Chapter 169: Past
The wind chime hanging before the window emitted a crisp sound, while the ocean rose and fell, waves crashing rhythmically.
Carlotta stood by the inn’s window, glancing outside. The scenery seemed pleasant enough, so she closed the window and drew the curtains, plunging the room into dimness.
Time to sleep.
Carlotta removed her Illusion Mask, letting her red hair cascade down, then began shedding her clothes one piece at a time.
Amelia was already seated on the bed, her true form restored, silver hair flowing smoothly, her beauty so exquisite that when motionless, she resembled the most magnificent painting in the world.
After removing her outer garments, Carlotta walked over, caught sight of Amelia’s stunning face, and couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheek, finding it hard to restrain herself.
Amelia, refusing to be outdone, immediately raised her hand and pinched Carlotta’s cheek, pulling it sideways.
"Mmm, Amelia, you actually have a retaliatory streak."
Carlotta mumbled indistinctly.
"Let you pinch my face every day."
Amelia replied with mild reproach, though she wasn’t truly angry at Carlotta, it was simply the kind of playful interaction shared between lovers.
Then Carlotta suddenly pushed Amelia down onto the bed, pinning her beneath her body, gazing at that face whose unparalleled beauty defied description no matter what words one might use.
"Amelia, how can you be this beautiful? It’s almost unbelievable."
Carlotta said unconsciously.
Every girl enjoys being complimented on her beauty, and Amelia was no exception.
She pursed her lips into a slight smile and said, "Aren’t you also a very sweet girl? Hmm, you could even be called a ’sweetie’."
"So do you like sweeties?"
"I do."
Amelia nodded slightly, her face tinged with red.
Carlotta giggled, then slowly lowered her head, drawing nearer and nearer to Amelia’s face.
Finally, their lips met, drawing in each other’s scent.
...
Nighttime on Island Nine was no less lively than daytime. Streetlamps and shop lights interwove, illuminating many areas as brightly as daylight.
Carlotta awoke, still holding Amelia in her arms. She took out her Clock Card and checked, it was currently six in the evening. Having woken early today, it was probably related to having gone to sleep earlier in the morning.
She glanced at Amelia, still asleep, couldn’t resist planting a loud kiss on her smooth cheek, then got up, put on her Illusion Mask, and transformed into Reilahira.
"Just arrived at the Bass Archipelago, tonight’s intelligence gathering should yield plenty of valuable information. How exciting."
Carlotta murmured softly.
After using a Cleaning Card to freshen up, she stepped out of the inn and wandered around the nearby streets, eventually picking up two takeout meals from a restaurant not far away before returning.
By then, Amelia had also woken up.
Carlotta used a Cleaning Card to help Amelia freshen up, and the two began eating their meal, whether it counted as dinner or breakfast, they weren’t sure.
"So, what are your plans next? The follow-up to the Elven Knight Path isn’t something easily inquired about."
Amelia asked.
She understood Carlotta’s goal and knew this matter wouldn’t be easy to handle.
Carlotta smiled faintly. "I’m not in too much of a hurry. We can first wander around various places on the Bass Archipelago, getting to know the situation here. Hmm, let’s treat it like a date."
Hearing the word "date", so full of romantic implication, Amelia felt slightly embarrassed, yet deep down, she looked forward to it.
After finishing their meal, the two walked hand-in-hand out onto the streets.
Island Nine had an intensely commercial atmosphere. With crowds constantly moving about, browsing shop after shop, it was easy for newcomers to become immersed in its energy.
Carlotta and Amelia strolled hand-in-hand from shop to shop, purchasing a few local specialties.
Soon, at a street corner, Carlotta suddenly stopped, turning her head with a puzzled expression.
"What’s wrong?"
Amelia asked.
"I thought I saw someone familiar, maybe it was just my imagination."
Carlotta’s eyes were clouded with confusion.
"So uncertain?"
"Mmm... because it really was someone from a distant memory."
Carlotta fell into thought.
