Creatures born of the holy powers are slowly corrupted by the powers of the evil and cursed. As a result, their skin and the element of their divine power also turned dark.

That was the profound significance of a dark elf's representation in the holy scriptures.

Any dark elf that was not under other protection was often killed or made into a holy sacrifice.

As a result, it caused a sudden decline in the dark elf population, and the only dark elves you could see these days were the ones under someone else's employment.

The holy scriptures in the temple were not as holy as they seemed. Many had been written or modified by human hands to serve their interests, leading to the inclusion of strange clauses.

One such clause stated that any creature under another's control could not be harmed by anyone but their master. This was a loophole that some, like Layla, could exploit for survival.

"Dark elves are quick on their feet, and they are hard-working as well. But most importantly, they are elves, so nature loves and flourishes under their hand. What better labor would there be for us other than these elves?"

Mary asked with a smile on her face.

It seemed as if she had already decided what was going to happen.

"Hmm, you are right. Having the dark elves work for us would be a good boost to our economy. The yield produced by the elves has higher properties compared to other cultivators.

But the only problem is, can we even find dark elves? Those who are under someone else's employment would rather die than give up their Comarda's locations."

The other fact was that Layla was a kid, and no one would take a kid seriously.

First, she needed to craft a legal identity, but that wouldn't be a problem. She had an aging potion and a lot of makeup.

"Mary, Raziel, we are heading to the imperial family's office. There is a business I need to register under a fake name. What name do you think would be a good one?"

Layla asked her two guards, but their naming choices were…less stellar. That was why Layla decided to go with the first name she had read in one of the books lying around her room.

'Chlorand Hibiscus'

That was the name of her new identity. It had been the name of one of the grand magicians that ever lived, and being named after such a figure was not uncommon in the empire then.

Layla got into the car but did not take the potion outright.

Since the potion would only last half an hour or so, Layla wanted to take the potion once she reached the office.

That way, she could make the most out of it.

"Mary, Raziel, give me a moment alone. I will take this potion and then come out."

No one else here had seen Layla's adult form yet, and she did not want her first time to be in front of people.

Mary only smiled, knowing that her miss would likely need to strip for her appearance to change.

"Of course, miss! Hey, pup! We need to get out now. We will make the young miss nervous if we are here with her."

Mary grabbed Raziel's back and dragged him out when it looked like the kid had no intention of leaving.

Layla took a deep breath before she drowned the bottle in her hand in one go.

She had changed the formula to taste better, and the potion went down her throat easier this time.

The pain was less as well, but it was still enough to make Layla not want to love once she ingested the potion.

Her older limbs felt clumsy, and Layla tried to sit straight so that she could tell what she was doing.

"Alright, the easy thing is done, and now it is time for the real struggle. I need to be able to change clothes inside this carriage."

Layla had changed clothes in cars before, but she had changed into jeans and slim clothes.

The dresses of this period were too long flowing and got stuck at the most random places. It was driving Layla crazy, but she knew that she needed to exercise patience.

That was the only way she could get through it all.

It took Layla ten minutes to fit her dress, and 1/3rd of her time was gone.

Thankfully, hair and makeup did not take long. (It's more like the magic did not take long to cast.) Layla was ready to head out in under fifteen minutes.

She wore a veil so no one could feel her features, but her figure and presence attracted more than enough attention.

"Miss, your hand."

Raziel helped Layla down, mostly because Mary was someone people could recognize. She had been in the Duke's household for a long time.

Layla's hand landed delicately on Raziel's, but the male did not take advantage of it. Instead, he acted as his role required him to and escorted Layla inside.

Since the news network was incredibly slow then, no one knew Layla. But just because they did not know her did not mean they did not try to impress her.

Layla had chosen a black dress that shone every time she moved. It felt luxurious enough to trick people into thinking she was an important noble on some important errand.

And if that was the case, the local office could not make any mistakes.

"M-Miss, what would you like for us to do? Would you like tea or coffee? Or maybe juice…"

The officer in charge asked as he looked away from Layla. Raizel's sharp gaze felt too intimidating, and that was just a young guard.

"I would like to skip formalities. I am in a hurry and would like to apply for a business permit. As for the money and guarantor…I would like to put Young Lady Layla from Duke Lockhart's house as a partner and the Duke as my benefactor.

Please see to it that this is done as quickly as possible."