The Merchant and Tavern Master

------ second arc notes ------

Hello everyone,
It's Wilma Zhuo Li here.

First off, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who have been reading "The Merchant and Tavern Master" up to this point. How has your journey been so far? Do you find it enjoyable? Boring? Or perhaps something you find strange? Whatever emotions you've experienced, I'm eager to hear about them. I will forever be grateful, and use your feedback as lesson for my next journey.

Now, in for this second arc notes, I think I probably just want to 'brag' about a character who has truly captured my heart: Cordelia. For me, she's an interesting one, because, initially I only planned her to be an ordinary waitress, someone that Takahiko met in the capital, and then move on with his next venture. I never intended to make her fall for him in the first place.
She was meant to be a narrative device to propel the story forward.

Yet, Cordelia's complexity drew me in unexpectedly. That's why her flashback chapters turn out become that many. At beginning I only plan on her talk with Takahiko at that small tavern, but then I realized, why would she? She shouldn't be focused on one customer if she's a waitress, so what possibly could make her have interest with our protagonist. Then it just came to me, ah, Cordelia start to have interest with him genuinely. From that point, somehow I delve a little bit more on her background, what made her interest with him, and how do I tell her without relying too much on her narrative, then the Rusty Dagger master appeared. This story must always have a Tavern master. I admit I was bad naming a book / writing.

I also surprised on how well Cordelia's story developed until the peak of her story. But, I can't focus on her too much, because she's not the main focus on this story. It took several days for me to consider should I let her stay alive? But, no. After crafted the base of the story, letting her die is reasonable. Still I can't find myself to write the detail of her demise. That's why, her end was abrupt. From Takahiko's perspective, she was just gone, and nothing he can't do about it. I also with Takahiko as I wrote the detail of her death from the mouth of the investigator (yeah, this world has investigator). In anyway, I felt sad even though I'm the one who 'killed' her in the story. But she needs to go, and she's already fulfilled her part in the story to make catalyzing Takahiko's transition into adulthood. Well, technically he's already an adult, but he need to face challenges in life just as we all do, right?

So, with that end, the second arc has ended, and we will welcome the third arc. The next arc will focus more on Sofia's growth and Takahiko's recovery. I've got several feedback from my friends about some weakness they found on first arc, I'm thinking it will need some adjustment in future. But I decided I will not do it until I close the story. I'm that type who want to finish the work first then back to fix the base (LoL).

Now, I'll spare you from any further rambling. My hope is that you'll continue to accompany Takahiko on his journey. Your care and feedback mean the world to me, and I genuinely extend my deepest gratitude for your support.

Sincerely,

Wilma Zhuo Li