Axel

Chapter 22: The Emerald Secret Scroll

Added 2025-01-09 20:25:34 +0000 UTC

Menielman Soumet whispered, "This is a replica of the Emerald Secret Scroll by Master Moni, the real Jade Book is in the Court of Fate."

Charlot was still deeply shocked.

The Emerald Secret Scroll by Master Moni had also appeared in university textbooks and was hailed as humanity's greatest alchemical creation.

He also noticed that Menielman’s expression was very complex, filled with hatred, regret, sadness, relief, and many other emotions that were hard to decipher and describe.

Charlot tried to suppress the bloody glory surging within him. Under the influence of the Emerald Secret Scroll, it was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. He curiously asked, "Can these memories still be reviewed?" He had always wondered this question back in school, but the textbooks didn't provide an answer, and the professors refused to explain, saying it was knowledge he should not touch.

Menielman answered, "They will be shattered by the Emerald Secret Scroll and transformed into pure knowledge. The Emerald Secret Scroll does not retain the ordinary memories it extracts."

Charlot understood. Extracting memories with the Emerald Secret Scroll was no different from killing someone.

The process of erasing memories was calm and uneventful. Zimourman Axel Robin soon became like a wooden puppet, standing still and blank.

The massive, ancient Emerald Secret Scroll illusion slowly faded, and the countless drifting gray mist-like wisps vanished along with it.

The combat energy radiating from Menielman then receded, and the bloody glory within Charlot also stopped boiling, condensing back into the swirling vortex in his brow.

The impact of the Emerald Secret Scroll, this ultimate alchemical treasure, on extraordinary powers was simply overwhelming.

Charlot didn’t feel at ease.

The alchemists, wearing black robes and hoods, after a series of operations, gave Zimourman Axel Robin a completely new personality and a forged identity.

His new name was Huntington, a captain at Kilmainham Prison, loyal to the royal family and skilled in martial arts.

Once the alchemists finished their work, they handed over a document. Menielman signed it and handed it to Charlot, saying, "According to imperial law, this document must have two signatures."

Charlot finally understood why Menielman had brought him here. He didn't dare to read the document carefully, just glanced at it hastily and signed his name.

Menielman didn't linger any longer, leading Charlot through the mysterious door and back to Kilmainham Prison in the Marne District.

This brief journey left Charlot with a feeling of great oppression.

Menielman gave him half a day off and left work early.

Charlot even hitched a ride on his superior's carriage and was dropped off in the Val-de-Vas District.

Returning to the Alexander District, he first terminated his rental contract with the Savings Union Apartments, paid a fee for the termination, and then hired a cargo carriage to move his personal belongings. After two years of living there, he completely bid farewell to his past as Charlot Mecklenburg.

Upon arriving at 58 Elysée Garden Street, Charlot was surprised to find that the previous owner’s personal belongings were quite numerous, including a number of books.

He put the miscellaneous items into the large study and moved the books to the small study, preparing to place them separately.

The former owner had taken all the valuable items, and both studies lacked any books. Books were very expensive in this world, leaving only cumbersome furniture behind.

The larger study was about sixty to seventy square meters, with bookshelves lining all four walls. There was a massive conference table with matching chairs.

The smaller study was more like a lounge, with an ancient desk and matching chair, two sofas for receiving guests, and a recliner for short rests. It was more suitable for daily relaxation. One wall had a half-sized custom bookshelf, which was originally intended for miscellaneous items, now only holding some empty boxes and letters.

He didn’t bother with the other luggage, just tidied up the small study a little, cleared away the clutter, and placed the books he had brought onto the bookshelves. He also inserted the former owner's diary among the books.

These "former" books could help him understand more about his new identity, and he planned to read them when he had free time. As for the diary, he felt uneasy about it and hadn’t dared to look at it again.

Since most of the previous owner’s clothes had been discarded, aside from the books, there were only a few everyday items like tableware.

Charlot’s tableware was minimal and made of tin, much cheaper.

He placed the tableware in the dining room, and feeling hungry, he noticed that there was no food at home. Although he had brought some ingredients, he didn’t want to cook himself because…

The food made from those ingredients was hard to eat.

Charlot didn’t want to waste the afternoon on packing, so he decided to go out for a meal. He left No. 58, turned onto Elysée Garden Street, and soon passed a bakery. He didn’t think for long and went in to ask, "What bread do you have today?"

Most bakeries in the Fars Empire were independently run by certain madams, from baking to selling everything done by one person.

Thus, each bakery had its own style, and the bread they sold tasted quite different.

The young red-haired lady owner of this bakery, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a petite figure, smiled and said, "Our croissants are famous far and wide. Would you like some?"

Charlot smiled and said, "Then give me twenty."

The red-haired lady quickly wrapped up twenty croissants for him.

Charlot asked a few more questions and was delighted to discover that this bakery had tea from the Dongli Kingdom. This was much better than the empire's black tea, and he bought some before leaving.

Although Elysée Garden Street was very lively, a perfect time for shopping, with people and carriages passing by, Charlot went straight back to No. 58 without lingering.

At home, he ate two croissants with just water and put the rest into the side cabinet of the dining room, planning to keep them for the next few days.

This ancient empire from a different time didn’t have refrigerators, so food couldn’t be kept for long.

After some hesitation, Charlot decided to go check the basement. He had already toured the three floors of the building but had never been to the basement. Since the weather was still good, it was a perfect time for a quick inspection.

Charlot lit an oil lamp. The architects of the Fars Empire never included windows in basements, a characteristic of the empire. Even during the day, the basement was bound to be dim.

It would be inconvenient if it were dark.

The basement staircase was long, with three turns. At each turn, there were oil lamps on stands, indicating that the ceiling height might exceed five pimi.

Charlot had converted the pimi measurement. The empire's pimi was slightly longer than the Earth's metric meter, about 1.15 meters per pimi. With this ceiling height, the basement was already quite spacious.