CHAPTER 121: PEAK APPRENTICE

Carlotta had never been injured, not even once during their escape from the Wendell Empire all the way to the Brandon Kingdom, but this time, she had suffered serious wounds. Seeing this, fury surged within Amelia.

She nearly rushed forward to attack with full force, but the scene was chaotic. A Flaming Bird had appeared, and Carlotta was still bleeding. She couldn’t afford to act recklessly now. Instead, she quickly gathered Carlotta into her arms and fled.

Jemina still wanted to pursue them, but the situation was too chaotic. The Flaming Bird was rampaging, hurling fireballs that set the earth ablaze, making it impossible for Jemina to continue the chase.

...

After leaving that mountain, Amelia slipped into the dense forest. Once she confirmed the surroundings were relatively safe, she immediately lifted Carlotta’s clothes to expose the wound, a deep, jagged gash on Carlotta’s waist, blood streaming, a horrifying sight.

"The injury isn’t too severe. You were lucky to dodge the worst of it."

Amelia let out a sigh of relief.

As a noble lady, her Ten-Heart Pearl contained many alchemical healing supplies. Now, she pulled out several types, some powders, some potions, and applied them to Carlotta’s wound before tightly bandaging it.

Within moments, Carlotta already felt much less pain.

"Thank you, Amelia."

Carlotta whispered softly.

"It’s nothing. Later, I’ll kill that person for you."

Amelia’s beautiful face still carried a cold edge.

"It’s okay. I can take revenge for myself."

Carlotta, in turn, comforted Amelia.

Though Jemina’s sudden ambush had caught Carlotta off guard and left her injured, Amelia’s reaction brought her immense comfort.

Just now, Amelia had truly intended to fight Jemina to the death, even if she didn’t know whether Jemina was acting alone or with others, she had already prepared to face them all.

That determination warmed Carlotta’s heart.

"It was probably just her."

Carlotta murmured, though she didn’t know why.

She remembered the stunned expressions on Aubrey, Simon, and the others’ faces, clearly, even though they hadn’t expected Jemina’s actions.

"How long will it take for my injury to heal?"

Carlotta asked.

This question made Amelia roll her eyes at her.

Amelia said, "Are you really planning to go settle the score yourself? No matter how miraculous alchemical medicine is, you won’t recover in such a short time, unless someone skilled in healing magic treats you."

Healing magic wasn’t common, and this was Sky Island. They couldn’t find anyone here who knew such magic. None of the adventurers from the earlier groups possessed it either.

Carlotta’s spirits dipped slightly, though a stubborn resentment remained, she still wanted to confront Jemina.

At this moment, Amelia didn’t care about exposure anymore. She summoned the Moonlight and brought Carlotta aboard, then temporarily cloaked the ship to reduce the risk of discovery.

She glanced back toward the distant mountain. The Flaming Bird was flying wildly, clashing with the adventurers. The battle raged fiercely.

"A perfect chance to take advantage of the chaos."

Amelia muttered under her breath.

Deep within her blue, shimmering eyes, killing intent flickered. She wanted to settle this score with Jemina.

Carlotta would be safe aboard the Moonlight.

"Don’t go."

How could Carlotta not understand Amelia’s intentions? She grabbed Amelia’s hand and shook her head.

Jemina wasn’t going anywhere. As long as she coveted the treasure site, she’d stay there. There was no need to rush in now. Let the Flaming Bird wear down their strength first.

The treasure site was the ultimate goal.

To keep Amelia occupied, Carlotta said, "Come to think of it, I’m a bit hungry."

Amelia waved her hand and produced various types of bread. "I have plenty of food."

Carlotta shook her head. "I want tricolor fish."

Amelia said, "Fine. The Moonlight’s kitchen can cook it automatically."

Carlotta smiled. "But I want you to grill it for me."

Amelia turned to look at her, naturally understanding Carlotta’s intent. She felt a touch helpless inside. She knew Carlotta was worried she might get hurt if she went alone, but she had already defeated a middle-tier Listener before. This concern was unnecessary.

"Fine, fine. I’ll grill it for you."

