Chapter 1250: Chapter 1250: Commission, Hair, and the Stonemason Guild
"Is it just checking some information? No problem, that’s a small matter."
The Elf Girl breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her legs while looking at Shard, but Shard continued:
"There’s another thing, it might be a bit troublesome, but if you find it, I can offer you a generous reward."
He wrote several runes on the snow:
"I can teach you the lost Ancient Elf Runes."
The Elf Girl pursed her lips, looking at the snow surface. Last time, Shard recognized her clan at a glance and had a great relationship with the unicorn, so she didn’t doubt his knowledge:
"Ancient Elf Runes, huh..."
She tried to hide her excitement:
"What is it? I don’t do bad things... as long as it’s not too bad, I might consider it."
"I know you have the power of space, so in your free time, use the Spiritual Light of a Spirit Rune to illuminate the walls of the Saint Byrons building... the walls of the basement interior."
Past experience suggests that the entrances to the [Spatial Labyrinth] are all underground:
"If you can find a hidden space that appears under the Spiritual Light, please let me know."
Being able to freely go to and from the Academy would be a great help to Shard.
"Well... if it’s just that, no problem."
"I know this will take up a lot of your time, so I can pay you in advance."
Tiny points of Light Trace formed on Shard’s left side, and the unicorn looked curiously at those stars. The Elf Girl once thought that the starry sky had descended here. She later realized it was just a very beautiful bookshelf. As she pondered what kind of sorcery or Arcane Technique this was, Shard casually took out a semi-transparent starry-colored book from the shelf and handed it to her:
"You can copy them or memorize them within half an hour."
She was trusted by the unicorn, which represented a kind and noble soul, so Shard wasn’t worried that she would take the knowledge but do nothing.
The Elf Girl carefully opened the book and then saw ancient Elf poetry and translations that were not recorded in today’s libraries. She took a light breath and removed her gloves to continue flipping through the book.
At this moment, Luviya glanced at Shard, and he could read her thoughts from her eyes:
"You are indeed generous."
But Shard didn’t feel he was being very generous; he was indeed probing the secret of the Elf Girl’s ability to come and go from Saint Byrons and Randall Valley. At the same time, he wouldn’t do anything despicable.
He believed that at least before the major event in Randall Valley ended, he could find a way to gain enough goodwill from Miss Elf to make her willingly share the secret.
After copying down the poetry Shard provided in her notebook, the Elf Girl, Emilia Xenode, planned to return. She solemnly thanked the two, and the white little beast clearly was reluctant to part with Shard.
It softly called out, biting Shard’s coat hem, and only after being urged by the Elf Girl did it follow her into the dense forest with its head drooping. But after a few steps, it stopped again, calling out several times to the Elf Girl. The latter obviously mastered the technique of communicating with the unicorn, and after confirming its meaning, she took out a small pair of scissors, cut off a bundle of its tail feather, and then gave the glowing white hair in the night to Shard:
"It’s her gift to you."
The Elf Girl whispered, then softly explained:
"A unicorn’s tail feather is a very powerful special material, and when a unicorn voluntarily gives it, it means it is willing to be your friend... it really likes you."
"Thank you."
Shard accepted this special gift and, together with Luviya, stood by the campfire watching Emilia leave, agreeing to meet again at the same time next Tuesday night.
When the glowing figure disappeared, Luviya smiled and said:
"You really are popular, even though you mentioned the unicorn, I didn’t expect it to trust you so much."
Shard gave the bundle of pure white hair entirely to her:
"How about weaving it into a scarf mixed with yarn? Or make gloves that have a holy protective effect, I think the doctor can help."
"It’s a gift for you, why give it to me?"
The girl with purple eyes said, her purple-hued eyes looking at Shard.
[Your next answer will determine your treatment for tonight.]
The moonlight is beautiful, and "her" voice is still so melodious.
Shard said seriously:
"Decorating you with unicorn hair is just right, you suit this color so well. Pure, beautiful, like a flower blossoming at the top of a cliff, visible but hard to reach."
Luviya showed a satisfied smile:
"You rarely praise others like this. Although you call yourself semi-literate, sometimes it feels like... oh, Shard, ever since I came to Randall Valley, you’ve never... watched the morning sun with me. Does Dorothy and that princess keep you wrapped around their fingers every night?"
