Chapter 192: Let’s attack on Mechanical Fortress
People at the Resonator stage can project their mana far away from their bodies, thus enabling techniques similar to sword aura. Correspondingly, they naturally gain the ability to fly, no longer relying on wings.
However, for Carlotta, using a flight card would still make her flying speed faster, even if it wasn’t the card fused with elven wings, just an ordinary card-rank flight card.
Amelia was the same. By constructing wings through memory magic, she could fly faster than naturally possible.
Since Carlotta wanted to disguise herself as a peak tier Listener, she used a flight card to manifest a pair of wings behind her back.
Both Carlotta and Amelia possessed the concealment ring, an alchemical artifact that allows them to temporarily conceal their true status even as Resonators, no need for others to know their foundations.
"Your purpose for coming to the Bass Archipelago has been achieved. What are your plans now?"
Amelia asked.
Carlotta thought for a moment and said, "Stay a while longer. Wasn’t there always that rumor about the Tower of Babel opening here? I want to see what this place is really about. People say it’s a great place, comparable to Sky Island, capable of transforming someone overnight and offering endless rewards. If that’s true, we’d have no reason to miss it."
Amelia agreed wholeheartedly, "That’s true. But exactly when the Tower of Babel will open is really impossible to understand."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help shaking her head.
Back in Swanport, rumors had already circulated about the Tower of Babel about to open, this was exactly why so many famous figures came to the Bass Archipelago.
Yet now, quite some time had passed, and the Tower still hadn’t opened. It was enough to make anyone feel frustrated.
Many famous people staying on the Bass Archipelago nearly forgot why they’d come in the first place.
Carlotta looked into the distance and said, "Before the Tower of Babel opens, let’s do something else, like causing trouble for Mechanical Fortress, acquiring more alchemical materials. Compared to buying them, grabbing them directly is simpler."
In her eyes now, they had completely severed ties with the Mechanical Fortress organization. No need for words, whenever there’s an opportunity, strike.
If a second-rank ship could be built, then not only Weavers, but even stronger existences could be dealt with.
The former Moonlight could handle any Transcendent being below the Resonator rank, but would inevitably feel strained when facing Resonators.
The New Moon, on the other hand, could easily handle Resonators and effectively harm Weavers. But against existences surpassing Weavers, it might be powerless. Such beings could be considered one of the highest tiers on the continent.
Those beings were called Exalted!
"Speaking of which, what level of alchemical creation would the highest third-rank ship be? Could it really have the power to kill gods?"
Carlotta muttered.
Although gods didn’t seem to truly exist, the blueprints for third-rank ships were undeniably real, making it impossible not to pay attention.
How exactly had the Pirate King obtained those blueprints?
"That kind of thing is still too distant for us."
Amelia shook her head and said, "From now on, our main goal really should be building the second-rank ship. You don’t need to rush to confront Mechanical Fortress. We still have plenty of money, so let’s first buy more alchemical materials."
"That’s right."
Carlotta suddenly remembered she still had a considerable amount of spoils.
This money came mainly from the criminal Black Goat, tenth on the wanted list. The spatial item on that man naturally contained a large sum, being a wanted criminal, he couldn’t deposit money in banks, so he carried it all on his person. That was her good fortune.
On the other hand, the group of Mechanical Fortress members she’d eliminated earlier basically had no money on them. They did have many bank cards, but she couldn’t use them now.
At once, Carlotta and Amelia flew toward Island 15, the largest island nearby. It was equally prosperous, with all kinds of shops lining the streets.
They altered their appearances and entered the island, weaving through shop after shop, purchasing every alchemical material they could find, causing quite a stir.
Their actions were swift and decisive. After nearly spending all their money, they left the island, changing their appearances and clothing once again before departure, making it impossible for anyone to recognize them.
When they reached another island, standing in a desolate area, Carlotta used her carriage card, entered the carriage, and took out the Stellar Workshop, slowly absorbing all the purchased alchemical materials into it.
