Annie quickly became the center of attention at the gathering.
Most of the participants at this gathering were students from Gorgia University, all of whom had enrolled in the 33rd year of the Black Moon era, with only a few "outsiders" being invited.
As an "outsider," Charlotte wisely chose to keep a low profile, sitting in a corner of the banquet hall and casually pulling out his diary to study.
He now carried two items with him at all times: the Bloodsucking Hand Axe and the diary left by his predecessor.
In such a setting, it wasn't convenient to practice Bloody Glory, so Charlotte opened up the side of the diary containing Agramillus's Maze. It seemed that after prolonged study, he had begun to gain some slight understanding.
Charlotte was in the midst of further analyzing the first of Agramillus's mazes when a man approached, flashing a white-toothed smile. "I'm Andre, a third-year student at Gorgia University, just like everyone else here. May I ask your name, and are you interested in joining us for a card game?"
Charlotte smiled slightly and replied, "Charlotte, a graduate of Sheffield University. I'm not very good at card games, so I'll pass."
But Andre persisted, and soon two or three other young men joined him, encouraging Charlotte to participate. Their enthusiastic invitation made it difficult for Charlotte to refuse, so after a few polite rejections, he reluctantly agreed.
As he sat down at the card table with Andre and the others, Charlotte sensed something was amiss but pretended not to notice, smiling as the first game began.
The card game they played was called Takuro, a 144-card game where the best cards are the nine great deity cards, the only unchanging trump cards in Takuro. The other trump cards differed in each set but generally featured famous figures from the Old Continent, including kings, warriors, scholars, and even bizarre evil gods, alongside various support cards. The rules were not difficult, but many mechanisms allowed for doubling the stakes, making wins and losses substantial.
Due to this, Takuro was popular only among the nobility and the wealthy; playing Takuro was even considered a status symbol.
Charlotte Mecklen was already skilled at card games, and with his memory restored, he didn't appear rusty at the table.
After two consecutive games, Charlotte had lost one florin and twenty sous. Instead of being annoyed, he grew even more composed.
These young men were cheating!
They had likely heard from Belinda that Charlotte had a substantial salary and had recently purchased a house worth two hundred Ecu, and they had developed some greedy ideas.
However, when it came to cheating at cards, Charlotte, a math graduate, was far better than these "wild amateurs."
Not to mention, he had the power of the Eye of Insight.
After probing for two or three rounds and confirming their greed, Charlotte intentionally threw out some bait, causing the game to reach a stalemate. Although he lost frequently, every few rounds, he would have a "lucky streak," winning back most of his money in one go.
After playing more than twenty rounds, with the winnings still fairly even, Andre began to grow a bit anxious. He signaled to his companions and smiled, saying, "The stakes are too small; this isn't very interesting. Why don't we raise the stakes?"
Charlotte readily agreed, and after raising the stakes, his "luck" seemed to turn bad, as he lost over seventy florins in a series of losses.
When Charlotte, appearing desperate, suggested raising the stakes again, the young men were thrilled and quickly agreed. But this time, Charlotte's luck suddenly turned around, and after a dozen hands, he not only won back his losses but also earned an additional thirteen Ecu and six florins. The young men lost so badly that their faces turned pale, completely baffled as to how, despite their collusion and cheating, they had ended up losing so much.
After winning the final hand, Charlotte, still smiling, said, "I'm sorry, but I need to escort Miss Annie home. She must be back before dinner."
This excuse was irrefutable.
After all, the Brittany family's strict rules were well-known, and no one dared to delay Annie's return home.
Escaping from the group of gambling, cheating young men, Charlotte approached Annie and said, "I wonder if I have the honor of escorting Miss Annie home?"
Annie smiled slightly and bid farewell to her female companions. As they left the banquet hall, she whispered, "Andre and his friends are really annoying. They often lure people into playing cards at school and then cheat them out of their money."
"But none of them have advanced to being transcendent."
At this point, Annie slyly smiled. As a Dream Walker, she had long observed the card game from a distance, noticing Charlotte's confident demeanor but choosing not to intervene.
Charlotte couldn't help but laugh, "Miss Annie, you are quite the lady sometimes."
Annie covered her mouth, but her eyebrows arched with a smile that she couldn't conceal.
She had spent the entire afternoon chatting idly and had actually been quite bored, but watching Charlotte dominate the card table and seeing Andre's group pale in defeat made the gathering rather enjoyable.
Although Annie was bold, she didn't dare let Charlotte escort her home. Instead, she took him back to 58 Elysee Garden Street before reluctantly bidding him farewell.
Charlotte watched Annie's carriage depart, feeling quite relieved.
Although he had wasted a day, he believed it wouldn't affect his ability to solve his current predicament.
If he ultimately failed to eliminate the threat of the two evil gods, it wouldn't be because of today's date.
In the following days, Menier Mann Su Mei didn't come to work.
Charlotte never arrived late but often left early, frequently meeting with Annie Brittany, so much so that their relationship quickly heated up.
During their dates, Charlotte didn't neglect his duties, visiting the university several times to consult Sheffield University's most knowledgeable professors. But they were unfamiliar with labyrinthology, leaving him no closer to understanding Agramillus's maze.
As for the Bloodsucking Codex, he didn't dare mention it. Summoning an evil god would get him burned at the stake!
If he went to the goddess-protected Sheffield University and proudly announced he had summoned a vampire god, the professors would eagerly build the pyre themselves.
Fortunately, his practice of Bloody Glory was progressing rapidly, and the date of the vampire god Kahnstant's return was repeatedly postponed, giving him some relief.
The Empire's postal system was efficient, and soon Charlotte received good news.
After receiving his brother's written renunciation of his inheritance rights, his brother, touched by brotherly love, enclosed a savings bond from the United Savings Union for 550 Ecu, happily agreeing to help annul the engagement.
His brother's letter also contained a message that the young fiancée herself had decided to visit Strasbourg to formally sign the annulment papers with Charlotte in person.
The day after receiving the letter, Charlotte enjoyed a delightful date with Annie, watching an opera together, and then took a public carriage home.
As Charlotte leisurely walked into the alley, he was surprised to see a very beautiful girl sitting on the steps of 58 Elysee Garden Street. She looked slightly disheveled, with some dust on her forehead, and her pretty brows slightly furrowed, clearly in a terrible mood.