Chapter 374
The reason Avina left was something Charles had already understood while reviewing the notebook he had written in the simulation.
Avina's return this time was not a sign of weakness towards her family; rather, she had heeded Charles's advice and decided to return to Ansu City to develop her career. Therefore, her first banquet was particularly significant.
While the forced requisition of the mine was one reason, it was certainly not the main one.
“What are your plans moving forward?” Avina asked.
“Hmm...”
Charles lowered his head in thought.
Before seeking out Adele, he had already reviewed the events in the simulation.
The past simulation took place eight days ago, on July 9th. If he could go back to that day, he could catch the missing “ritual” Fred and interrogate him for some information.
The upcoming simulation event was three days later... According to his notes in the simulation, nothing noteworthy happened that day; he had only recorded some changes following an explosion, such as the patrolling guards.
After a moment's hesitation, Charles decided to go to the three days later.
The current situation was different from what he encountered in the simulation. At this point, the strong sound likely already had hints, and by heading to the future time point, he could observe whether any changes had occurred in reality due to the “uniqueness,” allowing him to prepare in advance.
“Let’s settle them first, then we can think about other things,” Charles said, shaking his head as he looked at Avina. “I don’t have any good ideas right now...”
Knock, knock, knock—
A series of knocks interrupted Charles and Avina's conversation. He glanced toward the door, waited a moment, and then said, “Come in.”
The door opened, revealing a woman wearing a golden chip mask standing at the threshold.
“Uh... Did I interrupt your conversation?” Lucy asked, removing her mask and looking at the two in the room, hesitating to step inside.
“No, it’s fine. I actually need to talk to you,” Charles replied, nodding slightly at Lucy. “Come in.”
“Alright... Good afternoon, Miss Charles, Miss Avina.”
As Lucy entered and turned to close the door, her peripheral vision caught sight of the untouched lunch on the table.
“You mentioned needing to talk to me. What’s on your mind, Miss Charles?” Lucy leaned slightly forward, looking at Charles with curiosity.
Charles expressed her needs, asking Lucy to help arrange for others to move into the new house and to recruit some temporary servants for a smooth transition.
Lucy readily agreed to this minor task, as it was something that could be handled by her subordinates. However, for Charles's sister, Lucy would personally ensure everything was in order.
Then, Charles made another request: she asked Lucy to procure a bottle of “Gardener” potion and a complete replication ritual.
This request surprised Lucy, but she agreed without hesitation, even omitting any mention of payment.
Asking for money for a first-tier potion would be quite ungrateful—did Miss Charles seem like someone who couldn’t come up with a thousand pounds?
In reality, Charles might not even have five pounds on her—her funds were all with Avina.
After stating her needs, Charles looked at Lucy.
“...What brings you here today?” Charles asked, noticing the barely contained smile on Lucy's lips, and she could guess the reason for Lucy's visit.
“Oh, just a small matter, Miss Charles... I came to report that I’ve heard some internal news... It seems there might be some minor personnel changes at the board meeting on the 25th.” As she mentioned this, Lucy lowered her head slightly, struggling to suppress her amusement.
Anyone could see that Lucy was very pleased at the moment.
“Congratulations,” Charles chimed in enthusiastically, smiling. “Looks like we’ll have to start calling you Director Lucy from now on.”
“Oh, no, no... Just an executive director, the power isn’t that great, hahaha!” Lucy scratched her head, smiling at Avina. “When the promotion banquet happens, I hope Miss Avina and Miss Charles will grace us with your presence.”
After returning to Ansu, Lucy had gathered quite a bit of news, even learning about the forced requisition of Avina's mine. This time, she had specifically invited Avina to her promotion banquet.
As an executive director of the Dutton Group, the guests at her banquet would be either wealthy or influential. By honoring Avina as a guest of honor, it would lead many to believe that Avina and Lucy's interests were intertwined.
While it might seem like Avina was leveraging Lucy's influence, Lucy knew that as long as Charles remained by Avina's side, she would eventually be the one needing to leverage that influence.
This was a small, low-risk investment.
“Thank you for the invitation, Lady Lucy,” Avina nodded and replied. “I will consider it seriously.”
“Then I look forward to your good news...” Lucy casually pulled a small notebook from her uniform pocket, took out a portable ink bottle and a dip pen, and turned to Charles. “By the way, Miss Charles, before I leave, I have a small request... The Dutton Hotel is surveying recent guests about their satisfaction with the meals. Could you provide some feedback or suggestions?”
Both Charles and Avina saw through Lucy's intentions almost immediately. Charles chuckled and shook her head, saying helplessly, “The breakfast and lunch dishes are a bit greasy... Everything else is quite good.”
“Got it, thank you for your suggestion. I won’t disturb you any longer. Goodbye.” Lucy quickly jotted down Charles's feedback, packed her things, and bid farewell to the two before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Charles and Avina exchanged glances, unable to suppress their laughter.
“She doesn’t seem like someone who’s about to become a director at all,” Charles remarked with a smile.
“Maybe it’s precisely because she’s like this that she can become a director—ambitious, adaptable, and understanding,” Avina said, looking toward the door where Lucy had just exited.
“Indeed,” Charles nodded.
It was a pity that in the simulation, Lucy had only taken a brief taste of the director experience. By the time Charles found her in the simulation, she was already in a state of despair.
In the remaining time, at Avina's insistence, Charles nibbled on a bit of vegetables to ease her hunger. After calling a servant to clear the table, she felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her.
The last simulation had drained her energy, and now, Charles desperately needed some rest.
With no other plans, Avina chose to stay and keep her company. They changed into their pajamas and embraced each other in bed.
Avina wasn’t sleepy; she simply held Charles close, gently stroking her hair to help her sleep more soundly.
About two hours later, Charles stirred awake.
Her nap had been unusually restful, free from the nightmares she had anticipated, and she hadn’t dreamt at all. Upon waking, she felt her limbs pleasantly soft, lacking even the strength to push herself up from the mattress.
After squinting her eyes and taking a moment to gather herself, Charles turned to see Avina gazing at her. She leaned in slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Avina's lips.
...
“‘Detective’ potion? You want it?”
Avina looked at Charles, who was changing clothes in front of her, with curiosity.
The “Detective” potion was one of the most abundant potions Avina had; in fact, she had two complete sets of “Detective” potion materials in her luggage, ready to be brewed at any time.
“I’m a bit interested... Do you have any?” Charles draped a shawl over her shoulders, raised her hands to pull her hair out from under it, and shook her hair before looking at Avina.
“I do,” Avina nodded. “If you need it, I can have Adele help brew it into a potion.”
Previously, when Charles wanted a potion, Avina had always recommended the “Detective” one.
Although Avina herself hadn’t consumed the “Detective” potion, it was only to escape the control of her family and the church. Still, she had to admit that the “Detective” potion was indeed the safest and most stable potion available.
At least, according to the formula of the Russell family, if the ritual was completed for promotion, Charles’s talent would allow her to digest the promotion without any pressure, enabling her to smoothly rise to the “Crown Guardian” tier.
However, Avina merely thought it was safer; ultimately, the choice of potion had to depend on Charles’s own wishes.
“Alright, let her brew one for me,” Charles said, raising her hand. A flash of silver light revealed an ancient-looking notebook in her grasp.
This was Charles’s **Endless Manual of Forgetting at a Glance**.
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