Gionre glowered at the beaming elf merchant before him, wishing nothing more than to boot the smug individual out of the Third Legion's base camp along with the sizable caravan he led. But the letter he bore from Her Radiance was undeniably genuine, the imperial seal without any sign of forgery or tampering. For all intents and purposes, it looked indeed that the plights of House Cordis, the guardians of the empire, had indeed reached the emperor.

  And she saw fit to dispatch aid by means of commissioned merchants to bring their wares westward, exempt from all tariffs and taxes while they bought up things on the cheap.

  Maybe that was what the orc commander felt more disgruntled about. "And you, by this letter, aren't permitted to sell your goods early until you've at least reached Gabion?"

  "We're allowed to, of course, purchase more on the way to make additional stock available," Alderash told with just a bit of smugness. "But I'm afraid that no matter what price you offer, we are beholden to Her Radiance's command. Only when we reach the city ruled by House Cordis are we allowed to make sales then, at reasonable prices no less."

  "So even if I just wanted a few extra bushels to pad out the rations for my legion, you won't sell until you come back around?"

  "Unfortunately not. But rest assured, we have plenty in our wagons. Though I wonder if it will be enough given the number of mouths House Cordis is likely feeding."

  Tch, that was true. While the news of them accepting refugees had likely not reached the imperial courts yet (not that Gionre was sure they'd even care about), it had reached where the Third Legion was camped. They had also done their duty in taking in whatever few came their way, turning them into new camp followers, but belts were tight. The legion hadn't been unable to procure local resupplies due to the ongoing chaos and were wholly dependent on supply lines to other western regions in the area. If those got interrupted one way or another, then things might start getting interesting- troublesome for Gionre.

  Yet House Cordis had been apparently accepting all who came their way with open arms, a curiosity that either spoke of their honor, or of plans beneath the surface. Maybe both. Either way, they probably did need this imported food more, especially as their neighbors were all involved in chaos. At least the Third Legion was used to being dependent on supply lines; a poor duchy probably needed local trade to make up for their lackluster supplies and if that was cut, then things could get very dicey.

  But he admittedly didn't know if House Cordis was fine or if they were already starving. Given the lack of urgency in their letters, Gionre was thinking about somewhere in-between. Though whatever the emperor of the Kerezim Empire commanded, then it was to be.

  Hm. If they weren't allowed to sell until reaching Gabion, and there was a fear they could sell completely out before coming back, then perhaps it would be better to already be there to secure the additional supplies needed. Could he send his quartermaster to accompany them? Probably, but at the same time, Gionre was also admittedly getting a bit tired of just sitting around at his winter camp, doing nothing. All the plans for his spring campaigns had already been drawn up and gone over in fine detail- there was naught else to do.

  So the commander supposed he might as well drop by and pay his respects to House Cordis. He did still also need to express to them thanks for these challenges. Plus, his personal guard would ensure that the merchant caravan would get through truly safe.

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  Hm, so it looks like that House Cordis was going to have to host at least a small little welcoming-slash-party for some prominent guests. The merchant caravan, since they were apparently under commission of the emperor, were to be temporarily treated as elevated nobility for the moment while there was an actual noble in the form of legion commander coming by. That meant that if they didn't want to appear like bad or poor hosts, the duke and his family would need to provide some sort of reception for their honor if nothing else.

  That meant Petula was going to take a break from her training with me and return back to Gabion. Already Kuch and some trusted retainers of House Cordis were making their way through the thick snow to reach Puppet Atelier and escort the daughter of the lord safely back home. Mordred was too busy being a delinquent corrections officer to join in, and I'd also think that if she were to see her cozy room in my estate, she'd probably lock herself in it until the winter was over. But even without her, my doll and their party carried a bunch of useful stuff for me. The first imports of Puppet Atelier, huzzah!

  I won't spoil what they are though.

  For now, I also do want to send them back along with something alongside Petula: gifts for these visitors of House Cordis. It was that time of the season, even though the holiday had apparently been forgotten, something for me to grumble and promise to fix next year with proper setup. For now, it was as good an excuse as any to leave a positive impression on what sounds like the first formal guests of the duchy in a long while. Given that it was literally going to be a drop-off and pickup without pause in order to make it back in time, it was actually going to be a rush order for people I didn't know. At least I had a duke's daughter to sound-off on ideas for these gifts to these guests.

  "Whatever you decide to give to both of them through us, it should be equal in value or perceived as such," Petula had told me. "It's considered a very pointed statement if one of them gets something more expensive than the other, which is something father really isn't aiming for. Both of them are to be welcome guests of imperial authority."

  "Does it have to be something big?"

