As their carriage set into motion, moving away from the Followers’ temple, Rosa slumped back into her seat next to Scarlett.

“You know,” the woman began, “with all this talk about ‘research’ and whatnot that I keep hearing from you during these serious talks, it really makes one wonder when exactly you’re doing all of it.” She turned her head to look at Scarlett. “I always see you with your nose buried in papers in your office, but as far as I can tell, most of those have more numbers and figures in them rather than tales and texts from dead holy folk.”

Scarlett arched an eyebrow at the bard. “That is because you do not pay enough attention.”

While it was true that she had been reading more official documentation lately because she and Evelyne were preparing for the Cabal’s upcoming attacks, that was far from how she spent most of her time. A significant portion of her free time at the moment was dedicated to reading books to further familiarise herself with this world, such as texts on old history, the Zuverian civilization, the empire’s nobility, and the nation’s governance and judicial systems.

And she had, in fact, spent these last few days conducting actual research. While it mainly revolved around planning this trip and studying maps of Bridgespell and its surrounding region, it was research all the same.

That said, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to have Rosa spending so much time in her office if she didn’t want the woman to notice that something was off. The notion that Rosa would notice she didn’t do much research related to what she claimed had honestly never crossed her mind.

The bard shrugged and turned away. “Fair enough. I can’t make heads or tails of most of what you keep yourself occupied with.”

Scarlett didn’t entirely buy that. Rosa was far from stupid, and she had demonstrated surprising perceptiveness on numerous occasions, whether it be related to supernatural occurrences or more mundane matters.

As the carriage continued on, the others fell into discussions about the upcoming days, while Scarlett shifted her attention to the passing cityscape.

The older buildings and narrow streets of the Emberwood Ward eventually gave way to wider lanes and newer structures as they entered one of the adjacent districts. It still felt cramped compared to Freybrook, but that probably had more to do with the high volume of people in this area rather than the actual size of the streets.

From what she had learned in the past few days, Bridgespell’s population was more concentrated around the heart of the city—and the four wards that composed its core—compared to Freybrook. But Freybrook was also a bit of an outlier in the empire. Not every city could afford to allocate an entire district the size of a small town exclusively to the residences and estates of nobles and wealthy individuals. She would argue that most cities probably shouldn’t as well.

As their carriage ventured further, entering one of Bridgespell’s main thoroughfares, the traffic intensified noticeably. But it also flowed much more smoothly, allowing them to make swift progress towards their next destination. Tobia, the coachman who often chauffeured Scarlett around whenever she left Freybrook, demonstrated his experience as he navigated around the vehicular maze. She had provided him with directions before they left, and he was familiar enough with Bridgespell’s labyrinthine streets to have a good grasp of how to move about in the city.

After a while, they arrived in a district where stalls and stores lined both sides of the lanes. The carriage came to a halt beside a large three-story building, flanked by two smaller wings, each with two floors. The foot traffic here was moderate compared to some of the nearby locales, but a collection of carriages stood in rows in a long side-building that connected to one of the wings.

Exiting the carriage along with the others, Scarlett proceeded to the building’s entrance. Inside, they entered a spacious foyer with a polished stone floor that was bustling with various glass showcases and a reception desk that occupied most of the far wall. Scarlett advanced towards a gentleman attired in a well-fitted suit seated behind the desk.

He greeted her with a polite smile. “Welcome to the Golden Gavel. How may I be of service?”

“I am Baroness Scarlett Hartford, here to arrange the transfer of some artifacts and items in accordance with an agreement between my barony and your auction house.”

The man retrieved a bundle of papers from under the desk and placed a wooden placard in front of him. “Please, follow me. I’ll escort you to our storage apartments, where a room should have been prepared for you.”

Stepping out from behind the desk, he guided Scarlett and her party down a connecting corridor until they reached a row of doors that lined the hallway. After a brief perusal of his documents, he gestured towards a door with a sign beside it. “You may place the articles in this chamber, my lady.”

Scarlett motioned for Fynn to accompany her, and they entered the room. It was empty save for a few chests and shelves adorning the walls. She then had Fynn open the [Bag of Juham]—which she had explicitly instructed him to bring for this purpose—and the young man commenced the task of emptying its contents into the room.

At the moment, the bag almost exclusively carried various types of Zuverian items — coins, light crystals, strange tools, delicate vases, and an assortment of other trinkets that they had amassed during their exploration of the latest ruins with Adalicia. Most of the items related to magic from that place had already been sold to the mage towers, which left the stuff that held less ‘practical’ value.

After nearly a minute of simply piling all the gold coins into one of the chests nestled in the corner of the room—there had been a lot of coins in those ruins—Fynn finally finished up, and they left the room. The neatly dressed staff member, along with the rest of Scarlett’s party, waited patiently outside.

“Is everything settled?” he asked, his eyes darting over to Fynn and the unusual bag slung over the white-haired young man’s shoulder.

