Chapter 151: Time to Change the Map

"Th-th-this, what is this, underwear?"

Bard was truly captivated this time. Why would a mere block of wood wearing that garment appear so mesmerizing? He almost couldn't control the urge to strip it off and inspect it closely.

"This thing should be called a bra. It's meant to protect a girl's chest, or you could consider it underwear."

Rubi didn't waste the remaining fabric either; he casually fashioned a simple, snow-white pair of panties and fitted them onto the lower body of the wooden mannequin. Since it wasn't difficult, he figured he might as well make the complete set.

"The girls of this world generally use chest-binding cloths or form-fitting silk vests, both of which are quite harmful to the bust. A bra can be adjusted to fit each girl's size, supporting the chest so that the shoulders bear part of the weight and preventing sagging. If properly made, selling these for a lifetime will be effortless."

"I... I, I admit it."

Bard bit his teeth hard, reluctant to concede to Rubi's creation, but the merchant's soul deep within him told him that this item could indeed be sold for a lifetime—forget a lifetime, selling it until the end of the world was entirely possible. Even the style of those panties was far more advanced than what contemporary girls wore. In the end, he couldn't resist the inner roar, lowering his head to acknowledge Rubi's handiwork.

"Hey, hey, can I wear that too?"

Eve fell in love with the look of the bra at first glance, mostly because it was handcrafted by Rubi himself, but the size was terribly unfriendly to her. She could only tug at the hem of Rubi's clothes and ask timidly.

"Go wash up and sleep; children's underwear is what suits you."

Faced with the young girl's wish, Rubi shattered it without a shred of hesitation.

With permission granted, Celine's eyes flashed with golden light as she impatiently snatched the bra to try it on, leaving two men and a young girl staring blankly in the living room.

"What kind of monster are you, you bastard? You can make merchandise like this out of trash."

Bard scratched his afro with a foul expression. He knew a thing or two about Rubi's medical skills; his mother, whom the Golden Lion had declared hopeless and beyond rescue, was now living just like a normal person and could occasionally even dance in the public square.

Furthermore, Rubi had demonstrated such terrifying talent in turning waste into treasure commercially. He had never heard of a bra anywhere in the world during his entire life, meaning this had to be his own invention. Though it hadn't been put into practice yet, Bard knew that once mass-produced, this commodity would generate an astronomically terrifying income.

There were nearly six billion humans on the Divine Continent. Even split evenly between genders, that would create a market of three billion people. Add to that the fact that every girl would need to prepare at least two, and then have their own designers add patterns and colors—even the continent's richest man, accustomed to vast wealth, felt a shiver of fear at the impending fortune.

Just like that, such an item was casually given away? If it hadn't meant trading his own daughter, Bard would gladly have given half his wealth to have Rubi work for him. However, the price being his daughter made him somewhat reluctant.

"Never mind about that. By the way, Eve, could you lend me some money?"

Rubi had no idea what was running through Bard's mind; he only knew he had to leave. Before departing, however, he asked Eve.

"Money? It's been ages since you asked me for money. How much? Shall I take you to Daddy's vault to get some?"

For Eve, nothing in the world brought her more joy than Rubi needing her money. She immediately and happily dug tens of thousands of gold coins out of her spatial storage. Seeming to feel it still wasn't enough, she spoke to him eagerly. The sight made Bard genuinely want to beat his own daughter; favoring outsiders was understandable, but turning her loyalties dozens of times over in an instant was a bit hard to accept.

"There's no need for anything that dramatic. I just want to buy some food supplies, though the quantity might be a bit large."

To Rubi, money wasn't particularly important. Strictly speaking, he shouldn't have been this poor; Caesar wasn't stingy, and the dividend from the Yu-Gi-Oh cards was an astronomical figure. Unfortunately, that astronomical sum had already found its way into Mayona's pockets.

The Goddess of Magic maiden called it keeping it in safe custody under a fine-sounding pretext, but both of them knew very well that she simply didn't want Rubi to get his hands on money and find an excuse to leave her. Although whether Rubi repaid his rent was an unspoken understanding between them, she still didn't want to pierce that thin layer of paper.

"A large amount of food? What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing much. I might go live in the Magical Beast Forest for a few years."

"Huh? Ah???"

Eve let out a sharp cry of shock, and Bard cast a strange look his way as well, forcing Rubi to explain the reason why he had to go.

"I'm going with you!"

Upon learning the reason Rubi had to make the trip, the pink-haired girl threw her arms tightly around his sleeve to keep him from leaving, her starry eyes filled entirely with worry and reluctance.

"Stop messing around. Look at your father; you shouldn't let your family worry about you. Besides, I don't have the time to protect you; you'd only hold me back."

"But, but how long will it be before I can see you? I don't want this..."

Hearing Rubi's hurtful words, tears welled up in Eve's eyes once again. For her, spending time with Rubi in the laboratory was already an indispensable part of her life. Now that Rubi was about to ruthlessly tear that part away, how could she possibly accept it?

"No crying. You're my outstanding disciple; be strong. Once I finish what I need to do, I'll be back."

Rubi had stated before that he hated seeing girls cry. He pinched her nose, forcibly driving her tears back, and then handed her a handwritten notebook containing knowledge he hadn't taught her yet.

"Wuwu! Daddy, he's gone! It might be a long, long time before I can see him again!"

After Rubi left, Eve ultimately failed to control her tears, burying herself in her father's embrace and weeping bitterly.

"Sigh, he really is a good man."

Bard patted his daughter's back. Ordinarily, he should have happily shouted, "Good riddance to that monkey!" But having heard firsthand why Rubi had to leave, he could no longer harbor any prejudice against the young man, hoping only that he would manage to emerge alive from that man-eating place.