Proofread by Thomas F
Eva Charles
Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go…
A tiny colorless gem floating in the center of my palm, with mist entering it.
I am not pushing it in.
No, with the amount of mist I had pushed inside, raw force is useless. It's all about experience, knowledge, and control, which I am pushing to the limit with this.
I have activated all my skills.
Jeweler's Precision, Gem Knowledge, Master at Work, and other skills. Despite them, I am on the verge of losing concentration under the immense pressure.
Here, I am not pushing mist into the gem, but merging it with it and the complex enchantment that my son had carved into it.
It was his best work, considering how complex the enchantment was. It was extremely dangerous because if this tiny crystal had exploded, it would have harmed him grievously.
So, I had not forced the mist into it, but I also ensured I did not damage the crystal.
Second passed, and I felt my whole body go pale with sweat, but I didn't care. This is very important for the piece. If I couldn't do it, the whole piece would be mediocre.
The artist in me refuses to accept it.
I want the piece that will make everyone marvel. Create an impact greater than the bones of the incursion piece.
It is a once - in - a-lifetime chance for any artist. I wouldn't forgive myself if I couldn't break past my limit to create the piece I had envisioned.
Time passed, and I kept merging more and more mist into the crystal until finally the crystal became wholly transparent, and I let go.
Slumping back in my chair with my wet back from the strain, I watched the tiny crystal land gently on the table.
"You did it," said the bearded man and walked toward my table, before picking up the crystal and looking at it. "It will do. Now, we only need another hundred and eleven of them," he added, and I groaned.
He is Hanson, an old friend of mine and a member of the team helping me with the piece.
Yes, I need help. The piece is massive and requires expertise I don't have. It feels good to work together with him and the others, reminding me of my younger days.
"Hundred and eleven," I said and sighed.
As far as I know, my control over the mist is the best among all the store owners and most of the madams. I think the only ones who could have better control are the triumvirate and Lady Carla.
I can't bother them with it. Meaning, I will have to do it myself, and seeing them as an important cog, I will have to do it within weeks.
Without them, we won't be able to move forward.
"Have you asked Lord Silver about the big gem?" he asked, and I shook my head. "I am going to. He is coming later today to see the progress," I replied.
I have wanted to ask about it, but seeing how busy he is, I waited, but could not anymore.
These will act as a small core of the piece, but there is also a main core, and I can't power fuse the mist with it, not only because it requires a massive amount of it, which is beyond my abilities.
There is also the fact that it must be core essence.
The enchantment on it is the most complex work my son has done. If I tried to fill it with mist, I would destroy the enchantments and the gem, and that result would kill me.
It is risky for Remus as well. It is why I have been hesitating, but now I have to ask him.
I rested for a few minutes before taking out another crystal. I am tired, but as I said, I have over a hundred crystals and not much time.
I wish someone else could do this. So, I could work on other parts of the piece.
It is complex, containing thousands of parts, many of which only I could do.
I did two more crystals before I stopped. Feeling exhausted. I want to do some more, but I am completely spent. I will do it in the evening, after I finish some work and my meeting with Remus.
A few minutes later, I got up and activated Glittering Jeweler.
My body glittered, and a few seconds later, all the sweat and creases on my clothes disappeared, while my make-up and hair were fixed. However, exhaustion remained in my eyes.
I walked out of my office and checked on others.
The piece is big and important enough that we got a small building in Artisan's Garden. We had to share the space until a month ago, when we got our own space after the other batch of buildings finished.
Forty-five minutes later, I walked out of the building, smelling the beautiful fragrance that took some of my fatigue away.
I looked around and saw quite a lot of artists in the garden. Some are sitting on benches while others are lying on the ground with their eyes closed.
Since its inception, the Artisan's Garden has grown a lot.
The number of people working on it has easily sextupled, and it continues to grow each week.
Which is good because my team alone isn't enough to finish the piece. I needed help from others to complete a few things, and access to these artists will allow for that.
They are going to play a huge part in the piece.
Soon, I appeared in front of a large building. It is the second-largest building in the entire artisan garden, with its latest expansion completed just a week ago.
It is smaller than only the central building and the largest store building in the Legacy.
Which is not surprising, considering Eva Cain is the biggest store. As before, we have the entire floor, but this time it's much bigger.
We also have a much bigger space in Twilight Hall, as well as in the other two Velvet Stores.
I stepped inside the building and went to the jewelry wing. Soon, I reached the private workstation, where a woman in her sixties was working in deep concentration.
It is my workspace, but since I spend most of my time on the piece, Arina uses it.
I didn't make a sound and walked toward the workstation where she was working on a necklace. It is my design, and a complex one, that, aside from me, only she could work.
I have crafted barely any pieces. All the time I had normally spent in the store, I spent designing.
I have designed a lot more than I thought. The piece I am working on inspired me. The main collection we are planning to display is inspired by it.
"How is it?" she asked a few minutes later, when she finally stopped. "Marvelous as always," I replied, looking at the unfinished piece.
"It's quite complex, especially the work around the central diamond," she said. It is given that the Sorebus diamond repels that metal, while we have embedded it in the metal.
