CHAPTER 138: EXPLOSIVE INFORMATION

When Carlotta woke up again, it was already early morning. She hadn’t expected to sleep for so long.

Was it because she was too tired from the consecutive battles with peak tier Listeners?

In yesterday’s challenge, all the battles that were not rejected, her opponents were indeed peak tier Listeners, none of them weaker than that level, and it required mental focus to deal with them.

Carlotta got out of the carriage and looked around. She didn’t know where Amelia, who had woken up long ago, had gone. She was likely exploring the surroundings, hunting monsters.

The scarlet moon shone on the land again, appearing to be very close to Sky Island. Its immense size always caused an unavoidable sense of pressure when looking up at it.

The vast Sky Island seemed to be covered in a scarlet mist, and the visibility today was not very high.

The sounds of monsters were distant and continuous, rising and falling, making it clear what kind of place this was.

Carlotta used her card battle art, took out a cleaning card to clean herself quickly, and then took out some food from her storage card to eat simply. She and Amelia each carried some of this food for emergencies.

Afterward, Carlotta leaped lightly and sat sideways on the metal horse of the carriage, silently chanting to view her information.

[ 1: There is a Meteorite Stone (a map) at this location.]

The first piece of information was about resources, which made Carlotta’s expression change.

However, Meteorite Stone was indeed not a simple material. It could be said to be on the same level as Wind God Stone, existing only on Sky Island.

"Can I make a Judgment Card now?"

Carlotta whispered.

The Judgment Card was an attack card that early tier Listeners could make. Normally, the main material used was Blade Stone, supplemented by various materials to create it.

The most expensive of course was the main material, Blade Stone, which was much more expensive than Wind Speed Stone. Of course, this was still affordable for Carlotta, and she even had Blade Stone among the many spoils she had collected before.

However, the Judgment Card made with Blade Stone as the main material was just a very ordinary card, and Carlotta had no interest in it. It would not be stronger than her fighting with the Elven Knight path.

Blade Stone, as the main material, was not easily replaced. Unlike Wind Speed Stone, which had Wind God Stone as a higher-level substitute and Wind Demon Stone as an even higher-level substitute.

The only higher-level substitute for Blade Stone was Meteorite Stone, but Meteorite Stone only existed on Sky Island and was difficult to find. As a result, few people made Judgment Cards due to their cost-effectiveness.

If she could get Meteorite Stone...

Carlotta’s eyes lit up. A Judgment Card made with Meteorite Stone as the main material would definitely be very powerful.

However, when she looked at the location of the Meteorite Stone on the map, she couldn’t help but stare blankly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

In yesterday’s intelligence, the many pieces of information she obtained also provided a lot of useful news. She had already benefited from some of the intelligence, but there was one piece of intelligence she had not yet benefited from.

That intelligence mentioned a large number of tokens in the territory of a Resonator Monster. Because she had ventured deep into this territory, even though Carlotta knew the location, she did not rashly go to obtain them.

But now she felt it was difficult not to go.

Because the Meteorite Stone was also in the territory of this Resonator Monster, and it was in the same place!

This monster was called the Five-Colored Deer, which simultaneously controlled the five powers of wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning. It was extremely ferocious and difficult to deal with, even considered troublesome among Resonator Monsters.

Carlotta really didn’t want to provoke such a monster, but now that two pieces of intelligence with great rewards were related to the Five-Colored Deer’s territory, it was difficult for her to ignore them.

"I’ll go take a look if there’s a chance, and then I’ll decide."

Carlotta muttered to herself.

She looked at the second piece of intelligence.

[ 2: The flaws of the Five-Colored Deer are as follows: 1: Poor eyesight, unable to see stationary creatures. 2: Extremely gluttonous, extremely fond of Sun Flower. 3: Extremely irritable, easily provoked. 4: Extremely persistent, easily fixated on one target.]

Carlotta’s expression was subtle.

Since two of her intelligence reports involved the Five-Colored Deer, did it directly give her information about the Five-Colored Deer?

She looked at the four flaws of the Five-Colored Deer and couldn’t help but ponder. Suddenly, she felt that the Five-Colored Deer might not be impossible to deal with.

