The Day of the Divine's birth drew near, and as an annual grand festival, Sigerno City had started its decorations early.
The Patrol Hall was no exception.
Carey twisted his plump body, struggling to hang a divine statue above the window, muttering, "The higher-ups were quite generous this time. In celebration of the Day of the Divine's birth, our allocation is twice what it was last year. Even the main gate outside needs to be refurbished."
As the weather cooled, Carl had donned a cashmere robe today and lay in a reclining chair, flipping through books.
Upon hearing this, he nodded casually, "Really? It seems the benefits they'll distribute to us will be quite good too."
"Yes." Carey came down from the chair, panting slightly as he turned to look, his gaze falling on the book in Carl's hands. "Anatomy? Are you planning to switch careers to become a doctor?"
"Learning is endless!" Carl laughed. "I heard there's a Doctor Robert in town who makes a fortune with his medical skills. Who wouldn't envy that?"
"Robert?" Carey shook his head. "I've never heard of him."
Though he was descended from nobility, his living standards were not high, and the people he often mingled with weren't wealthy either. It was normal that he hadn't heard of him.
"Speaking of which…" Carey moved his chair and arranged the decorations. "Aren't you going to help?"
"You can handle this little thing alone. Moving around can even help you lose weight." Carl shook his head. "I have important things to attend to."
With that, he picked up a mug of hot wine nearby, sipping it gently, a look of contentment on his face.
He indeed was busy with important matters, wanting to decode the Magic Model on the red-haired man's severed arm, which undeniably required knowledge of anatomy.
"Forget it." Carey shook his head speechlessly, continuing to busy himself as he said, "Have you heard the news that the missing Vampire has appeared again recently?"
"Hmm?" Carl looked up, puzzled. "What happened?"
Since the Night Watcher Organization of the Church had taken over the dried corpse case, it had been a while since he had heard about it. He thought it had been completely resolved, but he hadn't expected it to reappear.
"I heard…" Carey stopped his actions, saying, "The Vampires and the Fire Thieves are not the same group, and the Church's purge of the hidden Fire Thieves in the city also failed to find the Vampire."
"Not the same group?" Carl blinked slightly. "Then initially…"
"Yes, we were chasing those people, and they must have intentionally led us to the Fire Thieves' hideout."
From the situation at that time, facing the suddenly intruding patrollers, the Fire Thieves also reacted hastily. Otherwise, a hideout guarded by an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice wouldn't just result in a few patrol officers' deaths. This indicated that the dried corpse case and the Fire Thieves might not overlap. They might even belong to opposing factions, hence the deliberate misdirection to each other's hideouts.
This wasn't hard to guess. The Church had only just realized this; they were remarkably slow. It seemed there were slackers everywhere.
"Commander Dana is applying to investigate the dried corpse case," Carey said. "It seems she's determined to tackle this case, but I'd advise you to stay out of it."
"Of course." Carl shrugged. "It's none of my business. Speaking of which, what about the house you were helping me find? You haven't mentioned it in a while."
"I'm still looking," Carey replied. "You want a yard, a quiet place in the city, and the price can't be too high. It'll take some time."
Preparing Potions and training in Martial Arts both required some space. Carl's currently rented house was too small and not conducive to making much noise, presenting many inconveniences. This was especially true since the items purchased for preparing Potions were accumulating. The Divine Domain Fragment space was gradually becoming inadequate, so finding a new residence was inevitable.
After a brief pondering, Carl said, "About the price… I might be able to be more flexible."
"Oh!" Carey raised an eyebrow. "What, have you come into money recently?"
Purchasing property wasn't a small amount, and given Carl's salary level, it would be difficult to achieve in a short time.
"Our family has always had a noble heritage; it's quite normal to have some old savings tucked away," Carl casually explained. "About house-hunting, you should put more effort into it."
"I envy you," Carey sighed. "I understand. I'll ask around more for you lately. But what have you been busy with these days? You're hardly seen day by day."
"Busy." Carl took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Off work!"
Last night, the Ice and Snow Goddess bestowed her blessings, cloaking the entire Sigerno City in a silvery wrap. The number of pedestrians on the roads significantly reduced.
Badi Pawnshop.
Old Nick wiped his hands with a handkerchief and sat down across from him, "Baron, you're here again."
"Yes." Carl placed his walking stick aside and sighed. "The family's old reserves are nearly sold out. I'm afraid I won't be coming much longer."
As he spoke, he took out a long wooden box from his breast pocket and opened it to reveal a delicate hairpin inside.
Selling expensive goods frequently draws too much attention. Just like now. Old Nick already considered Carl a regular. Each time he came, Nick personally handled his transactions, so they had become somewhat acquainted. Actually, Carl had been selling goods at various Consignment Stores under different identities, all to avoid trouble.
"You don't have to sell; you can come to buy," Old Nick smiled. "Baron, you've exchanged no less than a hundred Gold Coins from our store. You're truly a person of means now. The pawnshop always welcomes you."
Carl shook his head. He had exchanged quite a few Gold Coins. Adding up both open and secret transactions, it was far more than just one hundred, yet his expenses were even larger.
Wizarding... simply a profession that burns through money like crazy. Especially potion-making! A hundred Gold Coins might seem substantial, but they could be quickly spent on some herbs and a few experiments, using up most of it.
"Carl!" At that moment, an enthusiastic female voice resonated. "You're here too."
Carl looked up, his eyes filled with surprise. The woman who came into view was dressed flamboyantly, her face heavily made-up, almost rendering her unrecognizable to him.
Uncle Gegil's eldest daughter, Carl's cousin, Jinsley. The last time they met was at Earl Recton's estate outside the city. She had appeared as a gift for the Earl's son's coming-of-age ceremony. However, given her awkward status at the time, they had not acknowledged each other.
By Jinsley's side was an impeccably dressed older man, likely in his forties or fifties. She clung to the older man's arm, her attitude affectionate, her face lighting up with a surprised look at Carl—or rather, at the hairpin in front of Carl. Her eyes almost sparkled as she looked at the hairpin. "What a coincidence."
"Yes." Carl rose and nodded. "Cousin, you're also out shopping? And this gentleman is...?"
Though the two in front of him appeared very intimate, Carl certainly wouldn't mistake his own cousin's husband. He'd long heard that the couple each had their own diversions. Who would have thought they'd take it this far?
"My friend, Cran," Jinsley introduced naturally. "Cran, this is the cousin I told you about, the distinguished Baron Karl."
"Oh!" The older man, Cran, initially had an indifferent expression, but it changed upon hearing Carl was a Baron. "So you are Baron Karl."
"Carl," Jinsley interjected, "are you selling things?"
"Yes," Carl nodded. "Things have been a bit tight lately, so I'm selling some family possessions to get by for a while."
"Tsk!" Jinsley shook her head. "If you're having difficulties, go to your uncle, or you could come to me. Is this hairpin what you're selling?"
Without waiting for Carl to reply, she had already stepped forward, picked up the hairpin from the box, her eyes filled with fondness. "You have to sell it to someone, so why not sell it to me?"