Riven never expected that when she woke up early and knocked on the door next door, Dean had already packed everything and handed her a complete set of clothes along with a pair of thin-soled boots.
"Try them on," Dean smiled, gesturing for Riven to go back and put them on. "The combination of the practical sleeves and arm guards should be comfortable for you."
"You?" Riven looked at Dean in surprise, then at the clothes in her hand. "Me?"
"Don't worry, it'll be perfect," Dean clearly understood her confusion, his tone very confident. "My eyes are my ruler!"
Riven returned to her room, half-believing, and spent a good while putting on the outfit.
It fit surprisingly well!
The fine, smooth fabric, though clinging to her body, was very breathable and didn't trap sweat at all; the design of the cinched practical sleeves had a distinct Ionian style, yet was incredibly neat.
The arm guard on her right arm, though appearing to be fabric on the surface, was actually an iron arm guard underneath, perfectly suited for Riven's fighting style.
The boots had very low soles, were incredibly soft to wear, and felt quite similar to bare feet when she walked, reminding Riven of her time working in the fields of the state-run farm.
What surprised her most was that the size of the entire outfit was absolutely perfect—not an inch too much or too little. Dean really knew her measurements!
She usually watched him more; besides their first meeting, Dean hadn't really scrutinized her, had he?
The only thing Riven found a bit hard to accept was the color scheme of the outfit—while violet was a common color for women's clothing, Riven rarely wore it. Most of the time, she was in full armor, and even her casual clothes were usually plain white or black, exceedingly simple.
With this violet outfit on, Riven's sharp warrior aura noticeably dissipated, which made her feel a little unaccustomed.
Just as Riven was staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror, there was a knock on the door.
Dean stood at the entrance, holding a tray.
Upon seeing her in the outfit, Dean set down the tray and didn't hesitate to lavish her with compliments.
"That's it!" He clapped his hands, happily praising himself, "How about that? Didn't I tell you, my eyes are my ruler!"
"You made it?" Riven was still somewhat incredulous. "Many brothers and sisters in the warband could mend clothes and repair armor, but to fully tailor an outfit... that's too exaggerated."
"It's not that exaggerated," Dean shook his head. "Believe me, anyone who has consumed hundreds of armors and robes of various colors will gain some insights into tailoring clothes."
Riven was momentarily speechless.
"I named it Soul Lotus," Dean continued. "How about it? This violet color scheme, isn't it gentle and approachable?"
Looking at Dean's expression, clearly seeking praise, and recalling his stories about his time as a test subject, Riven gently shook her head.
"I don't see gentle and approachable, but self-absorption is very obvious."
"Huh?"
"Nothing," Riven shook her head again. "I said... this outfit is great, I like it very much."
...
After Riven, now in her new clothes, and Dean finished breakfast, they packed some dry rations and filled two bags with fresh water at Yun Gu Tan (Cloud Valley Pool). Only then did they bid farewell to the deep valley, cold pool, and treehouse inn, continuing northeastward.
As the two continued their journey, the altitude steadily increased, and the temperature gradually turned colder.
However, both Riven and Dean were strong and healthy, so a little chill was completely insignificant to them—it wasn't until they approached the snowline that they purchased some fabric in a mountain town, and Dean tailored two long robes.
This time, Riven watched Dean's tailoring process from start to finish. She was dumbfounded as Dean arranged pins, threaded needles, and moved with such speed, as if he had eight arms.
"When you're tailoring and sewing, do you not use your eyes?"
"As long as you stay in the dark long enough, your hands' grasp of measurements becomes absolutely reliable—prison was my dojo," Dean put down his needle and thread. "Come, try it on. It's a shame there's no violet silk here..."
"This material is called silk?" Riven turned around, letting Dean drape the robe over her shoulders. "It seems very expensive?"
"It's alright," Dean shook the robe, circling Riven once. "Anyway, it's not expensive for me."
"You're very rich?" Riven raised an eyebrow. "Or is it Ionian money?"
"Very rich," Dean nodded, taking back the robe and beginning the final stitching. "It's all sponsored by enthusiastic locals."
"Sponsored by enthusiastic locals?" Riven blinked, a little confused. "Ionians gave it to you?"
"I exchanged with them," Dean explained. "For Noxus's gold double-headed eagles."
"Why would they exchange for gold double-headed eagles with you?" Riven asked, puzzled. "Are they leaving Ionia?"
"Although a series of battles in Navori gave many Ionians confidence," Dean chuckled, "there are still many Ionians who want to escape—but you know, Weh'le is blockaded, and the ocean currents around the First Land are quite complex, so leaving isn't simple."
"So they want to exchange Ionian gold for gold double-headed eagles, then bribe the army blockading Weh'le?"
"Exactly," Dean nodded. "When I came to Ionia, the Weh'le official certainly made a fortune."
"But where did you get so many gold double-headed eagles?"
"I casually robbed an Empire supply ship," Dean said calmly, as if robbing an Empire supply ship was a minor matter. "I was originally worried that the stolen goods would be hard to convert to cash, but then I found the ship was full of money, with no supplies."
"No supplies?" Riven remembered the supply difficulties her warband faced after arriving in Ionia and couldn't help but frown. "What's going on?"
"Gold was brought in to purchase locally, but the soldiers died before they could even get it... I guess you could call it a phantom payroll," Dean sighed. "After the Battle of Placidium, Swain was finished, and the Empire lost confidence in occupying Ionia. At this point, everyone was just trying to make a little money."
Riven was speechless.
According to Noxus tradition, warbands were responsible for their own supplies. While the soldiers' provisions weren't the best, they were usually plentiful and filling.
But on the battlefields of Ionia, supplies became difficult, and some warbands were even sabotaged by their own people from behind...
How did the Noxus Empire become like this!
For a moment, Riven couldn't tell whether she felt amusement or anger.
"Don't frown so much," Dean noticed her complex emotions and waved his hand in front of her face. "Come, put on the robe and let's go. We're not too far from the Kinkou Order monastery now, and we'll soon reach our first stop—if all goes well, those annoying Shadow Order tails won't bother us anymore!"
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