Chapter 1224

"Ahem, ahem."

Miss Bernice coughed, pulling the topic back:

"Sylvia, we are certainly interested. What exactly is your business? Do you have product photos? If they are daily necessities, I can promote them for you."

The reputation of the best opera singer of this era is still very useful. Moreover, they are all Carsonricans, making promotion convenient.

"No photos needed. Do you think how I convinced the Honorable Chairman? Naturally, because she had already seen the product itself."

The youngest Great Witch of the Council said with a smile; it was clear she was looking forward to this moment:

"Look."

Speaking thus, she stood up from her chair. Miss Bernice and Miss Jia Lin Na also came over. But Miss Sylvia did not take a box from under the table or pull an item from her pocket; instead, she rotated her chair ninety degrees and sat down again.

She smiled, lifting her long skirt slightly, first revealing black patent leather high heels, then revealing...

"Oh!"

Miss Jia Lin Na and Miss Bernice both held their breath; they had completely not expected the contents under the skirt.

Translucent flesh-toned, thin black fabric clung perfectly to her slightly muscular legs, the true color of her legs faintly visible. Her small, five-toed feet, though hidden inside the high heels, could still be vaguely seen. The leg lines, nearly maddeningly clear, were so distinct, yet those legs were indeed completely wrapped. As if exposed to the gaze, yet completely unseen. The texture of the thin fabric was dense, every inch possessing fine thread lines that seemed as if they would tear with a single pull.

It was as if she had changed her skin; the perfect curves were outlined, even more seductive than bare legs.

The Witches' preferences were already quite vague, yet this scene before them completely exceeded the two women's imagination.

Emma Sylvia's lips, painted with lipstick, curled up slightly. She reached out, casually using her nails to pinch the fabric and pull it upward, letting the other two Witches watch the highly elastic, ultra-fine threads deform. As Miss Sylvia let go, the fabric actually snapped back onto her skin. Looking at the fabric again, there were absolutely no traces of the deformation just now.

"You... have you turned into a succubus?"

Miss Jia Lin Na took a deep breath and reached out to pinch it too, but Miss Sylvia stopped her:

"Although its elasticity is very good, it cannot withstand constant pinching."

Blushing slightly, she lowered her long skirt to cover her legs again, then asked Miss Bernice:

"How does it feel?"

"You... you will buy the entire world."

The young Witch displayed an even brighter smile:

"Not that exaggerated for now. The pair I am wearing is the best type of product, requiring my personal production. The inspiration came not only from words Xia De once spoke but also from records of the Fifth Era. In that age, Witch Emperors used silk threads from the now-extinct Ice Silkworms to make stockings. As for products factories can produce now, their elasticity and thinness are far inferior to what I am wearing."

Speaking thus, she turned her chair:

"However, no matter what, it is far better than those loose cotton socks you wear."

Miss Jia Lin Na and Miss Bernice both snorted simultaneously; the Duchess crossed her arms:

"This time, you have indeed seized a good opportunity. Although this looks shameful, no one will be able to refuse it, men and women alike. I can almost imagine people lining up just to buy a pair of your fabric, and thieves risking breaking into others' bedrooms just to steal a pair of these things... I didn't realize Xia De had such imagination..."

Only then did she realize:

"That guy must have touched enough of the Witches' legs in the Fifth Era to give you such shameless advice."

"The key to the invention isn't here; the fabric is just the finished product. Do you know what the true value is? I, Emma Sylvia, have become the first person to invent artificial synthetic fibers. I have opened a new chapter in the history of chemistry. My achievements, even in a

thousand years, will still be recited by people. I even received the Inspiration Rune 【Weaving】 at the moment of success, bringing me closer to the Eleventh Ring..."

"How many finished products do you have now? Ones like the ones you are wearing."

Miss Bernice interrupted her. The Eleventh Ring blonde Witch naturally understood what an extraordinary achievement this was, but what she cared about most right now was not that.

"This is just a prototype; adjustments are still needed afterwards. Besides, I have been busy recently with writing papers and factory matters."

Miss Sylvia made a difficult gesture, but in reality, she used her finger to pick at the black hair by her ear while looking at the two:

"I am really busy."

She repeated.

"Five crowns a pair; it is worth that price. Rest assured, I will not wear them out before you stock them; I will only wear them at home... If you

lack manpower, I can lend you a few people."

"Seventy pounds a pair. I will find a way for the sales in Delarion. The girls around me will not refuse such clothing."

The Duchess also offered a price that could be called "sky-high."

As for the Witches' transaction tonight, Xia De was naturally unaware of it.

