The story of the black silk female knight

This is a young woman who was eating Mapo Tofu with a spoon while crying.

"This fish is amazing... I can't smell any fishy smell at all, and most of the fish bones have been removed beforehand, so Mom doesn't have to worry about me getting fish bones stuck in my throat anymore!"

Several children were scrambling over a pot of pickled fish, while a middle-aged man nearby snorted disdainfully, not eating the fish but instead picking at the pickled cabbage.

"What an ignorant little brat... These pickled cabbages are the real essence of this dish! You know, I used to rarely eat cabbage."

"What you've got is nothing! You should see this!"

The young man next to the older man chimed in, holding a small bowl and tasting it with a spoon, his dazed eyes seeming to be on the verge of heaven:

"You just rarely eat cabbage... I never eat radishes, and I even cried when my mom cooked them when I was little, but this..."

He pointed to a bowl of shredded radish arranged like flowers on top of the soup:

"Is this really a radish? This completely overturns my understanding of radishes! How could a radish taste so good... Waaah, Miss must be the reincarnation of a culinary goddess, sent specifically to save us picky eaters."

There are many similar cases.

The entire banquet was filled with people crying, laughing, and shouting—a true reflection of all aspects of life.

"Did you really invent all these dishes, girl?"

At the main banquet table, the only person in the entire town of Sergin who required Valensa and Melina to personally greet was Lord Lambert.

He wasn't particularly interested in dishes with strong flavors like Mapo Tofu and Sauerkraut Fish, but he had a special fondness for Green Tea Shrimp, and this was already his third plate.

"Of course, Uncle Lambert, have you eaten these elsewhere before?"

Since there were no other time travelers present, Valensa continued to boast without batting an eye.

"It's definitely the first time I've tried it, that's why I'm curious."

As Lambert spoke, he scooped up another large spoonful of green tea shrimp and put it in his mouth:

"I never expected you to have such a talent... When I was drinking with the Earl before, he complained that you were a stupid daughter who could do nothing but play around with your little sister."

"After all, I am a nobleman."

Valensa shrugged:

"These little hobbies in the kitchen are not exactly respectable skills for nobles... so naturally I had to secretly study them without my father's knowledge."

However, my sister Melina and my mom already knew I liked these things.

"That's right, Lord Lambert."

Melina responded at the opportune moment and brought out a new plate of green tea shrimp:

"The young lady has been cooking for herself in the kitchen since she was little... I never expected that her strange inventions would be so popular."

Melina was also quite surprised. She knew Valencia could cook, but she never knew that Valencia was such a good cook.

After all, she was Valensa's personal maid. How could she not know how many times Valensa had been in the kitchen?

However, Melina had heard Valensa talk about the Dimensional Hardware Store and knew it was a very magical place, so she considered Valensa's cooking skills as something she had gained from the Dimensional Hardware Store.

The banquet finally came to a successful conclusion at 2 p.m.

Although many townspeople still fondly remember those delicious dishes, all good things must come to an end.

Valensa, who had been busy preparing for the banquet for two days, finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Afterwards, the accumulated fatigue erupted like a volcano, leaving her with no desire to do anything.

Knowing she really needed to rest, Valensa didn't force herself to stay awake. She went back to her dorm and had a good night's sleep. When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside was full of stars.

"Miss."

She was about to get out of bed to find something to eat when she heard Melina calling her:

"A guest wishes to see you... He is waiting downstairs."

have a guest?

For Melina to say something like that, the guest must be someone of importance.

Valensa quickly transformed herself from a languid Sleeping Beauty into a dashing female knight, arriving at the VIP reception room on the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild.

Oh wow, he really is someone of status... we're practically acquaintances.

Manager of the Nora Chamber of Commerce's branch in Clare City.

Chapter 56 The Young Lady's Hope to Escape Poverty

"Congratulations, Miss Bader, on the successful completion of your banquet! Congratulations!"

Upon seeing Valencia, the man in charge greeted her very warmly.

Valensa was very familiar with this attitude; business people generally acted this way when they saw a client who could bring them large profits.

This guy came to talk business with me!

Valensa immediately understood, so she responded with perfect aristocratic manners while subtly glancing at the man in charge out of the corner of her eye.

The man in charge was dressed in a very formal suit, which must have been carefully groomed and maintained, but he still couldn't hide the aura of someone who had just been out and about.

This kind of aura might be hard for ordinary people to detect, but Valensa was a keen female knight who could also enhance her senses with mental power, so this aura of being on the move couldn't escape her notice at all.

It was obvious that the person in charge, just like Valensa had when she rushed back to Sergin, had set off from Klar in the afternoon and had come at full speed.

In other words, coming to Sergin Town was not originally on the master's itinerary; he made the change at the last minute after learning certain information.

What happened in Sergin Town at noon?

The answer is obvious.

Having already guessed the other party's intentions, Valensa quickly understood and couldn't help but sigh.

No wonder he's the person in charge of the largest chamber of commerce city; his business acumen is truly sharp.

As expected, after some polite pleasantries and mutual flattery, the person in charge got straight to the point and stated their purpose:

“We want to work with you… or more precisely, we want your authorization, Miss Bader.”

"Those dishes that I invented for the banquet?"

Valensa smiled calmly, as if she hadn't expected it.

"Ha ha……"

The man in charge naturally offered Valencia another compliment:

“Miss Bader is indeed the embodiment of wisdom and beauty; nothing can be hidden from you… You must have guessed my intentions from the beginning, right? So what do you think?”

