Axel

Chapter 36: Advancing to the Third Tier

Added 2025-01-09 21:05:08 +0000 UTC

Charlot had no intention of pursuing. Shaking his head, he walked to Wells’ side, rummaging through the man’s wallet. From the detective’s body, he also retrieved a brand-new Magnum Mauler and a leather bullet pouch.

As for Wells’ magical rapier, though it seemed quite valuable, Charlot left it behind. Firstly, he was not skilled in swordsmanship. Secondly, the weapon would be difficult to sell while on the run.

Charlot also retrieved his own second-hand Magnum Mauler and left the scene without hesitation.

Having absorbed the life force of Wells, a second-tier Transcendent, Charlot needed to find a place to process it.

After Charlot departed, the street gradually began to see foot traffic again.

An incident of this nature—killing someone in broad daylight—was not uncommon in smaller towns. Even in the capital, Strasbourg, it wasn’t rare. No one seemed inclined to report the matter to the City Patrol Guards; instead, a kindhearted passerby merely notified a municipal corpse collector.

Wells’ corpse, twisted in a grotesque manner, was an unsettling sight for nearby residents, making cleanup necessary.

Charlot did not leave directly. Instead, he doubled back to the Upper Seven Districts, swiftly crossing Strasbourg’s central area to enter the Franche-Comté District, located opposite the Marne District.

Though Charlot lacked professional counter-surveillance training, he had read numerous online guides in his previous life. These helped him create at least some confusion for potential pursuers.

As long as he left the Upper Seven Districts, it was unlikely the Prison Army would chase him further. The City Patrol Guards’ reach also weakened in the outer districts. If his misdirection led them to search the Marne District or Lukavaro District, he would be even safer.

Though the Outer Fifteen Districts also had stationed troops, they typically paid little attention to minor cases like this.

Charlot wasn’t concerned about a citywide manhunt. His conflict with Warden Magru was a personal grudge rather than an official accusation. Even if charges were brought against him, they wouldn’t warrant such a large-scale effort. Smuggling a Transcendent weapon out of prison was a minor offense, insufficient to mobilize significant resources. The Fars Empire didn’t have the luxury of wasting City Patrol Guards on such matters.

This truly wasn’t Earth!

Though Charlot worked in the Marne District, stepping into Franche-Comté, he immediately felt the contrast with the Upper Seven Districts.

The area was dirtier and more chaotic, with haphazardly constructed buildings. The people walking the streets bore lifeless expressions, weighed down by the immense pressures of life.

Charlot had no time for a transmigrator’s sentimental musings. He hurried into a passable tailor shop and went straight to the point. “I’m heading out of town and need a durable set of clothes.”

The shop, called Wild Lily Tailors, had only an old tailor and no assistant. The man glanced at Charlot and said flatly, “Five days.”

Charlot smiled faintly. “I need it now. I’ll pay thirty percent extra.”

The old tailor responded slowly, “I do have a few ready-made outfits, but they’re not in your size. I’d need to make adjustments.”

“Then please make them quickly,” Charlot replied.

The old tailor brought out several ready-made clothes. Charlot selected a pair of calfskin boots, a sturdy hunting outfit, and an old travel case that had been gathering dust in the shop. If he were to embark on a long journey with no luggage, it would arouse suspicion.

The old tailor’s craftsmanship was decent. In about half an hour, he had adjusted the clothes to fit Charlot.

When it came time to pay, Charlot opted to trade his old clothes as a deposit.

His clothes, custom-made by tailors in the Upper Seven Districts, were crafted from fine materials. Though not considered high-end, even as second-hand items, they were more valuable than anything the old tailor sold.

The old tailor, conducting business fairly, calculated a reasonable price and handed Charlot back two centimes. Their transaction concluded amicably.

Though Charlot had wrung out his clothes earlier, he still felt damp and uncomfortable. Borrowing a towel from the old tailor, he dried himself off and changed into his new outfit, immediately feeling much better.

With his walking cane and newly purchased travel case in hand, Charlot left the shop. Suddenly, he was reminded of a robbery case that had occurred not long before his transmigration. In Hangzhou’s Wanda Plaza, the criminals had been caught in under ten minutes. Compared to the efficiency of Earth’s law enforcement, the Fars Empire’s Prison Army and City Patrol Guards were utterly laughable.

Of course, Charlot had no wish for their efficiency to improve anytime soon.

The encounter with Wells, the divination detective, was more than enough for him.

After walking for a while, Charlot flagged down a public carriage waiting for passengers. Once aboard, he gave the driver the address of a well-known estate outside the city.

He had no intention of visiting the estate itself, but its location was far enough away. The journey would take five to six hours—enough time to process the life force he had absorbed.

Wells, as a second-tier Transcendent, had an exceptionally robust life force. The Blood Glory in Charlot’s body was already on the verge of “exploding.”

The carriage driver was overjoyed at receiving such a lucrative fare and immediately spurred his horses onward.

Adjusting his breathing, Charlot began circulating the Blood Glory within him, refining the absorbed life force.

Hours later, a tremor ran through Charlot’s left leg as a third vortex of blood energy took shape.

Despite being on the run, Charlot allowed himself a faint smile. Under normal circumstances, even a genius like Miss Annie Bretagne would need five or six years after graduation to reach the third tier.

Opening his palms, Charlot let the Blood Glory erupt, feeling it surge with at least thirty to forty percent more power than before.

Satisfied with the brief test, Charlot quickly suppressed the Blood Glory and mused to himself, “I wonder when I’ll be able to form a vortex in my right leg and meditate successfully on the runes of Agility and Spider Spirit.”

Charlot had chosen to form the blood vortexes in his legs, hoping to master these two miraculous runes sooner.

The Agility rune would allow him to move as light as a swallow, as fast as a galloping horse, as nimble as a monkey, and to leap with the power of a deer. The Spider Spirit rune would enable him to climb walls and cross mountains as though walking on flat ground. It even allowed for the creation of spiritual silk threads, granting unique reflexes in emergencies.

Once he mastered these techniques, his speed and agility would reach superhuman levels. Even when facing high-tier Transcendents, he could escape with ease, rendering ordinary pursuit futile.

Having processed the life force he had absorbed, Charlot finally turned his attention to Wells’ wallet.

It seemed the detective had just been paid by Warden Magru. Inside were an impressive five écus and several flor coins—loose change by comparison.

An écu had the purchasing power of nearly 18,000 to 19,000 RMB. Warden Magru’s “generosity” was apparent.

The wallet also contained a receipt for a weapon—a magical rapier. Charlot surmised that the detective, skilled in swordsmanship, had ordered the weapon but had not yet retrieved it.

Pocketing the cash and the receipt, Charlot casually tossed the wallet out of the carriage window. By now, the carriage had left the city, surrounded on both sides by wilderness. The wallet tumbled into the grass, likely never to be found again.