Chapter 879 — Seepage
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Since last year, Cecil goods had become increasingly common in the Xuanyuan cities.
The wheels rolled over the newly paved roads of the noble quarter, and the fine road surface combined with the equally fine wheels almost entirely canceled out the jolts of travel. Pei Yi Wendell sat in the black magitech carriage, his gaze sweeping past the window, where he saw new shops being fitted out along the street—amid the black spired buildings of a distinctly Aldernan style, a striking expanse of broad glass display window occupied an entire wall facing the street. Inside the window stood shelves not yet arranged, and workmen were hanging a signboard over the shop's main entrance, on which several words were written in elegant cursive:
"The Finest Sweets—Cecil Flavor"
"...As if only Cecil folk knew how to make sweets." Pei Yi frowned and could not help muttering under his breath.
The steward sat across from him—an honest and reliable man who had served the Wendell family for decades—and shook his head. "Actually, the ones opening the shop are just locals. Those magic-shadow plays have set the sharp-nosed merchants in motion."
"Magic-shadow plays?" Pei Yi repeated the term he had been hearing more and more often of late. "I have heard of them... Last winter a Cecil merchant bought a plot of land in the south of the city and opened a new-style theater. But it was opened for commoners—cheap tickets, nearly everyone crammed into a single hall."
"Yes, cheap drama for the common folk, and at first hardly anyone went," the steward said with a smile. "After all, no one knew what the thing was for—the upper classes weren't interested, and the commoners were cautious with the few coppers in their pockets. But about a month ago those Cecil merchants spent a great deal advertising in the newspapers, and kept the theater open free of charge for three days straight. Now it has suddenly become all the rage, and it has even lifted up a few shops..."
As he spoke, the steward glanced out the window. The shop claiming "Cecil Flavor Sweets" had already slipped past the carriage window and was nearly out of sight.
"They say several kinds of pastries appeared over and over in the plot of that new-style drama, and in the final scene the main characters shared sweets after their peaceful reunion—and so those pastries somehow stirred people's interest. The shop you just saw is actually already the third one opened in the city."
Listening to the steward, Pei Yi wore an expression of considerable disbelief. He frowned and shook his head. "I truly cannot understand it... Drama ought to be elegant and profound. What on earth are those Cecil people up to..."
"It is indeed hard to understand, but the commoners seem to welcome it—after all, compared with jewels and country estates, sweets are at least something they can afford, and they more or less let middle-class citizens show off their 'respectability.'"
"You're quite knowledgeable," Pei Yi could not help glancing at the steward. "Have you also been to see these so-called 'magic-shadow plays'?"
"I haven't," the steward replied. "I'm past the age for drama and fashionable novelties, but my son and both my daughters have gone. Young people seem to like the thing."
Pei Yi seemed to fall into brief thought, then shook his head, picked up the newspaper he had set aside earlier, and continued reading—this was a local Aldernan paper. After the great success of The Imperial Times founded by Habiye Reston, the Emperor had gradually opened the way for private journals, but the threshold for founding a paper remained high. To this day, only three or four newspapers circulated widely in Aldernan, and Pei Yi Wendell, a somewhat old-fashioned old noble, was devoted to only one: The Gentlemen's Weekly.
Opening the paper to the second page, a huge block of printed letters met his eyes—
It was an advertisement placed by the Cecil Steel Investment Company recruiting business staff in Aldernan.