Chương 16: XVI. Dinner With The Vampires

Spring 10th, 1380 ASSETS: 64 Minted Gold Coins 00 [Uncommon] [Carrots] (All Eaten, Not Sold) 06 [Common] [Carrot Seeds] (Down from 10) 00 [Common] [Green Clover Seeds] (Down from 15) 06 [Common] [Potato Seeds] 01 [Common] [Lettuce Seeds] IN FIELD 009 TULIPS (Likely Poor) - Spring 11 036 CARROTS (Common, on Poor Soil) - Spring 11 135 GREEN CLOVER (Common, Fixing Soil) - Sprouts on Spring 12. No Plan to Harvest I forgot to read that letter till this morning when Jasmine came to my door.

In my defense, letters and me have a very bad relationship and something always comes to my mind that's a bit more important than words on a paper. But I wasn't reading mind you – I was, but not just reading. [Green Clover] takes three days to grow, but unlike other crops, its benefits don't come from the harvest. Fenwick's Almanac had an interesting diagram explaining the root structure, and although clover was healthy for the soil, it took time.

It needed 3 days to sprout into a plant, and then every 3 days it'd increase the [Soil Quality] by a percent related to whatever Flora willed until the [Soil Quality] matched the plant! What I didn't know was that I could then harvest the [Green Clover], or any plant actually, and it would produce seeds! The fertility of the plant was based on the soil at the time of harvest, not the growth!

Fenwick said a lucky soil-tender might be able to get [Legendary] [Green Clover Seeds] and would easily be able to make an entire farm [Legendary]! Of course, the only people who sold that was the Farmer's Guild, and the going price for one bag was 100 gold… the vendor price was nowhere near that, since 1 silver times 2 to the fifth power is just 32 silver, or… 3 gold and some change. They were Rhyvesta damned crooks!

Of course, Fenwick didn't see the utilization of bugs and other decomposers to the field – outside of ways to get rid of things like Ladybirds or Tomato Beetles. It was a major shortfall, and one I was fully intending to correct. HOWEVER, I had to go through my entire carrot supply. Copper is far heavier than wood, and while my [Copper Hoe] did not break, lugging it around and digging out 36 new tiles for the [Carrot Seeds] took the entire afternoon I returned from The Coffee Shop.

I was exhausted by the time I was done, and then spent most of the night reading Fenwick's. The next day, after watering the carrots, I had to dig out 135 tiles. That included zoning it out properly, breaking stones and pulling weeds. I actually made the dugout in the back of my farm, nearest to the river. Since I had no intention of harvesting the clover, I could forget about it and when the sprout germinated, it might spread across the entire field. It lasted through all seasons – even Winter.

Of course, actually digging 135 tiles and cleaning the field was an entirely different matter. After four bags worth I was exhausted and needed a break. My muscles screamed at me, and lifting COPPER with [Mage Hand] was an exercise in futility. At least the watering can was light enough, but it was all physical labour. I only managed to finish the entire field, and nothing but the exact amount, that day.

I wanted to do 200, and then just chip away at clearing the field constantly, but my mind was willing; my body was not. And that was exactly what I was going to do today, until Jasmine showed up to my place.

"Ya look like a mess, did ya bathe?"

"Eventually, Jasmine. I just planted clover down by the river and I need'ta clear some more spots so they can spread." Jasmine covered her eyes from the sun and peered into the weed-grown, rock-covered fields.

"I.. don' even see the river from 'ere. You has some nice carrots though, and the tulips are comin' along nicely. But uh… why are those two plots so… weird lookin'?" She pointed at the sprouting blood carrots. The soil was black and crackling, and the emerald sprouts had dark veins that oozed. Green fume seeped out of the soil, and the vines encroached upon the soil beside it – but I did have it moved from the tulips and normal carrots so it wouldn't smother them out.

"Uh… looks diseased," I said.

"I'll have to kill 'em and regrow, I guess." Jasmine raised her eyebrow and her nose scrunched. She slowly nodded, but her face was stuck on that expression.

"Uh… huh. Sure, Ashy. Lady Hawthorne had wanted me to dress you up for the dinner tonight and make sure you were presentable for Lord Hawthorne."

"Who–wassit?" I said.

"Presentable? Wait, the [Vampires]?"

"Yaah? You has a letter from the stationhead. Gave it to Madsy and she gave it to ya, no? I saw it when ya got those other books?"

"I uh… don' read letters, much," I said. Jasmine glanced back at the crops, before shaking her head.

"Well, let's get ya washed up. Lady Hawthorne had a dress made for ya, and Missy already had your measurements. Ain' gonna let you equip it, have ta make sure it's snug on yer boney frame." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Can it wait? I was plannin' on fixing the farm and getting some tiles handled first."

"Sure, I can wait for ya to kill those things and dig a few more tiles, but Lady Hawthorne says I ain' to return till ya look presentable, so…" I raised my hand and then wiped my face.

"Fine, fine. I'll get dressed."

"And bathed," Jasmine added. She kept staring back at me in the mirror. Her form was getting more and more clear, though I had to concentrate on my peripherals to fully see Her. Oh right, Jasmine brought a mirror for my house, also paid for by the Hawthornes. In my reflection in the water and window panes, She looked distant and fuzzy, but now, I could tell She was getting closer. She smiled at me, even if most of her face was obstructed by Jasmine moving about and the lingering trails of shadow.

She knew I was staring at her.

"... so, do ya need a [Seed Maker], Ashy?" Jasmine said, amongst many other things she had been saying and I was tuning out. It was the first to catch my attention"Wha?" I turned my head to face her, and more importantly break eye contact with Her. Jasmine grabbed my head and forced it straight.

