That night, Sylvester realized the power in words, as he gained the unspoken loyalty of the Bright Mothers, and as long as he strived to help them, he could gain so much more from them. So he reckoned why not simply extend the gifts of undergarment to all of them.
However, he knew it was not a topic that women would be happy to talk with him about. So, he asked Xavia to help him by asking around for the size of the bust and for the Bright Mothers who know sewing to come forward and help.
But, he didn’t want to waste this invention on all the women for free. Of course, the Bright Mothers would get it for free, but the real market was outside. Since Bright Mothers traveled the world and preached around, they could also be the best saleswomen.
However, he was not going to share with them the method to make elastic, and instead, he’d leave behind warehouses full of them to be used. At the same time, he’d share the profit between himself and the Bright Mothers so their living standards, allowances, and grants could be improved.
And that was not possible without the agreement of the Great Mother. So, after tidying up, he knocked on the old woman’s door. He tried his best to flush out the memory of what he saw through the window of this house years ago, however.
“Lord Bard, what brings you to my door?” She appeared at the door in her sleeping gown. She didn’t wear a headscarf. Likely just waking up for the day.
He greeted her with a standard salute. “Great Mother, I wish to discuss something with you that concerns all the Bright Mothers and possibly the prospect of bettering the lives of many women across the world.”
He felt awkward about what he would talk about since the Great Mother was also an old woman. But he just turned a blind eye and kept a poker face. The idea of selling undergarments may sound ridiculous, but it could generate him some little money and a lot more clout, so why not?
After a few moments of contemplation, she invited him in. “In that case, come in. Have you eaten breakfast, lord bard?”
“Thank you, and yes, my mother cooked me eggs and bread for it.” 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘦𝑙．𝑜𝑟𝘨
Often, you can understand a lot about a person by how they decorate their house. So he looked around with interest and noticed a few things that insinuated a few things. First of all, the house was covered with ancient wood furniture, and second, there were too many religious items. A lot of golden and crystal showpieces were also placed around.
‘No wonder she has all this—she was a famous war hero, after all. Must have made a fortune during those years.’
He took a seat in the living room and placed a box in front. “My mother recently complained that her back and neck were hurting despite being physically healthy. As far as my knowledge told me, it was due to her chest size offsetting her footing. Hence, to support her body, I invented a new type of material that can stretch and return to its shape on its own. It’s called elastic… here, you can see it.”
Sylvester gave her a sample of the elastic strip. The Great Mother checked the material with interest, stretched it, and even tried to tear it apart. “Interesting! How did you make it?”
“That is a trade secret. However, I was able to add this to a new type of undergarment called a bra, which I designed to help secure women’s chests. It shall help women of large sizes to move around, run, and even ride horses without discomfort.”
He just showed her a sample of the thing and wished to end this awkward talk as quickly as possible. “It can also help the commoners since they can’t afford the expensive bustier.”
Great Mother looked at the sample and stretched it from here and there. She was amazed but could not understand the usefulness since she had never faced the same problems.
‘I hope she realizes this prospect—even though she’s flat.’ Sylvester thought and tried to stay optimistic, although he smelled the confusion on her.
“You talked about bettering the lives of Great Mothers? So this will do it?” She inquired.
Sylvester put forward a piece of document. “In a way, yes. Bright Mothers can make these and sell them to commoners as long as you allow. Of course, the price will be meager, but imagine the mass sale since Bright Mothers are everywhere. As long as you agree to make them and sell them, you can keep eighty percent of the profits. Use that profit to distribute to Bright Mothers as bonuses, buy them better food, clothes, or even some safety equipment.”
Sylvester never planned to earn big from such a simple item anyway, as he estimated the profit to be too little to divide appropriately. He could make a lot more money with Miraj, regardless. In addition, he was going to create a brand instead. So every woman across the world must know who it was that helped them.
So, his idea was to put some sort of a mark on the items sold that would slowly create a name for him. This way, in the future, when and if he introduces other things, he can instantly win people’s trust.
Great Mother tried to imagine the time it would take to make something like this. “We can use the trainee Bright Mothers for production as they are mostly free after their education hours. How shall we make this elastic, however?”
“I will leave warehouses full of them. You just need to send people to take them, Great Mother. So, what do you think?” He inquired, not seeming very nervous about rejection as he’d just try and find a trustworthy noble later to get these things made.
