Tres had a naturally gentle look in disguise.
He pressed his lips together and didn't speak. He lowered his eyes respectfully and quietly let her do as she pleased.
Elara knew the hidden guards were trained from a young age to be reserved and silent. She wasn't bothered by the lack of response. She simply told him and Dos to get into the hot spring pool.
The two of them followed her instructions and sat close to each other by the edge of the bath. From far behind the thick screen, it looked like a pair of lovers sitting together, heads resting near each other in affection.
Elara checked twice more to confirm everything looked right, then ordered them to stay in the water until she returned. She told them to occasionally make some splashing sounds to fool the people outside.
She then changed into Tres's clothes and walked to the innermost window of the building, reaching out her hand toward Uno.
"Uno, take me away from here. Don't let those people outside following us notice anything."
This was why she had come to the Red Courtesan House. Elara didn't know ancient martial arts, but she'd received training from a young age in modern times. Her senses and alertness were sharp. As soon as she left the palace that morning, she felt she was being watched. There were at least three different groups following her.
So she had come here to use a diversion. Let Tres and Dos pretend to be her to buy time. Meanwhile, she would disguise herself and leave with Uno. That would give her the freedom to handle the real business she needed to take care of.
Uno nodded without hesitation. As usual, he carried out her command without a word.
"Pardon me." He bent down slightly and carefully picked her up with his strong arms. With one light step, he leapt up, landing softly with her on the roof of the Red Courtesan House.
"Where would you like to go?"
Sitting in his arms, Elara wrapped her hands around his neck and looked out over the capital of Plumera Kingdom.
"Let's go to a small clothing shop first and change my outfit. Then we'll go to Lianyi Hall."
"Understood."
When she came out of the hat and clothing store, Elara had already transformed into a rich young lady, wearing a veil and a wide hat. Her clothes flowed gracefully around her.
In this era, women were tightly controlled. Putting aside the rare exceptions like the original owner of Elara's body, most women, whether daughters of officials or wealthy merchants, cared deeply about their behavior and image. They feared making even a small mistake that could make others call them wild or improper.
The lighter punishment could be being forced to become a nun or being treated like worthless goods and sent away. The worst could be being drowned in a pig cage or hanging themselves. So, for most women, appearing outside was almost impossible.
But this actually helped Elara carry out her plan. She simply used a veil and a hat to cover herself completely, matching the fashion of this era and hiding her face to avoid being recognized by anyone who had known the original Elara.
Uno had also changed his appearance. He wore a different mask and a simple servant's outfit that rich families often used. He now looked like an ordinary bodyguard instead of the attractive companion he was before.
He stayed two steps behind Elara, quietly acting like a guard accompanying a young lady shopping. Elara stood at the entrance of the store, looking down through her veil at the muddy and messy road, even in the wealthy East District. She carefully thought about where to place her foot and also made up her mind that once she had the chance, she would quickly create basic cement roads.
She hoped System 92's support rewards would include something like this. Otherwise, walking outside and stepping in mud every time would be too unpleasant. But after taking a few steps and smelling the awful odor in the air, which couldn't be covered even by the rain, and seeing piles of disgusting things on the roadside, Elara held her breath and forced herself not to throw up.
She decided the first thing she must do after regaining power wasn't roads, but public toilets! Damn it, in this time where there were no public restrooms and people could "go" anywhere anytime, she really couldn't handle it.
When she finally arrived at Lianyi Building, Elara lifted her skirt and stepped into the main hall filled with fragrant incense. Only then did she feel safe enough to take a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. She took several deep breaths to clear the bad smell from her lungs.
Then she looked up and began observing Lianyi Building. Overall, the building truly lived up to its name as a branch of a powerful international group. It was tastefully decorated, elegant but not overly fancy, and not at all shabby either.
The sweet scent in the air made it comfortable to stay in, and even if you did nothing all day, most people would be happy to stay here—of course, only if they could afford the tea. Lianyi Building was very spacious. Just the first-floor hall was divided into over ten sections using large screens.
Each section had a small sign above it showing its category. Elara looked up and raised her eyebrows slightly. Each screen-separated section was labeled with names like Agriculture, Classics, Machinery, Astronomy, Medicine, Trade, Pawn, Weapons, Exchange, and Barter.
Inside each big section, there were even smaller divided spaces, which was a very detailed setup for this time period. No wonder it was considered the largest trading center in Plumera Capital. While Elara was walking through, other guests in the building looked at her.
They were a little surprised that she was a woman, but after a few glances, they turned back to mind their own business. There were many guests here, and their appearances showed that they came from different social classes. There were wealthy officials, scholars, merchants, traveling fighters, and even poor elderly farmers in the agriculture area buying seeds.
Elara noticed that the staff in the agriculture section handed seeds to the farmers quickly and professionally. They didn't show any sign of looking down on them, just treated it like normal work. This made her think more highly of the person who owned Lianyi Building.
Even in modern times, it's not easy to train workers to treat everyone equally regardless of how they look. But in this ancient, undeveloped era, she had actually seen it happen. Elara continued walking through all the screen-divided areas.
The guests and workers only gave her a glance, then went back to what they were doing. There were a lot of people in Lianyi Building, but everything was organized and calm. Even the rich and powerful people followed the rules and didn't try to cause trouble.
Elara's eyes swept over the guards with large blades standing at each section. She gave the building's owner another label in her mind: someone who values order and has strong control. Still, even though she was impressed by how well-managed the place was, after walking through most of the areas, Elara started to feel a little disappointed.
Lianyi Building was run very well, but the items being traded behind each section were all basic and primitive. But then she reminded herself that this world had very outdated production methods. So she put her disappointment aside.
After all, the disappointment was just from her own modern perspective. For the people in this time period, these items were already the best and most advanced tools available. After walking around and getting a better understanding of the era, Elara headed toward the innermost part of the first floor, the largest trading area hidden behind the biggest screen.
It was called the "Barter and Knowledge Exchange Area." This area was the biggest and most special part of Lianyi Building. In the other areas, if you had money or items of equal value, you could complete a trade.
But in this special area, you had to first solve a problem or complete a task at a certain level before being allowed to trade. This was the main feature that made Lianyi Building unique. People said that if you could finish a challenge at the right level, you could get anything you wanted here.
This area was exactly the reason Elara had come today.