Five days had passed since Uzo the Dwarf delivered the Blue Steel Tailoring Tools, and Vainet had been utterly absorbed in her clothing designs, barely sleeping or eating, letting her talent shine.
During that time, Su Yao had admired her work on more than one occasion, but strangely enough, every time he promised to reward her, it would somehow be left unsettled.
When he came to his senses, Vainet would always brush him off, saying, “I’ve already been rewarded.”
Ah, how he wished that “cute but secretly dark” Lilith would learn a thing or two from Vainet.
Following Su Yao, Chlorel, Sofia, Doro, Doli, and Lilith each received a Noble Dress.
Of course, Vainet also designed a set of ordinary clothes for Su Yao and his core members for everyday use.
But in order to balance aesthetics, a little exposed skin was inevitable.
Everyone understood. These seemingly ordinary yet beautiful clothes covered most vital areas, which was more than enough.
Other than Vainet herself, probably no one was so weak as to be hurt by someone wielding cold weapons right in front of them.
As for everyday wear, as long as it could prevent sneak attacks, that was good enough.
With the matter of personal armor settled, the next step was to officially sell clothing to the outside world.
Silk Cloth boiled in hot water would be sold as ordinary “Luxury Silk.” As for “Labyrinth Outfits,” current production could only support a “Premium Route.”
But before that, she had to find a way to build up her product’s reputation, especially among the Noble Circle of this country.
For this, she had to rely on the influence of Sylvie Chamber of Commerce and Princess Ifriel.
Chlorel was still tangled up in the construction affairs of the Town surrounding the Dungeon, unable to get away.
Fortunately, with the Labyrinth Employee Bank, funds needed for the Town’s construction were no longer a problem.
Su Yao had originally planned to establish a Labyrinth Bank, and at the same time introduce the Credit System and Paper Money into this world, to pave the way for issuing Labyrinth Bonds later.
But after discussing it with Hilvi, the idea was stopped.
Matters of “currency” affected national interests, and drawing the attention of the Vichy Kingdom’s upper echelons for the sake of building a Town was not wise.
That said, the Employee Bank, known and participated in by only a small number of people, posed no such problem.
Incidentally, the biggest client of this bank was Hilvi, who deposited one hundred thousand Gold Coins for a Three-Year Term at an Annual Interest Rate of three percent.
Compared to her, the few hundred Gold Coins deposited by the other employees amounted to mere pocket change…
Back to the main story, the blonde loli came to Moravia alone today, wearing her new clothes and calling for a carriage by herself.
Naturally, this new outfit was the Noble Dress made for her by Vainet.
Su Yao had already come to promote it once.
When Ifriel saw her in the black fishtail dress, “Two-Eyed Sparkle” was no exaggeration.
The female Nobles’ clothing in this world was generally ostentatious, bulky, and conservative.
The strapless and high-low “fishtail” design was a bold innovation for the Fashion World.
Of course, the innovation was a great success—even the calm and steady Hilvi showed envy in her eyes.
It seemed that no matter the world, girls’ love for beautiful clothes remained the same.
Su Yao simply demonstrated the outfit’s incredible defensive abilities in front of them.
No further introduction was needed; they naturally became the first customers of “Labyrinth Outfits.”
As for Gold Coins—well, for just two Noble Dresses, gifting them was no problem.
Of course, she would never do business at a loss.
“Your Highness Ifriel, why are you here alone? Where’s Miss Hilvi?”
How odd, this “love-struck” princess was actually not glued to Hilvi’s side.
“Hilvi was summoned home by her father. Thanks to that, all the Chamber of Commerce’s affairs are left to me alone. By the way, you’re just in time—how about handling these documents for me?”
“I’m really not good at paperwork, so maybe don’t give those to me. If Miss Hilvi isn’t here, maybe I’ll come back another day?”
No way—finally getting a chance to go out and have fun, only to be roped into work… No thanks!
“No need, Miss Su Yao. Please rest in the guest room for a while. The Auction will proceed as planned. Although it’s a shame Hilvi isn’t here, I’ll take care of what you agreed upon with her.”
Good—she hadn’t come all this way for nothing.
Before making the new Noble Dresses for them, Su Yao had asked Hilvi to hold a medium-sized Auction under the Chamber of Commerce’s name.
The invited guests were, of course, Nobles from this territory and nearby areas. There might be future Auctions in the Capital, but this time, just a local one would do.
She wanted to see for herself how much the era-defining Noble Dresses made with Vainet’s design and Arachne Spider Silk could sell for, and build up some connections while she was at it.
……
The golden light of dusk had completely faded. Moravia City Center was lit by lanterns, and the nighttime streets looked even more beautiful than by day.
“Your Highness, Miss Su Yao, we’ve arrived at the theater.”
Once the carriage stopped, the attendant jumped down from the “front seat,” opened the silver-edged white door, and respectfully stepped aside.
Even though she visited this city often, there were still prosperous districts Su Yao had never been to.
The blonde loli was the first to hop out. Such an improper move would have been impossible in the Noble Dress of this world—but she acted that way simply out of excitement.
“Thank you, you’re so considerate.”
Ifriel lifted her skirt with one hand and placed her other on Su Yao’s extended hand, gracefully stepping down onto a small footstool.
Hmm, if she were also wearing such a puffy and cumbersome dress, she probably couldn’t be as elegant as Ifriel.
The two walked up the steps together. After showing their invitations, they were led by the waiting attendant to a private box on the third floor of the theater.
As hosts of the Auction, they enjoyed the privilege of “sitting in the box with the best view.”
“Here’s a list of items up for Auction. You can take a look. Four days was a bit rushed, so most of the items are yours, and the Nobles attending don’t hold particularly high titles—please forgive us.”
“It’s fine. As long as we make a name for ourselves, it’s a success. Next time, we can hold more events in different places.”
Su Yao admitted she was a little impatient, but regardless of rank, she wanted to see for herself—testing the “purchasing power” of these Nobles to prepare for future expansion.
Since only Sylvie’s Chamber of Commerce could sell her “Luxury Silk,” this Auction was quite lively—probably every Noble who could make it from the territory had gathered here.
“Ladies and gentlemen……”
The Auction officially began. The masked Host performed energetically on stage, warming up the crowd.
The first item was quickly brought out from backstage—a Box of Premium Chocolate Su Yao had once found in a treasure chest.
“Starting bid: forty Gold Coins! Each raise must be no less than five Gold Coins!”
It was comical, but the Nobles truly kept bidding up for what, in her previous world, was an everyday snack.
In the end, the chocolate sold for two hundred and fifty Gold Coins to a male Count. Su Yao’s face twitched…
“You seem surprised?”
Of course she was surprised. Once again, she was shocked by the “dessert wasteland” that was this place.
But just as she was about to say something, the door to the box was suddenly pushed open.
Two well-armed soldiers entered, followed by a blond man in luxurious clothes, holding the hand of his female companion.
“Long time no see, my little sister!”