Charlotte's recent accomplishments had been remarkably impressive.
Winnie Arsenault was very curious to know just how much potential Mr. Mecklenburg had. The speed at which he learned Cat Spirit Magic, along with his performance and results, could reveal many things, such as his spirituality, comprehension, and innate talent.
Moreover, although the Cat Detective Agency was a major detective agency in Strasbourg, it was primarily female-oriented, with women making up seventy percent of its members. Often, they found themselves relatively weak in certain situations, as they were not known for their combat strength. Winnie had always been committed to recruiting external support for the agency so that in times of crisis, they could call on formidable power.
Although Charlotte was still a low-tier extraordinary, his potential seemed limitless, and Winnie wanted to invest in him early.
The third reason was more complex—she had always felt that Charlotte harbored many secrets…
Charlotte had twice faced off against evil gods, and his spirituality was already comparable to that of a mid-tier extraordinary. Learning basic magic was almost effortless for him. He quickly used the "Three Cat Mudras" to elevate his spirituality and sensed the life essence of the three clever cats.
Following the ritual of Cat Spirit Magic, Charlotte soothed the three clever cat kittens. He soon felt that the little creatures were quite attached to him and that they had opened up their "spiritual barriers," allowing him to explore their still-innocent minds.
After communicating with the three clever cat kittens, Charlotte exited the Necromancy spell.
When he opened his eyes, the three clever cat kittens were indeed more affectionate towards him, and they even seemed to vaguely understand some simple commands.
In the Old Continent, there were at least a hundred different schools of Necromancy.
Cat Spirit Magic was the orthodox magic passed down by the God of Elves, and its version of Necromancy, though an entry-level spell, had unique qualities not found in evil god magic or ordinary magic. It came with a protective layer—any cat subjected to this Necromancy would be protected by the caster, preventing others from casting the same spell on them.
Having successfully cast Necromancy for the first time, Charlotte was overjoyed and said to Winnie Arsenault, "Cat Spirit Magic is indeed a very charming magic."
Winnie Arsenault smiled on the surface but was secretly astonished. Charlotte had mastered Necromancy as if he were strolling through a park. His talent and aptitude were nearly on par with the most famous geniuses in the empire.
"He was able to cast Necromancy immediately after learning it. His spirituality is comparable to that of a mid-tier extraordinary, maybe even higher. His comprehension and talent are exceptionally rare. I had already highly estimated Mr. Mecklenburg, but it turns out I underestimated him."
"He's even more talented than I imagined."
Even after exiting the Necromancy spell, Charlotte could still vaguely sense the emotions of the three clever cat kittens—they were hungry. Charlotte smiled, took out some goat milk, and the kittens immediately began lapping it up, looking adorably content.
Winnie Arsenault played with the kittens with Charlotte for a while longer, then tempted him to try the Cat Transformation spell. Charlotte didn't refuse and eagerly gave it a shot. After about half an hour, his spirituality subtly vibrated, and a form of a clever cat composed of countless pure white runes appeared at his brow. His entire body suddenly shrank, transforming into a young clever cat.
Clever cats naturally possessed thin spiritual power, and out of every few thousand clever cats, one might, by some chance, condense a faint spirituality. Once discovered, such a clever cat could fetch a very high price, becoming a top-tier spiritual pet.
If a cat with faint spirituality fell into the hands of someone who practiced Cat Spirit Magic, it might even have the chance to embark on the extraordinary path with the help of Necromancy.
In his clever cat form, Charlotte suddenly understood why Winnie Arsenault had encouraged him to practice Cat Spirit Magic. In this transformed state, his spirituality had elevated to yet another level.
"In cat form, I can't use Blood Glory!"
"And the Blood Vortexes have disappeared."
"All other abilities…"
"No! Insight is still active."
"Why is only Insight still active?"
Charlotte felt his spirituality surge, gathering at his brow to form a circle of light golden markings, adding a touch of cute charm to his appearance.
"Wait, Agility is still active too!"
"But it feels different."
With a mighty leap, Charlotte's small body soared into the air, landing directly on the rooftop. He lightly tapped his foot on the roof and then leaped to the corner, moving with fluid grace and complete silence.
The clever cat version of Agility was even more nimble and swift, with enhanced jumping power compared to his human form.
Winnie Arsenault let out a gasp of surprise. She hadn't expected Charlotte to master the Cat Transformation spell even more effortlessly than Necromancy, and his transformation into a clever cat had directly advanced him to the extraordinary level.
It had taken Winnie a month after mastering the Cat Transformation spell to advance to the extraordinary level in cat form. Of course, at that time, she had just advanced to the extraordinary level herself, unlike Charlotte, who was already a fourth-tier extraordinary.
Of course, she didn't know that Charlotte had just advanced another tier and was now a fifth-tier extraordinary.
Even so, Winnie Arsenault understood that Mr. Mecklenburg was indeed extraordinary and certainly harbored significant secrets.
She didn't continue testing him and instead waited until Charlotte had finished playing around in cat form, bouncing around the room, and returned to his human form before excusing herself.
Charlotte tried to persuade her to stay, but Winnie Arsenault declined the invitation to dinner.
Winnie Arsenault had also arrived by carriage. As Charlotte escorted her out, he noticed the same calico fat cat from last time. The fat cat, which had been lazily lying on the carriage, suddenly perked up upon seeing Charlotte. It jumped down from the carriage, circled around him a few times, meowing before nonchalantly following its owner back into the carriage.
Winnie Arsenault smiled as she picked up her pet, waved goodbye to Charlotte, and then, sitting in the carriage, fell into deep thought. After a long while, she whispered to herself, "Mr. Mecklenburg is destined to become someone great."
Having mastered both Necromancy and Cat Transformation, Charlotte was quite excited. He spent the rest of the evening repeatedly practicing these two Cat Spirit Magic spells, thoroughly enjoying himself. The next day, he ended up sleeping in.
As soon as he got up, Lady Nancy brought up the prepared breakfast and placed a black envelope on the table.
Charlotte was momentarily stunned. In the Falce Empire, black envelopes were only used for notifying friends and relatives of a death. He opened it and sighed— it was an obituary for Mrs. Pascal, the reception secretary at Kilmarnock Prison.
He remembered the news Lady Nancy had brought back the day before and was now almost certain that Mrs. Pascal had been killed by Magru Trelle. Otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence.
After a moment of hesitation, he said to Lady Nancy, "A friend of mine is holding a funeral in three days, but I won't be able to attend. Please go on my behalf and deliver a gold florin as a condolence."