Charlotte was slightly surprised and said, "Miss Annie! How come you're here so early? I was just about to run some personal errands. Your carriage is over there, thank you for lending it to me."
Annie nodded to another coachman on the carriage, and the coachman got down to move the carriage parked there overnight.
She said to Charlotte, "Where are you headed? I can give you a ride."
Charlotte greatly envied the lifestyle of having a carriage for transportation. Riding a carriage was much more comfortable than walking, especially in rainy weather, where walking could be a disaster.
He could afford to buy a carriage, but it required a courtyard for parking, a stable for the horse, and a coachman to hire.
The expenses associated with owning a carriage were not something a 41st-level Grade One Clerk could easily afford, nor could a 37th-level Grade One Clerk. It was a lifestyle with a significant class difference.
He said, "A friend asked me to sell a magical item."
Annie's eyes lit up, and she said, "I happen to know about a magical item auction."
Charlotte was also slightly pleased, as he didn't have many connections and could only go to a second-hand shop to sell items, which usually offered lower prices.
Magical item auctions often fetch several times higher prices.
Such gatherings are high-end events, usually hosted by very prominent people, and only extremely wealthy merchants or high-ranking nobles would be invited.
The Mecklen family was wealthy, but not wealthy enough to meet the threshold for attending magical item auctions. As the second son of the Mecklen family, Charlotte had no way to gain entry.
Annie extended her small hand in an inviting gesture.
Charlotte didn't hesitate much and opened the carriage door to let Annie in, then followed her inside.
This carriage was slightly simpler than the one from yesterday, but still spacious enough to seat seven or eight people.
Charlotte sat across from Annie and asked, "Miss Annie, don't you have classes today?"
As a third-year student, she should be quite busy with her studies, so Charlotte asked casually to start the conversation for the day.
Annie responded with a bit of pride, "I've already completed my main credits, just have some internship classes left, so my schedule is quite flexible, and I don't need to go to school every day."
Only then did Charlotte realize he shouldn't have judged a top student's world from the perspective of an average one.
Huang Haisheng, during his university days, had a very tough time, constantly worrying about completing assignments and earning enough credits to graduate, with no room for relaxation. The mathematics department had a famous saying: "When people are pushed to the limit, they can do anything except math."
Charlotte Mecklen was quite similar to Huang Haisheng, being only an average student. He graduated from Leman Public School, got into Behemoth National Academy, and had taken elective courses like Lamia Breathing Technique, but barely managed to gather the energy seeds by graduation and could never break through. During his four years at Sheffield University, he also failed to awaken any spiritual power and only stepped into the supernatural by summoning an evil god.
Compared to Annie Brittany, who became supernatural by her own power in her first year, he fell short by a considerable margin.
Annie Brittany was much more at ease than the previous day. This young lady was actually quite tall, standing at about 170 cm by Earth's measurements. Even if there were discrepancies in shoe thickness, she wouldn't be less than 168 cm, making her a tall girl.
Today, she wore tortoiseshell-framed glasses instead of long skirts, opting for knee-high boots and leather hunting trousers that accentuated her long legs. Her upper body was dressed in a fitted jacket, with her smooth blonde hair tied into a ponytail hanging behind her head, giving her a spirited and dashing appearance. There was even a tricorn hat placed beside her seat.
After some polite conversation, Charlotte asked, "Miss Annie, do you have other plans today? I'd feel bad if you had to change your schedule because of me."
Annie hesitated slightly and replied, "I'm also going to the magical item auction."
Annie said softly, "But there's something I need to clarify with Mr. Mecklen. I'm not attending the auction to buy anything, but because… the person who killed my aunt will be at today's auction."
Charlotte was shocked and asked, "Is Mr. Yamirs also going to be there? Shouldn't we report this to the city patrol?"
Annie bit her lip and said, "The person hosting the magical item auction is Duchess Messo, and the city patrol cannot enter the venue."
Charlotte immediately understood. Although the Faris Empire was a lawful society, it was quite different from modern norms.
In the world where Huang Haisheng came from, no high-ranking official would dare openly host a wanted criminal, but in this world, the law was nothing more than a pile of waste paper before the nobles.
Power outweighs the law!
The city patrol wouldn't dare offend a duchess, especially one with real power like Duchess Messo, just to catch a fugitive.
Charlotte had heard many rumors about Duchess Messo, but they all boiled down to one fact—she commanded one-sixth of the Empire's navy.
The Northern Fleet was the hereditary force of the Messo family, loyal not to the Emperor but to the Messo family.
If it weren't for the fact that Zimmerman Axel Robin returned with the Pirate King's fleet and that Duchess Messo lost part of her fleet a few years ago while exploring the Sea of Fury, the Northern Fleet at its peak was half the size of the Imperial Navy.
Charlotte was pondering whether his little item would be too insignificant for such a high-end auction when he heard the girl's slightly apologetic voice saying, "I'm sorry for involving Mr. Mecklen in this matter, but I really need your help."
Charlotte asked in confusion, "What can I do to help?"
He didn't think it was a good idea to act at Duchess Messo's auction. Even if the Brittany family was also very powerful, this was not something they could afford to do.
Annie said softly, "He knows me, but he doesn't know you. You could 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."
Annie Brittany opened her palm, revealing a small black beetle. The beetle looked lifelike but was actually a magical alchemical creation, with tiny gears visible like threads of hair.
Charlotte didn't understand how magical alchemical creations worked. Although Earth's technology could achieve something similar, it had a clear scientific explanation. The workings of magical alchemical creations were shrouded in mystery, with no complete theory available yet. It was simply a testament to the wonders of this world.
This task seemed quite easy and unlikely to cause any trouble, so Charlotte readily agreed with a smile, "I'm happy to be of service to Miss Annie."
After discussing some details of the plan, the carriage arrived in front of an ancient residence.
Charlotte hadn't expected the venue for this magical item auction to be in the Alexander District.
He had always thought that the magical item auction would be held in the Valdervais District, not realizing it was in the Alexander District, not far from the Savings Society Apartments.