Chapter 81: Taking Root

The house is settled, but this is only the first step to establishing roots in Bremen City.

After seeing Mi Su off and leaving his luggage in Room 437, Gao De closed the door and prepared to head to his next destination.

Of course, the money pouch was carried with him at all times.

“Take me to the most cost-effective clothing shop nearby—no problem, right?” he said to Lehman.

Clothing, food, shelter, travel.

Shelter is taken care of; the next step is naturally clothing.

Gao De had been wearing nothing but the coarse linen garments he’d worn as an apprentice—not that they were unwearable, but clothes make the man.

Since he intended to work as a restoration craftsman, he was already too young; if he dressed any more shabbily, people would doubt his skill.

Lehman’s one-silver guide fee was certainly not earned for nothing; upon hearing Gao De’s request, he nodded instantly. “No problem, sir, follow me.”

“Where is the craftsmen’s guild in the city?” As he followed Lehman toward the clothing shop, Gao De inquired about Bremen City’s details.

“Aside from the Mage’s Association, most guilds in the city are located in the Sirene District.”

“But if you wish to join the craftsmen’s guild, you must either pass their examination or have a recommendation from a formal member.”

Lehman gave Gao De a detailed explanation.

After quietly listening to Lehman’s full account, Gao De asked further: “How many Mage’s Associations are there in Bremen City?”

“Three,” Lehman recited like a catalog: “First is the Bremen Mage’s Association, owned by the city government; second is the Ancient Manuscript Protectors Association; and last is the Emerald Alliance.”

Pierre hadn’t been boasting—the Emerald Alliance truly was one of Bremen City’s three Mage’s Associations; he just hadn’t mentioned that Bremen had only three in total.

Kamengde District was home to a large concentration of small workshops.

When Gao De had walked with Lady Mi Su to Room 437, he’d seen scattered workshops along the way.

Clearly, many artisans lived and worked in the same space, mostly in front-shop-back-residence or downstairs-shop-upstairs-residence layouts.

Lehman led Gao De around several corners, and as they talked, they arrived at a street lined entirely with workshops.

On both sides of the street, the workshops displayed prominent signs or banners with patterns of bread, hammers, and other symbols, clearly indicating their trade.

Lehman brought Gao De to a shop whose banner bore the image of scissors.

“Don’t be fooled by the small size—the old man Haton’s craftsmanship is widely recognized, and his materials are solid,” Lehman told Gao De.

Gao De nodded slightly and stepped inside.

The interior was relatively cramped, with walls lined with all kinds of cloth goods.

From rough, heavy linen to better wool, flax, and even silk—all were present.

Additionally, several wooden mannequins stood in the shop, displaying the latest clothing styles.

The air carried the scent of freshly cut fabric and tanned leather.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with faintly grayed hair and beard, hunched over a large wooden table amid piles of fabric and thread.

Seeing a customer enter, he immediately set down his work. “Sir, what are you looking for?”

Gao De thought for a moment and replied: “Two sets of everyday clothes—linen fabric.”

Wool and linen garments were the two most common types of daily wear.

But now was Flower Flame Month—the traditional fifth month—and the weather would only grow hotter.

Considering this, the more breathable linen was clearly more suitable.

“Wait a moment,” Old Haton carefully scanned Gao De from head to toe, then rose and walked to the back of the shop. After a short while, he returned with several outfits.

“Have a look—do these suit you?”

Summer clothing favored simplicity and practicality: loose, belted tunics on top, with long robes as an alternative; loose linen trousers below.

Even in his past life, men’s clothing styles were minimal; here, in this world, there was almost no choice at all.

Colors were even more limited, mostly browns, grays, and deep blues from natural dyes—fit was all that mattered.

Clearly, Old Haton’s eyes were still sharp; the single glance he’d given Gao De before retrieving the clothes had “scanned” his build.

Thus, the final outfits fit perfectly.

Gao De ultimately chose one set in gray-brown and one in another shade as his everyday wear.

Two sets of linen everyday clothes, plus two pairs of low-cut leather shoes made of cowhide, cost Gao De twenty-six silver.

After leaving the clothing shop, Gao De asked Lehman to take him to a watchmaker’s.

Life in a big city was different from Hogen City—accurate timekeeping was essential.

Thus, a portable pocket watch became critically important.

Under Lehman’s guidance, Gao De pushed open the heavy wooden door, and as a faint bell chimed, entered a watchmaker’s shop filled with the scent of leather and metal.

Compared to the clothing shop, the watchmaker’s interior was far more elegant.

Gold-edged mirrors hung on the walls; display cases held exquisite pocket watches.

The shop attendant politely approached, gave Gao De a discreet glance at his clothing, then asked: “Sir, how may I help you?”

“A precise pocket watch.”

The attendant nodded, bent down, and with gloved hands removed a silver pocket watch from the display case.

“Sir, how about this one? Crafted by Master Nied. Look at the engraving—so elegant!”

The watch case bore intricate floral carvings.

“How much?” Gao De didn’t care much for style—functional was enough. He cared more about price.

“Not expensive—just one gold, includes a watch chain.”

“Also, if the hands ever stop or become inaccurate, bring it back to us—we’ll fix it for free.”

As if fearing Gao De thought it too costly, the attendant pointed to other gold-cased watches in the case. “Those start at five gold.”

“Fine, I’ll take this one.” Gao De followed the will of his purse.

Under the attendant’s guidance, he paid at the counter.

As he left the watchmaker’s, Gao De glanced at his new pocket watch—it was nearly five o’clock.

“Thanks for your help today—you can go back now,” Gao De said to Lehman.

“No need for thanks, sir!”

After sending Lehman off, Gao De did not return home immediately. Instead, he found a small restaurant nearby for dinner.

Today, after all, was his “move-in day”—worth celebrating with a good meal.

To be honest, this was his first time dining out since arriving in this world.

Gao De ordered a pork chop with apple sauce for seven coppers, a large cup of tea for one and a half coppers, sausage with mashed potatoes for three coppers, one serving of vegetables for one copper, and a fried egg for one and a half coppers.

Total: fourteen coppers—equivalent to one silver and two coppers.

Still unsatisfied after finishing all the food, he added one more copper for a slice of buttered bread.

A very generous meal.

But expensive.

“My savings are about to dip below three hundred gold.”

After paying, Gao De found only four three-leaf silver coins and a few scattered coppers left in his pocket.

(End of chapter)