Chapter 25
She, of course, had no idea that the only people Charles intended to kill were always the same group.
“If you have enemies, it depends on their status,” he said.
Aivina thought for a moment and replied, “If they’re like the Blackwater gang, your previous method works just fine. The police will see their status and wrap up the case quickly, not wanting to get involved.”
“The mistake you made this time was leaving behind obvious traces that even ordinary people could understand, which alerted the investigation department. If you had taken your notes and such, they would have just chalked it up to a crime of passion.”
Charles nodded, silently taking note of her words.
“Of course, if you just want to eliminate some gangsters, you don’t even need to lift a finger,” Aivina finally revealed her little scheme. “You can come to me; I have plenty of ways to make them disappear—provided you’re willing to trade your own story.”
“Of course, you have one free chance because I just received some spiritual materials I needed, which you didn’t take.”
“Where can I find you?” Charles asked.
“Hmm... the investigation department at the Boren City Police Station, or 15 Jazz Bridge in the West District.” Aivina pulled a delicate silver-white badge from the inside of her police cloak and handed it to Charles. “Just show this to the guard at the entrance and tell him you’re looking for Aivina.”
“Got it.” Charles nodded, accepting the badge made of unknown flowers.
After asking Aivina a few more questions about the supernatural, the time quickly came for her to leave. She stood up to bid farewell and exited Charles’s house.
Not long after she left, the police outside began to clear the scene. The four bodies were swiftly removed, the isolation barriers taken down, and soon, even the bloodstains vanished under the rain’s relentless wash.
Charles looked at the silver-white badge and the contract in his hand, nodding slightly.
He lingered a bit longer, checking to see if the contract was truly effective.
This simulation not only provided him with a wealth of knowledge about the supernatural but also taught him how to kill without attracting attention, and he had made the acquaintance of a young lady who seemed to have an extraordinary background.
This badge was definitely something he could purchase in the shop.
He just didn’t know if the contract would still hold any power once exchanged for reality.
If it did, bringing it back to reality would activate the contract, giving Charles an ally who would never betray him.
She would never reveal his secrets, nor harbor any hostility or negative emotions toward him.
In other words, no matter what Charles did to her, her fondness for him would only grow...
Charles tucked the contract into his pocket.
This contract might prove invaluable in the future.
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**Chapter 25: The Time Left... Make Money!**
(PS: I wrote too late last night and got a bit muddled, so I fixed a small bug and set a time limit for the Eye of Order contract.)
The next day, at 44 North-South Stone Street in Bell Tower Alley.
Charles woke up in the morning, stretching lazily.
This was the first time she had slept a full night in the simulation. When she first woke up, she could hardly tell if she was in reality or the future, until she caught a glimpse of her curly hair in the mirror while washing up, and it finally dawned on her.
After all, everything in the simulation felt so real, like another parallel world.
She glanced at the time; it was ten in the morning, the longest she had ever slept. The gentle patter of rain seemed to lull her into a deeper slumber.
Pulling back the curtains slightly to look outside, the street was bustling as usual, with delivery carts and hand trucks coming and going. A few dirty little kids were running around outside, pushing wire hoops with sticks.
The fact that she could sleep so long spoke volumes; the Order contract was indeed effective, and Aivina had kept her promise, not causing any trouble for her.
Charles checked the system time.
**Remaining Time: 08:24:54**
Fifteen hours and thirty-five minutes had passed in the simulation, leaving her with only eight hours and twenty-four minutes of free time.
Thanks to last night’s sleep, the wounds on her body no longer throbbed; only a tingling sensation remained.
It seemed the High Priestess Yulis’s medicine worked well.
If she survived this simulation, Charles decided to save it directly to her character’s archive, so she wouldn’t have to endure the pain of burns every time she entered the simulation with this character.
What should she do with the remaining time?
With the greatest threat gone, Charles felt a bit lost.
She grabbed the notebook from the table, jotting down some plans.
1. Visit the Dutton Manor.
2. Get a police recommendation letter from the academy head.
3. Borrow money from Amy.
4. Borrow money from Aivina.
5. Rob a bank.
6. ...
As she wrote, the plans began to get increasingly absurd.
Since this was a simulation, Charles didn’t hold herself to a high moral standard while making plans.
After all, once she returned to reality, no one would know what she had done.
Going to Dutton Manor was mainly because she learned from Aivina that it was a gathering place for the extraordinary, akin to a market for the supernatural, where one could not only buy good things but also receive commissions that were usually invisible.
The plans to borrow money and rob a bank were considerations for reality.
After all, her real-life self was very poor—no, extremely poor.
If a sack of pounds could be exchanged for one point of fate, Charles would definitely exchange it without hesitation.
Of course, bringing paper pounds into reality might lead to issues with overlapping serial numbers, so it would be safer to exchange for gold pounds.
Gold pounds are coins worth one pound, with a standard weight of 7.98 grams and a purity of 91.67%. While a sack of gold pounds might not be worth as much as a sack of one-hundred-pound notes, it would be safer to spend.
Calculating this way, the plan to get a recommendation letter seemed the most mundane and least worthwhile.
Charles crossed out some plans and rearranged their order.
First, get some money, then check out Dutton Manor to see if she could buy something good. If she found something particularly valuable, she could just end it all right there.
If she didn’t find anything good and didn’t get much money, then just before the simulation ended...
She would hit the bank for a big score.
She aimed to figure out the optimal route for robbing a bank, making it a regular stop in every simulation, and explore how to maximize her money exchange for the least amount of fate points.
First, she needed to get some money.
Charles set down the notebook, changed into a low-key linen dress and black ankle boots, and put on a brown wide-brimmed hat to shield herself from the sun.
Just in case, she grabbed her brown standard messenger bag to carry her money.
Once prepared, she pushed open the door and headed downstairs.
At that moment, her sister had already gone back to work at the factory, leaving a piece of bread and some fried bacon on the table, which looked like breakfast for Charles, though it had long since gone cold.
After stuffing the bacon and bread into her mouth, she pushed open the door, checked that the windows and doors were locked, and made her way down North-South Stone Street toward the West District.
Amy and Aivina both lived in the Jazz Bridge District, which was even more bustling than the city center.
The Jazz Bridge District is located on the west side of Boren City, and people generally refer to that area as the West District. It’s said that the capital, Ansu, is also the most prosperous part of the West District.
Time wasn’t pressing, so Charles didn’t deliberately slow her pace. After about twenty minutes, she arrived near the street where Amy lived.
Stopping in front of the villa where Amy resided, Charles felt a wave of nostalgia as she gazed at the standalone mansion.
Back in school, Amy had always wanted to get closer to her, but at that time, Charles had adhered to her principle of keeping a low profile and avoiding deep connections, often politely declining Amy’s invitations.
Partly to avoid getting caught up in the power struggles of the wealthy and partly because she simply didn’t have the money to go shopping or socializing with them.
They were from completely different social strata; even if Charles wanted to fit in, she probably wouldn’t be able to, at best becoming a mere errand girl for the young ladies.
But what Charles hadn’t expected was that during the last simulation, Amy, whom she had always regarded as a “surface friend,” would rather have a huge fight with her father and be grounded than not pass on information to her through a servant. This touched Charles deeply.
She would remember this kindness.
Ahem... even though she was now here to borrow money, it was fine. Even if she didn’t manage to borrow any, once she robbed the bank and returned to reality, she would take Amy out for a nice meal.
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