After the quick visit at the Village Hall, Alice opted to check the workshop back home. As of now, the once rickety wooden workshop had been renovated into a proper production facility where she employed dozens of female beastkind.
Each tailor and artisan had their own small nook to work in so they could focus on their jobdesk.
It has two floors, the first floor was dedicated for the employees to work on projects while the second floor was designed as the office where Alice and Momo usually occupied themselves with paperworks and product designs.
Everybody paused their hands when Alice stepped inside. They bowed respectfully towards her.
"Good morning, Young Lady."
Alice reciprocated their gesture by bowing back at them to show her gratitude and mutual respect. She couldn't run the company without them. "Good Morning! Keep up the good work everyone!"
Hearing Alice's high pitched voice, Arya trudged downstairs while hugging her sketchbook against her chest. The young elf assumed her duty as the Lead Designer the moment she was introduced to Alice's fashion company. Her talents and sense of art were top notch, as expected from a Wood Elf.
"Miss Alice, Miss Alice! I just finished a new design for summer outfits!" Arya shoved the sketchbook before Alice's face eagerly.
"Oh! Lemme see, lemme see!" Alice flipped the book and found many drawings of cute dresses inside. Alice's eyes widened when she saw them. "Woah! They are so beautiful! Fufu, the young ladies in Nidaross would love these new collections!"
"Hehe, thank you Miss Alice! I learn a lot from your drawings!" Arya said. "But, I am not really sure if we could put them to our catalouges."
Alice grabbed the young elf's hand. "Don't worry about it! We will never know unless we exhibit the products, right? You may use any garments in our stock to tailor them. Go wild!"
"Hmm?" Arya's ears twitched slightly. "Are you not going to sew them yourself?"
"Err, about that… I will be very busy with my training, hehehe. Besides, we have these wonderful tailors under our roof! It would be a waste if we don't give them the opportunity to showcase their skillsets!"
"Awww…" The young elf's ear limped down, dejected.
Arya knew far too well that Alice would eventually leave her company to its machinations. But she understood Alice's vision and her duty as leader to become stronger to provide protection and prosperity.
"Mm! Leave it to me, Miss Alice!"
"That's the spirit!" Alice did a double high five with Arya. "Soon, our dream to hold a Grand Fashion Show will come to reality. Since the Royal Wedding was delayed for two years or so. We need to prepare ourselves! Nobles and Merchants from all around the continent will use the upcoming event to do full-scale trades! The competition will be fierce!"
Arya's ears perked up again, she understood what Alice tried to imply. "If that's the case, I will need to redesign the new collections! I can't afford to embarrass ourselves in front of our soon-to-be customers! Excuse me."
"Errr, sure! But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Not at all, Miss Alice! I will present you with the finest piece!" Arya used her agility of a Wood Elf to climb upstairs. She made it look so effortless.
"Oh well, there she goes again."
Alice glanced to her right side towards the First Senior Tailor, Daphne. The young cat girl was often sighted with Arya.
"Miss Daphne…" Alice called softly.
"Yes, young lady?" Daphne stood up and turned toward Alice in a poised posture.
"Can you watch over Arya in my stead? She tends to overexert herself when nobody is watching her."
"Certainly, young lady." Daphne bowed.
After ensuring that everything could run without her presence, Alice opted to fly westward and arrived at Lady Hanako's herb shop.
Subsequently, the door swung open from inside. Momo popped her head out, smiling gleefully.
"Welcome back, Alice!"
"Sorry, it took me longer than I expected. I had to supervise the workshop."
"No worries. Come in! Lady Hanako has something for you!"
"What is it?"
"Just get inside, fufufu."
Momo pulled Alice's hand, ushering her to the living room eagerly. She was quite intrigued by Momo's sudden cheerful behavior. Well, the fox girl was always cheerful, but Alice noticed that the air around Momo was different.
Meanwhile, Lady Hanako's expression was starkly different compared to Momo. The tea table had been moved, there was only an empty zabuton cushion on the opposite side. Between her and the cushion, two metal ingots were placed on a tray.
The cat lady sat in a Seiza position, but the air around her was very sharp.
"Have a seat."
Alice didn't mutter a word, and sat on the opposite cushion. Meanwhile, Momo was sitting a tad further behind Lady Hanako.
Her eyes glued to the mysterious metal on the tray. One emitted golden aura while the other was purplish.
"Master, what are these?"
"The gold one is called Divine Grade Tamagahane, and the purple one is Legendary Grade Vibranium. These are the raw materials for your new weapon."
Alice was flabbergasted after hearing them. Even if she gathered all of her assets, she wouldn't be able to procure, let alone buy them.
"Are you for real, Master?! These materials are very precious! I couldn't even begin to imagine their monetary value!"
"Of course… It's a Master's duty to forge or commission a weapon for the disciple. Pray tell, what kind of weapon do you prefer the most? You may pick one of the weapons in the wall as preferences."
Alice threw a glance upon the wall of weapons on her left side. But none of them fit her criteria. She was intrigued by the Katana, but she preferred a robust and impactful weapon that could take out several enemies at once..
"Mmm… What about a scythe?"
"A scythe?" Lady Hanako was askew.
"Yes, a big and robust scythe. Just like a Death God would use to reap one's soul!"
"Haha! Interesting! You already have the design, I believe?"
"Yes I do!"
"Show me…" Lady Hanako was genuinely elated. She couldn't wait to forge the greatest weapon in her life.