Imperial Crown.

Chapter 41 Simple but not simplistic

After 52 days of construction, the Riverside Workshop was officially completed yesterday, the day after Raven attempted to awaken as a mage.

Thankfully, there was no such thing as a "ribbon-cutting ceremony" in this world, so Raven was spared a long and boring experience.

If I really were to stand under the scorching sun with my face tanned and still have to smile and say polite words that I myself don't believe, how would I be in the mood to appreciate my own achievements like I am now?

This is a square building with a side length of 56 meters. The four walls are 5 meters high and 3 meters wide. There are four 3-meter-high observation towers at the corners. Standing on them, you can overlook the entire workshop and its surroundings, ensuring that there are no blind spots.

To the southeast is a canal connected to the Jinsha River, and a two-meter-wide moat was built around the workshop.

The moat connects the interior of the workshop, which not only prevents fires but also supplies living water.

Inside the workshop, on the west side are three rows of stone workshops that are 36 meters long, 12 meters wide and 4 meters high, and each row is evenly divided into three rooms.

In the northeast corner is a warehouse that is 20 meters long from north to south, 8 meters wide from east to west, and 5 meters high.

In the southwest corner, there is a two-story building built back to back, 25 meters long from north to south and 8 meters wide from east to west. Excluding the canteen and kitchen on the first floor and an administrator's office on the second floor, there are 15 dormitories of approximately 15 square meters in total, which can accommodate 75 people in total. If it is converted into upper and lower bunk beds, it can accommodate 150 people.

To prevent fire, there is at least a 3-meter gap between each building, and the main road between the workshop, warehouse and dormitory is 5 meters wide, enough for two carriages to enter and exit side by side.

The two gates of the workshop are located on the north and south sides of this main road.

There are also sewers dug by Lei Wenqiang on both sides of the road, covered with hollow stone slabs with horizontal patterns, so that the workshop, which is already located on a higher ground, does not have to worry about water accumulation.

At this moment, Raven and Denise had already arrived at the warehouse.

Since the warehouse was built not long ago, the air was not turbid. The sunlight came in through the windows covered with gauze and fell on Denise.

She changed into a men's suit today that was easy to move in. Her black hair was tied into a neat ponytail and hung behind her head. On her feet were a pair of small brown calfskin shoes.

Although she was wearing a neutral outfit, she gave people an extremely sexy impression. If there hadn't been Angel standing next to her, Raven would have touched her long ago - in fact, he did try, but was defeated by Denise's sharp eyes.

There was a click.

Denise's hands in cowhide gloves pried open a crate, pushed aside the straw, and handed a glass bottle to Raven. "Take a look. What do you think?"

Taking the bottle, Raven's eyes lit up.

The glass bottle in front of you has inherited the shape of a porcelain vase very well, with a narrow mouth, a round chest, and the lower part is naturally retracted, like a square skirt, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. It has beautiful shape and excellent stability.

Playing with the bottle, Raven smiled and said, "Whatever you think, I think the same."

Denise raised her eyebrows and said, "It looks like I can get the manufacturer to start mass production."

"Oh? Aren't you afraid that I might have guessed your thoughts wrongly?" Raven asked.

"Humph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking." Denise's lips curled up with a hint of a knowing smile: "If I didn't like this bottle, I wouldn't have asked you to come. I would have returned it immediately, so I must be satisfied, so you are satisfied too, right?"

Raven chuckled and nodded, "You're becoming more and more like a businessman, Denise."

“I’m a good businessman.” Denise snorted, walked to another crate, and pulled a long piece of parchment out of it. “This is the sample of the label. It was delivered only last night, and I haven’t read it yet.”

As she spoke, she took off her gloves and handed them to Angie, stroking the parchment with her fingers and reading it carefully.

Although there was only one label on this piece of parchment, there were 10 copies of it. It looked like a Hada and needed to be cut by yourself. Half of it fell back into the box when Denise held it in her hand.

In this age without patent protection, even if it is just a sample, merchants have to make a profit.

Raven moved forward, reached out and took out the other half, and his fingers moved slightly, touching Denise's tender, soft hand, which was slightly wet due to sweat.

The latter retracted his fingers and glanced at him: "You should look at the label, not at me."

"You're much prettier than the label." Looking at Denise's slightly flushed cheeks, Raven curled up a smile at the corner of his mouth, then lowered his head and looked at her carefully.

The label is embroidered with a four-winged angel standing in the air with wings spread. The entire label is golden in color. He has a handsome face, and it is difficult to tell whether he is a man or a woman. There is a calm piety on his face, and a blue tear is flowing from the corner of his eye, flowing all the way into his empty hands, crocheting into the words "Angel's Tears".

"Tsk." Raven frowned, raised his head, looked at Denise, and nodded at the same time.

The two of them threw the sample back in tacit understanding and took out another label.

