Chapter 165: Let’s Take Action
At nine o’clock in the evening.
Carlotta and Amelia both rose, enjoying a delightful meal at a well-known restaurant in Swanport, then regularly bought two cups of Dream Blue Sea, taking turns sipping from each other’s, until gradually they returned to their carriage.
Next came meditation time.
Mainly because Carlotta had too many wanted posters circulating. Many people were discussing her, creating an unpleasant environment. Amelia felt it was better not to wander around outside, she feared someone’s malicious words might upset Carlotta.
Even she herself might grow resentful from overhearing unpleasant remarks, so they might as well return and cultivate.
Inside the carriage, the two sat cross-legged in meditation, exchanging cultivation experiences and mutually promoting each other’s progress.
After a while, Carlotta fell into deep thought, sensing that she was truly about to breakthrough, about to become a Peak tier Listener.
If she spoke of this cultivation speed, others would be disenchanted. Yet, it had truly happened to her.
Carlotta calmed her mind and continued meditating, refining her own magic power. Ultimately, she encountered no obstacles and naturally completed the breakthrough, becoming a Peak tier Listener.
"I’ve broken through."
Carlotta whispered softly, her tone was serene.
Amelia touched over, not particularly surprised. Having traveled alongside Carlotta for so long, she’d grown to Carlotta’s astonishing displays.
After becoming a Peak tier Listener, Carlotta felt refreshed in both body and mind.
Then she unclasped the Rose Cross pendant from her necklace, casually waving it within the carriage’s space, lost in thought.
Normally, one could only use the twelfth movement of the Elven Knight Path, Elven Symphony, after becoming a Peak tier Listener.
Yet previously, while in the state of the eleventh movement, Elven Rhapsody, she had already managed to prematurely cast Elven Symphony. This was highly unusual, an extraordinary occurrence, as if certain conditions had been met ahead of time.
Now that she truly became a Peak tier Listener, would Elven Symphony remain unchanged?
Clearly, Elven Symphony had effected some changes.
First, even without the buildup from Elven Rhapsody, Carlotta can now cast Elven Symphony, and the cooldown interval was even shorter than when she was under the effect of Elven Rhapsody.
The reduced cooldown means she could use Elven Symphony more often in battle.
But...
Carlotta wore a strange expression.
She felt that this reduction in cooldown was unnecessary, almost pointless.
Because that was only in the state without Elven Rhapsody. In an actual battle, of course, she will enter the Elven Rhapsody state and fully enhance her abilities.
Once in the Elven Rhapsody state, Elven Symphony... had no cooldown at all.
Carlotta tested it repeatedly, confirming this state, Elven Symphony truly had no cooldown. That supreme, terrifying attack could now be used infinitely.
Of course, the mana cost was still quite high.
"I knew a breakthrough would bring improvement, but this degree of enhancement is still too extreme. This isn’t just a simple upgrade."
Carlotta marveled endlessly.
It was like turning a powerful ultimate ability into a basic attack, how absurd was this improvement?
Amelia asked, "What’s wrong?"
Carlotta then explained her situation. Hearing it, Amelia couldn’t help but show surprise.
Even with her broad experience, she’d never heard of such a thing. It seemed utterly absurd.
She exclaimed, "Carlotta, your comprehension in Elven Knight Path is truly terrifying. It’s such a pity you didn’t make it your primary path."
Carlotta wore a subtle expression.
She’d shown talent in Elven Knight Path early on. So many people, upon learning her main path was Card Magic, felt regretful for her. Amelia herself had lamented this numerous times.
But the reality was entirely different.
Amelia also began to sense something odd, looking strangely at Carlotta. "Card Magic... is it really your main path?"
"Of course. My Card Magic is also at the Peak tier Listener rank."
Carlotta nodded.
"Advancing in two paths simultaneously? That’s bizarre."
Amelia was baffled.
"Hehe, whenever one path improves, the other automatically follows."
Carlotta revealed a little of her secret.
Hearing Carlotta’s words, Amelia’s expression instantly changed.
Could one really advance in two paths at once?
