Chương 53: Chapter 51 - Untapped Market

"Time to go shopping," Chelsea announced as they returned to the table. She rubbed her hands together excitedly, already thinking about jewelry, Ivy's outfit, and whatever else she could convince herself she absolutely needed.

"But first..." Adriane interrupted. She looked toward Ivy, then subtly nodded toward Chelsea. Ivy followed the gesture slowly before realization dawned on her face.

"Right," she said.

"Let's get you cleaned up first." The guild apparently had an entire washing area specifically for adventurers returning from jobs covered in blood, mud, monster gore, and other less identifiable substances. Several wash basins lined the wall beside buckets of water and hand pumps. Stacks of rough cloth rags sat nearby for public use. Why had no one told her about this room before? Chelsea obediently closed her eyes while Ivy wet one of the cloths.

She stood completely still while Ivy cleaned dried blood, ash, and dirt from her face. The rag was much softer than it looked, which Chelsea appreciated immediately.

"There's the little people eater," Ivy remarked once most of the blood was gone.

"Knew you were under there somewhere." Chelsea burst into laughter.

"Little people eater? We're already doing nicknames now?"

"What?" Ivy asked innocently.

"You eat people and you're short. Little… people… eater." Chelsea narrowed her eyes at her.

"Fine. Then you're..." She paused while looking Ivy over thoughtfully.

"Blonde... uh..." Ivy immediately started laughing as she struggled.

"Oh shut up," Chelsea muttered.

"I just met you."

"You're doing great so far."

"Oh! Leaf flavored human." Ivy stared at her.

"That's terrible."

"I know," Chelsea admitted instantly.

"It sounded better in my head." The three headed straight toward Maggie's dress shop.

"Maggie, it's us!" Chelsea called as they stepped inside.

"Hey Chelsea, I'll be right..." Maggie's voice drifted from somewhere deeper in the shop before she paused.

"Wait. Edgar us or..."

"The legendary warrior goddess and babysitter extraordinaire is in our presence," Chelsea declared dramatically while gesturing toward Adriane like she was introducing royalty to a crowd. Then Chelsea leaned slightly toward her sister and whispered loudly enough for Ivy to hear, "Five silver says her hair is perfect when she comes out." Adriane blinked at her.

"Why?"

"She was stressing about her hair not being neat when you were here yesterday." Before Adriane could say another word, Maggie emerged from between two clothing racks carrying several folded garments over one arm. Her hair was perfect.

"Miss Chelsea and Miss Adriane Wixx, how can I..." She stopped abruptly upon spotting Ivy.

"Oh. And who is this?"

"This is Ivy," Chelsea explained.

"We need to get her fitted for formal clothes. We're apparently going before the king tomorrow. Did you know his name was spelled like King Juice?" Maggie froze completely.

"You're what!?" she nearly shouted.

"In my work?" Her hands flew to her mouth.

"Oh goodness, I think I'm going to faint. You mean the actual king? The king king?"

"As in the king," Chelsea confirmed with a laugh.

"Please make her look sophisticated and subtle though. Nothing too flashy." Ivy looked relieved by that request.

"Yes. Of course." Maggie nodded rapidly before motioning for them to follow.

"Come with me. I'll grab a few options." As she turned, she suddenly remembered something and looked back toward Chelsea with visible excitement.

"Oh! Chelsea, I have wonderful news."

"Hmm?"

"I received approval from the merchant's guild to expand my shop," Maggie said proudly.

"Apparently someone very high up personally recommended my business by name." Chelsea immediately knew exactly who this mysterious person was.

"Aww, Maggie, congratulations," she said sincerely. Maggie beamed so brightly Chelsea thought the woman might actually float. The moment they entered, the massive blacksmith looked up from hammering a glowing piece of metal. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Miss Chelsea Wixx," Arnold called out.

"Haven't seen you in a while. Thought that sister of yours finally killed you." Chelsea pointed toward Adriane without missing a beat.

"He means Bea." Then she looked back toward Arnold with a grin.

"Nope. Takes more than a few stab wounds and scratches to finish me off." Arnold barked out a laugh.

"No Edgar today?"

"Nope. Different sister is babysitting today." Adriane sighed heavily beside her. Chelsea ignored it while immediately scanning the shop for shields.

"Oh," Arnold added casually, "and no offense meant with the killing comment."

"None taken."

"I've got a broken rare piece in the back if you still want to work on your experiment," he offered.

"Experiment?" Adriane asked slowly. Chelsea instantly turned toward her sister with the expression of a child caught stealing cookies.

"Yes," she admitted cautiously.

"The thing I mentioned when you came back. Arnold's been helping me test the limits of my outfit-fitting demon ability."

"Wish they stayed repaired," Arnold added.

"She was trying to see if there was a way to keep the gear functional after taking it off."

"But," Chelsea sighed dramatically, "that experiment was sadly a failure."

"For now," Arnold corrected. Chelsea pointed approvingly at him.

"I like your optimism."

"So what brings you in today?" the blacksmith asked.

"Shopping," Chelsea answered immediately.

"I need a shield that works well with a spear. Strength-focused if possible."

"A spear-and-shield setup?" Arnold nodded thoughtfully.

"Actually, I think I have exactly what you need." He walked around to the front display and removed a circular metal shield mounted beside a full suit of armor.

"This one," he said while handing it down carefully.

"Large enough to provide coverage, light enough for mobility. The arm straps are positioned so you can still perform two-handed thrusts with the spear when needed." Chelsea refused to touch it.

"Perfect," Chelsea said instantly.

"You should probably try it first."

"No thanks." She smiled brightly.

