Republic City

"So, Lorenzo... Uh, I don't want to sound like a fool, but since you've designated me as your 'informant', I need to get everything straight. Could you repeat the details for me, please?"

I replied with a smile as I stopped contemplating the seascape presented through the hatch.

"First of all, my dear friend Liu, the plan is none other than to open a pizzeria in Republic City. I have already secured a location on a street with good traffic."

"You already have a place?! But... how and when did you get it? You've never left the Earth Kingdom... Or have you?"

Liu almost jumped out of his seat at my words, it was always amusing to watch his characteristic overreactions.

"You're right, my friend, I've never set foot on any land other than our Kingdom. However, the laws there are much more lax than those of the Kingdom, so I simply sent someone to make the payment on my behalf."

Liu leaned forward, showing disbelief.

"Ha! Really....is it that easy?"

I nodded, apparently in Republic City, people could set up their businesses without many obstacles or questions. Although, from what I heard, there was a problem for business.

"But wait, Lorenzo... You mentioned something about opening a 'pizzeria', that is, a place where only pizzas are sold, am I right?"

I nodded once again.

"That's what I still don't understand, Lorenzo... Why limit yourself to selling only that food and not offer other options? Personally, I love the lasagna you prepare!"

I pulled out some papers from my black suit, previously requested from Ji-won before leaving, aware of Liu's common insecurity about new things.

"Examine these carefully."

Liu took the papers and began flipping through them.

"These are columns of numbers and date... What do all these documents mean?"

Liu raised an exaggerated eyebrow.

"They're my accountant's accounting sheets for the first few months of each of our restaurants. The vast majority of those months were recorded at a loss, and the only thing that kept all three restaurants afloat in those difficult months were my fighting winnings. Fortunately, now all three have stabilized and will no longer be dependent on me."

Liu was silent as he looked over the sheets.

"So... Are you saying that by focusing on a single product, the first few months won't be so painful? But... Won't people get tired of pizza at some point? I still prefer lasagna, if I'm being honest..."

Liu looked at me with his usual coy expression, but I shook my head as I laughed at his last question.

"No, it means we'll be able to direct those losses elsewhere, you know? Instead of investing money in ingredients for the many options we offer in the Earth Kingdom, we'll use it for advertising! We will campaign so aggressively but subtly that the citizens of Republic City will see pizzas everywhere. Before, I was the advertising and livelihood for the three restaurants, but I can't do the same in Republic City; I'm only known to those who have recently emigrated."

Liu nodded slowly, as if still doubting my words.

"And... And what would I have to do with all this, Lorenzo? You know that the only thing I'm good for is for no one to take me into account, only you, and I don't even know how...".

Liu deflated like an airless balloon, looking down at the ground as I quickly rose from my spot.

"That's precisely the reason I need you, my dear friend Liu!"

I put my hands on his shoulders and straightened him up to look at me; his eyes were trembling as if he was about to cry.

"You'll be in charge of keeping me up to date with everything that happens in Republic City! You'll be everywhere, listening carefully to what people think: whether they like the pizza or not, whether they'd like one ingredient more or less, whether they'd prefer this or that, you know? Besides, who knows? Along the way you might meet a nice girl to settle down with, wouldn't you like that?"

The light returned to his eyes with my last words; since Liu was an orphan, he always wanted a family. That's exactly why I also brought him with me.

"Are you serious, Lorenzo? Then I'll be the best informant in the whole world!"

Liu wiped away a couple of tears with the back of his hand and finally puffed out his chest.

"That's the attitude! By the way... Have you been following my advice? I notice your shoulders are more solid."

Closing my eyes, I squeezed his shoulders that were commonly covered by clothes.

"Yes, I've listened to you and started training! I don't think I'll ever reach your physique, but, as you always say, there's no one like you."

"You're right, I am unique, but it wasn't that long ago that I told you to train, maybe you have a fast-growing body!"

So, I returned to my place while we talked about various nonsense, like whether the girls in Republic City were cute or whether this Avatar Aang guy had really founded the city.

....

"I'll ask one last time and not bother you anymore, Lorenzo."

"Go ahead."

"Are you absolutely sure this will work out...? Your witty ideas always end up working out... but this... this isn't the Earth Kingdom anymore, it's not home, understand? I trust you, but I'd like to hear it from your voice."

"Liu, the guy who has to think more than twice before he acts. Trust me, I'm Lorenzo Bonaventura, when have I ever failed you? Besides, the only thing that could ruin my plans would be if, somehow, there was war. However, that's impossible, we're at world peace!"

We were both standing, waiting for an early disembarkation at one of the ports in Republic City. Then I held out a hand to him.

"Deal, my friend?"

He saw my hand and this time he didn't hesitate, he shook it instantly.

"Deal!"

....

We both looked up at the blue sky, covered by a few clouds and by something that would only be seen when Queen Hou-ting left Ba Sing Se: hot air balloons by the bucketload taking to the skies.

"So it was true what they were saying! I thought they were lying, but it's true!"

Liu was amazed, walking around the harbor without taking his eyes off the sky, while I had already lost interest in them.

"Look at that."

I put my hand on his shoulder to snap him out of his reverie and pointed out to sea.

"Th-that, that's the legendary Avatar Aang but in statue!"

