Chapter 1268: Chapter 1268: The Witch’s “Invention”
"Ahem."
Miss Benanis coughed to bring the topic back on track:
"Sylvia, of course, we’re interested. What exactly is your business? Do you have photos of the product? If it’s a daily necessity, I can help you promote it."
The reputation of the best opera singer of this era is still very useful. Moreover, they are all Carsonrickians, which makes promotion convenient.
"No photos needed. How do you think I convinced His Excellency the Speaker? It’s because she has already seen the product itself."
The youngest Grand Witch in the Council said with a smile, revealing that she was eagerly anticipating this moment:
"Behold."
With that, she stood up from her seat, prompting both Miss Benanis and Miss Galina to come over. But Miss Sylvia did not take out a box from under the table, nor did she take out any item from her pocket. Instead, she rotated her chair ninety degrees and sat back down.
She smiled and lifted her long skirt slightly, first revealing black patent leather high heels, and then unveiling...
"Oh!"
Miss Galina and Miss Benanis both held their breath, completely unprepared for what lay beneath the skirt.
A sheer black fabric with a flesh tone shimmered, perfectly fitting the slightly muscular legs. The real color of the legs was faintly visible, and even though the dainty toes were hidden in the high heels, they could still be glimpsed. The nearly maddening leg contours were so clear, yet those legs were completely covered. As though visible under the gaze, yet not seen at all. The thin fabric’s texture was dense, every inch seemed like a tug could tear it apart.
It was as if she had donned a new layer of skin, the perfect curves were outlined, even more alluring than bare legs.
The witches’ orientations were inherently ambiguous, and the scene before them was beyond both their imaginations.
Emma Sylvia’s lipstick-painted lips curled slightly, as she reached out, casually tugging the fabric with her nail to let the other two witches watch the ultra-fine elastic fibers deform. But as Miss Sylvia released her grip, the fabric astonishingly bounced back to her skin. Upon closer inspection, the fabric bore no traces of its previous deformation.
"Have you... turned into a succubus?"
Miss Galina took a deep breath and reached out to tug, but Miss Sylvia stopped her:
"Though it’s very elastic, it can’t withstand constant pulling."
The blushing young witch lowered her skirt to cover her legs again and asked Miss Benanis:
"How does it feel?"
"You... you’ll buy out the whole world."
The young witch flashed an even brighter smile:
"Not quite so exaggerated for now. The pair I’m wearing is the best kind, requiring my personal crafting. The inspiration came not only from what Shard once said but also from the records of the Fifth Era. In that era, the Witch Empresses used the silk of now-extinct ice silkworms to make stockings. As for the products that factories can produce now, the elasticity and thinness are far from as good as what I’m wearing."
She then turned the chair:
"Still, it’s much better than the loose cotton socks you two are wearing."
Both Miss Galina and Miss Benanis snorted at the same time, with the Duchess crossing her arms:
"This time, you’ve truly grasped a great opportunity. Though it seems embarrassing, no one could refuse it, male or female alike. I can almost imagine people lining up just to buy a pair of your fabric, and thieves breaking into others’ bedrooms just to steal such things... Never realized Shard had such imagination..."
Realizing here:
"That guy, he must’ve felt plenty of witches’ legs in the Fifth Era to give you such shameless advice."
"The key to the invention isn’t here; the fabric is just the finished product. Do you know what the real value is? I, Emma Sylvia, became the first to invent artificial synthetic fiber. I’ve pioneered a new history in the field of chemistry, and even after a thousand years, my achievements will still be recited. I even received the Enlightenment Spirit Rune [Weave] at the moment of success, bringing me closer to the Eleven Rings..."
"How many finished products do you have? Like the ones you’re wearing."
Miss Benanis interrupted her. The Eleven Rings Blonde Witch clearly understood what an extraordinary achievement it was, but that wasn’t her main concern right now.
"These are just prototypes, further adjustments are needed. Besides, I’ve been busy recently writing a thesis and dealing with the factory."
Miss Sylvia made a gesture of embarrassment, but she was actually twirling black strands of hair by her ear while watching the two:
"I’m really busy."
She repeated.
"A pair for 5 Krone, it’s worth the price. Don’t worry, I won’t wear them out before you stock them, just at home... If you’re short on people, I can lend you a few."
