In the center of the room, a large roll of fabric was laid out, marked, and cut into separate pieces by the group of Luxen weavers. It only took a few moments of waiting before the pieces of the suit were cut out of the thick green fabric. Once all the pieces were acquired, the group quickly began sewing everything together, even adding a tin zipper in the back to allow Lukey to get in and out with ease.

  Overall, the process was fairly simple; however, Lukey was puzzled by what exactly they were making.

  This looked nothing like the flowing, loose clothing that Ginny usually made. It looked more like something that would hug his body. Just from observing, he already knew that the new suit would reduce underwater drag and let him wear armor on top. However, it was anyone’s guess what the final product would look like.

  Whatever it was, it was obvious to him that they had never made something like this before.

  Lukey watched the entire process intently as the matron, known as Chrysanthia, continued to pester him.

  “You know, most people would at least react to being near someone with a level ten times higher than theirs.” Matron Chrysanthia interrupted.

  Lukey was broken from his concentration and gave a look of surprise as the matron’s generous chest was nearly a foot away from his face. She was staring down at him with a bored look, propped up against the wall with an elbow, and gave a slight grin when she noticed his reaction.

  “So, you do have more than one expression. I was worried that I’d already lost all my womanly charms, but it seems that isn’t the case.” Matron Chrysanthia mused.

  Externally, Lukey was listening to the matron’s husky voice, but internally, he was panicking, as he had no idea how to continue the conversation.

  Up until now, he kept the topics limited to work, only occasionally exploring outside topics like where the other person was from or how they ended up on the island. Neither of those would work here, so Lukey was at a loss on what to talk about. He didn’t even know why she was so interested in him to begin with, but he really didn’t want to disappoint her by looking weak or disinterested.

  The only things that fascinated Lukey were things like crafting and fishing. The motion and the process of doing things always fascinated him, especially when they required extreme concentration. To anyone else, it might have sounded strange to focus on such small details, but those details made the difference in everything, from crafting to fighting.

  As he was trying to think, the matron narrowed her eyes at him, a sign to Lukey that she was getting bored with him.

  Shit… I need to think of something to say, but what….

  As he took in the matron’s features, his eyes narrowed in on the golden discs that covered her breasts. The armor looked entirely impractical, but it was probably made with a different philosophy in mind.

  On the armor, there were etchings in the metal. Lines and shapes created a distinctive flowing pattern that covered each of the pieces, like ripples on a lake. Whoever made it had to have painstakingly carved each little groove by hand, and that must have taken forever.

  A third-stage class holder must have made this. A blacksmith specializing in armor? A carving class specialized in metal? An artist who enjoys the look of gold? Some combination of all of them? Whoever made it… they did an incredible job.

  Lukey calmed his mind and took a deep breath. He then entered a tranquil state and began to speak.

  “It’s very beautiful,” he said, keeping his tone steady and low, “your armor, I mean.”

  That elicited looks of surprise from everyone in the room, the matron included. This reaction only made Lukey even more self-conscious of himself, causing him to freeze as he continued to stare into her armor.

  What? Did I say something wrong? It really is a nice set of armor!

  “Th-thank you,” Matron Chrysanthia responded, and Lukey didn’t miss the stutter that came from her as she said that. “I had it made after I reached the third stage of my class. I wanted something that would impress others.”

  Lukey felt his confidence increase slightly after hearing that response. At first the situation felt a bit overwhelming, like being stared down by Caldoon. Now, Lukey felt a bit more comfortable as he understood that this was just supposed to be a simple conversation.

  It’s just a talk. No need to stress myself over nothing.

  “It certainly is impressive,” Lukey confirmed. “The gold especially looks nice against the color of your skin.”

  Lukey didn’t think much about that comment. To him it seemed natural; after all, gold and green were colors that blended nicely together, or at least he thought so. Lukey was pretty sure Ginny would agree with him, so he turned to look at her expression.

  On her face, she wore a look of utter disgust.

  Oh, c’mon, you have no sense of style.

  “You think so?” The matron squealed, and her expression was broken from its usually stern look. “Ahem… I didn’t realize others could still find me so appealing at my age.”

  Lukey had no idea what she was talking about, but now that he had broken the ice, there were things he was curious about.

  “Your armor looks incredible on you, Matron Chrysanthia. Though I must wonder. Why is the armor made of gold instead of something more practical, like steel?”

  “Gold isn’t that hard to get in the Emerald Expanse,” Matron Chrysanthia said, practically swaying as she did. “It’s really common, so we use it in everything from clothing to jewelry.” Then, she looked at Lukey like she wanted to eat him. “And please, call me Sona.”

  …

  Ginny wanted to vomit.

