Chương 29: Chapter 28: Big Order

When I walked through the hall again, Elme was still teaching in the hall, but this was a different batch of girls, with her teaching different things than the morning. The hall is not as silent as before, with tens of small crates moving to the kitchen and wine storage. The bartenders came early today to arrange the new wines we bought and change the list we offer. The chef is doing the same. I watched them for a few minutes before walking toward my office.

Closing the door, I sat on my chair and looked at the three letters in my hand. They came when we were out. The guards handed them to Carla, who gave them to me as she began directing the people who brought the new stuff, including wines, food, and other things. We could not just sell good services and liquor; other things, like food and music, needed to be at the same standard. There were a few hours before the establishment opened today, and I am very excited.

It will be different from the previous night, as the musicians will be at a higher level, the food will be better, and there is no question about the girls' ability to entertain. The first letter I opened was from the merchant guild. I opened it and began to read; my eyes lit up immediately, and a smile appeared on my face. I have gotten the job; I knew I would get it, especially after I had helped Soren Arryn. Still, the confirmation made me very happy and ecstatic. They did it fast.

I thought they would hold off until tomorrow, but it happened in just a few hours. It was one of the first things Arryn did after returning to the city. It will be hard to manage my business and work at the guild concurrently, but I will do it. It is for my future and something I genuinely enjoy. They have asked me to appear in the guild tomorrow; even if they had asked me to come today, I would have done that, too. I opened the other two letters and wrote a reply before taking out a stack of papers.

I look at them like they might burn me, and they will if not handled carefully. This stack of papers contains the information; I should quickly read through them. I did not waste time; I read paper after paper, writing down what I felt was important in my diary in English; by the time it was five, I had finished reading through them and burned them to ashes. The information was good; I found some interesting things about a few important people. Click!

I had just finished reading when the door opened, and Carla walked inside.

"Is everything good?" I asked. Yes, the new bottles have been loaded into the bar, the chef had already begun his preparations, and the new band was adjusting themselves," she replied. I had not heard the band, but they must be good if Carla had let them set up. She stayed a few minutes, informing me of a few things, before walking out of the room; the establishment would open soon, and she needed to be prepared. Soon, it was six, and the establishment's gates opened.

A few minutes after that, the carriages began to roll inside. A few hours pass, and at ten, the whole establishment is filled with people laughing, eating, and drinking the expensive liquor I had purchased. Looking at their faces, they are clearly having a good time, and the girls are happy, too. They are earning quite a lot; in these eight nights, they have earned more than they would have in years at their past brothel.

I am not exaggerating; it is not just the cut they get from the hours they put in but also the gifts their patrons give them. I did not take a single penny out of it; it's all theirs. It has made them richer than they had ever thought they would be, and their wealth is growing as a business is increasing every day. I watched through the small window before walking back to my office. I stayed there until eleven before going to my room and sleeping.

I'm not tired, but I need to sleep early if I want to wake up on time. I woke up at six and freshened up before eating the hot breakfast, which was ready by my table. After I finished eating, I did not walk to the office as I usually did; instead, I walked out into the back garden. I spread the mat on the circle of blue tile and started doing yoga.

Since I came to this world, I have been doing it; it is the only type of exercise I have done, but since the will reading, I have nearly stopped, but that will all change today. I have learned my lesson in Blain; I need to be in perfect condition to deal with any threat that comes my way. So, I begin. I had started doing yoga after having a bad accident; my physical therapist had suggested it. I continued doing it for a decade before coming to this world.

It is much better than the gym, and I could do it in a small space; I used to do it in my office when I worked till morning, but mostly in my apartment. Time passed as I continued; when I heard the footsteps, I glanced at the person but continued for ten more minutes before stopping and turning to the middle-aged man who had appeared. The man is tall, with short black curly hair and brown eyes. He is fit but not muscled, and he carries a long sword and a practice sword at the waist. Love what you're reading?

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"Mr. David?" I asked, "Yes," he replied. Yesterday, I asked Jonah and Dan whether they knew an effective trainer, and they referred me to him. They praised him and said sometimes, even their mercenary company hired him to train their people. He is expensive, but I need a good trainer. I will not compromise on my safety.

"Shall we begin then?" I asked as I picked up the practice rapier; old Remus was good at all sorts of swords, but like his mother, he liked the Rapier and was more proficient in it.

"Ok," replied David, placing his sword on the stone stool and taking out the practice sword.

"I am sure Jonah and Dan had told you, but don't hold back from hitting me if you think it will help me," I said, and I could see a faint surprise appear in his impassive eyes for a moment before disappearing.

"I will keep that in mind," he replied and suddenly leaped toward me; I reacted instantly and moved my rapier to defend. Clang! Our swords clashed, and I felt like I had been hit by an electric shock as the sword released from my hand. He had used his skill in that strike; though its power had been toned down a lot, it still forced me to release my sword.

"Nice," I said as I picked up my rapier, and a moment later, he attacked again, forcing me to throw my sword away. Thap! It had happened six times, one after another, before I could finally bear the shock when he used another of the skills; his sword moved fast and struck my shoulder, making me feel like he had touched it with a hot iron. This strike again made me throw away my sword unconsciously. As time passed, he used many skills; each result forced me to throw away my sword.