One path’s improvement actually boosting the other? How could such an absurd thing exist?
"I’ve never heard of anything like this. Carlotta, you’re nothing short of a miracle. Fortunately, someone like you isn’t an enemy, otherwise, how could any foe sleep peacefully?"
Amelia couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Of course I’m not your enemy. I’m your treasure."
Carlotta laughed, pulling Amelia into her arms and planting a loud kiss on her cheek.
Amelia shot Carlotta a glare.
Yes, this absurd, monstrous, terrifying girl was her lover.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel so shocked anymore.
Carlotta kissed Amelia twice more, pinched her head, poked her waist, then resumed meditating to consolidate her rank.
In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.
Carlotta had stabilized her rank. Seeing that the crucial moment had finally come, she immediately opened her intelligence panel and opened it.
[ 1: The General Soul Reaper has confirmed entry into the Mist Sea, taking a non-safe route. The Wendell Empire Navy and the Sun Moon Federal Navy cannot follow in, only able to dispatch personnel to guard the outside. The shipping route between Swanport and the Bass archipelago will reopen in the morning.]
Carlotta raised an eyebrow. So the route was indeed reopening. Once this night passed, she could board a passenger ship and head to the Bass archipelago.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for the General Soul Reaper daring to sail into the unsafe channel of the Mist Sea. The Mist Sea wasn’t just dangerous due to disorientation, unsafe channels containing many other perils. Otherwise, in the past, it couldn’t have once been equally feared as the Forbidden Sea.
But the General’s life or death had nothing to do with her.
[ 2: Carlisle Family’s Alistair, Helen, and Pedro have presented evidence proving they are 100% unrelated to Sheppard’s death. As a result, the military of the Farrell Kingdom released the three. And, as an apology, upon learning they came to pursue a certain Carlotta White, they helped post wanted notices and joined the search for Carlotta’s whereabouts.]
Seeing this, Carlotta sneered.
The people of the Farrell Kingdom were somewhat bothered.
Although she was currently in this nation, from the incident with Sheppard until now, she hadn’t held even a shred of goodwill toward the Farrell Kingdom’s military.
[ 3: Each day, Amelia likes Carlotta more than she did the day before.]
Carlotta gave a strange look, glancing at Amelia beside her.
This kind of intelligence was truly... truly quite pleasing.
She couldn’t help but nuzzle closer to Amelia, giving her a loud kiss, leaving Amelia helpless.
"I’m meditating..."
Amelia said, half-amused, half-exasperated.
"It’s fine, you keep meditating."
Carlotta grinned, then returned her gaze to the intelligence report.
[ 4: Melissa Harris noted that Swanport had too many talented people, reducing her own discussion rate, and with many people resisting her, she decided to boost her fame through strategic operations. She recruited an early tier Resonator and planned a staged fight, intending to defeat the opponent as a listener of higher rank and thus gain massive fame.]
Carlotta was speechless. So these celebrities were really manufactured?
Even staged fights had surfaced now. She didn’t know what to say. However, this matter had nothing to do with her, so she didn’t feel the need to pay much attention.
[ 5: Location distribution map of all Resonators and above in Swanport and surrounding areas (a map).]
The final piece of intelligence made Carlotta’s eyes light up instantly.
She was very familiar with such maps. Back on Sky Island, intelligence had provided distribution maps of monsters at Resonator level and above, allowing her to safely navigate around them and avoid accidentally walking into a Resonator monster’s nest.
And now, a similar map has appeared!
Carlotta quickly scanned the intelligence, her heart skipped slightly, there seemed to indeed be quite a number of Resonators in Swanport. She even spotted the presence of a Weaver. She had no idea which faction this Weaver belonged to.
’It seems I really need to keep a low profile.’
Carlotta thought to herself.
She continued meditating, but once she reached the limit of further improvement, she still stepped out of the carriage with Amelia, walking around various parts of Swanport.
Although her wanted posters were everywhere, as long as she didn’t deliberately go close to look, it was fine. As for related discussions, they had significantly increased.
