Advancing to Third Order

Charlotte had no intention of giving chase. He shook his head, walked over to Wells, and felt around until he found the detective's wallet. He also took a brand-new Magnum Hand Shuttle and a leather ammunition pouch from him.

As for the man's rapier, although it looked quite valuable, Charlotte did not take it. For one thing, he was not skilled with swords; for another, it would be hard to sell while on the run.

Charlotte retrieved his own secondhand Magnum Hand Shuttle as well, then strode away without a backward glance.

Having devoured the life force of Wells, a Second-Order Transcendent, he needed to find somewhere to digest it.

Only after Charlotte had left did pedestrians gradually return to the street.

Street murders like this were commonplace in small places. They were not even rare in the capital, Strasbourg. No one intended to report it to the City Patrol, though someone kindly notified the municipal corpse collectors.

Wells's death had been too gruesome, making the nearby residents deeply uncomfortable. It had to be cleaned up.

Charlotte did not leave the city directly. Instead, he doubled back to the Upper Seven Districts, hurried through central Strasbourg, and entered the Franche-Comté District, which lay across the city center from the Marne District.

Though he had little experience with counter-surveillance, he had read plenty of similar posts online in his previous life. It was enough to confuse any pursuers.

As long as he left the Upper Seven Districts, the Prison Guard Corps generally would not follow him. The City Patrol's presence was also weaker there. If he misled them into searching toward the Marne District and Lucavaro District, he would be even safer.

Although troops were stationed in the Outer Fifteen Districts as well, they generally had little interest in minor cases like this.

He was not worried about a citywide manhunt, either. His falling-out with the new warden was a private grudge, and there was no clear charge against him yet. Even if his crime were proven beyond doubt, his status was too insignificant, and it was hardly some major offense. How serious could trafficking prison Supernatural Weapons be? It was not enough to warrant such a huge operation. The Empire of Fars did not have that much City Patrol manpower to waste.

This really was not Earth!

Although Charlotte worked in the Marne District, the moment he entered the Franche-Comté District, he could clearly feel the difference between the outer districts and the Upper Seven Districts.

This place was filthier, poorer, and more chaotic. The buildings were more haphazardly arranged, and everyone on the streets wore blank expressions. Their lives were clearly so stressful that all vitality had been drained from them.

He had no time for a transmigrator's musings. He hurriedly found a halfway decent tailor shop, entered, and got straight to the point. "I'm going on a long journey. I need a durable set of clothes."

This tailor shop, called Wild Lily, had only one old tailor and not even an assistant. The old tailor glanced at Charlotte and said flatly, "Five days."

Charlotte smiled faintly. "I need them now. I'll pay thirty percent extra."

The old tailor said unhurriedly, "I do have several sets of ready-made clothes, but they won't fit you very well. They'll need altering."

"Then please be quick," Charlotte said.

The old tailor brought out several ready-made outfits from the shop. Charlotte chose a pair of calfskin boots and a sturdy hunting outfit. He also bought an old suitcase that had been sitting in the shop for a long time. He was about to travel a great distance, and carrying no luggage at all would make him stand out.

The old tailor was quite skilled. In about half an hour, he had finished altering the clothes.

When it came time to pay, Charlotte chose to pawn his old clothes to the old tailor.

The clothes he wore had been tailored in the Upper Seven Districts and made from fine materials. Though they were not particularly luxurious and were secondhand besides, they were still worth more than the clothes in the old tailor's shop.

The old tailor was fairly honest in business. He appraised them at a suitable price and gave Charlotte two Centimes in change. Both men completed the transaction happily.

Although he had wrung them out, Charlotte still felt uncomfortably damp. He borrowed a towel from the old tailor, dried himself off, and changed his clothes, immediately feeling much more refreshed.

Carrying his cane and newly bought suitcase, he left the tailor shop. He suddenly remembered that shortly before he had transmigrated, there had been a robbery at MixC Mall in Hangzhou. The criminal had not even lasted ten minutes before being arrested by the police. Compared to Earth's investigative efficiency, the Prison Guard Corps and City Patrol of the Empire of Fars probably could not even compare to a hair on its leg.

Of course, he did not want the Empire of Fars's case-solving efficiency to suddenly improve right now.

One encounter with a diviner detective had already been more than enough for him.

After walking for a while, Charlotte found a public carriage waiting for passengers. Once aboard, he gave the driver the address of a famous estate outside the city.

He was not actually going to that estate. It was simply far enough away that the journey would take at least five or six hours. That was more than enough time to digest the life force he had devoured.

As a Second-Order Transcendent, Wells had possessed exceptionally vigorous life force. The Bloody Glory within Charlotte was practically about to "explode."

The carriage driver was overjoyed. This was a great fare. He immediately urged the horses forward.

Charlotte adjusted his breathing and circulated the Bloody Glory within him, beginning to refine the life force he had devoured.

Several hours later, his left leg jolted violently, and the third Bloody Vortex condensed into shape.

Though he was still fleeing for his life, Charlotte felt a small surge of joy. By normal cultivation progress, even a genius like Miss Anne would need five or six years after graduation before she could possibly advance to Third Order.

He spread his hands, and Bloody Glory surged from his palms, at least thirty to forty percent stronger than before.

After a brief test, Charlotte drew the Bloody Glory back in and thought, I wonder when I'll be able to form a Bloody Vortex in my right leg as well, and successfully meditate upon the two runes of Agility and Spirit Spider.

He had chosen to condense the Bloody Vortices in both legs because he hoped to meditate upon these two Mystical Runes sooner. The Agility Technique could make one light as a swallow, swift as a galloping horse, nimble as an ape, and able to leap like a deer. The Spirit Spider Technique could let one scale walls and cross mountains as if walking on level ground. It could even condense threads of Psionic Energy for swinging through the air and escaping, along with a faintly special instinctive response.

Once he mastered these two mystical arts, the changes in his movement techniques and his running speed would surpass the level of ordinary people. Even if he encountered a High-Order Transcendent, he would be able to escape calmly, and ordinary pursuers would pose no threat at all.

Having digested the life essence he had devoured, Charlotte finally had the leisure to take out Wells's wallet. The detective had likely just received payment from the new warden, Magru Teller. There was a whopping five Écus inside, along with several Flors in "small change."

The purchasing power of one Écu was equivalent to eighteen or nineteen thousand yuan. Magru had been rather "generous" with his payment.

There was also a collection receipt in the wallet, listing one rapier. Charlotte guessed that this detective, who excelled in swordsmanship, had ordered a new weapon but had not yet had the chance to pick it up.

He pocketed the paper money and the collection receipt, then casually threw the wallet out the carriage window. By then, the carriage had already left the city. Wilderness stretched along both sides of the road, and the wallet rolled into the grass, where it would probably never be found again.