CHAPTER 227: CHALLENGE

The streets of the imperial capital, Kestholm, were wide and clean, lined with pointed buildings in vivid colors, as if countless unique flowers were blooming.

Everywhere one looked, shops of all kinds stood side by side, restaurants, florists, bookstores, taverns, newspaper stands, all present and accounted for. From afar, the opera house sent out singing voices, the racetrack echoed with hoofbeats, and the stadium roared with thunderous cheers.

This city hadn’t changed much from before. Carlotta and Amelia immersed themselves in it, momentarily overcome with nostalgia.

They had traveled many places, seen countless sights, listened to street musicians playing violins, and watched magicians perform in the squares.

Sipping drinks, they wandered through the city, fully enjoying the various entertainments it offered.

Gradually, night fell.

Thick darkness enveloped the land. Twinkling starlight mingled with the city’s blossoming lamps, illuminating a brilliantly dazzling glow.

Beside a river, Carlotta and Amelia paused.

"Amelia, I’ve mastered a new magic. I feel I’ve got a good grasp of it. We can use it now, so we won’t need illusion masks and won’t have to worry about being recognized."

Carlotta said with a smile.

This magic was called Perception Magic. She wasn’t sure exactly which spoils it came from, but she definitely obtained it among her collected loot.

The spoils left behind by those she had killed naturally included not only their own learned magic but also magic they had gathered themselves. That was where this Perception Magic originated.

Perception Magic could alter one’s own or others’ senses. Carlotta could now completely make those around them ignore her and Amelia’s appearances in their perception. Thus, illusion masks really weren’t necessary anymore.

As she spoke, Carlotta removed her illusion mask, revealing her face weathered by time, yet still sweet and gentle.

She brushed her long hair and, for the first time in a long while, tied it into twin tails, just as she had when she first met Amelia.

Her reflection shimmered in the river, the black, form-fitting dress outlining her slender figure, making her look like nothing more than an innocent young lady.

Amelia glanced at Carlotta. "Were you still practicing magic while on our date?"

"Not really."

Carlotta shrugged. "It’s just that, walking along this path, I suddenly had a moment of clarity."

"Is that what genius feels like?"

Amelia couldn’t help but smile.

She also removed her illusion mask, revealing her true appearance.

Carlotta gazed at Amelia, momentarily captivated.

From the very first moment she saw Amelia, Carlotta believed she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world, no one could compare, not even herself.

She held this belief with absolute certainty.

Starlight fell onto Amelia’s body. Her white dress was pure, but her skin was even paler, glowing with a faint rosy hue.

Her long, silvery-white hair was perfectly neat, silky to the touch, and carried a faint, delicate fragrance.

But what attracted Carlotta most of all were Amelia’s lake-blue eyes, those eyes that always made her feel as if she were sinking into their depths.

"I feel like I’m about to drown."

Carlotta whispered softly.

"Drowning where?"

Amelia asked, startled.

"Drowning in your gentle lake."

Carlotta said.

Amelia couldn’t stop remembering something Carlotta had once said, though she couldn’t recall when exactly.

When someone was at a loss for words, they really were at a loss.

More often than not, Carlotta’s remarks left Amelia feeling helpless and a little frustrated, unsure how to reply, and occasionally, just a bit awkward.

Amelia could only turn her head away, gazing at her reflection in the river.

Because she had spent so long disguising her appearance, even looking at her own face now felt strangely fresh.

Carlotta leaned closer and said, "Do you think the river feels nervous when it reflects you?"

"Why would the river feel nervous?"

"Because it’s overwhelmed by your beauty."

Amelia held her forehead. Whether the river was truly struck by her beauty, she didn’t know, but she was definitely struck by awkwardness.

"Carlotta, maybe we should just head to the opera house instead."

Amelia said, half-laughing, half-sighing.

"Sure."

Carlotta nodded.

Afterward, the two attended a performance at the opera house. Notably, the singer performing that night happened to be Lucy Stuart.

