Bad woman, am I pretending to be bad?

“Even if we successfully evade the authorities’ attention and avoid getting out of control and going crazy, we may still find ourselves in a predicament of lacking materials, not being able to find the items we need, and not being able to acquire enough knowledge. I organize this gathering so that everyone in the same predicament can let down their guard and help each other.”

Charlotte's eyes, slightly dazed beneath the black veil, unconsciously bent down and gave the gentleman a sincere bow.

"Your character is admirable."

As mentioned before, this land does indeed have oppressors like Bathory and Bright, as well as countless labor refugees, like the Sufby mother and daughter, who, despite their hardships, still managed to stand tall, and also the worldly-wise yet self-disciplined, gentle, kind, and frugal Ms. Mossant and Mr. True Knowledge.

Perhaps, their presence was evident in that fleeting moment of warmth and compassion from the very beginning.

"No need for that. Here you go. This is the cash for purchasing that extraordinary property, forty-five bills in total."

The old man took out a thick stack of banknotes from the pocket at his waist, counted them carefully, and then handed them to the girl.

The transaction was completed swiftly and without delay, and Charlotte was slightly dazed when the slightly heavy weight landed in her palm.

As my fingertips caressed the slightly rough surface, the momentary wealth brought me a sense of satisfaction, but it could not soothe the urgency of life's fleeting nature.

“Sir, what I said before was not just a hypothesis. I do indeed have the potion recipe, Sequence Nine 'Arbitrator'.”

No longer keeping quiet was a decision the young woman made after much deliberation. Regardless of whether it would attract official attention, she had to use all available resources to transform herself in the short term, so that she could be on par with Earl Cliff and stand at the same table with him.

"Then let's stick with the previous quote, what do you think?"

Stroking the armrest of the sofa, Mr. Zhenzhi immediately raised his voice again, clearly showing his great interest in collecting such extraordinary knowledge or objects.

"make a deal."

Although she didn't know how the other party would verify the formula's accuracy, Charlotte had no intention of lying or taking unnecessary advantage. Firstly, she didn't want to ask and reveal that she hadn't attended the party. Secondly, in this extraordinary era, the former was definitely a rare and kind-hearted person.

She took out the potion recipe that she had already written when she took it out of the suitcase, gently pushed the foot of the page, and let the paper arc across the table, landing precisely in front of the old man.

Without taking a closer look, Mr. Zhenzhi simply flattened it, took out a handkerchief to wipe his knuckles, and took out a diamond-encrusted necklace from his pocket.

Its color is emerald green, and its shape is intricate. The gemstone at the very center is sharp and angular, with a narrow slit, resembling a cat's vertical pupil. Just by looking at it from afar, an unknown gaze seems to pierce through the plane and fall upon the girl.

"Don't stare at it for too long."

After a brief reminder, the old man closed his eyes, gently shook the necklace, and murmured a prayer devoutly.

"Those who grasp knowledge are the forerunners, and those who pave the way for wisdom."

"You are the light of the knowledgeable, the master of the labyrinth, you hold the silver key, maintaining the boundary between humans and beasts."

"Today, with reverence and awe, I witness the verification of truth and falsehood..."

With soft murmurs, the necklace swayed more and more noticeably until it shone brightly, like a silver star.

"Authentic and effective."

After taking off the necklace, Mr. Zhenzhi shook his head slightly, as if trying to dispel his dizziness. After a while, he smiled and explained with delight.

"The deal is done, madam. Don't blame me for my speculation. There was once a shameless gentleman who cheated people out of his money, and without this item, the attendees would have almost suffered losses."

"Honesty is the foundation of transactions. I understand you, Mr. Truth."

She then accepted the full amount of banknotes, but Charlotte cared more about the words of the prayer spoken earlier than the old man's apology.

Clearly, it has a certain direction; the devout and awe-inspiring tone indicates that the other party is a person of high status.

The so-called true god, the disciple of knowledge and wisdom, secretly memorized this phrase. Just as the girl was about to get up to say goodbye, she saw the other party wave again and call her back.

“Wait a moment, madam. Actually, I do know something about the Clear-Eyed Demon Worm you mentioned earlier, but of course, that will require an extra fifty gold pounds.”

"Appreciate further details."

Without hesitation, Charlotte nodded in agreement, listening intently and focusing all her attention on taking notes.

Auxiliary materials and pure water, among other resources, can all be purchased or refined through ordinary means. However, the extraordinary characteristics are hard to come by and are essential to her.

"Although their names contain the word 'demon insect,' these extraordinary creatures are actually more aquatic. They only fly from the shallow sea to the land when the waning moon hangs in the sky and there is no light, using their clear pupils to trace the source of light."

