"I didn't know noble children were being taught to speak such sweet words these days. What made you so sweet today? Are you planning to spend my money again?" Lady Veronika smiled her trademark smile and looked at Grey as if she could see right through all his tricks.
Hearing her question, Grey realized that enough was enough with the flattery and double meanings for today.
It was time to discuss business.
He immediately stopped smiling and nodded calmly.
"That's right. I'm going to start the first stage of changing the establishment. The girls will stop providing sexual services and will only dance and put on shows. I'm absolutely certain that our income won't decrease at all, so I'm counting on your approval. The only thing I'm missing is a magical device that can play music. So I'm asking you to place an order with the magic tower and have it made according to my blueprints."
Grey cast an uncertain glance at Lady Veronika, trying to understand her attitude, but she continued listening carefully with a smile. She did not hurry to voice any objections.
Gathering all his willpower, Grey tore his gaze away from her long legs and firm breasts and focused on the main subject.
"The rune layout and comments on the technical device are included in the documents. Even a beginner mage should be able to make it, but I'd like to prevent the blueprints from leaking. We must not create competitors for ourselves. The uniqueness of a product is the key to any successful business. That's why you should be the one to place the order. With your influence, the magic tower simply won't dare claim the technology as its own."
Grey pulled a roll of parchment from the bottomless pocket, which was no longer a secret to Lady Veronika, pointed at the blueprint, and began explaining how the device worked.
"This is my invention. A device for recording and playing music.
Once you perform a melody, you can preserve your voice forever, just like text on paper.
The principle behind it is extremely simple. In fact, our voice, like any other sound, is made up of rhythmic vibrations in the air that are perceived by the sense of hearing.
There is a small horn with a needle at the end. You simply have to speak or sing into the horn. The sound reflects off the surface of the horn and transfers its vibrations to the needle. The needle then scratches the rotating record and leaves a trace on the soft material.
If we want to listen to the recording again, everything happens in reverse. We place the needle at the beginning of the groove and spin the record again. The vibrations pass through a magical membrane and turn back into sound, which is amplified by the horn."
Grey clapped his hands:
"And voila. A melody performed once can be listened to again and again, even while the performer is sleeping in their room or dancing together with the listeners.
The price of the technology isn't too high. One mana stone will be used as a battery and allow the device to play music for a month. Another one is responsible for smoothing out the sound. Then there's the cost of the materials according to the blueprint and the craftsman's work. By my estimates, one such device should cost about one gold coin.
The records are made from hardened Ringing Oak resin. There's plenty of it in Thorn's Tabernacles. It's very easy to work with, so the cost of one piece can't be more than a silver coin."
Grey looked proudly at Lady Veronika, showing her the wonders of modern science that he and Junior had managed to recreate in this backward world.
He felt the pride of a creator bringing enlightenment to the masses and eagerly waited for her reaction.
Lady Veronika stared at him with widened eyes, in which Grey thought he could see admiration and approval. In reality, however, there was only confusion in those eyes.
Since Lady Veronika was a truly powerful expert, she was familiar with runic writing and modern magic theory. And yet, she could not immediately understand Grey's explanation, which included many modern concepts and physical terms that had never been seen in this world.
She did not want to look stupid in his eyes, so she elegantly cleared her throat and pretended that she understood everything.
"I understand. You want to record music so that it can be heard at any moment. I sincerely admire your ingenuity and enthusiasm," she paused and looked uncertainly at the boy, "It's just that I still can't understand: how exactly will this help my establishment?"
Grey was ready for the question, since he was asked the same thing every time.
Monica, Lydia, the other workers, and even Cheryl and Lily had all been moderately skeptical of his inventions. They could not understand the advantages because they lacked the necessary experience, so they treated Grey like some kind of madman trying to compensate for his weakness and prove useful at least in something.
Even Lady Veronika was no exception and failed to see the potential of the technology.
"We'll be able to offer our clients a new and unique experience that they won't be able to get anywhere else. We'll stop being mere merchants of the body and start selling an atmosphere." Grey explained as if he were reading from a script. In reality, by this point, he was tired of repeating the same words over and over again.
"And you think someone will actually pay us for this experience? If someone wants to listen to music, why not just find a bard in one of the taverns?" Lady Veronika asked again, still unconvinced.
"Yes!" Grey nodded firmly.
"What makes you so confident?" Veronika insisted.
"I mean, isn't it obvious... Any unique product brings in greater profits. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves, and dancing and music are among the oldest ways to rest and relax. We'll give our clients that opportunity in a new format, with different performers and a new presentation."
"Fine," Lady Veronika rubbed her smooth forehead and let out a deep breath, "Let's say I believe you. But you're overlooking one important detail. A very important one."
"What is it?" Grey showed curiosity, but he was not nervous at all.
As a modern man, he was absolutely confident in his idea.
This business model had been tested hundreds and thousands of times. In a world where entertainment was quite primitive and there were no competitors, success was almost guaranteed. So he did not believe Veronika could find a problem he would be unable to solve.
Noticing the confidence in the boy's eyes, Lady Veronika smiled slightly and took a sip of wine from her glass.
