Chapter 170: “Let me see this former uncle.”
The third piece of intelligence surprised Carlotta. She hadn’t expected the Treasure Hunting Turtle to be involved.
She recalled her time at Wales Castle. Back then, she had encountered a Treasure Hunting Turtle and even helped it resolve the trouble caused by the Ghost Face Barnacles. Such a rare creature appearing in the Seventy-Two Island was unexpected.
However, since the Fruit had already been taken, she wouldn’t focus her attention here.
[ 4: The Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce’s related industries in the Bass Archipelago are shown in the figure below (a map).]
Here it comes!
Carlotta had been waiting for this information. She immediately opened the map and looked at it, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Previously, she had asked a shop assistant about some of the Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce’s stores, but the assistant’s knowledge seemed incomplete, covering only half of them.
Most importantly, this map not only displays stores but also some non-public industries, such as the residences of certain individuals.
Carlotta scanned it at a glance and discovered Winnie’s residence on Island Nine, not far from the store she had visited before. No wonder the other party had gone backstage from the store earlier.
In addition, there was a person named Kelly Newman, one of the five managers at the time, who lived on Island Twelve, and her address was also marked.
As for the current highest-ranking official of the Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce, Isaac Dunkinson, he lived on Island Six.
’Why are there only three people?’
Carlotta frowned slightly.
She looked at the map again and again, but she couldn’t find the remaining two people.
Could those two no longer be part of the Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce? Had they left to start their own ventures?
Carlotta quickly considered this possibility. The map only showed the industries of the Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce and indicated their purpose and ownership. If they had left the Dunkinson Chamber of Commerce, they would indeed not be on the map.
[ 5: Zorn Wilson, from the Vampire Clan, wishes to sell a precious material obtained from ranking sixth on Sky Island. This alchemical material can only be produced on Sky Island and is called Sky Cornerstone. However, because it has never appeared elsewhere, he does not know how to price it.]
Carlotta was surprised. She hadn’t expected more news about this Vampire Clan member.
She had never heard of Sky Cornerstone as an alchemical material. It seemed to be a material that had never appeared in the world before, so its use was hard to determine. It was no wonder Zorn wanted to sell it but didn’t know how.
But no matter what, it was the reward for ranking sixth on Sky Island. How bad could it be?
If she had the opportunity, Carlotta would like to obtain it. If she fed it to the Stellar Workshop, it might yield unexpected results.
However, even if Zorn didn’t know the price of Sky Cornerstone, he would definitely set a high price. Her income could only be obtained through spoils of war, and she wasn’t sure if she could afford it.
Carlotta felt there was no rush. This item wouldn’t be sold easily. She could find an opportunity to contact Zorn later. This person was also a high class, and finding him wouldn’t be difficult.
[ 6: The Swan Chamber of Commerce recently acquired a large number of alchemical materials from people on the Southern Continent. These are specialty products of the Southern Continent, but in reality, their uses are very narrow and difficult to sell on the Southern Continent. They are even more difficult to integrate into various alchemical formulas on the Northern Continent, making them hard to sell. This has made the Swan Chamber of Commerce anxious and eager to offload these alchemical materials.]
Carlotta’s eyes lit up again. She thought that she could find an opportunity to acquire these alchemical materials. The Stellar Workshop could swallow any alchemical materials it was given. As for the use of the alchemical materials, the Stellar Workshop could allocate them themselves; she didn’t need to do anything.
However, it would be best to change her identity when the time comes. Her current identity should ideally not be compromised.
The main reason was that Carlotta felt that acquiring alchemical materials on a large scale would be too conspicuous. Even if the Swan Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t necessarily reveal her identity, the news would be hard to keep secret. The fact that the Swan Chamber of Commerce had a pile of alchemical materials that were difficult to sell should not be a secret.
Changing identities, buying the materials, and then letting that identity disappear would be the best outcome.
[ 7: Below the Swan Sea, not far from the Bass Archipelago, the princess of the Mermaid clan will soon celebrate her birthday and is preparing for it. She may choose to quietly come ashore and celebrate her birthday in the Bass Archipelago.]
