An exceptionally luxurious carriage glided past, its coachman instinctively wanting to steer clear of trouble.
A soft exclamation came from within the carriage, followed by a gentle, refined voice. "Stop for a moment!"
Not daring to delay, the coachman hurriedly reined in the horses.
A noble and elegant lady stepped down from the carriage. Looking at Yang Mills's residence, she lightly clenched her small hand, clad in a long silk glove, and countless wisps of black air surged into the sky, gathering into a classical oil painting.
The lady said lazily, "Send it to 25 Mignon Avenue."
The classical oil painting in the sky vanished as though someone had taken it away.
The lady returned to her carriage and gave an order. The coachman snapped the reins again and drove the carriage away.
The City Patrol soldiers who witnessed this did not dare stop the lady, because they had all seen the Golden Pheasant Tail Flower emblem on her carriage.
It represented someone even their highest-ranking superiors dared not provoke.
The endless corridor, along with the skinless monster over three meters tall, entirely crimson, and carrying a massive warhammer, vanished together.
Suddenly back in the real world, Charlotte still felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. He did not even dare use the front door, instead smashing through a window and rushing out of the mansion.
Seeing several City Patrol soldiers in the distance, Charlotte had no desire to get involved with the Yang Mills family again, so he hurried away in another direction.
After wandering around the streets for a while, Charlotte heard the urgent clatter of a carriage approaching from behind. A clear voice called, "Mr. Mecklen, please get in."
Charlotte hesitated briefly, but still boarded the carriage.
Seeing that the young lady was safe and sound, he asked out of courtesy, "Miss Anne Brittany, were you hurt?"
Still shaken, Anne Brittany replied, "I'm fine. Thankfully, you broke in and saved my life. Otherwise, I would have been trapped inside the Dimensional Corridor created by that ancient painting depicting the true form of an evil god from overseas."
She stood and performed an aristocratic salute, her lovely face filled with gratitude toward Charlotte.
Charlotte had killed Mr. Yang Mills, but he had not rescued the young lady. He had nearly been trapped in the Dimensional Corridor himself. As for how they had both ultimately escaped—
He had not seen that lady make a move, and he was still confused.
Charlotte knew there was no need to explain. Smiling, he said, "Any gentleman would have done the same. I merely happened to be there."
Anne Brittany's gaze upon Charlotte had become positively tender.
She was a favored daughter of heaven, and many outstanding young men usually surrounded her. Yet at this moment, she felt that none of them could compare to Mr. Charlot Mecklenburg. At a critical moment, he had stepped forward with courage, and afterward, he had humbly claimed no credit for himself, displaying perfect gentlemanly grace.
After hesitating for a moment, Charlotte said, "Miss Anne Brittany, if there is nothing else, I'll take my leave. I only have one day off, and I had intended to find a residence near my new workplace."
Anne Brittany looked interested and asked, "Mr. Charlotte, have you been transferred?"
Charlotte smiled faintly. "I was transferred from the Central Government Office to Kilmainham Prison. The Alexander District, where I currently live, is rather far from there, so I intend to move to the Picardy District."
There was no need to conceal matters concerning his work, so Charlotte told her the truth.
Though a clerk at the Central Government Office sounded more respectable than a prison guard, a thirty-seventh-rank First-Rank Chief Clerk was far better than a forty-first-rank First-Class Clerk.
Charlotte had no intention of showing off. Boasting about his civil-service rank before a young lady born into one of the greatest aristocratic families would not have been a particularly tactful thing to do.
A faint ripple passed through Anne Brittany's eyes as she said with slight delight, "What a coincidence. A relative of mine is selling a house in the Picardy District."
"I can help you obtain a good price."
Charlotte looked somewhat embarrassed. "I do not have much in savings. I can probably only come up with eighty Écu."
As a First-Class Clerk at the Central Government Office, his weekly pay had only been one Flor and seventy centimes. Including side income, he would not earn more than a hundred Flor a year. Young people who had only recently begun working also tended to spend generously, so saving three Écu a year was already considered thrifty.
Charlotte had worked for two years and still possessed more than five Écu in savings. That already made him a model young man of the new era, and a priority target of the Savings Union.
If he had not sold the Multi-Headed Flail for seventy-five Écu, Charlotte would never have dared dream of buying a house of his own.
Anne Brittany's relative would certainly be a great aristocrat as well, and the house being sold would certainly be extraordinary. Charlotte did not believe he could afford it.
He only wanted to find an ordinary residence, not some mansion.
By directly stating the highest price he could afford, Charlotte intended to politely decline the young lady's kindness.
Anne Brittany smiled slightly. "Mr. Charlotte, please rest assured. That house is within your budget."
The young lady instructed the coachman, "To Champs-Élysées Avenue."
The carriage began moving again.
Thinking there was no harm in taking a look, Charlotte thanked her.
Charlotte had never actually been to Champs-Élysées Avenue, but he retained an impression of the street in his memories.
Like the Alexander District, the Picardy District was a commercial district, or, by Earth's conventions, a handicraft district. The latter was dominated by large shopping centers and markets, and was renowned for its many high-end establishments. The Picardy District was relatively more common, selling everyday goods.
Champs-Élysées Avenue was the busiest thoroughfare in the Picardy District, with a strong commercial atmosphere. It housed many of Strasbourg's famous bakeries, pastry shops, coffeehouses, as well as all kinds of general stores, spice shops, tailor shops, and even a human market.
It was said that Champs-Élysées Avenue had once been farmland long ago, before later being incorporated into the city. Most landowners received sufficient compensation and purchased new estates in the countryside, but a very small number of original residents remained where they were.
For that reason, Champs-Élysées Avenue was not favored by the aristocracy, who disdained its residents as insufficiently pure. Almost no great aristocrats purchased property there, considering it beneath their status. Those who shopped on Champs-Élysées Avenue were either commoners or servants of great aristocrats; the aristocrats themselves rarely appeared there.
Its strong commercial atmosphere had also attracted many merchants to purchase property there. However, most of it was commercial real estate. Shop transactions were extremely active, while the residential market was quite sluggish.
Charlotte slightly lifted the carriage curtain. When he saw Champs-Élysées Avenue, even with the memories of two worlds, he could not help but exclaim in admiration.
By the Empire's metric units, the avenue was 2,600 Pimi long—slightly over three kilometers by Earth's measurements. Because it had originally been farmland, it had been built exceptionally wide.
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