Valentine's conversation with Vivian was going to have long-lasting effects. Despite knowing how sly Vivian could be, Valentine decided to trust her advice regarding business and take the first step into creating the world's first mall business, under the name Galleria De Clare.
In a matter of weeks, Galleria De Clare was poised to become one of the best businesses the De Clares had ever invested in, and Valentine would openly attribute the idea to Vivian in his meeting with the gazette, but that was a story for another time.
Vivian was still at the party, meeting people and greeting elders, until she finally found Isabella, who shared a gazebo with several exotic-looking individuals. Vivian had seen some of these exotic races before; one of which was the Draconians like the Emperor's concubine, and another was the half-Hulkling like Esmeralda. Still, now she was seeing both a Draconian and Maopi.
Draconians are a race claiming descent from dragons, possessing a strange physique: long, slender necks reminiscent of dragons, and agile legs with tails, claws, and horns. While their claim of dragon descent was often overlooked, a single glance was usually enough to convince anyone of their narrative. On the other hand, their faces looked more like lizards than dragons, yet somehow, their appearance possessed a beauty Vivian never understood.
{A/n: Inspired by the Lizards of Divinity series. Scalies, Arise!}
The Draconians ruled the continent of Longdi for many centuries before the Albionese invasion. While powerful and possessing unique arcane arts, the Draconians were an elite minority, and the commoners were Kobolds, a lesser form of Draconians and subjects living in total serfdom.
It was safe to say that the Draconians stood no chance against the endless armies of Albion. To save themselves, the Draconian warlords and maharajas agreed to annex their Empire, joining hands with the nobles and becoming members of the ruling class. While considered an ultimate betrayal, the lesser Kobolds never complained, simply serving a new master with little change to their lives. Later, revolutions began to occur, and here the Maopis entered the scene.
Unlike the oppressive Dragon Empire in Longdi, the Maopis inhabited the jungles, islands, and mountains. Their appearance might seem human from a distance, but they possessed many animalistic features, ranging from fox-like ears and dog-like noses to cat-like eyes and beautiful furs. Their looks weren't fixed like those of other races; some appeared closer to animals than humans, while others appeared almost human except for a feature or two.
The Maopis were enemies of the Draconians and had long wars with them. Yet, like the Draconians, some Maopis decided to join hands with the Albionese invaders, creating a symbiotic relationship to prevent the Draconians from rallying the Albionese armies against them and driving them out of their lands.
While many Maopis led rebellions against the colonists, the independence war still raged in Longdi with no apparent victory in sight. However, the war transformed the relationship between the two continents into a frenemy situation, where Humans, Draconians, and Maopis formed unique relationships based on rivalry, friendship, and even love.
And so, in that gathering hosted by Isabella, one could hear hisses and tongue clicks between the snoopy Draconians and the rebellious Maopis. While the two were the dominant races of Longdi, it had become a custom among Albionese aristocrats to invite groups of each race together to watch them scowl at each other—a tradition passed down since the days of colonizing the East, intended to spark animosity between the Draconians and the Maopis and prevent them from uniting.
"Oh, look who's here!" Isabella got up immediately upon seeing Vivian. As Vivian was about to greet her, Isabella skipped past her and went for Esmeralda. "Come, I want you to meet my friends. Everyone, this is Esmeralda, a half-giant from the south. Esmeralda, these are Lady Lan from the Tobacco Palace and Sir Kai, the great spice exporter."
"My pleasure." Esmeralda, suddenly dragged past Vivian by Isabella, spoke with a curtsy, bending both knees with one foot behind the other and slightly lowering her head.
"Bronze skin! Oh my!" The Draconian Lady spoke, exhaling an ungodly amount of smoke. "The ones I've seen of your kind had stone-like skin."
"Those are the ones from the great desert of Marara; this one is from the coast of Hadara." The Maopi gentleman with black and white fur replied.
"The gentleman is right." Esmeralda replied respectfully. "Our desert-dwelling relatives have earthen skin, while my people have metallic skin."
"Isn't she just so tall and amazing?" Isabella was so excited about introducing Esmeralda that she looked to her side and noticed her supposed best friend. "Oh, and this is Vivian."
Standing a step behind Isabella, Vivian looked at her with murderous intent and a psycho smile.
"Isabella De Clare, departed at the tender age of 22, mysteriously of unnatural causes!"
