Yanmills merely assumed that Charlot had entered an acquaintan passing. He would never have guessed that this young man, whom he brushed shoulders with, was his most detested mortal enemy—her.

  As Charlot passed by Yanmills, he discreetly slipped the magical beetle Annie had entrusted to him into the tter’s coat pocket.

  A few mier, the two crossed paths again.

  Annie’s delicate face was tinged with a faint blush as she softly said, “Thank you, Mr. Charlot.”

  Charlot offered a slight smile and replied, “It was a small effort. I merely wished to do something for the honor of Mrs. Yanmills.”

  This was a heartfelt truth. The reputation of Mrs. Yanmills was intricately tied to Charlot’s own. If her honor remained unblemished, so too would his. But if her good name were to colpse into ruin, his would crumble like a house of cards.

  No one in the world had a stronger desire than Charlot to see Mrs. Yanmills’ reputation remain pure and unsullied.

  Yanmills did not pace around. Instead, he waited quietly in a guest room until the au began, at which poiered the venue.

  Annie and Charlot hid in a er of the au hall, pretending not to know one another. Both, however, kept their eyes fixed on Yanmills, eager to dis his purpose here.

  Soon, the renowned Duchess of Messau made her grarance.

  She was not particurly old—just over thirty—and her meticulous care had preserved her radiay. She was stunning, save for her t stature, which surpassed that of most men. Otherwise, she was the epitome of what men dreamed of in an ideal woman.

  Following the Duchess’s opening remarks, the first au item was swiftly presented.

  It was a magical longsword, with a starting price of 180 écu—far beyond Charlot’s total wealth.

  The magical longsword drew great i. After several rounds of bidding, its price soared past 300 écu, eventually being secured by a wealthy patron for an astounding 370 écu.

  The sed item also started at a price exceeding Charlot’s entire fortune. With no stake in the proceedings, he lost i in the au and wandered over to a nearby table den with food and drinks, grabbing a few pastries to fill his stomach.

  He haden since m and was feeling rather hungry.

  The Fars Empire had no of breakfast, adhering io a two-meal system of lund dinner. A few aristocrats indulged in afternoon tea or midnight snacks, but Charlot had yet to adapt to such habits.

  He often bought breakfast for himself, even though the only avaible option was stale bread rings from the previous day.

  After easing his hunger, Charlot poured himself a gss of wine and dow in one go before returning to his er, tent.

  By now, the seventh au item had been brought out.

  This item was an a painting said to depict the true visage of a fn god of chaos.

  While introdug the piece, the Duchess of Messau casually mentiohat it was lio at least twelve bizarre and gruesome cases, with over 220 deaths associated with this magical artifact.

  Despite this chilling backstory, the a painting was fervently pursued, ultimately fetg a high price at au.

  To the astonishment of Charlot and Annie, Yanmills also ehe bidding. In the fourth round, he cimed the item for 507 écu.

  Having secured the painting, Yanmills hurriedly left, his determination evident. Clearly, this was his primary objective.

  Annie gave Charlot a discreet signal, and the two exited the magical artifact au oer the other.

  This au had been an eye-opening experience for Charlot, expanding his horizons siderably. Although they had to leave early, he did not feel much regret—after all, none of the items on offer were remotely within the financial reach of a chief clerk of a prison.

  Outside the au hall, Annie, who had left ahead of him, was already waiting in the carriage.

  As Charlot boarded, Annie instructed the an to set off immediately.

  There was no time for pleasantries between Annie and Charlot. She closed her eyes and began murmuring an intation. Occasionally, she raised her voice to direct the an on their course.

  Unfamiliar with the extraordinary powers of the dream-crafting arts, Charlot was left idle. He pondered whether, if he had time that afternoon, he should go i some houses.

  From time to time, Charlot lifted the curtain of the carriage window and found the road increasingly familiar. As the carriage sped along, the surroundings stirred an unease deep within him. “This is the road to Mrs. Yanmills’ residence,” he realized.

  He dared not mention this to Annie, as such familiarity was far from i.

  When the carriage finally came to a stop in front of an imposing residence, a flood of familiar memories surged through Charlot’s mind.

  Among these memories were recolles of how he and a certain young dy of the house had engaged in activities that could her be publicly described on modern forums nor included in a novel without sorship.

  Charlot felt a pang of embarrassment. Although he could attribute these youthful indiscretions to his predecessor, the sequences were his to bear. He could only tread carefully, navigating each predit with caution.

  “I’ll need a short nap,” Annie murmured softly, her cheeks flushing. “Please guard me for half an hour, Mr. Charlot.”

  Her bashfulness was evident. For a maiden of any era, admitting the o nap near an unfamiliar man arusting him with her safety hi an unspokeiment.

  Although both khis was a y of her dreamcrafting arts and devoid of romantic implications, a faintly amorous atmosphere iably arose.

  Charlot smiled faintly and said, “Miss Annie, rest assured.”

  Annie expressed her gratitude, csped her hands tightly, closed her eyes, and slipped into a deep slumber. Her long eyeshes fluttered slightly as she ehe realm of dreams.

  With nothing else to do, Charlot pulled out his newly purchased Magnum Mauler and began ing it with a cloth.

  A rapier was her practior inspicuous to carry around, and Charlot had left his own behind. Besides, a pistol was far more effective as a self-defense on.

  This sedhand pistol, though well-maintained, bore traces of grime. Being somewhat of a freak, Charlot had long inteo give it a thh ing.

  He polished the gun until it gleamed like hen ied the ammunition. Loadieen rounds into the chamber, he left two spare bullets aside. Ohe safety was off, the gun, though slightly worn, rimed for a.

  Iillness of the parked carriage, with a sleeping maiden and a young man ing his gun, the se formed an oddly captivating tableau.

  Charlot slid the gleaming pistol into the holster inside his coat. Suddenly, a sense of foreboding gripped him. He immediately activated the Eye of Insight, and a sphere with a fifteen-step radius spread outward from his position.

  To his shock, he saw bck smoke billowing from the opulent Yanmills residence.

  Aill in her slumber, began to writhe in pain, her face torted, her moans pained. No matter how he called her, she remairapped in her dreams.

  Without hesitation, Charlot leapt from the carriage and dashed toward the Yanmills estate. The momeepped onto the grounds, it felt as though he had entered airely different world.