An Unexpected Acquaintance

Traveling long distances was exhausting. Everyone was so tired that they didn't drink much ale, just ate a little, and then fell into a deep sleep, leaving more than half a barrel.

Charlotte leaned against his suitcase, took out his diary, and activated his Insight ability. While pondering the first Agmilas labyrinth, he kept a wary eye out for anyone trying anything. He also casually poured himself a cup of ale, took a bite of the jerky he had just bought, sipped occasionally, and enjoyed the night breeze. It was quite pleasant.

Outside White Wolf's giant wooden house, although there were many people, it was quite quiet. The occasional snoring added a touch of stillness.

As dawn was breaking, Charlotte felt his spiritual energy was significantly depleted. He turned off Insight, rubbed his eyes, and looked around. Just as he was considering waking up a companion to take over, he heard the sound of footsteps. A group of people was entering from outside the town.

Soon, this group arrived in front of the giant wooden house. The two people leading were a tall man, over two meters, a height rarely seen even on Earth or in Strasbourg. He carried a greatsword on his back and a pair of meteor hammers on his waist. The other person, to Charlotte's surprise, was the merchant Louis Smythe, whom he had met at Duchess Mesu's Magic Item Auction. The two had even done business involving a Multi-Headed Flail.

Charlotte was slightly startled but quickly began to calculate. Louis Smythe seemed to have just returned from a long journey and surely didn't know what had happened recently in Strasbourg. This wasn't the information age; even the most explosive news spread very slowly. Instead of deliberately avoiding him, it was better to go over and talk proactively.

As for whether Louis Smythe would report him upon returning to Strasbourg...

Firstly, this matter was extremely serious, and a shrewd merchant like Louis would definitely weigh the pros and cons. Secondly, by then, he would have already left the area.

Charlotte stood up and walked towards the group. He nodded slightly to the veteran demon hunter, White Wolf, and then opened his arms towards Louis Smythe, saying, "Louis, I didn't expect to see you here. I'm Qian Nan. We talked once at Duchess Mesu's Magic Item Auction."

Louis Smythe was slightly surprised, but as a successful merchant, he didn't ask a mood-killing question like "Didn't you say your name was Charlotte Mecklen last time?" Instead, he said with a smile, "Life is truly wonderful. Do you also want to become a demon hunter?"

The two hugged and pressed their cheeks together. This was a formal gesture only performed between men with a very deep friendship.

Charlotte laughed and said, "I can't take a second Supernatural path, otherwise I wouldn't miss such a good opportunity."

After chatting for a couple of sentences, Louis Smythe introduced Charlotte to the demon hunter, saying, "Qian Nan, my good friend. We've done a few Magic Item deals together."

White Wolf extended his hand and shook Charlotte's. This was the etiquette for strangers meeting for the first time on the Old Continent. He said flatly, "White Wolf, a demon hunter."

Louis Smythe was very good at livening up the atmosphere and interjected, "I just returned from Byron and brought back a batch of goods from there. I hired Mr. White Wolf along the way; he's a very reliable demon hunter."

Charlotte immediately felt relieved. Louis Smythe, who had just returned from the Byron Empire, definitely wouldn't know what had happened recently in Strasbourg.

White Wolf wasn't his real name, but a nickname. However, Charlotte himself was using a fake name, so he naturally didn't mind. He smiled and said, "I just got a treasure map, so I joined an adventurer team and plan to explore it. I hope to have a small harvest."

White Wolf's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked, "What kind of treasure map?"

Charlotte laughed and said, "I bought it at a second-hand shop. It's said to be the treasure of an ancient orc kingdom."

White Wolf immediately lost interest and said flatly, "These kinds of treasure maps are unreliable."

Charlotte was just spouting nonsense, mainly to cover up why he was in a place like York Town. White Wolf's change in attitude was within his expectations.

The few of them chatted casually and entered the giant wooden house. Charlotte didn't forget to wave to his adventurer team friends and brought the Great Axe Adventurer Group in as well.

White Wolf clearly didn't care about this and didn't stop the Great Axe Adventurer Group from tagging along. After entering the giant wooden house, he pointed at a burly man and said, "I'm going to take a bath! Whatever you want to drink, feel free to ask Sam, just remember to pay." With that, he strode away.

Only two people in this group were White Wolf's assistants; the rest were Louis Smythe's subordinates.

Seeing White Wolf leave, Louis smiled and said, "Exploring treasure requires more equipment. I happen to have some goods suitable for the wilderness. If you like anything, feel free to take it; I'll just give you a friendly price."

Louis Smythe raised his hand and gestured, and a subordinate brought over a pile of equipment, including several Supernatural Weapons.

Charlotte was in the middle of escaping and wanted to travel as light as possible. How could he be interested in buying any equipment? As for those Supernatural Weapons, although he had saved a little, he really couldn't afford such high-end items.

He pretended to look for a while and found that a black iron ring was mixed in with this batch of goods. This iron ring was dark and inconspicuous, but it had the family crest of a branch family of the Arthur Family.

The Arthur Family was one of the thirty-seven Blood Kindred clans, and also one of the Three Imperial Families, with a status above the Six Royal Families.

Although Charlotte couldn't identify which branch family this black iron ring belonged to, it was undoubtedly a Vampiric Weapon.

He picked it up out of curiosity and played with it for a while. Just as he was about to put it down, Louis Smythe smiled and said, "Mr. Mecklen is also interested in Blood Kindred weapons? This weapon has an extraordinary origin, but I've never figured out how to use it as a weapon."

"If Mr. Mecklen knows, you can tell me, and I am willing to pay for the knowledge."

White Wolf had already left, and the Great Axe members were too embarrassed to come over, watching them chat and laugh from the corner. There were no other people around, so Louis Smythe directly called Charlotte by his real surname.

Charlotte felt guilty and chuckled, asking, "I wonder how much Louis plans to pay?"

Louis Smythe pondered for a moment and said, "I spent ninety-five Ecu to buy this ring, thinking I had found a treasure. You also know that the Arthur Family is one of the Three Imperial Families of the Blood Kindred; it's definitely worth this price!"

"But after acquiring it, I couldn't figure out how to use it, which means it can only sell for a maximum of one hundred and ten Ecu. If Mr. Mecklen has a way to figure out its true usage, I can promise that no matter how much it sells for, I am willing to pay thirty percent of the net profit as your appraisal fee."

Charlotte asked curiously, "Louis, didn't you find someone proficient in Bloody Glory to appraise it?"