She carefully put away the unicorn’s tail feather and then wrapped her arms around Shard’s neck:
"Using it mixed in yarn would be such a waste; I want to turn it into a hairband. The doctor’s craftsmanship is quite good, but Old John should be better. So, Shard, where would you like to spend the night? The Abundant Land Inn, or... right here?"
She asked with a beaming smile.
"Of course, going back, I don’t have the habit of sleeping outdoors."
Shard hugged her by the campfire, and Luviya rested her chin on Shard’s shoulder, blushing slightly and gave a soft "Mm".
However, she couldn’t see Shard’s surprised expression. Under the moonlight and the campfire, Shard clearly saw the translucent, incomplete figure behind Luviya. The slightly matured Luviya tiptoed to kiss the corner of Shard’s lips before vanishing.
To hug Luviya and kiss her, this kind of action filled with guilt, yet without actual wrongdoing, left Shard quite bewildered.
(Mia running...)
"Good morning, Director Anlos."
"Good morning, Shard."
On a Saturday morning, in the restaurant on the first floor of the Ronaldo Club in the West District of Tobesk City, Shard pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Director Anlos, cradling his cat.
This is a high-end club in the city, specially provided for grand nobles and people with prominent status to hold secret meetings. It’s said that Senate members like to discuss state affairs here. Although the restaurant’s area is larger than Shard’s home, it only has around a dozen tables, with large distances between each, ensuring safe conversations.
Seeing Shard yawn softly, Director Anlos smiled while handling his fried salted fish and asked:
"What’s up, spent last night with which lady? Miss Galina is currently out of town, so are you starting to relax too?"
Shard did not answer this question. He scheduled a meeting with Director Anlos not to discuss his personal life. As for what time he went to bed last night, it was not easy to answer:
"Princess Margaret Anjou mentioned the Randall Valley Stonemason Association in her recent letters to me. I roughly understood some situations, so I’d like to ask you about that incident. Was the collapse of the statue that destroyed the tomb related to us? Should I discuss this matter in my correspondence with the Princess?"
"The Randall Valley Stonemason Association..."
The rather plain-looking middle-aged man thought for a moment:
"Oh, I remember now, the statue and the destroyed tomb of the Anjou Royal Family, right? I wasn’t the director back then, but I remember this matter clearly. The newspapers in Tobesk ran articles for days, claiming that the accident was due to the Anjou Royal Family’s misconduct, hence the former king’s tomb was damaged in the storm."
Director Anlos showed a smile. Mia smelled the scent of fried fish on the opposite side and showed a disgusted expression, then used her paw to nudge Shard’s hand, urging him to peel the egg quickly. Interestingly, this cat has little interest in fish and has never actively caught a mouse.
"Margaret Anjou and William Anjou are currently in Randall Valley for the shipyard’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, so it’s not surprising that she’s concerned about the stonemason association’s matter. However, I heard that the descendants of the Anjou Family went there not just for the ribbon-cutting. There’s evidence that the Princess is there for her business, and William Anjou for some gold mine."
The sound of a silver knife against a porcelain plate was pleasant:
"Even though it’s unrelated to us, indeed, our people were involved in the incident from back then."
The middle-aged man spoke softly, and Shard looked surprised. Director Anlos hurriedly clarified:
"No, no, no, don’t misunderstand, the collapse of the statue under construction had nothing to do with us; it was really just an accident. Our people infiltrated the stonemasons at that time and witnessed the statue’s collapse on that stormy night. Do you know? To expedite the construction period, the Anjou Royal Family forced the stonemasons in Randall Valley to work even on rainy nights. For this, they promised a large reward, but later..."
Shard slightly frowned:
"So, what really happened back then?"
"Just as you thought, when the statue collapsed, many from the Randall Valley Stonemason Association were still on the scaffolding. More than half of them died, and those who survived mostly ended up with lifelong disabilities. So now you know why the Randall Valley Stonemason Association has never given up asking the Anjou Royal Family to apologize and settle overdue wages, right?"
The director slightly shook his head:
"The Anjou Family really handled this matter poorly. The stonemason association not only lost people and tarnished their reputation, but in the end didn’t even receive a krone for their work. If it were me, I wouldn’t easily forgive them either. The resentment and grievance from this have fermented over decades and might just explode with a little push now."
It appears that the task Miss Benanis arranged for Margaret is truly not simple. And from an outlander’s perspective, it seems one mustn’t delay the payment of workers’ wages regardless of which world.