"It seems you've forgotten the true purpose of this establishment and what it was created for..." She hinted, hoping he would figure it out.
Grey frowned, unable to understand what exactly she was trying to say.
Wasn't it obvious that this was just an ordinary brothel?
Yes, the service here was very high quality. Yes, beautiful girls worked here, and the atmosphere practically glittered with wealth.
He had to give her credit for that.
But the essence remained the same. A brothel was still an ordinary brothel. The business model was extremely simple. Here, just like in every other establishment of this kind, people paid money for sexual services and nothing more.
So what could he have missed?
Seeing his confused expression, Veronika did not get angry. Perhaps she was a little disappointed, but no more than that. She understood that the boy had put too much effort into the project to give up on it so easily, so she began to explain:
"I told you that 'Venus's Embrace' is not just a brothel, but a true temple of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Do you know what function a temple serves? Why do gods insist on attracting believers? They are so powerful and should have no reason to worry about the mortal world. Then why are they so eager to spread their teachings among mortals?"
"Please enlighten me," Grey sincerely asked, becoming all ears. This question had confused him more than once. If Lady Veronika was willing to share this information with him, he certainly had no intention of stopping her.
Veronika leaned back against the couch, took a sip of wine from her cup to moisten her dry throat, and continued her lecture:
"Every god rules over a concept of creation. It is not simply the ability to use mana, like ordinary mortals who have embarked on the path of cultivation. These concepts directly affect the fundamental laws of the world. Within the limits of their concept, a god can influence these laws, use them as they see fit, and bend them to their will.
Gods are so powerful that a mortal simply cannot comprehend them. And yet, mortals are an inseparable part of creation. The quality and number of believers directly affect a god's power and authority within their concept.
You don't need to know the details, but as one of Aphrodite's followers, you must understand your mission. The more believers sincerely follow a god's teachings, the greater influence that god gains over their concept.
Love, sex, beauty. These are the concepts Aphrodite governs, as well as the foundation of her power.
Therefore, we are obligated to awaken these very feelings in our guests. Otherwise, the existence of 'Venus's Embrace' would be completely pointless and far too costly. Making money is merely a secondary profit, not the establishment's primary mission. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Lady Veronika looked at Grey seriously.
By revealing so many secrets to him, she hoped the boy would understand her reasoning and stop causing chaos.
Such knowledge was not common knowledge, and if not for Grey's effectiveness, she would never have shared it with him.
His diligence, enthusiasm, and innovative ideas had deeply impressed Lady Veronika. So much so that she wanted to turn him from a simple accountant into a true believer who would share a common mission with her. She wanted to bring such a talent to her side, so she had to be patient.
She refused to change the establishment's policy not because of simple stubbornness or ambition, but because the current format perfectly served the goddess's interests. Any possible changes would go against its original purpose, so she could not agree.
Seeing that Grey did not look completely convinced, Veronika gave him one more explanation:
"Now do you understand why Aphrodite's temple takes the form of a brothel? Here, people pay for pleasure, seek love, and admire beauty. They don't even need to pray. They only need to follow their own desires, and Aphrodite will receive the energy of faith. This approach is exactly what made her one of the strongest goddesses on Olympus."
Veronika proudly puffed out her chest as she explained the greatness and genius of the goddess to the inexperienced youngster. The usual detachment in her eyes disappeared, replaced by undisguised smugness.
"So give up your plans to change the establishment. No matter how wonderful those plans may be, they must serve our purpose," she said more gently. "Until now, you had no right to know such secret information. However, your talent and innovative ideas are far too valuable to ignore."
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to give him a chance to prove himself:
"Think about how to attract new believers based on what you've learned, and perhaps you'll earn the goddess's favor. Even your healing is not entirely impossible. Show your worth, produce results, and Aphrodite will not be stingy with her rewards."
Grey fell into deep thought.
He did not rush to deny the value of the knowledge he had gained, nor did he despise the approach chosen by Aphrodite. On the contrary, he was genuinely impressed. So much so that he even considered the possibility of serving the Olympian goddess, but he still could not agree.
Having lived in this world long enough, Grey had clearly learned that it was different from Earth.
From Lady Veronika's explanation, it became clear that the temple of love and its priestesses were not merely fancy names, but perfectly legitimate concepts.
Ordinary women facing difficulties in life often went to work in brothels not only because they could earn "easy" money, but also in the hope of meeting a savior who would fall in love with them.
Not everyone treated the girls like merchandise. Quite often, someone would fall in love, buy the girl he liked, and take her away with him.
It was a widespread practice, as well as an established social institution, as familiar as dating apps were to modern people.
Grey did not approve of this approach, but it would have been foolish to blindly reject it. That was simply how society worked, and he could not change it overnight.
Grey held no position of authority and possessed no overwhelming power, so he had to be patient if he wanted to change the world in his own way.
Living under someone else's roof, it would be foolish to force his benefactor to accept his point of view.
He had to rely on logic if he wanted to defend his own ideas. In any world, profit was valued above all else, and he simply had to demonstrate that profit.
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