The first time Carlotta invited Amelia to the opera house, she had used Lucy Stuart’s upcoming performance as her reason, and successfully convinced Amelia to go.

Later, Carlotta had once obtained intelligence about Lucy, learning that the famous singer, due to her immense popularity, was constantly targeted by admirers, her private life nearly nonexistent, and that she had considered retiring.

Yet, after all this time, the singer was still active and clearly as popular as ever. No one knew what had happened in between.

Seated in the audience, Carlotta and Amelia held hands, watching the stage.

Carlotta now mastered many magics, including one called Emotion Magic, which allowed her to perceive others’ emotions, and even manipulate them.

Through her perception, she could sense the genuine joy Lucy radiated during her performance. She knew the singer was truly invested in her art.

Then Carlotta turned her Emotion Magic toward Amelia’s emotions, discovering they glowed in a soft pink hue, the color of passionate love, indicating her deep affection and satisfaction with their relationship.

"Hehe."

Seeing this, Carlotta couldn’t help but grin.

The performance left both Carlotta and Amelia thoroughly satisfied. It lasted a long time before ending, after which the audience began to file out of the opera house.

After leaving, Carlotta pulled Amelia along, strolling several rounds through the capital, all the while cheerful and relaxed.

But not long after, a piece of news arrived that made Carlotta’s eyebrows twitch.

"Big news! Big news! Xavier Jeffry has issued a challenge to Carlotta White!"

"The Imperial Capital Evening News just published a heavyweight announcement, everyone, look!"

"What? Are Weavers going to battle?"

"Isn’t Carlotta White not a Weaver?"

"Though Carlotta White isn’t officially a Weaver, who wouldn’t regard her as a true one?"

"The Empire’s Number One Sword Saint versus the Empire’s Number One Genius, this is going to be amazing!"

Suddenly, people across the streets began discussing the same topic, their expressions excited and thrilled.

Carlotta, who was busy dragging Amelia around shopping, naturally couldn’t ignore this news. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

’Someone challenged me?’

Despite knowing all her past feats, someone still dared to challenge her, this person clearly wasn’t ordinary.

Carlotta glanced at Amelia beside her, noticing that Amelia’s expression had also grown serious.

"Do you know who this Xavier is?"

Carlotta asked.

This question made Amelia pause in surprise: "You don’t know?"

Carlotta scratched her head: "Should I know?"

Hearing this, Amelia felt somewhat amused, "He’s a renowned human warrior, known as the Empire’s First Sword Saint. He’s not someone you can take lightly, practically a household name."

That said, Amelia understood why Carlotta might not know about him.

Although Xavier had once shaken the entire world, in recent years he had indeed become much more low-key, with no related news at all. Thus, it wasn’t strange that younger people nowadays didn’t recognize him.

Right away, Amelia gave Carlotta a detailed explanation about Xavier.

While Amelia was speaking, Carlotta had already arrived beside a newsstand, where she bought a copy of the capital’s evening paper.

Her eyes scanned the newspaper. The news about the First Sword Saint challenging her, unsurprisingly, dominated the front page. The reporter had elaborated extensively, particularly highlighting the First Sword Saint’s past achievements and his history as a prodigy, emphasizing the significance of this challenge.

The First Sword Saint described in the newspaper matched what Amelia had just explained.

However, the newspaper added another detail, why the First Sword Saint had challenged Carlotta. Clearly, this was information Xavier himself had disclosed, and strangely, it was connected to the Carlisle family.

"So this family still can’t disappear completely from my sight?"

Carlotta narrowed her eyes.

The newspaper wasn’t very clear on this matter, merely mentioning that the First Sword Saint Xavier’s actions were somehow related to the Carlisle family.

"Bring it on. I’m not afraid of anyone."

Carlotta snorted lightly.

Amelia didn’t try to dissuade her. She naturally had full confidence in Carlotta, even though Carlotta was currently still only a peak tier Resonator.

Although ready to fight, Carlotta didn’t need to respond immediately. Holding Amelia’s soft hand, she continued their leisurely stroll until midnight arrived.

