Chapter 298 - Impending Early Return

The store manager smiled, "I know that feeling too well, sir. I couldn't sleep a wink when I learned some hot gossip and failed to know more about it. Don't worry, sir. Information gathering is also one of our specialties."

The transaction ended and Vaughn just hoped that the store manager would seal his lips regarding the matter. He looked at the direction of the door hoping to find Zenia waiting for him. But, he did not see even her shadow. 

Vaughn did not stay a minute longer and walked to the door with the crossbow. He did not see Zenia and assumed that she was still looking at the fabrics. He went to the fabric store right away.

He saw Zenia checking different things in the store. She was no longer inspecting the fabrics. He wondered why she still stayed in the store when she was already done.

He walked to where Zenia was and hugged her, "Are you done?"

She turned around and freed herself from his embrace. Vaughn saw her blushing face and stopped teasing her.

"I'm still waiting for the dressmaker and tailor. I want them to make something light and comfortable for us to wear."

"Don't we have enough clothes? How long do you plan to stay here?"

Zenia blushed once more as if her secret plan had been exposed completely. Vaughn sighed and decided that he should not always cater to Zenia's whims. Just look at what happened in Prazia.

He remembered the words of the store manager of the weapons store that he checked out earlier. If he was not mistaken, King Odhran and the Dark Magic Lord must be planning something big. He must mobilize his force to check what was going on in Prazia. He must seek some help from Jorick and Duke Gordon since they were the ones that possess the power to counter the Dark Magic Lord.

"I was thinking to extend our stay for another week, for a total of four weeks. There are lots of things that I want to see."

"Zenzen, I love to stay here with you, but now is not the time."

Zenia was surprised at Vaughn's reply. He never opposed her before. She looked at Vaughn and discovered that there was a trace of worry on his face.

"Did you find out something?"

"The people from Prazia are collecting their metals back. The store manager told me that since Ishelon and Tissuria refuse to export our metals, the next best thing is from Prazia. Lately, King Odhran had decided not to sell their metals to other kingdoms. They even purchased the weapons that used their metals."

Zenia nodded her head to let him know that she understood. She noticed that Vaughn was holding a crossbow.

She reached out to take the weapon from him, and Vaughn willingly gave it to her.

"This looks like the semi-automatic crossbow that I designed, but this is similar to the first draft that I had."

"Did you happen to lose that draft? The designer of that weapon could have stolen it from you back then."

"I can't remember what happened to it, but I don't think someone stole it. Maybe I discarded the draft somewhere, and someone picked it up. If that's the case, it's not stolen but picked up. I remember that I draw that design when we were visiting a kingdom, but I can't remember which kingdom."

"You should safeguard your weapon designs from now on. The one you designed is way better than that one."

Zenia began inspecting the crossbow and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, although this one can launch more arrows in each reload, I don't think it's powerful enough to kill the enemy at one shot. My semi-automatic crossbow can do that well. There will be no wasted arrows."

"You're right. I tested that earlier, and the arrows can only pierce an inch deep. It can only slow down the movement of the enemies, but they will still be able to go on fighting. It's useless!"

Zenia grinned and teased, "Why did you buy it? You wasted five gold coins for something so useless."

Vaughn cleared his throat, "Fifteen. Well, ten actually. But, I decided to give advance compensation for the information that the store manager will provide later."

"You paid fifteen gold coins for something so useless? Even though this looks more exquisite in terms of appearance, but you don't need a weapon that looks beautiful in your hands. What you need is a weapon that can help you obliterate your enemies swiftly."

They both heard footsteps coming to their direction. When Zenia looked to where the sounds of the footsteps were coming, she saw the shopkeeper and two more people. She was certain that the two newcomers were the dressmaker and the tailor.

"Madam, here are the tailor and dressmaker that you ordered to find."

"Good day, Madam and Sir," the two people politely greeted Zenia and Vaughn.

"Good day. I want you to make each of us three styles of comfortable clothes that we can wear on both casual and semi-formal events. Can you do that?"

The dressmaker and the tailor were husband and wife. They knew exactly what Zenia wanted them to do.

"We have some ideas, Madam. Will you excuse us as we draw the designs? We will present them to you in a short while."

"Okay, go ahead."

The two excused themselves and went to the office of the shopkeeper. Vaughn and Zenia were left alone again.

"When do you plan to return to Tissuria?"

"I still need to wait for the information that the store manager promised to gather for me. Maybe in three days?"

"Okay, I will ask the tailor and the dressmaker whether they can finish the clothes in two days. To be honest, I know that Prazia might do something much later. I did not expect that they will start to move now."

"Do you think they will attack? But, they already know that Tissuria and Ishelon have the most formidable military power."

"Hmm, they might not make their move now, and everything that they are doing is in preparation for their ultimate attack. We need to send some spies to Prazia and monitor their activities. It is also best if we can send some spies in the kingdoms that are close to Prazia, especially Venetia."

"I also think that they will not be able to act alone. They could still be gathering some allies to strengthen their force."

"We must get some information from Azer. I will ask Jorick and Duke Gordon if there's a way to make him talk."

They talked about the kingdoms that might side with Prazia and decided to recruit more men to pose as spies. Zenia had decided to use some of the men from Luna Inn. She could not allow her private army to leave Tissuria because they could provide the first line of defense for Tissuria in case of a sudden attack. The enemy surely did not know that some of Ishelon's military men were already stationed in Tissuria.

After an hour, the dressmaker and the tailor came back with their designs. They presented a total of twelve designs – six for Zenia and six for Vaughn.

Vaughn let Zenia pick the designs for him. All of the designs were exquisite and could really be worn in casual and semi-formal events. Zenia noticed that two of the designs can be used for formal occasions when you add some accessories. She asked the dressmaker and the tailor if they could keep the design for her. Both of them agreed.

"When can I get the dresses and suits?"

The couple looked at each other and nodded their heads. It was as if they were able to communicate silently using their eyes.

"Madam, are you in a hurry?" It was the dressmaker who popped the question.

"Yes, we still need to visit other places while we are on a vacation. We won't be staying in this area for so long. We still need to take a look at the countryside."

Zenia would definitely not divulge anything in front of unknown people. In fact, she would not say anything to someone that she only knew by name.

"If that's the case, please give us two days to finish everything. That is the fastest that we can go."

Zenia tried to look dissatisfied with the time frame and even asked, "Can't you finish them in a day?"

The dressmaker nearly choked. She did not want to let go of the high-paying job, but she could not sacrifice the quality of their work.

The dressmaker answered dejectedly, "Forgive me, Madam, but finishing it at the speed you want may sacrifice the quality of workmanship. I have been a dressmaker for a long time now, and I want to maintain the high quality of my work. Regrettably, I will decline Madam's offer if you insist on delivering the goods to you after a day."

Zenia liked the work ethics and attitude of the dressmaker. All throughout their conversation, the tailor did not express his opinion. So did Vaughn. He did not meddle in the negotiation and just listened.

"If you need two days, then I am fine with it. I believe that madam dressmaker will produce quality work."

The dressmaker's face beamed with delight when she heard Zenia's reply.

"Thank you, Madam. I will make sure that we will deliver you high-quality finished products after two days."

The dressmaker took Zenia's measurements while the tailor took Vaugn's. Everyone bid their goodbyes after that. Zenia and Vaughn went to a nearby restaurant to rest and eat. He knew that Zenia's stomach would begin to complain any time soon.

He requested a private room, but Zenia insisted to dine in the open area. She wanted to observe the movements of people and see if she could spot a spy. King Odhran or Dark Magic Lord might have already planted a spy in every kingdom.