In the Old Continent, ranks one to six are considered lower-tier transcendent, ranks seven to twelve are mid-tier transcendent, and ranks thirteen to eighteen are high-tier transcendent. Above rank eighteen, one is granted a distinct title!
Any knight who has acquired all Eight Knight Proofs is allowed to attach the prefix “Saint” to their name, a status that is unparalleled.
Other transcendent professions that surpass rank eighteen can also carry “Saint” before their surnames.
The most widely recognized characteristic of a Saint-tier transcendent is their ability to break free from the ground and soar into the air using their own power, without relying on any extraordinary relics, magical tools, or bloodline secret arts.
This Karen Granny could indeed be addressed as “Saint Karen Granny!”
Thus, when Annie saw this granny, she resigned herself to following her back. Resistance would be futile—she would be taken away regardless.
Even if Venie Arsenault, Charlot, and Sylvie joined forces to stop her, the outcome would remain unchanged.
Sylvie watched Saint Karen Granny and Miss Annie leave, then turned to Charlot and said, “Cousin, are you feeling the pressure?”
Charlot glanced at his former fiancée and smiled faintly. “Not too much. I can manage.”
After all, he was a man who had faced two Evil Gods!
And the second time, it was two at once. A single Saint-tier transcendent was hardly...
“Damn it, the pressure is pretty immense.”
Charlot knew Annie’s family was extraordinary. He also knew her father was a Count and that a count ranked fifth in the Empire’s noble hierarchy.
But until today, he had never quite grasped it on a personal level.
Even when he met Annie’s high-tier transcendent cousin, it didn’t faze him much. He never imagined he’d witness the glaring class disparity so vividly—through a granny of all people.
Even the housekeeper of a Count’s family was Saint-tier!
This is ridiculous…
Sylvie cast a sympathetic glance at Charlot. She absolutely didn’t believe his calm and collected demeanor. She muttered to herself, He’s probably still her ‘secret boyfriend,’ the kind who can’t see the light of day. No wonder he’s changed so much.
“Hmm?”
“If he does successfully marry Miss Annie in the future, won’t all the little secrets I know become leverage against him?”
“All I have to do is threaten to expose his past humiliations…”
Sylvie hesitated, suddenly feeling that this former fiancé of hers would likely silence her for good.
In Sylvie Martin’s eyes, Charlot Mecklenburg had never been a “good person.” Silencing someone to keep a secret? She believed he was perfectly capable of such a thing.
Venie Arsenault watched the scene with great interest. To her, it felt like watching an unfolding drama—one so brilliantly executed that she couldn’t wait for the next act.
Unable to hold back, Venie prompted, “What did Annie leave for you?”
Charlot unfolded the newspaper Annie had left behind. He quickly noticed a shocking headline: “Grand Duke Ferdinand Assassinated, Couple Perishes Together.”
The subtitle read: “The Behemoth Principality Declares War on South Seraph!”
Charlot skimmed the article and didn’t pay it much mind. What caught his attention was what lay inside the newspaper—a silver alchemical pistol.
The pistol’s design was remarkably familiar, resembling Earth’s Chiappa Rhino revolver. It was entirely silver, with sharp, angular lines across its body. The barrel was etched with countless strange runes, and the grip was wrapped in thick beast hide that felt incredibly solid in hand.
Just a few hours earlier, he had seen another pistol of the exact same model.
Sylvie didn’t recognize it, given her limited experience as a recent graduate. But Venie Arsenault couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is a Firequell Silver Rhino!”
“An extraordinary alchemical pistol crafted by the Firequell Workshop!”
“It’s said they only produce five per year!”
“The thirteen alchemical masters of Firequell Workshop collaborated to design this pistol, and they’ve made fewer than twenty-five in total!”
“This one must have a serial number!”
Charlot flipped the grip over and, sure enough, there was a marking: ‘十三’, confirming it as the thirteenth Silver Rhino produced by Firequell Workshop.
Charlot vaguely recalled that the Silver Rhino Homonsa had found was numbered ‘五’, the fifth Silver Rhino ever made, predating this one by several years.
The Silver Rhino could convert combat energy, blood energy, magic, and various other energies into bullets. Its effective range was shorter than that of an Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, but it still exceeded two thousand pimi.
It could also fire anti-magic armor-piercing rounds.
Annie’s newspaper-wrapped gift included six of these anti-magic armor-piercing rounds.
Charlot was simultaneously grateful for Annie’s favor and regretful that this Silver Rhino was only on loan for three days.
Casually, Charlot twirled the pistol with flair. As a third-rate sharpshooter with passable aim, he had spent plenty of time practicing such tricks in university. The Silver Rhino spun effortlessly around his wrist, its barrel pointing at different angles.
Through this “contact,” Charlot realized one advantage the Silver Rhino had over the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle.
The Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle relied solely on a spatial magazine, whereas the Silver Rhino featured an additional spirit energy magazine. This magazine could store compressed bullets of spiritual energy, combat energy, blood energy, magic, and even corrupted energy. Since the spirit energy magazine didn’t involve space, stored energy bullets wouldn’t eject when hidden.
Clearly, Annie had pulled many strings to acquire this pistol. The spirit energy magazine currently held thirty-five rounds of energy bullets, contributed by at least seven individuals. Each bullet had unique properties, but all packed considerable power, indicating the impressive strength of those who crafted them.
Venie Arsenault, equally fascinated by the pistol, played with it for a while and compressed a few Cat Spirit Magic bullets, casting basic Cat Transformation spells. If hit by one, anyone unable to resist Venie’s magic would immediately transform into a kitten.
Sylvie also borrowed the pistol out of curiosity. However, though her swordsmanship surpassed Charlot’s, she had yet to awaken combat energy, making her unable to compress extraordinary bullets.
The three of them returned to the carriage, where Charlot politely said, “Goodnight, ladies,” before climbing into the rear luggage compartment.
Despite being a luggage compartment, it offered around four square pimi of space.
On the Old Continent, one pimi was equivalent to approximately 1.15 meters on Earth—quite different from the Earth equivalent of a nanometer.
Charlot had packed ample supplies of water, ale, fruit wine, and food for the journey. The luggage space was large enough for him to create a comfortable sleeping area.
He also brought plenty of blankets. The Ingrima Empire was renowned for its high-quality wool blankets, far softer than the cheap wool back on Earth. It was said their sheep produced wool far superior to that of other Old Continent nations.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Nancy settled into the driver’s seat, wrapped snugly in her own blanket. Lacking the privilege to ride in the main carriage—and certainly unable to sleep alongside Charlot—she had to make do with her current position.