In the end, Amelia didn’t leave alone.

Seeing Carlotta’s cute face light up with sparkling eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Without further delay, Amelia headed to the Moonlight’s kitchen.

Carlotta, meanwhile, looked up toward the mountain. Her crimson-red eyes reflected the raging fires within.

"Dawn is approaching..."

She had stopped Amelia from acting immediately because she wanted to wait and see today’s intelligence first, to devise the best plan of action.

A while later, dawn still hadn’t arrived, but Amelia had already finished grilling. She brought the cooked tricolor fish to the deck and handed it to Carlotta.

Though the meal was ready, Amelia no longer felt impulsive. She stayed beside Carlotta, enjoying the grilled fish together.

Carlotta took a bite. The fish was exceptionally crispy, the meat perfectly grilled, seasoned with spices that left a lingering, delightful aftertaste.

"What’s your next move?"

Amelia asked.

She could tell Carlotta had her own plans. Often, Carlotta gave her the feeling of being unfathomable.

Carlotta smiled faintly. "I plan to rest for a while."

Was she intending to let others fight first, then strike at the end to claim the rewards?

Amelia thought for a moment and decided that must be Carlotta’s current plan.

She, on the other hand, preferred to dive straight in and eliminate whoever needed eliminating.

Thinking this, a dangerous light flickered in Amelia’s eyes as she stared into the distance.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Carlotta beside her seemed to notice something.

Amelia turned and asked, "What is it?"

Carlotta smacked her lips. "How about we have another full fish feast?"

Amelia sensed Carlotta wasn’t just craving food or hungry. She asked if Carlotta had sensed something.

Carlotta didn’t hide it. "The tricolor fish I just ate caused a slight change in my magic power, my total capacity increased a bit. I want to eat more. Maybe it’ll push me to breakthrough into a ninth-tier apprentice."

"Aren’t you afraid of overeating?"

Amelia sounded concerned.

Carlotta shook her head. "No. Tricolor fish are almost entirely made of magic power. They merge directly into my reserves and won’t burden me much."

"Then let’s have another full fish feast."

Amelia immediately returned to the Moonlight’s kitchen, all the frozen tricolor fish and set the ship’s kitchen to automatically prepare them.

The preparation of the Full Fish Banquet didn’t take much time.

Soon, Carlotta was sitting before the dining table, placing piece after piece of fish meat into her mouth, savoring the magic power contained within.

She truly felt amazed. The tricolor fish, as a natural ingredient, had astonishing effects, no matter how it was prepared, it brought immense magical enhancement.

This was no longer an ordinary animal; it was a treasure.

Each bite of fish with a different flavor sank into her stomach, instantly dissolving into the purest magical energy, spreading into every limb and bone, becoming part of Carlotta’s own magic.

Her total magic capacity continuously increased, and her magic gradually purified, each drop denser and stronger than before.

’Last time the Full Fish Banquet didn’t have such a powerful effect. Has quantity finally triggered a qualitative change?’

Carlotta felt that the benefits from the last banquet hadn’t been fully utilized, lingering within her flesh. Only now, with another Full Fish Banquet, were the effects from both finally being unleashed together.

She took a deep breath, magical energy swirling around her mouth and nose, nearly becoming tangible. Under the glow of the crimson moon outside the window, she seemed to inhale and exhale a mist of crimson light.

Amelia stared at Carlotta, her expression slightly astonished.

The tricolor fish was an extremely rare and precious creature. Even Amelia didn’t know much about it, but now she could be certain, its effects far surpassed anything recorded in books.

Suddenly, Carlotta moved.

She summoned the Rose Cross from her necklace, leapt toward the open space beside her, and began rapidly performing her techniques from the First Movement, progressing swiftly through to the Eighth Movement, Elven Elegy.

A faint, almost imperceptible sound of weeping echoed through the cabin, carrying an eerie, unfathomable sensation.

Then, a dim yellow glow emerged, as if reversing time, turning the night back into twilight. A setting sun sank below the horizon, drawing everything once again into darkness.

Ninth Movement, Elven Sunset!

