After a long journey, everyone was too tired to drink much beer, and they quickly fell asleep, leaving half a barrel untouched.
Charlotte leaned against his suitcase, pulled out his diary, and activated his Insight ability. As he studied the first map of the Agmilas Labyrinth, he kept a watchful eye, occasionally sipping beer and nibbling on dried meat, finding a bit of tranquility in the night breeze.
Outside White Wolf's large cabin, although there were many people, it was surprisingly quiet, with the occasional sound of snoring adding to the peaceful atmosphere.
As dawn approached, Charlotte felt his energy waning and closed his Insight ability. Just as he was about to wake a companion to take over the watch, he heard the sound of footsteps as a group of people approached from outside the town.
The group soon arrived in front of the large cabin. The two leaders were a towering man over two meters tall, carrying a large sword and a pair of meteor hammers at his waist. The other person, to Charlotte's surprise, was Louis Simmy, a merchant he had previously met at the Duchess of Mersu's magic items auction, where they had done business together.
Charlotte was momentarily startled but quickly calculated that Louis Simmy, who seemed to have just returned from afar, likely hadn't heard about the recent events in Strasbourg. Since it wasn't the information age and even the most sensational news spread slowly, it would be better to approach Louis directly rather than avoid him.
As for whether Louis Simmy would report him when he returned to Strasbourg...
First, this matter was complicated, and a shrewd merchant like Louis would weigh the pros and cons. Second, by the time that happened, Charlotte would have long gone.
Charlotte stood up, walked towards the group, nodded slightly to the veteran demon hunter White Wolf, then opened his arms to Louis Simmy, saying, "Louis, I didn't expect to see you here. I'm Chennan, and we met at the Duchess of Mersu's magic items auction."
Louis Simmy was slightly surprised, but being a successful merchant, he didn't ask any questions that might spoil the mood, such as "Didn't you go by the name Charlotte Mecklen last time?" Instead, he warmly replied, "Life is truly strange. Are you here to become a demon hunter too?"
The two men embraced and lightly touched cheeks, a formal greeting reserved for deep friendships.
Charlotte smiled and said, "I can't walk a second path of transcendence, otherwise, I would be reluctant to pass up such a good opportunity."
After exchanging a few words, Louis Simmy introduced Charlotte to the demon hunter, saying, "Chennan is a good friend of mine; we've done some business together in magic items."
White Wolf extended his hand for a handshake, a customary greeting for strangers meeting for the first time on the Old Continent, and said coolly, "White Wolf, a demon hunter."
Louis Simmy, ever the conversationalist, added, "I just returned from Byron with a shipment of specialty goods from there. I hired Mr. White Wolf along the way; he's a very reliable demon hunter."
Charlotte was immediately relieved. Given that Louis had just returned from the Byron Empire, he was unlikely to be aware of the recent events in Strasbourg.
White Wolf was an alias, not a real name, but since Charlotte was using a false name himself, he didn't mind. He smiled and said, "I recently came across a treasure map, so I joined an adventure team to explore it, hoping for a small fortune."
White Wolf's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked, "What treasure map?"
Charlotte chuckled and said, "I bought it from a second-hand shop; it's supposed to be the treasure of an ancient Orc kingdom."
White Wolf immediately lost interest and said, "Those treasure maps are usually unreliable."
Charlotte was just making up a story to explain his presence in Yorktown, so White Wolf's change in attitude was expected.
After some casual conversation, they entered the large cabin, and Charlotte didn't forget to wave at his adventure team members, inviting them into the cabin as well.
White Wolf didn't seem to care and didn't stop the Big Axe Adventure Team from joining in. After entering the cabin, he pointed to a sturdy man and said, "I'm going to take a bath. If you want a drink, feel free to ask Sam for it, but remember to pay." He then left casually.
Only two people in this group were White Wolf's assistants, while the rest were Louis Simmy's subordinates.
Seeing White Wolf leave, Louis smiled and said, "To explore the treasure, you'll need more gear. I happen to have some suitable wilderness equipment, and if you like anything, feel free to take it at a friendly price."
Louis made a gesture, and one of his men brought over a pile of equipment, including some extraordinary weapons.
Charlotte, who was on the run, wanted to travel as light as possible, so he had no interest in buying gear. As for the extraordinary weapons, while he had some savings, he couldn't afford such high-end items.
He pretended to browse through the items and discovered a black iron ring among the goods. The ring was inconspicuous, but it bore the family crest of the Arthur family.
The Arthur family was one of the three royal families among the 37 vampire clans, holding a status even higher than the six great houses.
Although Charlotte couldn't identify which branch of the Arthur family this black iron ring came from, it was undoubtedly a vampire weapon.
Curious, he picked it up and toyed with it for a while before putting it back. Louis Simmy smiled and said, "Mr. Mecklen, are you also interested in vampire weapons? This weapon has a distinguished origin, but I haven't figured out how to use it as a weapon."
"If you know how to use it, I'd be willing to pay for the knowledge."
With White Wolf gone and the members of the Big Axe team too shy to approach, they watched from the corner as the two men chatted amicably. With no outsiders around, Louis Simmy addressed Charlotte by his real surname.
Charlotte, with a guilty conscience, smiled wryly and asked, "How much are you willing to pay, Louis?"
Louis Simmy thought for a moment and said, "I paid 95 Egues for this ring, thinking I had found a treasure. You know, the Arthur family is one of the three royal families among the vampires, so it's definitely worth that price!"
"But after acquiring it, I couldn't figure out how to use it, so the most I could sell it for is 110 Egues. If Mr. Mecklen can figure out its true usage, I promise to pay you 30% of the net profit, whatever it sells for, as your appraisal fee."
Charlotte curiously asked, "Didn't you consult someone knowledgeable in Blood Glory?"