"Goodness, woman! Can't you take a joke?"
"I don't know. I'm already the chairwoman of plotting to murder my stepmother organization. Are you sure you want this little miss psycho thinking about stabby stabby things around you?"
"I believe a reintroduction is in order." Isabella clasped her hands and turned to her group. "Everyone, this is Vivian Moore, *the* Vivian Moore, one of our era's greatest visionaries."
"The tension between those two!" Said Kai, the Maopi gentleman, with a wry smile.
"Get a room already." Added Lan, the Draconian lady, before coughing out another puff of smoke.
"I know, I've always known." On the other hand, Esmeralda couldn't help but cover her face in shame.
"Nice to meet you all." Vivian immediately fixed her attitude and returned to her noble, graceful self.
"Still, to get an opportunity to meet the famous Vivian Moore, this day isn't a waste after all." Kai stood up and approached Vivian to greet her with a hand kiss.
"You're too kind, sir, but I wouldn't say famous—more like infamous." Vivian replied with a smile.
"Look around you, dear. Infamous is what this crowd is all about. What matters here is the weight of your purse and the reach of your arm." Lan spoke without moving from her lounge chair.
"Sounds like my kind of crowd." Vivian replied with an approving nod.
"Then allow me to welcome you to our gathering of the infamous black ducklings of society." Isabella said and pulled Vivian along to sit in the empty seat beside hers.
"But here's the thing, Bella: you never were a black duckling." Said Vivian as she made herself comfortable.
"A coup d'état as soon as she joins the table. My Lady, I profess myself your most ardent admirer." Kai said with a hand over his heart.
As for Isabella, she looked at Vivian with a shocked face.
"How can you say that? Literally every mother in this city warns her daughters not to get mixed up with me… every night before bed." She said.
"Won't argue with that." Vivian nodded with an understanding face.
The four attendees of the gathering seemed to have some sort of chemistry. While it was Vivian's first time meeting both Kai and Lan, the two of them were rather open around her, even exchanging flirtatious looks despite the disapproval of their surrounding kin. It seemed that despite the animosity between their races, those two weirdos had established a taboo relationship far from home. It was the kind of company Vivian had always expected Isabella to have.
But just as the three of them saw Vivian getting comfortable, Lan and Kai dismissed most of the people around them, and only those who stayed totally silent remained—a handful. Lan then struck Vivian with a question.
"So, Lady Vivian, we had an ongoing bet before you arrived, and now I guess it's time for answers. How did your meeting with the young lord go?"
As Lan spoke, Vivian turned to her with narrowed eyes and then looked at both Isabella and Kai, who seemed rather neutral about Lan's question and just observed Vivian. Vivian seemed to understand the situation she had walked into but wanted to validate things first.
"So… what did you bet on?" She asked.
Rather than Lan explaining, Isabella answered.
"It went like this: the three of us knew you were going to meet my little brother, and knowing you, I said that you would surely try to find out something about Valentine's activities. Lan thinks that intel gathering should be done by professionals like herself, and Kai thinks that since I think so highly of you, your skill should be at least adequate to get something from that fortified study my brother has."
"I see." Vivian smiled as she fully realized what was happening.
This wasn't just some random circle of friends for Isabella; it was the heart of her secret operation, the little information guild she was managing. Kai and Lan were information partners, and seeing how invested they were in Vivian's actions, it seemed that Isabella was preparing the stage for something.
Vivian pondered for a bit and hummed as she started thinking before letting out a sigh followed by a shrug.
"Honestly, I don't know… I wasn't in my intel-gathering mode, but…"
As she spoke, Vivian put two fingers inside her left sleeve, pulled out a roll of paper, and put it on the small table between the four of them. She then did the same with the opposite sleeve and took out a rolled envelope.
As the three gave her weird looks, she awkwardly reached to the back of her neck and took out a piece of paper that appeared to be a torn page from her dress' shoulder. Finally, she averted her eyes and swiftly took out a folded paper from her bosom.
"Vivian, you minx!"
"Shut it!"
Once Isabella unrolled the first paper, she almost jumped off her seat from the surprise and was about to curse at Vivian. In her hands were coded correspondences between Valentine and some of his "clients" for whom he laundered money through auctioning art pieces.
"How did you get that?" Asked Lan as she looked at the folded paper.
"Secrets of the trade." Vivian replied.