The style of this label is completely different from the previous one. It shows an eagle spreading its wings and flying high.

I have to say that the painters in this factory are quite talented. The eagle's feathers are clearly visible, and there is a sharp murderous look in its eyes, making people feel as if it is staring at them.

In its sharp claws, it was holding a wine bottle with the words "Angel's Tears" written on it.

Raven's frown deepened.

"Oh..." Denise rubbed her temple and sighed, "It seems that I was just wishful thinking. These two labels can't be used. I'd better contact the manufacturer and change another style."

Raven rubbed his chin in silence, as if he was thinking about something.

"Madam, aren't these two labels good?" Seeing her master in worry, An Qi asked carefully, "Why are you and the Baron dissatisfied?"

Denise just wanted to vent her frustration, so she asked, "What do you think are the advantages of these two labels? Can you tell me more about them?"

"Hmm..." An Qi thought for a moment, then walked forward and held up the label embroidered with an eagle: "This is great. The eagle looks majestic and vivid, and it can well show the style of the Griffith family."

Denise shook her head: "But this is Angel Tears, not a promotional poster for the Griffith Family, and the Griffith Family is not a theater troupe that is going to open for performances."

"I was mistaken." An Qi quickly bowed her head to admit her mistake and grabbed another label: "But since it is packaging Angel's Tears, isn't the angel portrait on it very fitting?"

"Too fancy." Raven, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke: "Angel's Tears must become a real luxury, a high-end red wine that only nobles and big businessmen are qualified to enjoy."

"The colors of this picture are too bright and vulgar. On the other hand, although this image of an angel that does not conform to the description in the scriptures has not been banned by the Church, it would be troublesome if someone with ulterior motives seized on it."

An Qi didn't expect that a small label could have so much to say. She quietly stuck out her tongue, put the label down and walked away.

"It looks like the new packaging of Angel's Tears will be delayed for a while." Denise said regretfully, "I'll go order a few more styles to try."

"No need." Raven said, "I have an idea now, maybe it will work."

Denise frowned and said with an expression that seemed like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, "Raven, I think everyone should do what they are good at."

An Qi hid her smile and lowered her head.

Raven's face turned red.

The education he received in his life was very limited. Although he could read, his writing skills were not good enough, and what he wrote was crooked like a spider crawling.

Not to mention my previous life, when I was accompanied by keyboards and mobile phones all day long, and often I wouldn't even touch a pen a few times in an entire year.

"Ahem!" Raven cleared his throat to ease the embarrassment and said, "I'm not going to write it myself. How about I tell you and you draw it?"

Denise said indifferently, "Okay, now that you mention it, I really want to see what the Baron has in mind."

As a qualified maid, Angie carried an ink sac and a quill pen with her, and placed them respectfully on the box next to her.

Taking a blank piece of parchment, Denise picked up a pen and stretched her wrist: "Tell me, how do you want to design it?"

"In the center, there's an angel's feather," Raven said.

There was a rustling sound, and Denise moved her wrist slightly. Soon, a feather appeared on the paper. The lines were clear and simple, but they portrayed the image very well.

This surprised Raven a little: "Wow, this is a really good painting."

"Well, of course." Denise said confidently, "Tell me what you want."

She was also born into a poor family in Mon'en City. Although she was not as poor as the people in Eagle Town, her life was also quite difficult. She had to take on many household chores at a very young age, including sewing and mending.

When she got older, she started to embroider some clothes and accessories and sold them, which were well received. It shows that she has some talent in art.

"In that case, I'll have to make it more difficult," Raven said half-jokingly.

Denise seemed to be aroused by her desire to win: "You can make your demands."

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless." Raven leaned forward and whispered in her ear: "Have you ever seen dewdrops on leaves in the morning? Add one to the end of the feather, and it will be an angel's tear. It would be best if it could make it look like it's swaying in the wind."

Denise was somewhat dissatisfied with Raven's sudden attempt to take advantage of her, but when she heard these words, her eyes suddenly lit up.

She turned the parchment over, thought about it for a while, and began to draw.

Raven sniffed her body scent, holding the box with one hand to help her hold it in place to prevent the brush strokes from going astray, and his eyes fell on her delicate face.

It is said that serious men are the most handsome, and serious women are also full of charm.

The whole scene fell into An Qi's eyes. She warned herself that she should not look at it, but her eyes still moved over unconsciously.

In the dim warehouse, bright sunlight shone on their faces, illuminating the crates that served as makeshift tables.

Denise was concentrating on drawing the pattern, completely immersed in her own world, her brows were sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, the corners of her mouth were sometimes raised, sometimes pursed, and sometimes she would stop to think for a moment, a vivid and lively beauty.

Raven stood beside her, very close to her but did not disturb Denise. He held the box with his right hand like a gentleman, with his knee resting on it. His left hand went around Denise's shoulders and formed a small canopy in front of her forehead, blocking the sunlight that was piercing her eyes.

