Soon.

A week passed by.

The last day before leaving Serenity State.

Dirk Carter went to the cemetery to pay respects to Dylan Tate.

When he arrived at the cemetery, he saw there was already a bouquet of fresh flowers placed beneath the tombstone.

The bouquet didn't have a name, and he had no idea who left it.

When leaving, Dirk inquired with the cemetery staff, who said they vaguely remembered it being a young woman who placed the flowers and then sat for a long time before leaving.

It must have been Jocelyn Tate.

Around January 7th.

Dirk Carter boarded a plane to Riverton State.

This time, he was traveling alone.

With no one accompanying him.

Just like Mr. Qin said, he should learn to carve out his own territory without relying on others.

"Excuse me, can I switch seats with you?"

At this moment, a man who appeared to be in his thirties approached Dirk's seat and asked the person next to him.

The person was agreeable and nodded, and the two got up to swap seats.

After fastening his seatbelt, the man whispered to the drowsy Dirk, "You're Comrade Dirk Carter, right?"

Dirk was taken aback.

He opened his eyes.

Facing an unfamiliar face.

He asked, "And you are...?"

"Oh, my name is Gauthier Pace. I often hear my wife mention you,"

the man in front said with a cheerful smile.

"Your wife is...?"

"My wife is Gwendolyn Lewis. She used to be your colleague,"

Gauthier Pace replied, still smiling.

Gwendolyn Lewis!

Hearing this name, Dirk's heart skipped a beat.

He was all too familiar with that name.

Back when he worked at the Kenton County Bureau of Education, he and Gwendolyn Lewis went on a business trip together, and that stubborn, capricious woman was subdued by Dirk in the car's backseat.

Their last encounter.

Was when Dirk was being transferred from the Bureau of Education, he still remembered, that day in the office, they entwined like a raging storm.

He rarely heard Gwendolyn mention Gauthier Pace.

He only remembered he seemed to be a director of a certain street office in Harmony County, also at the section chief level.

"Oh, it's Director Pace, my apologies,"

Though somewhat puzzled,

Dirk still shook hands with him.

"Comrade Dirk, are you heading to Rexton City for your new appointment?"

Gauthier Pace asked.

Dirk nodded in surprise and asked, "How did you know?"

Gauthier replied, "I'm also going to Rexton City for my new role."

"Oh? What a coincidence?"

Dirk was even more surprised.

Gauthier, a bit sheepish, said, "Unlike you, I'm just going for a temporary learning position, we are worlds apart."

"What position are you assigned to?"

Dirk asked.

Gauthier scratched his head and said, "I'm appointed as the acting deputy district mayor of Silvercrest District in Rexton City."

"Then when I arrive in Rexton City, I'll rely on you for guidance, District Mayor Pace."

"Not at all, you are a deputy director-level official with actual power, I'm just an exchange official, hoping Minister Carter will look after me,"

Gauthier said respectfully.

The journey was initially quite dull.

Now, with someone to chat with, it became different.

The two chatted off and on for a while.

The plane soon landed at Rexton City Airport.

After disembarking, Gauthier even proactively helped Dirk with his luggage, making Dirk feel a bit embarrassed.

At the exit.

The car from Silvercrest District to pick up Gauthier had already arrived, while Dirk surprisingly had no car waiting for him.

Gauthier found it odd and asked, "Minister Carter, didn't you notify the Organization Department?"

Dirk smiled.

He said, "No, I have a few days before I start. Since I've never been to Riverton State, I thought I'd take a look around first."

"Oh, so you haven't arranged accommodation yet, right?"

"Yeah,"

Dirk nodded and said.

Gauthier offered, "Minister Carter, how about I arrange something for you? I graduated from Rexton University, so I know the area well and can recommend a hotel that's both nice and reasonably priced."

Seeing him so eager to help,

Dirk didn't have the heart to refuse.

He said, "Then I'll trouble you, District Mayor Pace."

"That's nothing, we all came from Serenity State; we should help each other,"

he said.

With that,

Gauthier arranged for Dirk to get into the car.

And took him to the entrance of The Imperial Grand Hotel located in Rexton City's downtown.

He said, "Minister Carter, I must head off to report now, but this hotel has excellent service. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

"I'm really grateful to you,"

Dirk expressed his thanks again.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways.

In an unfamiliar place,

Dirk had no better options.

He checked into the hotel for a room.

Planning to get accustomed to the local customs and then report to the municipal organization's department the next afternoon and have them arrange a ride to Koryn City.

After settling in,

Dirk stepped out of the hotel.

Wandered the streets aimlessly.

To be honest, as one of the more developed cities in Riverton State, Rexton City's urban infrastructure was quite well done, with high-rise buildings everywhere, giving off a strong sense of modernity.

In Serenity State, Ronan City, as the provincial capital, was considered reasonably developed, but compared to Rexton, an ordinary prefecture-level city, there was still quite a noticeable gap.

No wonder it's said that Riverton State is the cradle of the private economy, there's truth in that.

In a new place,

one should always try the local cuisine, right?

Dirk asked a passerby and found that not far away, there was a food street called Springwell Street.

Arriving at the walking street,

people bustled about, creating a lively atmosphere.

Everything looked tempting, and before he could even finish browsing, his stomach was already full, just as he was thinking of returning to the hotel for a rest.

Suddenly, bang,

he accidentally collided with a woman walking toward him.

The woman seemed to be in her twenties.

She was quite beautiful, with a ponytail and particularly those bright, flickering eyes that had the graceful beauty of a Veridian woman.

In that instant, a face popped into Dirk's mind.

Rosalind Sullivan.

From Rosalind, Dirk could also sense the delicate beauty of a Veridian woman. She was already quite stunning, but the face before him was just as attractive.

The woman wore a black sweater underneath, a down vest on top, and tight jeans, outlining her slender and well-proportioned figure.

"I'm sorry,"

Dirk instinctively said.

Unexpectedly, the girl smiled and said, "It should be me apologizing, I bumped into you."

"Are you okay?"

Dirk asked.

The girl waved her hand and said, "I'm fine."

And so they passed by each other.

It was hard to ignore a beauty.

Dirk couldn't help but turn back for another look.

And sure enough, the woman's figure was impressive, although not very tall, her legs looked quite long.

At that moment,

Dirk suddenly felt a chill.

Looking down, he noticed a slit had been cut in the pocket of his jacket at some point.

He reached in to find his wallet was gone.

Dammit, this woman was a thief!

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