Chapter 78 ❆ Meander

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Success. We tided through the day with no hitch and unforeseen misfortunes. There were small hiccups, but I'd taken note of them in order to avoid similar instances in the future.

The first day ended with our shelves swept clean, so my mistresses decided to celebrate by closing the store early and taking everyone to Kaiser's restaurant to eat. At the time, I was still worried about how to restock those shelves, but I'd already instructed my aids in advance to make the perfumes and seal the bottles according to the recipes and methods I provided earlier.

Elion's people could be trusted about the matter, and they were all very sincere people. Anyway, I doubted they would know the formulation very well, since the bottles were rather complicated and I had assigned the tasks separately. This way, not one person knew the whole formula other than myself.

For the luxury line, only I knew the formulas. Although this meant some more security, it also meant I would have to work on them since only I could make them. But I should be able to handle them myself. I could leave the bottling and packaging matter to someone else.

While everyone celebrated, I was somewhat preoccupied by my thoughts. However, with everyone's interest about the perfumes, I was kept busy with answering questions too.

"Oh, did you see how fast those expensive perfumes sold out?" Mistress Veronika boasted.

"Aside from the smell, it was just so beautiful. Like stars spinning in silken water..." Mistress Kora gushed. "Where in the world did you get that idea?"

"I like shiny things," I said.

They laughed.

And it was true. I liked shiny things. Anyway, I couldn't possibly tell them it wasn't originally my idea. In this world, whose would it be?

I could tell they wanted to encourage me and make me feel important for this special day. I could feel their sincerity and care for me. I really lucked out when it came to the people I had around, and for that I was constantly grateful.

After a fulfilling day, we all retreated back to our homes. I, on the other hand, along with Maun and Elion, had to part from everyone else to return to the temple.

"By the way, Evy," Elion began as we went up the steps together. "My family and I are moving out of the camp to settle in a better residence."

"That's great!" I said.

"Yes, well it's just me, my mother, and my brother. To be honest, I feel very guilty about it," Elion said. "However, my mother's condition really is not good for the environment of the camp. It's either too hot or too cold."

"Don't be guilty about moving out for your own comfort. You don't have to worry about everyone else. We'll find a way to help everyone, of course," I reassured him.

"I understand. Thank you for today. Good night."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Maun, thank you for being there today," I said, patting his head.

He smiled at me, then proceeded to take something out of his pocket. It was a stamp carving shaped like a chess piece. The carving was more exquisite than his previous works, and I think it was safe to say this was currently the best one yet.

"Oh, wow." My expression wasn't perfunctory. It carried genuine surprise.

I'd known that Maun started only very recently...or maybe it'd been recent in my memory. After all, a lot had happened already, and it might've already been a few months. Nonetheless, this lionhead stamp he made had serious and intricate details. It must've taken him hours just carving these lines to make it so lifelike.

I flipped it upside-down to see he made a seal with my name. The lion symbol was there as well, with flared out main and a majestic side view...sort of like that iconic movie opening thing with the roaring lion but with a different angle. I was pleasantly surprised and couldn't help looking up at him with amazement.

"You've improved so much!" I exclaimed, flipping it back and forth in my palm to see every detail. "It hasn't been that long since you began and here you are! But why did you make me something like this?"

"Because I think you'll be sending out letters soon," he said. "You can seal the wax with this."

So it wasn't a stamp like I thought.

"That's very thoughtful, thank you." I paused thoughtfully. "But I've never gotten you anything..."

"You don't have to...you've given me everything," he said.

Aw, fuck. This little shit's too sweet. How come one damn muffin...agghhh too cute.

I felt like I was tearing up a little. I had to control my breathing just so I don't pant like a pervert. Some sort of aggression was bubbling up inside me, urging me to crush Maun and pinch him to death.

"Oh, Maun..." I pulled him in for a hug, probably a little tighter than I intended—but hey, I was holding back. "You deserve all of it. Thank you. Why don't we go out tomorrow and eat? After class? It's my treat," I offered.

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Then that's a promise. You meet me out here when you're done, okay? If not, and you come first, you can find me in my residence."

He brightened like a little sun, with a blinding smile. "Okay! Okay! It's a promise! See you tomorrow."

-*-

Months passed steadily in this pace. I was kept busy by my studies in the Temple as well as running the shop. The progress was steady, both of my skills and abilities as well as the business I was running.

