Sunrise

"Good morning grandma, Nisa" Yue enthusiastically greeted the two.

"Good morning Yue!" Nisa greeted back with a smile but her hands didn't stop from preparing breakfast.

"You woke up early child. Have you had a good sleep?"

"Yes grandma, the room is very comfortable I was able to fully recover my energy. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The old lady observed whether Yue really managed to rest well before deciding to let her help.

"There is actually, could you please help pick some vegetables for me in the backyard. Some leeks, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage"

"No problem grandma, just leave it to me" Yue was glad they decided to take her offer, that shows that they are open to communicate with her openly.

The old lady and her granddaughter watch the energetic Yue leave.

"Do you she will be able to discover it grandma?"

"The lord is becoming more eccentric as the years go by. Let's hope someone can get it this time"

Both grandmother and granddaughter hoped for a good outcome. Every time someone wanted to inherit the mantle of Lord Eliott, he would throw that person in this village. But decades had passed and no one was able to capture the essence of the test. But somehow, the old lady had the feeling that this time, someone will be able to get it.

When they passed by the backyard yesterday, Yue wasn't able to observe the surroundings since it was dark and all she wanted is to rest.

But now, with full light, she was able to witness the spectacular colors being blown by the wind.

The fabrics are arranged in a perfect color palette.

It's a definite feast in the eyes but Yue still remembered she had to pick veggies.

"Grandma, I got everything"

"Thank you dear. Leave everything with us. You can walk around the house while waiting for breakfast"

Yue didn't insist on helping seeing her presence is really unnecessary.

She went back to see the fabrics.

Though all colors were stunning, the ones dyed in blue caught her attention the most.

This kind of glacier like blue but had dark hue is something that can never be seen in the market.

In fact, the distribution of this color is exclusive to the Royal family.

Yue was truly fascinated. The more she tries to observe the color, the more she discovers what makes it special.

She definitely has to know how they produce such dye.

Yue remembered the dye vats she saw yesterday and move towards the shed.

But to her disappointment, she wasn't able to see the vat meant for that blue dye.

Well, that have to be asked later.

"Making a dye and dyeing are simple but every step is crucial. So even if things are basic, you have to understand the process and take note of the timing"

"We source our dyes on the plants that locally grow in this area. There are myriads of colors to choose from. However, the quality and intensity of the dye extracted depends on the age of the plant. The season and time, and the way the plant was harvested also contributes to it. That shows the uniqueness of natural dye. There's no two perfectly exact shade of color that can be produced even coming from the same plant. Just like the snowflakes where no two of the same patterns ever existed"

Yue listened carefully and caught some hint regarding the dyed fabric she saw earlier.

Nisa carefully introduced each dye and its general production. In fact, she offered a lot of information that is beyond what people who didn't belong in the community should know.

At this point, it's pretty much obvious what this round is about.

This village does not produce dye just for anyone but is actually affiliated with the Royal Family.

Their craft had been honed for hundreds of years.

Right now, they're being trained as the potential successor for the Royal Designer, hence, this is opportunity that they needed to take advantage of if they wanted inherit the title.

After giving her the lecture, Yue asked Nisa to bring her to the library. Yue noted the different ways of extraction and dyeing. She also looked for the information of glasfleur. After looking for hours, she saw a brief description and a drawing.

It is a pure white flower that grows in clusters. Its appearance is like snowflake. It thrives in extreme low temperature near the cliffs and can only be plucked barehanded. Any contact with inanimate object will make it wither immediately.

Such an eccentric flower, just like a house that crumbles if there's no human warmth to breathe life into it.

There's not one among the plants in the compendium that can produce such peculiar blue dye that she saw that morning. And just based on the name Glasfleur, Yue is quite sure that this is the flower that needed to create that effect she wanted to incorporate in her design.

Now, for the best extraction method…

For the next couple of days Yue learned by hand how to extract dye from plants and apply it on fabric by morning and work on the dress by evening. She had no time to socialize with other contestants but continually seek guidance from the people in the village. And by fourth day, more than half of the contestants already passed their work and was escorted back home.

However, Yue had to wait until the last day to complete her dress.

It was a make or break situation.

Yue checked her tools, made sure to wear layers of coat, and secured the dress she designed in a box.

She left a note before leaving the house.

It was around 4am and is still dark. The surrounding was filled with deafening silence that made Yue unconsciously heightened her senses and vigilance.

Although she had already gone down the same trail for the past couple of days, walking through it in the middle of the dark made it look like she was in another place.

However, she can only continue to move forward in order to achieve her goal.

Yue almost stumbled a few times after tripping on roots protruding from the ground, but just in time, she managed to reach the edge of the mountain. Beside it was a gentle river trickling down creating a majestic fall.

There's still some time before she could start her mission.

"Cold, ah, why do I have to do this" Yue sneezed a couple of times and can't help but mutter some remarks while she pulled out a portable butane burner.

She set an aluminum cup on stove and heated the premade chocolate drink.

Before she had to experience another hardship, she would first enjoy the beauty of sunrise on top of the mountain.