The posture looked uncomfortable, but the distinguished baron did not move at all, with appreciation and joy flowing in his eyes.

This picture is extremely harmonious. If An Qi hadn't known their identities, she would have almost believed that these two people were a pair with a tacit understanding...

Lovers.

Shocked by her own thoughts, Angie wanted to lower her head, but she was unwilling to look away. At this moment, she was full of envy for Denise.

If only I could have a man like this.

"Ah..." Denise let out a soothing sigh. She raised her head and rubbed her neck. Then she saw Raven's hand and a hint of astonishment flashed across her eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work." Raven's arm naturally dropped and rested on her shoulders: "If I had known that you were such a good painter, why would I have asked someone else to design the label style?"

Denise calmly slapped the paw down: "You think it's good?"

"Very good." Raven nodded repeatedly: "Even better than I thought." On the parchment, the feather was blown by the wind, and even had a texture of swaying in the wind. The round teardrop like a pearl was dotted on the tip of the feather, giving people a feeling that it would slip out if you were not careful.

"How is it? Are you tired? Do you want to take a rest?" Raven asked.

"Tsk, do you think I'm a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse?" Denise glanced at Raven with her moist eyes: "Tell me, what else do you want?"

"Then there's the text," Raven said. "Below the feather, use Spencerian script, Angel's Tears, and make the font larger. The entire sentence should be as wide as the feather, and the first and last letters should be bold and large."

Denise nodded, lowered her head and began to work, and soon the design was completed.

"Well... the first letter can be bigger, the last letter can be smaller, but the tail of the r should float." Raven said.

Denise thought for a moment and started applying it again.

"Now it's almost done." Raven continued, "In the lower right corner, write: Everything is empty, everything is permitted, in cursive. The words should be small, but people can read them clearly."

In this way, one of them talked and the other made revisions, and Denise would occasionally make some suggestions.

Time passed from morning to noon, the air became more and more sultry, but the expressions of the two people became more and more excited, without any sign of fatigue.

An Qi didn't dare to go forward and became a little drowsy in the sultry air.

"Okay!" Raven's voice woke An Qi up: "This is the version, come here!"

The warehouse door opened and Volav walked in: "My Lord Baron!"

Without even turning back, Raven said, "Go to Xiongying Town right now and find me an embroiderer. It doesn't matter if she's old or pretty, she must have the best craftsmanship. Go in a carriage, quickly!"

"Yes!" Volav took the order and left.

As the author, Denise was still a little hesitant at the moment: "This... I think there are still some areas that can be improved. Should we just stick to it like this?"

"You'll be right if you listen to me." Raven looked at the newly traced parchment in front of him. "This is just the effect on paper. It will be completely different when it falls on silk."

"Silk?" Denise now understood why Raven called the embroiderer: "You plan to use silk to wrap the Angel's Tears? That's too luxurious..."

"This is the kind of luxury we want." Raven nodded and said, "Both parchment and kraft paper are too rough and have a poor texture. Only silk can express our design."

In fact, what Raven likes most is the modern trademark that was printed directly on the bottle in his previous life.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the skills, he knows the results but not the reasons!
Half an hour later, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded, and Volav walked in like the wind and saluted: "Sir, the person is here."

Then he turned around and yelled, "Hurry up, don't dawdle!"

A middle-aged woman wearing a patched coarse cloth shirt and a pair of tattered cloth shoes walked in with her head lowered. She didn't even dare to look at Raven, and knelt down and said, "Greetings, Lord Baron!"

Raven showed a look of satisfaction, because he saw that the stitches on the patch on the woman's elbow had outlined a chrysanthemum, which was so lifelike.

“Look up,” Raven said.

The woman raised her head, revealing a weathered and wrinkled face that looked at least fifty years old.

Raven asked pleasantly, "What's your name?"

"Qiao Ya, my lord." The woman's eyes were evasive.

"Can you embroider this pattern?" Raven handed the parchment to Angel, who passed the paper over.

Qiao Ya looked at it and said, "Okay."

"Very good. You must remember what I am going to say next." Raven said, "Use silk to embroider. Use white silk for the base, gold thread for the feathers in the middle, light blue for the tears, gold for the text in the middle, and gradually change from red to black in the lower right corner. Can you do it using only silk thread?"

"Silk?" Qiao Ya's eyes were filled with fear that could not be concealed: "Sir... I have never embroidered anything with silk in my life. If it is damaged, I, I... I can't afford the compensation."

"I don't need you to accompany me." Raven said, "I just want the finished product. Even if it's not embroidered well, it's not your responsibility."

"On the contrary, if you can embroider it well, I will reward you with 10 copper coins."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Ya's eyes flashed with desire: "Then... Sir, I am willing to give it a try!"