“It is,” Scarlett replied.

The man offered the same polite smile as before. “Marvelous. As I am sure you are aware, you need not worry about the safety of your items while they are in our care. Each chamber is enveloped in multiple protective enchantments to ward off any unauthorized intrusion, and we will treat your belongings with the utmost care.”

“I am certain that you will.”

They walked back to the foyer, where the man expounded on their procedures for handling articles slated for auction and offered insights into the upcoming auction itself. While it was scheduled in four days, considering the nature and quantity of Scarlett’s items, it could take more than a month for all of them to be sold off. He emphasized that this pace was far better than any other auction house within the empire, though.

Scarlett simply nodded along to the man’s words. He probably wasn’t exaggerating that much. She had chosen this auction house specifically because they were said to be the most experienced in selling Zuverian relics. While she and Evelyne typically conducted their artifact sales through one of the larger houses in Elystead, in this particular case, it was easier to work with these people.

As they returned to the carriage, the group set off on the next leg of their day’s journey. There were still a few more stops left on her itinerary.

After a short while, they stopped in front of a much smaller, single-story building with a sloping tiled roof. A sign above the entrance depicted a needle and dress, while tall windows showcased a view of vibrant bolts of fabric and various garments meticulously displayed inside.

Bridgespell boasted some of the empire’s most celebrated artisans, and Scarlett intended to capitalize on this opportunity by visiting a few of them. Her goal was to commission some gear for herself and her party.

Despite obtaining a sizeable collection of artifacts and equipment from her dungeon explorations over the months, the majority of these items were either low-level or unsuitable for her needs. Of the higher-tier items, she lacked enough to fully outfit her party for the time being. While they managed with what they had, she herself still primarily relied on her [Garments of Form] as her main piece of armor.

Naturally, if she continued to clear progressively challenging dungeons as she planned to, they would inevitably find more equipment that suited her purposes. But it would take some time to collect what might be considered complete sets, and that approach lacked the flexibility of having gear custom-made, even if the former was usually how you found the best items.

She had decided to work with some of the artisans here in Bridgespell to create items from the materials she had at her disposal, including partially damaged artifacts like the [Scorched Robes of Sorcerous Synergy (Epic)] salvaged from the Zuverian ruins near Faybarrow, as well as the dragon materials harvested from the ashenwraith dragon.

She had arranged her visits with the artisans in advance, and although some of them had been busy, they’d all been more than willing to work with her upon learning of the unique materials she was bringing.

Making four quick stops at different workshops to discuss the requests, Scarlett and her party took measurements and left the necessary components. After they wrapped up with that and returned to the carriage again, Scarlett couldn’t help but notice the array of expressions and looks directed her way by her companions.

She met their gazes as the carriage set into motion. “Is there something you would like to say?”

Rosa was the first to speak, her tone laced with curiosity. “Those weren’t your run-of-the-mill evening dresses you just ordered for us.”

“No kidding,” Allyssa said, her expression revealing a hint of discomfort. “I got chills hearing the price for just one of those outfits.”

Scarlett shrugged. It wasn’t as though she disagreed there.

Considering the materials she was using on them, she wanted the pieces commissioned now to meet high standards. She expected Epic-tier quality, at the very least, which meant she had been quite meticulous in her requests. That naturally translated to hefty price tags, even with her contribution of materials. They were talking about a total cost in the six figures, and while well within Scarlett’s current means, it still left her feeling uneasy spending so much on so seemingly little.

This was one of the reasons she had refrained from commissioning a lot of items in the past.

But all the money she was raking in had to be used somewhere. The saying “Money not spent is money wasted” resonated particularly strongly in her case, considering the life-threatening situations she and her party would confront in the future. Splurging on top-notch gear now and then would do her good if it helped mitigate the danger later on.

“Just another Tuesday for you then, I’d wager?” Rosa asked.

Scarlett directed her gaze out the window. The next stop wasn’t far off. “Indeed, Miss Hale. This is how I spend many of my weekdays — expending hundreds of thousands of solars to commission equipment for strangers to wear simply for the enjoyment of it. Astute observation, as always.”

“‘Astute’ is my middle name, right after ‘Mendacious’.”

“Of course it is.”

“Wait, so you are seriously having those made for us?” Allyssa asked. “I almost thought I was imagining things when that tailor started taking my measurements.”

“They will be on loan, but yes,” Scarlett replied.

With that, she allowed the conversation to taper off, letting the others start up their own discussions while she paid attention to the buildings outside.

At some point, the conversation beside her seemed to drift to Allyssa and Rosa discussing the bard’s previous jobs and her creative process for composing songs and melodies. That dialogue then transitioned to Rosa explaining how she came up with new charms that harmonized with her music, with the woman making a comment about the inordinate amount of sweat and blood shed because of a certain ‘taskmaster’ while coming up with her latest charm.

