Chapter 129: Players' Special Skills

Chapter 129: Players' Special Skills

Photography was not a novelty at Marley Commercial Street, which boasted a studio capable of not only black and white but also color images for double the price.

Yet, the technique that transformed Madam Anita into a beauty, so different from her real self, and made her resemble a person straight out of a painting was unheard of by the ladies.

Madam Wiley's mistress, usually fond of lengthy conversations, quickly grew impatient with Anita's boasts about the realism of her photos and hurried into the shop, eager to learn more. The other ladies seemed to share the sentiment.

The storefront of 063 Prant Street was small, leading through a narrow hallway just wide enough for a carriage and a set of double doors into a larger hall hidden inside.

A robust man in a servant's attire, resembling a dignified family's guard, stood in the vestibule. As the ladies entered from the street, he bowed slightly and pushed open the wooden doors for them.

Upon entering the hall, the ladies gasped.

The shop, slightly more spacious than their own living rooms, wasn't decorated with extreme luxury but was undeniably "professional."

Directly opposite the entrance were two rows of steel clothing racks laden with various styles of dresses (essentially rented wedding gowns and Lolita dresses from a photo studio).

To the left were several brightly lit booths, each adorned with different backdrops (reminiscent of photography studios at comic conventions).

On the right were a series of makeup tables (borrowed from a salon) and large display cabinets filled with exquisite glass containers (holding cosmetics) and various luxurious jewelry pieces (rented from jewelry stores).Updated chapters at novelhall.com

The ladies, who prided themselves on living a life close to that of the nobility, failed to recognize most of the room's furnishings, leaving even Madam Wylie's mistress a bit more reserved than usual

"Good day, ladies." A stunningly beautiful woman in a full-length gown stepped out from behind the dress rack, bowing slightly. "Welcome to Perfect Dream Portrait Studio. I'm Vivian."

"Good day," the ladies responded, nodding politely while scanning Vivian's face.

Had they not seen the transformed Anita, they would have been astounded by Vivian's beauty. Now, they all wondered the same thing: had this woman also undergone that miraculous transformation?

Vivian, evidently well-versed in social etiquette, warmly invited the ladies and their maids to the sitting area, serving them delicacies and tea in elegant glassware and engaging in casual conversation about the weather.

The custom of the nobility was to be slow, elegant, and ceremonious; Vivian knew better than to jump straight to business with these middle-class women, who aspired to nobility. Her leisurely approach, in fact, earned her their favor.

After enough time had passed, Vivian finally introduced the philosophy of Perfect Studio, speaking eloquently about how "every woman possesses a divine beauty bestowed by the gods, often obscured by life's hardships." Her words, though somewhat clich, resonated with the ideals of her audience.

After all, who would openly admit to relying on makeup to transform their appearance?

After arranging the lady's hair and adorning jewelry that complemented her gown, Blossoming Strokes clapped her hands together. "All done!"

The lady, absorbed in her own beauty, hadn't noticed the "clacking" sounds made by Blossoming Strokes. Vivian, however, was visibly nervous about this and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Mrs. Griff, our makeup artist says your features are excellent, and she feels honored to have restored your beauty."

Blossoming Strokes cast a puzzled look at Vivian, wondering what this NPC was going on about. She clearly hadn't said anything like that.

Vivian, brought in by the youngster Brook, was aware of the true identities of these "makeup artists" and didn't dare meet Blossoming Strokes' gaze. She quickly ushered Mrs. Griff, Madam Wylie's mistress, to the photography studio on the other side.

The photographers were players, too.

Phantom, a wealthy second-generation, and Orange Cat, an unskilled whale player, happened to have photography skills.

Mrs. Griff, basking in her newfound beauty, happily chose the most expensive package, priced at 8.8 gold coins for a complete set of "portrait photos." The other ladies, though not as lavish as Mrs. Griff, also selected packages priced in gold coinseach including a two-meter tall, full-color, half-body portrait to hang in their living rooms for showing off.

Three hours later (OtherWorld time), the ladies left the studio with their heavy makeup still intact and A4-sized half-body portraits in hand, discussing which gatherings to attend and flaunt their "restored beauty" while it was still intact.

In the back room, Brook counted the over 20 gold coins Vivian had brought in and clicked his tongue. "Who knew that money can be made by making people look pretty and printing it?"

"For women, the idea of preserving their beauty forever is tempting," Zhao Zhenzhen said with a smile.

Zhao Zhenzhen's ingenious approach was inspired during her perusal of Indahl's daily newspaper, from which she gathered intelligence about this world.

It was clear that the world's magical technology wasn't lacking behind Earth's and, in some aspects, even surpassed it.

For instance, the magical steam-powered vehicles, a specialty of the Kenyan Empire frequently advertised in the Indahl Daily, showcased compact steam engines that defied Earth's physical norms. These devices, fueled by coal gas rather than petrol or diesel, could generate 100 horsepower while being compact enough to fit in the standard-sized cabin of a steam vehicle. Remarkably, the entire unit, including the engine and gas storage, weighed less than 150kg.

On Earth, the primary reason for the transition from steam to internal combustion engines was the low thermal efficiency of steam engines, which peaked at just over 20%. In terms of power output for the same volume, steam engines couldn't compare to their fuel-based counterparts.

By 2018, 100-horsepower fuel engines were commonplace on Earth and not particularly awe-inspiring. In contrast, even the most advanced steam engines built by enthusiasts using modern technology were significantly larger and couldn't challenge the dominance of internal combustion engines.

From these observations, Zhao Zhenzhen concluded that the magical technology of this world surpassed Earth in certain areas, particularly in engine thermal efficiency and material science.

This revelation was precisely why Zhao Zhenzhen was so determined to visit Indahl, a major city. She wished to get a closer look at these magical steam-powered vehicles, something impossible to find in Weisshem.