“The city of Tingen is near the bay and was once a habitat for them. But now, to see them or even capture them, not only do we need the right time, but also a lot of good luck.”

A waning crescent moon is a crescent moon that appears as a shallow arc at the end of the month.

Today is the 27th of December. As the minute hand completes its final clockwise rotation, there are only three days left until the end of the month.

Just the right amount of time, neither too long nor too short, it's a good day, a truly extraordinary day.

The first night of the new year, a night full of ritual, it seems that even the heavens are planning the right time for me.

As expected of me.

Leaving the bar, she saw the bright moon and gentle breeze, but felt displeased. So, she simply spread her five fingers and raised them above her head, creating a brand new night sky.

There was no dazzling moon phase, only countless stars filtering through the fingers, casting their admiring rays from afar.

"Tonight, the stars are shining brightly, just like my heart."

Chapter 45 Interesting Women

The cement road was stained and filthy from the continuous snowfall, and the gas streetlights on both sides, encased in glass covers, emitted a bright but hazy light.

A horse-drawn carriage travels through the morning light, while pedestrians around it wear hats or carry umbrellas, only glancing up slightly as they pass by.

Leaning against the side wall, Charlotte, having nothing to do, simply spread her five fingers out and placed them outside the window, quietly feeling the morning dampness and haze.

Last night's gains were plentiful, not only in terms of knowledge but also in terms of wealth. Thanks to this, the young woman no longer needs to seek shelter elsewhere and endure hardships.

"It's nice to have money."

Recalling her full and satisfying sleep the night before, and feeling the comfort of the soft bed, Charlotte couldn't help but reveal a limited, radiant smile.

After learning about the habits of the Clear-Eyed Demon Insect, she still had a full six hundred pounds left in her wallet, enough to squander in any place of pleasure, but the girl ultimately just chose a mid-range room in a nearby hotel to sleep for the night.

Charlotte could tell the difference between momentary pleasure and lasting enjoyment.

She opened the Tingen Daily she had bought some time ago, took out her pen, and circled the key words on the advertisement on page five, underlining half a line.

As I bid farewell to Mr. Zhenzhi, the old man also told me how to participate in the next gathering—

When the newspapers featured advertisements for the Leinster acquisition, it indicated that a new gathering of extraordinary individuals would take place the following evening at the Connor Bar; the exact time would be indicated by the varying numbers in the text.

"Madam, we've arrived at Wood Street."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the elderly driver breathed heavily, but his tone still carried a hint of respect.

"Thanks a lot."

She offered a word of comfort, leaned over the step, and without making a sound or expressing her opinion, Charlotte left only a few pennies on the soft seat, walking away calmly and dignifiedly into the distance.

Perhaps there were voices of gratitude behind her, but the kind-hearted Miss Watson was never moved.

She flipped open her pocket watch; it was just past six o'clock. There was still some time before Detective Singh's scheduled working hours, and she was able to walk on the sunlit ground, enjoying the rare freshness and tranquility.

The extraordinary creature has been located, and obtaining the auxiliary materials for the potion recipe should not be too difficult.

Five grams of rosemary, ten grams of iris root, two rue plants, and six drops of water fern juice were used to estimate the required dosage. Although some plants would wither and wilt in winter, nearby pharmacies and florists had some in advance, either dried or cultivated.

She bought most of these not-so-rare flowers and plants for just twenty sous.

As for refining pure water, for someone like me who was knowledgeable in chemistry in my previous life, it was simply a matter of lacking a usable space and the necessary equipment.

Ion exchange is not feasible in this era, and the high-pressure environment required for reverse osmosis is even more of a pipe dream. The simplest method should be to heat water by distillation and then condense the boiling steam back into liquid.

In this way, relatively pure distilled water can be obtained. Although there are still some impurities, Ms. Mosang said that auxiliary materials have little impact on potions, and are merely the basic solvents that carry extraordinary properties.

Entering a pharmacy that was just about to open, Charlotte saw a young woman behind the counter rummaging through boxes and cabinets to organize medicinal herbs. Charlotte didn't make a sound to disturb her, but simply sat to the side, elegantly and leisurely observing the passersby.

After a while, the flustered apprentice finally found a moment to notice the girl and apologized repeatedly.

"Oh, ma'am, I'm so sorry, I was so busy I didn't notice you. May I ask what you need? Um, what herbs do you require?"

Charlotte was told by the slight stumbles in her speech and the struggles with her wording that the other person was just an apprentice accompanying her.

"I need to borrow your equipment for a bit; half an hour should be enough."

“But this isn’t a decision I can make; that gentleman—”

Unwilling to accept rejection, the girl simply silenced the man's lips with a few sheets of Sule.

There's no such thing as being unwilling; it's just that there isn't enough money.