He seemed to be teaching me to always hold on to my weapons, no matter what, just like some instructors had taught old Remus. Many of these skills were painful; some made me disoriented, and some even made me vomit, but despite suffering, I did not stop. I kept going till it was time to stop two hours later.

"Jonah and Dan were right; your base is extremely strong, and you are also quite talented in the sword; the only thing you need is experience with it," he said.

"Thank you, instructor David," I said, and he nodded. We will meet at the same time tomorrow," he said, leaving through the back entrance. I rested on the bench for a few minutes before taking my tired body upstairs. I saw Carla watching me through the door, but she did not say anything, nor did I. The first thing I wanted to do was numb these screaming muscles; while he had used the skill, he had also hit me hundreds of times, leaving marks all over my body, which made taking every step quite painful.

Soon, I reached my room and first used the numbing cream; unlike the healing potion, it did not heal the strained fiber but just numbed the pain. While the healing potion did give me relief, it was not wise to use it regularly. It healed the muscles quickly, which is not the purpose; the muscles need to recover slowly to strengthen. I lay naked for five minutes; by then, all the pain had vanished, and I slowly walked into the bathroom and showered before coming out and wearing a new set of clothes.

A few minutes later, I reached my office; Carla was waiting there as usual.

"Had something happened in the barony?" she asked, worry flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, one should never depend on anyone else for their safety," I replied, to which she arched her brow in question, but I did not explain. Instead, I took the file from her and began to read it, and the more I read, the bigger the smile on my face became. The establishment had made three hundred and twelve thousand crowns, most of which were made from food and drinks. Sometimes, I feel like I am running a restaurant instead of a brothel.

"This is good," I said as I put the file down, "These merchants do not hesitate to spend big," she replied with a smile. Our clientele had shifted drastically. In the first three days, our clients were mainly from the empire, but after the prince left, that began to change rapidly, and now over 60% of our clients are from the merchant cities of Meldhorn. Knock Knock I was talking to Carla when a knock rang out on my door.

"Mister Remus, Miss Cain had come for her appointment," said George from the other side.

"Let her in," I said. A second later, the door opened, and a petite woman walked inside, holding a big bag.

"Please take a seat, Miss Cain," I offered, "Thank you," she replied softly and sat down before turning to me with anticipation.

"I have a business for you, Miss Cain; I hope you will be able to do it, " I said. I could see her anticipation turning into excitement.

"You can count on me, Mister Silver; no matter how big the order is, I am confident I will be able to complete it," replied a small woman with excitement lighting in her eyes. Seeing her, a smile couldn't help but appear on Carla's face.

"We will discuss it later, but first, let's see your designs, the best ones," I said, and her expression turned serious as she stared at me for a moment longer before taking out the folders from her big bag. Of all over twenty folders she had brought, she placed four in front of us.

"These four folders have my best designs, and I can make them," she informed. I nodded and picked up the folder while Carla picked another. I opened the folder and began to look at her designs, and I have to say, they are good—very good—better than what she had sold us a month ago. I put the folder down and picked up another, one by one. Carla and I looked through all the folders, and after she did, she gave me a subtle nod, meaning she, too, had been impressed by Miss Cain's designs.

"So, you can make them?" I asked though she had already said it; I wanted to be sure, as this order is large and important.

"Yes," she said, putting more emphasis on the answer.

"We have a big order, Miss Cain. About one hundred and twenty dresses and each one needed to be custom-made for every girl," I stated. The look this short woman gave me made me miss my phone so much. If I had it in my hand, I would have clicked her picture; the meme from it would have gone viral.

"How much time will I have to complete it if I take this order?" she asked; a smile on my face couldn't help but brighten up a little. Most people would have asked how much I would pay them for it; she wondered how much time she would have.

"Two months, but sooner will be preferable without compromising quality," I replied, and she nodded.

"I will need to hire people, but I can do it," she said softly, likely to herself, before turning to me.

"These designs are not cheap, Mister Silver; they will cost you a lot,""Roughly, over five thousand crowns per dress," she added and looked at me.

"I am sure we can agree to the five thousand crowns, Miss Cain," I said with a smile; she opened her mouth but closed it again. I know the value of these designs; my father ensured I knew the value of what I see. The price I quoted would benefit us both. I could have quoted a lower price, and I am sure the woman would have accepted. She is still struggling and desperate for business, but I didn't do that. This woman is very talented, and I want to have a long-term relationship with her.

Besides, the value of her designs exceeds what I am paying her. Depending on the store, they could sell for quite a lot.

"Five thousand per dress it is," she agreed after a few seconds of silence.

"You can start today, and before we move to the final contract, I would like to see at least three samples. If they are satisfactory, we will sign the full contract," I said, to which she nodded. I will pay more than double the price for the dresses than the last time, but the design makes it very much worth it, and I will require them as my business grows. I am taking a big risk by giving the contract to an unknown woman without any reputation in the business, but I am also reaping the big benefits.

It is a big investment; with it, each girl will have three dresses, and Carla is around ten, tailored solely for them. While most girls could wear most dresses with the power of skills and look good, custom dresses, which are only made for them, create an entirely different effect. Eudo had given me the idea a few days before opening; he said I should try it after the business settled, but after researching it. I decided to do it as soon as I got the money.

If I had the money, I would have ordered at least ten dresses for each girl. I will if my business keeps growing at the speed it is.