"A pair for 70 pounds, I’ll find a way for you for Draleon’s sales. The girls around me won’t refuse such garments."
The Duchess indeed offered an "exorbitant" price.
As for the witches’ trade tonight, Shard naturally wasn’t aware.
Shard woke up early on Tuesday morning, and after breakfast at home with Mia, he headed to Huntington City with the cat. This evening, he’s arranged a trade with the Elf Girl, so he’ll have to enter Creekland Woods again, and Shard plans to take Mia along. Winter is about to pass, and to see such scenery again will take another half year.
Of course, to prevent anyone from seeing this cat and associating it with him, Shard used the witch’s disguise rune stone to transform Mia’s appearance. This powerful illusion technique was specially developed by witches of the previous era for the effects of makeup, so there’s no worry about a cat disguised as a dog being recognized.
The statue of the Church of the Forgotten is once again hanging on the Holy Emblem, while the stone statue still sits in the front row chair, and Miss Lathis shouldn’t move it for a short time.
After Shard left Cherry Leaf Lane with Mia, he went straight to the local Cassandra Auction House. Though it was only nine in the morning, the guests passing through the auction house foyer were already bustling, as there were some very important auctions today.
Mr. Kimberley, the manager, was already waiting in the foyer for Shard’s arrival, and even though he brought in a very ugly dog into the carpeted room, Mr. Kimberley dared not utter a word of complaint.
"Good morning, did you find the ledger?"
"Found it, please come this way, all the records are here."
Saying this, Mr. Kimberley led Shard to his office on the third floor. At this time, the tidy office had three paper boxes piled up on the floor, and two middle-aged men dressed as accountants in brown waistcoats were placing ledgers and transaction records on the coffee table in chronological order.
Beside the coffee table, a trolley was already prepared with black tea and snacks, and a young lady dressed as a maid was arranging them.
"This is Miss Milia."
Mr. Kimberley immediately introduced her, and Shard looked at the maid, finding that she was a Circle Sorcerer. The badge on her chest emitted a very weak heat; her Ring Mage Level was only at Three Rings:
"Mr. Watson. I saw you last year in Midshire Fort, you probably didn’t notice me then."
Miss Maid bowed respectfully, and Shard nodded without saying much.
As the oldest witch still existing, the number of followers the Old Witch has is not something a "young person" like Miss Sylvia can compare to. Hence, the branches of Cassandra Auction House across the Old Continent will more or less have witch followers. In important cities like Randall Valley, three to five Circle Sorcerers would be arranged.
They don’t participate in management and only oversee troublesome auction items and maintain the Ring Mage black market business; this system has been in place for nearly a hundred years.
Shard did not engage in much small talk and began checking ledgers and transaction records after placing Mia on the sofa. The accountants waited in the room next door, while Mr. Kimberley was sent away by Miss Milia to arrange other auction house matters. She accompanied Shard personally:
"Mr. Hamilton, Princess Margaret and Prince William Anjou will be here at ten to attend the auction. They are accompanied by Earl Granger; they want to purchase a batch of statues sold by the local Stonemason Guild."
"No need to tell me these things; I’m here today just for the ledger."
Shard shook his head, temporarily not having time to deal with Margaret’s matters, and finding Thomas Granger and Mr. Lathis was currently most important.
Thus, Miss Milia didn’t say much more and helped Shard search the ledgers for suspicious transaction records.
Shard didn’t actually know what he was looking for, only that it might be related to the "Heart of the Earth," so they could only first select records that might be related, then conduct detailed analysis.
Fortunately, all auctioned items must be archived with photographs, so searching with these would be easier. Shard limited the records to between two months before Mr. Lathis’s disappearance and the time he went missing. Yet, the thriving business of Cassandra Auction House made such extensive searches quite arduous.
Only Mia truly enjoyed such times; seeing Shard wasn’t taking it around, the cat comfortably stretched out in a place where Shard could easily touch it, seemingly asleep or perhaps truly asleep.
By nine forty-three in the morning, Shard picked up an auction record with great interest, flipping through it. This wasn’t what he was looking for but the auction record from Osenfort Estate.
Rumor has it, since this estate in the hands of the Osenfort family was lost, every subsequent owner living within would meet misfortune. This auction record was again from 1844, but according to records, it failed to sell, until the next year when it finally was sold to an out-of-town merchant.