Chapter 221
In the police station's prison, the female thief couldn't escape. At any moment, she could use a recommendation letter or a family crest to have herself released.
However, the matter of clothing could not be neglected; finding the right materials and accessories was challenging, and delaying even a little might mean missing the deadline.
The good news was that the simulated version of herself had thoughtfully attached the tailor's hand-drawn design sketches in her notebook. She had memorized all the dimensions of the clothing, so there was no need to waste time and energy discussing details with the tailor as her simulated self had done.
Xia'er opened the system shop and directly accessed the "Basic Disciplines."
Just as she had expected.
In the previous simulation, the simulated Xia'er had attempted to complete the "Physician" replication ritual, but until the real Xia'er entered the simulation, she had not succeeded. Still, "Medicine" had made its way into the basic disciplines.
In the last simulation, Xia'er had done quite a bit of drawing, even attempting to sketch scenes from another realm for the real Xia'er to see.
Thus, after leaving the simulation, two new disciplines appeared in Xia'er's "Basic Disciplines": "Drawing."
Without hesitation, Xia'er spent 6 Fate Points to elevate both "Drawing" and "Tailoring" to Level 2.
"Drawing" was a foundational discipline that the future "Blood Painter" might use, and it would allow Xia'er to convey information more accurately through images—if she needed to find someone in the future, a drawing would be much easier to understand than words plus abstract art.
As for "Tailoring," it significantly enhanced her abilities as a "Coroner." It was a worthwhile investment and would help Xia'er recreate the draft design she had seen in her notebook during the last simulation.
After four flashes, Xia'er's Fate Points dropped from 180 to 174, and the descriptions of the two new skills appeared before her.
"Drawing Lv.2: Moderately enhances your talent for drawing, making it easier for you to learn various drawing techniques. With a little effort, you can become an excellent master artist."
"Tailoring Lv.2: Moderately enhances your talent for tailoring, making it easier for you to learn various sewing techniques. With a little effort, you can become an outstanding tailoring master."
If these skills reached Level 3, a special ability akin to "Photographic Memory" in "Linguistics" might emerge, but Xia'er chose not to invest in that just yet.
Level 2 was sufficient for now; leveling both to Level 3 would cost another 6 Fate Points.
Although Xia'er had a decent amount of Fate Points, she couldn't afford to waste them. Since the last simulation hadn't yielded any income, she had to be frugal in reality.
Xia'er took out a sheet of smooth stationery and jotted down some notes in her notebook. Once she felt comfortable with the feel of it, she began to draw on the stationery with a dip pen.
At this moment, Xia'er was still a novice in both drawing and tailoring, but unlike before, she had gained an extraordinary talent.
Combined with her innate ability to control her body and muscles, a rough shape of the clothing gradually took form under her pen.
Xia'er didn't hold back on her strokes; the pen almost pierced through the paper. She still relied heavily on simple geometric shapes, but the aesthetic quality was far superior to her previous abstract works.
In less than 15 minutes, a well-crafted design for the front and back of the garment appeared on the stationery.
After confirming that there were no mistakes in the details, Xia'er took out another sheet of stationery. Once the ink on the first sheet had dried a bit, she placed the new sheet over it.
The thin new stationery revealed a faint projection of the drawing beneath, as if a layer of masking had been applied.
Though she had never studied drawing, these little techniques seemed to come to her naturally, flashing into her mind like a spark of inspiration.
Xia'er took out a pencil and began to trace and refine the details on the new stationery, using the projection below as a guide—this time, she spent a full half hour.
This was the fastest way to improve her drawing skills in such a short time.
With the mask beneath and the image in her mind, Xia'er nearly replicated the design sketch 1:1 on the new stationery.
After putting down her pencil, Xia'er picked up the sheet and nodded in satisfaction.
Now, Xia'er could no longer be considered a drawing novice. Although her work lacked finesse and spirit, it was clear enough for anyone to understand what it depicted.
After folding the stationery neatly, she placed it in a new envelope and set off toward the old tailor's house she had seen in the simulation.
She didn't need to wait for a reply from Aivina; mentioning the tailor in her letter was mainly to ensure that the tailor could reach out to Aivina for help if she lacked decorative materials.
It was a small token of gratitude for helping Aivina find the "materials" for the replication ritual.
With the envelope and some cash in pounds, Xia'er stepped outside and hailed a carriage, instructing the driver to take her to the old tailor's house near the gemstone processing factory.
She couldn't help but think how generous her simulated self had been... Considering that commissioning a custom outfit would cost as much as a house in Ansu, Xia'er felt a pang of regret.
Of course, her simulated self didn't have to worry about money, so giving it all away didn't matter as long as the items were right.
But the real Xia'er had the option to negotiate. Even for royal-level dresses, 150 pounds was the maximum she would pay, so her mental price range was between 50 and 150 pounds.
After knocking on the old tailor's door, Xia'er introduced herself as being sent by Aivina and handed over her design draft.
The moment the old tailor saw the design, her eyes lit up. Many of the designs were rare, and even after spending most of her life as a tailor, she couldn't help but be amazed.
Upon learning that the design was drawn by Xia'er, the old tailor first showed surprise, then sighed softly.
She could clearly see the young girl's exceptional talent for drawing and design, but unfortunately... she was likely a noble girl.
Most noble girls she had encountered were only interested in knitting and had no interest in learning tailoring.
Sighing was simply a lament that such talent had appeared in someone who had no need for it.
"Your drawing talent is truly impressive, miss," the old tailor remarked, looking at Xia'er. "You should continue to refine your skills in drawing; you might become a great artist."
"Thank you," Xia'er replied with a smile, shaking her head. "If I fail my law exam, I might consider giving drawing another shot."
Xia'er finally proposed 100 pounds for the old tailor to create the outfit. After a moment's hesitation, perhaps hoping to befriend Xia'er, the old tailor agreed, but the timeframe was three months.
This detail had also been noted in her notebook, so Xia'er knew how to respond.
She would just offer more money.
After Xia'er raised the price to 150 pounds in one breath, the old tailor finally agreed to have the dress ready within six days—of course, on the condition that Aivina would help find the rare accessories needed for the custom order.
After paying a 50-pound deposit, Xia'er left the old tailor's house.
Her simulated self had directly thrown out 600 pounds to commission this dress, and now she had only spent 150 pounds. It felt like a huge win.
However, from the old tailor, Xia'er learned some widely known information about Aivina.
It turned out that the largest jewelry processing factory in the gemstone district was owned by Aivina. In addition to this factory, Aivina also held several gold mines, gemstone mines, and coal mines near Boleun City—she had it all.
Truly, her family had mines.
After settling the matter with the tailor, Xia'er returned to her residence and found Aivina's reply waiting for her.
As expected, Aivina's letter contained the address of the tailor, matching exactly what was recorded in the notebook from the simulation.
It was now three in the afternoon, and there was still some time before Tara arrived in Boleun City at midnight.
In between, there would likely be two misfortunes, one of which would occur at six-thirty in the evening—this should be when Opode and Lucy met at the banquet. This misfortune would likely require her to load a save and transform to avoid it, so she needed to prepare in advance.
In just a few hours, it would be Xia'er's first encounter with Tara in reality.
With plenty of time on her hands, she had enough time to formulate a plan... and time was always on Xia'er's side.
**Chapter 134: Drowsy Milk Tea.**
"Is there a dosage of a sedative that ordinary people can tolerate without side effects?"
Adele blinked at the letter in front of her, then looked at the coachman standing before her.
"Is this from the young lady in your carriage? The one with red hair?"
"Yes, doctor."
Table of Contents
