Chapter 148: Instant Fame

Upstairs and downstairs, all the diners felt a surge of excitement at the appearance of Cheng Wencai. Having connections with a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Revenue was something even the wealthiest families envied.

Lin’s Inn’s lobby was divided into three floors. The first floor served as a regular dining area for ordinary guests, while the second floor offered double the comfort level, charging one or two silver coins per half hour for seating. Guests here would usually order several spirit beasts or rare materials for each table.

The private rooms on the third floor provided triple the comfort and charged three silver coins per half hour. Only the richest among the elite could afford such expenses.

By noon, thanks to the rooms already reserved by several shops, 30% of the 90 rooms were occupied. Although this wasn’t yet at the maximum occupancy level for a level 4 inn, most guests came at night, so it wasn’t impossible to reach full occupancy within a couple of days.

As for the dining area, the first floor was extremely busy. Even with a hundred or two hundred tables, it might barely accommodate the overwhelming crowd. With various discounts, the full occupancy could last for a month or two, allowing the inn’s advantages to shine through.

The second floor had far fewer guests. No matter how intense Lin’s Inn’s marketing efforts were, the wealthy families were more experienced and patient compared to ordinary people. Once Cheng Wencai’s background became known, business would surely improve significantly.

As for the third floor, including Cheng Wencai and his wife, there were only two tables occupied. Fortunately, Lin Dong hadn’t placed high hopes on the third floor. Having one table occupied in half a day already exceeded his expectations. Lin Dong believed that once Li Jiancheng, the de facto leader of Autumn Wind City, visited Lin’s Inn, the number of tables occupied daily on the third floor could reach a dozen or so within a month.

With 15 private rooms, to make money and earn experience points, at least 150 groups of guests were needed daily. A dozen tables were still dozens of times too few. However, taking the first step was already a good start. After all, these elite clients were mostly regulars at Maple Forest Restaurant. With the inn’s current advantages, it was already impressive to compete with them. To truly attract a steady stream of such elite clients, various foundational conditions needed to be improved further, especially the information network—anything less would be wishful thinking.

It could be said that despite some unexpected issues at the opening that cost a considerable amount of money, the five-day promotional campaign had fully met Lin Dong’s expectations. While discussions and whispers filled the lobby, praising the grandeur of Lin’s Inn’s owner, a vigorous old man strode in through the main door, followed by two guards, each carrying a gift box. With his gray hair and beard, his authoritative presence, and his tall stature, all the guests in the lobby immediately stood up in panic, with the sound of overturned cups and chopsticks filling the air. This old man was no stranger to them. A year earlier, it had been he who, under the pretext of rampant banditry, organized large-scale fundraising efforts and personally trained local officials. Nearly half of the people in Autumn Wind City had seen him at that time. He was Li Jiancheng, the deputy magistrate of Autumn Wind Prefecture. It was well known that Fu Tongshan, the former grand tutor and now the magistrate, had been steadily defeated after several confrontations with Li Jiancheng. No one expected that Li Jiancheng, who was effectively the most powerful figure in Autumn Wind Prefecture, would come to Lin’s Inn. With a stern gaze sweeping over the panicked lobby, Li Jiancheng raised his right arm and pressed his palm downward: “Everyone, sit down. I’m just another customer right now.” The guests were uneasy and none dared to sit down as he suggested. To them, although the head of the household office held a high position, he couldn’t control them, but Li Jiancheng was different—just one word from him could plunge everyone present into disaster. “Owner Lin…” Li Jiancheng looked at Lin Dong and said loudly, “It seems I’ve come at the wrong time.” “Not at all! It’s a great honor for Lin’s Inn to have Lord Li visit. I believe all the guests here feel the same way.” Lin Dong stood up, smiling as he stepped out from behind the counter. If he tried to put on a show in front of Li Jiancheng, the publicity would be immense, but so would the consequences. Eventually, the wealthy patrons who came to the inn might invite him to their events in an attempt to use him as a foothold to establish connections with Li Jiancheng. Busy with cultivation all day, Lin Dong naturally didn’t have the time for such social engagements. After repeatedly declining, it was possible these wealthy patrons might develop resentment. Li Jiancheng laughed heartily, glanced around the lobby again, and said helplessly, “It’s the first day of operation, and I wanted to come and support you. It seems I’ll have to wait a few days before I can get a chance.” “There are no seats on the first floor, but the second and third floors are mostly empty. Lord Li, please come upstairs!”

By the time Li Jiancheng reached the second floor, although the number of guests there was less than on the first floor, the impact was even greater. Compared to ordinary people, the wealthy families had more opportunities to deal with officials and thus understood better the power and influence of officials. The sudden appearance of the top figure of Qiufeng Mansion was enough to scare all the wealthy families to death, fearing that a single mistake could bring immeasurable consequences to them. Li Jiancheng was known for his stern expression at Qiufeng Mansion, but now he wore a smile as warm as spring breeze. Lin Dong also didn’t go downstairs; he followed closely behind Li Jiancheng. To those unaware of the situation, it would be easy to mistake him for Li Jiancheng’s servant. The wealthy families, waiting nervously as Li Jiancheng went from table to table offering drinks, certainly wouldn’t dare consider Lin Dong as his servant. It was already surprising enough that the owner of an inn could invite the head of the household department, but to have him promote it vigorously—only those extremely wealthy families in Qiufeng City had the financial means and boldness to do so. To have the top figure of Qiufeng Mansion promote something so hard, the inn owner of Lin’s Inn was far more than just wealthy. Unless one could offer a sky-high price of hundreds of thousands of silver taels or have a close relationship with Li Jiancheng, it would be impossible to get this official from Qiufeng Mansion to help. In Xilan City, there were those bold enough to spend hundreds of thousands of silver taels to ask Li Jiancheng for help, but they were all leaders in various industries—only through them could such a large sum yield even greater benefits. A newly opened inn certainly didn’t have such possibilities. Undoubtedly, the owner of Lin’s Inn had a good relationship with Li Jiancheng. Since he had a relationship with Li Jiancheng, no fool would consider him a mere servant. Therefore, after Li Jiancheng finished offering drinks and the wealthy families returned the favor with a drink of their own, they immediately filled their cups again and politely offered them to Lin Dong. Lin Dong accepted everything without refusal, drinking each cup in one gulp. His boldness quickly infected the wealthy families present. Though they remained fearful in front of Li Jiancheng, there was no awkward silence. After that round, the two went up to the third floor to deal with the ultra-wealthy families in the private rooms, then took Li Jiancheng to the room where Li Yunfeng and the others were. Only then did Lin Dong go downstairs alone. A bustling day slowly came to an end as night fell. The news of Lin’s Inn’s sudden success spread like wildfire, reaching every household in Qiufeng City. And the various restaurants also learned of this news right away.