  She didn’t know the boy for long, but this display of charm was genuinely disturbing and seemed entirely uncharacteristic of him.

  Doesn’t he realize that she’s, like, forty years old?

  Her disgust continued until her eyes widened in realization.

  Wait… I’m the first luxe he ever met. Considering how isolated this island is, it wouldn’t shock me if he couldn’t even tell how old she was.

  Then Ginny began to notice how Lukey kept giving glances at her armor, which was fairly normal by Luxen standards. It covered up the important parts while also being eye-catching in public. It didn’t have much in defensive capabilities, because all they had was gold, which was terrible for making heavy armor sets with.

  Wait a second… He’s not trying to flirt with her; he just likes her armor!

  Then, Ginny looked down at the suit she was currently stitching together before looking at the bottle of dye she was given.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  I see… So that’s why he worked so hard to get me this stuff. It’s nice to know the boy has a sense of fashion, just like his mother.

  He’s not wrong either; gold certainly does make a nice accent against her green skin.

  Ginny then returned to her work, but before she did, she noticed the other Luxen weavers gawking at the scene before them.

  “Incredible… He must like them older.”

  “Do you think I can get a human boyfriend while I’m here?”

  “That kid better watch out. If he breaks her heart, he’s going to end up with more than a few broken bones.”

  Ginny listened to their murmurings, and she couldn’t help but agree with that last statement. Matron Chrysanthia was a stage three class holder, with the guardian class no less. It was a class that specialized in protecting others, usually becoming knights within the human kingdoms. The armor was mostly just for show, because her attributes made her tougher than even some of the best armor.

  I’ll pray to the sovereigns for that kid later; for now I have got to focus on this.

  “Back to work!” Ginny commanded. “Let’s finish this quickly so we can work on the other outfits.”

  With those words spoken, the rest of the weavers tore their eyes from the scene and continued stitching the various pieces together. One piece that would make up the front and back was sewn up along the sides. The arms and legs were cut separately and sewn up to make cloth cylinders. Finally, all the pieces were complete, and they just needed to be sewn together.

  With all of them working in unison, it didn’t take long at all to finish.

  …

  Everyone present huddled around Ginny to witness the new creation.

  In Ginny’s hands, held above an empty bucket, was a green, full-body suit. The material consisted of an imported fabric from the Emerald Expanse, made using a pressed sheet of Titanus leaves, making it durable yet thin. The suit ended up being dark green, covering up everything below the neck, reaching up to the ankles and wrists, and leaving the hands and feet exposed. It was also a tight fit, sealing out air to ensure less drag and less heat loss.

  “Now for the finishing touch,” Ginny said, dropping the suit into the bucket. She then uncorked the bottle of dye that was prepared earlier and dumped it over the article.

  When the red and blue iridescent liquid hit the suit, it was immediately soaked up, and everyone present watched in awe as the clothing slowly began to gain a new hue.

  First, a wash of blue covered the entire suit, lighting up the colors and replacing the dark green. Then, thick, crimson circles began appearing all over the suit, practically glowing against the blue backdrop. The colors would have clashed, but there was a distinct barrier where the blue darkened and became red.

  By the time the bottle was emptied and the transformation had finished, the suit had become the strangest blend of colors anyone had ever seen. In the front, glowing red circles with black insides lined the sides of the suit, darkening the front and making it look like equal parts playful and menacing. The back, on the other hand, was a pure wash of iridescent sapphire that shimmered in the light.

  No one had any words to describe what Ginny had created.

  “Well, it’s certainly something…” Lukey said quizzically. “Is it at least waterproof like you intended?”

  “Waterproof and so much more,” Ginny stated proudly. “It’s the perfect underwater gear; it won’t slow you down, it’ll keep you warm, and you can wear armor on top. As for the color…” Ginny scratched her neck sheepishly. “That’s not my fault. Well, try it on!”

  In the next few moments, Lukey was thrown into a dressing room within the main store alongside the strange outfit. He struggled to put it on, but after a few minutes of squeezing his arms and legs through their respective holes, he finally managed to wear the suit. After a moment of assessing himself, he used [Insight].

  A wetsuit, huh? I guess that’s what she’s calling it. It makes sense though… After all, it’s a suit that gets wet.

  After confirming the name of the outfit, Lukey stepped outside to demonstrate it.

  “Well… I can’t say I like the color, but from what the description is telling me, it seems you’ve created a decent piece of armor, and one that previously didn’t exist, as far as I know.” Sona said.

  “Thank you,” Ginny said. “Do you think it’s enough to garner interest for Golden Treads to set up a base here?”

  “Oh, by the sovereigns, no, not even close.” Sona said without a hint of shame.