The wealth of a Weaver was truly immense, allowing Carlotta to acquire an extraordinarily large quantity of alchemical materials this time. But she couldn’t extract all the materials at once, doing so would burst the carriage compartment. She had to retrieve them bit by bit, taking quite a while before the Stellar Workshop finally consumed all the materials.
In the end, the Stellar Workshop’s progress leaped to 20%.
"I suddenly feel like, as a Weaver, Black Goat might have been even poorer than I imagined."
Carlotta wasn’t satisfied with this result.
"The 7% for a second-rank ship can’t be compared to the 7% for a first-rank ship. It requires far more alchemical materials."
Amelia thought it was still reasonable.
"But one alchemical ship equals 10% progress. For a first-rank ship, that same ship would be about 30% progress. Meaning the materials bought with Black Goat’s inheritance equates to just over 20% progress toward a first-rank ship, less than one alchemical ship. It still feels a bit lacking."
Carlotta frowned.
Amelia scraped: "Maybe he spent the money? For someone of that level, carrying excessive cash is meaningless. Spending it is what gives it meaning. Just like us, we don’t have much money on us now, we’re actually quite poor."
"That’s true..."
Carlotta pondered, then had no choice but to accept the situation. She then said, "Since we’re out of money, our next step is to go after Mechanical Fortress."
Of course, before that, they needed to sleep.
The current time had already reached noon.
Carlotta simply hugged Amelia and laid down directly. The carriage was parked in the wilderness of an island, the environment very quiet.
"Sleeping in a place like this? I hope we won’t be disturbed."
Amelia muttered.
Anyway, they weren’t afraid of danger. If any real danger appears, their instincts will wake them immediately.
"Don’t overthink it. Sleep."
Carlotta pinched Amelia’s cheek, found the delightful texture, couldn’t help but kiss her, then closed her eyes contentedly.
As night fell over the Bass Archipelago, Carlotta and Amelia both woke up.
After finishing their meal, they simultaneously undergo magic transformation. Each session brought slight improvement, continuing until the early hours of the morning.
As promised, Carlotta opened her intelligence panel and began reviewing it. Afterward, she couldn’t help but nodded in satisfaction.
Today’s intelligence wasn’t extensive, but nearly all of it concerned the Mechanical Fortress, detailing the distribution of the Mechanical Fortress’s forces across various locations in the Bass Archipelago. Many areas seemingly unrelated on the surface, yet in reality still belong to the Mechanical Fortress’s territory.
This was exactly the kind of information Carlotta wanted.
’I get whatever intelligence I need. Truly impressive.’
Carlotta thought contentedly.
She’d already decided to cause trouble for the Mechanical Fortress. It was fair to say this intelligence had arrived just in time.
The night stretched endlessly, and the cold island wind whistled with a low, mournful sound.
This was a remote island, at some distance from the nearest Mechanical Fortress outpost, but not so far that reaching it would take too long.
Carlotta’s intelligence included a map, clearly marking the locations and force distributions of various Mechanical Fortress outposts throughout the Bass Archipelago. Everything was laid out so clearly.
After a moment’s thought, Carlotta said to Amelia, "Amelia, I’ve learned the locations of some Mechanical Fortress outposts. I’m planning to cause them trouble."
She paused, wondering how best to explain to Amelia why she suddenly knew this information. Would it seem too strange?
Before Carlotta could formulate her words, Amelia said, "As long as you’re certain it’s safe, then go ahead."
Seeing this, Carlotta couldn’t help but smile.
Amelia clearly knew Carlotta had secrets, but she didn’t pry into what those secrets were. She never asked further, and Carlotta found that deeply comforting.
In terms used in her previous life, "A wife like this, what more could a man desire?"... Although they weren’t married yet.
But Carlotta knew that day would come.
She gently embraced Amelia and kissed her, then lifted her into the air and took flight.