Scarlett got the urge to say something there, but she restrained herself as she spotted a suitable location to halt the carriage on the side of the street. She called out to the coachman, signaling him to stop, and all eyes turned to her as she leaned forward to open the cabin door.

“Miss Hale, this is where you will be disembarking,” she announced.

Rosa blinked, and the others looked surprised.

“Pardon?” the bard said.

Scarlett gestured toward the door. “I am asking that you exit the vehicle.”

Allyssa looked between the two of them. “Wait… Are you kicking her out?”

Rosa’s eyes widened momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat and coughing into her hand. “Of course, when I said ‘taskmaster’ earlier, I was speaking metaphorically about my own insatiable desire to excel and impress my esteemed employer. An employer that, I dare say, would never consider penalizing me for something I may or may not have said by relegating me to walk alone through a large city, armed with nothing but the klert in my hand and the boots on my feet.”

Scarlett observed the woman silently. Although it probably wasn’t something to take pride in, it was undeniably satisfying to see Rosa react like this. Regrettably, she couldn’t let the charade persist for much longer.

“If this were a more just world, then perhaps that is what I would do. Unfortunately, that is not the reason behind this.”

As she heard the bard mutter ‘unfortunately?’ under her breath, Scarlett reached into her [Pouch of Holding] and pulled out a list, which she handed to the woman.

Rosa received it with a slightly flabbergasted expression.

“That is a record of tasks that need to be completed and articles that need to be procured,” Scarlett explained. “I am entrusting you with the responsibility of managing each item on that list. While I have other matters to attend to presently, I have confidence in your ability to handle them without my constant supervision.”

“Uh, okay…” Rosa turned the list over in her hand, studying its contents. Allyssa and Shin leaned over from their seats to catch a glimpse of it, while Fynn seemed perfectly content to stay where he was, silently observing.

“These are your funds for the day,” Scarlett added, reaching into her pouch and retrieving a purse filled with coins that she had prepared in advance, passing it to Rosa, who continued poring over the paper.

“This is a pretty long list,” Allyssa said. “I recognize a lot of the things you want her to get, but what are they for? It’s going to take a lot of time if she’s handling this alone.”

Scarlett shifted her attention to the girl. “You have been focusing on improving the efficacy of your greater healing potions, correct?”

Allyssa seemed a bit caught off guard by the question, but nodded. “I am, yes.” She blinked, looking down at the list again. “Wait, is this for—?”

“You? In part, yes. I intend to have you continue honing your skills while you serve as my retainer, and as such, this is the least I have to do.”

The young Shielder had been diligently working on her study of alchemy over the past few weeks during their downtime at the mansion. With the ingredients and resources provided by Scarlett, Allyssa had made significant strides and was now able to produce greater-grade potions at a satisfying rate. Scarlett was hoping that she would soon be able to make superior-grade ones as well.

About half of the items on the list provided to Rosa were reagents and components that Allyssa could use in her profession. Bridgespell had a more active market for alchemy reagents due to housing one of the larger mage towers and one of the largest Shielder branches in the empire. Moreover, the city’s proximity to the Faywild Basin to the south also made getting reagents a much simpler prospect. This meant it was easier to acquire alchemy supplies here in Bridgespell than in Freybrook.

That’s not to say you couldn’t get them delivered to Freybrook, but this was cheaper. It also served as a reasonable pretext.

“Miss Astrey, Mister Thornthon,” Scarlett addressed Allyssa and Shin. “If you wish, the two of you can accompany Miss Hale to assist her with these tasks. Once you have completed your work, I trust that you will be able to locate the Golden Griffin Inn by yourselves.”

“Oh.” Allyssa glanced between the list and Rosa. “Okay, sure. I’m familiar with enough of these items that it shouldn’t be a problem.”

The girl didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with that request.

Shin, however, regarded Scarlett with a contemplative expression for a few seconds. “Will that be okay? Our duty entails escorting you, so I’m uncertain if it’s appropriate for both of us to leave.”

“Your concern is unnecessary,” Scarlett said. “Once I have concluded my immediate affairs, I will proceed directly to the inn. With Fynn accompanying me, the likelihood of encountering trouble in the city is minimal.”

“…Alright,” he conceded after a moment.

“Then we’ll head off,” Rosa declared, moving to exit the carriage along with the other two. After they’d stepped out, though, she peeked her head back inside. “Wish us luck. And try not to embark on too thrilling of an adventure without us, pretty please?”

Scarlett responded with an indifferent expression. “I will endeavour to ensure we have a decidedly uneventful time.”

“Great!” Rosa offered a thumb-up before closing the door.

Scarlett watched the trio through the window as they walked away, navigating the streets and getting their bearings while examining the list she had provided. After they turned a corner and disappeared from view, Fynn’s voice broke the silence beside her.

“You were lying to them.”

She kept her gaze out the window. “I was, yes.”

The carriage started rolling, beginning its journey towards their next destination. The Golden Griffin Inn.

She was hoping this would work out as she wanted.