Chapter 163: Celebrity
Were Alistair and the others really taken away just like that?
Although it was somewhat unexpected, Carlotta was delighted. It would be even better if Alistair and his group could clash with the people from the Farrell Kingdom and start fighting.
She continued monitoring the situation, and soon received a piece of gossip explaining why the Farrell Kingdom had taken Alistair and his companions away for investigation, because they suspected them of being involved in Shepard’s death.
As the mastermind behind it all, Carlotta immediately took action.
She instructed Amelia to relay orders to her subordinates, sending a few people to quietly spread rumors claiming they had seen Alistair and his group near the city of Bor, specifically around the time of Shepard’s death.
Even if Alistair and his companions weren’t actually responsible, Carlotta was determined to frame them. Of course, she understood framing wouldn’t be that effective, she only needed the Farrell Kingdom to harbor slight suspicion.
No concrete evidence was necessary; just a simple doubt. Given Alistair and his group’s pride and arrogance, they would undoubtedly become furious, and conflicts between the two sides were inevitable.
On Amelia’s soldiers roster, there were currently three groups in Swanport: one group of pirates, a second group recruited from the outer regions of Sky Island, and a third group consisting of several early tier listeners from Sky Island’s inner regions.
At this moment, except for those few early tier listeners and the Wave Magic practitioner Mia, Amelia had dispatched everyone else to carry out Carlotta’s instructions.
After making the arrangements, Amelia looked at Carlotta strangely and asked, "Carlotta, why don’t you just give the orders yourself? Why do you have me relay them?"
Could Carlotta have sensed something? Did she suspect the existence of the soldiers’ roster?
It was her secret, something she had never spoken of, but Carlotta seemed to have some inkling.
Facing Amelia’s gaze, Carlotta blinked and said, "Because I noticed these people listen better to you. It’s more suitable for you to give the orders."
"Have you sensed something?"
Amelia asked softly, directly confronting the issue.
"Well... I did sense something unusual, but it’s probably your secret, so I won’t pry. Even between lovers, there should be some personal mysteries. I won’t deliberately investigate them."
Carlotta smiled.
Amelia thought to herself, So she really has figured it out.
She fell silent for a moment before saying, "I do have a secret. Those I’ve subdued are completely under my control and cannot resist me. That’s basically the situation."
She didn’t elaborate on the details of the soldiers roster. The matter was complicated, involving the hidden secrets of the Fenwick family.
Carlotta, having already learned about the situation through intelligence, naturally didn’t press further. Instead, she comforted, "You don’t need to tell me. A mysterious Amelia is even more intriguing."
Not long after, rumors began circulating in Swanport, mentioning that Alistair and his two companions, the ones who had committed murder in broad daylight, had been spotted near the city of Bor.
Carlotta didn’t pay much attention to the rumors. Afterward, she and Amelia returned to the carriage to take a nap, it was the perfect time for rest during the day.
When they awoke again, it was already deep in the night.
Carlotta began meditating, absorbing elemental forces from the surroundings and converting them into her own magic power. For a moment, her body inside the carriage seemed to exude an ethereal quality.
Tonight, she didn’t plan on going out shopping.
Seeing this, Amelia also began meditating, saying to Carlotta, "Carlotta, I know you still want to target Alistair and his group, but don’t be too hasty. Wait a little for me, I think I’m about to catch up to you and become a Middle tier listener."
Amelia could profoundly sense the changes in her magic power. Her progress could also be rapid.
Carlotta was somewhat surprised. "You’re progressing this quickly too?"
Amelia nodded. "On Sky Island, I gained many benefits. The following cultivation process is proceeding smoothly. Not only am I nearing Middle tier listener, but even reaching peak-tier listener doesn’t seem far off, I should arrive at that level in a relatively short time."
Her talent had always been excellent, and particularly accelerated as she advanced, because her memories held more and more knowledge, this was her foundation. The richer her foundation became, the stronger she would grow.
