“Why not?”
If it had been back when Lulumiya was still in university, she would have turned and walked away the moment she was refused this strongly.
But now that she had long since graduated, her nerve was far thicker than any college student’s, so she had to press for an explanation.
At this, Xiaoer’s father shifted sideways and gave a thumbs-up toward the room, where a youth of about seventeen or eighteen sat wearing the Saint Istelle Academy uniform.
Noticing Lulumiya’s gaze, the youth scowled with obvious displeasure.
“Someone got here before you, little lady. He’s also from your academy.”
“Father, Lulumiya was introduced by Lijie—you know, Lijie, who helped me a lot when I first enrolled. I promised her I’d make sure this gets done.”
Xiaoer grew anxious.
Lulumiya held a very favorable impression in his mind—no one had ever compared him to Lijie before, and what Lulumiya said when she arrived made him feel they were on the same side.
Xiaoer’s father clicked his tongue, a displeased expression appearing on his square face.
“What you promised has nothing to do with me. I never agreed. This line of work follows rules; otherwise, how can we do business in the future?”
He shook his head but then pondered and asked, “Three days is too rushed. How about half a month?”
“No.”
This time, it was Lulumiya who vetoed. She only had three days—actually two and a half.
Though, in theory, she could look for other craftsmen, after seeing the scattered half-finished furniture in Xiaoer’s family courtyard, Lulumiya understood that on-demand crafting simply didn’t exist in this world.
The small workshop operation model meant low efficiency.
Even if she asked elsewhere, the answer would be the same: a waiting list.
“What’s the rush?”
“This thing is very valuable. It will change the entire industry. If you don’t agree, I can’t show you the blueprints.”
“Heh.”
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but stroke his beard and laugh.
Normally, a girl Lulumiya’s age wouldn’t be very convincing, but her stubbornness suggested otherwise.
“Father, please help Lulumiya. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll have no face to return to school.”
Beside her, Xiaoer was even more anxious, blushing as if about to stomp his feet.
“What’s going on?”
At some point, the youth from inside had come out into the courtyard, his eyes clearly surprised as he sized up Lulumiya.
The silver-haired automaton with dragon horns and tail had been a hot topic at the academy recently, but unfortunately, that Magical Automaton had a terrible temperament and owed a lot of money to noble students, so it had long since fallen from grace.
“She wants me to make furniture for her, but the time is tight.”
Xiaoer’s father hesitated.
“My matters are important too. My father entrusted me to find you because he trusts you.”
The youth glanced sideways at Lulumiya.
“She owes a lot of money to people at the academy and can’t pay. If you don’t believe me, ask her to pay—if she can come up with a single gold coin, I’ll give her the time.”
Now Xiaoer’s father hesitated.
He had long seen through his son’s behavior: Xiaoer had secretly liked Lijie for a long time.
That’s why he wanted to side with Lulumiya.
But if she couldn’t pay, that was a different matter.
“Little lady, is what he said true?”
Without giving Lulumiya a chance to defend herself, the youth stepped forward and said flatly, expressionless.
“I’m Gios, eldest son of Viscount Lanfa. My sister Ye’an has mentioned you.”
So, he was Ye’an’s older brother.
Lulumiya inwardly snorted.
This youth clearly knew her background and was trying to use his status to pressure her.
She wondered what expression he would have if he knew about the way she had pinned Ye’an with that bowl earlier.
Anyway, since they were already enemies, she might as well not pretend anymore.
Lulumiya put away her usual smiling demeanor and grew extremely serious.
“So, Senior Gios, that makes it easier to talk. May I ask you to step aside for a moment? Your commission can wait—mine is more important.”
Why should she?
Before Gios could respond, Lulumiya spread her hands.
“This is by order of the Fourth Princess. You know I owe her quite a debt, so now I’m running errands for her. You delaying me is one thing, but this is what Her Highness wants. If you don’t step aside, I’ll have no choice but to tell Her Highness the truth.”
“Ahem.”
Although she didn’t hear where the cough came from, Lulumiya could guess—it must be Falias, the knight.
The Fourth Princess had ordered him to follow her today, probably so she wouldn’t be seen; he was lingering far behind.
Gios’s face stiffened.
“How can you prove what you say is true?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the Fourth Princess yourself. Also, she told me that as long as this thing can be made, I can quote any price.”
Lulumiya pointed at Gios but looked at Xiaoer’s father.
“If he offers you money, I’ll pay double. How about that?”
“By the order of the Fo-Fourth Princess? No problem, no problem!”
Xiaoer’s father’s voice rose an octave.
“More precisely, the Fourth Princess commissioned me, and I’m commissioning you. Senior Gios, if you have nothing else, please go back. What I’m about to show can’t be seen by outsiders.”
Gios’s face turned pale and flushed repeatedly but he had no way to argue.
It was true Lulumiya owed the Fourth Princess money.
Putting aside whether she could ever repay it, as a minor noble himself, he couldn’t dare ask the princess whether the commission was genuine.
If it were false, no big deal, but if it was true, considering the Fourth Princess’s well-known grudging nature, he might well be disowned by his father that very night.
“Just you wait!”