It's a beautiful diamond and the one that will be the center of moonlight serenity enchantment.
It's a complex enchantment, but a very powerful one, with diamond and mist.
It will bring a moonlight glow around the person, which will not only make them beautiful but will also offer protection against any mental spells and skills.
"If you couldn't do this, then I would have to think about hiring someone else to do the pieces of the main collection," I said, and the woman whipped her head toward me and glared.
"Over my dead body!" she spat.
I smiled. I am going to hire people, but it would be hard to find someone better than her. Her talent, experience, and control over mist are very hard to match.
Still, it would be hard for her to do the central pieces of the main collection.
I designed it, but even I don't know whether I could do it. It's really hard, not to mention whether I will have time to do it with the piece taking most of my time.
I have a backup collection, but I want to show the best collection.
Especially given Miss Cain's amazing designs. That woman is very talented, and I have to match her collection with mine.
"Can you clarify something for me?" she asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I hummed in reply, and she brought the necklace she was working on closer.
"Why aren't we doing Beirhardt weave here? I think it will look better," she asked, and I smiled.
A few minutes later, I walked out of her workroom and moved to the others. Checking on each, clearing up any doubts they have, and reviewing progress.
We have a large production target for the three stores that are already open and for the flagship that will open in Velvet Garden in a little over three months.
I am hiring people, but it's hard to find good people.
Unlike before, I have changed the criteria. I still hire the experienced one, with good levels, but now most of my focus is on hiring those with a good base and instinctive control over mist.
Such people are hard to find. It's a good thing, we are part of Velvet Garden.
Advertisements are attracting hundreds of people every week for interviews, but unfortunately, the hiring rate is less than 1%.
Eva Cain isn't the only store facing problems; other stores are as well, but ours is the most severe because of our size and massive demand for our goods.
It was in the evening when I stepped outside and sat on the bench, looking at the beautiful plants.
Taking in their wonderful fragrance.
A few minutes passed, and a carriage stopped not far away from me. A second later, a handsome man stepped out of it. Seeing him, my cheeks couldn't help but flush like a teen.
"Lord Silver," I greeted as he stopped beside me. "Eva," he replied with a smile.
There is a look in it that made my cheeks flush brightly.
"You look tired," he said, coming a step closer to me. "It's the work; the piece is difficult," I replied truthfully. I have come to know that he likes to hear the truth, even if it is not good.
"You have chosen something ambitious," he said, and I couldn't help but smile.
It is true.
I could have chosen something on a smaller scale, and he would have agreed, but I wanted to create a grand piece. It's the dream of every artist, an opportunity that extremely few get in their lifetime.
"It is why I do not regret. Even when it makes me so tired and keeps me sleepless," I replied with a smile, and he smiled with me.
"I am glad you are enjoying it," he said. "I am," I replied and grinned.
"Though there is something I need your help with. I could do the secondary core, despite the difficulty, but I need your help with the main core," I added a moment later.
"The one you said will need core essence?" He asked, and I nodded. "Along with a lot of emotion essence," I replied and took out the core from my bag.
It's a red topaz, a salantine topaz, and it's huge—a thumb-sized.
It is one of the rarest gems in the world, and one couldn't get it with just money. Velvet Garden brought it before my son enchanted it. It took him over a month, during which he did nothing but work on it.
He did an incredible job on this glittering red gem, and now, it needs to be infused with essence.
He took it from my hand and inspected it.
"Without harming the enchantments, right?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Can you show me the small core? I want to try it first before doing it with this. I am confident in my abilities, but this gem has cost me an arm and a leg. I don't want to destroy it." He said, and I nodded.
That is a valid concern, and I am not talking about the cost of it.
That gem contains the energy of a very powerful kind. If it exploded, it could destroy the whole artisan garden in an instant.
I handed him the small core, and he looked at the transparent gem for a few seconds before closing his eyes.
For several seconds, nothing happened. Until suddenly, dense mist appeared around us and began to funnel into the tiny crystal, making my eyes widen.
"Careful, it might not be as dangerous as the main core; it could still kill you!" I cautioned, nearly taking it from his hand, before I stopped as I heard his laughter.
"Relax, this is my essence," he laughed, while I watched dumbfounded as more mist arrived, covering him fully until I couldn't even see him through it.
It attracted a lot of eyes.
Seconds passed, and just as mist appeared. It disappeared; the only sign of it was the crystal.
"Here," he handed me the crystal, while I watched in shock. "It didn't even take you a minute," I said, looking at the crystal. It took me over an hour, and in that time, I needed to be completely focused.
"Give the rest of them to me, I will merge the essence into them," he was speaking when he suddenly stopped as the mage, who was standing at a distance, appeared beside him.
I could feel her activating a privacy spell and saying something that changed his expression drastically.
It surprised me, because Remus is very good at controlling his expressions. If it changed to such a degree, it means something happened, something big.
"Apologies, Eva, something has come up." He said, turning to me. "I hope everything is alright," he smiled.
"Me too," he replied and walked away quickly with his mage.