Princess was quite decisive in her actions, and she had no reservations about discussing pounds.
Xia De sat in the Sorceress's apartment, pondered for a moment, and decided there was no need to save on this expense:
"How about a base salary of 5 pounds?"
He held up five fingers and wiggled them:
"I'll give you 3 pounds before we start, and 2 pounds when we finish tonight. I can increase the pay depending on the situation. As for my purpose, I just want to look around Coldwater Port City and find a few trustworthy black markets that deal in special items."
Although 5 pounds seemed like a lot, if she could truly introduce Xia De to places like Black Raven Library or Old John's Pawnshop, then this broker's fee would actually be quite low.
The Golden-haired girl looked at Xia De with her emerald eyes, tapping her fingers on the armrest of the chair, and shook her head gracefully:
"A flat rate of 10 pounds. Give me 3 pounds upfront, and 7 pounds tonight. If you're not satisfied, we can discuss the remaining payment tonight. I've already brought you to my usual residence in the City, so you don't need to doubt me anymore."
This price was acceptable. Xia De had already decided to make Coldwater Port, where thousands of ships gathered, his regular trading location:
"No problem."
A smile touched Princess's lips, but it was only for the moment.
Afterward, Princess retrieved a very expensive-looking, silver-gray metal box with a handle from the washroom. The box was rectangular, its surface covered with patterns of branches and flowers. The patterns were golden, as if plated with a layer of gold. However, given Princess's income level, Xia De probably overthought it.
She slowly pulled the handle and opened the box. As the lid rose, layers of shelves slowly unfolded inside, revealing the compartmentalized cosmetics within to Xia De.
Metal screws connected different layers of metal plates, and brass-colored nuts, springs, and bearings ensured that the shelves inside the box could unfold smoothly. Although this makeup box didn't use any high-end steam technology, the exquisite mechanical craftsmanship of this era could be glimpsed from this box.
"Sit still, I'll give you a simple touch-up."
The young lady had already begun taking bottles and jars out of the makeup box. And she seemed not to mind looking directly at a strange man during the makeup process. This didn't mean Princess was a casual girl; Xia De felt that her goodwill towards him seemed exceptionally high. When she helped him with his makeup, she was also very familiar with the characteristics of his face shape.
She only took ten minutes to finish Xia De's disguise. When Xia De looked in the mirror in the washroom, he could still recognize himself at a glance. But if someone unfamiliar with him were to look, these subtle adjustments to his appearance, made with simple makeup techniques, would make it very difficult for people to equate John Watson with Xia De Hamilton.
"Ladies' makeup skills are truly amazing."
He touched his face in the mirror:
"Why do I feel like she trusts me so much? Does this lady not have any sense of vigilance? Or is she trying to gain my trust this way?"
【Why not other possibilities?】
A whispering voice sounded in his ear, full of laughter.
"Like what?"
【She's taken a liking to your face.】
"Is this the first time you've joked with me?"
A light chuckle indicated that she wanted to end the conversation. Although she never announced herself beforehand when speaking, except for the day Xia De first arrived in this world, she always spoke at the most opportune moment, without any abruptness.
"I'm really getting used to her."
Afterward, Xia De was ushered out of the washroom by Princess. The Golden-haired Sorceress needed to do her own makeup in front of the mirror.
She told Xia De to wait for about half an hour, and Xia De, having no habit of rummaging through others' belongings, honestly sat on the sofa and waited.
He was still thinking about Princess, and his eyes moved to the coffee table, wanting to pour himself some tea. Many things were scattered on the coffee table, and an open notebook lay next to the teapot. When he first entered, the coffee table was messy, but this notebook wasn't there. He figured Princess had been casually flipping through it while he was in the washroom.
Xia De didn't intentionally try to look, but the notebook and the teapot were simply too close.
【1852, month of slumber 23】
This was the first line written on the right side of the notebook, a date from December of last year. In other words, Xia De was looking at Princess's diary from December of last year.
Since he saw the date, and with no issues with his eyes, the line below it was naturally also seen by Xia De.
【Who are you?】
"Hmm? I'm Xia De, of course."
He thought to himself, then realized the sentence in the diary wasn't written to him. This line of letters took up three full lines in the ruled notebook, and it was deliberately bolded with blue-black ink, as if The Writer was expressing intense emotion.
"Did Princess lose control in December of last year? What does this mean?"