  Ginny's head immediately sunk, but Sona raised a finger to let her explain.

  “I’m not saying this to be mean, but the Golden Threads have hundreds of requests every month to invest in some strange new design or outfit. They aren’t going to notice you easily even if the idea does have merit.”

  Then, Sona began to explain.

  “You have a long way to go before you get any real recognition. First, the suit should be tested for its quality, usually by having warriors fight in it. Second, even if the wetsuit is functional, the design is very plain. This is just my opinion, but perhaps you should do a bit of experimentation to see what designs really catch people’s attention. I’m no weaver, but I’m sure they would tell you that much.”

  Ginny nodded her head in understanding, and her expression immediately began lighting up.

  “Work on the design, huh? Alright, I can do that.” Ginny repeated to herself, then she turned to face Lukey. “You heard her; next time you go underwater, tell me how the suit works out. Also, here.”

  Ginny went over to the counter and filled a small bag up with coins, then handed it to Lukey.

  “Here, I can’t afford much right now, but I hope you’ll accept this.”

  “Five bronze coins? That’s a lot, Ginny, and you already gave me the wetsuit.” "Lukey," she said, staring into the small bag.

  “The wetsuit is an investment, and besides, I can’t expect you to continue your work without proper payment.” Ginny said, then walked up to Lukey and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “I didn’t expect much from someone so young, but I’m pleasantly surprised. I hope we’ll continue to collaborate in the future too.”

  Then Ginny moved to the back room, ushering the rest of the luxe to follow her.

  “Now, c’mon girls, let’s work on those clothes like we’re here to do.”

  Lukey watched as the rest of the luxen weavers followed Ginny into the back room. After a few moments, the room was empty save for Lukey and Sona, who decided to stay behind.

  “Well, look at you…” Sona said, looking at the back door. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re going to grow up to be a serious lady-killer one day.”

  “Naw, she’s just a friend,” Lukey said in somewhat embarrassed fashion. “She probably doesn’t even think of me like that.”

  “Maybe not yet, but if you reach the second stage of your class, you’ll be considered an adult.” Sona said. “Speaking of which, there are some things we need to discuss.”

  The matron then walked right up to Lukey and adopted a stern look as she bent straight down to look him in the eyes.

  “You seriously need to think about what you say before you say it…” Sona said firmly. “Those girls completely got the wrong idea when we had our conversation. Had it never occurred to you that maybe what you say could be taken entirely differently from what you intended?”

  Lukey was surprised at the matron's turn in attitude, but as he listened to her, he slowly realized what she meant.

  “I’m really sorry,” Lukey said apologetically. “I was just trying to be nice; I didn’t realize that I could have been implying anything else.”

  “Yeah, I got that impression.” Sona said, somewhat irritably. “You need to watch your words; flirting with the wrong woman can result in broken bones in the morning, either because some guy thought he got lucky or because of a woman scorned.”

  Lukey once again felt shame well up within him. He had a habit of saying things without thinking them through, but this time Sona was willing to cover for him without embarrassing him. He felt equally grateful and ashamed of the display and wanted to apologize again.

  “But,” Sona interrupted, “even if the compliments were half-hearted, they were very sweet.”

  Lukey froze as he saw her face approach his, and he tensed up as she leaned in to kiss his other cheek. This kiss didn’t feel like what Ginny or his mother gave him, though. Lukey felt her lips on his cheek for a solid three seconds before she let go, but those three seconds felt like an eternity.

  This was the kind of kiss that could set off explosions within a pubescent mind, and Lukey was no exception. A distinctive tingle shot through his body at the feeling, one that made him weak in the legs and forced his heart to beat faster. Unfortunately, before he even realized it, Sona pulled away.

  “Well,” Sona said, looking down at him. “I’m glad I can have that effect on men, though you might want to cover up.

  Lukey looked down and was immediately shocked out of his trance.

  “Oh, shit!” He yelled and then immediately scrambled to put on his clothes on top of the wetsuit.

  “It’s alright,” Sona chuckled. “In fact, I might be willing to do more if you reach the second stage and become an adult. Assuming I stay on the island that long.”

  “Really?” Lukey squealed, “Then, I’ll take you up on that! I have more errands to run, but I’ll continue to level up like you said.”

  Then, after getting dressed, he ran out the front door in a hurry.

  “Hey, wait! It was just a little…” Sona called out, but her voice was already out of range, “…joke.”

  The only person left in the store was Sona, who now looked at the doorway where Lukey left dumbfounded.

  “I just wanted to tease the kid for fun,” she sighed. “What does he even see in me? Saying things like that.”

  With nothing left to do, she once again adopted a stern expression and went back to supervise the weavers.