Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

"Could she be a widow?"

Nozer completely disbelieved Graham's words.

Dorothy extended her hand and gently shook hands with Graham.

"Of course I'm bringing you business; my business isn't urgent."

Graham smiled and stepped aside to make way for Noze behind him. "Let me introduce you first. This is Noze Stella, an Army Warrant Officer. I brought him here to have some clothes made to fit him."

"Nice to meet you, you're quite the handsome officer... Would you be interested in modeling for me at the shop sometime?"

Dorothy reached out her hand to him.

"Well... let's forget about it..."

As Nozer declined, his gaze inadvertently swept over Mrs. Dorothy's fingers, which were covered in calluses and scars.

She didn't seem like a tailor who spent most of her time in the shop; rather, she seemed like someone who had practiced swordsmanship.

Thinking of this, Noze was secretly surprised, but he didn't show it on the surface and shook hands with her without making a sound.

"Let's skip the pleasantries."

Graham stated his requirements with practiced ease, "The army's service uniform goes without saying, just use good quality fabric. There's also the dress uniform, and two sets of riding clothes for each. And a formal suit for attending banquets is also necessary... Oh, and make all the clothes a bit more luxurious."

"Money is not a problem, quality is the most important thing, and I'll take full responsibility for the bill."

"I can't accept this..."

"Nozer, I'm your senior, so don't get me into trouble. This is Admiral Leopold's order, and I dare not disobey."

Graham made an exaggerated throat-slitting gesture. "Besides, what's a little money? It's nothing."

Dorothy chuckled as she watched the two of them politely declining, then picked up the measuring tape beside her and looked at Cora. ​​"Cora, write down the measurements."

After saying that, she walked up to Norze and quickly measured his shoulder width, waist circumference, and leg length with a soft measuring tape, calling out the numbers as she did so. Miss Cora quickly wrote them down in her notebook and soon had a clear understanding of Norze's basic dimensions.

"Warrant Lieutenant Nozer has a great physique, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he's a natural clothes hanger, but he's a bit too thin."

As Dorothy spoke, she quickly sketched out the patterns on the paper with a pencil. "The everyday clothes will be a loose, casual style, the riding clothes will be fitted at the waist so as not to affect horse control, and the formal wear will be made of indigo cashmere with silver thread embroidery, suitable for both military banquets and diplomatic occasions."

"You're the expert in this area. I'm a layman and can't say anything. Just do what you think is best."

Graham clearly knew that he couldn't let laymen instruct experts.

Noze looked at the smooth and neat lines under her pen; with just a few strokes, she had clearly outlined the shape of the clothes.

Graham leaned against the fabric rack, watching Miss Cora take more detailed measurements of Norzer, and finally revealed the purpose of his visit: "Any news from Downtown lately?"

Dorothy paused, her pen still in her hand. She glanced at him and said, "There are all sorts of rumors in the city, but I don't know what kind of rumors you're asking about, Lieutenant Colonel."

Hearing their conversation, Nozer finally understood why Graham had said, "You can solve cases by making clothes."

So this Lady Dorothy has such a high degree of control over the lower town that she can even engage in the buying and selling of intelligence.

Judging from how familiar Graham and she seemed, it was clearly not the first time.

"There's no need for this charade with me, is there? You definitely know more about what happened at the docks yesterday than I do, right?"

Graham looked at Mrs. Dorothy with amusement. "Do you know who those assassins are?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know that the assassins probably blended in with the Protestants as cover."

"Were they prepared in advance?"

"That's fair to say. For at least a month, they gradually made cloaks at tailors in the lower town and also bought gunpowder and other things from the black market."

"Do you know roughly who they are? Edrics or Imperials?"

Dorothy shook her head and put the lead weights she was holding away.

"I don't know, I can't figure it out. The people who went to the city to order the cloaks and the people who picked them up were different. They were most likely local homeless people and dockworkers they hired. They were willing to make the trip for a couple of copper coins. They couldn't even remember what the employers looked like or what accents they spoke."

"Besides, even if we find these errand runners, what then? Who knows if the person who hired them is just a paid front?"

Cora, who had just finished writing down the last set of sleeve length and neckline measurements in her notebook, looked up at the question, her eyes filled with girlish curiosity, and couldn't help but interject, "Aren't they afraid that these hired people will run off with the deposit and the final payment?"

Dorothy chuckled softly. "What's a cloak to them? Secrecy and security are the most important things."

"Don't even mention a few copper coins as a deposit; even if you throw out a silver shield, as long as you don't reveal your whereabouts, they won't blink an eye. If someone really runs off with the money, they'll just find someone else to run the errand; it's practically no loss to them."

After Dorothy finished speaking, the previously lively atmosphere instantly became somewhat subdued.

Graham unconsciously twirled the riding crop hanging from his waist, lost in thought.

He originally thought he could find the assassin's direct trail through Dorothy's line, but he didn't expect that this group of people had such strong counter-surveillance capabilities. They used insignificant locals as white gloves from beginning to end, leaving no solid evidence to follow up.

His mind raced through all the fragmented information, trying to piece together a coherent narrative from these scattered clues.

After hearing these clues, Norze had some vague ideas in mind, but he couldn't grasp the core of them at all, like trying to see the moon through clouds.

Time passed slowly until Cora closed her notebook, nodded to Dorothy to indicate that all the precise measurements had been taken, and the two of them snapped out of their reverie.

"Dorothy, in a few days several major merchant guilds and guilds in the city will be holding banquets, and celebrities from all walks of life will be attending. He definitely has to go too... If all else fails, get his formal attire ready for the banquet, so he doesn't end up without a decent outfit to make an appearance."

Graham spoke while glancing at Nozer.

"Don't take this lightly. If General Leopold finds out that I took you out to get your clothes made and you didn't even get to wear formal attire to the banquet, and you don't meet any suitable ladies from prominent families or find a girlfriend who suits your taste, I reckon you'll get a beating from the general."

"You have to cast a wide net to catch a big fish, you know? There will be so many beautiful girls at the banquet, what a great opportunity that will be for you."