Since they were targeting the Mechanical Fortress, they couldn’t afford to use their public, well-known identities. Otherwise, they’d be recognized the moment they entered a city, photos and portraits of celebrities were widely circulated across the Bass Archipelago. It wasn’t a secret.
Luckily, they had the Alchemic artifact known as the illusion Mask. They could change their appearances freely, with no restrictions. In the blink of an eye, two unfamiliar young girls descended upon Island 61.
The island was of moderate size, fairly developed, centered around a city. Surrounding mountains contain several mineral veins, already claimed, but officially, it was unknown who owned them.
But Carlotta knew: those veins belonged to the Mechanical Fortress.
Various ores from these veins could serve as alchemical materials. Carlotta felt a quiet anticipation inside, and immediately headed toward the mountains.
’According to the intelligence, there are three veins here: Tricolor Emerald Metal, Flame- Stone, and Sea-Soft Stone... Let’s check the Tricolor Emerald Metal vein first.’
Carlotta thought.
The mountains weren’t particularly dark, as many workers continued laboring around a mine shaft, hauling out chunks of ore. Each piece glistened with three distinct colors, a rare and highly valuable mineral used in numerous applications.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!"
Mechanical Fortress guards stood watch, sternly observing every worker.
These miners were hired laborers, paid by the Mechanical Fortress. Since they’d paid for them, they expected full effort. Any sign of slackness means immediate scolding, or even a whipping.
"You’ve been paid! Work properly! Move faster! What’s with all this dawdling?"
A young Mechanical Fortress guard shouted at several middle-aged men.
The men looked nervous.
One couldn’t help but protest: "We started working at six in the morning, and we’re still digging past midnight. We get too little rest. If this continues, we won’t be able to endure it."
There was another unspoken complaint: the pay was too low. It wasn’t like this when they were hired. Promised rest periods had disappeared. Overtime pay? They’d worked overtime, but never seen a single coin, always swallowed by various excuses and greed.
"What did you say?"
The young Mechanical Fortress guard’s expression darkened. He swung his whip without hesitation.
"Crack!"
A sharp sound echoed. The middle-aged men cried out in agony, their skin torn open, their appearance pitiful.
Onlookers around them barely reacted, simply turning their heads away indifferently.
Ever since becoming miners here, they not only failed to receive their rightful wages, but were forbidden from leaving. Their freedom was restricted. Many no longer knew what to do with their future.
Who could save them? Who could grant them freedom?
The young guard wore a cruel sneer, raising his whip for another strike.
But at that moment,
"Whoosh!"
A brilliant sword light tore through the deep night, reaching the guard’s face in an instant. It cut through without obstruction, killing him on the spot, blood splattering everywhere.
The sudden scene stunned everyone present. The miners stared in shock, feeling a secret thrill while also feeling uncertain and afraid. Who had done this? They’d killed the overseer here, how audacious could one be?
The other overseers, however, were enraged.
"Who did this?!"
One by one, Mechanical Fortress personnel emerge, scanning furiously around with furious eyes, searching for the culprit.
Carlotta had already flown in from the shadows.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand, sending forth streams of sword energy, brilliant and dazzling, blooming across the night sky.
In the next moment, every Mechanical Fortress member who had stepped forward was cut down where they stood.
What strength could a group of mine supervisors possibly have?
Sword light arced like a rainbow, radiating boundless sharpness. Blood bloomed like flowers, drenching the earth. Outside the large mine shaft, the stench of blood fills the air.
Some miners turned pale at the sight. They doubled over and couldn’t stop vomiting.
"Non-Mechanical Fortress personnel, leave this place."
Carlotta didn’t reveal herself. Her voice came from the darkness.
Hearing her words, the miners didn’t dare linger. If even the Mechanical Fortress members could be killed so casually, how could they possibly fail?
In the blink of an eye, everyone scattered and fled.