At this moment, the large tent was packed with people. Everyone was sweating, many profusely. Yet, to maintain their dignified images, they couldn't wipe their faces, leaving them looking quite miserable.
"This tent is indeed huge, but it's just too hot," Viscount Gini panted.
"A calm mind keeps you cool..." Sweat dripped from the tip of Viscount Isaac's nose. He couldn't even finish the phrase; the weather was simply too hot.
The main issue was the massive crowd inside the poorly ventilated tent. Combined with the heavy clothing everyone wore, they were sweating rapidly.
"It's seriously too hot. These clothes are way too thick." Sweat rolled right down Bryan's cheeks.
In this era, nobles wore relatively thick clothing. For the sake of their so-called prestige, they would never wear a single, ordinary thin layer. Instead, they layered thick garments to display their wealth and status.
"Has it not started yet?" Joe tugged at his collar, starting to regret coming to this fashion show.
Tap, tap, tap... The sound of footsteps echoed as Nicole walked out from behind the curtain. Standing in the middle of the T-shaped runway, she swept her gaze over the crowd and announced in a crisp voice, "Today is the Summer and Autumn Fashion Show. The first segment will feature summer clothing."
As her voice fell, a man wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt walked out from backstage, followed by a woman also in short sleeves. They walked forward with their heads held high and chests puffed out, making the audience's eyes light up.
The style of the clothes was something they had never seen before; the outfits looked incredibly cool and refreshing to wear.
"This first design is for casual home hosting: the cool short-sleeved outfit," Nicole introduced smoothly.
While most of the men focused on the clothes, many of the noblewomen had their eyes glued to the female model's face. Her red lips, rosy pink cheeks, and slender, defined eyebrows filled them with envy.
Tap, tap... "The second design consists of a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, meant for casual home wear."
Tap, tap, tap... "The third design is everyday outdoor wear..."
Tap, tap, tap... "The fourth design is evening banquet attire..."
"..."
The clothing designed by Lucas included pajamas, casual wear, hosting attire, outdoor outfits, and banquet gowns—over a dozen types in total, each with its own distinct features.
"The above thirty-two outfits make up the summer collection. They were all personally designed by Lord Lucas so that everyone can live a bit more comfortably in the scorching summer heat," Nicole said with a serious expression.
On this occasion, Nicole couldn't call Lucas 'Master' anymore; otherwise, some people might not know who she was talking about.
"Miss Nicole, are those clothes for sale?" A noble immediately shouted out.
"Everyone, there's no need to rush. You will all be able to purchase these clothes in the shops of Sedona City starting tomorrow," Nicole said calmly.
In truth, while putting on this fashion show, they had already manufactured and stockpiled a massive quantity of clothing. This was considered a revolution in fashion.
The reason Lucas wanted to revolutionize clothing was to drive consumption. Without consumption, there is no circulation of currency; without circulation, how can wealth be created? Only through massive consumption can a society aggressively progress.
Clothing, food, housing, and transportation—clothing was simply the starting point for Lucas's reforms.
"Miss Nicole, I'd like to ask, what is applied to the faces of those young ladies? How are their lips so red, their eyebrows so dark, and their cheeks so pink?"
A pre-arranged shill in the audience spoke up right on cue.
"Yeah, they are so beautiful."
"Those lips are extremely sexy."
"..."
The crowd below immediately broke into a flurry of discussion.
"Everyone, please be quiet." Nicole, her face cool and composed, called out, "What the models are wearing on their faces are the newly developed cosmetics of Sedona City."
"They are divided into three products: lip paper to redden the lips, rouge paste to conceal blemishes, and eyebrow paste to darken the brows."
After saying this, she glanced down at a slip of paper in the palm of her hand and announced, "These three items, combined with perfume, are called the 'Four-Piece Beauty Set for Women' by Lord Lucas."
"Wow! Can it really hide blemishes?"
"It makes the lips red, that's amazing."
"I need to buy that eyebrow paste; I don't even have eyebrows anymore."
"..."
As soon as Nicole finished her introduction, all the noblewomen in the tent started chattering at once, sounding like a thousand quacking ducks.
"Everyone, these three items are currently in production. Due to the materials required, the output will be quite limited, so please look forward to it," Nicole hurriedly interjected.
She was afraid that if she let these noblewomen and young ladies keep discussing it, the fashion show would drag on into the night.
"Ah? It's not even for sale yet?"
"I hope it comes out soon, I'm definitely buying a set."
"..."
The noblemen all had dark expressions. These prodigal wives were already preparing to throw their coins away, and the men couldn't even say a word in protest.
"Everyone, please quiet down. The autumn fashion walk is about to begin," Nicole shouted, raising her voice.
Tap, tap, tap...
"The first design is a shirt-style everyday outdoor outfit..."
"..."
The autumn runway show commenced, completely satisfying the nobles' visual cravings and showing them that clothing could be styled in so many different ways.
Lucas's reputation as a genius was thoroughly cemented. The nobles all sighed inwardly: We are all human, so why is your brain so much more incredible than ours?
By 4:00 PM, the fashion show concluded successfully. The nobles, however, did not disperse; they all stood quietly, watching Nicole.
"Everyone, Lord Lucas has stated that tomorrow's discussion will be regarding linen production technology. Please make your preparations." Leaving these words behind, Nicole walked away.
"What? Tomorrow's meeting is about linen production technology?" A noble exclaimed in shock.
Sedona City's linen production technology was top-tier. Everyone in the Western Lands—or anyone who had seen the linen produced by Sedona City—coveted this technology. It represented pure profit.
Not only was Sedona City's linen more exquisite than other linens, but it was also cheaper, which meant the production costs were incredibly low.
"Well now... I'm truly going to lose sleep over this," Isaac said bitterly. He, too, desperately wanted linen technology.
"What immense boldness, using the linen technology as a bargaining chip?" Gini remarked, his expression grave.
"This Lucas is aiming for something massive." Isaac stood up and walked toward the exit; he needed to go prepare.
"I just hope his terms aren't too harsh." Gini clenched his fists. He also wanted this linen technology badly.
If Mar City acquired this linen production technology, his city would rapidly develop, instantly becoming one of the top three most prosperous metropolises in the Western Lands.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
200 power stones.
Top 100. All time.