Carlotta was truly surprised this time.
Mermaids?
These creatures were extremely rare, almost legendary. They actually lived at the bottom of the Swan Sea?
Carlotta had heard that the mermaid clan possessed a method of transformation, allowing them to shed their fish tails and grow legs, walking on land like normal women, with no one noticing anything amiss.
Could it be that she had brushed past a mermaid today, and that was how she received this piece of intelligence?
Although she was a bit surprised, this intelligence had nothing to do with her. She didn’t know any mermaids, so she couldn’t go to their birthday celebration.
[ 8: On Island Four, the largest gladiatorial arena, the Bloody Arena, is about to host a highly anticipated match in one day. The odds for this match have already shown a significant bias because one side is a werewolf with forty-four consecutive victories. The other side, although a Demi-human Tiger with six consecutive victories, is still favored by everyone to lose, and people are betting heavily on the werewolf’s victory. In reality, the Bloody Arena is rigging the match. The Demi-human Tiger will definitely kill the werewolf and win, thus collecting a large amount of betting money and making a huge profit. Perhaps, one could go and bet on the Demi-human Tiger’s victory.]
Carlotta’s eyebrows twitched.
Werewolf? Demi-human Tiger? These must be beastmen, right?
She rarely heard rumors about beastmen in the Northern Continent because beastmen did not exist there. They were an active race on the Southern Continent, but their living environment was also very poor, and they were often captured and made into slaves.
For example, the gladiatorial arenas on Island Four often pitted beastmen against each other to attract bets. That island had countless gladiatorial arenas and was a place for all gamblers to revel.
Of course, it was also very bloody.
Among the numerous gladiatorial arenas, the Bloody Arena was extremely famous. Judging from the intelligence, the Bloody Arena was definitely planning to fleece the gamblers this time, even at the cost of sacrificing a werewolf with forty-four consecutive victories.
In simple terms, capital was rigging the game.
Carlotta wanted to acquire Zorn Wilson’s Sky Cornerstone and the Swan Chamber of Commerce’s alchemical materials, but she might not have enough money. Perhaps she could use this opportunity to place a bet and earn a considerable sum.
It is worth mentioning that in the Bass Archipelago, the official currencies of countries from both continents are circulating and will be adjusted at any time according to a certain exchange rate.
After finishing reading the eight pieces of intelligence for tonight, Carlotta also planned to take action.
She said to Amelia, "Let’s go explore the other islands and see what’s different."
"Okay."
Amelia naturally had no objections.
Near Island 9, the adjacent islands were Island 6 and Island 12.
Two other people from the Dunkinson Merchant Association that Carlotta was concerned about were located on these two islands, respectively.
Carlotta was going to Island 6.
Island 6 was located to the south of Island 9. This island was larger than Island 9. Looking from afar across the ocean, one could see large patches of brilliant lights interwoven, creating a dreamlike color.
"Island 6 mainly has a lot of entertainment industries. It’s a very suitable place for leisure. Of course, the artistic value here is not low. Entertainment and art are often inseparable," Amelia said as she looked into the distance.
Then she asked Carlotta how they should get there.
If they took a boat, there were no flights at night.
If they flew, would the elven wings be too conspicuous?
Carlotta smiled and said, "My Flight card really can’t be used casually, otherwise if others see it, they will inevitably associate it with Moon. So, I’ll have to trouble you, Amelia."
Although Amelia mostly used memory magic to create elven wings, that was just one option; she could also choose other wings from her memories.
"You’ve always carried me in a princess carry before, so it’s time for me to try."
Amelia asked Carlotta to cooperate a little, then picked her up in a princess carry.
Carlotta naturally wrapped her arms around Amelia’s neck, pressing close to Amelia.
She giggled, "This feeling is quite nice, let’s go, fly me."
Amelia cast her memory magic, and a pair of white wings appeared behind her. It was unclear what kind of magical beast these wings belonged to, but she had constructed them with her memories.