She had never forgotten that really Carlotta had been actually the daughter of a merchant guild, a guild called the White Merchant Guild, named after her family’s surname.
That guild had eventually run into trouble. The guild’s leaders, her parents, had died in an accident while traveling, causing the entire guild to lose its leadership overnight.
In theory, without a leader, the White Merchant Guild should have been inherited by Carlotta, and her claim was perfectly legitimate. Yet in reality, Carlotta inherited nothing but an empty shell; the entire White Merchant Guild could be said to have collapsed at that moment.
Greed always blinds the eyes. Everything belonging to the White Merchant Guild had been divided among its managers at the time. In her memory, those managers had all been kind uncles and aunts, yet they had done this, leaving Carlotta with nothing.
There was no doubt that real Carlotta’s death was closely tied to these so-called "uncles and aunts."
Carlotta hesitated because the figure she’d just glimpsed seemed strikingly similar to one of those "uncles" buried deep in her memory.
Could someone from back then have come to the Bass Archipelago?
Carlotta could never ignore the fall of the White Merchant Guild, it concerned everything real Carlotta had once owned. Having Transmigrated and fully merged with real Carlotta, she naturally inherited this hatred.
Long ago, Carlotta had considered settling this score, but at the time, having just transmigrated and still at a low strength, she lacked the strength to do anything, and could only put it off.
But now, she felt her power was sufficient. Aside from Weavers, who could claim to defeat her for certain?
And now, having just encountered a "familiar face," there was no way she could let it pass.
"I’m going to go check the situation."
Carlotta said to Amelia.
"What exactly happened?"
Amelia asked.
Even as she asked, Amelia had already followed Carlotta, walking back along the path they’d come.
Carlotta kept her eyes fixed on a certain figure, then leaned close to Amelia’s ear and quietly recounted the story of the White Merchant Guild.
Her voice was soft, the words simple, and her tone devoid of any overt emotion.
Yet as Amelia listened, her expression changed several times.
Parents dead, the merchant guild plundered, left to wander the streets... Amelia had truly never known Carlotta had such a past.
She couldn’t help but silently blame herself for failing to learn about this earlier, while intense anger brewed within her chest, she could never forgive those who had harmed Carlotta.
Though Carlotta spoke calmly, fury burned in her heart as well. Having fully merged with her memories, she naturally felt every past event as if it had happened to her.
Those were events from deep within her memories, already somewhat blurred, but no matter how hazy the scenes became, they couldn’t be treated as if they’d never happened.
This was something she had to face.
Carlotta quietly followed the man ahead of her, and information about him surfaced in her mind.
Winnie Vera, that was the middle-aged man’s name.
In the former White Merchant Guild, aside from her parents, there were five managers. These five individuals had, immediately after her parents’ incident, divided everything the White Merchant Guild owned among themselves, turning what had once been a thriving enterprise into an empty shell overnight.
Winnie was one of those five.
After following him for a while, Carlotta noticed he entered a shop. He wasn’t arriving as a customer, she saw staff greeting him, and Winnie walked directly into the shop’s restricted back area.
She looked up. It was a store called Dunkinson’s, belonging to the Dunkinson Merchant Guild.
"...Dunkinson, huh?"
Carlotta murmured softly.
Among the original five managers, there was indeed one whose surname was Dunkinson, the most capable among the five.
Were these five still working together?
"With my parents gone, how comfortably you’ve managed the guild. But if I’m not mistaken, around these Bass Archipelago, my parents had already been establishing connections, almost ready to finalize things. You must’ve used my parents’ established routes to come here. Enjoying the fruits my parents cultivated, yet leaving nothing for me..."
Carlotta Whispered.
She was controlling her emotions. Fragments of memory surged within her like waves, stirring overwhelming negative emotions, almost driving her to draw her sword, charge in, and slaughter every wretched one of them.
But she restrained herself. She needed to learn more. Besides, the Bass Archipelago wasn’t without laws; accidentally killing people in broad daylight was unacceptable. Even for revenge, doing so would only ruin her current identity.
"Carlotta..."
