Chapter 161: Are you dogs?
In Swan Bay, Carlotta and Amelia stayed for several more days.
Although Carlotta had long received intelligence confirming that the General Soul Reaper had continued southward toward the Mist Sea, and was most likely already deep within it, making the sea route from Swan Port to the Bass archipelago safe again—
Others didn’t know that.
Gathering information and confirming the situation took time. Until safety was 100% guaranteed, not a single ship from Swan Port dared enter the Swan Sea.
Since no ships had resumed sailing yet, Carlotta decided to stay longer in Swan Port with Amelia.
Although she had Moonlight and could set sail on her own, there was no need. She felt it better to travel to the Bass archipelago by passenger ship, leaving behind a legitimate trail that could withstand scrutiny.
Over the past few days, several pieces of intelligence have surfaced. Only one, however, caught Carlotta’s attention, a report that had just arrived this morning.
This intelligence confirmed that Alistair Carlisle and his group had arrived in Swan Port. Although Carlotta and Amelia had used The Concealer, rendering the tracking artifact carried by Alistair useless, Alistair had already pinpointed their location in Swan Port before losing the trail. Thus, he still arrived here.
’Unknowingly, they’ve drawn near. But the report says The Concealer still works, so even if I stand before them, they won’t recognize me. No need to worry.’
Carlotta felt quite at ease.
It was early morning now. Beams of sunlight fell gently, painting Swan Sea a brilliant blue. Swans floated across the water’s surface, forming a scene as exquisite as a painting.
In fact, Swan Port had birthed many famous artworks, paintings such as Swans Swimming in the Sea and Swans at Sunrise had gained considerable renown.
Carlotta held Amelia’s hand, walking along the seaside street and enjoying the morning scenery.
In their hands, they shared a cup of Dreamy Blue Sea, taking turns sipping, intimate in gesture and demeanor.
Suddenly, Amelia shuddered, her expression shifting.
"I see them too. Just stay calm. No need to panic."
Carlotta whispered a reminder.
Amelia quickly regained her composure, continuing to sip the Dreamy Blue Sea Carlotta offered her, though inwardly she still felt tense.
She had just seen members of the Carlisle family arriving!
At the other end of the street, several figures walked slowly while observing their surroundings, Alistair Carlisle and his group.
However, not all members of the Carlisle family were here. Previously, wherever the Carlisle family went, the Fenwick family followed. To shake off the Fenwick, some Carlisle members had split off to block them, so only three people reached this location.
Alistair Carlisle was naturally among them.
Tall and naturally exuding nobility, his gaze swept across the surroundings with a carefree indifference, an air of superiority.
Whether from noble lineage or resonance rank, he carried an attitude of being above others.
Carlotta didn’t stare. She withdrew her gaze.
After learning from intelligence that Alistair Carlisle and his group had arrived, she had been intentionally searching. Finally, she found them.
Amelia was now worried: "Why are they here? Could they discover us?"
"Don’t worry. If they truly knew our exact situation, they’d have rushed over and attacked already. In fact, we’re not that far from them, yet their eyes haven’t landed on us at all. They have no idea who we are."
Carlotta reassured her.
Amelia realized that was true, but the presence of Alistair and the others still unsettled her mind.
Because these people had come specifically to hunt Carlotta.
"They’re only three. If we find the right opportunity, we’re not helpless, we could strike back."
Carlotta whispered.
She asked Amelia if she knew the exact strength of Alistair and the other two.
Amelia was stunned. She hadn’t expected Carlotta to be so bold. She had been about to suggest they leave Swan Port first to avoid accidents, yet Carlotta not only showed no intention of retreating, she was thinking of taking the initiative.
Seeing Amelia’s strange expression, Carlotta said, "We can’t keep running forever. If a chance to fight back appears, we should take it. Make them taste blood."
"...That’s too reckless. It’s dangerous."
Amelia sighed helplessly.