“Goodbye, Senior Gios~”
Lulumiya waved with a smile as Gios stormed off in anger.
The saying ‘a heavy debt is no burden’ applied here.
After all, she was already at odds with Ye’an, and Gios was her brother.
One more grudge wouldn’t matter.
Gios would never know that everything Lulumiya just said was bluster—a chicken feather passed off as an order.
Only children believe everything they hear; adults are full of lies.
Just like that, the matter was settled?
Xiaoer’s father felt unreal, his gaze toward Lulumiya shifting from seeing her as a child to treating her like a real client.
This strange girl with dragon horns was far older than she looked.
As for Xiaoer himself, his eyes sparkled with excitement.
As a student from a commoner background, seeing a haughty noble student get taken down was deeply satisfying.
He was already planning how to enthusiastically praise this to Lijie.
Of course, he would have to add some of his own presence in the story.
Once Lulumiya was invited inside to sit, she took out the blueprints she had drawn in class, and Xiaoer’s father frowned deeply, falling into thought.
The blueprints were for a Printing Press used during the Gutenberg Revolution.
This kind of press had a simple structure: a base to hold Letterpress Types and paper, a wooden plate that pressed the paper onto the type to print the text, and a lever to apply pressure to the plate.
It sounded complicated, but a glance at the blueprint made the principle clear.
At its core, printing was not difficult.
It was simply applying ink to pre-cast Letterpress Types, then pressing paper against them.
Early printing had many problems: block printing instead of movable type, Letterpress Types not durable enough, ink unsuitable for printing (not clear or long-lasting), and the press itself was crude and inefficient.
What made the Printing Press Lulumiya showed epoch-making was that its inventor improved and integrated existing technologies, greatly increasing efficiency and enabling mass printing.
Leaving aside the types and ink, just the press itself was particularly easy to make.
Since Lulumiya only needed one press to show the Fourth Princess its potential, the types and ink parts were less important.
The types didn’t need to be metal movable type, and the ink could be ordinary ink—good enough.
After all, printing presses simply didn’t exist in this world.
“Although it’s something I’ve never seen, it shouldn’t be hard to make. Three days is enough. But we need to finalize dimensions. Also, some parts will wear out quickly without metal components. I’ll have to find someone to make those. With all that, I’m not sure if we’ll make it in time.”
Setting the blueprints on the wooden table, Xiaoer’s father asked for Lulumiya’s opinion.
Lulumiya shook her head repeatedly.
“No metal parts. Use wood. It must be finished in three days—after all, this is for the Fourth Princess. As for wages, I’ll only pay after showing it to Her Highness. Once she approves, you get paid. How’s that?”
“Wages are no problem. You’re Xiaoer’s classmate; I trust you. But something that breaks quickly like this—are you sure the Fourth Princess will be satisfied? I’m worried…”
“She won’t come after you.”
If anyone, it would be me.
“That’s good then.”
Xiaoer’s father chuckled, stood up, and took a contract and pen from the nearest cabinet.
“Time is tight. I have to get started now. The Fourth Princess’s business can’t be delayed.”
“Father, Miya and I are classmates. Why make her sign a contract?”
“Classmates? You’re nowhere near her level.”
Xiaoer’s father rolled his eyes at him.
“Learn from her.”
Lulumiya could only smile.
Signing the contract was not distrust but a way of treating her as an equal.
She carefully read the contract.
The terms were simple: delivery in three days, and wages of three silver coins.
Lulumiya had no concept of money but wasn’t afraid of being cheated.
This world’s business environment was not complex like a modern society.
Population movement was so slow it was hard to imagine.
Most craftsmen passed their skills down through generations.
Family-based workshops that cheated or charged exorbitant fees quickly lost their local footing, paying a cost far higher than a few extra copper coins.
As for the fact she only had three copper coins in her pocket, that was not something she was thinking about now.
“One more thing.”
Before Lulumiya signed, Xiaoer’s father, Sean—whose name was on the contract—spoke suddenly.
“The blueprint calls for carved letters. I don’t know how to carve. You’ll need to find someone else.”
“Do you know someone like that, Mr. Sean?”
“I do.”
Sean said no more and pursed his lips.
Lulumiya signed straightforwardly.
“Please have Mr. Sean find them. Pay at market price, and I’ll credit Mr. Sean’s contribution to the Fourth Princess later.”
Sean beamed as he put away the contract.
“As long as you trust me. Serving the renowned genius Fourth Princess is something I can brag about to my neighbors for a lifetime.”
He stood and pushed another contract to Lulumiya, who accepted it without hesitation.
“Pleasure working with you.”
“You don’t seem like a kid your age at all. No hesitation. If it were my son, he’d be stammering by now—let alone chase off that young man just now.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m a Magical Automaton. That makes me different.”
Lulumiya smiled faintly and easily shifted the topic.
Only Xiaoer was completely confused, not understanding why his father’s attitude had changed so much.
[Title Lost: 『Deceiver』]
[Title Gained: 『Fox Borrowing the Tiger’s Power』, 『Impersonator』, 『Deceiver*2』]
[Positive Thought Value: 45↓ (decreased by 13 points)]