The Sleeping Girl, The Young Man Cleaning His Gun

Yang Mills just assumed Charlotte had run into someone he knew, never imagining that the young man he'd just passed was the very enemy he wanted dead more than anyone else.

As Charlotte passed Yang Mills, he secretly slipped the magic beetle Anne had given him into the other man's pocket.

A few minutes later, they met again.

Anne's pretty face was slightly flushed as she whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled faintly and said, "It was no trouble at all. I also wanted to do something for Mrs. Yang Mills's reputation."

This was a genuine statement from the heart, because the lady's reputation was closely tied to Charlotte's. If her reputation was flawless, his reputation would be as solid as a rock.

If Mrs. Yang Mills's reputation were ruined, Charlotte's reputation would also collapse like a mountain.

There was no one in the world who wished more for the lady's reputation to be pure and spotless than Charlotte.

Yang Mills didn't wander around; he waited quietly in a guest room until the auction began before entering the hall.

Anne and Charlotte hid in a corner of the hall, pretending not to know each other, but both keeping an eye on Yang Mills, wanting to know what he was there for.

Soon, the famous Duchess Mesu made her proud entrance.

She wasn't particularly old, only in her thirties, and was very well-maintained, stunningly beautiful. Aside from being too tall, even exceeding ordinary men, she was almost the ideal woman in a man's eyes.

After Duchess Mesu's opening remarks, the first auction item quickly appeared on the auction block.

It was a magic longsword, with a starting bid of 180 Ecu, far exceeding Charlotte's entire fortune.

This magic longsword was highly sought after. After several rounds of bidding, it surpassed 300 Ecu and was finally acquired by a wealthy bidder for 370 Ecu.

The second item also had a starting bid that exceeded Charlotte's entire fortune. He lost interest in the auction and went to the long table providing food and drinks on the side of the hall, grabbing a few small pastries to fill his stomach.

He hadn't eaten since waking up that morning and was a bit hungry.

The Empire of Fars had no custom of breakfast, operating on a standard two-meal system with only lunch and dinner. A few nobles had the habit of afternoon tea and midnight snacks, which Charlotte wasn't used to.

He often bought himself breakfast, even though the only things available in the morning were leftover bagels from the night before.

After filling his stomach, Charlotte also grabbed a glass of wine, drank it down, and returned to his corner feeling satisfied.

By now, the seventh auction item was being presented.

This item was an ancient painting said to depict the true face of an overseas Evil God.

When Duchess Mesu introduced it, she subtly mentioned that at least twelve bizarre and violent cases and over two hundred and twenty lives were related to this magic item.

This did not affect the ancient painting's popularity; it was still fiercely sought after and fetched an extremely high price.

To Charlotte and Anne's surprise, Yang Mills actually joined the bidding and secured the item in the fourth round for 507 Ecu.

Yang Mills quickly left after acquiring the ancient painting, clearly having a very specific goal.

Anne gave Charlotte a signal, and the two also left the magic item auction one after another.

This magic item auction was quite an eye-opener for Charlotte, broadening his horizons considerably. Although he had to leave early, he didn't feel too much regret, as none of the items there were affordable for a prison Chief Clerk.

When Charlotte left the auction hall, Anne, who had left a step earlier, was already waiting for him in a carriage.

Charlotte boarded the carriage, and Anne told the coachman to set off immediately.

Anne had no time for pleasantries with Charlotte. With her eyes closed, she muttered incantations, occasionally raising her voice to direct the coachman.

Charlotte wasn't familiar with the extraordinary powers of the Dream Arts. With nothing else to do, he started contemplating whether he should look at houses that afternoon if he had time.

Charlotte occasionally pulled back the carriage curtain, feeling that the road was somewhat familiar. As the carriage sped along, the road became increasingly familiar, and he couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, This is the road to Mrs. Yang Mills's house.

He dared not mention it to Anne, because this familiarity was not exactly proper.

As the carriage stopped in front of a very grand residence, many familiar memories surfaced in Charlotte's mind.

These included how to engage in passionate activities with a young lady in this grand residence, activities that are not allowed to be publicly described on the internet in later generations.

Not even in novels.

Charlotte felt quite ashamed. Although these wild escapades from his youth could be attributed to his predecessor, he still had to bear the consequences and could only tread carefully, like walking on thin ice, to overcome all difficulties.

Anne whispered, "I need to take a short nap. Could you please guard me for half an hour, Mr. Charlotte?"

When she said this, her pretty face was flushed.

A young woman of any era, telling a strange man that she needs a short nap and requires him to stay by her side to guard her, always implies a certain sentiment.

Although both of them knew this was necessary for the Dream Arts and had nothing to do with romance, a subtle romantic atmosphere quietly emerged.

Charlotte smiled faintly and said, "Please rest assured, Miss Anne."

Anne thanked him, clenched her fists, closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, and entered a deep, sweet sleep.

With nothing to do, Charlotte pulled out the new Magnum Hand Shuttle he had purchased and carefully wiped it with a cloth.

The rapier was simply not convenient to carry and too conspicuous, so Charlotte didn't have it on him. Besides, a pistol was much better for self-defense than a rapier.

Although this used short gun was well-maintained, the barrel was quite dirty. Charlotte was a bit of a clean freak and had wanted to wipe it down thoroughly for a long time.

Charlotte polished the short gun until it was as good as new, then checked the bullets. Aside from the two extra ones, he loaded the magazine with eighteen rounds.

As long as the safety was off, this 80% new short gun was ready to fire at any moment.

A quiet carriage parked on the street, a sleeping young woman, a young man cleaning his gun.

It was a scene with a strong sense of atmosphere.

Charlotte slipped the newly polished short gun into the holster inside his jacket. Suddenly, a warning flashed in his mind. He quickly activated his Insight eye, and a sphere with a radius of fifteen paces centered on him immediately expanded.

He saw swirling black mist rising from the impressive mansion of the Yang Mills family and couldn't help but feel a little startled.

Anne, who was deep in slumber, showed signs of pain, groaning continuously but unable to wake up.

Charlotte didn't hesitate. He immediately leaped out of the carriage and headed straight for the Yang Mills family mansion. As soon as he burst into the courtyard, he felt as if he had entered another world.