The long journey had been exhausting. Everyone was so tired that they drank little ale, ate only a bit, and soon fell fast asleep, leaving more than half a barrel behind.
Charlotte leaned against his travel case, took out his diary, and activated Insight. As he studied the first Agmilas Labyrinth map, he remained alert for anyone coming over to tamper with things. He casually poured himself a cup of ale and nibbled on the jerky he had just bought, taking an occasional sip as the night wind blew. It was rather pleasant.
Outside White Wolf's giant wooden house, although there were quite a few people, it was remarkably quiet. Snores occasionally rose and fell, adding a touch of serenity.
As dawn began to break, Charlotte felt that he had expended quite a bit of spirituality. He shut off Insight, rubbed his eyes, and looked around, considering which companion to wake and have take over for him, when he heard a clamor of footsteps. A group of people was entering from outside town.
The group soon arrived in front of the giant wooden house. One of the two men leading them was over two meters tall. Even on Earth, or even in Strasbourg, it was rare to see someone so large. He carried a greatsword on his back and had a pair of Meteor Hammers hanging from his waist. Charlotte unexpectedly recognized the other man: the merchant Louis Smythe, whom he had met at Duchess Mesu's Magic Item Auction. The two had even done business over a Multi-Headed Flail.
Charlotte was slightly startled, but quickly began to calculate. Louis Smythe looked as though he had only just returned from afar, so he surely did not yet know what had recently happened in Strasbourg. This was not the information age; even the most explosive news traveled slowly. Rather than deliberately avoiding him, it would be better to go speak with him first.
As for whether Louis Smythe would report him after returning to Strasbourg...
For one thing, the matter was far too significant, and a shrewd merchant like Louis would certainly weigh the pros and cons. For another, Charlotte would have long since fled far away by then.
Charlotte stood and walked toward the group. He gave the veteran Demon Hunter White Wolf a slight nod, then opened his arms toward Louis Smythe and said, "Louis, I never expected to see you here. I'm Qian Nan. We spoke once at Duchess Mesu's Magic Item Auction."
Louis Smythe was slightly surprised, but as a successful merchant, he did not ask something atmosphere-killing like, "Didn't you seem to call yourself Charlot Mecklenburg last time?" Instead, he smiled and said, "Life truly is wonderful. Do you want to become a Demon Hunter too?"
The two embraced and touched cheeks. This was one of the two formal courtesies reserved for men with a very deep friendship.
Charlotte smiled. "I can't embark on a second Transcendence path, otherwise I truly wouldn't want to pass up such a good opportunity."
After chatting for a few moments, Louis Smythe introduced Charlotte to the Demon Hunter. "Qian Nan is a good friend of mine. We've done several magic item deals together."
White Wolf extended his hand and shook Charlotte's. This was the customary greeting between strangers meeting for the first time on the Old Continent. He said mildly, "White Wolf, Demon Hunter."
Louis Smythe was good at livening up the atmosphere and added, "I've just returned from Byron with a shipment of local goods. I hired Mr. White Wolf along the way. He's a very reliable Demon Hunter."
Charlotte immediately felt relieved. Louis Smythe had just returned from the Byron Empire, so he definitely did not know what had recently happened in Strasbourg.
White Wolf was obviously a nickname rather than his real name, but Charlotte himself was using a false name, so naturally he did not mind. Smiling, he said, "I recently obtained a treasure map, so I joined an adventurer group to explore it. Hopefully, I'll find a little something."
White Wolf's eyes brightened slightly. "What treasure map?"
Charlotte smiled. "I bought it from an antique shop. Supposedly, it leads to a treasure from the ancient Orc Kingdom."
White Wolf immediately lost interest. "These sorts of treasure maps are never reliable."
Charlotte had made it up merely to conceal why he was in a place like York Town. White Wolf's change in attitude had been exactly what he expected.
The group chatted casually as they entered the giant wooden house. Charlotte did not forget to wave over his own adventurer group companions, bringing the people from the Great Axe Adventurer Group inside as well.
White Wolf clearly did not care and did not stop the Great Axe Adventurer Group from tagging along. Once inside the giant wooden house, he pointed at a brawny man and said, "I'm going to take a bath! Ask Sam for whatever you want to drink, but remember to pay." With that, he strode away.
Only two members of this group were White Wolf's assistants. The rest were Louis Smythe's men.
Once White Wolf had left, Louis smiled and said, "Exploring treasure requires more equipment. I happen to have some goods suitable for the wilderness. If you see anything you like, take it. Just give me a friendly price."
Louis Smythe raised a hand in a gesture, and his men brought over a pile of equipment, including several Supernatural Weapons.
Charlotte was on the run and wished he could travel as lightly as possible. How could he have any interest in buying equipment? As for those Supernatural Weapons, although he had some savings, he truly could not afford such high-end items.
He pretended to inspect the goods for a while, only to discover a Black Iron Ring mixed in among them. The iron ring was dark and inconspicuous, yet it bore the crest of a branch clan of the Arthur Family.
The Arthur Family was one of the Thirty-Seven Blood Kindred Clans and one of the Three Imperial Families, with a status even above the Six Royal Families.
Although Charlotte could not identify which branch clan the Black Iron Ring came from, it was undoubtedly a Vampiric Weapon.
Curious, he picked it up and played with it for a while. Just as he was about to put it down, Louis Smythe smiled and said, "Mr. Mecklen is interested in Blood Kindred weapons as well? This weapon has an extraordinary origin, but I've never figured out how it is used as a weapon."
"If Mr. Mecklen knows, you can tell me. I'm willing to pay for the knowledge."
White Wolf had already left, and the Great Axe people were too embarrassed to crowd over. They watched from a corner as the two chatted and laughed. With no unrelated people nearby, Louis Smythe directly addressed Charlotte by his real surname.
Feeling guilty, Charlotte gave an awkward laugh and asked, "How much does Louis intend to pay?"
Louis Smythe pondered for a moment before saying, "I spent ninety-five Écu on this ring. At the time, I thought I had found a treasure. You know the Arthur Family is one of the Three Imperial Families among the Blood Kindred. It was absolutely worth that price!"
"But after acquiring it, I could never figure out how to use it, which means it can sell for at most one hundred and ten Écu. If Mr. Mecklen has a way to uncover its true usage, I 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 skilled in Bloody Glory to appraise it?"
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