Chapter 90: Visit

A discreet yet luxurious private carriage moved along the street.

It was the Month of Sunlight, the weather gradually growing hot, yet inside the carriage, it was unusually cool.

“Young Lady, he’s merely a repair artisan—accepting payment to fix your ‘Lakeheart’ is his duty,” the uniformed butler gently reminded.

“So what? ‘Lakeheart’ is the only thing my mother left me. Compared to that, a little favor is nothing.” Jelica said calmly.

“Besides, compared to the other Jiwei who wield their father’s status to flex their power, I’m just remembering a small favor—hardly worth mentioning.” As she spoke, a hint of scorn flashed in her eyes.

“I used to tread carefully, guarding my family’s reputation, afraid to overuse its resources lest I tarnish my mother’s name. But now it seems others won’t spare me just because I hold back.”

“Young Lady, that was merely an accident.”

“Perhaps. Hehe.”

Perhaps Jelica truly did help Gao De with the “tap water” after returning.

Perhaps the “advertisement” at the Artisans’ Guild entrance had finally taken effect.

Or perhaps it was simply good fortune turning his way.

In any case, Gao De’s repair business improved dramatically after seeing off Jelica on the 10th of Sunlight Month.

Almost daily, people came to him to repair alchemical devices; sometimes two or three clients arrived in a single day.

Though all were repairs of 0th-level alchemical devices, the income remained substantial.

—The repair fee for a 0th-level alchemical device typically ranged from 30 silver, or 1.5 gold, with minor fluctuations.

Unlike other repair artisans who incurred material and tool wear, Gao De relied entirely on [Repair Shu +].

In other words, zero cost, 100% pure profit.

If he completed just one job per day, his monthly income would reach a staggering 45 gold.

Of course, under normal circumstances, a repair artisan’s business would never be this good.

First, there simply aren’t that many broken alchemical devices needing repair.

Second, competition among repair artisans is fierce.

With such Fenliu , an ordinary repair artisan was lucky to get one job every two or three days.

But Gao De was anything but ordinary.

Because his craftsmanship was exceptional—extraordinarily so.

Alchemical devices repaired by him showed not the slightest trace of prior damage.

Even devices so severely damaged that other artisans could not fix them, he often managed to restore.

Moreover, his repair time was short: clients often commissioned him in the morning and retrieved their “perfectly repaired” devices by afternoon.

His prices were fair; he never exploited his “exceptional skill” to charge extra.

Thus, Gao De’s reputation spread quickly within a small circle.

People nearby knew that at 437 Kamengdejie, there was a young repair artisan with extraordinary skill.

With this “celebrity effect,” his business naturally grew ever busier.

Yet Gao De knew this burst of popularity was temporary.

After all, the total number of alchemical devices in a city fluctuates only slightly, and those broken and unusable are exceedingly rare.

The reason his business had been so booming was that many devices previously deemed unrepairable by ordinary artisans had piled up—and he had cleared them all.

Setting down the recently repaired device, Gao De stretched.

He calculated mentally: from the 10th to the 25th of Sunlight Month, just two weeks, he had taken on a full sixteen jobs, earning a staggering 25 gold coins.

Additionally, through repairing alchemical devices, he had learned many strange 0th-level spells, gaining knowledge in this unusual way.

This reinforced Gao De’s belief that his choice was correct. Moreover, the spell models for [Detect Poison], [Prestidigitation], [Open/Close], and [Message] had all been fully constructed a week ago.

His spell repertoire had expanded again, becoming more comprehensive.

Though his repair business was thriving, Gao De had not forgotten his true purpose in coming to Bremen City.

He was not here to “work”—his real goal was “advanced study.”

Taking up his keys, Gao De stepped out again, heading for the restaurant.

Since arriving in Bremen City, he had nearly dined daily at the small eatery across from Mrs. Misu’s house.

To observe whether any suspicious individuals lingered near Mrs. Misu’s residence.

Yet so far, he had found nothing.

“Once this month passes, if by Harvest Month I still detect no signs, I can relax a little and plan my next move.”

Gao De murmured silently as he sat once more at the window seat on the restaurant’s second floor.

Caution was necessary, but excessive caution was unacceptable.

How many things in this world truly offer a hundred percent certainty?

Using a month to confirm whether anyone still watched the Misu family was already cautious enough.

Anything more would not be caution—it would be wasting time.

Besides, the restaurant’s dishes had barely changed in a month—he was sick of them!

Today, again, he found nothing.

Sunlight Month slipped away quietly.

Wheat, having endured the scorching sun of Sunlight Month, now ripened and bore grain, ready for harvest.

This was Harvest Month.

Harvest Month, 1st day.

Gao De finished breakfast early, hung a sign reading “Closed Today” at his door, then boarded a public carriage and left Kamengdejie.

First, he went to the large store in Serene District and spent 30 silver on two bottles of elegantly packaged sparkling wine, then took another public carriage to Devise District.

Total transportation cost: 12 copper, or 1 silver.

In Bremen City, inter-district public carriages charged a flat rate of 4 copper.

From Kamengde District to Serene District required crossing two districts; Serene District and Devise District were adjacent.

Devise District was also a bustling commercial area, but dominated mostly by small shops.

Compared to Serene District, it was like the difference between an “old commercial street” and a “Wanda Plaza.”

Gao De walked down Devise Street, carrying the two bottles of wine, following the house numbers on signs along the road until he turned into a quiet alley deep within Devise Street.

Finally, he stopped before a small house, confirmed the door number was correct, then gently knocked on the carved wooden door.

Moments later, as the hinge turned softly, a familiar old man appeared at the door, staring at Gao De in surprise.

“Long time no see—don’t tell me you won’t welcome me?” Gao De raised the two bottles of wine and extended them toward Pierre.

Pierre, whom Gao De had not seen for over a month, looked exactly as before.

“Hahaha, who wouldn’t welcome someone bringing good wine?” Pierre took the bottles and asked with a smile: “When did you arrive in Bremen City?”

As he spoke, he stepped aside, inviting Gao De inside.

(End of Chapter)