Carlotta pulled Amelia to sit down on a park bench and began reviewing intelligence.

[ 1: Amelia feels awkward and helpless about Carlotta’s overly affectionate words. It’s embarrassing to hear, and she’d rather not, but she doesn’t want to say anything directly to Carlotta, fearing Carlotta might feel upset.]

Carlotta was slightly speechless. She really was a complete novice in romance. Trying to use some sweet lines from internet lore of her previous life to praise someone, she’d only ended up making things awkward.

Fortunately, she could cheat. Since the intelligence said it didn’t work, she’d simply stop forcing compliments.

[ 2: Xavier Jeffry, known as the First Sword Saint of the Wendell Empire, is already a peak tier Weaver. Now, due to Achilles Carlisle, he has no choice but to challenge Carlotta White. He once owed Achilles a favor, a fact known to many. Upon learning of Achilles’ death, he couldn’t just pretend nothing happened. Even though he doesn’t want to oppose Carlotta, in the end, he still made this choice.]

Now Carlotta understood why the First Sword Saint Xavier Jeffry was coming after her.

’Judging from the intelligence, this guy doesn’t want to be my enemy, yet he’s forced into it anyway. No one’s actually pressuring him, purely because he owed Achilles a favor, and many people know about it. So, for the sake of reputation, he feels obliged to make a statement.’

Carlotta understood the situation and silently curled her lips.

[ 3: The missing material needed to construct a Tier- 3 ship is a divine artifact. Regardless of whether the divine artifact is complete, as long as it’s infused into the construction, the Tier- 3 ship can be built.]

Carlotta frowned.

She felt conflicted. Previously, the High Priestess had determined that once constructed, the Tier- 3 ship itself might become a divine artifact.

Now, building the Tier- 3 ship required a divine artifact to begin with. Then why use a divine artifact to build the ship?

Or perhaps, it was better to find a damaged divine artifact?

’The High Priestess does possess a broken divine artifact, the Eternal Heart, but obviously, she won’t give it to me. It holds immense significance for her.’

Carlotta pondered silently.

As for the divine artifacts in her possession...

The Stellar Workshop itself had been described by the High Priestess as carrying the aura of a divine artifact, though it was still unclear whether it truly counted as one. Even if it were, she couldn’t use it, since constructing the Tier- 3 ship required the Stellar Workshop itself, she couldn’t consume the workshop in the process.

Divine artifacts, objects used by gods, were practically unobtainable in the current world. Carlotta had never heard of anyone possessing one, not even the Wendell Empire could produce such a thing.

Where else could she possibly gather one?

Could she only target the High Priestess?

’Perhaps the Central Ruins might contain broken divine artifacts? Or... could the location pointed to by the Lion Key hold something?’

Carlotta thought silently.

But no matter what, the path to constructing the Tier- 3 ship had finally become a bit clearer.

No wonder the Stellar Workshop couldn’t convert other materials, it was missing a divine artifact.

The workshop currently displayed progress at 99%. That didn’t mean the divine artifact only accounted for 1% of the progress. The final 1% was special, fundamentally different.

Having finished reviewing the intelligence, Carlotta resumed her stroll with Amelia.

Even at midnight, Kestholm remained bustling, its atmosphere rivaling that of daytime.

Among the many spells Carlotta had cultivated, there was one called Half-Dream Magic, an odd magic whose origin she couldn’t recall, possibly obtained from someone’s spoils of war.

This magic allowed one to sleep while remaining awake.

This technique sounded strange, but it was indeed possible, enabling someone to appear as if they never slept, while actually fulfilling all sleep requirements.

Once mastered, one could fully focus on doing whatever they wished without worrying about sleep.

"In this world, there are actually quite a few bizarre and strange magic spells. In the past, people could only specialize, so those odd-looking spells with little practical use were simply abandoned. Only those who follow the correct path and walk the complete magical journey can truly utilize these special spells."

Carlotta sighed softly.

Both she and Amelia had already mastered Half-Dream Magic, so they didn’t need sleep.