Carlotta was overjoyed. Amelia’s strength increasingly felt just like her own strength growing, there was no reason not to be happy.
"Great! I think I’m also close to becoming a peak tier listener. Then we can properly deal with the Carlisle family."
Carlotta said excitedly.
"You’re close too?"
"Yes, I feel my magic refinement is progressing very quickly. Continuing like this, peak tier listener is just around the corner."
"No surprise there."
Amelia wasn’t too shocked. Carlotta had always stood out in cultivation, and she had grown accustomed to it.
The two didn’t talk much more and settled into quiet meditation.
A listener could perceive the existence of elemental forces. High-quality elemental forces would be lively and cheerful, while those with "low moods" would be of inferior quality.
Listeners could absorb more suitable elemental forces, converting them into magic power and continuously purifying their own magic, becoming stronger.
Listening was a process of continuously purifying one’s own magic power.
In meditation, Carlotta sensed the various "voices" of elemental forces around her, sounds drifting everywhere, representing countless elements.
Elements were like air, omnipresent, invisible to the naked eye. Everyone existed within an ocean composed of elements.
Carlotta actively absorbed the more active elements, driving away the less active ones, selectively meditating as her internal magic power was continuously purified.
In the blink of an eye, time passed until dawn.
Carlotta paused her cultivation and pulled up her intelligence panel.
[ 1: Portland Shepard and others from the Farrell Kingdom now strongly suspect the three members of the Carlisle family are connected to Shepard’s death, and are conducting multiple overt and covert investigations. However, the three members of the Carlisle family have also sensed this and are extremely dissatisfied with the investigation. Relations between both sides have become particularly tense.]
Carlotta smiled in satisfaction, wishing the two sides would start fighting immediately. She didn’t necessarily need to personally target the Carlisle family, if the people from the Farrell Kingdom could step up and eliminate the Carlisle family, she would be more than pleased to see it happen.
Carlotta only hoped the people of the Farrell Kingdom could put in a little more effort.
[ 2: The Wendell Empire Navy and the Sun Moon Federal Navy once spotted General Soul Reaper piloting the Starlight into the Mist Sea from the Swan Sea. It is speculated that General Soul Reaper may be heading toward the southern continent. If so, the shipping route from Swan Port to the Bass Archipelago could resume. The Federation is currently conducting final inspections, and the restoration of the route is imminent.]
Carlotta nodded slightly.
The route should have been restored long ago, but it wasn’t too late now, either.
The Bass Archipelago, as a trade center and due to their geographical location, were known as the world’s heart, a famously prosperous and bustling place. It was quite something to look forward to.
[ 3: In the capital of the Brandon Kingdom, a massive gathering of alchemists from the northern continent has come together to study the floating castle. After many days, several outstanding alchemy masters have already extracted the essence of levitation. Before long, this floating technology will be applied to other alchemical constructs. The birth of alchemical flying vessels is no longer far off.]
Carlotta marveled again, alchemists really were insane. How had they figured out how to build floating alchemical constructs so quickly?
Undoubtedly, this was an event that would reshape the landscape of the northern continent.
’Stellar Workshop can clearly build floating castles too, but it can’t create them from nothing, they require blueprints... Where on earth am I supposed to get blueprints?’
Carlotta pondered silently.
Of course, she didn’t actually want to build a floating castle herself. She was merely reflecting, since she hadn’t even constructed the first-rank alchemical ship from the blueprint she’d obtained on Lionheart Island.
She had been collecting alchemical materials everywhere, but her progress was still under 40%, and that was only because she’d sacrificed the Moonlight as raw material. It would still take quite some time before she could truly build that alchemical vessel.
After her brief musing, Carlotta closed her interface and resumed training. Today, there were only three minimal intelligence updates.
Training wasn’t something that could be done endlessly, everyone had a daily threshold. Once training reached a certain point, continuing further diminished its effectiveness, or even rendered it useless.
