Chapter 330: Betty’s Preconceptions
"Alright, I will make sure that the Adventurer’s Guild gives us an answer one way or the other. If nothing else, I will have the Merchants operate the centre. We all know how they feel about money making opportunities." Dominic decided.
The others laughed at the thought. The Merchant’s Guild wasn’t nearly as well trusted as the Adventurer’s Guild, but they would certainly jump at the opportunity to run an underground casino for the officers of three different nations’ armies.
Literally underground, in this case.
"Who will operate the wagons? I can’t send potions with some random worker? They’d probably drop them and die from the fumes." Betty asked.
Patriarch Khalil frowned. That was a good point. The soldiers would need many of the potions that the witches made for unmentionable diseases and common illnesses alike. But many of those potions were sensitive, and the witches didn’t like going out to meet people.
It posed a few problems, as so few people knew where to find them, but everyone would eventually need their services. So, an intermediary, someone who got along well with the coven, was normally used.
Dominic knew that it would be him most of the time when it was the Nobles asking. But for the sort of bulk orders that the common soldiers would need, it would have to be someone they interacted with more often.
Betty sighed. "I will go with the delivery person to sell potions. I’m the junior coven member, and the most human looking. But if I can get a set of robes like the Sorcerers wear, it should be fine."
Dominic smirked. "You know, that’s not a bad idea. If I put you in a set of Sorcerer’s Robes, everyone will think that you’re a Techno Witch. They get less hassle than a regular Coven Witch, and they’re still skilled with potions."
"Oh, that would be good. I should talk to the tailor."
Dominic shook his head, and went into his storage cube. "Start with this, unless you’ve got spare coin. I got it from a monster drop, and it’s got that ’Broke but resourceful’ vibe."
The Robe he gave her was the uncommon grade sorcerer’s robe that he had gotten in the Capital, which had quickly been replaced by the fancy Rare Grade one with the star patterns, or the black ones that the Palace supplied.
Betty examined the faded grey cloth with satisfaction, then pulled it over her head.
"Oh, not a bad fit, either. If I put my supply belt over this, it will be just right, and the hood is big enough to hide my face." She cheered.
Dominic laughed, and held out a plain white bandana. "If you’d like, you can completely cover your face, and nobody will know just by your eyes. But the more that you hide, the more that they suspect that there is something to hide."
Betty nodded, and then took the cloth to hang from her waist.
She spent a few minutes rearranging her clothes so that her belt was over the outer robes, and all her potion ingredients and spell reagents were accessible. Then she put a broken magitech pump on her belt, and tied the white cloth on the opposite side.
She looked very much like an eccentric Techno Witch now, and most of the people she met would be more interested in why she had a water pump as an accessory than the small details about her face that weren’t human.
It had to be incredibly warm, as she was still wearing a thick dress underneath, but she was used to being next to a boiling cauldron all day, which was probably similar to being in the forge all day.
She would be cold as soon as she went somewhere with normal temperatures.
"Well, now we just need someone to do the deliveries." Dominic suggested.
Captain Brass nodded decisively. "I will go with Betty. I can borrow an ox to pull the cart, and as I’m on the town guard now, I’m suitable enough to deal with troubles as they occur."
That sounded reasonable to Dominic, and Betty didn’t seem to mind. She was still more enthralled with inspecting and adjusting her new outfit than anything else.
It now had feathers inserted into the lower sleeves.
Dominic watched her for a moment, then went into his junk storage and found a broken hair clip with some fake gems made of coloured paste on it.
"Here, this should go with your look." He suggested.
Betty held up a mirror, and placed the hair clip in the front of her hood, then smiled.
"I will sew it on later."
Sheriff Nate chuckled. "You two have an interesting sense of fashion. But I can guarantee that nobody will see through your disguise."
Dominic laughed. "You know, there was a time that I used to wear a broken technomagic wand everywhere so that I could pretend that my Innate Arcane Blast spell was an Artificer effect. It saved countless unnecessary questions."
Betty looked intrigued. "What made you stop?"
"I had to pass through some hostile areas to get to Cygnia. Wearing weapons openly only encourages people to attack, and they’re generally frowned upon within Cygnia City."
The others nodded. That was just common sense. Other than town guards, you didn’t wear weapons openly in the city. Or even in small towns, unless you were looking for trouble. If you were armed, then the response to any trouble with you would be a violent one.
It was safer to look harmless, even when you had a kill count that put you on multiple nations’ most wanted list. No, especially then.
"Alright. If anyone has contacts with the Adventurer’s Guild, feel free to send them a message. If not, then I will get started on the arrangements for the building, and the rest of you can work out the details for getting food and potions to the army camps.
You can start on that whenever it’s convenient, as there’s already one army here.
I’m sure that after a long trip, they’d love some fresh food." Dominic suggested.
Captain Brass nodded. "I will get right on it. If I pick up the food with an IOU, I can sell it and bring them back their money. Betty, do you need to go get potions?"
The witch shook her head. "I have a storage bag with all the basics. The only thing I don’t have enough of with me is the lice shampoo. Soldiers are always icky."
The Captain nearly choked on his drink. How bad was her opinion of the common soldier? Was it because the only time she met with them was when they were sick? A lice outbreak in a travelling army camp was a nightmare.