Charlotte accompanied Sylvie Martin out without bringing any firearms, carrying only a newly custom-made Magic Alchemy Staff.
The Magic Alchemy Staff had a simple yet somewhat lavish design. It was made from an exceedingly rare wood—light, tough, and highly flexible—and studded throughout with dozens of tiny silver stars. Those silver stars had been forged from the old sword sheath from the Sherlock Dynasty era. When swung, it cast a brilliant shimmer of silver light, and Charlotte liked it very much.
Naturally, it was not a magical item, merely treated with Magic Alchemy to enhance its toughness.
No matter how resilient the wood was, embedding dozens of silver stars into it made the chance of cracking rather questionable. But after Magic Alchemy treatment, its flexibility even rivaled steel.
A fine cane was not only a luxurious, handy weapon, but also a favorite personal accessory among gentlemen. It was popular in every country of the Old Continent.
Charlotte had been relatively well-off lately. He had originally planned to forge a magic sword from the melted-down old sheath, but after learning that the price exceeded his budget, he gave up on the sword and commissioned this Magic Alchemy Staff instead. It cost one Flor and twelve Centimes.
In any case, he was not skilled with a sword. There was no difference between using a cane and a rapier.
Sylvie Martin still felt slightly uneasy as she left Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58 with her former fiancé.
Charlotte chose the first restaurant they passed, picked a window seat, and skillfully ordered two meals.
The cuisine of the Empire of Fars had a highly peculiar style. Rather than ordering individual dishes as in Chinese cuisine, meals appeared on the menu as set courses.
A single course included staples, snacks, side dishes, accompanying wine, desserts, soup, and more. Even the most basic menu offered at least five items in one course, with accompanying wine and soup being indispensable.
This restaurant was fairly decent. Charlotte ordered lamb chops, croissants, potato chunks, mushroom soup, sparkling apple cider, several pieces of roasted chicken, and a vegetable platter for himself. It was quite a substantial serving, a typical gentleman's meal.
The meal he ordered for Sylvie Martin focused on desserts, with cheese, several types of biscuits, and a milk tea. It was a typical lady's meal.
Charlotte was hungry as well. The two ate in silence without speaking.
After the meal, Charlotte paid the bill and ordered several extra bottles of wine. His new home lacked everything, and he truly had no wine stored away. The sparkling apple cider he had tasted was rather good, so he bought some more on impulse.
As was customary, Charlotte did not take the wine away with him. He asked the restaurant to deliver it later to Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58.
After leaving the restaurant, they soon found a general store.
Once they had bought the things Sylvie Martin needed, Charlotte also purchased twenty jin of kerosene. He had often stayed up all night studying the diary lately, which consumed quite a bit of fuel for the kerosene lamp.
After paying, he again had the goods delivered directly, then brought Miss Sylvie back to the house.
Charlotte remembered that he was currently "in love." Although his relationship with Anne Brittany had not yet been made clear, he still needed to prepare for the future. He stopped Sylvie as she was about to go upstairs after returning home, smiled slightly, and said, "There is something I need to ask of you, Miss Sylvie. For the time being, I hope you can call me Cousin. You know that an unmarried man and woman living together will invite gossip, and that gossip would be even more harmful to you."
"Okay, Cousin Charlotte."
Sylvie gave him no room to explain further. She agreed at once and quickly went up the stairs.
The young girl did not shortchange herself. She chose the largest bedroom at the very end of the second floor. Bright windows lined three walls, and it had its own washing area as well as a huge wardrobe built into the wall.
The large bed left by the former owner was made from extremely solid materials. It was also so heavy and inconvenient to move that it had been left in the house.
For a young girl, the room was nearly perfect, except for the faint unease caused by its excessive emptiness.
Sylvie Martin stood before the south-facing window, gazing out at the scenery of the Lucavaro River as boundless courage surged in her heart.
The young girl lightly clenched her fist and murmured, "New life, here I come."
Young girls always carried countless beautiful dreams in their hearts.
About ten minutes later, Charlotte knocked gently on the door and said, "The general store clerks are here with the delivery."
Sylvie opened the door. The general store clerks carried the various items inside and placed them where they belonged according to the young girl's instructions.
Throughout the entire process, Charlotte stood at the doorway without entering. He was very much a gentleman.
That left Sylvie with a faint sense of doubt about her former fiancé.
The original Charlotte Mecklen had not been this sort of person.
This was very unlike Charlotte.
Once the clerks had finished carrying and arranging the goods, Charlotte politely bid Sylvie farewell. He escorted the clerks to the first-floor hall, bolted the door, and returned to his own room on the third floor.
Charlotte had chosen the easternmost suite near the stairs. It had a bedroom, a study, a washroom, and a sitting room. Beyond the sitting room lay a terrace on the Champs-Élysées Avenue side. This terrace ran all the way from east to west, with a low wall reaching chest height. The entrances to all five suites opened onto that terrace.
The south-facing terraces, however, did not connect. Each suite had its own separate open-air area. Sitting on the south-facing terrace, one could drink tea while admiring the lovely scenery of the Lucavaro River.
He lay on an old sofa left behind by the previous landlord and silently calculated the wealth in his possession.
"I originally had savings of five Écus. Selling the multi-headed flail brought in seventy-five Écus. I won thirteen Écus playing cards last time. My brother sent another five hundred and fifty Écus. After deducting the fifty-Écu down payment for the house, I still have..."
"Five hundred and ninety-three Écus!"
"That is quite a substantial sum."
"My recent research into the Agmilas Labyrinth has not gone smoothly. Even the professors at my alma mater, Sheffield University, have no research on this kind of overseas labyrinth. I should purchase a batch of materials, or find an expert in labyrinth studies."
Early the next morning, Charlotte went to work at Kilmainham Prison as usual.
Not long after he entered his office, an unexpected visitor came calling: the reception secretary, Madame Pascal.
The lady brought shocking news. Lowering her voice, she said, "Miss Menilman Soumei may be transferred away from Kilmainham Prison, relieved of her duties as warden, and assigned to a post in the military."
Charlotte was greatly surprised by the news.
Since that day, Menilman Soumei had never returned to Kilmainham Prison. Although The Empire's First Rose, his senior warden, had indeed treated him well, the prospect of no longer having to work overtime every day made Charlotte, despite his unease, hope that she would not return for the time being.
But there was a vast difference between not returning temporarily and never returning at all. He was considered one of Menilman's own people. If his immediate superior left her post, no one would be looking out for him, which would be highly detrimental to his future prospects.
Madame Pascal clearly had not come merely to spread gossip. She stared unblinkingly at Charlotte, obviously waiting for his response.
Though Charlotte was not particularly familiar with workplace politics, he quickly understood. Madame Pascal wanted to pry some information out of him. The news that Menilman might relinquish her post as warden and be transferred away from Kilmainham Prison was merely the lady's probing stone.
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