Ron was covered in black lines, forcibly suppressing the urge to control the doll and make it take its clothes off.
He had previously told Mia that the doll's function was only for communication.
If the doll took off its clothes, wouldn't that expose the secret that the doll could actually move?
So Ron could only endure this humiliation. He took a deep breath, pretended he couldn't see anything, and said,
"Mia? Are you in your room?"
The blanket on the bed suddenly flipped up.
Mia looked around in confusion, not reacting for a moment.
"…Who is it?"
"It's me, Ron," chibi Ron continued.
"Ah! Brother Ron." Mia hurriedly climbed out of bed, one strap of her silky nightgown slipping off her shoulder.
She sat down at the vanity table. Since she didn't know the doll could see, she had no intention of tidying herself up. While smoothing her pale golden long hair, she asked:
"Brother Ron, what's up?"
"…Mm." Ron shifted his gaze, forcefully pulling his eyes away from certain beautiful mountain scenery, then asked,
"How's the preparation for the hotpot restaurant going?"
Listening to Ron speak, Mia secretly laughed while reaching out to touch the chibi Ron's women's outfit, and replied:
"We just got back to the Imperial Capital yesterday. We first arranged for Lyle to stay and rest for a night, and today he plans to go out and take a look, to find some suitable shop locations."
"I sent guards with him. He should be picking locations around the city right now."
Because when Mia leaned forward to reach out, her body also tilted forward and filled the doll's field of vision, Ron had no choice but to directly "close" the doll's eyes and continue:
"I'll connect to the doll at this time every day. Remember not to let anyone else stay in the room."
"If there are any problems with the hotpot restaurant, you can tell me."
Mia nodded and poked the doll's nose. "Okay, I know~."
After giving his instructions, Ron immediately changed the topic.
"I came to you today because there's another matter I'd like to ask your help with."
"Brother Ron, go ahead," Mia said, taking a pair of miniature crystal high heels out of the drawer. She lifted chibi Ron and put him as she spoke.
Ron forcibly suppressed the urge to kick her, holding back his anger and speaking calmly:
"The Element Cards have already entered mass production. The merchant caravan selling them should arrive at the Imperial Capital before long."
"The leader will have a handwritten letter from me. When the time comes, he'll come to see you with the letter and provide you with a batch of Element Cards for free."
"Huh?" Mia froze while putting the crystal heels on chibi Ron. "But I already have Element Cards. Why are you giving me another batch?"
"They're not for you to use," Ron laughed. "When you have afternoon tea with noble ladies and wives, remember to bring a few sets of Element Cards. Play cards with them, and give them a few decks along the way."
"When visiting other nobles, you can also treat the Element Cards as bonus gifts."
"In short, just help promote the Element Cards as much as possible. I'll be counting on you."
"No problem~ Leave it to me~" Mia patted her chest generously, wearing a reliable "mission accomplished" expression.
Since Ron had already closed his eyes, he didn't see the beautiful sight of rolling mountains faintly appearing beneath the clouds.
After saying goodbye to Mia, he immediately withdrew his consciousness, ending the miserable experience of wearing women's clothes.
The carriage gradually slowed down and finally stopped at the entrance of the Chaos City Magic Academy.
Ron got out and entered the academy, first stopping by Harper's laboratory.
Because Harper's explosive potion had entered the trial production stage, the academy had signed a new Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum contract with Ron's flower shop, purchasing a full 1,000 plants every month.
Perhaps before long, this explosive potion would appear on the northern battlefield.
Professor Hicks's laboratory had also made progress.
When Ron went to see Edith, she told him about the lab's recent developments.
The meditation potion made with Nether Orchid as the main ingredient had now officially entered the large-scale trial stage.
After some time, the academy would likely come to Ron to discuss a new Nether Orchid contract.
"I'd like to see Illya. I wonder if she's free right now?" Ron asked Edith, who had stepped out of the lab.
"My sister is very free. She's in the research room all day anyway. If you're looking for her, I can take you there."
"That would be great. Thanks."
On the way to the research room, Edith subtly asked about the sales of Scalevine at the flower shop, then said:
"The priestess is quite optimistic about this plant. She previously bought several hundred Scalevine plants and took them back for the tribe to try."
"If the results are good and similar to the conclusions mentioned in Harper's paper, we might consider purchasing in large quantities."
Ron raised an eyebrow, feeling that he had glimpsed hope of completing a main quest early, and smiled.
"Then I'll be waiting for your good news."
Edith smiled back. "I hope so too."
The two arrived at Illya's research room.
Edith couldn't be bothered to knock. She directly opened the door with her key and walked in.
Illya was currently deeply engrossed in studying the full version of 'Hoe the Fields at Noon' that the dean had just given her, completely unaware that someone had entered.
Edith walked up behind Illya and delivered a full "mountain range embrace."
"Edith…" Illya snapped back to reality, expressionless, and patted the head resting on her shoulder.
"You're eating plain noodles again!" Edith pointed at the bowl on the table, with a few noodles still floating in clear water. "If you do not supplement your nutrition like this, you'll never grow up!"
"As long as I'm full, it's fine." Illya didn't care about size at all and only hoped her younger sister would leave quickly. "What is it?"
"Oh, right." Edith finally reacted and quickly climbed off Illya. "Prince Ron has something to discuss with you. I brought him here."
Hearing this, Illya immediately put the 'Hoe the Fields at Noon' manuscript into a drawer, stood up, and looked toward the door, her gaze falling on Ron.
"Prince Ron."
Ron stepped forward, greeted her, and got straight to the point.
"I bought a piece of land outside the city and want to set up some alert-type magic arrays around it. I was wondering if you could help?"
As long as it involved magic arrays, Illya had more than enough interest.
Without hesitation, she nodded. "Of course."
"Then are you free tomorrow afternoon? I'll take you to the site to have a look," Ron said. "If you need any materials, just tell me."
"Wait a moment." Illya turned to the bookshelf. Without even needing to search, she pulled out a small booklet by muscle memory and handed it to Ron. "This is a complete list of materials for restriction-type magic arrays. Whatever type and level of array you want to set up, just buy according to the instructions inside."
"No problem." Ron took the booklet. He didn't stay long, exchanged a few polite words, and then left.