with keener eyes for the art of monetary exchanges Hugo looked at the market from this lens. As such Hugo took the time to observe the market in a different layer so he could gain a more complete understanding of what made some merchants successful whilst others were not. The first thing he looked at was the layout of the market itself, how the stands were placed and where the most traffic would be passing through. What was made clear from just a quick viewing is that roughly speaking there were two 'lines' of stalls. With one part of the line facing inward into the market and a second part of the line facing outwards towards the buildings that surrounded the market square. Thus if one was to look at the total breadth of this particular market then it would be about four market stalls wide. This left three 'areas'.
The first area was the Southern end of the market, where a single row of stalls was facing outwards. The second area was the middle area, here a set of stalls from one 'line' were facing the stands from the parallel line. Finally, there was the Northern section of the market, where the stalls were facing outwards towards the different buildings again. Hugo observed these areas closely, trying to see if he could identify any trends that these areas had. Any apparent advantages or disadvantages that came from having a stall located in any particular area. What Hugo could quickly observe was that the middle area, where two stalls essentially faced each other, was the most active. More people passed through here, often keeping an eye on either the right side of the stalls or the left side of the stalls. Meanwhilst the Northern and Southern sections of the market both clearly had a smaller amount of traffic. Yet if he looked closer, more details were revealed. Itwas clear that the Northern section had more traffic than the Southern section. This was probably because of the fact that many of the residences of the local Valran were closer to the Northern side of the city. Which meant that the majority of foot traffic would check that area out more often.
Furthermore, whilst the total amount of traffic was greater in the middle lane the customers often only focused on one side of the lane. If the amount of traffic in the middle section was then divided in two, it became clear that the amount of potential customers per stall was actually smaller in the middle section than the Northern section. This meant that the most valuable stall area, from most to least valuable, would in this case be North - Middle - South. It was interesting to see how geographic location proved to be such a big factor in the amount of customers. However, if thought through further it did make a certain amount of sense. Now that this minor realization had arrived, and now that Hugo's glass was also empty, it was time to get closer to the stalls. To observe the behaviour of customers and from merchants up close. Thus Hugo walked over the cobbled street towards the center of the market where the different stalls displayed their wares. He decided to go to the middle area where he could watch both sides to see if there were any interesting purchases, it was also a more crowded area so less people would pay attention to him specifically or notice his stares.
As he got closer to the market itself Hugo began walking with the crowd and began looking at what kind of stalls people would actually stop. The main noticeable thing was that in comparison to the lower class market was that there was a smaller amount of food stalls. Sure food stalls were still present, but the total number of them was a lot smaller. This was probably due to the fact that most of the people who came here had homes which were big enough for it to have local cooking. Whilst in the poorer areas of the city most residences often did not have a stove or area to properly prepare food. Another noticeable thing was that none of the Valran seemed to be observing the food stalls. The main traffic for those were well-dressed servants who seemed to buy raw ingredients in bulk. These were probably the cooks which made sure that their superiors were well-fed and did not have to pay attention to the cooking of food. It also became clear that the food stalls were more present in the Southern section of the market, which meant that they were resigned to the lower-value area. The type of good that seemed to be most common on the market seemed to be fabrics. Because whilst many of the people here were of a certain wealth, they were not rich enough to hire a tailor. Instead most of their clothes were made by servants who had to use base fabrics. This was similar to the lower-class markets, but the quality of the cloth was far greater. The fabric was softer and with threads also being sold which can be used to embroid the clothing or create the pattern.
What seemed to be the pattern here was that different goods were sold in different quantities depending on who might purchase them. Everyone needed food but as made evident in earlier observations was that some could simply buy ingredients in bulk whilst many others did not have the time or the facilities to cook. Which changed the composition of what a market looked like. Now the question was, how could this knowledge be used and exploited for Hugo's own benefit.
This final part was perhaps the hardest to consider, but after Hugo finished inspecting the market he had something of an idea. Many of the specific spots at a market were rented to people from a local administrator. The merchants had to pay for the right to use a location. However, Hugo with his status, personal connections, and foreknowledge, could perhaps prematurely rent some of these spots. Lay an early claim on these locations and then rent them back to merchants and such for a higher price. At least the spots that were more valuable. Hugo could not rent many spots, but he was pretty sure that he could gain a tidy profit with an action such as this.
Thus Hugo spent the next week preparing such a course of action, having a good conversation with a local administrator and after a nice evenings dinner and exchanging some interesting pieces of information Hugo managed to acquire these valuable spots. From there everything proceeded neatly as Hugo had predicted and he had gained enough profit to at least somewhat compensate for his weeks in captivity.