"But you went in there with Valentine… and got out with him. When did you have the time to go through his things?" Isabella asked.
"When I was cheekily sitting behind his desk, explaining to him a new business idea that excited him. But enough about how I did it. You sent me a secret message coded as an invitation. Why did you want documents from Valentine's study? You aren't exactly the type to try to avert your brother from the error of his ways." Vivian asked.
"No! Not at all." Isabella laughed and got closer to Vivian. "Honestly, I wanted my partners to see how capable you are."
As she pointed at Kai and Lan, Vivian could see Lan tossing a gold coin to Kai, who had won the bet against her.
"Why is that?" Vivian asked.
"Because she recommended you as a special client to our enterprise. She said we can benefit from you as long as we fully support you." Lan replied.
"Fully showing support is not something we do unless you are one of us. Being one of us requires both power and skill at gathering information." Kai added.
"I see. So this was a test." Vivian understood what it was all about.
"One that you slayed." Isabella replied.
"Usually, I'd be very skeptical, but since I am in desperate need of informants, I will welcome this opportunity." Vivian said with a chill attitude. "By the way, what is the name of this organization of yours?"
"No. We don't do names. Each of us has our own operation that is disconnected from the rest. But we gather every now and then, exchange hot topics, and do analytics." Kai said.
"And who is the mystery leader?" Vivian then asked.
The three looked at each other and shrugged with confused eyes at her question.
"Don't give me the dumb treatment." Vivian said, not buying their act, "Isabella right here can't be the leader; her head is so filled with beautiful, shiny things, and she was never the leading type."
"Thank you. I told you she is perceptive!" Isabella said with a gleeful smile.
"Too perceptive." Lan, on the other hand, felt threatened by how Vivian was catching up.
"How do you know the leader is not one of us?" Kai asked Vivian.
"Because for three young people such as yourselves, there should always be a mentor, someone with age and wisdom under their belt. The young are the recruiters since young people attract one another, but once the true test is laid down, the mentor comes in and establishes the new reality for the new recruit. That's secret societies 101." Vivian explained.
The three became frozen by how perceptive she was. It was almost as if they were the ones being tested, and she was speaking from an experience they couldn't seem to fathom.
"Let's see if I am right."
Vivian then looked at Isabella, Kai, and Lan and drew a tarot card for each.
« -1400 SP! »
The Sun for Isabella, the Hierophant reversed for Kai, and the Devil for Lan.
The Sun felt like Isabella alright—bright and joyous, successful and full of life. The reversed Hierophant for Kai meant that he was a rebellious soul, not a big fan of tradition and always striving for the new. As for Lan, the Devil was full of negative traits that Vivian couldn't single out to make a reading with one card alone, but it ranged from oppression to materialism and greed.
But those meanings weren't what Vivian was after; she was after the System's reading.
————————————————————
• Name: Isabella De Clare
• Age: 22
• Thoughts: Delighted, Observing, Expecting
————————————————————
• Name: Bayuntau Kai
• Age: 26
• Thoughts: Shocked, Careful with expressions, Worried about a secret
————————————————————
• Name: Ura Lan
• Age: 31
• Thoughts: Shocked, Suspecting betrayal, Worried about a secret
————————————————————
"It seems I was right." Vivian said with a prideful face.
"What's that?" Isabella darted right next to Vivian to see those mystery cards.
"Just a quick tarot. You guys are open books against my tarot." Vivian put away the cards, satisfied that her guess was right.
"Look, Lan. Someone else does the same shenanigans you do." Kai said jokingly.
"Noted!" Lan said, then out of nowhere, exhaled a big breath of smoke right at Vivian's face.
Vivian immediately started waving the smoke away, and Isabella covered her nose. Still, from Lan's point of view, the smoke she spread started to twist itself and take rough forms around Vivian before eventually dissolving.
"What was that about? Capnomancy?" Vivian asked before coughing.
"One reading for another. I think it's only fair." Lan said.
"Really? What did it say?" Vivian asked while trying to keep a friendly attitude.
"All sorts of nonsense. It's like reading for two at the same time." Lan said and dismissed what she saw in the smoke.
While Vivian almost had a jump scare, Kai and Isabella seemed laid back about this reading.
"Probably because the smoke hit both Vivian and Isabella." Kai said.
"Readings are always unreliable." Isabella added, not concerning herself with what just happened.
"Whatever you say!"
