A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 43 Dupont Street

The alchemical horse drive is a very ether-consuming process. The trio takes turns playing the role of the coachman. In reality, the "horse" drives the horse itself, while the "coachman" continuously inputs ether through the reins embedded with silver threads.

When Pascal was a coachman, he would pull down his hood to block out the light and squint, so there was an extra coachman on the road who didn't watch where he was going, and other pedestrians and vehicles were so frightened that they all went around him.

Fortunately, to avoid drawing attention, Rorschach had removed the Star Tower sign, and now it was just a well-made carriage, not comparable to a nobleman's vehicle, so it didn't attract much attention. After paying to park the carriage in the backyard of an inn, the three officially began their shopping trip.

The people on Dupont Boulevard were indeed not dressed as well as the gentlemen and ladies on Country Street, but rather more practically wrapped in thick wool or coarse linen garments. Upon closer inspection, the shops along the street were also more unassuming, except for one imposing storefront on the left, whose antique-style imperial-style entrance was a floor higher than the neighboring shops, and which was the most popular shop on the street.

"What kind of shop is this?" Rorschach muttered to himself, trying to look ahead, but a passerby behind him replied, "Young sir, if you and your companion are honest people, it's best not to go into this shop."

"Floran?" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Rorschach turned around. He remembered that the tall, thin man was the seafood manager at the market.

"Master Rorschach, what a coincidence to run into you here. We meet again. I am Floran. And you two are?"

"My fellow disciples, Ms. Pascal and Ms. Paulina."

After exchanging greetings, Floran explained, "Ladies and gentlemen, those luxurious shops ahead are dens of iniquity, places where our wise emperor plunders the poor and despicable to generate revenue for the royal palace. Yes, casinos. And they've been opening more and more in Valois in recent years."

Rorschach noticed that Floran hadn't called out "Holy Kingdom," and asked somewhat curiously, "Thank you for reminding us. We're going to buy winter clothes. Mr. Floran, where are you going?"

The fishery manager looked a little awkward. "Oh, I came from a friend's place, um, a small club." He gave Pascal a deep look.

"Alright, goodbye Mr. Floran."

"Goodbye."

As they passed the casino entrance, Luo Xia saw two fierce-looking, burly men. Some people went in expectantly, while others came out looking dejected. Luo Xia shook his head and quickly walked away with his companion.

"Let's start with this shop!" The sign read "Madam Heito," displaying impeccably tailored garments at the entrance. Rorschach and Paulina went inside, while Pascal yawned and leaned against the door without entering.

Most of the fabrics here are not very eye-catching, but rather camel and off-white, combined with woolen fabrics that give a gentle feeling. However, although the sign says "Madam," the person doing the accounting at the counter is a young man.

Seeing someone approaching, he glanced around, hesitated, opened his mouth but didn't speak to Luo Xia and the other person. Instead, he puffed out his chest and shouted loudly behind him, "Madam—a—customer—has—arrived!"

From the deepest part of the shop came the creaking of a wooden staircase, and the voice of an old woman: "Varang, what use is it for me to have you sit at the counter if you can't entertain guests? I can use bells, dogs, or even geese instead."

"Madam, I'm still settling accounts for you." Varon's face turned red. Rorschach noticed that his clothes were exquisite and form-fitting, but very worn, which stood out especially in an environment surrounded by new clothes.

"So, shall we have this young gentleman or this pretty young lady choose first?"

"I'll do it." Paulina had her sights set from the start. She picked out a light blue dress, held it up, and asked Pascal at the door, "How about this one?"

"Not bad if you don't consider the season." Pascal turned his head and glanced at it, as if the action had taken a lot of effort on him.

"You can wear this with your outfit if you like." The proprietress brought out a shawl and draped it over Paulina's shoulders, which was a common women's outfit in Valuwana at this time.

The old woman turned around and took out a pale yellow woolen cloak from the shop, then tied it on Paulina: "Wear this when you go out. You only have two pieces indoors. If you feel cold, you can wear the cotton lining..."

The young man behind the counter, Varang, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, but then dejectedly lowered his head and continued flipping through the ledger in his hand.

"This one will do." Paulina was satisfied with the shopkeeper's recommendation. The lady immediately pulled out a measuring tape and told her to go to the fitting room to measure her figure and alter the size of the clothes.

The store didn't have many men's clothes. Luo Xia waited outside, and when he came out, the clothes were already packed.

"We are offering seven silver coins. It will take some time to resize your item, so you can pay a three-coin deposit and pick it up tomorrow."

"How quickly will it take? We won't have time to come back here after today."

The lady hesitated, "This young lady has a perfect figure, so there's not much need to alter her appearance... You can come back after 3 p.m. at the earliest, and I'll expedite the tailoring for you."

Paulina thought for a moment, then counted out seven silver coins from her leather bag: "Then I'll trouble you to expedite it, and I'll pay you in full."

The next shop mainly sold men's clothing. Rorschach bought ready-made clothes that didn't need alterations and chose only simple styles, passing on anything that required a servant's assistance to wear.

"Let's go eat." Rorschach remembered that this place was very close to "Valuwana's Stomach," and the food in the restaurants around it should be quite fresh. "Thank you for bringing me here, senior sister. I'll treat you to dinner."

"Huh? What kind of help is this?" Paulina was about to decline when Pascal leaned in: "What about me, Junior Brother Rorschach?"

"That includes my senior brother, of course."

"You're quite impolite."

To get from Dupont Street to the Grand Market, they had to cross the Seine River. When they reached the bridge, a large crowd had gathered, almost blocking the bridge.

"Someone jumped into the river!"

"Should we save them?" Paulina asked softly.

"What are you hesitating for when you're saving someone?" Pascal had already taken off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and was ready to jump.

"Save them, but not on the bridge." Luo Xia recalled his encounter at the market when they entered the city, and had the two of them walk quickly to the other side with him.

To the onlookers, the young man who jumped into the river was initially struggling unconsciously, but now he was almost sinking. "Oh my god, someone save him! In the name of God!" "It's so cold, both the rescuer and the rescued will get sick!" The onlookers who had the clearest view discussed among themselves on the bridge.

Just then, a miracle occurred: a swift current swept him up and unceremoniously pushed him straight to the bank. Two passersby reacted quickly, reaching out to the drowning man, and the river seemed to cooperate, pushing him further away. The young man was saved!

"He's definitely going to freeze to death!" "He wanted to jump, what's the point of rescuing him?" The others muttered as they dispersed.

"Pfft! Cough cough cough... Sir, you must be a mage..." Only the person involved could clearly feel that they were being held firmly to the shore by an unnatural force.

"Why did you save me? To save someone who had nothing and was so desperate that they wanted to jump into the river... Anyway, thank you both..."

"Your name is... Varan?"

"You are Mrs. Heito's customers!"

"She was fine this morning, so what happened?"

The young man gave a bitter smile and shivered. Seeing this, Paulina made a hand gesture. After she finished, Varon was surprised to find that although he was still soaking wet, he no longer felt cold.

"Thank you, you're so kind! But I'm afraid it's all in vain... After you left, my creditors came knocking, and the landlady found out I'd gone to the casino and owed money, so she fired me. I have nothing left! Only a tattered donkey skin the old man gave me..."

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of gray leather from his pocket, on which were embossed a few lines of writing.

I've been busy lately and haven't been able to keep up with the pacing; the plot feels a bit scattered... It's more like the protagonist arriving in a new city and triggering events while shopping. But I do have an outline, so please don't worry.

(End of this chapter)