CHAPTER 158: SWAN PORT

Though Carlotta appeared reckless, acting as if she feared not even Resonator, she wasn’t truly careless.

As she charged forward, the Rose Cross already appeared in her hand, and even the Elven Rhapsody had already been activated.

This was a rhapsody only she herself could hear, notes leaping one by one, stimulating every cluster of magic power within her body, rapidly bringing her into a wondrous state where all aspects of her physical abilities greatly improved.

In this state, she wouldn’t completely fall into Shepard’s sensory illusions, only partially succumbing, still retaining the ability to resist.

Their weapons clashed, a powerful shockwave surging through, and with a loud boom both were sent flying backward.

Carlotta broke free from the battlefield illusion, then swung her sword midair, Elven Melody and Elven Elegy activated simultaneously. Different melodies faintly surfaced, beginning to draw Shepard into a strange state.

Meanwhile, Amelia had already rushed toward the rest of the army.

Sword aura whistled through the air, nothing could withstand it, utter slaughter ensued. In an instant, large groups of soldiers collapsed, blood splattered, white bones exposed, and screams followed one after another.

"Stop!"

Shepard blocked Carlotta’s attack, then turned his head and saw the scene, his eyes turned blood-red.

He wanted to stop Amelia’s massacre, but Carlotta flickered and blocked his path once again.

"Do you know what you’re doing? You’re attacking the Farrel Kingdom’s army within the Farrel Kingdom’s territory. Don’t you fear never leaving this kingdom alive?"

Shepard roared.

"Save your breath. Why don’t you say your side struck first? Is your attack justified while our counterattack makes us the wrongdoers? You old man, always pretending to be so innocent, I can see you’re no good either."

Carlotta coldly replied.

"You— "

Shepard’s emotions could no longer remain calm. His army was being slaughtered; he couldn’t afford to speak calmly anymore. He immediately swung his sword fiercely at Carlotta.

Yet Carlotta’s demonstrated strength shocked him. Judging from magical fluctuations, she was clearly only a middle tier Listener, yet possessed terrifying combat power, actually able to exchange blows evenly with him.

He had the feeling that, within a short time, he truly couldn’t defeat her.

This made Shepard increasingly anxious, and also puzzled, how could a middle tier Listener be so outrageous? It was just like that person from Sky Island named Moon, mentioned in recent rumors...

Wait!

As if lightning had struck his heart, Shepard suddenly froze. Many recent rumors surfaced in his mind.

Some said Moon was a Middle tier Listener. Some said Moon knew Elven Knight Path. Some said Moon used card magic. Others said...

So much information, not believed by others. Shepard had heard them too, only thinking them absurd. But now, he suddenly realized that many of these rumors actually matched the person standing before him.

Could this person actually be Moon?

This suspicion shook Shepard deeply, his breathing immediately becoming heavier.

After all, the first prize of Sky Island, the Stellar Workshop, was in the hands of that person called Moon. That terrifying alchemical artifact capable of overturning the entire continent’s balance. If he could obtain it...

For a moment, Shepard’s hands even trembled. He no longer cared about his subordinates being slaughtered by Amelia, his gaze instead locked tightly onto Carlotta.

Carlotta immediately sensed the shift in Shepard’s emotions.

Though she was relatively reckless, she was observant when it mattered. From certain details, she quickly deduced that this guy Shepard might be suspecting her identity.

After all, keeping her identity hidden was something she deeply cared about, she always considered this possibility first.

’This guy can’t be allowed to escape.’

Carlotta thought to herself.

She swung her sword, darting through the air, rapidly exchanging blows with Shepard while searching for openings and opportunities.

She wanted to use Elven Symphony, but this attack, which condensed all the power of Elven Knight Path, would only exist for an extremely brief moment and had a cooldown period. She couldn’t unleash a second strike in quick succession, it had to succeed.

Fortunately, even without using Elven Symphony, in the state of Elven Rhapsody, she was still capable of fighting a Resonant evenly.

With no one to stop her, Amelia swept through like a flood. In a short time, she slaughtered hundreds of Farrel Kingdom’s soldiers before her.

