Chapter 210 – Alias or Nickname

“Welcome.”

The seamstress shop owner greeted me with a smile the moment she saw me enter her store.

“It’s been a while.”

“Not at all. Thank you for your continued patronage.”

This was the tailor shop where I had previously purchased the Lunaworm coat. When I greeted her, she seemed to remember me and bowed politely.

“Long time no see, Daisy.”

“Oh, Miriam. Did you bring something unusual again today?”

As expected of someone who works as a merchant, Miriam certainly has wide connections. When I told her I was thinking of having some fabric examined at this shop, she mentioned being acquainted with the owner Daisy and offered to act as intermediary.

“No, I’m just an extra. Sir Theodore here has something he’d like to show you, Daisy. Sir Theodore, this is Daisy. Though it seems you two are already acquainted.”

“Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Daisy, as per the introduction. Pleased to meet you today.”

“Theodore Gartner. The pleasure is mine. This may be rather abrupt and rude, but I’ve acquired some somewhat unusual fabric and was hoping to get a professional opinion.”

“Not at all. I’m grateful for the opportunity to broaden my knowledge as well. Rather than standing around talking, please have a seat over there.”

I was guided to a table behind the counter.

“This is it.”

I handed Daisy the wooden box containing the fabric.

“Let me take a look.”

She said, opening the wooden box… and the moment she saw it, Daisy’s expression changed.

“…May I touch it?”

“Yes.”

I had brought both the woven fabric and the thread in its bundled form. Daisy, looking somewhat apprehensive, first gently picked up the silver-glittering woven fabric as if handling a fragile work of art.

“This texture—this luster… It’s similar to Lunaworm, but different…”

Daisy took the thread bundle, lightly pulling on the end to test its tension, then looked up with a serious expression to ask:

“What kind of thread is this, exactly?”

“Arachne Thread.”

When I answered, Daisy’s eyes widened. Arachne are apparently few in number, so their thread must be even rarer.

“Actually, I’ve opened a shop in the Eastern District, and we’re considering handling this fabric there. But I’m having trouble determining its value. I’d like to hear your opinion.”

“Th-that means… you can procure it in substantial quantities?”

“Only irregularly for now.”

Daisy gulped, took two or three deep breaths, then answered.

“…Y-yes, I see. Let me preface this by saying this is what I would do… but I think I would price it at five times that of Lunaworm.”

Five times? And that’s already quite a high-quality item.

“Um. While the fabric itself is wonderful… more than anything, it has rarity value. For example, if we were to make a dress from this… I honestly couldn’t even estimate the price. Since we handle Lunaworm here, I can tell—this cloth can be Enchanted too.”

“…I see. And there’s nowhere else selling it…”

“That’s right.”

The quality and novelty are there, but distribution is too limited. Indeed… the nobility and connoisseurs who love new things would jump at it, so as the seller, we could pretty much set whatever price we want.

“…Understood. Then I’ll try stocking it in the shop at the price we discussed earlier.”

“Yes. I think I’ll come inquire when it goes on sale. As a tailor, it’s something I’d like to work with at least once.”

Saying this, Daisy smiled. I had considered having Daisy handle it since the coat I got from this shop was of good quality… but if I were to supply it exclusively, I’d probably earn the resentment of other professionals in the trade.

Daisy seemed to understand that aspect too. That’s probably why she mentioned “when it goes on sale.”

Anyway, I need to announce the sales date to the tailoring district and adopt a sales method that doesn’t create too much friction.

“Though I don’t think there will be that many competitors.”

While I was pondering various things, Miriam spoke up.

“Is that so?”

“I think only shops that can handle Lunaworm to begin with would even consider it. The nobility seek high-quality materials and the latest trends… but they each have their preferences and loyalties.”

I see… If a shop doesn’t already have established noble clientele, even if they purchase at high prices, they might not get the crucial orders, and customers might not be able to afford it anyway. In that case, preparing only what’s needed and supplying it to various shops might be best.

Still. If it can be Enchanted… aside from the fabric, maybe I should ask the Labyrinth Village to provide clothing for the Party members. If worn under Armor and such, it should subtly boost Defense Power.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back now.”

“I can have the carriage take you.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Don’t you have other places to visit? I’ve left my own shop unattended too.”

So after thanking Daisy and leaving the shop, I parted ways with Miriam.

When I returned to the carriage parked nearby, Grace and the others were enthusiastically styling each other’s hair.

“—Indeed. Claudia-sama’s black hair is lovely.”

“You tend to admire colors different from your own, don’t you?”

“Perhaps.”

I’d seen them doing something similar back at the workshop before… They seem to be having fun. Right now, Marlene is styling Rosemary’s hair into a chignon. Hmm… It seems Marlene and Rosemary have gotten quite close too.

“How did it go?”

Claudia, who was combing Grace’s hair, asked me. Though Claudia herself had her hair in twin tails too.

“About five times Lunaworm’s price, apparently. The quality is good and the rarity value is high, so it’s definitely a High Quality route.”

“I see… I wonder if the girls will be happy when we tell them.”

“I think so. But we should probably tell them not to overdo it. It’s their own thread after all, and if they get too enthusiastic about meeting demand, it could become overwhelming.”

“That’s true. Just spinning and weaving the thread takes considerable time and effort. Apparently, producing too much thread does tire them out.”

Is that so. That might be unexpectedly valuable information.

While exchanging such conversation with Claudia, I sent commands to the Golem driver to head to the next shop. We needed Materials for the Doll, so we were going to an Alchemist’s shop. By the way, regarding Metal Materials for Armor and the Pile Bunker, Alfred said he would handle those.

Not counting the time in the book… this is Rosemary’s first outing in a while. Since she was walking around everywhere in Anastasia’s guise before, this must be quite meaningful for her. As the carriage started moving, she stared intently at the townscape through the window.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at the Alchemist Beatrice’s shop.

“Welcome.”

When I entered the shop with Rosemary, Beatrice greeted us with her usual languid tone.

“I want to make a Magic Doll. May I see your catalysts?”

“They’re on that shelf over there.”

Rosemary went to look around the shelf Beatrice had pointed to.

“Ro—… Marie. Do you have everything you need?”

I almost called her Rosemary but corrected myself, and she looked back at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

“…No, that was too simplistic. Since Alfred does the same, I thought maybe I should change how I address you.”

We’re in disguise right now. Her appearance is different from Anastasia too, so maybe I should have discussed the pseudonym a bit more beforehand.

Rosemary shifted her gaze back toward the shelf and shrugged her shoulders.

“You can keep calling me that from now on. Wouldn’t it be confusing to change how you address me depending on the place?”

…Is that how it works? It doesn’t really feel like a pseudonym since it’s just part of her name extracted.

By the way, regarding the actual product selection, it seemed to be good enough to impress Rosemary. It appeared she had found everything she needed.

Well then. Now I can proceed with Doll Crafting without reservations. Let’s have a Golem modeled after a completed Doll hold a prototype Pile Bunker and conduct various experiments.