The Great Mother rubbed her chin and nodded. “I can see such a thing being useful, especially for women of large sizes. I also like your idea, but I can’t command the Bright Mothers to do something other than what the faith requires of them. So I must first put this forward to the Administration. If they agree, we shall produce these.”
‘At least it’s not a no.’ He sighed silently.
“Then I will await a response. I shall take my leave now, Great Mother. Thank you for giving me your time. May the holy light enlighten us.” He saluted and walked to the door.
The old woman saw him leave in confusion. ‘How did he come up with such an idea without experiencing it himself? I can’t even fathom what this would feel like.’
Of course, Great Mother was utterly flat, so she could only try to imagine.
…
After his meeting, he headed to the Guild Peninsula as he needed to prepare for his next assignment and leave as soon as possible. They had already informed Lady Aurora, and she had decided to arrange for their carriage.
So, Sylvester just needed to get a good knight’s armor since there could be a real large-scale battle this time. He was going to buy second-hand armor again as he rarely gets into close combat, and at the same time, he didn’t want to waste money.
‘I need to find an opportunity and head south again later. I must learn metal manipulation and use my spear to the fullest.’ He muttered dreamily.
But when he arrived at the port of Guild Peninsula, a knight stopped him. “Lord Bard!”
Sylvester sized up the man and felt he had seen him before. He brainstormed and soon remembered him as one of the two Knights that escorted him and Xavia to Pitfall town years ago.
“Sir Adam?” He exclaimed, sounding unsure.
The Knight saluted with arms crossed on his chest. “I am, Lord Bard. May I talk to you in private?”
‘What does he want?’ Sylvester walked a little closer to the Knight and smelled the emotions. And instantly, he was hit by a strong hint of sadness. ‘What happened to him?’
“Let’s sit at the food house,” Sylvester suggested, and the two soon took seats by the tables outside a shop. In no time, they also had glasses of hot flavored milk in hand, a famous drink there in the morning.
He waited for the Knight to speak while analyzing the body language. ‘He has let his sword dangle with no care, and his shoulders have fallen.’
“As you may remember, my full name is Adam Silvereye… and Archpriest Aiden Silvereye was my younger brother.”
Sylvester’s mood instantly turned for the worse, and the smile on his face disappeared. “I’m sorry for what happened. Aiden was a Good Archpriest but was held hostage by the false clergy masquerading there.”
Sylvester was instantly reminded of Aiden Silvereye, the Archpriest from Sphinx Town, who was forcefully kept there. The Archpriest who gave him the key to that underground passage.
“Can you tell me about how he was and his end? The last time I saw him was five years ago.” Sir Adam asked in sorrow.
Now, Sylvester knew that the man likely died an excruciating death after being burnt in the fire, but he chose to lie. “He died in a fire… likely very quickly, however. He was a great man, Sir Adam. He helped me in my missions.”
“Why couldn’t you save him?” Sir Adam asked.
Sylvester quickly clarified before the hate could rise. “I was not there before the refugees attacked the town. Instead, I was in the mountains, fighting the Bloodling with every inch of my life.”
Yes, the official excuse for the destruction of Sphinx town was that it was destroyed and ransacked by the refugees coming from the Sorrow Kingdom. Sylvester even felt that this was a deliberate excuse meant to hurt the refugees, as they would not be seen with kindness anymore. Most barons and towns will be hostile towards them now.
This would mean the refugees would be forced to run around and not go directly toward the Holy Land.
Sir Adam nodded and stood up. “Thank you for telling me this, Lord Bard. I disturbed you, so please forgive me.”
Sylvester saw the man leave without hearing his reply. But he just sighed as he felt the world was so small. Two brothers a whole profession apart, and he met both.
Pat!
Felix appeared behind him. “What are you doing here?”
Sylvester took a long, calming breath, paid for the milk, and moved out. “Let’s go. I want to buy a lot of paper.”
“What for?” Felix asked.
“I have decided to write a book.”
Felix got excited. “Woah! What will be the name? Will there be something about hymns? Or our journeys?”
But it was none of them.
“Its title will be—The Devil’s Manifesto.”
[A/N: If you beautiful apes are interested, just to let you know, Sir Adam first appeared in chapter 16.]
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