Bestowal

Doors closed, shop sealed.

Now, it is time for one on one service.

One female assistant trotted over and swiftly pulled all the curtains shut, blocking out any prying eyes from the outside.

Another female assistant pulled a lever on the wall. With a soft whoosh, over a dozen gas lamps disguised as decorations flickered to life. Steady flames erupted from the nozzles, and through the crystal lamp shades, bright orange light instantly illuminated the room that had just turned dim.

Click-clack.

A series of gear collisions resonated from beneath their feet, followed by a persistent buzzing and subtle vibrations. Except for the area around the sofa, the room floor began to descend slowly, sinking into the underground along with the furniture. When it rose again, the items carried on the floor had completely changed.

Four rows of display racks unfolded along the walls, draped with clothing components of various sizes. Dozens of wooden mannequins of different heights and builds stood arranged beneath the racks.

Several workbenches of unknown purpose were placed in the open space, their surfaces neatly laid out with countless tools that Lynch could not name.

Master Christian stood with his arms crossed, his index finger tapping his lips as he paced slowly around the workbenches. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he spoke with fluid speed, "Mannequin number seven, components 5, 8, and 17."

The previously slacking female assistants became swift and efficient. One pushed a mannequin from the rack over, then quickly dismantled several limbs, while the other had already removed the corresponding parts and skillfully attached them to the seventh dummy.

The figure and physique were almost identical to Lynch's.

"Clothing components, 39, 23, 8..."

Leaning seductively against the table, Master Christian reeled off numbers in a steady stream. The two female assistants darted around the room like butterflies, climbing up and down ladders to retrieve various garment components and draping them one by one onto the mannequin.

After several adjustments and replacements by the assistants, a crisp, sharp suit gradually took shape before Lynch.

A white cotton shirt, deep blue woolen trousers, a thick black cloth trench coat, a deep blue silk top hat, and a pair of polished black leather shoes sat at his feet.

Lynch was moved just by looking at them; it was truly the work of a master.

"Very good. Now, the second step."

Following Master Christian's order, the two attendants stepped forward, removed the components, and pieced them together on the sewing table. They then threaded needles and loosely tacked the pieces together, barely forming the garments. A special piece of white cloth was fixed to the edges of each piece, appearing particularly conspicuous.

"Bestowal is not aimed at the clothing itself, but at the concept of 'this garment.' As long as this concept holds, even if it is bestowed upon a piece of white cloth that is about to be discarded, it remains effective. By the same logic, whether your new clothes are dirty, damaged, or you need to replace components because you've grown, as long as the concept of 'this garment' remains unchanged, the bestowed properties will not vanish."

The Ship of Theseus? Lynch immediately associated this with the philosophical proposition.

Clap, clap, clap.

As soon as he finished speaking, the master clapped his hands. The two assistants immediately pushed the workbenches, the tops shifting aside to reveal the space beneath.

There were hundreds of colors of thread, dozens of needle types, and small compartments filled with mysterious items of unknown purpose.

"First is the outer coat. It is your outermost protection. I bestow upon it the property of 'Haze,' making it easier for you to escape the threat of bullets and arrows."

Whoosh. An assistant spread the coat out on the pristine sewing table and fixed the extra white cloth right in the center.

"Haze is the color of the black night, representing the favor of the Lady of the Black Night. Bring me needle number 24; that is a tool smoked with midnight flowers. Pair it with black thread, using black to represent the tenderness of the Lord of the Night."

The other assistant immediately handed over the threaded needle. Master Christian took it unhurriedly, wearing gloves, and retrieved several black petals from the compartments, gently rubbing them against the black thread.

"Polarizing grass deflects light, ethereal and uncertain, which fits the meaning of Haze perfectly. Using the midnight flower as a guide and the black thread as a medium, I bestow the concept of Haze from the polarizing grass into the shirt. Now..."

As he spoke, the master curled his finger, pinched the needle, and struck out with his right hand like lightning. It moved back and forth across the white cloth so fast that Lynch couldn't track the motion at all, only feeling the air in the room whistling as gusts of wind rushed toward his face.

"Now, with the pattern of the polarizing grass, the concept of Haze is fused into the shirt, transforming it into the embrace of the Lady of the Night."

His hands never stopped. A small black flower gradually formed in the center of the white cloth. The pattern of this flower was extremely complex; staring at it for too long made one feel dizzy and creeped out.

Until, with a bang, the wind dissipated. Christian casually tossed the sewing needle aside, its tip having pierced through the pattern on the white cloth and buried deep into the wooden table, emitting a dull thud.

"Change. The second piece is the top hat. The hat protects your most important position. I bestow upon it the property of 'Absorption,' like a helmet, to absorb the blunt force of strikes aimed at your skull."

"Absorption is the gift of the earth, representing the mercy of the Mother of the Earth. Switch to stone needle number 78, use stone heart milk as a guide, pair it with earth yellow thread, and use the power of the earth as a medium to bestow the absorption property of stable crystal onto the hat."

While speaking, Christian took out a small compass and moved his feet slowly, slightly changing his orientation. Only after standing still did he take the second needle.

Then, there was another gust of wind. Soon, a more complex crystal pattern was sewn onto the white cloth of the top hat. With the final stitch, a heavy, steady force surged forth.

"Next, the third is the shirt. The shirt is your final protection. I bestow upon it the property of 'Tenacity,' with a dense material that makes blades thrusting at your body struggle to move."

"Tenacity is the virtue of plants, representing the care of the Goddess of Plants. Switch to wooden needle number 24, use the blood of dragon-blood wood as a guide, pair it with emerald green thread, and use the power of plants as a medium to bestow the dense, tenacious property of climbing vines onto the jacket."

His steps light, Christian shifted his orientation with the compass again. The third needle pierced the air like lightning. A thin vine emerged on the cloth, and vivid vitality immediately filled the entire jacket, making the vines on the white cloth seem alive.

"Finally, the trench coat. The fluttering trench coat is the wings behind your back. I bestow upon it the property of 'Slow Fall.' The floating wings allow you to ignore a ten-meter height, letting you leap down and land gently."

"Slow Fall is the blessing of the dust and wind, representing the protection of the Lord of Dust and Wind. Switch to needle number 62, the tail feather of a sand falcon. Use the oil of dandelion seeds as a guide, pair it with transparent thread, and use the power of the dust and wind as a medium to bestow the hovering, slow-falling property of the sky jellyfish onto the trench coat."

As Master Christian continued his instructions, the clothing on the sewing table kept changing. Realistic yet eerie patterns appeared one after another on the white cloth at the edges of the garments, which were then pinned to the table by needles of various materials.

"You, come here. Quickly."

Dropping the fourth needle, he curled his finger at Lynch. Lynch approached with a bitter face. As soon as he got close, Master Christian grabbed his wrist, snatched up a sewing needle, and jabbed it into his index finger, causing blood to bubble up.

"Smear it on the tails of those four needles. Quickly!"

Lynch did not dare to hesitate and swiftly smeared the blood on them. Nothing happened at first, but the moment the fourth feather-needle was coated, a blood-red light erupted from the four garments on the sewing table, instantly sweeping across the entire room.

Writing about these concepts, symbols, and mysterious rituals is just too mentally draining. I'm having a breakdown.