"Hello, is anyone here?" Two beautiful young ladies peeked into the closed candy shop.
"Yes, come in, I'm in the back room." Vina and Seleria walked through the small shop space, once filled with tables for guests, but over time, it had become a simple store. In the back room, an elderly woman was gathering her belongings.
"Oh, what beauties have come to watch over my little shop," she said.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I believe we are not the only beauties who have managed this place," Vina replied, instinctively trying to flatter the owner.
"Ho-ho-ho, my dear, I've long outlived my best years."
"We will only be here for two weeks, but during this time, we promise to take good care of your shop," Seleria politely bowed to the owner.
"Yes, everything will be in perfect order by your return!"
The enthusiasm of the young girls delighted the old lady, but still, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Perhaps the mayor didn't explain to you. In reality, I am leaving this town, and when I return, I will sell the shop to a new owner. I cannot manage the shop alone, and there is not enough profit to hire more employees. I'm moving to another city to be with my daughter, and I'm selling the shop. The new owner plans to renovate it and get rid of my little store. This place is simply too advantageous, so I could only fetch a small sum for the shop, but I hope it will help my daughter. Right now, he's devising a new plan for what to build here, so these two weeks will be a farewell to my little shop."
"What a sad story," Vina wiped her eyes.
"Vina, why are you crying?"
"It's just a sad story of a small business forced to close without realizing its potential. Sniff..sniff So much could have been done here, so many sweets could have been prepared, and so much money could have been earned."
"Oh, that's what it is..." Seleria shook her head, wondering how she could sympathize with this shopkeeper.
"I understand you completely. I also dreamt of opening a chain of pastry shops, but alas, I couldn't withstand the competition. My recipes couldn't compete with the professional chefs of the neighbors."
"Don't worry, I'll make these two weeks the best in the life of this little shop."
"I trust it to you, girls. Try to make the most of it, and whatever you earn, you can keep for yourselves."
The old lady hugged the girls and headed towards the exit.
"My recipe book is in the kitchen; you can use anything you need. As for the ingredients, ask the mayor; he'll tell you where to get them. I wish you good luck."
The old lady left, leaving the girls alone.
"So, I see you're not planning to just dust the furniture. What are you thinking?" Seleria glanced at Vina.
"This old lady had a dream, a pure and honest dream of making a huge pile of money! And I'll help her achieve it. We'll turn this place into the most popular pastry shop in town!"
"But she said her shop couldn't compete with the recipes from other stores."
"Then we'll change them and add new ones. You said you know how to cook, right?"
"Well, I know a bit, but making sweets is much more challenging."
"No worries, but if you share a couple of recipes from your country, it will be a great help. I've heard you're masters at creating exotic treats. We'll experiment on Ragni; she knows all about food, and besides, she won't die so easily if something doesn't work out for us."
"I'm amazed by your cruelty."
"Never mind, we'll also have to use the main attraction of this shop." Vina inspected Seleria from head to toe, front and back. "That will certainly attract new customers."
"Your look doesn't inspire much confidence."
"You mentioned wanting to try on all your new outfits; well, now's your chance. Hehehe," Vina's face lit up with a devilish grin.
"Grain, if we're going to build a bridge, wouldn't it be easier for you to conjure it with your magic?"
The dragoness and her partner walked along the road leading to the construction site.
"Ragni, it's not that simple. I'm not a powerful earth mage, and even with the help of our teacher, I couldn't create a strong enough structure."
"But come on, you've put up walls in the blink of an eye, long ones, too, when we fought the underground monsters and trolls. And a bridge is smaller than that."
"Ragni, I can manipulate earth and other less sturdy materials like sand and clay. But can you imagine a clay bridge? No one would be able to cross it."
"Hmm, then build it with something stronger, problem solved."
"It's not that easy. I can throw rocks and lift them into the air, but you won't find a big enough boulder in the shape of a bridge. And shaping a stone to fit the bridge's form without causing numerous cracks is beyond my abilities."
"Okay, okay, there are too many smart words. I thought you were capable of more, but I still believe you can be useful."
"Thanks," Grain lowered her head sadly. "I know I'm the most useless member of the team."
"What? I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm used to it, but know that I won't give up. Someday, I'll unlock the full potential of earth magic."
"Ho ho ho, that's the spirit! Young ones should be full of enthusiasm!" A rough male voice called out to the pair from behind. "You missed the turn; the construction site is this way."
The man, about thirty years old, pointed towards the riverbank where people were busy with the bridge's supports.
"I am Leonard, the architect of the bridge. And I assume you are volunteers from the Academy. Welcome to our city."
"Hello, so there will be a new bridge here?" Grain asked.
"Yes, this is the perfect location—a flat stretch, a solid foundation, and the city has long wanted to build its bridge across the river. It's the shortest route to the Academy."
"You no longer want to rely on the southern crossing?"
"Oh, trading will become even better with this one."
"What kind of rocks are used here for construction?" Grain inquired immediately.
"The foundation on this slope is laid with granite, ideal for the supports, and we're building the bridge itself with the same material, which we extract from the quarry beyond that hill."
The architect pointed to a tall cliff on the right bank, overhanging the river.
"But isn't the river supposed to be wider this time of year?"