At this very moment, Carlotta encountered no resistance at all. She smoothly executed the Ninth Movement, officially stepping into the realm of a ninth-tier apprentice.

"It’s done."

Carlotta sheathed her sword, feeling the surging magic within her, her face unable to hide her joy.

Without realizing it, she had finally reached the peak of the apprentice stage. This level alone was enough to allow her to graduate from Bellaheim Academy.

"Congratulations, Carlotta."

Amelia couldn’t help but feel a touch of emotion.

She had watched Carlotta grow step by step, fully aware of how terrifyingly fast her cultivation speed was, something her peers could never hope to match.

Carlotta smiled brightly, "Now, dealing with Listeners will be much easier."

She was eager to fight some Listeners, to test her exact strength.

Amelia immediately saw through Carlotta’s thoughts and said, "Carlotta, don’t forget about the wound on your waist. Even if you’ve broken through, don’t recklessly throw yourself into battle. The wound might tear open again, and the pain will be yours to bear."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. I know my limits."

Carlotta was very confident.

She took out item after item from her storage card, placing them on the table, preparing to make a card.

Ever since obtaining the Wind God Stone, she had wanted to create a Speed Card. Once completed, such a card would undoubtedly greatly enhance her power. Now that she had finally reached the ninth-tier apprentice stage, her first priority was naturally to create this Speed Card.

"Amelia, I’m going to make a Speed Card, a Speed Card infused with the Wind God Stone. I can’t even imagine how powerful it’ll be. There’s no precedent to reference."

Carlotta’s emotions surged.

Besides the Wind God Stone, the other materials were merely auxiliary and didn’t need to be too strict, but she still carefully selected them, choosing the best quality available.

Amelia naturally knew about Speed Cards and could guess that a Speed Card infused with the Wind God Stone would be incredibly overpowered.

She said softly, "We only have one Wind God Stone. Be careful. Calm yourself first, don’t fail because of excitement."

She felt that Carlotta, having just broken through, was in an agitated state of mind, not a stable one.

Carlotta agreed with Amelia’s words. Although her card-making success rate so far had been one hundred percent, anything could happen. Besides, she only had one Wind God Stone, there was absolutely no room for error.

At once, Carlotta took a deep breath and reached out to hold Amelia’s hand.

Amelia couldn’t help but ask, "What are you doing?"

Carlotta replied seriously, "I’m calming my mind."

Amelia was speechless. How could holding her hand calm someone down? She wasn’t some alchemical tool designed to soothe the spirit.

But seeing Carlotta’s gradually calming expression, Amelia couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation, using her to calm down actually seemed to be working.

After holding Amelia’s hand for a while, Carlotta’s heart became as still as a lake, undisturbed, like a clear mirror.

She released her hand and began making the card on the table.

The night was very quiet.

Crimson light shone down, the mountains and forests shrouded in haze. The nearby magical beasts had all fled from the tremendous battle at the treasure site, leaving an unusual silence.

On the blank card, Carlotta carefully inscribed each stroke, integrating various materials. The Wind God Stone was gently ground into powder, its particles arranged in specific patterns across the card, forming mysterious and complex designs.

She worked with extreme focus.

Minute by minute, time passed. When the final stroke was completed, the card on the table instantly emitted a faint, clear radiance, revealing an aura of mystery.

"It’s done."

Carlotta immediately picked up the card, examining it from every angle, unable to put it down. She had never looked forward to a card this much before.

"Let’s see its effect."

Amelia said beside her, equally curious about how powerful a Speed Card infused with the Wind God Stone would be.

Carlotta immediately channeled magic into the card, activating the speed enhancement effect. This effect would last about ten minutes and could be canceled at will during that time.

Once the duration ended, she could simply take out the Speed Card again and activate it once more.

As the Speed Card took effect, Carlotta instantly felt different, as if her body were about to float.

She took one step forward, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from the cabin. Her speed was so fast that even Amelia’s expression changed.

"So fast!"

Amelia quickly turned her head toward the doorway. Even she had nearly failed to catch sight of Carlotta’s figure.