Amelia looked at Carlotta, saying nothing more, just silently staying by her side.
She knew words wouldn’t help right now. Carlotta had to sort through this herself.
As her partner, simply being there for her was enough.
Next, Carlotta clicked the shop to look around.
The shop wasn’t large nor small. Upon asking, Carlotta learned it was part of a chain, Dunkinson Merchant Guild had shops across many islands in the Bass Archipelago.
Carlotta carefully inquired about the locations of shops on other islands, and purchased several moderately priced items, prompting the staff to enthusiastically provide details, including the positions of their branches elsewhere.
After gathering sufficient information, Carlotta and Amelia stepped back outside.
"What a nuisance, it really spoiled our date. But let’s continue with our plans and ignore them for now."
Carlotta smiled at Amelia.
"Are you sure that’s alright?"
Amelia asked.
"It’s fine."
Carlotta felt her involvement had already been clear enough. Relevant intelligence should appear by midnight, so there was no need to investigate further at the moment.
Besides, she’d just obtained the locations of all Dunkinson Merchant Guild’s shops. Those shops weren’t going anywhere. Even if the intelligence she received wasn’t satisfactory, setting out later wouldn’t be too late.
"Let’s go."
Carlotta eagerly anticipated midnight, but until then, she refused to let her mood be wasted.
Holding Amelia’s hand, she felt much more at peace.
No matter what hardships lay in her past, at least currently, she lived comfortably, and was quite satisfied with her life.
Of course, she didn’t think that living in hiding, drifting from place to place, was ideal. But if she were to score her current life out of a hundred points, Amelia alone would account for ninety-nine. The remaining one point didn’t matter at all.
Next, she leisurely strolled around Island No. 9. There were no formal cities here, every habitable area on the island had been developed. One might even say each island was a city in itself, bustling with prosperity everywhere.
The islands of the Bass Archipelago were ranked by size, and Island No. 9 wasn’t even the largest.
At one point, Carlotta and Amelia reached the seaside, gazing toward the other nearby islands, so close together they formed an archipelago.
On those distant islands, lights twinkled brightly, shimmering with intoxicating radiation.
Before they knew it, midnight was approaching.
Carlotta and Amelia arrived at the beachside park. There were fewer people here at night, though not completely empty, creating a relatively serene atmosphere.
They sat on a bench, gazing at the sea and at the illuminated islands across the water, whispering to each other, blushing from time to time.
"You’re...really a bit bold."
Amelia said softly.
Carlotta, coming from a past life in the information age, had seen and experienced far more. Compared to her, Amelia was much more reserved, easily flustered by Carlotta’s "daring" words.
"Actually, I could be even bolder."
Carlotta pulled Amelia close, then blew gently against her ear.
Amelia’s ears turned completely red, her eyes flickering, too embarrassed to lift her head.
Amelia’s shyness stirred Carlotta deeply. She held the girl tightly, reluctant to let go.
Still, she remembered to glance at the intelligence report.
[ 1: On Island No. 9, the first stop where the Northern Continent connects with the Bass Archipelago, there are countless delicious foods and cold drinks. You should definitely take the chance to try a few...]
Following that sentence, the report listed several stores and their signature dishes or beverages.
Seeing this, Carlotta couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Now she had even more places to go on dates, she was quite satisfied with this information.
[ 2: Due to rumors spreading about the imminent opening of the Tower to Babel, large numbers of people from both the Northern and Southern Continents will be arriving in the near future. Although the Tower’s actual opening is still a long way off, this will only intensify the region’s liveliness.]
More information about the Tower to Babel?
Carlotta changed at it briefly before moving her eyes to the next line.
[ 3: Near Island No. 72, multiple Treasure-seeking Turtles have been spotted recently, leading people to suspect a hidden treasure has appeared. Many investigators have come, but found nothing. In truth, the Treasure-seeking Turtles are searching for a fruit called the emerald-patterned Fruit. This fruit has already been taken by the peak tier Resonator Red Fox, but residual traces of its aura remain, which is why the turtles are still there.]