"Young man, you must be a future builder, of course, it should. We've dammed it up slightly upstream with a small dam. During the day, we reduce its flow to a small stream. However, this causes problems with the sandy foundation, but we manage it."
As the trio conversed, they descended into the riverbed. The width here was about fifty meters, and the banks rose ten meters above the bed. Three supporting pillars were already installed on the riverbed, and the workers were starting to lay the bridge deck while adorning the pillars with carved reliefs.
"Well, now we need help more than ever. Many workers were bought out by the nobles from Nightleef; they don't want to part with the tolls from their crossing. So, only locals and a couple of my most trusted people are working here. The locals are enthusiastic, but lack the necessary skills. You, young man, seem strong, you can assist in installing the granite blocks, and the girl can help with smaller tasks, like handing out the mortar or setting up the food for lunch."
"I don't think it's a good idea to trust Ragni with food. Maybe she should carry the blocks," Grain suggested.
"Haha, you're quite the joker, young man! Passing such heavy work to a delicate girl," Leo laughed, but it only angered Ragni.
"Hmph, delicate girl? Where should I put this block?" Ragni pointed to a three-meter flat stone, part of the main deck.
"Miss, don't be upset, you are very strong, I'm sure, but don't strain yourself like that," Leo said, a little intimidated.
"Where?" Ragni persisted.
"Alright, take it to where my people are fitting blocks on the first pillar. But don't try to lift it on your own; I'll call someone to help," Leo turned around. Crack, whoosh, thud. The architect turned back, but neither Ragni nor the block were there anymore. "What? Where did she go?"
Behind Leo, there was a swooshing sound.
"Ahem, anything else? Or is that enough for today?" In just a second, the mysterious dark-haired beauty lifted a block weighing over a ton into the air and raised it ten meters high. "How? When? Who?"
"Just don't ask. I told you she's stronger than she seems," Grain patted the architect's shoulder, understandingly. "Sometimes even I am amazed by her strength. She has the power of ten men; the only problem is her corresponding appetite."
"That was incredible; I've never seen such strong people. With your help, we'll finish the bridge much faster, Lady Ragni, am I right?"
"You can just call me Ragni. If you need something heavy moved or held, call me. And, of course, don't forget about lunch!"
Ragni headed towards the shade of the nearest tree and lay down on the grass, waiting for the next instruction.
"I don't even know what task to assign you now... Hmm, young man," said Grain.
"Grain, I could help your people with molding and fitting the blocks, if possible," the newcomer offered.
"Well, alright. I'm counting on your help. If everything goes smoothly, we'll finish the bridge in time for the festival."
"Katrina, do you think you can sew with those gloves?" Kurone was discussing with her partner as they approached their workplace.
"I'll try my best. I don't want to hurt anyone. Besides, I've already learned to handle them somewhat skillfully."
"Oh, are you our temporary workers?" A middle-aged woman in a simple dress and apron came out of the factory door. "The mayor warned me that you would come today. Come in, don't be shy."
The woman led the girls into the workshop, where around ten sewing machines were set up, and local women were working.
"Girls, I understand that you want to look beautiful, but it's better to change into work clothes here at the factory, or you might ruin your new dresses," the woman said, inspecting Katrina. "And what are these strange gloves? You won't be able to work with them, I'm afraid."
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not take them off," Katrina replied.
"Of course, we have everything up to standard here. We work with the latest sewing machines, so you won't need to handle a needle, but still, it will be difficult for you to manage."
"Excuse Katrina for that, but she has very serious reasons for wearing those gloves. Is there anything we can do about it?" Kurone tried to defend her friend.
"Hmm," the supervisor looked around the workshop, and a new idea emerged in her mind. "There's one thing; come this way."
In the adjacent room, a large loom was covered with a cloth.
"This is our large weaving loom, but it's very difficult to work with, so we temporarily stopped using it. The only woman who could work with it left two years ago, and it's been idle since then," the woman lifted the cover, revealing the large loom capable of making fabric up to three meters wide. "Maybe your unusual gloves will even help you handle it. The main thing is to pass the shuttle between the threads, and for that, you need very delicate and nimble fingers."
"This is interesting. Honestly, I've never been good at sewing, but maybe with this, I can do something," Katrina said with an enthusiastic look as she inspected her new workspace.
"Oh my, you speak like a princess. What housewife nowadays doesn't know how to sew? And what will you tell your future husband when the time comes?" the supervisor teased.
"Eh? Uhmm?" The comparison to a princess and thoughts about her future husband deeply embarrassed Katrina.
"Well, don't embarrass her like that, she's very delicate," Kurone tried to stop the woman, who just smiled broadly.
"Alright, alright, my dear young ones. You're here only for a short time, but I think you'll become friends with the other girls. Besides, such an experience will be beneficial for future wives and housewives. Haha!"
The supervisor returned to the workshop, chuckling, and left the girls alone.
"Goodness, what a person," Kurone frowned in displeasure.
"Haha, w-w-wife," Katrina burst into laughter, her face turning red, and giggled foolishly.
"Katrina?" Kurone bent down to check on her friend. "I'm afraid she's lost to our society for the next couple of hours. Alright, I won't bother you."