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Chapter 20: Two People’s Time Alone
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 20:02:16 +0000 UTCAt this "Cat and Clover" café, there was a "fat" half-grown intelligent cat, which resembled the leopards on Earth. It naturally possessed a thin trace of spiritual energy, had a gentle disposition, and could guard the house for its owner. It was one of the more common pets in the Fars Empire.
Charlot ordered two cups of coffee—he chose a cup of Seymore, which was similar to a mocha, while Annie selected a cup of milk foam coffee that tasted like cappuccino.
The coffee here tasted similar to that on Earth, though it was a bit more acidic. Charlot wasn’t particularly fond of the flavor, so he added a bit more sugar to suppress the sourness.
Although they had met twice and nearly shared life-and-death experiences, Charlot and Annie didn’t really know each other very well.
With some leisure time on hand, they sipped their coffee and chatted about various topics, quickly growing closer.
Charlot, with his adept conversation skills as a math teacher—his logic and eloquence flawless—along with knowledge from two worlds and a good stock of dry humor, had Annie laughing to the point of nearly losing control several times.
Annie began sharing some stories from school, which also piqued Charlot’s interest.
Charlot’s first challenge upon arriving in this world had been survival.
He began adapting to this new world and accepted his new identity. The issue of survival gradually ceased to be a problem.
In fact, he was living quite well.
The next step after survival was to eat and drink well! No matter from which perspective, living off a woman was an exceedingly comfortable option.
Annie Bretagne was undoubtedly a suitable marriage partner.
Of course, he had to first resolve the issue with his fiancée, whom he had never met.
The good news was that his fiancée was dissatisfied with the marriage contract.
The bad news was that, because she didn’t like him, Charlot had no way to contact her and couldn’t figure out how to resolve this troubling situation.
From both a moral and practical standpoint, he had to cancel the engagement before making any progress in his relationship with Annie Bretagne.
If their relationship had already reached a certain stage, canceling the engagement would undoubtedly result in a loss of reputation.
Charlot decided that he would write a letter to his older brother tonight, expressing his willingness to give up his inheritance rights and asking his brother to help him contact his fiancée.
For Annie Bretagne, her experience with Charlot was entirely new. A man with knowledge from two worlds was already fascinating enough, and even the gods of this world couldn’t have done better.
She felt a bit grateful for her recklessness that day.
Had it not been for avenging her aunt, Annie would never have gone to a young man’s window in the middle of the night, and she wouldn’t have met Charlot. Their social circles were so different that there would have been no chance for their paths to cross.
Annie Bretagne thought quietly, “Could it be that my aunt is watching from above, guiding me to meet Mr. Mecklenburg?”
As she thought about this, her face couldn’t help but flush slightly.
Charlot, unaware of the reason behind Annie’s sudden blush, wisely pretended not to notice anything.
Just then, the Bretagne family carriage appeared outside the window. Charlot was about to step out to greet them when Annie softly said, “No need to go out. My mechanical beetle will guide the coachman.”
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the coachman stopped the carriage, came in with a document and a set of keys, and placed them on the coffee table in front of them. He then respectfully stepped aside.
Charlot opened the document.
It was an official document from the Central Government’s Property Bureau—a house transfer contract. Three copies had been made: one for Charlot, one for the original homeowner, and one to be filed with the Property Bureau.
All three copies already bore the official seal of the Central Property Bureau and the buyer’s handwritten signature.
Charlot quickly skimmed through it, confirming there were no issues, and signed his name. The coachman took the other two copies and hurriedly left.
Charlot tucked his house deed and the set of keys away, feeling somewhat emotional. Life as a noble was indeed carefree; servants handled everything. Nobles had little to do and plenty of free time.
Such a life would be a dream come true on Earth, but it was rooted in a politically incorrect social system.
Charlot glanced at the sky, smiled slightly, and said, “How about I invite Miss Annie for dinner?”
Annie Bretagne glanced at the sky, her face showing a slight panic, and whispered, “Sorry, I must go home for dinner.”
Charlot understood. Many noble families held a formal dinner where everyone had to gather, a solemn ritual.
He wasn’t particularly fond of it, nor was he accustomed to it, but he couldn’t refuse, and there was nothing he could do about it.
This was another world.
Charlot declined Annie’s offer to escort him home. He watched the young lady hurriedly board the carriage and leave, then called over the café staff, asking, “Could you find a few maids to help me clean?”
The staff politely responded, “Of course, sir. When would you like them?”
Charlot smiled slightly and replied, “Now.”
He was eager to sever ties with his past life and didn’t want to delay moving in any longer than necessary.
The café staff hurriedly went off and soon brought back five strong, middle-aged maids. These women had a down-to-earth, hardworking aura that made them very approachable.
Charlot quickly gave them some instructions and led the maids in a grand procession to house number 58.
The maids were very skilled workers, quickly dividing tasks and starting to clean.
Charlot took a quick tour of the first floor, his curiosity piqued, and then climbed the stairs to the second floor.
By this time, it was getting late, and the room had grown quite dim.
He casually wandered around the second floor for a bit, getting a general idea of the layout.
The second floor had fifteen rooms, the largest being over 70 square meters, and the smallest was still over 20 square meters. Though it wasn’t bigger than the Savings Union apartments he had lived in before, it felt much more spacious.
After taking a look around the second floor, Charlot went up to the third floor.
The maids cleaning this floor saw him and hurriedly bowed. Charlot waved his hand dismissively, signaling that he didn’t mind.
There were fewer rooms on this floor, only five, and each was nearly 100 square meters. These were luxurious suites, each with a terrace. One side faced the Ailisia Street, and because the shops in front were only one story tall, the view was unobstructed, and he could almost see the entire street.
The other side, however, gave Charlot an even bigger surprise. Standing on the terrace facing the other side of the house, he realized that the building’s other side faced the Lukavaro River, with Lukavaro District on the opposite bank. That area was already part of the outer city.
The capital of the Empire, Strasbourg, was divided into: the Upper Seven Districts and the Outer Fifteen Districts.
The Upper Seven Districts were: Val-de-Vas, Alexander District, Galon District, Rose District, Mavinsado District, Alcatras District, and Picardy District.
As for the names of the Outer Fifteen Districts, Charlot could barely remember them.
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