Chapter 237: The Idea of Magic Drying
"If our clothing factory continues to expand and we can’t keep up with the demand for our garments, our need for all sorts of dyed fabrics is bound to increase."
"Right now, after dyeing our fabrics, we rely completely on sunlight for drying. If the weather is bad, or we have months of continuous rain, this will severely limit our fabric output."
Duane could see the colorful fabrics air-drying from his room. The problem had occurred to him the moment he first saw them.
Zelina nodded quickly. "Typically, you’d spread the fabric processing out across different locations."
She explained, "Right now, we just have this one location. We could add new processing sites in my family’s territory, or Derek’s, or in the Sharp Family’s territory, or even on your Black Forest Island."
"That’s a good idea!"
Duane affirmed, "But even so, it still won’t solve the problem of large-scale demand."
At this, he turned to Natalia. "I had an idea recently. Do you think we could use Fire Attribute Magic to design some kind of device to help dry the fabric?"
All eyes turned to Natalia.
The latter hadn’t expected the question to be directed at her, but the idea was worth considering.
"Fire Attribute Magic can raise the ambient temperature, but using it to dry fabric quickly would require very precise control."
Fabric is flammable. If you can’t control the temperature or the range of the magic, you could just set the whole batch of fabric on fire, and the losses would be enormous.
"The ideal solution would be to contain the temperature within a specific space, using the high heat to rapidly evaporate the moisture from the fabric inside. That way, we could mass-produce fabric regardless of the weather."
"What’s more, if we produce more fabric than we can use ourselves, we could even spin off a new business and open a dedicated fabric processing plant."
For a moment, the other three felt a thrill of excitement.
As the conversation continued, a new avenue for investment had already presented itself.
The only catch was that this part involved the application of Magic, which wasn’t a problem an ordinary person could solve.
Natalia’s eyes glinted. "Your idea is excellent. I’ll look into it seriously."
Her brow furrowed slightly. "I wonder... would it be alright if I told my mother about this?"
Zelina immediately chimed in, "Lady Delilah is a master of Magic—the Magic Energy Ships are her masterpiece! With her help, we might actually be able to build it!"
The others voiced their agreement.
Still, Natalia wanted to ask for Duane’s permission, since it was his idea, after all.
"Of course!"
Duane said with a smile, "But if you do manage to design it, you have to give me some of the credit."
Natalia couldn’t help but laugh. "But of course. After all, we all know things aren’t easy for the Lord of Black Forest Island."
"My father says he’s *too* good at making money!"
Zelina teased, "He even made five thousand Gold Coins off my father not too long ago!"
Everyone burst out laughing, though they were also quite envious.
They were all around the same age, yet Duane could make five thousand Gold Coins in a single deal. They, on the other hand, had no idea when they’d ever earn that much.
"But I have to admit, your thresher is just incredible!"
Zelina sighed. "And now you come up with so many new ideas today... If my father wasn’t already set on me marrying Derek, I’d be tempted to have him contact you myself!"
Hearing this, Duane rubbed his nose. "Aren’t you afraid Derek will have a problem with me if you say things like that?"
"Don’t be silly!"
Derek waved his hands dismissively. "If I were a woman, I’d do the same thing as Zelina."
Sharp chimed in, "Me too!"
Hearing their jokes, Natalia couldn’t help but add, "It looks like Duane is about to become the most sought-after bachelor among the noble ladies!"
"If you know anyone, you’d better make your introductions quickly. Otherwise, once Duane becomes famous, you won’t even be qualified to introduce your friends to him anymore."
"Hahaha, my lady is right!"
Duane shot Natalia an exasperated look, only to see her give him a playful wink.
No one else joked with Natalia, however, as their difference in status made it inappropriate.
Duane didn’t either. He just listened to the banter before moving on with a few more suggestions.
He brought up issues like candle placement for fire prevention, matters of confidentiality, and so on—all things Derek and the others needed to address proactively.
Fortunately, the young nobles were highly motivated to make money. They didn’t mind Duane raising so many points at all; in fact, they hoped he would offer even more of his ideas.
’Truth be told, Duane did have other ideas, like a sewing machine.’
’Designing a fully automatic one wasn’t realistic, but a treadle-powered one might be possible.’
’But either way, it was too advanced a concept to just throw out there today. He decided he would have to research it himself after returning to Black Forest Island, or perhaps bring it up later when the time was right.’
Once they finished their discussion, the group began planning the fashion show.
As per Duane’s suggestion, the fashion show would be held in the Royal Capital.
Natalia had asked her second brother, Lloyd, for help, and the venue was already selected: the Golden Crown Opera House, one of the most prestigious theaters in the Royal Capital.
Sharp would head there in advance to prepare the venue and coordinate with Lloyd on promotional efforts.
Sharp had also contacted a band that afternoon.
In two days at most, the band would be able to provide the two musical pieces Duane required.
The venue, models, outfits, music, and funds were all in place. All that was left was the publicity and daily practice.
It was late at night by the time the meeting finally ended.
"My lady, are you really going back this late?" Zelina asked, stretching wearily.
Natalia nodded. "I have something to report to my father regarding Duane."
She was referring to the investigation into the assassin who had targeted Duane, a matter she needed to report to her father.
"It’s at least an hour’s journey from here to Sea Cliff Castle. There’s no need to travel back through the night, is there?"
Duane stood up. "Besides, my business isn’t urgent."
Natalia explained, "My father likely won’t be at Sea Cliff Castle tomorrow, so it’s better to tell him tonight."
Zelina said with a sigh, "And I was hoping you’d stay so we could sleep over and chat!"
Both of them were Mages and had known each other since they were children. For the first few years, at Baron Jick’s request, Zelina had even studied together with Natalia in the garden courtyard, so they were close confidantes.
It was just that when discussing business, Zelina always maintained a respectful demeanor toward the daughter of a Count.
Natalia smiled faintly. "Tomorrow. I should be able to stay over tomorrow."
Seeing that she was set on leaving, Duane didn’t press the issue. He followed her out, saying, "I’ll see you off."
The two of them left the meeting room, one after the other.
Sharp said with a laugh, "I’m only just realizing it now, but it seems Lady Natalia and Baron Duane get along quite well."
"It’s true!"
Derek agreed. "When Duane is around, Lady Natalia’s usual cold and aloof air seems to diminish a little."
Zelina said in a mock-threatening tone, "I’ll be sure to tell Natalia you’re gossiping about her!"
She could see it too, though—Natalia’s attitude toward Duane was different from how she treated everyone else.
She added a word of caution, "This is just something for us to talk about among ourselves. Don’t mention it to any outsiders."
The two men nodded repeatedly. As their families were vassals of the Kennedy Clan, they were well aware of what could and could not be said.
"Still," Derek said with admiration, "today I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for Duane’s abilities!"
"Following his advice and methods, our profits will increase even further."
He looked at Sharp. "The fashion show is in your hands, then. We probably won’t head over until around July."
"Don’t worry, I’ll set out tomorrow!"