Blood covered the road, bone after bone exposed. The scene looked extremely terrifying, as if it were hell itself.

Amelia showed no mercy. She turned and looked toward Carlotta and Shepard, instantly understanding Carlotta was seeking an opening.

Then, she would create that opening.

Even though losing the Sky Rankings’ help in purifying magic power had left her a step behind in rank, she could still participate in battles of this level; she had already taken part in such battles on Sky Island.

Amelia rapidly charged in, sword aura from memory whistling in continuous waves, quickly enveloping Shepard.

"Sword aura Knight Path?"

Shepard immediately identified Amelia’s attack and instantly had a countermeasure.

But as he swiftly shattered wave after wave of sword aura, behind the multitude of attacks, a streak of deep blue light suddenly shot forward, carrying a destructive aura, arriving before Shepard’s eyes in an instant.

This was the Moon God Cannon!

More accurately, this was the Moon God Cannon from Amelia’s memory.

Though the sword aura from memory was highly effective, and Amelia had relied on it for a long time, she had never forgotten her true ability was Memory Magic, her combat methods could be far more diverse.

One Moon God Cannon was hidden behind the sword aura, suddenly blasting forward. Even Shepard didn’t anticipate it, because his judgment of Amelia was already wrong.

This caused him to instinctively slash his sword down, merely triggering the explosion of the Moon God Cannon. With a loud boom, a burst of deep blue explosion enveloped Shepard, shaking his entire body.

The chance had arrived!

Carlotta’s eyes lit up. Deeply admiring Amelia, she could create an opening for her at first strike. Truly, her beloved little treasure.

In the next instant, Elven Symphony was already unleashed by Carlotta. All the essence and understanding of Elven Knight Path were poured into a dazzling sword beam.

As that sword beam appeared, heaven and earth lost their colors, leaving only the radiant sword light displaying ultimate sharpness.

Brilliant sword light, as if splitting heaven and earth apart, flashed past Shepard in the blink of an eye.

Shepard hadn’t even seen the sharp edge of that sword light clearly, when in the next moment he realized the world had split into two halves, one shifting upward, the other downward.

That sword light had torn apart heaven and earth?

No, it was himself that had been torn apart!

Shepard quickly grasped his situation, his eyes filled with disbelief. He clearly hadn’t expected to be cut open so suddenly.

In his final moments, Shepard recalled those widespread rumors, many sounding incredible, even absurd. And now he realized, they were all true.

A Middle tier Listener really could kill a Resonant!

With a sigh, Shepard Shepard sank into eternal darkness.

"Taking down an early tier Resonant isn’t much of a problem."

Carlotta exuded considerable confidence.

Back on Sky Island, Rolf had been severely wounded by Eunice’s self-destruction and wasn’t at full strength. But the Shepard just now was undoubtedly in peak condition. This better proved Carlotta’s strength.

Carlotta stepped forward, collected Shepard’s weapons, then quickly searched the others along with Amelia, gathering loot.

After finishing these tasks, the group swiftly departed.

As they left, Carlotta and Amelia used the upgraded Illusion Mask inside the carriage to alter their appearances once again, unwilling even for others to know they were the ones who’d purchased Life Source.

The upgraded Illusion Mask could store more than one appearance. They transformed into blue-haired, blue-eyed girls, a common look along southern coastal regions, blending into their next environment.

Even their subordinates were ordered to replace their Illusion Masks and change their appearances anew.

Thus, the group rapidly vanished into the distance.

After a considerable amount of time passed since their departure, the corpses of Shepard and the Farrel Kingdom military forces were finally discovered.

Soon after, the entire Farrel Kingdom erupted in uproar, countless people shocked, some even horrified.

A military unit belonging to the Farrel Kingdom’s armed forces had been completely annihilated within their own borders? Even a Resonator had died in the slaughter?

This was undoubtedly a grave matter. Especially because Shepard’s identity was far from simple, he came from a Marquis Family of the Farrel Kingdom, was a Resonator himself, and wielded significant influence within the Shepard Family. His death equaled an earthquake!

