novelraw Chapter 355 Mist Empire’s Rise- 353: Pricing Silk
Chapter 355 Mist Empire’s Rise- 353: Pricing Silk
Mist Empire's Rise-Chapter 353: Pricing Silk
Being human meant having a conscience. Lose it, and you were no different from a beast.
Barton's heart swelled with emotion. He warned himself again and again: repay kindness. Never be like that traveling merchant who'd fed his conscience to the dogs.
...
When Bella returned after seeing Tim out, Luo Wei had just finished with Barton, so she had Bella see him out too.
They'd settled the profit split. What remained was signing the contract and finalizing production details.
She knew very little about textiles. Her limited understanding came from her past life during treatment, when her doctor recommended slow-paced pastoral videos.
The videos featured traditional culture content. Some creators taught viewers ancient techniques, including traditional silk weaving.
She'd only watched casually and couldn't remember much, but she didn't need every detail anyway.
She didn't understand textiles—Barton did.
She could throw technical problems at Barton. She only needed to tell him what fabric she wanted, drop occasional hints, and he'd figure out the rest.
As for how much hair he'd lose during trial and error...
Luo Wei thought that with his current receding hairline, going bald might actually look better.
Over the next few days, she spent afternoons coordinating the silk business with Barton. Before she knew it, June arrived.
The weather grew hot. The sun was so bright you couldn't keep your eyes open.
The flowers and plants in Star Luo Residence's courtyard had lost their vitality. Even with careful tending, leaves and petals wilted.
The purple hydrangeas Luo Wei planted last year had bloomed profusely last month. Huge purple flower balls clustered densely, looking like purple cotton clouds from a distance. The maids loved them so much they wouldn't even let the raven pluck one for his nest.
But now all the petals had dried and shriveled. Sparse flowers hung from thin stems, becoming the ugliest sight in the courtyard.
Luo Wei found it a shame. Earlier, though the sun was strong, it only dried the flowers—night dew would restore them.
These past days the sun had been vicious. The flowers were completely damaged. No amount of watering could revive them—they just hung limply from branches.
The flowers had bloomed so abundantly, and they were still in season. Luo Wei wanted to salvage them. She drew several cooling runes, then asked Laura for a growth rune. After infusing them with magic, she placed them beneath the flower bushes.
Hopefully the hydrangea would quickly grow new buds and bloom even under scorching sun.
At dusk, Bella returned and nervously reported, "Master, that Mr. Swift still hasn't left Siria. I saw him outside the mulberry orchard again today!"
"Teresa also told me he's been to the dessert shop many times lately. Each time he doesn't go upstairs—just buys bread and stands downstairs for ages."
"Master, do you think he might be planning revenge?"
Luo Wei was watering the courtyard with a copper kettle. "Did Teresa give him the compensation?"
"No," Bella shook her head. "He hasn't collected it. He probably knows he wronged you and is too ashamed. The last two times Teresa tried to return his deposit, he ran off faster than a rabbit!"
Luo Wei smoothed the long leaves of a spider plant. "If he comes to the shop, treat him like a normal customer. Unless he affects business, then have Teresa ask him to leave."
"But he keeps staring at the counter. Teresa feels uncomfortable counting money. And he's been hanging around the mulberry orchard. Ah!" Bella exclaimed. "Master, is he following you?"
Luo Wei finished watering and sat on a stone bench. She pulled out a handkerchief to wipe dirt from her fingers. "Don't worry about him. He's just unwilling to accept it."
A young noble who'd never faced setbacks suddenly took a fall here. That fragile pride couldn't handle it. These past days, he'd probably been suffering.
Bella had zero goodwill toward Tim. "Ignoring him is letting him off easy!"
"If you don't want to see him, I'll have Troy make a trip," Luo Wei looked toward the apple tree. "Troy!"
"Ah, Master, no need—"
Too late. Troy, in black robes, had already jumped down from the tree. His forest-green eyes looked at Luo Wei. "Your Highness, your orders."
"No, no, Master, I don't mind seeing him. Ignoring him is fine. Otherwise, what if he takes advantage?" Bella waved anxiously. She didn't dare have Troy solve problems for her.
Luo Wei: "You really don't need help?"
"Really, really!" Bella nodded vigorously.
"Alright then." Luo Wei turned to Troy. "Go back to your tree."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Troy, gripping his sword, turned and jumped back up.
Less than two seconds later, he jumped back down. "That person is heading toward Star Luo Residence."
Luo Wei: "Who?"
Troy: "That traveling merchant, Tim Swift."
Bella was furious, rolling up her sleeves. "He dares follow me here? No way. I have to teach him a lesson!"
"Still nine hundred meters away," Troy said. "It'll be a while before he gets here."
Bella: "...Huh?"
Luo Wei sighed and set down her handkerchief. "Troy, go make that trip after all. Ask him what he wants."
Troy immediately accepted. "Yes, Your Highness!"
Bella looked at her muscular arms. "Should I also..."
"You don't need to go," Luo Wei said. "Go to the kitchen. It's hot today—have them cook oatmeal porridge and let it cool before bringing it up."
"Yes, Master!" Bella jogged to the kitchen.
Luo Wei touched her neck. Sticky. She'd sweated all over today. Better take a bath before dinner.
She'd just stood when she suddenly felt magical fluctuation from overhead. Someone had activated the teleportation rune in her bedroom!
Luo Wei froze, then immediately headed inside and upstairs, striding toward the master bedroom.
She hadn't activated the array on this end, which meant someone opened the passage from the other side. Could Patrick have finally brought Zachary?
Pushing open the door, Luo Wei saw two tall, thin figures.
White light flashed beneath their feet and vanished. The spatial passage closed.
Hearing the door, the man and undead both turned.