While Vivian would usually reply this way when someone said that readings were unreliable, she found Lan saying the same words at the same time.
It seemed that the Draconian lady knew more about divination than she let on.
"What was my card again?" Lan asked Vivian.
"The Devil."
"I always thought I would be the High Priestess. I guess I have to face reality, huh?"
While it seemed that Lan was the least favorable of Vivian, having shared interests was a good thing, making Lan more flexible with Vivian.
"Enough flirting, you two. Since Vivian has proven herself capable of handling things, can we finally initiate her as a member of our little group?" Isabella said as the bonding moment between Vivian and Lan was finally over.
"As I said, not until I meet your leader." Vivian said.
"Look, you are smart, I give you that, but the leader is someone even we don't have full knowledge of his identity." Kai said.
"Then I thank you graciously for your invitation, but I must decline. I have a lot on my plate, and pursuing the interests of a secret society doesn't quite sit well with my current agenda."
"Oh!"
"How sad!"
"That's unfortunate."
The three seemed a bit surprised, especially Isabella, who was sure Vivian would welcome the idea of joining her information guild.
Vivian was the Bloody Swan; Isabella knew that secret and was willing to share her own secret with Vivian since the latter shared hers with her. It would also be of immense value to Vivian since it would make her operations much easier if she continued acting as the Bloody Swan and sabotaging the Crown Prince's faction.
Vivian could see the disappointment on Isabella's face and was feeling a bit guilty, but she had lived that sort of life before—a pawn in a bigger game—and wasn't keen on redoing it. If she were to dabble in intelligence and spycraft ever again, it would be to serve her own agendas.
But to not make her friend look bad, she changed her attitude and put on a sly smile.
"Still…"
Hearing this, Isabella looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"… I can be a valuable client and a generous sponsor."
Her words caused the three multiracial youths to look at one another with narrowed eyes before facing her at the same time.
"Ms. Moore, I don't think you understand. The three of us are immensely rich. We know no one is richer than the Moores, but we aren't lightweight spenders either." Kai spoke for the three of them.
"Oh boy! I am sorry if I insulted you, friends. I must have clarified myself first, but you should have also understood that I was never talking about money or simple assets."
"So… innovations? Inventions?" Lan asked.
"No, my dear." Vivian said and suddenly flashed her mouse gun, Titania, at Lan's face.
Clank!
The gun's hammer made its clicking sound as she pulled the trigger, but rather than an explosive bullet painting the pavilion with Lan's brain matter, nothing more than the clank occurred.
"Bang!" She said.
This simple movement made everyone shudder, but the scary part was yet to come. Vivian reloaded the gun by breaking the barrel open and acted as if she loaded another bullet and aimed at Kai.
"Bang!" She said again.
Finally, it was Isabella's turn, and just like the other two, Vivian reloaded and said bang after pulling the trigger.
"See what I am offering?"
Her words made the three have conflicted feelings about what they had just witnessed. The first to react was Isabella.
"You're not serious! These things… I thought they were your most guarded secret."
"Hardly." Vivian replied with a cunning smile.
"I don't understand. This firearm? Were you trying to say it can fire as fast as you demonstrated?" Lan asked.
"Not just as fast. This is a whole new breed of firearms—a revolution, to say the least." Rather than Vivian, it was Kai who replied.
"Mr. Kai seems to be knowledgeable about firearms." Vivian turned to the Maopi.
"Mr. Kai is more than just knowledgeable. He is a collector of rare firearms." Isabella commented.
"I knew that House Moore had some marvelous firearm designs, but this? Is this the latest design your house has made?" Kai asked.
"No. It is my own prototype." Vivian replied.
"Wait! I thought the manufacturing of firearms was restricted only to the royal family." Lan wondered.
"Not manufacturing—mass manufacturing! The Moores still make their own firearms, and outside Elgard's royal domain, they partake in mass weapon manufacturing in colonial fiefs, the distant and isolated ones most of all." Kai replied with his expert opinion on the matter.
"Well, my house can't utilize magic like the others, so firearms have become our thing. Early prototypes need to prove themselves on the battlefield to improve their designs and practicality." Vivian explained her family's side hustle in arms dealing.
"Personally, I enjoy collecting Moore brand firearms. Some of the best guns I own. I knew I would find kindred souls among the Moores, but for it to be the young lady…" Kai spoke to Vivian in acknowledgment.