I encountered several bottlenecks with wielding my ability, but I'd overcome most of them. I was a little slower than I would have liked, especially with Amber taunting me and reminding me every now and then.

Because of this, I could not even take a breath. I did not have the time to hesitate and doubt whether I was walking on the right path. I could only blindly hope I was, while preparing myself hastily, that I was doing things right.

River End grew significantly with the help of marketing, some brainwashing strategies, and the capitalistic schemes that had been pulled from my previous life. Within six months, it became a rather well-known corner in the main street.

I was now making money after taking back the initial investments. Sales were steady and rarely dipped, but the best-selling products I did not see coming were the incenses. Incense pots were also a sell-out, so I had to commission a ceramic to produce some for me.

It made me feel some crisis, because my perfumes were outperformed. However, I could understand the appeal of the incenses, after all...they were more practical, ingrained in daily practices, not to mention interactive. With customers offered the chance to customize their scents, I suppose it meant giving them the power to get creative on their own as well.

But I made the most money out of my luxury pearlescent perfumes. The high markup against the production cost was the main reason, of course. It would seem that I did not overestimate the purchasing power of the wealthy either.

As of the third month after the establishment of the shop, the pearlescent perfumes had become a trend—not only for their fragrance that bloomed with the wearer, but also because people just found it so beautiful. As a result, they became an accessory in the most unexpected way.

The bottles were rather large in nature, but people were carrying them around in purses and bringing them out whenever just to show off. The fine mist would glitter around the person once spritzed, and the effect was particularly dazzling under the light. It was show-stopping. And I wasn't sure who started it, because now it was becoming a norm to pull up a fist-sized glass bottle and spraying perfume every three to four hours.

Mrs. Tru was laughing her ass off relaying the story to me—well, of course she wasn't literally. But there was so much mirth that wasn't a common sight to see on her.

Which gave me the idea.

Maybe more compact and portable glass bottles could be a thing, and they should be extra beautiful so that they could be very eye-catching once pulled out of a purse.

At least, this way, even if people felt it would be redundant to wear perfumes, the bottle itself would give them a reason to buy the product. I knew people tend to buy things just for their beauty, not necessarily for their use. Hence, packaging was an indispensable part of the product.

But then...how and where was I supposed to find a talented glassblower to do this?

"Is it a glassblower that you need?" Elion asked.

"Someone with amazing talent, of course...but I don't think I can entrust this matter to the guy I've been commissioning until now. He's very sketchy," I said. "I want someone I can trust."

"Then how about I introduce someone to you?" Elion offered.

"No way, do you have another one of those people?" I asked, brows raised. "Erindal is missing out on so many opportunities not putting our people to use."

"Well...I don't know this person very well, personally, but I do hear he's very good at what he does. But the aesthetics may be different...because customs in Vertvalden are generally very different as well."

I had never personally seen Vertvaldenian aesthetics since I was taken away by Amber when I was still a baby. Memories were now a bit hazy fourteen years later. "Even better!"

"Would you like to meet him and see for yourself?" he asked.

"Would I? Is that even a question? Bring me to him!"

"Right now?"

"Right now! Is there a better time?"

Elion seemed helpless at my rather brash request, but he nodded. "It just so happens that he seems a little out of it these days..."

"Why? What happened?"

"Things are not very good, so of course they would go out and try to make a living of their own...but treatment is generally not okay for our people. The local resident seem to have disdain..."

"That's understandable. Contempt for others is human nature," I said.

He laughed. "You don't seem to be the same."

"Me? I hold the whole world in contempt!" I said.

Elion ruffled my hair helplessly. I was disgruntled by this and stretched out a leg to kick his shin. Seeing as he had good martial arts foundation, he evaded me playfully. I would have pursued him had we not been walking down the street.

At this hour, the sun was a tiny dot in the horizon, its rays dwindling and disappearing into that thin line out at sea. Like many of the days behind me, I took that familiar trek back to the Temple and accompanied Elion to the camp.

Although situation had improved somewhat, things were still very much uncomfortable around. I was tempted to give help as much as I could, but it was better to teach a man how to fish rather than give them the fish. One day's help did not ease a whole year of suffering. If I wanted to sincerely do something about this, I had to address the issue at the root.

That root was Vertvalden, but I was in no position to solve that one for now.

"So...where is this person you're recommending?" I asked.


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