Chapter 45
Chapter 45: When Your Wallet Has Its Own Life
The missing children case in Blackwater District was real.
Charlotte had found that well-equipped alchemy laboratory where someone had conducted inhumane research and experiments. Those missing girls had been brought there.
But all evidence had been destroyed by fire.
In the emergency, all Charlotte could do was carry the sleeping girl away from the scene.
The originally planned three-day investigation had been forced to end early after just one day. She brought the girl back to the apartment she rented in Georgetown District and gave her a simple bath.
Normal heartbeat, steady breathing.
The porcelain doll-like girl remained peacefully asleep, her slightly curved lashes long and delicate, sparkling like crystals when touched by water droplets.
Her fair skin felt smoother and more delicate than the finest silk. Charlotte didn’t dare use too much force while washing, afraid that pressing too hard would leave ugly bruises and marks.
The girl had a pleasant, sweet fragrance.
After staying near her for a while, Charlotte somehow felt dizzy and restless.
After rummaging through her wardrobe for ages, Charlotte finally found stretchy undergarments that would fit the girl properly, then settled her in the bed in her own room.
Charlotte stored all the various items that had been with the girl intact, only taking Sera’s nameplate.
In her view, this insignia was Sera’s possession. Now that Sera had disappeared and the nameplate had appeared with a strange girl, it was reasonable and permissible for her, as Sera’s adopted daughter, to reclaim her guardian’s belongings.
If witches were truly the culprits behind the missing children, then the girl’s possession of Sera’s nameplate could be explained.
They had likely been imprisoned together, and before being separated, Sera had given the nameplate to the girl for some purpose. In the end, both the girl and nameplate were discovered by Charlotte.
Had Sera done this to convey some message? Did this girl know something about Sera’s situation and whereabouts?
Any questions could wait until the girl woke up.
Though Charlotte was anxious, the girl was also a victim. Providing emotional stability and a sense of security took priority—basic professional standards for an enforcer.
Moreover, there were other matters to handle.
The inn in Blackwater District still needed to be checked out. She had to report the basic situation to Branch Director Michelle and buy some clothes and daily necessities for the girl… After Charlotte calculated briefly, she went out.
Before leaving, she’d also spoken with her landlady, Mrs. Penny, making up a story about taking in a distant relative’s daughter temporarily and that there might be some disturbance.
After seeing the girl sleeping peacefully in bed, Mrs. Penny was absolutely delighted. She wanted to poke the girl’s cheek but was afraid of waking her. She immediately agreed and even offered to reduce Charlotte’s rent by half, urging Charlotte to take good care of the girl.
Cute creatures were always beloved.
Charlotte herself had felt an inexplicable fondness for this girl at first sight, but this was the first time she’d seen the usually stern and stingy Mrs. Penny so pleasant and generous.
The apartment rent in Georgetown District’s busy areas wasn’t cheap. Four gold coins per month was already three to four months’ income for many local workers. The branch’s financial situation was poor, and her current salary was only three gold coins per month. Charlotte had been relying on savings brought from the holy capital Vatica to maintain a relatively decent lifestyle.
Half price!
This was basically equivalent to Mrs. Penny willingly operating at a loss to let Charlotte and the girl live together. Those two waived gold coins were Mrs. Penny voluntarily paying to ensure the girl’s quality food and clothing.
Charlotte had always thought her appearance and temperament were outstanding. During her studies at Vatica’s Kabala Church Seminary, she’d had many suitors of both genders—truly appealing to all ages.
But only after meeting this pale pink-haired girl did she truly understand what “living off your looks” meant.
Just by association, her financial pressure instantly disappeared.
With that appearance, just standing politely at the door of some kind, wealthy, lonely old lady, knocking gently a few times, then speaking sweetly and pleasantly—wouldn’t she immediately be adopted as a goddaughter on the spot?
Never worrying about food or clothing again!
When Charlotte booked the room at the Blackwater District inn, she’d considered that traveling between the two districts was time-consuming and troublesome. But now circumstances had changed—the laboratory was destroyed and she had an unfamiliar girl on her hands. Continuing to waste time in Blackwater District probably wouldn’t yield any more useful information, so she decided to check out and temporarily halt the investigation.
The Black River and Black Cat Inn—an awkward name. The proprietress was a mature woman with brown curls and glasses.
Charlotte always felt this woman’s gaze wasn’t particularly friendly. She didn’t think she’d done anything rude—perhaps they just naturally didn’t see eye to eye. After quickly packing up, Charlotte checked out and left Blackwater District.
When she returned to the Temperance House branch in Georgetown District, Branch Director Michelle was harshly lecturing the agents and enforcers responsible for investigating the Westing Manor murder case. It seemed that if there wasn’t significant progress by month’s end, the agreement between the Church and Mr. Joseph would terminate.
