Chapter 3 - Bye Bye Pretty

Crae [cr·ay·ah]: a thick gold coin that is equal to about 100 USD (similar to doubloons).

Crone [cr·oh·ne]: a smaller, but still thick, silver coin, that is equal to about 5 USD.

At the crow of a bird, Lilith woke up. She was an extremely light sleeper and it seemed to come in handy at that one point in her life. The sky was still somewhat dark, but she could see that sunbeams breaking from behind the clouds. From her spot on the pile of hay, she could see a perfect view of the clouds rolling in with the sun. It was a beautiful sight and Lilith was lost for a couple of seconds admiring it, but then a cold gust of wind broke her moment of serenity and she was brought back to her harsh reality.

The previous night she went to bed with a hope that it would have all been a dream but she was wrong. She was still in her dress, heels and was still two hundred years in the past.

The street in front of the house was partially busy with people working to set up their stalls and opening their business for the day. Since the sky was brightening it would not take long before Lilith's awkward position was highlighted for everyone to see. There were also not a lot of people around, but that would change probably within the same hour.

Fumbling around for her crown, Lilith quickly climbed off of the hay, leaving a couple of small flowers as any evidence that she was there.

The money in the nineteenth century was stronger than the money in the present day. The prices of things went up exponentially. Right now, there were only two types of money, Crea and Crone, but in the future, three more were added to the break in between them. Of course, the look of the money would have changed from coins to plastic money made from recycled plastic.

That meant that Lilith should get a very good amount of money for her clothes. It also meant that she would be able to hold real authentic Crea and Crone. The only ones she was able to hold in the past were fakes and the only real ones she saw were in glass cases.

Her best bet was to find a seamstress. And one that looked expensive as well. Purple fabric was not the easiest thing obtained in times like these and topped with the dress design being gorgeous and it having stones on it, she was sure to get a good price for them. Her shoes would also fetch a nice price, but Lilith wanted to keep the crown, as a memory and because it was too pretty for her to give up.

After asking a couple of people. Who treated her with too much respect and grace than she deserved, she was directed in the direction of the more high-end part of Kathalé. It was near the royal capital and was where all the nobles lived.

"Good morning..." a voice greeted her but quickly died down once they looked up.

The place she walked into was just right. She could immediately spot fabrics that the noble wore daily and on special events. There were dresses on mannequins and there were shoes and bags lined on shelves attached to the wall. There were multiple unfished projects scattered on tables here and there, with many tools that a seamstress would need to complete them.

The middle-aged shop owner smoothed down her apron and cleared her throat. "Goodmorning," her voice was strong and respectful.

It was weird to have people constantly treating her like this, but it was also nice and very much educating. The history enthusiast came out in her as she made note of how people acted to someone in purple.

The seamstress, Edina, had never seen such a beautiful dress in her life, she had been hired by many many people and only once in her life was she able to see purple fabric in person. But now, it was like she was seeing a Goddess before her very eyes. Whoever this woman was, she had to be someone of extremely high status. Especially to just walk about like that so early in the morning too.

Stepping over a stray piece of cloth, Lilith gave her a graceful smile. "Hi, I was wondering if I could sell something to you."

Edina smiled. "What would you be selling?"

"These," she gestured to her dress and lifted her leg to show her shoes.

"Oh..." Edina's eyes were glued to her shoes. She'd never seen a more beautiful pair of shoes. Her heart palpitated a bit as she tried to grasp the situation she was in.

Without any questions asked, the seamstress agreed and Lilith was able to get rid of her dress and shoes in exchange for a small fortune. Aside from the money, Lilith also got herself a very simple brown dress, some boot-like shoes, and a bag to carry her things in.

"Are you sure you want to keep the crown? It's easily the most expensive thing on you." Edina asked as she was about to leave, itching to touch the crown just once.

"That's why it's worth keeping wouldn't you say."

Once Lilith was out of the shop, the sky was brighter and the roads were busier. And she finally looked like every other person. Her dress was what made her stand out, not her face, so she was fine. Her crown and money were in the bag she held over her shoulder. Lilith had become every other townsperson.

From the dress, she was able to get, thirty Crea for it, which was much more than she expected. Presently it would be worth about three thousand USD, (which was still a lot considering the current value of money) but in the future, it would be worth about ten thousand. For a dress she bought for not nearly as much on some random sight online, it was quite the steal. And she was able to get nine Crea and fifty Crone for the shoes.

The money should definitely be enough for her to get to Naulis, but Lilith decided that she would not do anything too rash and wait a bit. That translated to her wanting to experience the past longer and so she would take a bit of time to learn and absorb as much as she could before she attempted to go back. Unless she really was dreaming all of this, it was not an experience she would be able to get back again. And Lilith had tripped over her fair share of rocks while walking, so it was obvious that she was not dreaming.

Her knowledge was really coming in handy and after some wandering, Lilith was able to buy herself some food for breakfast and then find a place to sleep. A little room that was a couple of streets away from the library she was hired to work at.

Just because she was in the past, did not mean that the people around her were stupid or uneducated. She was still in Creona, the most advanced country in the world. And what made the country was the advanced minds, whether or not living in Naulis. The people were still smart enough to think that something was up with her.

And besides, it would be a good experience to actually have a job in a time like this, with the economic collapse approaching, it was smart for Lilith to gain as much money as possible. Once she was able to secure a job and a living space before that happened, she would be able to be alright for the most part.

Her goal was to get out before all of that happened, but no one knew what her future held, and it was better to be safe.

And another blessing about working in the library was that she didn't need identification to work there. They just asked her a couple of questions to test her literacy level and once she passed, she was hired. Simple. And hopefully, she could keep it that way.