Carlotta decided to go there directly later to see if she could use Sun Flower to pave a path to lure the Five-Colored Deer out of its territory. As long as she seized the time, she might be able to take away what she needed without the need to conflict with the Five-Colored Deer.

She still had quite a bit of Sun Flower.

Carlotta’s gaze moved down to the third piece of intelligence. She found that the content of the third piece of intelligence was a bit extensive. As she looked closely, her pupils widened.

[ 3: A list of the final rewards for this Sky Island Sky Ranking...]

The final rewards were out?

Carlotta was shocked, and then she understood. She had learned the content of the final rewards in advance, which made her gaze immediately become ardent as she looked through the rewards one by one.

The rewards for the top 20 were all very valuable, with various rare materials that were almost impossible to see, as well as some alchemical materials and books of magic or knight paths presented within.

The rewards for the top three made Carlotta’s heart tremble.

The third prize was called "Stardust," which was actually an alchemical ship. It was built in the style of the Royal Grace school among the eighteen alchemical ship construction schools of the Wendell Empire. This school, unlike the Romantic school that pursued entertainment, focused more on actual combat, and the alchemical ships built were naturally extraordinary.

This Stardust was even an artifact-level alchemical ship, far surpassing the level of the Moonlight. If the two were to collide at sea, the Stardust could probably shatter the Moonlight in one encounter.

Carlotta’s eyes burned with desire, but the top two rewards were even more substantial, making people feel even more crazy.

The second prize was actually a floating castle called "Sky Castle." The castle was only small, but the fact that it could float was terrifying enough.

It should be known that floating castles, as alchemical items, did not exist in this world. They were theoretical alchemical creations, but such things were actually appearing in this world?

Things that countless alchemists could not build, but here on Sky Island, they appeared as finished products?

Carlotta could completely imagine the great stir that the floating castle would cause if it could appear in the outside world. It was destined to shake the entire Northern Continent, and even alchemists from the Southern Continent would travel thousands of miles to witness this artifact. This was a discovery that would go down in alchemical history.

"What kind of joke is this? Are the rewards given this time so terrifying? The third and second places are so outrageous? Leaving aside the alchemical ship, such a thing as a floating castle, shouldn’t it have been the first prize in the past?"

Carlotta was shocked.

Comparing the rewards for the top three with those for the lower ranks, it was clear they were in entirely different leagues.

The third-place prize, an alchemy ship, was an artifact.

The second-place prize, a floating castle, was also an artifact.

Obtaining the third-place reward would likely pose no problem for traversing the seas, as it wasn’t just any artifact, but a high-grade one, possibly capable of fighting a Pirate General.

Carlotta had previously acquired alchemy ship blueprints on Lionheart Island. The alchemy ships described in them were incredibly difficult to build, but the ship mentioned was divided into three stages, allowing for phased construction.

Carlotta calculated that the simplest first stage alone would be comparable to this third-place alchemy ship.

This made Carlotta sigh with emotion. Something she had longed to build but couldn’t achieve was now merely the third-place prize.

As for the second-place prize... such a revolutionary creation, once unveiled, would surely attract countless alchemists to study it. The wisdom of alchemists was not to be underestimated; once successful in their research, many new alchemical creations might emerge.

For example, more floating castles.

At the very least, aerial vehicles like airships capable of soaring through the skies might appear. Because of the floating castle’s ability to remain airborne, it would undoubtedly become a focal point of research.

And such a revolutionary item was merely the second-place prize.

Carlotta’s gaze fell upon the first-place prize, and her expression shifted, becoming subtle, then conflicted.

"This... this... should I aim for first place, or settle for second?"

Carlotta’s dilemma stemmed from the peculiar nature of the first-place reward.

It was an item called the Stellar Workshop, described as the pinnacle of alchemical achievement. It could normally shrink to the size of a fingernail, but when necessary, it could transform into a massive workshop.

By simply inputting the required materials and blueprints into the Stellar Workshop, it could naturally produce the desired alchemical creations without any alchemist’s involvement.

Based on its description, the Stellar Workshop seemed capable of crafting alchemical creations of any level.

Notably, the third-place prize, the alchemy ship "Starship," and the second-place prize, the floating castle "Skyship," were both produced by the Stellar Workshop.

