Miss Sylvia had also noticed Shade's interest, and an unintentional smile appeared at the corner of the witch's lips. Although Miss Galina had known Shade longer, the witch of the Council's Thirteenth Seat had clearly grasped his thoughts at once:
"You can think it over first. Just give me your answer before the delegation leaves."
Although they could still keep in touch after the delegation departed, letting go for now while setting a specific deadline would make Shade take it more seriously.
"This..."
It was not that Shade wanted to refuse. He simply felt that if they cooperated this way, he would be taking advantage of the witch. Miss Sylvia was not particularly wealthy by comparison, but the money she had put up for this investment amounted to six figures in pounds. Shade's little savings were merely a fraction of that, while the "valuable advice" the witch had mentioned seemed completely worthless to him.
"I'll give it serious thought."
Shade nodded cautiously. Recalling a recent chat with Miss Pawo, he asked again:
"Miss Sylvia, do you know about Synthetic Fiber?"
The witch looked at him curiously, and Shade explained the difference between "artificial fiber" and "Biological Fiber."
Of course, when he had discussed this with Miss Pawo last Friday, it had mainly been to stop her from bringing up more intimate subjects. This time, however, he was trying to spark an idea, so Shade did not mention topics such as "the transparency and elasticity of clothing."
"That sounds quite interesting. If it isn't toxic, the artificial fiber you described does indeed have potential applications. The problem is that while Ring Arcanists all know a little chemistry, how exactly would it be made? At the very least, I've never heard of anyone successfully synthesizing fine threads suitable for weaving clothing."
Miss