"How much?" Another customer nearby looked over in visible confusion at the absurdly confident purchase. Arnold just chuckled.

"As expected. It's uncommon+3 quality, so... one and a half gold?"

"Sold." Chelsea immediately reached into her pouch, produced two gold coins, and handed them over before Arnold could finish speaking.

"Keep the change." She said casually, "Ivy," she called casually, "please grab the shield." The elf hurried forward and accepted the shield from Arnold. The moment the weight transferred into her hands, Ivy's knees bent noticeably. Chelsea stared.

"Oh wow. That's heavier than I thought," the elf complained. Arnold grinned.

"Strength gear," was all he said with a laugh like that explained it. Ivy somehow managed not to drop it.

"As always, thank you Arnold," Chelsea said with a small curtsy.

"My pleasure, Miss Wixx." The trio eventually stepped back outside, where Ivy very gratefully slipped the shield into the storage inside Chelsea's pouch.

"I figure we hit the market next," Chelsea announced while stretching her arms overhead.

"I need to stock up on..." She visibly gagged.

"Fruit."

"You used to like fruit though, right?" Ivy asked as they wandered through the evening crowds.

"Oh, I understand why people like them," Chelsea replied.

"But after that bite earlier?" She visibly shuddered.

"Absolutely not. Thinking about it again is making me nauseous." Ivy laughed quietly at the dramatic reaction.

"Out of curiosity," Chelsea continued, "what about dairy and eggs for elves?"

"No and no."

"Preference?"

"Elf thing," Ivy corrected.

"My brother is only half elf, so he can eat basically anything. When we were younger, he used to sneak little bits of egg into my meals to see if I noticed." Chelsea looked horrified.

"That's evil. Did you notice? Wait, why did you have eggs around when you were younger if elves can't eat them?" Ivy laughed harder this time.

"I spent the next day vomiting." She calmed some and answered, "And half elves need protein. Eggs are a cheap form. Much cheaper than meat and they keep longer."

"Ah." Chelsea sounded genuinely disappointed at the news of her veganism.

"That ruins several recipes."

"You already planned recipes for me?" Ivy asked.

"Obviously," she replied.

"I was hoping to make you food from my homeland."

"Speaking of which," Adriane cut in, "you still haven't made us that thing you were so excited about." Chelsea sighed heavily.

"Because this stupid world refuses to cooperate with me. I'm still missing two ingredients. There's an entire cheese shop in this city and they looked at me like I was insane when I asked if they had mozzarella."

"I still don't know what that is," Adriane admitted.

"That's because this world is tragically underdeveloped in the field of cheese," Chelsea informed her.

"At this point I'm probably going to have to make it myself." Ivy shook her head in amusement.

"You say things with so much confidence.

'I'll just invent a new cheese.'""It's not inventing if it already exists somewhere else," Chelsea argued.

"And depending on how it turns out, I might open a few restaurants." Ivy stared blankly.

"A few?"

"Maybe as a side project?"

"A side project," she repeated slowly. Chelsea nodded.

"The merchant's guild gives me access to enough resources that I can realistically open whatever I want." She looked up at Ivy thoughtfully as they continued walking.

"Actually, there's a huge population of elves and fairies in the city, right? Both groups tend to lean vegetarian from what I understand. Have you had much luck finding places to eat?"

"Chelsea," Adriane interrupted, "restaurants aren't really something common people go to." Chelsea stopped walking so suddenly that Ivy almost collided with her.

"What?" she asked. Adriane frowned slightly.

"What?"

"You're serious?"

"Yes?" She looked confused like it was obvious.

"Why?" Chelsea stared at her for several long seconds while something deeply concerning slowly appeared behind her eyes. Ivy looked between the sisters nervously.

"What's happening?" Adriane sighed.

"Chelsea thoughts."

"There's an entire untapped market," Chelsea whispered to herself. Ivy looked even more confused.

"If common people don't regularly go to restaurants," Chelsea continued, "then that means nobody's cornered affordable dining yet."

"Chelsea thoughts," Adriane repeated.

"Best to just answer questions when she asks them." Ivy laughed softly.

"It's still hard to picture you as some high-ranking merchant. Most merchants I've met are shrewd little men who would sell their own mothers to make an extra coin."

"Yes," Chelsea agreed animatedly.

"Exactly!" Ivy paused, pulling back slightly with how quickly she agreed.

"That's why I'm going to win." The confidence in her voice made Ivy blink. Chelsea spun around to walk backward in front of them, talking with animated gestures.

"Think about it. Who would you rather buy from? Some greasy little merchant you know is lying directly to your face? Or a cute demon girl with kind eyes who listens to what you're saying and makes you feel like she cares about you?" Ivy opened her mouth, then hesitated.

"Oh," Chelsea added smugly, "and the cute demon girl also happens to be a three-star A-rank merchant." Ivy slowly turned her head toward Adriane. The older sister simply nodded once with an amused smile.

"The demon girl," Ivy admitted quietly.

"Exactly," Chelsea said triumphantly.

"I still don't fully understand what your plan is."

"That's the beautiful part," Chelsea replied with a laugh. She spun once in the middle of the street, nearly clipping a passing pedestrian with her tail before correcting herself.

"Nobody else understands it either." She stepped closer and pointed directly at her.

"And that," she declared proudly, "is how we become richer than Bodarex himself." Ivy looked toward Adriane to gauge Chelsea's behavior. The older woman was watching Chelsea with an expression that was pure adoration, like she was witnessing something wonderful and terrifying at the same time. Something important was happening right in front of her. Ivy could feel it. She simply had no idea how to see it yet.