This extremely ungentlemanly and very shocking language caused Yi Chen to instinctively step back half a step.
Moreover,
It was impossible to determine the gender solely based on the other person's voice and costume.
"Not quite appropriate…"
Yi Chen rejected it immediately.
"Tsk~ I thought you would be an interesting person, but it turns out you're as dull as those gentlemen.
Being too restrained is no fun at all, considering we don't live long in this world… If we're also bound by all sorts of frameworks, that'd be too miserable, even more so than lions in a circus, don't you think?
By the way, how did you meet Mr. Ivan?"
Just then,
the sound of a secret door opening came from the second floor,
Yi Chen naturally couldn't care less about the odd person in front of him and rushed upstairs as fast as possible.
However,
the youth wearing a colorful mask also followed, almost keeping pace with Yi Chen… even their footsteps overlapped perfectly.
Shop owner Ivan, leaning on his cane, appeared slightly fatigued as he stepped out from the secret door,
the half of his face not covered by a mask visibly more haggard than the day before.
His gaze then fell on the other person.
"Jin, so you happen to be one of the examinees this year?"
"Yes, Mr. Ivan.
When I moved into the temporary dorm yesterday, I had a small conflict with a roommate and accidentally severed their limbs' tendons causing severe bleeding… The aftermath was quite troublesome, wasting my entire day."
"Oh…
You'll have to wait a bit, Mr. Behrens is a friend of mine referred to me, and his outfit has just been finished—it needs a final 'fitting trial.'
If anything doesn't fit right, I'll have my hands full."
"No problem, I'm actually quite eager to see what's so special about the 'First Gentleman's Skin'? Why not just change outside?"
"Jin, restrain yourself a little…"
Shop owner Ivan gestured for Yi Chen to come alone.
The youth known as 'Jin' could only tilt his head and wave goodbye.
Click~
The secret door was locked.
This was also Yi Chen's first visit to the 'Clothing Room'.
The tungsten filament lamp installed overhead buzzed like gnats, providing luxurious light.
The interior was not as high-end and open as imagined, just a narrow, elongated room.
Every utilizable space was filled with tools, equipment and various fabrics.
1. A perfectly balanced sewing table made of a certain ancient wood, one's fingertips could feel its excellent woodiness upon touch, able to be in contact with skin for long periods without causing any sweat.
Various forms of scissors and measuring tapes hung on wall hooks in front of the sewing table for easy access,
2. Shelves brimming with different kinds of fabric and some less commonly used specialty tools,
3. At the other end of the room, a basin-like tabletop resembling a photo rinsing station lay.
Rows of unknown reagents were neatly arranged,
A fine wire stretched across the top of the table, from which hung pieces of 'skin' that had been specially soaked and treated to serve as important materials for making clothes.
4. Several slender mannequins were also placed here, their heads still covered with white cloths, their arm structures carved with extra finesse, even showing pores and varying lengths of fingernail details.
Seemingly serving as Ivan's 'assistants' here.
"It seems a bit cramped in here…" Yi Chen had to sidestep carefully through the room, afraid to bump into any important tailoring tools.
"A small space can squeeze the brain, heightening concentration, reducing the likelihood of errors and mistakes.
Come with me~ Your clothes are in a deeper place, don't let 'it' wait too long."
Behind the closet of the clothing room, there was actually another secret door,
'Changing Room'
Approximately a ten-square-meter square, enclosed room,
with candlesticks at the four corners,
and directly opposite the entrance stood an oval mirror with gold trim on the wall,
A statue with the same body size, height, and even the dimensions of the fingers, navel, and back door as Yi Chen stood in the center,
However,
this statue still did not have facial features; instead, a circle of "vortex" was carved on the face to substitute for them, with the deep part of the vortex corresponding to Yi Chen's book emblem.
The outfit worn on the statue was made from "Gentleman's Skin" as the raw material, consisting of:
1. "Shirt"—a white standard shirt with a round collar design, adjustable herringbone cuffs matched with a pair of black sleeve garters.
2. "Waistcoat"—an essential piece of clothing with vintage British elements, originally designed to cover the shirt; now it became an indispensable part of a gentleman's attire.
Molata wool, a deep gray color between black and white, with an inverted triangular structure.
3. "Trousers"—high-waisted single-pleat trousers, with black and gray stripes, providing support to the waistcoat, perfectly bridging the gap between it and the trousers.
4. "Coat"—also the most important part of the outfit, offering two choices: "Suit" or "Overcoat".
Both are black.
"Suit" is commonly used for everyday activities, such as daily outings in Zion, learning, attending meetings, etc. Its material can effectively purify the spirit and enhance thought activity, more conducive to establishing and displaying a gentleman's character.
"Overcoat" is mainly used for field investigations and battles with the Pathogen.
Its material can effectively isolate the effects of Pathological influence, as well as suit the individual's combat style. Generally speaking, it is the part of the attire that uses the most "Gentleman's Skin".
Of course,
this is not entirely fixed; there are also gentlemen who mainly wear suits for external investigations, Grey Zone exploration, or even rushing to the frontlines.
As for leather shoes, socks, belts, ties, bow ties or some other external decorations, they are not included in "Clothing" and can be chosen according to the event one is attending.
Shop owner Ivan explained simply:
"The focus of my design for your outfit is 'the intertwining of life and death' and 'the emphasis on knowledge'.
Firstly, by alternating the use of black and white, with the addition of gray, I aim to accentuate the boundary between life and death.
Then the most important aspect, 'Knowledge', which is the path you have chosen to grow,
I have spent a lot of thought on incorporating this aspect into the suit's design.
Using the classic Ivy version, narrow natural shoulders, straight tube without front darts, and widely spaced single-row three-button design, I personally recommend buttoning only the middle one.
Because the quantity of 'Gentleman's Skin' you brought was sufficient, I used half of it for the suit, which helps to maximize the display of your professional characteristics.
As for the overcoat,
Considering your background, my design is cemetery-style,
I've used 'Son of Lucifer' black mountain goat wool combined with Gentleman's Skin, favoring a design style that is both rough and secretive, while slightly increasing the length and fabric thickness.
Try it on and see how it fits.
Of course, the suit and the overcoat need to be tried on separately.
I believe such a nearly perfect outfit will root itself onto your skin as if it were a rash, irresistible."
"Alright..."
Yi Chen could hardly wait from the moment he stepped into the changing room and saw the tailored clothes.
During the fitting,
he felt the fabric sliding over his skin like the gentle touch of a girl's fingers, fitting perfectly.
If the "clothes" he hastily bought in Easton Town after leaving the graveyard were already comfortable,
then this set of fully customized clothing
defied the limits of what 'comfort' could describe,
with every aspect of the fabric's finish and every folded gap appearing impeccable, beyond reproach.
As he put on the outermost suit,
the outfit immediately resonated with Yi Chen, the wearer.
It was as though the threads woven into the garment connected deeply with the blood vessels, nerves, and muscle fibers of his body, forming a whole.
The brain, too, was stimulated by the embrace of the clothes,
with the book emblem in the brain's posterior side made of brain sulci, together with the heart and the entire outfit, all pulsating at the exact same frequency.
"This is!"
Rows of "ancient characters" floating in motion appeared in his view.
Yi Chen was certain it was his first time seeing these characters but could understand their meaning.
At the very top, the most conspicuous and bolded text conveyed crucial information:
[Profession: Student (Student)]