It must be said, spending time in the pany of a beautiful young dy, riding in a luxurious carriage, sipping coffee, and enjoying the sery along the banks of the Rosé River was an unparalleled delight.

  Ba Earth, Mr. Huang, an ordinary math teacher, had never experienced such luxury.

  Moderh was overly petitive, and even then, most struggled to rise above the fray.

  Charlot casually chatted with Annie while tinuing his practice of Blood Glory. Perhaps it was the rexed envirohat provided a subtle boost. As they passed the Laower, built in honor of the Lamp Bearer, Charlot suddenly felt a faint tremor in the Blood Vortex of his left leg. Before he realized it, a Agility Rune had quietly formed.

  Charlot couldn’t help but smile, thinking, This is fantastic. I’ve finally mastered the rune for the Swiftstep Teique.

  His whole body felt as if it had bee half as light. But with Annie beside him, he couldly jump around like a frog to test his newfound ability.

  Suppressing his excitement, Charlot maintained an air of posure, apanying Annie in leisurely sightseeing. Occasionally, they would stop at uniquely charming shops along the road to browse.

  If not for the looming threats of evil gods, the uping duel, and his enmity with the Fierce Horse Detective Agency, such a life might have been the ideal existence for an unambitious transmigrator.

  Even the ambitions Charlot had kindled during his escape had been tempered by the peaceful atmosphere, if only slightly.

  By the time Charlot returned Aias Uy, where her carriage was still parked, and made his way back to 58 Elysée Ave was already evening.

  Charlot took the opportunity to ask Mrs. Nancy, “Will you be staying ht?”

  Mrs. Nancy replied that she could stay in residence, requiring only half a day off per week.

  As a modern man, Charlot keenly sensed something amiss and asked, “Mrs. Nancy, do you have family to take care of?”

  Mrs. Nancy hesitated slightly, then admitted, “I have a son.”

  “Is he still in school?” Charlot inquired.

  Mrs. Nancy’s expression turned somber. “He’s been out of school for over half a year.”

  Charlot smiled and said, “I happen to need a young servant for errands. Let your son handle some odd jobs for me.”

  Overjoyed, Mrs. Nancy expressed her gratitude repeatedly. After firming that Charlot wouldn’t be leaving the house, she drove off to retrieve her belongings.

  Charlot wasn’t particurly worried that his newly hired carriage driver might disappear. After all, the Carriage Guild provided guarantees, and he was himself a senior officer of the City Patrol Guards. While their general case-solving efficy might be low, any matter involving their superior officers would undoubtedly be resolved swiftly, with cooperation from other districts. After all, this would be sidered an “internal matter.”

  ...

  Once alone, Charlot could no longer tain his excitement. He went into the courtyard and activated the Agility Rune. With a light leap, he soared seven ht meters into the air.

  Such a height was astonishing, rivaling that of certain antelope species renowned for their jumping ability.

  Charlot bent his body and sprinted a p around the courtyard, moving so quickly that his feet seemed to barely touch the ground. In this fantastical world, he now felt as though he had mastered the legendary "lightness skill" of martial artists.

  Charlot tio test the Swiftstep Teique in his courtyard, growing increasingly satisfied with this new ability. Its energy ption from Blood Glory was exceptionally low. As a Fourth-Order Transdent, Charlot could maintain the Swiftstep Teique for nearly aire day.

  Mrs. Nancy soourned. As a carriage driver, she naturally wouldn’t reside upstairs. Instead, she found a spot in the basement a up a bed.

  Charlot felt a slight pang of guilt, but this was h. If he let Mrs. Nancy stay upstairs, rumors about his supposed preference for “sturdy female carriage drivers” would undoubtedly spread, potentially affeg Annie Bretagne’s impression of him.

  Moreover, such kindness wouldn’t fually improve Mrs. Nancy’s circumsta would merely satisfy some minor etricity of a transmigrator.

  Charlot wasn’t a petty man. He quickly set aside his disfort and adapted to local s.

  ...

  Having a carriage indeed proved ve. The following day, it rained, and Charlot fortably rode to No. 1 Fal Street, enjoying the rain-soaked view outside the window.

  Of course, without a carriage, he simply wouldn’t have goo work that day. After all, in the Lukavaro District, Charlot was the head of the City Patrol Guards.

  Nominally, Charlot oversaw a force of over seven hundred personnel. Among them, more than a hundred were adventurers he had recruited himself. Another hundred were regur City Patrol Guards brought over by Dubin Alger. In practice, however, Charlot could only t on about 260 personnel.

  When Charlot arrived at No. 1 Fal Street, only about 190 officers were present. Around 70 were on leave or had ht skipped work.

  Charlot uood it wasn’t the time to address such issues just yet.

  When he initially obtaihe Lukavaro District Patrol Guard’s roster from the tral Gover Office, there were 170 names. Although about thirty of those were questionable “phantom employees,” he still had enough slots tister his recruited adventurers.

  Charlot first arranged for Mrs. Nancy to be officially registered with the City Patrol Guards. However, given her circumstances, she could only take the lowest rank—First-Css Private at Rank 53. Her weekly sary was 35 times, which wasn’t enough to cover her full wages, f Charlot to supplement the remaining 50 times from his own pocket.

  Ordinary carriage drivers wouldn’t cost nearly this much. Charlot couldn’t fathom what made Mrs. Nancy worth the extra expense. But then again—who cared? If she proved unsatisfactory after her trial period, he could always dismiss her.

  After all, whether as a private hire or an imperial civil servant, no one in the Fars Empire was immuo dismissal.

  Even Charlot himself, back when he served as an Assistant Clerk, had been dismissed by Warden Magru Trell, despite his standing as a minor imperial official.

  ...

  Charlot handled some minor “official business.”

  The Lukavaro District, being an outer district, suffered from otal wlessness, with various gangs maintaining a delicate bance of power. Previously, the City Patrol Guards had been little more than a nominal presenow that the Guards were active, flicts with these gangs were iable.

  So far, however, only Dubin Alger had shown any real initiative. Most of the uards were tent with the status quo. A few minor skirmishes had occurred, but nothing signifit had transpired yet.

  Dubin, oher hand, had thhly iigated the local gangs. As a semi-urban, semi-rural district, Lukavaro was home to more thay gangs. Of these, the five rgest trolled 90% of the district’s underworld.

  Charlot wasn’t particurly ied in these matters. He merely took note of the situation for reference. With his own pte full of troubles, he had no capacity to himself with the “business” of the Patrol Guards.

  Spending some time at the station, Charlot invited a dozen personnel for snacks and light versation—a tactic he had perfected during his days as a teacher dealing with unruly students.

  The adventurers he had recruited were still focused on the rewards Charlot had promised. Meanwhile, the regur Patrol Guards brought in by Dubin were uneasy and required some reassurance.