Choosing Weapons

Charlotte suppressed the tension in his heart and quickly found his office following Madame Pascal's directions.

It was a separate office, quite spacious, with a large window overlooking the street outside Kilmainham Prison. Though more than half the room was occupied by filing cabinets, Charlotte was still very satisfied.

Keeping company with filing cabinets was obviously far easier than working alongside colleagues. At the very least, there would be no office intrigue.

Filing cabinets were all "good little children."

He placed the two items he had chosen on his desk.

Charlotte did not know how to use a flail, much less a Multi-Headed Flail.

He had taken a fancy to it because it was forged from Starfall Iron. Starfall Iron was a rare material; even sold as scrap metal, it would be worth several dozen Écus.

Charlotte planned to sell the Multi-Headed Flail on the black market and buy a batch of weapons separately.

Standard-issue army pistols cost at most two or three Flors. Rapiers were somewhat more expensive, but a cane could be bought for a few Centimes.

After selling the Multi-Headed Flail and buying several standard weapons, Charlotte would still have several dozen Écus left over—a small windfall.

Obviously, not every newcomer joining Kilmainham Prison could receive such extra income.

There was no need to ask. Miss Menilman's favor had given Charlotte the chance to enjoy this preferential treatment. Whether he would have further chances to earn such windfalls would depend on whether he could win this senior student's affection and get opportunities to undertake special missions.

Charlotte did not spare the Multi-Headed Flail another glance, but he played with the Vampire Hand Axe for quite a while, growing ever fonder of the weapon.

That day, Miss Menilman did not arrive at Kilmainham Prison until noon. She immediately assigned Charlotte an extremely heavy load of paperwork, leaving him running himself ragged on the first day of his new job.

Charlotte had initially looked forward to working overtime with his senior student, but by evening, all he wanted was to find somewhere to sleep properly. Even a stone floor would have done.

This busy state lasted a full week and three days. Once Menilman's work had reached a temporary stopping point, she gave Charlotte a day off. Only then did he leave his new workplace and go home for the first time.

As Charlotte left Kilmainham Prison, he deeply felt that, whether on Earth or in another world, getting off work on time was a kind of human happiness.

After returning to the Savings Society Apartment, he enjoyed a wonderful sleep.

The next day, after getting up.

After filling his stomach a little, Charlotte left the Savings Society Apartment and headed straight for his alma mater—Sheffield University.

Charlotte was not returning to his alma mater to relive old memories.

He intended to visit the weapons market near Sheffield University.

As a prison guard, he could not possibly go without carrying a weapon. That would make him stand out, and the weapons market near Sheffield University offered relatively good value for money.

For once, Charlotte did not take a public carriage and chose to walk.

The weapons market near Sheffield University naturally catered mainly to Sheffield University students and nearby residents.

While he had been at university, Charlotte often came here to wander around. Though he had hardly ever bought anything, he knew the place well. Back then, he had not needed personal weapons. The school issued training weapons, and he was not an enthusiast of martial force, so he had had no need to purchase private weapons.

After arriving at the weapons market, Charlotte wandered around with the ease of an old hand. He lingered for a while outside a shop selling secondhand weapons, then stepped inside.

He remembered that this shop often had good secondhand merchandise, though its owner was always cheating customers and did not have a very good reputation.

The shop owner did not remember an idle customer like Charlotte, who had never made a purchase. Smiling broadly, he came forward and said, "We have the finest weapons in Strasbourg. Whether you need a rapier, a saber, a Knight's Lance, or a shield, we have everything you could want, and all of it is of the best quality."

Charlotte sneered inwardly. Your shop mainly buys and resells used weapons, passing off cheaply sold inferior goods as quality merchandise. You do not even have your own weapons workshop, yet you dare claim to have the best quality? You are only fooling outsiders.

He did not expose the owner's trick. Smiling faintly, he said, "I need a pistol, and perhaps a cane as well. What would you recommend?"

The shopkeeper immediately lost interest. Used pistols were difficult to sell at a high price, since brand-new pistols were inexpensive and their prices were quite transparent.

As for canes, what was there to care about in a business worth only a few Centimes?

He called over a clerk and said, "This is our best salesman. Please let him recommend several suitable weapons for you."

This was exactly what Charlotte wanted. The owner was cunning enough to be difficult to deal with, but his clerk was much easier to handle.

Ignoring the clerk, who kept chattering away and recommending worthless goods, Charlotte made a circuit of the shop. He was slightly disappointed; this time, there seemed to be no good bargains to pick up.

Just as Charlotte was about to leave and try another weapons shop, his eyes lit up slightly. He spotted a dusty rapier carelessly placed in a corner among more than a dozen others.

He strode over, seized the rapier, and gently drew it. After one glance, he laughed and said, "A fake antique?"

The clerk hurriedly said, "It is a genuine antique! Sir, you truly know your goods!"

Charlotte could not help smiling. "If it truly were an old relic of the Sherlock Dynasty, its price would have to be counted in Écus. Are you really planning to quote me a price of several Écus?"

The clerk looked embarrassed for a moment before saying, "It really is genuine. You cannot take it away for less than five Flors."

Charlotte tossed the rapier back where it had been and said, "I will pay fifty Centimes at most."

Seeing that Charlotte was not particularly attached to this "antique sword" and looked as though he had lost interest and intended to leave, the clerk could not help saying, "Even if it is a fake antique, it cannot be that cheap. Three Flors and fifty Centimes. That is this shop's greatest sincerity; it cannot go any lower."

Sherlock waved his hand and prepared to leave. Gritting his teeth, the clerk shouted, "One Flor, one Flor! Sir, this truly is discounted. It cannot possibly be cheaper."

Charlotte left an address and departed with his head held high.

As an official government employee with a fixed residence, he could place orders. He could pay upon delivery; there was no need to take out money on the spot.

As a graduate of Sheffield University, Sherlock had received a rigorous general education.

The Sherlock Dynasty, also known as the Magic Dynasty, had been renowned far and wide for its Magic Rapiers. It was later destroyed by King Axel, and the Sherlock Dynasty's Magic Rapier craftsmanship was lost from that point on.

Every antique rapier from the Sherlock Dynasty still circulating today was a fine piece, priced in Gold Écus.