297: Chapter 297 Business is Booming

Over the following period, Nie Ning became completely occupied.

Naturally, most of his time was spent interviewing Alchemists.

This was because producing those women's clothes required a decent foundation in Alchemy.

Setting everything else aside, the Ice Wings Spell alone required Tier 2 proficiency.

Wasting materials was one thing, but it would be rather awkward if an Alchemist ended up blowing themselves up.

He also needed some low-level Alchemists; after all, one couldn't become an Alchemist without some spare cash, as just buying materials to practice the craft was quite expensive.

If he wanted to form an industrial chain, he sometimes had no choice but to train Alchemists himself.

He might find some with good talent, and even if they didn't make the cut, keeping them around as assistants would be helpful.

With the generous wages Nie Ning offered, the number of Wizards who signed up was immense—ridiculously so, in fact.

Over a hundred apprentices showed up, along with over thirty Tier 1 Alchemists, nine Tier 2s, and one Tier 3 Alchemist.

The reason there were so few Tier 3 Wizards was that Tier 3 could already be considered half a master, and their financial situation usually saw some improvement.

Typically, Tier 3s would open their own shops or find others to collaborate with.

Because there were too many people and he hadn't even opened the shop yet, he had to cut most of the Alchemists.

In the end, he kept sixty Witch Apprentices, fifteen Tier 1s, six Tier 2s, and one Tier 3.

As for why he kept so many Witch Apprentices, it wasn't for any special reason other than being cheap, and perhaps he could find one or two Wizards among them with extraordinary talent for Alchemy.

The monthly wage expenditure reached a staggering 200 mid-grade magic crystals!

The Tier 3 Alchemist alone took 50 mid-grade magic crystals, while the rest was distributed among the other Wizards according to their level, with performance bonuses on top.

Unfortunately, machines couldn't replace them.

Other aspects were fine, but engraving runes required Spiritual Power as a guide. Creating a machine capable of that would cost a fortune, making manual labor clearly more cost-effective.

For now, this was the only way...

Nie Ning signed contracts with everyone, especially regarding clauses for material formulas and clothing designs.

With the binding power of the contracts, they would face sanctions even if they just thought about telling others.

To ensure the shop's successful opening, Nie Ning went big and rented an entire building in the bustling district of the city's west side.

He spent ten high-grade magic crystals for a six-month lease to test the waters.

Anyway, Nie Ning couldn't care less. If he went bankrupt, he'd just take Xiaoguang and flee, wait until he killed a few blind Transcendents, and then come back to try again.

Finally, after a month and a half, everything was basically ready.

The clothing store named after Heloise officially opened.

...

At this moment, Nie Ning was sitting inside a restaurant.

Looking through the glass window, a luxurious five-story building stood tall across the street.

Nie Ning looked up at the top of the building with a bit of a guilty conscience.

Not only were there posters of Amelia plastered on the building, but there was also a massive five-meter-tall projection on the roof.

Looking at the bustling crowd below, Nie Ning scanned the surroundings shiftily, ready to bolt the moment he spotted Amelia.

He couldn't help it; how could he have anticipated that the customers would all be men!

If it were all women, as the Eldest Miss of the Yishi Mansion, it would only prove she was popular.

Then he could just say people came to buy because the clothes looked good, and Amelia wouldn't be able to find any fault.

But they were all men, and naturally, most of them were perverts.

Whether the clothes were good or not didn't matter anymore; they were all there for Amelia's reputation. If Amelia saw this, she might use it as an excuse to cause trouble.

And then there were those posters and projections. Nie Ning could already imagine the Transcendents from the Yishi Mansion coming to make a scene and the sight of him being ruthlessly fleeced by Amelia.

...

Watching the lively street outside, Nie Ning couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He admitted there had been a gambling element before, but he never expected business to be this explosive.

According to his understanding of fashion, it should have taken some time for this trend to take root and sprout.

In the end, he had underestimated Amelia's appeal.

Just then, several familiar figures appeared, and Nie Ning quickly ducked under the table.

After a stealthy scan, Nie Ning realized it was only Ruby and a few others; Amelia hadn't come along.

Looking at Ruby and her group, Nie Ning's eyes darted around as he thought of a good idea.

As Nie Ning sent a voice transmission over, Ruby, who was squeezing into the shop, turned her head and finally spotted Nie Ning hiding in the restaurant across the street.

A look of joy appeared on Ruby's face, and she quickly led her companions toward Nie Ning.

...

"Mr. Bronk."

Ruby walked up to Nie Ning's table. Behind her were the people from the Godal Forest back then, as well as an unfamiliar-looking young girl.

"No need to be formal, please sit."

Nie Ning smiled slightly and invited them to sit down.

Except for the unfamiliar girl who was a bit stiff, the others weren't as uneasy as before now that they were on their own turf.

"May I ask why Mr. Bronk called us over?" Owen asked with a puzzled look.

Owen asked with a look of confusion.

"How come I don't see Miss Amelia here?" Nie Ning asked casually.

Nie Ning asked casually.

"We're returning to the Yishi Mansion tomorrow, so Teacher needs to prepare some things."

Ruby said impatiently.

But her eyes held a hint of anticipation, wondering if Nie Ning was going to give them some clothes.

There was no helping it; Nie Ning's pricing was simply too outrageous.

A single piece of clothing actually cost one mid-grade magic crystal. Even students of the Yishi Mansion weren't that well-off; if they bought the clothes, they'd be eating dirt for the rest of the month.

Hearing this, Nie Ning was delighted.

'Good that she's leaving!'

"I see, that's a real pity. Since Miss Amelia helped me last time, I was planning to treat her to a meal."

Nie Ning said with a look of regret, putting on an act.

However, to Ruby and the others, these words sounded like Nie Ning wanted to pursue Amelia.

This was normal for Amelia; many people wanted to invite her to dinner.

And since Nie Ning was a Fourth-Order Wizard at such a young age, he certainly had the qualifications.

"Since Miss Amelia is leaving, please take these clothes to her for me as a parting gift."

Nie Ning took out a spatial bag and handed it to Ruby.

Inside were both the clothes from the shop and some new items that hadn't been released yet.

Originally, Nie Ning had intended to just give a couple of items, thinking it might make Amelia less likely to hold a grudge over this matter.

But then he thought, since he was going to offend Amelia anyway, he might as well go all the way.

By giving all the clothes to Amelia, she could help him advertise when she went back to the Yishi Mansion.

When the time came, even if Amelia found out about the situation here, as long as she was seen wandering around in the shop's clothes, he could pretend that she had tacitly approved of the whole thing.

...