This revelation left Carlotta in silence. The second and third-place prizes actually originated from the first-place prize, which felt rather peculiar.

It was evident that the Stellar Workshop possessed unparalleled potential and future prospects. In the long run, the Stellar Workshop was the clear choice.

However, for the short term...

"Short term my foot, I’m choosing the Stellar Workshop!"

Carlotta immediately made up her mind. She had to contend for first place no matter what.

While the third-place alchemy ship was formidable, capable of fighting a Pirate General, it had its limitations, being confined to the sea. But who would want to stay at sea forever?

The second-place floating castle could travel anywhere, but one must not forget that it was an unprecedented alchemical creation with the ability to float. This was a research achievement that would drive all the world’s alchemists mad, attracting the attention of countless individuals.

Carlotta didn’t believe she had the capability to protect such a research achievement. Even if the floating castle’s combat power was as formidable as the third-place alchemy ship, there were still many transcendent beings whose individual combat prowess was only stronger, not weaker, making direct confrontation impossible.

"Second place is actually a hot potato. Whoever obtains it will face difficulties. Without a strong enough background, it could bring disaster."

Carlotta then slapped her forehead.

While second place was a hot potato, wasn’t first place also a hot potato?

While the ability to float would drive alchemists mad, wouldn’t automatic alchemy also drive them mad?

Since both second and third place originated from first place, the Stellar Workshop would only make people more covetous!

"I must hide my identity well and not let anyone know that the Stellar Workshop is in my possession."

Carlotta thought to herself.

Unlike the floating castle, which would be highly conspicuous once used and easily targeted, the Stellar Workshop would not cause any commotion when in use. As long as no one knew who took it, its safety would be somewhat guaranteed.

Even something like prophetic magic required reaching the actual location to predict. Could they travel to the Sky Island to make predictions?

Carlotta began to ponder how to protect the Stellar Workshop and keep it hidden. After much thought, she realized a problem: the Stellar Workshop wasn’t in her possession yet.

"I still need to find a way to obtain first place first,"

Carlotta murmured to herself.

The final rewards on Sky Island would be publicly announced, informing everyone what the rewards were and who obtained them... Fortunately, she used the codename "Moon." Who knew who "Moon" was?

Carlotta touched her face again. She had been wearing the Illusion Mask throughout the ranking challenges. Even if someone saw her, they wouldn’t know who she was.

Carlotta sighed, "Today only had three pieces of intel, but the information volume was truly explosive."

She took out a token, channeled magic into it, and opened the Sky Ranking. She saw that she had dropped three spots over the course of the day and was now in 20th place.

She immediately challenged the person in 19th place, who was a peak tier Listener. She was confident she could handle it.

But her challenge was rejected.

She challenged the person in 21st place, who was also a peak tier Listener, but her challenge was rejected again.

This situation made Carlotta want to curse. She felt these people were too cowardly. How could peak tier Listeners be afraid to face an early tier Listener? Wouldn’t they be laughed to death if word got out?

"Whoosh!"

At that moment, a figure streaked through the air. Amelia had returned.

As expected, she had gone to hunt monsters in the vicinity and had just returned. She handed the collected tokens to Carlotta.

At the same time, she asked, "Do you want to eat something?"

"I’ve already eaten,"

Carlotta shook her head.

She quickly took the tokens Amelia brought back and found that her ranking had jumped to 17th place.

She immediately challenged the person in 18th place, and was rejected.

Then she challenged the person in 16th place... and was still rejected.

"A bunch of cowards!"

Carlotta couldn’t help but exclaim, feeling a bit anxious. She currently had just over six hundred tokens, and first place was rapidly approaching. It was impossible for her not to be worried.

She didn’t know when Sky Island would close, and she was determined to get the Stellar Workshop!

Seeing Carlotta like this, Amelia chuckled, "The people ranked high up clearly cherish their rankings and are unwilling to accept challenges carelessly, regardless of who the challenger is. If we want to improve our ranking, we still need to hunt monsters."

Carlotta was troubled. If she had to hunt monsters, how long would it take for her tokens to surpass others?

There was no other way. Carlotta could only set her sights on the territory of the Five-Colored Deer. There were still many unclaimed tokens and Meteorite stone there. She decided to obtain them all first.