Volav brought the person, along with the embroidery tools, raw materials and paper patterns, into the workshop nearby.

"You are tired too." Raven asked softly, "I don't know how long it will take for the samples to come out. Do you want to go back to the castle and rest first?"

"No need." Denise shook her head and said, "After all, I drew it myself, and I want to see the quality of the finished product first."

After hearing what she said, Raven no longer forced her and just took her for a walk around the factory to relax.

By the time they returned to the warehouse, an hour had passed.

After a while, Volav came back with his men: "It's done, sir."

He turned around and said, "Why don't you present the things quickly?"

Qiao Ya walked forward with her head lowered, holding a small piece of silk in her hands.

At Denise's signal, Angie took the silk and spread it out in front of the two of them.

Denise's eyes suddenly lit up.

I didn’t feel any deep emotion when I was painting it, but when it turned into silk and appeared before my eyes, the feeling was completely different.

The feather in the center is golden, and the tear is light blue. Against the backdrop of the soft silk texture, it seems to be flying in the air. The word "Angle's tear" in the center is majestic, elegant and beautiful.

The deep red “Everything is empty” in the lower right corner catches the eye, and the “Everything is allowed” below gradually turns into black.

Everything is false, everything is permitted.

The gradient colors give people unlimited imagination.

"Simple yet elegant." Denise couldn't help but say, "Raven, sometimes I really think you are a genius. How did you come up with this design?"

Raven shook his head and chuckled, "A secret."

It’s not that he has any talent for design, but after being baptized by the high design standards of modern society, he has seen too many exquisite designs. Raven just picked out a few classic design plans and combined them together.

In the previous life, this kind of LOGO was worthless, but here, it is a treasure that is unique in the world.

"Give me some money." Raven said.

He didn't bring his maid with him, but Anqi was also discerning and went up to give him the money immediately.

Holding the 10 copper coins in her hand, Qiao Ya burst into tears of gratitude: "Baron, you are so generous!"

It was the first time for her to earn such a large sum of money.

Raven smiled and said, "Next, your job is to embroider this pattern here. I will pay you 1 copper coin for each pair you embroider. You must embroider at least 8 pieces a day. However, the condition is that you must live in the workshop and can only go home once a month at the end of the month. How about it? Are you willing to do it?"

1 copper coin for 1 piece of embroidery and 1 day off per month. If this had happened in his previous life, Raven would have been spat on.

But in Qiao Ya's opinion, this was simply a windfall, and she nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I do, sir!"

"I have a small request. I wonder if you, sir..."

"How dare you!" Volav scolded, "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you make demands in front of an adult?"

Qiao Ya lowered her head like a frightened duck: "S-Sorry..."

"Don't be nervous." Raven ignored Volaf who was flattering him too much and said with a smile: "If you have any request, just make it. As long as it's reasonable."

"It's like this..." Qiao Ya said cautiously: "I also know a few sisters who are good at embroidery. They can also do it. Sir, can you let them come too..."

"Okay." Lei Wen originally planned to recruit more female workers: "Then you will choose the people. At present, I need 10 embroiderers, including you. Remember, I only want those with good skills. For every 10 pieces of embroidery completed by each of them, I will give you a reward of 1 copper coin."

Qiao Ya's voice was full of gratitude: "Baron, I will always remember your kindness and generosity!"

Volaf quickly led his men to retreat and select people, while Raven and Denise walked on the path of the castle.

The latter was a little tired physically, but still quite excited mentally: "You made a good arrangement in the end. If you are willing to do business, you might be able to make a name for yourself in Meng'en City."

She knew very well that although Raven seemed to be paying Qiao Ya unnecessary money, this incentive was quite effective.

With this reward, the people recruited are not only Raven's embroiderers, but also Qiao Ya's source of income. Not only can it guarantee the quality of embroiderers to the greatest extent, but it also gives Qiao Ya the motivation to ensure the quality and speed of embroidery.

This is equivalent to finding a qualified quality control officer and supervisor with just a little money.

After returning to the castle, Denise couldn't stand the fatigue and went back to her room to rest.

And Raven's work has just begun.

"My lord the baron."

In the conference room, Old Gordon pushed his monocle and reported, "According to the news we just received, the assigned citizens were on their way 10 days ago. They should arrive in half a month at the latest, which is September 9th."

"It's so fast." Raven sighed, moving his stiff ankles. "What day is it today?"

"September 9th, sir," old Gordon said immediately.

Raven rubbed his chin. "Well, by now, the rainy season on Bloody Highlands should be over, right?"

Not understanding why Raven asked this, Old Gordon replied, "Yes, sir."

"It's finally time." Raven's eyes flashed with a slightly fanatical light, and he tapped his fingers on the table:

"Give the order immediately and call Simon to me!"

……

(End of this chapter)