Alexander District, with its strong commercial nature, is comparable to the CBD (Central Business District) on Earth, being the undisputed core area of a city. However, in the Faris Empire, the Valerdevez District is the center of culture and administration.
After getting out of the carriage, Anne handed over an invitation, and the old housekeeper at the gate politely welcomed them inside.
Charlotte had no doubt that without Anne's company, he would never have been allowed entry.
The old mansion covered about five acres, and upon entering, various guests could be seen coming and going, making it very lively.
Charlotte asked curiously, "How can one sell their magical items at a magic item auction?"
Before Anne could answer, a cheerful voice said, "What kind of magical item does this gentleman wish to sell?"
Charlotte looked up slightly and saw an elderly gentleman, neatly dressed, smiling at him. He responded politely with a smile, "It's a multi-headed flail," as he opened the package to reveal the handle of the flail.
The elderly gentleman said, "May I take a closer look?"
Charlotte handed over the package.
The elderly gentleman received the package steadily, examined it for a while, then smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I own a magic item shop called Louis' Shop, and my name is Louis Smee."
Charlotte smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Smee, I hope to frequent your shop often."
Louis Smee handed over a card that bore his name, shop name, and address.
Charlotte, intrigued, took the business card. Back in the time when he crossed over, business cards had already been phased out; people would only exchange phone numbers and WeChat contacts.
Louis Smee said, "I don't intend to purchase this multi-headed flail, but I can recommend a good buyer."
Charlotte was delighted and said, "Thank you, Mr. Smee."
Louis Smee smiled and said, "You may call me Louis. I have yet to ask for your name?"
Charlotte replied, "Charlotte MacLeod, you can just call me Charlotte, that's what my friends call me."
He exchanged a questioning look with Anne, who then followed them gracefully.
Charlotte had intended to settle his small transaction before helping Anne deal with Yarmills, but since Anne was willing to accompany him, he had no reason to refuse.
Louis subtly complimented Anne's beauty, to which Anne accepted politely, their attitudes reflecting the falsehood and sophistication of high society.
Charlotte knew this trick well but didn't want to participate in such hypocritical social interactions, silently following Louis Smee to a room.
Louis said loudly, "Mr. Lucas, I have found the multi-headed flail you were looking for."
A burly man who had been chatting with a friend looked over.
This man was dressed in a military uniform, and judging by his shoulder epaulets, his rank was quite high. Charlotte wasn't very good at recognizing these insignias and could only make a rough judgment based on their complexity.
When Lucas saw the multi-headed flail Louis Smee took out, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward, gently picked it up, shook it, and said, "The enchantment has completely collapsed. Can you repair it?"
Louis Smee replied with a smile, "Master Leo is just around the corner; repairing the enchantment will be no problem."
Lucas nodded and said, "I'll take it. How much?"
Louis said, "We've been old friends for a long time, so I'll only charge you 140 Eagles."
Lucas nodded and said, "Repair the enchantment and send it to my residence."
Louis smiled and agreed, and Lucas said nothing further, returning to chat with his friends.
Louis led Charlotte to a nearby corner where no one was around and whispered, "This multi-headed flail requires re-enchantment, and the repair cost will be around 50 Eagles. I'm willing to pay 75 Eagles to purchase this flail from you. How does that sound?"
Charlotte smiled slightly and said, "No problem."
The price was already higher than he had expected.
Louis pulled out his wallet, cheerfully counted fifteen 50-florin banknotes, and handed them to Charlotte, saying, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."
Honestly, Charlotte had never dealt with such high-denomination banknotes before. Forget about 50 Florins; he had never even handled a 20-Florin note before. The largest denomination he had ever come across was 10 Florins.
Charlotte took the banknotes, used the method he learned at school to verify their authenticity, put them in his wallet, and smiled, saying, "Louis, it's a good thing I ran into you, otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do."
"This is my first time doing business."
Louis laughed heartily and said, "In the future, if you have any similar business, please do visit my shop."
After chatting a bit more, Louis Smee said, "With Miss Anne accompanying you, if I continue to linger around, it would be quite rude of me. I won't disturb the two of you any further. Next time, I'll specifically talk to you about some little secrets in the business world and at auctions."
He handed the package to the servant who had been following him and left with a smile.
Anne whispered, "Louis is a very shrewd businessman. Be careful when dealing with him."
Charlotte nodded. He didn't really think there would be many opportunities to do business with Mr. Louis Smee.
Where would he get a source of magical items?
The other party deals in high-end goods.
Charlotte discreetly placed the wallet into the inner pocket of his coat, pressing it down. The thick stack of banknotes inside the wallet gave him a sense of security.
Even in his previous life, he had never held such a large sum of money.
75 Eagles is roughly equivalent to 2 to 2.2 million yuan.
Even in his previous life, that was enough to buy a house, or at least a down payment.
Charlotte and Anne walked around the old mansion a few more times, and Charlotte roughly understood what auctions were like in this era.
Before the auction officially starts, guests are allowed to trade privately. Those who cannot complete a deal or are dissatisfied with the price will then submit their magical items for formal auction.
The Faris Empire doesn't yet have formal auction institutions, and commerce isn't very developed, so such auctions rely heavily on the reputation of the host.
After a short time, Anne whispered, "I've spotted him. Let's avoid any contact for now and pretend we don't know each other."
Charlotte smiled slightly, and with Anne's guidance, he spotted Mr. Yarmills, the man with whom he had quite a bit of entanglement.
Yarmills was a tall, grim-looking man, probably in his forties or fifties. His clothing was impeccable, with every detail meticulously tailored. His outfit was also very stylish. He held a cane in one hand, adorned with gold inlays and a gemstone, which looked extremely expensive and was worlds apart from military gear. In the other hand, he held his fist tightly, reflecting a small part of the turmoil in his emotions.
Charlotte passed by Yarmills, not making any eye contact, and moved on.