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The Cat & Clover Coffee Shop had adopted a "chubby" half-grown Agile Cat, resembling a leopard cat on Earth, naturally endowed with a faint spiritual power. Gentle in nature, it could watch over the house and protect its owner's property, making it one of several common pets in the Fast Empire.
Charles ordered two cups of coffee, one for himself that was similar to a mocha called Saimu, and Annie ordered a milk froth coffee similar in taste to a cappuccino.
The flavor of coffee in this world was similar to that on Earth, just a bit more acidic. Charles didn't really like it and could only add some more sugar to suppress the sourness.
Although the two had met twice and almost shared life and death, they actually knew very little about each other.
With this bit of leisure time, they chatted about various things over coffee, and their relationship quickly grew closer.
Charles, with his proficient conversational skills—as a math teacher, his logic and eloquence were unquestionable—and his knowledge and dry humor from two different worlds, amused Annie to the point of her bursting into fits of giggles several times.
Annie talked about some school matters, which Charles found very interesting.
The first issue Charles faced when he crossed over to this world was—survival.
He began to assimilate into this world, accepted a new identity, and the issue of survival gradually ceased to be a problem for him.
In fact, he was even living quite comfortably.
Beyond survival, a further need was—to eat and drink well!
From any perspective, living off a woman was quite a comfortable choice.
Anne Brittany was definitely a suitable marriage partner.
Of course, he had to first deal with his fiancée whom he had never met.
The good news was that the fiancée was not satisfied with the marriage arrangement.
The bad news was, since she didn't like him, Charles had no way to contact her and was unable to address this vexing issue immediately.
From both a moral standpoint and in practical terms, he had to call off the engagement before his relationship with Anne Brittany could make any headway.
If their relationship had already developed to a certain point before he canceled the engagement, there would inevitably be a loss of reputation.
Charles decided that he would write to his brother tonight, expressing his willingness to give up his inheritance rights, and at the same time, ask his brother to help contact the fiancée.
With Charles, Anne Brittany was getting an entirely new experience—a man with the knowledge of two worlds was fresh enough, and even the gods of this world couldn't do it any better.
She was now somewhat glad for her rashness that day.
If she hadn't been out to "avenge" her aunt, Annie never would have gone to a young man's window at midnight, nor would she have met Charles. Their social circles were too different, and there wouldn't have been any chance for their paths to cross.
Anne Brittany thought to herself, "Could it be that my aunt's spirit in heaven has specially guided me to meet Mister Mecklen?"
At that thought, her face couldn't help but turn a little rosy again.
Charles was unaware of why Annie's face suddenly blushed, but he wisely pretended not to see anything.
Just then, the Brittany family's carriage appeared outside the window. Charles was about to go out and greet them when Annie said softly, "No need to go out, my mechanical beetle will guide the coachman."
As expected, a few minutes later, the coachman parked the carriage and brought a document and a set of keys into the shop.
He placed the document and keys on the coffee table in front of them and respectfully stepped aside.
Charles opened the document.
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This was a standard official document from the Central Government Real Estate Bureau, a house transfer contract, made out in three copies: one for Charles, one for the original owner, and one to be filed with the archives of the Real Estate Bureau.
All three documents already bore the official seal of the Central Real Estate Bureau and the buyer's personally signed signature.
Charles skimmed through the contract hurriedly, making sure there were no issues, then signed his name. The coachman took the remaining two copies and rushed away.
Charles stowed away his own contract and the set of keys, unable to help feeling a bit sentimental. A noble's life was indeed leisurely and easygoing, with servants to take care of all their needs. There wasn't much they needed to do themselves, with plenty of free time.
Such a lifestyle was also something of a pipe dream on Earth, but it was rooted in a rather politically incorrect social system.
Glancing at the sky, Charles said with a slight smile, "How about I treat Miss Anne to dinner?"
Anne Brittany glanced at the sky and showed a hint of panic, whispering, "I apologize, but I must go home for dinner."
Charles expressed understanding; many noble families had to gather together for dinner. It was a rather solemn ritual.
He didn't much care for it, nor was he accustomed to it. There was no way to accept it, and nothing could be done.
This was an alternate world.
Charles declined Anne's offer to take him home. He watched as the young lady hurried onto her carriage and left, then called over a café waiter and asked, "Could you help me find a few maids to clean up?"
The waiter replied politely, "No problem, sir. When do you need them?"
With a slight smile, Charles said, "Now."
He had a strong desire to cut ties with his past life; if he could move today, he didn't want to put it off until tomorrow.
The café worker hurried off and quickly returned with five strong, middle-aged maids. Each of the women carried an air of long-term labor, bringing a sense of approachability.
Charles quickly gave a few instructions and led the maids in a grand procession back to number 58.
The maids, skilled workers that they were, quickly divided the labor and began cleaning.
Charles did a tour of the first floor, then, filled with curiosity, climbed the stairs to the second floor.
By this time, the evening had grown late, and the rooms were becoming quite dim.
He wandered the second floor for a while, getting a general idea of this level.
There were fifteen rooms on the second floor, with the largest one exceeding seventy square meters and even the smallest rooms being over twenty square meters. While they weren't larger than the apartment he had lived in at the Savings Association, they felt more spacious.
After making his rounds on the second floor, Charles ascended to the third floor.
The maid responsible for cleaning this floor saw him and hurriedly bowed in greeting. Charles waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind.
This floor had fewer rooms, only five, each nearly a hundred square meters. They were very luxurious suites, with terraces on both sides. One side faced Elysian Pastoral Avenue. Since the shops in front only had one floor, there was nothing to obstruct his view, and he could almost see the entire street scene.
The other side offered Charles a surprise even greater than the view of Elysian Pastoral Avenue. It was only when he stood on the terrace on this side that he realized the other side of the house faced the Lucavaro River. Across the river was the Lucavaro District, which was already the outer city area.
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 Vaz District, Alexander District, Garon District, Rose District, Marvinsad District, Alcatraz District, and Picardy District.
As for the names of the Outer Fifteen Districts, Charles couldn't even begin to memorize them.