It reminded me of nothing else but the Statue of Liberty in New York. Moreover, it made me reflect on how extremely strange and amazing it was that a child who seemed to have barely entered puberty would "save" the whole world from an evil emperor. Wasn't this something that an entire nation, an entire continent, was in charge of? Poor child.

However, I realized my mistake, looked down and scanned the street in front of us.

"Don't look so much, concentrate on the street in front of you."

As I said that, I finally put on my hat.

"W-why, this is awesome!"

Liu looked at me quizzically, as if I was a party pooper.

"Look at your surroundings, see how those wretched touts and hustlers stare at anyone who looks like fresh meat to start fucking around."

Liu followed my words and looked around; nearby were people who didn't look like outsiders at all.

"Hiiiik! Th-that, that guy is looking at me, Lorenzo! What do I do? Tell me, what do I do!"

Liu almost fell backwards when he noticed the eye one of those guys had cast on him; to his good fortune, I got to put an arm around his shoulders.

"Keep walking and don't look at any of those guys. I like to get along with everyone, but... with these guys I can't, they're pieces of shit!"

It was my first time in this life living this kind of experience, however, when I first arrived in New York I also suffered from it. In fact, I ended up coming to blows with one of these guys for wanting to charge me for something I never wanted. I don't regret breaking a few ribs.

"Sir, look at this toy, your son would surely love it, wouldn't you, little boy? This is a popular toy among the children here, here, take it and see for yourself the quality."

In the distance a poor soul was heard falling into the clutches of these wolves.

"I... well, I don't know if I should..."

The wolf smiled devilishly and took the toy from the father's hands and handed it to the boy.

"If you want your son to have many friends, as a local, I strongly recommend you buy it!"

The poor soul had no choice but to accept, swayed by his son's eyes full of illusion. Thank God we had already passed the port, we were in front of a city street. To my joy, the street was paved.

"Okay, that's a taxi, let's get in."

I grabbed Liu roughly by the collar of his suit and guided him to the car.

"Ouhhhhhh! Ta-taxi? What's that?"

I opened the door and with a jerk, pulled Liu inside the car and then got in myself to finally breathe easy.

"Hey, guys. Just arrived, aren't you? Welcome to Republic City, this is a taxi and I'll take you wherever you tell me to go for the appropriate fare."

I nodded as Liu massaged his head and settled into his seat.

"Thank you for the warm welcome. I am Lorenzo, and this is Liu."

I extended my hand, and he shook it from his place; Liu only gave a slight wave. Then, I indicated where we were headed: Liu would check out the place I got, while I would go to the bank to open an account and exchange currency.

"Lorenzo...what a peculiar name; it's the first time I've heard it in all my years as a taxi driver, may I ask where you are from?"

As the car moved forward, he asked us about our origin.

"We both come from the Earth Kingdom, specifically Ba Sing Se. We are here to establish an empire."

Through the rearview mirror, I noticed the man's face contort.

"Empire? What exactly do you mean, boy? Explain yourself."

"Just as you've heard, we're here to found the world's largest fast food empire."

The man's face relaxed, now showing genuine curiosity.

"Fast food... something like instant noodles?"

Instant noodles...? That already exists? Shit. I was silent for a few seconds.

"Yes, you could say that; however, it's going to be something much better. Something that reaches all kingdoms, you'll see."

My expression hardened, and my eyes flashed with certainty. Why did I want this? Why not continue fighting in the Ba Sing Se combat arena? Why give up the fame and love the people of the Earth Kingdom had for me?

I had simply found a new way to do what I loved. I loved seeing and hearing people cheering for me, enjoying a good show. It filled my heart to think that those who witnessed my fights would later tell friends or family how much fun it had been.

That is the reason why I would always ask the audience or the people I met what they thought of my last fight; I enjoyed their expressions. However, when I opened my first restaurant and personally took on customer service for publicity during the first few months, it was a pleasant surprise to realize that seeing them enjoy a good meal gave me that same feeling I was looking for in the fights.

So I thought this would be a good way to go, one where I wouldn't end up bruised by rock hits to the head, one where I could spread my influence all over the world, making people enjoy themselves because of me. I smiled at the idea.

"Well, it's not the first time I've heard similar words, but the confidence in your eyes and voice is not something very common. You remind me a lot of Hiroshi Sato, boy, I like you."

We finally arrived at the place that, in a short time, would be the first "Lorenzo's" in Republic City. It was located on a commercial street, surrounded by other establishments.

"Hold this, Liu, make sure everything is in order. Also, I want you to listen to what our now neighbors have to say."

I handed Liu the key to the place as he got out of the car.

"Roger that, Lorenzo, leave it to me."

I nodded confidently and closed the door, saying the following:

"I'll be here before you know it."

After a few more blocks, the car finally arrived at the largest bank in Republic City. I would exchange all the gold coins of the Earth Kingdom for yuan used here, open a bank account and, if possible, borrow money.

However, as I got out of the car to cross the street, the taxi driver spoke to me.

"As I said before, Lorenzo, I like you, take this."

From his place as driver, he opened the passenger window and held out a piece of paper, or rather a pamphlet, to me.

"I think you would be very helpful to the cause."

On the piece of paper, there was a man in a mask.