"Proxy for curses! Huh." Lys repeated, his voice low amid the bustle. He crossed his arms, the doll's hidden ability nagging at him like an unsolved puzzle. "So, this little doll really takes on men's infertility curses? Just like that?"
Mira nodded. She picked up a loose thread from the stall, twisting it between her fingers as if demonstrating a point. "Exactly. See, when the curse hits men, it makes them weak and infertile, sometimes even twists their fate with bad omens. But an anima doll, if it's built right and enchanted properly, can absorb that curse like a sponge. Folks bind it to themselves with a ritual, and poof, the doll starts to take on the curse, slowly absorbing it little by little. It can't fully take on the curse on its own, but it still takes away some."
Lys nods to himself, "Hmm, interesting. I get that it must have a good amount of demand then, if it really can take away men's curse like that, however small an amount it is. But how do you plan on making it? It isn't that simple to make, right? Given how it can take away men's biggest problem now. If it were that simple to make, anyone would have made it and sold it by themselves, right?" He throws the question to the woman.
The shopkeeper snorted a laugh, wiping a smudge of dye from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Ohh, the boy's got it right. Of course, it ain't as simple as whittlin' a stick. It takes stages. Three at minimum, sometimes more if you're fancy about it."
She held up three fingers, calluses rough from years of handling tools, and ticked them off one by one. "First, the raw bits, like what I'm sellin' here. Enchanted wood from deep-forest groves, silk spun with mana-weave, paints mixed with crystal dust. Gotta source 'em right, or the whole thing falls apart later. That's usually a gatherer or supplier's job; folks like me get them from the cities."
Lys watched as she rummaged under the counter, pulling out a small plank of wood that shimmered faintly when she tilted it toward the sun. "Feel that," she said, handing it to him. The surface was cool, almost vibrating under his touch, like it held a trapped breeze.
Mira took the plank next, her eyes lighting up as she ran her thumb along the grain. "Then comes the crafting," she added, handing it back to the shopkeeper.
"Crafting is what I want to do. I'm going to shape it, carve the body into a doll like this, sew the joints so they can move smoothly, and then paint the details to make it look alive. It's gotta be precise; one weak seam, and it'll crack when an enchanter tries to enchant it. Of course, it takes a steady hand and practice. And that's where a crafter comes in, me, hopefully."
Lys turned the doll over in his hands again, feeling the seamless joints click softly. It made sense now, the craftsmanship wasn't just pretty; it was engineered for magic. "Whoa, that's really…impressive. So, who buys these? Kids' toys, sure, but the curse thing... that sounds like something everyone would want."
Mira exchanged a glance with the shopkeeper, who busied herself straightening a jar while smirking. "Well, that depends on the type," Mira said, her voice dropping as a pair of women strolled by, eyeing the stall's dyes.
"The basic ones like this are mostly for children. Pricey, yeah, but almost every parent with a kid buys one eventually. It's like a rite, keeps the little ones safe from stray curses or just entertains 'em with tricks."
Lys frowned, doing the math in his head. "Wait a minute, if you are correct, then how can almost every parent..." He trailed off, suddenly some memories slamming into him from original Lys's.
He muttered, "The royal family!"
The shopkeeper's eyes twinkled, confirming with a nod as she polished a tool. "Spot on, lad. Births of newborns are so rare these days that the royals pour gold into the families who have any children nowadays, encouraging them to have more."
Mira grinned, pocketing a small vial of dye she'd bartered for. "See? That's why I wanna craft 'em. It's going to have a big market, very soon. But before that happens, I wanna try making them."