Because the celebrity Melissa Harris, a peak tier Listener, had publicly challenged a Resonator, setting the duel for tomorrow morning. This news spread widely, attracting considerable attention and discussion.
Upon hearing this, Carlotta, who already knew the truth, could barely hold back her disbelief. A staged fight, yet it was being sensationalized like this. These people really were putting in effort to become famous.
"A Peak tier Listener versus an early tier Resonator? Even if she wins, she still can’t compare to you, Carlotta."
Amelia whispered, "And I think, this is most likely another show. Among celebrities, nearly half have records tainted with exaggeration."
Carlotta nodded, "Definitely a show. We won’t go watch it. It’d just hurt our eyes."
Amelia didn’t understand what "hurt our eyes" meant as a new phrase, but strangely, she immediately grasped its meaning, causing her to purse her lips and smile.
They completely wandered the rest of Swanport, gazing at the night sea, watching trees swaying by the shore in the night breeze, observing the interweaving lights and bustling silhouettes.
In happy moments, time always passes quickly, a strange psychological sensation, just as painful times always feel unbearably slow.
In the blink of an eye, Carlotta and Amelia noticed the first pale light of dawn appearing at the horizon.
They nestled together by the seaside, deciding to watch a sunrise. Among the millions of scenes of the world, sunrise is always something people never miss. At this moment, who knew how many people in Swanport were facing the sea.
When the red sun emerged, its radiance spilled across the undulating Swan Sea, making the shimmering waves glow with a uniquely beautiful, dazzling hue.
Carlotta still occasionally glanced at the map provided by intelligence. Just one look revealed that the Weaver, along with several Resonators, had already left Swanport, destination unknown.
There was no Weaver left in Swanport.
As for the Resonators, they were scattered in various locations. Most were passersby, people headed toward the Bass archipelago.
Another group gathered at a single location, that was the military camp of the Farrell Kingdom, belonging to the Kingdom’s official personnel.
As for the three individuals from the Carlisle family, Carlotta had long identified their corresponding points. She noticed the three had gathered at the seaside port, and that location...
’Isn’t that the spot where Melissa is supposed to have her fake fight?’
Carlotta gave a strange expression.
Then she understood. She knew it was a staged fight, but many others didn’t.
To the vast majority, the battle between Melissa and the early tier Resonator was undoubtedly a highly anticipated spectacle. Everyone wanted to see whether Melissa, this Peak tier Listener, could truly transcend ranks and defeat a higher-tiered early tier Resonator.
Even the three from the Carlisle family, since they went to watch the spectacle, probably hadn’t guessed it was fake.
Or perhaps, they thought their target Carlotta might go there, so they ran off to search?
Carlotta speculated silently, her eyes lighting up with alertness.
She was now a Peak tier Listener herself, and her Elven Symphony had reached an astonishing level. She truly wanted to test her sword against the three from the Carlisle family.
Although Alistair Carlisle had reached mid-rank Resonator, she had also become a Peak tier Listener. If both sides had improved, who should fear whom?
Carlotta immediately whispered, "Amelia, I still want to take action against those three from the Carlisle family."
Amelia was momentarily speechless, turning her head to stare at Carlotta without speaking.
Carlotta quickly said, "Believe me, I’m a Peak tier Listener now. I’ve become incredibly strong. Dealing with a Resonator won’t be difficult at all."
Amelia worriedly asked, "But will the Carlisle family really only send these three? Won’t others interfere? And what if, within Swanport, a Weaver appears unexpectedly?"
She had no intelligence and thus didn’t know that all unstable factors had already been eliminated.
Carlotta raised her hand, gently fixing Amelia’s hair that had been slightly disheveled by the sea breeze.
Smiling, she said, "Don’t worry. Everything is under my control. There won’t be any problems."
"You’re definitely not in danger?"
"I’m definitely not."
"...Alright then."
Amelia looked deeply at Carlotta, ultimately agreeing. She could feel the confidence emanating from Carlotta. Since Carlotta was so confident, she could only choose to support her.
At this moment, the red sun had completely risen above the horizon, its blazing light spreading across the entire ocean, brilliant and dazzling.