Both Carlotta and Amelia now had ways to raise this threshold, but even so, they stopped after a few hours.
The two left the carriage and walked through the nighttime Swan Port.
"The sea is calm, no bad news has come through. Perhaps the shipping routes will restart soon."
Carlotta made a subtle "prediction."
"I want to see an opera, but unfortunately, Swan Port doesn’t have an opera house."
Amelia sounded regretful.
Swan Port, after all, was merely a port city, filled with travelers passing through. Naturally, there would be no opera house here.
Carlotta immediately said, "The nearest city isn’t far. We could go take a look."
"No need. That city doesn’t have an opera house either."
Amelia smiled faintly.
Opera houses were considered a refined form of entertainment, existing only in cities of a certain size.
"Then let me perform for you. But I don’t know opera, opera tells stories through singing, right? I can split it: do you want to hear a story, or do you want me to sing?"
Carlotta asked.
Amelia instantly became interested. "Then sing for me."
She had never heard Carlotta sing before. It felt like it would be something quite interesting.
Carlotta cleared her throat, recalling many famous songs passed down from her past life. She selected one with a style similar to this world, translated the lyrics, and leaned close to Amelia’s ear, softly singing just two lines.
She wasn’t actually a trained singer, she’d never studied systematically. To a professional, her singing would likely seem amateurish. But to an ordinary person, her voice was sweet and pleasant. That was enough.
Amelia’s eyes lit up even more.
Even though Carlotta had only sung two simple lines, Amelia was instantly captivated. "This Carlotta... seems rare. Where is this song from? I’ve never heard it before."
"I overheard someone singing it on the roadside by chance."
Carlotta smiled and continued singing for Amelia.
She certainly had no interest in becoming a literary plagiarist and copying songs over.
The two stood very close together, walking along the path.
Soon, a small commotion appeared ahead on the road. A crowd had gathered, their voices loud and excited.
This naturally caught Carlotta and Amelia’s attention. They stepped forward and quickly learned what was happening.
A celebrity had appeared.
"Melissa Harris, unbelievable that she’s come here. Is she heading to the Bass Archipelago?"
"I heard the Tower of Babel is reopening after many years. Melissa probably came for that."
"This is the first Listener of the Nelson Kingdom! Never thought I’d see her here."
Many people gasped, recognizing the celebrity.
Melissa Harris was a blonde woman, graceful in manner, smiling as she greeted the crowd, seeming very down-to-earth.
She was a famous figure from the neighboring Nelson Kingdom, a card magic practitioner whose strength was exceptional. She had won many renowned battles, which was how she gained her fame.
But while some adored her, others remained indifferent. "What ’first Listener’? She’s only the best card magic user at the Listener stage, not the best in all fields."
"Exactly. And it’s limited to just the Nelson Kingdom."
"She’s overhyped. A Listener with more fame than most Resonators? Isn’t it obvious there’s someone pulling strings behind the scenes?"
Many people were unimpressed by Melissa, their tone cold, even believing her reputation was undeserved.
Some praised, some resisted. People holding different views inevitably started arguing.
Carlotta listened for a while, then said in surprise, "The top card magic practitioner at the Listener tier? Sounds impressive."
Amelia whispered, "I’ve heard of her too. But most likely, there’s someone pushing her from behind, a reputation manufactured on purpose. Of course, she does have some real skill; otherwise, the forces behind her couldn’t push her so far."
"How does she compare to me?"
Carlotta grinned.
"She definitely can’t compare to you."
Amelia was utterly certain.
Even though she’d never seen Melissa fight, she’d seen Carlotta fight countless times. There was no way she could believe anyone could rival Carlotta.
People like Carlotta, so absurdly powerful, couldn’t possibly be mass-produced.
This answer satisfied Carlotta greatly.
"To be precise, you’re the real celebrity."
Amelia referred to the title "Moon."
That name had undoubtedly already spread across the northern continent. Once the Swan Sea routes reopened, the southern continent would certainly remember it too.