  "For this occasion, absolutely not. It's a small party, not a grand banquet. In fact, it should actually be just a small, almost personal gift if you insist on it. If it's quite extravagant, a few might even think it a bribe. Something that would be a smear to our family's honor."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Right, so keep it simple, keep it cheap, keep from going overboard. No making things like necklaces with dragon scales. Not that I'd actually do so, that would be an incredible waste of such a powerful defensive material. I'd rather save that for making scale armor for the duke's family.

  Oh, wasn't that an idea? Eh, I'll ask if they're interested in that later. Back on the topic of gifts for these guests.

  Hm, what would a soldier and a merchant have in common? An appreciation in taste, perhaps? Oh, actually, that was already a solid idea. How about just a set of plain but well-made statues of imperial soldiery? More on that, Kuch had confirmed that chess at least was a thing that nobles played, Teodor even did so to pass the time outside work and was apparently the castle's resident grandmaster at games. So let's make a couple themed chess sets with wooden boards and sculpted clay pieces.

  I ran the idea past both Petula and her father to make sure, and then, when they agreed it sounded like a delightful but not overbearing gift, got to work.

  Thankfully, I still had a surplus of the materials needed to do so. Frie had made sure I was all topped up on these materials before they had departed to meditate with the sky spruce, and the only real crafts I had been making all this while for the moment was just clothing. I think I didn't just have a single wardrobe now- I had multiple different fashions and attires for whatever mood struck me, even though most of the time I just wore my workshop attire.

  Ah well. They all fit on my dolls anyhow, so it wasn't going to be a waste whenever I made more. And I would surely do so.

  Wooden Plank (Item Quality: 94) (Infuse Level: 221)

  River Clay (Item Quality: 81) (Infuse Level: 193)

  I made sure to pick the best of what I had in both regards, because it would be quite frankly embarrassing if stuff broke while in transit. Then I began to sculpt at the clay first, forming small little lumps that would individually be glued together as soldiers to represent different chess pieces. But while the posture and general bearing each role was to be completely identical to others of its type, I went a little bit further to include slight but notable details in each to give personality to every piece.

  This pawn had a beard. That pawn had pointed ears. The bishop here had demon horns. The coat of arms on that rook's shield was different from the other. Small, little touches of individuality, making each piece unique but with a still clearly defined role by their pose. When I was done, I was quite pleased. Time to fire them up in my forge, though I did need to color one side white, the other black.

  The first firing was just to make it firm and spot any faults. I got to work making the boards while I waited, carving in the checkerboard patterns. Then, since they were still baking, I got to work mixing out both black and white dyes. It was the same as I used to color my clothes and should hopefully suffice. It did at least color the wood a nice, distinct way so that was fine for the moment.

  I finished painting the alternating sides just in time for to match with the firing finishing. The boards were left to dry while I checked on the half-finished clay pieces. A few did develop a few unfortunate cracks that I quickly patched up with more clay, hardening the fix with a quick bake. Once I was satisfied, I then dipped the pieces into the bowls of dye I was using to color the respective sides. Now, to bake them again to make sure the solution properly adhered to the clay to hopefully leave them with a nice sheen.

  While waiting again, I decided to return to the boards and found it to be mostly dry enough to work on again. I decided then to add just a bit of flair to the outsider border of the chessboard by engraving some swirling images, hinting at battles and fights of long past. It was abstract enough to not detail a certain conflict or something, just something to inspire the imagination of the players as to what their pieces were actually in conflict over about.

  The art on the boards were complete just in time for the second firing to be complete and I checked on the, pursing my lips with a slight frown. The colors did properly adhere to the clay, yet I saw issues in where parts had dripped off or weren't properly coated despite me dunking the pieces in. Nothing that I couldn't correct with a brush and additional dye, but there wasn't enough time for a second firing to make it stick- I was already greeting Petula through Kuch.

  Bah, this would have to do. If the dye chipped later or washed away, it is what it is. I locked in it and hurriedly put the two sets into two bags to deliver upstairs in the lobby, into the arms of a surprised Petula. "Oh! You actually finished making them?"

  "Just barely. It's not my best work, but I guess that hadn't been the point. They'll be serviceable gifts at least."

  Fancy Chess Set (Final Grade: 200)

  The vampire took a peek inside the bags before immediately closing them back up and giving me a glare. "I thought father and I said to keep it simple!"

  "This is, at least for me!" I protested with a shrug. "Really, considering I didn't do anything like enchanting the pieces to fight out the battle live or make a themed case to go along with it, this is just a rush job."

  "Ugh. I think I know why Mordred keeps saying you're an insane puppet," she muttered but gave an appreciative nod all the same. "We'll be sure to present them as gifts from Puppet Atelier on behalf of House Cordis. You sure you don't want to come along?"

  "I am already though," Kuch mentioned with a curious tilt of the head. Petula paused before letting out sigh.

  "I suppose you are. Stay safe, Noel."

  "Everything's going to be turned on as soon as you leave, don't you worry a thing."

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