The next day.
Bright and early, Alice, Lili, and Alice's dolls were already hard at work.
If the little doll shop was to reopen, it meant the house—which Alice had already modified once—would need yet another round of renovations. The hallway, which had previously been narrowed, would have to be expanded back into a proper showroom. The old living room and kitchen also needed to be rearranged.
After all, the current living area and kitchen had been moved from the second floor down to the first after Alice altered the original layout. Changing everything back now would be a real hassle.
Right now, Alice and Lili were deep in discussion about how to redesign the little shop.
Alice initially thought she could just revert to the original floor plan. It'd be troublesome, sure, but at least she wouldn't have to come up with a new design.
Lili, on the other hand, felt there was no need to change the current layout of Alice's home. Instead, she suggested simply renting a storefront up in Babel.
Money was tight, but it wasn't so bad that they couldn't afford a shop space. With Alice's craftsmanship, turning a profit would be easy.
To be honest, Lili didn't know all that much about Alice's dolls at first. But after Alice explained…
Lili finally understood.
These weren't just dolls—they were practically another form of Magic Swords!
In Orario, Magic Swords were unique items. Each one contained incredibly powerful attack magic, and each came with an equally staggering price tag—tens of millions of valis, sometimes even hundreds of millions.
That kind of price was completely out of reach for low-level adventurers, and high-level adventurers didn't really need them anyway. So, craftsmen began breaking the Magic Swords apart and selling them as fragments. Even as pieces, they were still expensive, but now fell within what lower-level adventurers could afford. And their power was nothing to scoff at.
Back when Lili used to venture into the Dungeon, she'd bought a few Magic Sword fragments to protect herself. They were one-time use, but each could unleash an attack on par with a full-force strike from a Level 2 or Level 3 adventurer.
Prices ranged from a hundred thousand to several hundred thousand valis, but since these fragments could save an adventurer's life in a pinch, they were quite popular among those with a bit of money to spare.
The problem was, Magic Swords were consumable items. Once activated, they shattered. Their numbers were dwindling, and most in circulation were relics from the past. Lili hadn't heard of anyone in Orario forging new ones—each one used was one less in the world.
But Alice's dolls were different.
They had the combat strength of Level 2 or Level 3 adventurers, and they weren't one-time use. They were essentially a reusable version of Magic Sword fragments!
What's more, activating a Magic Sword still required a person to wield it and seize the right moment. But Alice's dolls were autonomous. They could activate on their own to protect their user when danger arose.
That alone made them far superior to Magic Sword fragments.
In the Dungeon, opportunities were fleeting. If you couldn't seize the moment when danger struck, you died.
So, if Alice could produce these dolls, they would undoubtedly be in high demand.
Especially now, with Magic Swords becoming rarer by the day. Lili was confident she could sell Alice's dolls for over a million valis apiece. They'd be on par with the finest weapons from the Hephaestus Familia.
That's why Lili didn't think setting up shop in this remote area would do Alice's reputation any favors. Renting a space in Babel was the smarter choice.
Besides, since Alice's dolls were made-to-order, they wouldn't need a large store—just a small room would be enough.
But…
Alice didn't want to rent a store in Babel. She wanted to run her business right here.
Even when Lili promised to handle everything about the Babel shop herself and manage orders diligently, Alice still refused.
And so, the two found themselves at a standoff.
The disagreement lasted all morning, with neither able to convince the other.
*Grrrrrumble~*
Lili's stomach growled as she slumped over the table. It was noon—she was hungry, and even Alice, who generally had a lighter appetite, was feeling a bit peckish after arguing all morning.
Shanghai and Hourai had already prepared lunch and brought it over for Alice.
"Let's eat first," Alice said with a gentle smile. "We can discuss it more after."
"Alright… But just so you know, Lady Alice, if you want to make money, opening a shop in this out-of-the-way place will never attract customers!"
Lili stood her ground.
Even though Alice had taken her in, Lili genuinely had Alice's best interests at heart. She might not know much about dollmaking, but she did know this: crafting high-quality items required rare materials, and those didn't come cheap. Sometimes, you had to pay two or three times the asking price just to get your hands on them.
There were two familias in Orario known for snatching up rare materials: Hephaestus and Goibniu. Both were rolling in valis—as the main producers of weapons in the city, they were among the wealthiest factions, even richer than Freya or Loki Familia.
If Alice wanted good materials, she'd need a lot of capital.
Opening a small shop in a place like this wasn't impossible, but it would only work after Alice's dolls had already made a name for themselves. Then customers would seek her out for custom orders.
Lili picked up her fork and knife and began eating the lunch Shanghai and Hourai had prepared. Alice did the same.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Alice looked up, puzzled. She didn't sense any hostility—probably not the same people lurking outside her house last night.
Without needing instructions, the clever Shanghai and Hourai flew over to open the door.
As soon as it swung open, an excited, familiar voice rang out:
"Alice-chaaan~! I found you!"
"I gave Bete a good scolding! I can make him apologize—I'll even hang him upside down if that's what it takes!"
"So come back to my familia with me, please? I've been searching everywhere for you!"
"Alice-chaan~! Where are you?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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