"I'm tryin' to comb, Ashy! Ya can' be movin' aroun' like that. Anyways, I was sayin' I was making a kart, yeah. An' I got my next [Craftswoman] rank! I can make ya a [Seed Maker] if you get me the [Iron]! Or, Uh, I can ask Nathaniel to sell it to us for 1 gold piece for all of the materials, if ya interested."

"Why would you do that?" I tried to turn again, and Jasmine forced my head straight back at that accursed mirror.

"Ya is startin' that busy-ness, ya? I was serious about book-keepin', since I don' like workin' with the Hawthornes."

"Uh huh," I said.

"I'll consider it, but I want this farm to be a 'me-thing'."

"Ya [Guild] ain' even a 'ya-thing', Ashy. Ya ain' Flora able to make clay into dirt!" I snickered, a smile creeping onto my face. Jasmine stopped combing and studied me in the mirror.

"Regardless," she said." [Seed Maker]?"

"I guess, an' how long are you goin' to be going through my hair?"

"Well, I've seen rugs with less knots in it then ya' hair. You'se lucky we have time and I'm doin' it with oil and not just tuggin', Ashy." And to be fair, it was incredibly pleasant. Adrian used to play with my hair often, and I loved the sensation of my scalp being gently massaged. Jasmine, however, took her time and the knots freeing released tension from my skull that I wasn't even aware I had been bothered by!

"Thanks... Jazzy," I murmured, and just closed my eyes. Big mistake, as Jasmine stopped combing and latched her arms around my shoulder. She pulled me into a deep hug, and at this point, I knew better than to fight back. It was happening whether I wanted it or not – and I did not.

"Awh! We'se finally friends now! An' all I had to do was comb your hair. Bless ya heart, it is a lovely shade of red, but these white streaks is givin' you granny vibes. I has an idea, if ya don' mind," Jasmine said. I don't know if we were friends as much as she was that blonde cunt's friend, but her company wasn't that grating and her chattering made it easier for me to concentrate on my thoughts. Jasmine collected each of the white strands and braided them together, letting it hang off the left side of my face.

That at least looked pretty.

"Aight, get up. You'se gotta be dressed," she said, and pulled out a black dress from her inventory. Melissa's black dress was made of linen and weaved with threads and false gemstones. It was beautiful, but it was still a commoner's dress. This had black heels with a gold clasp. I had never worn heels before, let alone actual gold on my body. And stockings made of lace! The intricate pattern looked like bats flying around spiderweb, and the welt was spiked like a crown.

They even provided matching underwear, and those felt so much nicer than linen rubbing against the skin. But of course, the black dress was the highlight. Mortia County dress-standards were incredibly brazen, especially by Phoenix Empire standards. The silk dress had a cut so deep that it parted between my breasts and went a small bit above my navel. On my body it made my rib cage show, and so Jasmine quickly sewed the slit together. However, the collar was spiked too, and the inner fabric was red velvet.

The spikes jutted up behind my neck, and got caught with my hair.

"Gonna have to be a ponytail," Jasmine said, and got to work. The dress had matching black gloves, and then – Elora's Laces – makeup. Black Mascara coated my red eyelashes, and a soft amount of lead-powder was touched to my cheeks to make my already pale face as white as a ghost. I refused the lipstick though, since there was a good chance I'd keep trying to eat the black licorice flavoured paste. I stood up, took a step, and immediately tripped. Jasmine caught me and shook her head.

"Wait 'ere, Ashy. I'll ask the carriage to come pick us up." The soil was wrong. It didn't crack under my heels, and the grass submitted to my footsteps instead of bouncing back filled with life. Every so often, a green fog spewed from the dirt; reeking of blood and bones improperly disposed off. Amaril was already dipping; it took this long to get prepared for a Dinner?! Pa ain' gonna stand for this, but Ma mighta been fine. We didn' go to much fancy dinners, actually, though…

"On a scale of Protector's Day to uh… I dunno, Flora's Fall, how fancy are the Hawthorne's?" I whispered to Jasmine.

"Ashy, those are village holidays. Has ya not been in a noble house?" she said. She walked slowly so I didn't trip over the paved gravel. Heels were tough.

"Uhm.. Varikinian or Vandian?"

"Ah! Not that fancy, though imagine a Vandian bein' 'ere." Jasmine said.

"Ya remember Lady McReer's dinner pa– ya've been in a Vandian Dinner Party?!"

"Nah? Lady Primose Belmora-Xael'thorn-Vandis in the Leva-kira–" I began, but Jasmine shook her head and laughed.

"Yeah, of course ya meant a book, but anyways… uh, I can' be in there with ya. I'm a [Maid], and I thin' Madsy is waitin' for ya?" I looked down at the dirt again. There wasn't any insects or bugs going through the soil, but the soil was a rich umber. The grass was decaying, but the loam was alive? Jasmine released my arm, and stepped off the main path. She took a few steps, before being swallowed by the gaggle of other workers, unallowed near the main entrance.

The white birck of the Manor ruined the rustic feeling of the houses nearby, and the spiraling towers were adorned with stained, glass windows. Music seeped through the walls; two violins in somber harmony with a harpsichord. The air was still and unmoving, allowing every click of a carriage wheel or every step on the gravel path to echo. I took a deep breath, and forced my eyes straight. I stumbled haphazardly towards the staircase, trying not to fall over the pebbles.

I had only made it to the staircase when a pale woman offered me her hand. She had golden eyes, and flowing white hair. Her lips parted, and I couldn't help but stare at her long, sharp, glimmering fangs.