Chapter 342

"A Calm Dress Like the Sea"
The theme for the second dress is "A Calm Dress Like the Sea."
This idea also seems to have been inspired by a memory of a family visit to a seaside town.

This time, the requested dress is a mermaid-line gown.
It seems that after seeing Young lady Kou wear one, she wanted to try it herself.
If I shorten the front hem slightly, it might make it easier to move around.

The image of the dress is already complete.
The bodice will be white, gradually darkening into deep blue toward the hem.
This will represent the transition from shallow waters to the deep sea.

So far, it's simple.

The problem comes next.

"A pearl... you say?"

"Yes, a pearl. Can’t we obtain one through the Trade Guild’s network?"

I visited Alizée with a request.
I need a pearl. Preferably a large one.

"Since it’s for you, Lady Lily, I won’t hesitate to help, but... how about relying on Melanie?"

"Melanie? Why?"

"Pearls from monsters are more well-known. While they can be harvested from regular shells, they don’t quite compare to those from monsters..."

"I see. But, are small ones available?"

"If that’s the case, I can gather them in numbers. What do you need them for?"

"I want to make a pearl necklace. Can I ask for your help?"

"Understood, I’ll make arrangements. Small pearls tend to remain unsold even if they are well-shaped, so they should be easy to gather. What about you, Lady Lily?"

"I’ll also visit Melanie. I’d like to get one large pearl, too."

Hmm, I hadn’t considered monster-sourced pearls.
It’s been over a year since I arrived in this world, but I’m still not fully used to it.
In the first place, I never really thought about the concept of "materials from monsters."
… Even in games, I left material gathering to others, so I was never that involved in it myself.

Following Alizée’s advice, I headed to the Adventurers' Guild, but it seems oddly crowded for this time of day.
Did something happen?

"Melanie, did something happen today?"

"Oh, Lily. It’s rare to see you at the Adventurers' Guild. We just posted the recruitment for an upcoming large-scale extermination request. The number of participants allowed is quite high, but there’s still a limit. Everyone probably wants to check it early."

Hmm, an extermination request.
I thought it was just monster culling, but it seems it’s not that simple.
Apparently, the scope of this "extermination" includes bandits as well.

In autumn, harvested crops are collected as tax.
It seems that even in the Vardmoi territory, bandits target these collections.
This request is meant to deal with them.

It’s an annual event, but last year, I was running all over the old kingdom with Daigo Seventeen around this time.
So it’s no surprise I didn’t know about it.
Honestly, everything is a lot of work.

"So, Lily, what brings you here today? Have you developed another convenient outfit?"

"It’s not that easy to come up with something every time. I’m here to order materials. Can you get pearls?"

"Pearls... Ah, the gemstones carried by shell-type monsters. What color do you need?"

"Huh? Color?"

"The color depends on the type of monster. Their attributes differ too, so you need to be careful when using them for equipment."

Ah, I see.
She must have assumed I was planning to use it for crafting gear.
I explained to Melanie that I wanted to use the pearl as an accessory for a dress.

Understanding that, she brought out a deep, milky white pearl from the back.
Yes, this one looks nice.

"It’s not suitable as a material for equipment, but it works well as an accessory. It doesn’t have any special effects, but that shouldn’t be an issue for regular jewelry."

"Right. I’ll take this one."

I managed to obtain the pearl faster than expected.
I'll wait to deliver the dress until I finish making the pearl necklace.
That way, Little Bern will have an easier time visualizing it and will probably be even happier.

What do you think about this chapter?