Later, Charlot Mecklenburg was promoted again. Louis Simy had already been preparing a gift and pnning a visit, but to his surprise, before he could act, Charlot invited him to dinner.

  Louis Simy would never refuse Charlot’s olive branch of friendship. Although Louis had dealings with many imperial officials, someone like Charlot—who had been acquainted with him before rising to prominence and had shot up the ranks with lightning speed—was fundamentally different from the others.

  Returning to 58 Elysée Avenue, Charlot smiled and said, “My cook, Madam Umeboshi, is skilled in exquisite barbecue techniques brought back from the New Continent. I’ve been wanting to share it with someone, but as you know...”

  “Annie is a dy,” Louis Simy interjected with a smile.

  “Yes, Miss Bretagne wouldn’t appreciate such rough fare,” Charlot chuckled. “But for me, it’s no problem.”

  “I’ve heard much about the New Continent’s barbecue and its unique fvors, but I’ve never tasted it. I must thank you, Charlot, for your generosity.”

  Madam Umeboshi had already prepared everything needed for the barbecue, with Mrs. Nancy assisting her. Charlot and Louis Simy drank ale, sampled the barbecue, and chatted casually about the test Imperial news.

  After exchanging pleasantries, Charlot said, “I might be heading to the battlefield soon, so I wanted to ask—Louis, do you have anything that could improve survival chances on the frontlines?”

  Louis Simy smiled. “I used to have a few sets of armor, but they’ve already been reserved. You know as well as I do that the imperial elite are never short of well-informed individuals.”

  Hearing that Louis Simy didn’t have what he needed, Charlot felt slightly disappointed.

  Louis ate a skewer of delicious mb kidney, pondered for a moment, and said, “Honestly, what you need right now is to write a will.”

  “While the suggestion sounds ominous, I sincerely advise you to take care of this first.”

  “No one can guarantee they’ll walk off the battlefield alive. Without a will, handling your estate would be very troublesome.”

  Charlot mulled it over and, surprisingly, found Louis Simy’s advice to be reasonable. “You’re right. I should write a will.”

  Louis Simy smiled and added, “There’s another reason I suggested it.”

  “The only thing that can truly increase your survival odds on the battlefield is luck.”

  “You probably know this: after soldiers write their wills, they can send them to the Temple of the Radiant Lord for burning. It is said they often receive a blessing from the Radiant Lord.”

  “There’s nothing that boosts luck better than the Radiant Lord’s blessing on the battlefield.”

  Charlot’s eyes lit up. He immediately felt that this dinner had not been in vain. The Radiant Lord was indeed a deity who bestowed luck upon His followers.

  The most famous miracle at the Gate of Radiance was that anyone who entered would randomly exit through one of four gates, with the chosen direction representing the best fortune for the day.

  Charlot ughed happily and said, “Louis, you truly live up to your name as Lucky Louis! Every time I meet you, something good happens.”

  Louis Simy smiled faintly and said, “Perhaps it’s because I, too, worship the Radiant Lord.”

  It was the Era of the Bck Moon, and while the majority of the Old Continent’s popution worshipped the Goddess, some still revered other deities. There were even followers of evil gods—take the Byron vampires, for example. They worshipped their ancestor gods, and all of their progenitors were evil gods.

  Charlot stopped talking and poured wine liberally. After eating, he invited Louis up to the third-floor terrace for coffee, where they pyed with three clever cats. The cats employed every trick to be adorable, making Louis completely rexed and at ease.

  Like Dolores, Louis praised the newly popur charcoal-roasted coffee and even offered ten gold écus for the recipe.

  Charlot generously gifted the charcoal-roasted coffee method to him, not believing it was worth much money.

  The Old Continent simply hadn’t thought to roast coffee beans this way. Once someone figured it out, the proper steps would inevitably be discovered.

  Receiving the coffee recipe, Louis Simy was overjoyed. He immediately summoned his coachman, who quickly returned with a rge item.

  Handing a massive box to Charlot, Louis said, “Getting this coffee recipe has made me incredibly happy. I coincidentally received a very interesting item. I originally intended it as a gift for your promotion and housewarming, but I got the news too te. Sending it now felt insincere and untimely. Now, I finally have an excuse to give it to you.”

  Charlot did not refuse the gift. Rejecting a gift could sometimes mean rejecting friendship, and he had no desire to turn down a merchant’s friendship—especially that of a magical goods merchant like Louis.

  He had once thought there wouldn’t be much interaction between them, but now Charlot believed he might need a “stable” channel for fencing stolen goods someday.

  Though he couldn’t sell the Silver Rhino currently in his possession, and his other weapons were still in use, there would inevitably come a day when he’d have a surplus of weapons to offload.

  Charlot opened the box in front of Louis Simy. Inside was a pair of metal greaves, accompanied by an instruction manual.

  “Is this the legendary Swiftstep Shire?”

  Charlot was slightly surprised. He knew of this item. The Swiftstep Shire was an alchemical product crafted by Stelr Workshop, one of the six great alchemical workshops of the Fars Empire. Though not an Extraordinary artifact, it was extremely popur.

  The Swiftstep Shire normally appeared as a pair of greaves. When activated, two spring-loaded extended shanks would deploy, doubling or tripling the wearer’s running speed and slightly improving their jumping ability.

  If not for the Swiftstep Technique, the Swiftstep Shire would be exactly what Charlot needed. It was a lifesaving tool in critical moments. However, since Charlot possessed the Swiftstep Technique, the Swiftstep Shire was less appealing. The greaves were heavy and would offset part of the Swiftstep Technique’s effects. Moreover, the item only allowed linear acceleration and cked flexibility.

  Of course, Charlot did not show his thoughts. Louis was clearly unaware of his Swiftstep Technique ability. The gift had been chosen with great care, so Charlot feigned surprise and said, “Thank you, Louis. This is exactly what I need.”

  Louis smiled slightly. “I just hope that when you’re running for your life, your movements won’t be so elegant that they attract your commanding officer’s attention.”

  Charlot ughed heartily. That old joke from the Old Continent was still fitting.

  The two chatted all afternoon before Louis Simy finally took his leave.

  The next day, Charlot wrote two wills. One was sent to Annie Bretagne, specifying that if anything happened to him, half of his estate would go to his beloved Annie. The other half would be split between his elder brother and elder sister.

  The second will was personally delivered to the Temple of the Radiant Lord for burning.