We'd like to apply for patents for the dishes you invented with the Food Association, and then promote them in all the restaurants under the Chamber of Commerce. You'll receive a share of all the profits. What do you think?

"So, you'll patent those dishes and then promote them widely...?"

Valensa pretended to be thinking, but she was actually quite annoyed.

Why am I still so lacking in business acumen, just like in my past life? If I had come up with this way to make money earlier, I would have already maxed out several high-level characters by now, right?

However, this frustration came and went quickly, because after careful consideration, Valensa realized that it was actually very difficult to make money from these things.

She has no business channels or connections, and it's very likely that even her patent application with the food association won't be approved.

Back when she was a young lady in the capital, she could rely on the power of the Baldr family, but at that time Valensa was not short of money at all, so she naturally had no idea of ​​making money.

Now that the Nora Chamber of Commerce has taken the initiative to propose cooperation, it is actually a good opportunity for Valensa to completely get rid of her status as a poor heiress.

In fact, if the inventor of these dishes were an ordinary person, the Nora Chamber of Commerce would not cooperate at all, and would even very likely seize the results directly, at most giving the inventor a sum of money, euphemistically called a one-time buyout.

But Valensa is a direct descendant of a powerful noble family in the capital. Even if she seems to have fallen out with her family, she is still a force to be reckoned with. The Nora Merchant Guild did not want to cause any further trouble, which is why they chose the profit-sharing model.

Anyway, the majority of the profits still go to the Chamber of Commerce. Using a small portion of the profits to avoid trouble can also be seen as an investment in Valensa's talents. No matter how you look at it, the Nora Chamber of Commerce is not losing out.

Valensa easily came up with these ideas, but apart from cursing the unscrupulous merchants in her heart, she basically had no other choice.

By cooperating, everyone can make money.

If they don't cooperate, they'll miss an opportunity to escape poverty, and the Nora Merchant Guild can easily modify those dishes and claim them as their own; Valensa doesn't really have a good solution.

Sue?

It's a contest of wealth and connections, and Valensa has no chance of winning now.

"In principle, I have no objection. If more people can like my cooking, I will be very happy."

After initially feigning an air of nobility and agreeing to the collaboration, Valensa then shifted the conversation to more practical matters:

"How should the profits be calculated? Do you have a plan, sir?"

"Naturally there is."

Seeing that Valencia agreed so quickly, the man in charge breathed a long sigh of relief... His chances of advancing to a higher position in the Chamber of Commerce depended on this project!

"This is a cooperation proposal that my assistant drafted. Miss Bader, please take a look... If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can discuss it further."

As he spoke, the man in charge handed Valensa a document whose handwriting was still damp.

"Well, let me see..."

Valensa looked at the document for a short while, then raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Nora Chamber of Commerce was much more generous than she had imagined, offering her a share that was almost double her bottom line.

"emmm..."

Valensa was actually quite satisfied with the proposal, but according to the norms of business cooperation, she could have negotiated further to secure more benefits in this situation.

"What? Miss Bader has a better suggestion for the cooperation plan?"

The man in charge seemed to mistakenly believe that Valensa was not yet satisfied:

"Then why don't you tell me? We can discuss it further."

"……How about this."

Valensa thought quickly for a moment and decided to try to gain some more benefits:

"Let's stick to the profit-sharing arrangement you've decided on... but I only want half of my share in gold coins, and you have to help me exchange the rest for vouchers of double value, or you can call them points."

"...Vouchers? Points?"

The person in charge expressed his confusion about the two unfamiliar terms.

"Simply put... it's a special gold coin that can only be used at your Nora Merchant Guild."

Valensa gave a brief explanation, then stood up and spun around:

“Sir, look… all the clothes and jewelry I’m wearing are your products. Your products are indeed of excellent quality, but the brand premium is too high.”

So even if I use half of my earnings to buy double vouchers, you shouldn't lose money, right?

In other words... you only need half of the gold coins, and the other half is to be used to buy clothing and jewelry at cost price in the merchant guild...

The man in charge was a seasoned businessman, and he quickly understood Valensa's meaning. After a quick mental calculation, he nodded generously.

“Miss Bader’s suggestion is very interesting, and I think it’s fine. Moreover, the concept of vouchers seems to have promotional value… In short, is it a pleasure to cooperate?”

"Pleasant to work with."

Chapter 57 Pre-exam Sprint

The situation was similar to what happened three days ago in Klar City.

After Valencia and the man in charge reached an agreement on their cooperation intentions, they took their leave. The signing of the cooperation agreement and its filing with the Kingdom's Notary Office would then be handled by Melina and ordinary employees of the Nora Chamber of Commerce.

With only a few days left before the War Academy's entrance exams, Valensa handed over all the tasks she could to Melina and went into the jungle to begin her final training before the exams.

Since gaining psychic powers, Valensa has been busy with various things and has not yet systematically studied how to use these powers.

Now is the time.

First, it enhances strength.

Valensa took out 10 blue bricks that she had prepared in advance and stacked them on top of each other.

Unsheath the sword.

"drink!"

With a sharp shout, the silver-bladed sword slashed downwards, cutting into the stacked blue bricks as easily as slicing tofu.

The first two bricks did not slow down the blade at all. It was only with the fourth brick that the friction began to slow the blade down significantly.