Charlot put on his clothes first. Though he held a civilian role, he was still the Head Overseer of the City Patrol Guards, so he had been issued several sets of uniforms. For the past few days, he had been alternating between his regular clothes and uniforms. Yesterday, Mrs. Nancy had washed a few of his regular outfits, but they weren’t dry yet, so today he wore his uniform.
Unlike Earth’s military uniforms, which emphasized practicality, the Fars Empire’s uniforms were divided into three tiers. The soldiers’ uniforms at the bottom tier were simple, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and durability. At the thirty-seventh rank and above—referred to as the “lower noble class”—the uniforms focused more on aesthetics. The Fars Empire even had a dedicated team of master designers for this purpose, and their designs were nothing short of dazzlingly stylish.
At the twenty-fourth rank and above—the “unreachable class”—the uniforms became transcendent pieces, each one worthy of being called a “family heirloom.”
Although Charlot hadn’t been a military enthusiast in his past life, now that he had transmigrated to the Fars Empire, he found himself quite fond of the empire’s uniforms.
After he changed into his uniform, Annie’s eyes lit up. When Charlot went out with her, he usually wore regular clothes, and this was the first time she had seen him in his military “skin.” Charlot, who was already extraordinarily handsome, now exuded even more of a heroic and commanding presence in the uniform.
Annie was momentarily captivated by Charlot’s “handsome looks,” but it wasn’t long before her worries returned.
Charlot first asked Mrs. Nancy to prepare coffee and then took Annie to the terrace. It was Charlot, the one facing the duel, who comforted the noble lady and helped build up her resolve.
“Without Clair and Ebner, it isn’t the end of the world.”
“I’ve crafted a few Blood Runes and mastered the miraculous Blood Glory. I also possess two transcendent weapons. Even an average mid-rank transcendent would have a hard time defeating me.”
“And there’s one more piece of good news, Miss Annie—I’ve just advanced to the fifth rank...”
Charlot did everything he could to ease Annie’s concerns.
Hearing that Charlot had reached the fifth rank, she showed a surprised expression and exclaimed, “How could you advance so quickly?”
Charlot shrugged and said, “Maybe the pressure was just too much!”
“I wasn’t talking about the duel!”
“I mean… my desire to keep seeing Miss Annie has driven me to push forward relentlessly, never stopping.”
Annie’s delicate face blushed slightly. She lowered her head, showing a charming and shy demeanor. After a moment, she still couldn’t shake her concern and said softly, “I’ll think of a way to ensure your victory, Charlot.”
She stayed with Charlot for more than an hour before hurriedly excusing herself, clearly to “find a way.”
Charlot didn’t try to stop her. After seeing Annie off, he sent Mrs. Nancy to No. 1 Falcon Street to ask the City Patrol Guards for information on what had happened at Kilmainham Prison.
Those adventurers didn’t matter as much, but the group Dubin brought were Strasbourgers skilled in geography and espionage. Gathering information was their specialty.
Charlot wasn’t planning to work today, nor did he need to ask for leave. He intended to stay home and polish his newly acquired Blood Glory.
Mrs. Nancy returned quickly, her expression serious. “The City Patrol Guards heard that Warden Magru Trell suddenly lashed out during his interrogation. He killed more than ten prison soldiers and escaped the prison.”
“They say the scene was a bloodbath!”
Charlot silently mourned for his former colleagues. He didn’t know if any familiar faces had died in the chaos. Fortunately, he didn’t have many acquaintances in Kilmainham Prison—fewer than three, in fact—so it was unlikely that all of them would have been killed by Magru Trell.
Charlot spent the whole day training at home. In the evening, an unexpected guest arrived.
It was Venie Arsenault, the head of the Cat Detective Agency, and the cat spirit detective herself. She was also the employer of his ex-fiancée, Sylvie Martin. The female detective’s expression was complicated, and she got straight to the point. “I’m delivering a duel challenge on someone’s behalf.”
“Your duel with the former Warden was witnessed by two detectives from the Fierce Horse Detective Agency. They happened to be among the original duelists. Now they’ve both withdrawn, so this is a new duel challenge.”
Charlot recalled the two detectives who had purchased the spell remnants. He was slightly surprised—he had thought they were just passing by. Who would have guessed there was a deeper connection?
He chuckled and said, “Losing two duel opponents counts as a bit of good news.”
Venie Arsenault shrugged and added, “I imagine you’ve also heard the bad news—Addison’s brother has just advanced to the fourteenth rank!”
Charlot took a deep breath and replied, “Thanks, I hadn’t heard that bad news yet.”
He had been planning to hold the duel at Machubi. Later, with Annie’s help, her cousin had agreed to fight in his place, so...
Charlot really hadn’t been paying attention to his duel opponents.
Venie looked a little surprised and then smiled. “You’re surprisingly calm under pressure.”
While they chatted, three clever little cat cubs toddled into the room.
Charlot had brought them home and let them roam freely around the house, giving them space to explore and indulge their adventurous nature. He had, however, sealed off any areas where the kittens could accidentally fall or get stuck.
Venie Arsenault’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cat cubs. She pulled out a small pouch of specially made soft cat food and fed it to the three little creatures.
“Mr. Charlot, what made you decide to raise three clever cats?”
Charlot replied, “The house felt too empty. I needed a bit of lively energy.”
Venie laughed and asked, “Would you be interested in learning some Cat Spirit Magic?”
Charlot was about to refuse. As a student of Sheffield University, he had little interest in Gorgias University’s spirit-based magic systems. Although he had briefly considered learning it before, the thought had been fleeting and had soon faded.
Venie Arsenault smiled faintly. “Cat Spirit Magic has only two beginner spells—Spirit Channeling and Cat Transformation!”
“With your spiritual affinity, it would probably only take a few hours to learn. Spirit Channeling lets you communicate with your pets, making them more obedient. Cat Transformation is also a rather fun little spell.”
Charlot considered this for a moment and then smiled. “I’ll trouble you, Venie.”
In his past life, he had kept pets, so he knew how mischievous those “rascals” could be when they didn’t behave. A spell to make the cats obedient, well-behaved, and less prone to causing trouble seemed worth learning.
Venie Arsenault had three reasons for offering to teach Charlot Cat Spirit Magic. She knew that if Charlot really wanted to learn it, he didn’t have to come to her. After all, Annie, while pursuing the Dreamcrafting arts, was a student at Gorgias University. Finding a Cat Spirit Magic textbook would not be difficult for her.