Stepping into the back room, a variety of ingenious objects come into view: a scalpel with cuts and blood, an antique-style vacuum pump, a bronchial kettle for treating dry coughs, and even, in a corner, a glass box for raising leeches and earthworms.

The treatment was quite crude; if she weren't certain that this was indeed a pharmacy, she would most likely have thought it was a place where torture instruments were stored.

With a sigh, Charlotte also took out a cup and set up a simple stove to distill the liquid. Before long, clear droplets of liquid adhered to the walls of the beaker.

After confirming the required amount and keeping a surplus for emergencies, she pressed down the cork and placed the test tube into her carry-on suitcase.

In this era, glass had already become popular in society decades ago, and was used more extensively in building materials and luxury goods.

The materials are all there, except for the pupils of the Clear-Eyed Demon Worm and forty milliliters of blue blood. These main materials are not urgent, and Charlotte is also planning for the future.

Visiting that Miss Parrot needs to be put on the agenda. Even if I don't know how powerful the talisman is, an extraordinary person who can produce items would be a powerful help to me, who currently lacks means of killing.

Perhaps, by flirting a bit and deepening the bond, she could gain the other person's concern and receive their help for free. She had already planned to do so when she came to Wood Street.

“Going empty-handed would be rather shabby, but as a noblewoman, wouldn’t it cost a fortune to present a present in a dignified manner?”

That's not appropriate. A gift is about the sentiment behind it, not just about its price!

She found a legitimate reason for her stinginess, but even so, Charlotte looked around very carefully until she found a patch of green before she smiled with delight.

That's it.

Approaching the birch trees planted by the roadside, she leaped up the trunk in a few bounds and carefully picked a handful of fragrant shrubs from the branches.

They grow luxuriantly, some branches unusually defying the season, sprouting new buds and blooming with small orange-yellow flowers, like a burst of vitality in winter.

These are not birch branches and leaves, but rather a parasitic plant belonging to the Santalaceae family, the same genus as the pen name of that parrot lady—

Mistletoe.

Similarly, in the Hadings Empire, this plant has a special significance; it is evergreen and symbolizes hope and abundance, representing a sincere blessing to others.

Whether unintentional or deliberate, the bits of leaves that had stuck to the girl's hair when she picked the branches still clung to her hair, swaying playfully in the wind, rising and falling, making her look adorably dazed.

Without clearing away the branches and leaves, she followed the address, but before she could even knock, she encountered an unexpected scene—

The parrot they were looking for was leaning against her own doorpost, seemingly effortlessly flipping and leaping half her body over the wall.

However, things didn't go as planned. She lost her balance in mid-air, and despite a hint of smugness on her lips, she fell to the ground in a very disheveled manner, shaking the trees. Even the wide-brimmed hat with two bird feathers stuck in it floated into Charlotte's hands.

Pfft~

Feeling happy inside, but not showing it outwardly, the girl slowly walked to the girl lying down, bent down, and leaned close to her eyes, gently placing the wreath woven from mistletoe on the little parrot's forehead.

Her thin, pink lips seemed to be smiling, yet not quite, and her soft voice rippled through the air.

"Madam, you bring a gentle morning breeze."

Chapter Forty-Six: The Name of Charlotte

"Miss Josephine..."

With her thin lips slightly parted, Miss Parrot stared blankly at Charlotte as she knelt down, placing her five fingers in front of her as if to lift herself up.

She leaned forward and nodded, but her back was straight. Her dark suit was tailored to curves, and her slightly messy hair was decorated with green leaves. She looked like a knight guarding peace of mind, or a doll girl resting in the warm sun.

As she lowered her gaze, letting the morning light fall on her face, her silver-gray eyes rippled with a gentle, shimmering light.

Like those beautiful poems, so exquisite.

Melina was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of her ears turning slightly red.

Seeing this, Charlotte didn't say a word, but instead smiled brightly, took the former's fair right hand, and gently kissed it.

"I'm here."

This wasn't about taking advantage; it was simply a necessary magic to awaken the girl from her reverie, but—

“If Miss Melina doesn’t get up soon, I’ll be in a bit of a predicament. After all, to others, it’s an action that can be easily misunderstood.”

Charlotte glanced out of the corner of her eye at the gazes drawn to her by the commotion and subtly offered a reminder, as if unaware that it was the kiss that had attracted their attention.

Feeling the dampness spreading across the back of her hand and hearing the murmurs around her, Miss Parrot's shyness deepened, and even her neck flushed red.

"I'm sorry to have shown you such an out-of-control side of me."

She hurriedly got up, managing to brush the dust off her clothes, but she couldn't suppress the ripples in her heart.

Even though it was the first time she had been treated so intimately, she felt no resistance at all, and even wanted to get closer to Watson, just like a morning flower chasing the sun.