Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

 

In comparison, garments crafted from animal fibers not only boasted superior texture but also excelled in warmth retention and breathability over those made from plant fibers.

How much does a cashmere coat cost compared to a cotton jacket?

Furthermore, woolen fabrics demand intricate processing and meticulous maintenance. They're prone to pilling with friction and can easily shrink after just one wash. Fastidious individuals might discard them after merely one or two wears...

While these drawbacks might deter commoners, aren't they precisely what the nobility seeks?

The value of aristocracy manifests in elaborate processes and lavish consumption.

Though flawed and easily damaged, its costly production and comfortable wear are the very hallmarks of noble status.

Those extravagant aristocrats would surely pay a premium for it.

When all nobles pride themselves on donning "the softest and most expensive fine cashmere sweaters," would she still be perceived as a commoner in such attire?

Certainly not!

Those people would instead regard her as the true noble, for she wore it first!

The long night stretched on, the oil lamp casting a feeble glow.

Luo Wei retrieved an old piece of linen, meticulously sketching upon it with a charcoal pencil fashioned from a wooden stick.

The steps for cleansing wool, methods for degreasing, improved tools for combing wool, the process of twisting and weaving... By the time the linen was filled with drawings, the moon had ascended to its zenith.

This piece of linen was merely a draft. Once she acquired parchment, she would need to transcribe it anew with a quill pen and ink.

Upon selling this, she would secure a timely influx of the substantial funds needed to maintain her noble facade.

Luo Wei stretched languidly, immensely grateful to her past self who had been enamored with scrolling through TikTok.

She had watched countless videos from handcraft bloggers. At the time, her friends had mocked her, claiming she learned nothing useful, only a plethora of useless skills.

Now, it was clear she had not only learned useful skills but had struck gold!

It's just that many of those "essential skills for time-traveling to ancient times" she had studied were now obsolete.

For instance, refining fine salt, calcining glass, crafting mercury mirrors, and formulating explosives.

The alchemy in this world was highly advanced, and these processes had already been researched. However, the formulas remained exclusively in the hands of the great nobles, with the products reserved solely for use by royalty and nobility, forbidden from public sale.

But this mattered little. With these formulas, she could produce items for her own use, or discreetly sell them on the black market for profit.

As long as she refrained from drawing attention, no one should investigate her for privately manufacturing prohibited items. It would also conveniently bolster her noble identity.

After all, isn't it natural for nobles to possess such things?

The oil lamp had burned through most of the night, with little fuel remaining.

Luo Wei extinguished the small flame and smoothly slipped into her bed.

The following day heralded the Magical Rune class.

Today, they convened in a more spacious classroom. Everyone was seated in the expansive room, with a square sandbox placed before each student.

It wasn't a sandbox for simulating terrain, but simply a tray of sand, accompanied by a smooth, small wooden stick.

Luo Wei observed her classmates deftly picking up the wooden sticks and beginning to scratch in the sandboxes. She pondered the possibility of introducing paper to this world.

She just couldn't help but wonder if creating something that would shake the foundations of religion and noble status might bring her mortal peril.

Never mind, she thought. Better to maintain a low profile for now.

As she contemplated, a thin, elderly man with curly brown hair and withered skin entered, clutching a parchment roll.

This marked the second day of the official start of school, and their inaugural Magical Rune class. Thus, the first order of business for the thin old man upon entering the classroom was to introduce himself.

"Good morning, children. I am your Magical Rune instructor, Claude Mack. You may address me as Professor Mack."

"Good day, Professor Mack!"

The students rose in unison, bowing in greeting.

"Very well, please be seated." Professor Mack nodded, unfurled the parchment roll on the desk, and commenced his lecture.

"What are magical runes? Magical runes are vessels that absorb magical power, and they are also the imprints left by the gods using their divine power in the mortal realm before their ascension to the heavens."

"By deconstructing and engraving these imprints, we can capture the magical elements scattered throughout the world, and subsequently control and utilize them."

"Magical runes serve myriad purposes. The most prevalent use is enchantment. For instance, engraving a wind rune on a knight's sword can augment the speed of the knight's sword swings."

"Secondly, there's teleportation. Magical runes can establish spatial channels. By engraving runes at different locations, we can achieve long-distance travel."

"Lastly, we have summoning. Summoning runes can not only call forth magical beasts but also raise the undead. Legend has it that legendary holy mages can even summon the projections of gods themselves."

"Naturally, the latter two types of runes are subjects reserved for intermediate and advanced magic apprentices. What you'll be learning now is the art of drawing basic runes."

Luo Wei listened with rapt attention. Professor Mack spoke eloquently, and the subject matter sounded utterly fascinating.

In the original owner's memories, tales of magic permeated this continent. Everyone believed in magic, yet no one had ever witnessed it firsthand.

But given that she had managed to transmigrate, perhaps magic and gods truly did exist in this world.

"Very well, children, smooth out your sandboxes. We shall commence with the structure of basic runes," Professor Mack instructed.

The professor on the podium picked up a piece of slate pencil: "Magical runes are the compression of spatial structures, so we must first master the art of drawing plane geometry."

He turned to the wooden board and sketched a row of geometric shapes.

"The geometric shapes employed in rune drawing fall into four categories: rectangles, triangles, circles, and polygons."

The students below followed suit, picking up their small wooden sticks and beginning to write and draw in their sandboxes.

Luo Wei also grasped her wooden stick.

She never imagined that after transmigrating, she would find herself starting from elementary school mathematics. Wasn't this Magical Rune class essentially the predecessor of math class?

Professor Mack continued: "After mastering the drawing of geometric shapes, we must also learn to calculate the proportions of runes to engrave them onto various carriers."

Saying this, he drew a six-pointed star on the wooden board, marking one of its line segments as one foot, and then drew a square, marking its side length as six inches.

"Now, who can tell me, if I wish to engrave this six-pointed star onto a square stone tablet, what would be the maximum length of its line segment in inches?"

The students below immediately set to calculating. After a while, they raised their heads, gazing at the wooden board with bewildered expressions, as if confronted with some celestial text.

Professor Mack waited a moment before asking again: "Can anyone provide the calculation?"

The classroom fell into a deafening silence.

Many students lowered their heads, shrinking their necks like quails.

Suddenly, Vina raised her hand.

"Oh, my dear child, do you wish to answer my question?" Professor Mack asked, his face lighting up with delight.

Vina glanced at Luo Wei: "I apologize, Professor Mack, I don't know the answer either, but I'd like to recommend someone to you."

Professor Mack's smile dimmed slightly: "Well then, whom would you like to recommend?"

"My friend Luo Wei. She hails from a noble family and is exceptionally proficient in arithmetic. I believe she must be capable of answering your question."

After saying this, Vina turned to Luo Wei with a smug expression: "Dear, do enlighten the professor with your answer!"

She had keenly observed that Luo Wei hadn't touched her pen to draw grids from the beginning until now, which she took to mean that Luo Wei was entirely unfamiliar with the grid method.

The grid method was the simplest approach to calculating products. One had to first draw horizontal and vertical lines on the paper to form numerous grids, and then derive the product by counting the grid intersections.

Not even knowing the grid method, you lowborn! Let's see how you attempt to feign nobility this time!

Vina thought maliciously, her eyes glinting with cruel anticipation.