Xia De was a bit puzzled and looked up in the direction of the washroom. The washroom in this apartment was very narrow, not even large enough for three people to stand in at the same time. He could see the profile of the pretty Golden-haired girl, who was concentrating on applying makeup in front of the mirror.
"I don't want to pry into others' privacy."
Although he thought this, out of concern that Princess might lose control, Xia De still carefully turned the page. He didn't just turn to the second page but flipped back a full five pages.
It was still one day's content per page, and the time had already reached the end of December last year. Beautiful, flowing script read:
【No! Don't ask my maid strange questions!】
Xia De pursed his lips, growing even more worried about Princess's mental state. This self-talking diary writing style made him think of many terrifying things.
He returned the diary to its normal state, Xia De did not continue to flip through it. Princess spent half an hour doing her makeup, and similarly, her facial features didn't change much, but someone unfamiliar with her would certainly find it difficult to connect the two appearances.
"Then, a pleasant cooperation to us!"
Before leaving the apartment, the young girl didn't pay attention to the open diary, and Xia De extended his hand again. Princess reached out and grasped his hand, but after a slight shake, she realized he hadn't let go.
She looked at Xia De in surprise, while Xia De seemed to be in a daze, only letting go after several seconds:
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something else."
【No problem, she's not out of control.】
This was the answer Xia De got at the risk of being considered a pervert.
Princess didn't get angry; instead, she reminded him:
"You shouldn't do that to strange ladies in the future. I'm a very good-tempered person, but if you meet someone with a bad temper, you could get into trouble."
Then she raised her right hand to grasp her naturally hanging left arm and asked awkwardly:
"Mr. Watson, what do you think of how I've made myself look ugly now?"
She really was a very nice girl.
They didn't linger much in the City. They took a carriage back to the Wharf Area. With nothing else to do on the way, Princess even discussed some political topics with Xia De.
This was also the best topic for diversion when bored. Seeing Xia De looking out at the streetscape, the young girl asked:
"Mr. Watson, what do you think of Coldwater Port as a City?"
"Although maritime transport has brought a lot of pounds to this City, its current development model cannot be said to be very sound."
Xia De said, looking at the children running outside, barefoot children chasing an iron hoop:
"This City appears prosperous, but relying solely on maritime trade as its primary means of profit is still too singular. The current prosperity is built on the premise of the New World's development. I know the development of the New World might last for hundreds of years, but Coldwater Port's position is not irreplaceable; it seized the dividends of the era, but merely by leveraging its old-era status. If the City's administrators don't realize this, then under this chaotic prosperity, it's truly hard to say how long the City can remain flourishing."
Coldwater Port City Hall's management of the Wharf Area was actually very lax. Smuggling, illegal immigration, and the sale of dangerous goods were rampant in the Wharf Area. The chaotic flow of people and the interference of nobles and wealthy merchants with order made the management of Coldwater Port's harbor incredibly chaotic. This was certainly good for ambitious people who wanted to go to sea, but it was not good for the City's development.
"Oh? That's a very fresh idea. So what do you think Coldwater Port should do?"
Princess asked again.
Xia De shook his head:
"I'm just an ordinary person, and I don't have many opinions. Probably, it's about leveraging convenient transportation conditions to develop other industries, integrating transportation, fishing, and finance... cough cough, I mean banking. Perhaps the Delarion National Bank could utilize the seasonality of fish and commodity trade, targeting... I don't really have any ideas."
He realized he had said a bit too much and smiled apologetically. Princess also laughed, that quiet, toothless smile was very impressive:
"Mr. Watson, have you studied urban management or similar Knowledge before?"
"Of course not."
"But you are excellent."
Princess's voice was very low.
After a short journey, the two got off at the unfinished street paved with flagstones, adjacent to the wharf. The lady, who seemed very familiar with the area, led Xia De into the "Seven Broomsticks Tavern," which had a sign with a freshly dripping pig's head.
Signaling Xia De not to speak much, Princess wrapped her relatively neutral black overcoat tightly and walked ahead, passing through the noisy tavern where sailors and idlers were enjoying themselves, to the bar. She tapped the counter with her finger and tossed out a reddish coin Xia De had never seen before:
"I brought a new friend."
The bartender picked up the spinning coin on the counter, looked at it under the gas lamp, and pushed the coin back to the woman who had spoken:
"Entry fee, you are 1 shilling. He is a stranger, 5 shillings."
Princess gestured with her head towards Xia De behind her, and Xia De consciously took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a banknote, and placed it on the counter.