After Impersonating a Noble, I Became a Goddess

Chapter 3: Underdeveloped Textile Technology

The history books in the library were far less detailed than the accounts found in religious scriptures; most were little more than heroic biographies. Luo Wei pulled down a heroic epic titled The Song of Aldrich. After flipping through a few pages, she found the entire volume steeped in heavy mythological overtones.

The book began with the creation of the world by the Ancient Gods, recounting the adventures of Aldrich, the son of the God of Wisdom, across the Western Continent. The opening described how the Divine created the world and humanity: the Creator God had removed His own heart to form the planet Garland, and spilled His blood to create mankind. Fearing that humans would be cold, He gouged out His left eye to become the sun, granting them the warmth of sunlight; fearing they would lose their way in the dark, He gouged out His right eye to become the moon, bestowing a clear, pale moonlight.

After the Creator fell, His soul gave birth to many new deities. These gods were born upon the Mother Goddess’s heart, continuing to bless the humans of Garland. The book also recorded a great war two thousand years ago—reputedly a war of faith among the gods. This conflict caused the paradise of the Old Humans to be razed by fire, transforming it overnight into a barren desert where not a single blade of grass grew; that desert was the Wasteland of today.

Since that war, the gods no longer descended to the mortal realm, sitting instead high atop the clouds. Humanity had migrated to a new continent to recover and thrive—the very Western Continent where they lived now. Legend spoke of a third continent named Mistland, located to the north of the Western Continent. However, the northern seas were perpetually shrouded in dense fog. To this day, no one had successfully crossed the fog belt, so the existence of Mistland remained unverified.

If Mistland truly exists, that would be for the best, Luo Wei thought. If the day ever comes when my identity is exposed, I could flee there to save my life.

As evening approached, Luo Wei finished a few pages and went to register the books, intending to take them back and read them at her leisure. Just as she left the checkout area, four or five teenage boys approached from the opposite direction. One of them walked straight into her.

With a sharp thud, the books in Luo Wei’s arms were knocked to the floor.

A hand reached down faster than hers to retrieve the book. The youth flipped to the cover and drawled, "Let’s see what this commoner is borrowing... Uh, The Song of Aldrich?"

Having read the title, he glanced at Luo Wei and suddenly fell silent. This archaic epic was so dense and difficult that even a glance gave him a headache. Yet, the lady before him had specifically come to borrow it? If she were a commoner, she certainly wouldn't be reading such a thing; most of them couldn't even recognize all the characters.

The other boys realized this as well. For a moment, they exchanged glances and remained silent. The youth who had picked up the book moved quickly, his attitude performing a total hundred-and-eighty-degree turn as he handed it back. "My lady, please forgive my rudeness. There was a misunderstanding just now. Here is your book."

Luo Wei knit her brows slightly and reached out for it.

"Ah, wait a moment," the youth suddenly changed his mind again, a look of "wisdom" appearing in his eyes. "Beautiful lady, I have been reading this book recently as well, but there are parts I don’t quite understand. Might I ask for your guidance?"

Splendid. Another one here to test me.

Did he think she couldn't understand an ancient text? To her, this was far simpler than Classical Chinese. Luo Wei withdrew her hand and replied indifferently, "Ask then."

The boy flipped to the first page and pointed randomly at a passage. "I don't understand this part."

Luo Wei looked at him with a peculiar expression. He couldn't understand even the first page? The youth’s face stiffened; he knew this made him look foolish, but the first page was the only part of the book he had ever actually opened.

"Fine. Give the book to me. I will teach you."

The boy handed it back. Pointing at the text, Luo Wei’s voice was soft and melodious: "The Mother Goddess fell, her soul conceived by the divine breath, birthing the gods within the sacred space and bestowing divine grace upon the eight directions. The gods ruled their respective domains; it was the time when chaos first parted, the line of life and death was drawn, and the myriad beasts..."

"The meaning of this passage is..."

By the time she finished, the boy’s suspicions had completely vanished. He thanked Luo Wei and took a careful look at her face as he left. This glance made his heart flutter slightly. This lady possessed skin like snow, a face like a blossom, and vivid red lips against white teeth. She had glossy black hair like ebony and a pair of mysterious dark eyes. Though her dress was very understated, her elegant poise and vast knowledge screamed of a noble background. She was clearly a true aristocrat!

Athena had called her a commoner; she was surely just jealous that this lady was more beautiful than her.

The boys returned to find Athena, only to be met with a blistering scolding.

"Idiots! There are bright and studious people among the commoners too. Do you think everyone is as unlearned and incompetent as you?"

One boy protested, "But she didn't even look for an arithmetic book. Athena, you must have made a mistake."

"Enough! All of you, get out!"

"How did the Dukes sire such a pack of fools?"

Athena’s face was contorted with rage. She had never imagined that sending these fellows to teach Luo Wei a lesson would result in them being charmed over instead! The noble youths were also tired of this pampered little princess; after being insulted, they simply turned and left. The two parties parted on bad terms.

On the other side, Luo Wei bypassed a rose garden and reached the dormitory. It was an ancient Romanesque building standing quietly on a lush green lawn, its semi-circular arches and rounded domes exuding a dreamlike atmosphere. The original owner's room was at the end of the second-floor corridor—a prime location. Pushing open the window revealed the lake, and there was a small balcony outside where one could sit and drink tea.

The feud with Athena had started precisely because of this room. The original owner had arrived first, and though Athena arrived later and took a liking to the place, the teacher had assigned it to the original owner since she had already moved her belongings in.

Back in her room, Luo Wei admired the scenery for a while. When the sun dipped below the horizon, she returned to her desk and lit the oil lamp. A handheld bronze mirror lay facedown on the table; she picked it up.

The dim, yellowed reflection revealed a youthful face, and Luo Wei froze. Was this not exactly how she had looked at fifteen? She had thought her appearance might change with the transmigration, but the original owner looked identical to her. In the mirror, the exquisite young girl with black hair and dark eyes stared back unblinkingly, as if looking at her past self from another world.

Luo Wei blinked. Now, she began to wonder if this was a soul transmigration or if her entire body had been transported. Fortunately, the original owner looked like her and had black hair—which happened to be the most esteemed hair color in the eyes of Westerners. If she had transmigrated with red hair, she truly wouldn't be able to keep up the noble facade. In the West, even nobles with red hair faced discrimination.

Looking in the mirror, Luo Wei seemed to understand why the teacher who assigned the dorms had favored her. It was a matter of stereotypes—the teacher likely assumed that she, with her black hair, held a higher status than the blonde Athena.

This was... excellent news.

Luo Wei set the mirror down and walked to the wardrobe to change into a linen nightgown. Looking back at the wool undergarment she had just removed, she frowned slightly. The original owner had spent all her money on her outer finery, neglecting her undergarments—which was how Vina had found a weakness to exploit.

In truth, the wool camisole was very soft, clearly having been carefully tanned and washed clean. Even if it wasn't pure white, it certainly wasn't "filthy." But Vina was right about one thing: a true noble would not wear wool as an undergarment. Because textile and dyeing technologies were underdeveloped at this time, wool garments were coarse, heavy, and lacked a pristine white color. Thus, nobles generally wore fine linen or cotton.

Luo Wei rubbed the wool undergarment in her hand as various processing techniques flashed through her mind.

The technology is underdeveloped? Then I'll just have to make it developed.

In the twenty-first century where she lived, fabrics made from animal fibers were far more expensive than those made from plant fibers.