Then Amelia flew into the sky, carrying Carlotta towards the ocean.
Island 6 was an island that could be seen by looking up from Island 9, so the distance was not too far.
Amelia held Carlotta and weaved through the night sky at a leisurely pace. It didn’t take long before they successfully landed on the soil of Island 6.
Looking around, their eyes were met with a magnificent scene. The vast island seemed much more lively than Island 9, with the sounds of clamor rising into the night sky.
After Carlotta got down from Amelia’s embrace, she curiously observed the island. Looking into the distance, she saw many genuine smiles, indicating that for many people, living on this island must be an extremely satisfying thing.
Then Isaac Dunkinson, who had settled here all along, must be living quite a comfortable life.
’I’ve been through hardships and fought between life and death, yet you get to live such a comfortable life.’
Carlotta was secretly displeased.
Isaac, who had swept away her property from the White Merchant Association and established this Dunkinson Merchant Association to live freely in the Bass Archipelago, truly made her feel very unhappy.
She took Amelia’s hand and immediately walked towards Isaac’s residence, unhurriedly but steadily approaching.
This island full of art and entertainment was still crowded with people even late at night, even in the residential areas. Many lights were on, and it was bustling with activity.
After walking along a street outside the residential area, Carlotta and Amelia bought some drinks and fruits, like ordinary tourists, strolling leisurely and leaving just as leisurely.
However, when they reached the end of the road, Carlotta’s footsteps paused again, "I think I’ve spotted familiar figures again."
Amelia’s expression became serious, "It’s... those people again?"
Carlotta nodded, "That’s right, those people are now living quite comfortably in the Bass Archipelago."
"What do you plan to do?" Amelia asked.
When they were on Island 9 ago, she had felt that Carlotta might do something, but Carlotta did nothing. But now, would Carlotta still do nothing?
"Let’s go take a look," Carlotta said in a low voice, "Mainly this guy, he seems to be the mastermind."
She found a reasonable excuse for her actions.
The two of them then found a corner, disguised their appearances with the Illusion Mask to avoid their identities being discovered, and used new appearances.
They also changed their clothes with a costume change card. In the blink of an eye, they had transformed into two different people and walked out again, then leisurely entered the residential area.
When they arrived outside a dark house with a courtyard, Carlotta leaped over the wall and entered. Amelia followed quickly.
This was Isaac Dunkinson’s residence.
The courtyard was large, with trees swaying in the night breeze, and several sea dogs sleeping in the yard.
Sea dogs were a type of magical beast that generally lived by the sea and had good swimming abilities. They were very suitable for domestication and could serve as guard dogs.
Even though Carlotta and Amelia entered silently, their innate sense of danger caused several sea dogs to wake up, open their eyes, and look over.
They had blue fur and glowing eyes. As they opened their mouths to bark.
"Whoosh!"
Carlotta’s speed was far greater than these sea dogs. With a flash of her Rose Cross, a flurry of sword shadows bloomed, and the sea dogs fell silently into a pool of blood.
These sea dogs were, at most, only at the apprentice level. In front of her, they had no power to resist.
After finishing this, Carlotta walked towards the house door. She changed at the door, which was reinforced with alchemy technology and would emit an alarm if tampered with. After some thought, she walked towards the window and found that there were also some alchemical devices on the window.
"The person living here is very cautious. Not only does he keep sea dogs as guards, but the doors and windows also have alarms. We can’t damage them," Amelia said in a low voice.
"Is it useful?" Carlotta whispered.
She used her Battle card art, and blue circles appeared around her.
Then she took out a card from it. This was a soundproofing card, which could prevent sounds within a certain area from escaping.
She activated the card, covering the entire large courtyard.
Then, she raised her foot and kicked the front door.
"Drip drip drip!"
A series of warning sounds echoed through the night in the next instant.
But it was useless. The sound could not escape, and all movements were suppressed by Carlotta’s soundproofing card.
"Let me see this former uncle."
Carlotta’s eyes held a hint of coldness as she entered the house.