13. Magic Item Auction
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Charles showed a slight surprise and said, "Miss Annie! How come you're here so early? I was just about to take care of some personal business. Your carriage is over there, thank you for lending it to me."
Anne nodded to another coachman on the carriage, who jumped down and drove away the carriage that had been parked there overnight.
She said to Charles, "Where are you heading? I'll give you a ride."
Charles was quite envious of the lifestyle of those with carriages, as riding in a carriage was much more comfortable than walking, especially in rainy weather, when traveling on foot was a disaster.
He could afford to buy a carriage, but parking it required a courtyard, the horses needed stables, and he would have to hire a coachman.
The various expenses that came with a carriage were too much for a first-grade Clerk of the forty-first rank to afford, and even for a first-grade Clerk Chief of the thirty-seventh rank.
He said, "A friend asked me to sell a magic item for him."
Anne's eyes sparkled as she said, "I happen to know of a magic item auction."
Charles was also slightly delighted, as he didn't have many connections and could only sell things in second-hand stores, where the prices were generally not very high.
At a magic item auction, items could often fetch several times their value.
Such gatherings were for high-end individuals, and the organizers were usually very prestigious, with only extremely wealthy merchants or great nobles receiving invitations.
The Meklen family had money but still not enough to meet the threshold for participating in a magic item auction, and as a younger son of the Meklen Family, Charles had no chance of entry.
Anne extended her petite hand in an inviting gesture.
Without much hesitation, Charles opened the carriage door for Anne to get in, and then he himself boarded.
This carriage was slightly plainer than the one from yesterday, but still very spacious, capable of seating seven or eight people.
Charles sat down opposite Anne and asked, "Miss Annie, do you not have classes today?"
As a junior in college, one would typically be very busy. Charles casually asked to start today's conversation.
Anne replied with a bit of pride, "I have already completed my main credits, I just have some internship courses left, so my coursework is rather slack. I don't need to go to school every day."
It dawned on Charles that he shouldn't view the world of a top student through the eyes of a slacker.
During his university days, he had struggled daily, working hard to complete the assignments given by his teachers, worrying about not having enough credits, not being able to graduate, and unable to relax for a moment. The Math Department had a famous saying: In desperation, people could do anything, except math.
Charles Meklen, much like himself, was only the ordinary type of excellent. He had graduated from Lemann Public School and was admitted to Behemoth National College, once taking an elective course in the Lamia Breathing Technique. But even by graduation, he had barely condensed a seed of power and never managed to break through. During his four years at Sheffield University, he also didn't succeed in awakening his spirit and only stepped into the Transcendent rank by summoning the Evil God.
He was far inferior to Anne Brittany, who had stepped into the Transcendent rank in her first year through her own power.
Anne Brittany, much more composed than yesterday, was actually quite tall. According to measurements on Earth, she was probably about 170 centimeters tall. Even considering some variance in the thickness of shoe soles, she wouldn't be under 168 centimeters, which qualified her as a tall girl.
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Today, she had on a pair of tortoiseshell-framed glasses, eschewing a long dress for knee-high boots and leather hunting pants that showcased her long legs in full splendor. Her upper body was covered by a form-fitting jacket, with her soft blonde hair tied back in a ponytail that trailed behind her head, giving her a spirited and dashing look. A tricorn hat was placed beside the seat.
After exchanging pleasantries, Charles asked, "Does Miss Annie have any other plans for today? I would feel terribly sorry if I caused an inconvenience by changing my schedule."
Annie hesitated slightly before answering, "I'm also going to the magic item auction."
Speaking in a low voice, Annie added, "However, there is something I must explain to Mr. Mecklen. I'm not attending the magic item auction to make purchases, but rather... the person who murdered my aunt is going to be there today."
Charles was astonished and asked, "Mr. Yang Miers will be there too? Shouldn't we report this to the Patrolling Army?"
Annie bit her lips and said, "The magic item auction is hosted by Duchess Mesu, and the Patrolling Army cannot enter the venue."
Charles suddenly understood, as the Fars Empire, though a rule-of-law society, was starkly different from the modern day.
In the world where Huang Haisheng had originated, not a single high-ranking official would dare to publicly entertain a fugitive, but in this world, the law was like wasted paper in the face of nobility.
Power was above the law!
The Patrolling Army wouldn't dare offend a duke, especially not an influential noble like Duchess Mesu, just for the sake of a fugitive.
Charles had heard many rumors about Duchess Mesu, but all could be summarized in one point — she controlled one-sixth of the Empire's navy.
The Northern Fleet was an inherited force of the Mesu Family, which never pledged loyalty to the Emperor, only to the Mesu Family.
Had it not been for Zimmerman Axel bringing back the Pirate King's fleet, and had Duchess Mesu not lost part of her fleet exploring the Raging Sea a few years ago, the Northern Fleet would have been half the size of the Imperial Navy at its peak.
As Charles pondered whether his little gadget would be out of place at such a high-end auction, he heard the young lady's somewhat apologetic voice saying, "I'm very sorry to involve Mr. Mecklen in this matter, but I really need your help."
Charles, looking somewhat puzzled, asked, "How can I help?"
He did not think it wise to take action at Duchess Mesu's auction. Even the Brittany Family might have clout, but such an act was absolutely not to be done.
In a low voice, Annie said, "He knows me, but he does not know you. You can help me get close to him and place this tracking beetle on him. That way, even if he leaves the auction, I can still track him down."
Anne Brittany opened her palm, revealing a tiny black beetle. This black beetle, lifelike yet not a biological creature, was a magic alchemical creation, with gears so fine they looked like strands of hair.
Charles didn't fully understand how magic alchemical creations worked. Even though technology on Earth could achieve this feat, the principles were clear and everything was scientific, whereas magic alchemical creations were full of chaos, without a complete theory to date, only underscoring the mysterious aspects of this world.
This task seemed relatively simple and unlikely to cause any trouble, so Charles readily agreed, smiling, "I would be honored to serve Miss Annie."
After discussing some details of the operation, the carriage arrived in front of an ancient residence.
Charles had not expected the location of the magic item auction to be in the Alexander District.
He had always assumed the magic item auction would be held in the Val de Vaz District and was surprised to find it in the Alexander District, not too far from the Savings Association Apartments.
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