On Tuesday morning, Xia De got up very early. After having breakfast at home with Mia, he took the cat to Huntington City. An elf girl transaction was agreed upon for this evening, so he needed to enter the Stream Valley Woods again. Xia De intended to take Mia with him. Winter was about to end; to see such scenery again would require waiting for more than half a year.

Of course, to prevent others from seeing this cat and linking it to himself, Xia De used a Witch's Disguise Rune to change Mia's appearance. This super-strong illusion was specially developed by the Witches of the previous era for makeup effects, so there was absolutely no need to worry about a cat disguised as a dog being exposed.

In the Church of the Forgotten, the holy symbol has been re-hung, and that stone statue still sits in the front row of seats; Miss Lathes should not move it in the short term.

After Xia De left Cherry Leaf Lane with Mia, he went directly to the local Cassandra Auction House. Although it was only nine in the morning, the guests passing through the auction house lobby were already bustling; there were several very important auctions today.

Director Mr. Kimberley had been waiting in the lobby for Xia De's arrival. Even though he brought a very ugly dog into the room with a red carpet, Mr. Kimberley did not dare to have the slightest objection.

"Good morning. Have you found the ledger?"

"Found it. Please come this way; all records are here."

Speaking thus, Mr. Kimberley led Xia De to his office on the third floor. At this moment, three cardboard boxes were piled on the floor of the tidy office. Two middle-aged men dressed as accountants in brown vests were arranging the ledgers and transaction records in chronological order on the coffee table.

Beside the coffee table, a tea cart was already prepared with black tea and snacks, and a young girl dressed as a maid was arranging the plates.

"This is Miss Mirya."

Mr. Kimberley immediately introduced her. Xia De looked at the maid and found the other party was a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi. The heat intensity of the badge on her chest was very weak; the other party's Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi level was only the Third Ring:

"Mr. Watson. I saw you last year at Midhill Fortress; you probably didn't notice me then."

The maid bowed respectfully; Xia De nodded and said nothing more.

As the oldest living Witch, the number of followers accompanying the old Witch was not something a "youngster" like Miss Sylvia could compare to. Therefore, the branches of the Cassandra Auction House in various cities of the Old Continent would, more or less, have followers of the Witches. In important cities like the Randall River Valley, about three to five Ring Mages would be arranged.

They do not participate in management; they merely supervise the handling of troublesome auction items and maintain the Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi black market business. This system has been implemented for nearly a hundred years.

Xia De did not make much small talk; he put Mia on the sofa and began checking the ledgers and transaction records. The accountants waited in the next room, and Mr. Kimberley was driven away by Miss Mirya to arrange other matters of the auction house. She personally accompanied Xia De here:

"Mr. Hamilton, Princess Margaret and Prince William of Anjou will arrive here at ten o'clock to attend the auction. Their companion is Count Granger; they wish to buy a batch of statues sold by the local Stonemasons' Association."

Mr. Eldon, Princess Margaret and Prince William of Anjou will arrive here at ten o'clock to attend the auction. Accompanied by Count Granger, they wish to purchase a batch of statues being sold by the local stonemasons' association.

"You don't need to tell me all that. I only came here today for the account books."

Xia De shook his head; he had no time to deal with Margaret's matter for now—finding Thomas Granger and Mr. Lathers was the most important thing at present.

So Miss Mirya said no more, and helped Xia De search through the account books on the side, looking for suspicious transaction records.

Xia De actually had no idea what exactly he was looking for, only that it might be related to the "Heart of the Earth," so they could only first pick out the transaction records that might be connected to it, and then conduct a detailed analysis.

Fortunately, every publicly auctioned item at the auction house had to be photographed and filed for the record, so matching them with photos made the search somewhat easier. Xia De limited the records he needed to check to the period from two months before Mr. Lathers' disappearance up to the disappearance itself. And the booming business of the Cassandra Auction House made such a large-scale search quite laborious.

Only Mia thoroughly enjoyed this kind of time. Seeing that Xia De had no intention of running around with her, the cat curled up comfortably within easy reach of Xia De's hand, dozing—or perhaps truly asleep.

By nine forty-three in the morning, Xia De picked up a record of an auctioned item and flipped through it with great interest. This was not what he was looking for; it was an old auction record of the Oxenfurt Manor.

Legend had it that ever since this manor passed out of the Oxenfurt family's hands, every person who bought it and lived there would meet with misfortune. This auction record was from another transfer in 1844, but according to the record, that auction failed to sell, and it was only sold the following year to a merchant from out of town.

--Go take a look