Michelle was surprised by Charlotte’s early return and was about to tease her, but when Charlotte pulled Sera’s Temperance House insignia from her dress pocket, Michelle’s eyes nearly popped out.
Sera was a legend of the Temperance House. Everyone knew Sera had encountered the Scarlet Witch’s attack in Gray Cloud Fortress and disappeared.
Joseph cooperated with the witch group Black Rose Society, but he refused to acknowledge any connection between the Scarlet Witch and Black Rose Society. The identity of Black Rose Society’s leader remained a mystery.
Not only that, but Joseph had also prohibited conflicts between the Temperance House and Black Rose Society within Gray Cloud Fortress territory in their agreement. Signing meant accepting this condition.
Michelle had accepted it, and the witches of Black Rose Society had accepted it too.
But private friction was unavoidable.
Charlotte had already clashed with several Black Rose Society witches in Gray Cloud Fortress many times, always ending inconclusively due to fear of escalating and violating the agreement. While they seemed to hate Sera bitterly, they also appeared ignorant of his whereabouts.
But now Sera’s nameplate was here. The Society’s witches were highly suspicious—they owed an explanation.
“Don’t let the branch members see this. It’ll inflame emotions and things will quickly spiral out of control. Before that, I need to talk with Mr. Joseph first.” After thinking for a moment, Michelle pulled Charlotte to a corner and spoke quietly. “The missing children in Blackwater District and Mr. Sera—the witches are suspects, but it might not be them. The branch is in an awkward position. We can’t act rashly.”
“But they’re just a bunch of lunatics! Reasoning with them is useless!” Charlotte whispered urgently.
After noticing her outburst had attracted several colleagues’ attention, the blonde girl sighed helplessly and restrained her excitement.
“Alright, Branch Director Michelle, I understand your difficulties.” She bowed to Michelle. “Please give me a few days. I’ll settle the girl and see if I can get any information from her.”
“No problem. Be careful not to rush and traumatize her. Guide her to slowly tell the truth. Don’t forget what you learned in Vatica, Enforcer Charlotte.” Michelle said. “Once her emotions stabilize, bring her here or I’ll come to you. The Pope is also very concerned about Mr. Sera’s whereabouts, but none of our discoveries so far have been as crucial as this nameplate.”
“The Pope?” Charlotte frowned. “She never mentioned it… Even when she initially decided to come to Gray Cloud Fortress to establish a branch, she didn’t say a word.”
“What did you expect the Pope to say? Loudly announce to the whole world that we came to Gray Cloud Fortress to find someone? Do you think Joseph would dare let us in the door?” Michelle patted Charlotte’s back. “I’ve sent many people to investigate Mr. Sera’s whereabouts, but they all had to keep it secret. You’re the only one who can express your true purpose openly, because you’re his daughter.”
Charlotte was stunned for a moment.
No wonder everyone at the branch maintained silence or even refused to discuss it. She’d thought only she still cared about Sera’s fate. It turned out there was this deeper reason, which made Charlotte somewhat annoyed that everyone had conspired to keep her in the dark.
After briefly saying goodbye to Michelle and other colleagues, Charlotte left the branch.
The result of this conversation was that Charlotte had secured several days of leave, though stabilizing the witness-victim’s emotions was also considered work content. For Charlotte, this was equivalent to vacation.
Somehow, she suddenly especially wanted to hurry back and admire the girl’s sleeping face more, even feeling that being solely responsible for the girl’s daily care was an extremely happy thing.
This spontaneous thought made Charlotte suddenly recall Mrs. Penny’s joyful promise of half rent earlier.
Did that girl really have some magical power that made everyone who saw her want to voluntarily care for her and pay for her expenses?
Very strange.
Anyway, Charlotte couldn’t refuse.
She’d barely entered the clothing store before selecting six large bags of dresses, stockings, and shoes according to the girl’s measurements, covering various styles from the Corenzo Islands and Western Continent nations. She even ordered several handmade gowns and leather shoes from Georgetown District’s famous craft workshops.
Two hours later, Charlotte had spent a total of sixteen gold coins.
A huge sum.
Yet she didn’t feel bad about it at all.
She’d been in Gray Cloud Fortress for six or seven months, and her total spending on her own clothing still hadn’t exceeded five gold coins.
By comparison, Charlotte realized she seemed particularly eager to dress that sweet, adorable girl in different types of beautiful dresses.
She felt her behavior and thoughts were contradictory, yet didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Spending a little money on beautiful things was perfectly natural and proper.
Finally, struggling with large and small packages, she returned to her rented apartment in a cheerful mood, heading toward her room.