Still, she revealed the strength of Alistair and the others. As fellow nobles, she was familiar with them.
The three present, including Alistair, were all Early tier Resonators.
Carlotta was slightly surprised upon hearing this, thinking it a coincidence. But then she realized it wasn’t a coincidence, it was inevitable.
The Carlisle family couldn’t easily shake off the Fenwick. It would be difficult to use lower-ranked members to distract the Fenwick; only higher-ranked ones could accomplish that.
Thus, only Alistair and the other two, those of slightly lower rank and less attention drawn, could break free and arrive here.
Carlotta truly began to feel the urge to act, pondering whether she could use her stealth ability to turn into a little cat, sneak close, and launch a surprise attack.
"Stay calm, Carlotta."
Amelia squeezed Carlotta’s hand. "There are three of them, not one."
She wasn’t too worried about facing a single Early tier Resonator, but three was a different matter.
Amelia continued, "Besides, their strength is from back when we were in Wales Castle. I can’t be certain whether they’ve advanced during the pursuit."
Along the way, both she and Carlotta had made significant progress, admittedly because their starting ranks were lower, but it was also possible their enemies hadn’t stood still.
If even one of these three had advanced to middle tier Resonator, they’d be extremely difficult to handle.
Carlotta agreed. Her excitement cooled instantly. "Then we won’t act hastily. But we can’t ignore them either. We need to find a way to test their ranks."
"How do you plan to test them?"
Amelia thought this wouldn’t be easy to accomplish.
"Once they use their abilities, magical fluctuations will naturally appear. So we need to create a situation that forces them to act..."
Carlotta began to think deeply.
Amelia, watching this, could only laugh bitterly. In the end, Carlotta still intended to strike the three, she was just preparing for it now.
Though she had long known Carlotta was rather reckless, Amelia still felt helpless. She could only follow recklessly too.
Perhaps she could sacrifice some of her subordinates, send someone to deliberately provoke these three. That might reveal some useful information.
Those so-called subordinates, if not for the fact they could be controlled using the soldier roster, Amelia wouldn’t have kept them around. She would’ve disposed of them long ago.
So naturally, letting them serve as cannon fodder and sacrificing them was only to be expected. They were people who should’ve died already.
She and Carlotta returned to the carriage to make arrangements, first, they needed to retrieve these people’s Illusion Masks, then separate them, forcing them to act under their true appearances.
...
Coastal Road.
Alistair Carlisle gazed at the swans gliding across the ocean, letting out a long sigh. The arrogance he usually showed others had dropped away, replaced by weariness and a slight haggardness.
He never expected dealing with Carlotta would turn into such a troublesome affair. He’d chased her from Wales all the way to Swan Harbor, yet still hadn’t found her.
When he first received the order, he’d thought it would be an easy task. He’d confidently promised Achilles Carlisle he’d bring back Carlotta’s head in no time.
Yet in the blink of an eye, a very long time had passed, and he still hadn’t found a single trace of her. He’d even been forced to request help from the family.
Most tracking artifacts lost effectiveness over long distances. But the tracking artifact he’d received after seeking help could ignore distance, allowing him to determine that Carlotta was roughly somewhere in Swan Harbor.
But not long after, he discovered even this artifact had stopped working, and suddenly, he couldn’t locate her anymore. He didn’t know why, so he could only head toward Swan Harbor based on prior knowledge.
"It’s difficult."
Alistair sighed. Swan Harbor wasn’t particularly large, but finding a target within it wasn’t easy.
Beside Alistair stood two others.
Pedro Carlisle, a tall, lanky man with a cold expression, said, "Carlotta White might have altered her appearance through makeup or other means. Keep searching, we should be able to find her. This matter should end soon. We shouldn’t waste any more time on this person."
He was dissatisfied. He hadn’t expected Carlotta to consume so much of his time. It had disrupted many of his original plans, and he just wanted to finish this quickly.