The undead mage hid in a wide black robe. Blue flames flickered in eye sockets beneath his hood. All he needed was a scythe to cosplay the Grim Reaper.
"Master Rudolf" wore rough hemp work clothes. Just looking at his outfit, he seemed like a capable farmer. But his nearly two-meter height and burly frame easily distinguished him from ordinary people—even skinny as a skeleton, his frame was thick and solid.
Plus, Zachary had fiery red hair and a flamboyant red beard. Those cold green eyes reflected sharp light, giving off powerful oppression.
Away from Demon Island, Zachary had dropped the act. The hunched old man had straightened his spine. Half a month of rest had made his condition considerably younger.
Luo Wei quickly looked them over and said calmly from the doorway, "Mr. Bunian, good afternoon."
Zachary paused, then said mildly, "Miss Luo Wei, good afternoon."
Luo Wei raised an eyebrow. What was up with Zachary? Today he was so humble it was like he'd become a different person. The first time they met, he'd been waving his fists saying he'd smash her head!
She glanced at Patrick. Patrick shook his head, indicating he didn't know why Zachary had changed either.
Zachary saw Luo Wei's confusion and spoke deeply. "I misunderstood some things before. I apologize for my offense. I'm sorry, Miss Luo Wei. I will do everything to earn your forgiveness."
He apologized solemnly. Given his status and age, he couldn't bow to a junior, but his tone was sincere.
Luo Wei hesitated. "I thought when we reached our agreement, we'd already forgiven each other."
If they were talking about who offended whom, what she'd done seemed worse.
After all, Zachary had only shown contempt and extorted money at first. He hadn't actually harmed her. But she'd imprisoned and tortured him for months.
She could understand Zachary's initial threats and extortion. A girl of unknown origin showing up with a magic swordsman, claiming she wanted to buy all his slaves—that looked suspicious.
From Zachary's perspective, she might have been a spy from some enemy force. They might have guessed his identity. This was all to see him and confirm suspicions.
So Zachary put on an act—brainless and arrogant, crude and vulgar—separating himself from "Master Rudolf," then threatening her to scare her off.
He'd just underestimated Luo Wei's resilience. She wasn't someone he could frighten with words.
The later extortion might have been a test, or to vent anger, or to reinforce his "slave trader" stereotype. Whatever the reason, he'd sent himself into Luo Wei's trap.
But Zachary was a master mystical smith. Once Luo Wei discovered his secret, he could have taken her money and killed her. Dealing with Troy would be troublesome—he might get counter-killed.
Putting herself in his position, Luo Wei suddenly wondered: could Zachary's repeated testing also have been him looking for potential partners?
The bedroom wasn't suitable for conversation. Luo Wei invited Zachary to the study.
As her subordinate, Patrick had already moved behind her after the first greeting, temporarily taking over Troy's guard duty.
The three entered the study and sat. Luo Wei looked at Zachary with mild curiosity. "Mr. Bunian, may I know why you suddenly changed your view of me?"
Zachary said frankly, "I saw the stone tablet on Demon Island. Your tolerant attitude toward all races deserves my respect. Your sheltering of red-haired people deserves my gratitude even more."
"I see." Luo Wei understood.
Zachary's feelings had transferred. Though she wasn't actually that compassionate. When she'd written that line about sheltering red-haired people, she'd only been thinking of Troy and Rosie.
Zachary's beard twitched. He had more he hadn't said.
A stone tablet alone couldn't have completely reversed his impression. In fact, the moment he saw Luo Wei, he'd already included her in his range of potential allies.
The reason was simple—Luo Wei had a red-haired knight beside her.
This meant she at least didn't dislike red-haired people. It also proved she couldn't be from the Church.
Unlike what Luo Wei thought, Zachary had completed most of his information gathering on her and Troy before even setting foot on Demon Island.
Why did he work as a slave trader?
Besides using the identity to hide people and train an army, more importantly, he could plant informants throughout the Western Continent in the most inconspicuous way.
You could say all the latest movements of major Western powers—including royal families and the Church—were in his hands.
The people he sent out not only gathered intelligence but also kept an eye out for red-haired people, quietly recording their basic information.
If any red-haired person got into trouble, these people would help, either helping them escape to the North or recruiting them into the intelligence network to work for their grand cause.
Luo Wei's origins were mysterious, but Troy's identity was easier to investigate.
Such a young intermediate magic swordsman had never appeared in the Western Continent, so investigators focused on his identity as a red-haired person.
Red-haired people who awakened magical talent were always their key focus.
Check the list of people who'd awakened talent but hadn't been recruited, and you could eliminate ninety-nine percent of wrong options.
Dig deeper: Troy wore a mask—possibly facial injuries or a fugitive. His knight etiquette was standard—he'd received orthodox training.
Combine these characteristics, and his true identity quickly became clear.
A spy in Yate Palace said years ago, there was a red-haired knight ordered executed by the Queen after an evil god's mark appeared on his forehead. But he'd escaped before execution and his whereabouts remained unknown.
That spy also said he'd once contacted Troy, but after discovering he came from nobility and was extremely loyal to the Yate King, he'd abandoned recruitment plans.
However, the "Troy" he mentioned was just a swordsman, very different from a magic swordsman.
His subordinates weren't sure, so they compiled the information and reported to Zachary. After hearing it, Zachary determined these two Troys were the same person.
All information pointed to this conclusion, so the conclusion was truth.
He knew there were many geniuses who couldn't be measured by ordinary standards, especially those favored by gods. Breaking through from swordsman to magic swordsman in a short time wasn't impossible.
Troy had an evil god's mark. Maybe the evil god had helped him.
After Zachary made the call, spies everywhere continued investigating. They soon discovered Troy had appeared in a small tavern in Siria, where local mercenaries remembered him vividly.
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