(Kiyomi POV)
I was quite surprised to see the supposed Governor of Ahkeehar Barah town here.
Yes, the entire town sees her as the real leader, not the lord. It wasn't like that guy did much for the town anyway and he just keeled over when Governor Elaria started taking charge.
My other sisters seemed to have known about this development which they had obviously chosen to neglect to tell me, most likely just to see my reaction when I find out about it.
Unfortunately for them, aside from the initial surprise, I showed no other reaction.
I knew she was related to Master in a familial way but I did not suspect that she might be in on our little thing as well. The last I checked the entire town was kind of in a weird… Well… I actually have no word to describe how weird it was sufficiently.
The other girls in our theatre and I made sure to stay out of getting too embroiled in the town's weirdness as much as we could, so we weren't too caught up in the shenanigans that were going on within.
But even within that chaos, Governor Elaria and her sister had always been seen as prim and proper in public, nothing less than the exemplary governors that they were.
They might have the odd habit or two with their "An Ney May" obsession, but what really mattered was their own strength of character that shone through.
I could tell that they were not to be trifled with, not just because they had the entire town wrapped around their little finger of course.
It might just be rumours but I happened to overhear some people talk on my night walks with my superior hearing, something about how incredible things were being made in secret locations around the town.
"Elaria Lindulf, greetings to you. What have you brought for us today?" The princess asked with a tilt of her head.
Elaria grinned and stretched out her palm, the storage ring on her finger glowing faintly before depositing what looked like a rectangular box in her hand.
"I present to you, the 'What Storage'!"
There was a long moment of silence.
The princess smiled awkwardly, "So… What storage?"
"Yes!"
Another moment of silence.
"And… It stores… What?" The princess asked.
Elaria's eyes widened, "That is correct your highness! That is the unit of measurement! You really are the genius they say you are!"
"Oh… Erm… Thank you?" The princess muttered, obviously unsure. "But… What does it do?"
"It stores 'What' of course! It will revolutionise the world on how everything works!"
The princess tried her best to smile at her politely, "That is… interesting. I thank you for the gift and hope for success in your future projects."
Elaria smirked, "It sounds impossible, but hold it in your hand princess. Use your senses to feel what is inside and you will understand!"
She offered the box towards the princess, who had a look of uncertainty on her face before reluctantly motioning to the guard beside her to bring it over to her.
The guard stepped in front of Elaria warily, picking up the box with both his hands before returning to the princess.
The princess herself held it with both hands as well, inspecting it with a curious look on her face.
"Extend your senses into it, feel what is inside!" Elaria instructed, somehow here twin-tails also shaking to show her excitement.
The princess seemed to oblige as she closed her eyes in concentration, her parents and siblings watching her closely.
A few seconds passed before she opened her eyes without warning, her face turning into one of surprise.
"Miss Lindulf! This… This is… There's power in here! That's amazing!" She gasped.
My ears pricked up and I paid more attention to what was going on there.
"Hahaha! That's right, your highness! That which you hold in your hand will change everything!" Elaria laughed, all form of decorum forgotten.
"Daughter? What is it?" The King could not help but asked what was on everybody's minds.
"This is a container for Pure Elemental Quarks! No, not Pure Elemental… It feels like it's… A bit different? But I definitely feel energised when I sense it!"
"It's Pure Elemental Quarks that have been compressed and folded, your highness! This can be used to power anything!" Elaria explained excitedly.
The princess tilted her head, "Is this not meant to be something Practitioners use when they are low on Elemental Quarks?"
Elaria wagged her finger at her, "Oh, it can be used as that but that is not the main purpose! Allow me to demonstrate!"
She pulled out what looked like a glass orb with a few letterings that I recognised as inscriptions at one side of it. The orb itself had some kind of metallic handle attached to one end that had a hole just big enough for Elaria's rectangular box to slot into.
She held that at the handle with a hand while taking out another of her 'What Storage'.
Seriously though, I have no idea what gave her the idea that was a good name. Couldn't she have come up with something else?
"Behold! The time of candlelight is over!" She proclaimed before pressing a button located at the bottom of the metal handle.
There was a low humming sound before the orb slowly lit up in her hands, casting a warm glow around her.
I recognised small light orbs floating inside the glass, which was definitely what made the orb light up as it did.
"By inscribing a Light Technique inscription, the 'What Storage' will supply the Quarks needed to activate it and light this orb up! A single 'What Storage' like this can power it for three days straight!"
By now, I could see most of the much smarter people widening their eyes as they realised the potential for such an invention. No doubt a number of them have already begun plotting on how to make Elaria's invention work to their favour.
I have to admit, even though I've already heard about this beforehand, it was still quite impressive when seeing it in person.
"And what happens when it runs out of power?" The princess asked, clearly excited now. It seems she also realised its potential on her own, quite the gifted girl she is instead of the naive girl I initially thought her out to be.
Elaria grinned, "All you need is for a Practitioner to recharge it! It is that easy! We are currently producing these in large amounts, the Vera Family will be assisting us with its distribution!"
The princess gave a genuine smile this time, "I see… I thank you again for the gift, Lady Lindulf."
The King also spoke up, "If you don't mind, we would also like to talk a bit more with you later if possible? I'm sure the Royal Family could offer some kind of assistance for such a bright mind like yours."
Elaria made an exaggerated bow, "It will be an honour, your Majesty. I only hope to live up to your… Expectations."
The King nodded before turning towards Dill, "Dill Vera, I thank you for introducing such a talented woman to us. She will definitely usher in a new age for this world. Of course, I also hope you might stay to talk about this afterwards?"
Dill bowed his head, "It will be my pleasure, your highness."
I could almost taste the envy in the air emanating from the other Major Families. I have no doubts that those who had blown off the Vera Family as insignificant were now regretting it thoroughly.
Now with Elaria's role cemented, we can move on with the next part of our plan.