Helen Carlisle, who appeared quite young and perpetually half-asleep, yawned and said, "Since she made it all the way to Swan Harbor, I guess she’ll head to the Bass next."
"Why not westward? She cultivates the Elven Knight Path, maybe she’s heading to the Elven Homeland."
Alistair asked.
"No, no," Helen waved dismissively, grinning. "Her Elven Knight Path is just supplementary. How far could they possibly progress? Not everyone can become someone like Elora Thorne. I bet she’s hit a wall with them, she’s probably only at the sixth-tier apprentice level at best."
"Then what level do you think her card magic has reached?"
Pedro asked.
"Although she’s an enemy, I have to admit her growth speed is fast. Let me be bold, she might be an eighth-tier apprentice."
Helen felt her guess was already quite daring.
Pedro frowned, "You’re overestimating her. Seventh-tier apprentice at most. As for her Elven Knight path, probably still fifth-tier, nothing as high as you’re claiming."
Helen shrugged, "Just a guess."
Clearly, the three of them were severely underestimating Carlotta’s true condition.
But in reality, their judgments weren’t entirely unreasonable. For an ordinary person, such levels would be normal, perhaps even fast.
Unfortunately, Carlotta was no ordinary person.
They continued discussing Amelia.
"Amelia," Alistair said, his expression turning cold, "pretends to be held hostage by Carlotta White, but in truth, she’s just covering for her. Who can’t see through that?"
If not for Amelia’s interference, they could’ve captured Carlotta back in Wales.
The Carlisle family had raised this issue countless times in the capital, expressing great dissatisfaction.
Yet the Fenwick family insisted Amelia had been taken hostage, and even the Emperor didn’t say much. In the end, everyone could only swallow their anger and accept it.
The three stood on the seaside street, facing the ocean breeze, exchanging words with sighs.
Pedestrians bustled around them, numerous and lively.
Suddenly, a bearded man with a wild appearance walked past, reading a newspaper, and accidentally bumped into Alistair.
Alistair frowned and glared at the man, "Be careful. Can’t you watch where you’re going?"
He was annoyed because the man looked dirty, his clothes were stained, and some of it had smeared onto Alistair.
The bearded man, now wide-eyed, immediately exploded in curses, "The hell’s wrong with your eyes? Why’re you blocking my path? Even a dog knows not to get in someone’s way, aren’t you worse than a dog?"
Alistair was stunned, completely unprepared for such a crude, savage outburst.
After the shock passed, rage surged within him. He stared coldly at the wild-looking man: "You’re asking for death?"
Pedro and Helen stepped forward, glaring menacingly at the bearded man.
The bearded man didn’t seem afraid at all. He sneered, "Unbelievable. I said dogs don’t block paths, and now three of you dogs jump out. If you love dogs so much, why not bark for this old man to hear?"
The faces of Alistair and the others darkened further, murderous intent rising.
The bearded man, seemingly oblivious to the danger, mocked, "What? Want to fight me? You look like mere brats. When your grandpa here was dominating the world, you were still drinking milk. If you really want to fight, I’ll make sure you learn why flowers are so red."
Pedro couldn’t take it anymore.
Among the three, he was undoubtedly the most hot-tempered. Without hesitation, he struck, slapping the bearded man hard on the head.
The motion looked simple, but was terrifyingly powerful. The single slap spun the man’s head multiple times, snapping his neck grotesquely. He dropped dead on the spot.
"Truly doesn’t know death when he sees it."
Pedro said coldly, still fuming from the earlier insult.
...
In the distance.
Amelia looked at Carlotta with an odd expression. The bearded man, of course, had been sent by them, a former pirate who had committed every evil imaginable.
The vulgar insults he’d spewed were all taught to him on the spot by Carlotta. This made Amelia feel strange, she couldn’t figure out where sweet-looking Carlotta had learned such vicious language. It was... truly aggressive.
"First one, an early tier Resonator."
Carlotta whispered softly, having already assessed Pedro’s rank.