Immediately, the Farrel Kingdom mobilized completely. Military units began appearing everywhere, rapidly investigating the incident.

The conflict related to the Life Source was soon uncovered, and the military quickly identified Carlotta and Amelia as suspects.

But the two had already altered their appearances and left. On their journey forward, even if they encountered inspections, they remained undetected. Thus, they traveled smoothly all the way to the Swan Sea.

...

Swan Sea was a coastal region in the southern part of the Northern Continent, named for the many swans inhabiting its nearshore waters, a remarkably tranquil sea.

Deeper within the Swan Sea lay the Bass archipelago, known as the Northern Continent’s trade center. Representatives from various races gathered here, and countless rare and unusual goods could be found.

Swan Port was the largest harbor in the Swan Sea. Those attempting long-distance voyages would always set sail from here.

After arriving, Carlotta’s group planned to board a passenger liner, traveling as ordinary passengers to the Bass archipelago. They didn’t want to use Moonlight, to avoid leaving any traces along the way.

This port was enormous, with massive passenger liners docked along the coastline. Though not alchemical ships, they bore traces of alchemy and were far sturdier than ordinary vessels, even if they didn’t reach alchemical ship standards.

Around them, brightly colored buildings bustled with constant streams of guests, extremely lively.

Carlotta held Amelia’s hand, bought ice cream, then sat down on a park bench, chatting while waiting.

Purchasing tickets was left to their subordinates. These subordinates were kept around precisely for handling such minor tasks, they couldn’t possibly be expected to participate in combat.

"This place is truly bustling. It doesn’t seem inferior to Kestholm at all."

Carlotta sighed wistfully.

Kestholm was the imperial capital of the Wendell Empire. A mere port rivaling the capital, truly extraordinary.

Amelia leaned against Carlotta’s arm, her body pressed close.

She asked doubtfully, "I remember Swan Port, though considered lively, shouldn’t be this crowded."

"Maybe it’s developed a lot in recent years?"

Carlotta guessed.

"No, it’s simply due to people being stranded here."

A voice came from another bench nearby.

Carlotta and Amelia looked over. The speaker was a middle-aged woman wearing a tight-fitting black dress that revealed her curvaceous figure.

The woman smiled and said, "You’re newcomers to Swan Bay, I assume? Planning to go to the Bass archipelago?"

Carlotta nodded in confirmation.

The Bass archipelago, as a trade center and due to their geographical location, were also called the "World’s Center." Countless people passed through daily. Traveling to the Bass archipelago wasn’t unusual.

The woman said, "If you’d arrived earlier, going to the Bass archipelago wouldn’t have been a problem. But now, it’s somewhat troublesome, you can’t reach the Bass archipelago for the time being."

"Why is that?"

Carlotta asked, puzzled.

"Because the Starlight Sea pirates have arrived."

The woman sighed.

Starlight Sea pirates?

Carlotta and Amelia exchanged glances, their faces involuntarily revealing rather complicated expressions.

"This isn’t really a secret anymore."

The woman slowly began explaining.

This matter was actually connected to General Soul Reaper.

General Soul Reaper had placed third in the recent Sky Island incident, obtaining an alchemical ship named Star. With a single ship capable of battling Weavers, General Soul Reaper thrived, immediately launching major actions in Starlight Sea.

First, she clashed with the other pirate generals among the Top Ten Pirate Generals, killing three in succession. Then, she began fighting against the navy dispatched by the Wendell Empire.

"There are now only seven of the Top Ten Pirate Generals left in Starlight Sea. Who knows if that number will keep decreasing?"

The woman sighed deeply, then recounted General Soul Reaper’s confrontations with the Wendell Empire Navy.

Initially, the Imperial Navy was repeatedly defeated. Star was truly overwhelming, and as a pirate general, Soul Reaper’s naval strength had never been weak to begin with. After defeating three other pirate generals and seizing vast spoils, her might grew even more terrifying, she even faintly resembled the former Pirate King’s glory.

Thus, the Empire began mobilizing its full strength.