"And the Gun Cult just keeps expanding." Isabella rolled her eyes.
"Still… isn't exposing such a highly advanced firearm a hasty move? I mean, such a weapon will really be of help, but… if the design goes out… I mean, when the design goes out…" Lan spoke while trying to discern what was going on in Vivian's mind.
"Yes, it would be very problematic." Vivian nodded, but her smile didn't fade. "Only if you people can figure out the design, though."
Her words were a bit challenging, making Kai lean forward and seem to accept the challenge.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. The gun's design itself is rather conventional. It is the fact that I am going to rig every firearm I give you." Vivian explained with the most shameful words ever heard.
"You're going to… rig them?" Kai asked, taken aback but still smiling.
"The guns will be set to fire a certain number of rounds, and each will have an expiration date. After that, the gun's components will come apart." Vivian said.
"Can't they just be put back together?" Isabella asked.
"No." Kai replied and rested back, his smile fading now that he understood what Vivian was doing. "She's not talking about the joined gun parts; she's talking about the metal itself. In other words, the metal itself will disintegrate. Metallurgists can do that."
Vivian nodded.
"I assume that if anyone tries to disassemble the guns during their working period, the guns will automatically disintegrate." He added.
"Right, you are, Mr. Kai. They will also be sensitive to magic, so… be careful." Vivian said.
The deal was good. Vivian still had her own ideas to limit the guns provided to the information guild, but since she could become an outsider partner and a sponsor, her own detective work would be reduced. A lady like her couldn't be on the streets every night, and since her father was breathing down her neck lately, this was her only solution to the current problem.
But what was truly revolutionary about Vivian's gun wasn't the design; it was the projectiles and their relationship to the firearms. If Vivian were to hand over the cartridges to anyone faintly interested in guns, it would be easy to figure out that her guns' superiority worked by igniting an already assembled ammunition that didn't need to be assembled inside the gun to be fired.
She'd need to downgrade her weapons back to normal firearms and sell the illusion that she was giving them advanced firearms. They would still be advanced and faster to fire but nothing close to her special designs.
"So, let's finalize our deal, Vivian. You want information in return for firearms. Anything else?" Isabella jumped straight to the deal but without hinting to Vivian to ask for more if she wanted any.
"Information, surveillance, and finally, rescue." Vivian said, raising three fingers.
"Information and surveillance are our specialties, but rescue?" Lan frowned.
"Don't give me that, Ms. Lan. A good spy always has a backdoor, a hideout, just in case all things go south." Vivian said without backing off.
"I see. We'll need to consult our leader about this first, but… an asset like you is worth protecting." Lan replied.
Vivian noticed how Lan was taking the lead on this particular point, proving that she was superior to both Isabella and Kai in their secret little organization—maybe the vice leader or something.
"Finally, I want reports on my firearms' performance. The more detailed they are, the better guns you get from me in the following shipments. Maybe we can achieve some sort of breakthrough." Vivian said.
"Music to my ears, Lady Vivian. If that's all, I believe we can shake on it." Kai said and offered his hand first.
Vivian shook hands with the Maopi, the Draconian lady, and then her best friend ordered.
"Speaking of music, there's someone I'd like you to meet—an associate who is knee-deep in the affairs of the state and can provide you with answers to your questions." Kai then added.
"That's marvelous!" Vivian said and clasped her hand in a feminine manner. "Where and when do I meet your associate, Sir Kai?"
"She's right over there."
Kai stood up and pointed away with an open hand, inviting Vivian to take the loot.
Far in the distance, around the trunk of the dazzling tree illuminated by the star-like electrical lamps, a woman walked through the crowd and looked back toward Kai as if she had felt his gaze. Her furry yet pointy ears twitched on top of her head, and her green eyes had a good look at Vivian before Vivian could have a good look at her.
She was another Maopi, one who looked more human than Kai but nonetheless of an alien race. Tall and beautiful in her own accord, her light-grey spotted skin made her stand out, and her short black hair wasn't commonly seen unless it was on a tomboy like Edith. Still, that Maopi lady was no tomboy, almost as feminine as Isabella if Vivian were to draw a comparison.
She was one of the most famous faces in Archester's nightlife, a voice that captured the hearts of men and women alike, an artist with a flare rarely seen in the world, the best professional singer in Elgard: Jade-Eyed Lumi.