CHAPTER 228: WEAVER

The joy of not needing sleep was something people who still needed sleep could never fully understand.

After wandering around all night, dawn gradually broke, with soft light across the vast city, bringing a spreading feeling of everything being renewed.

Just as day broke, Carlotta arrived at a newspaper office. Here, she reverted to her true appearance and simply walked in openly.

When the staff inside the newspaper office saw Carlotta, they were all stunned, staring at this person who had recently become famous across the continent. They never expected Carlotta’s figure to actually appear here.

Carlotta smiled gently and said to everyone, "You all probably know who I am, so I won’t bother with introductions. Not long ago, the First Sword Saint, Xavier, challenged me. That’s no secret; you should all know about it. Help me send a message: I accept the challenge, but the time and place must be decided by me."

The staff at the newspaper office froze for a moment, then erupted into excitement, their eyes shining as they looked at Carlotta.

A middle-aged woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses rushed over. "Miss White, that you’ve chosen Lambert Newspaper is an honor. We won’t let you down, we’ll put this news in the most prominent section of the paper, ensuring the Sword Saint learns of it immediately."

The woman then introduced herself as Bianca Lambert, one of the newspaper’s managing directors.

Bianca was extremely excited that Carlotta had chosen Lambert Newspaper for her response.

This was undoubtedly a major news story, and their Lambert Newspapers would be able to report it first. This will attract far more readers and significantly boost newspaper sales!

When the Sword Saint Xavier previously released his message, it had been through the official Vochita Newspaper. At that time, other newspapers could only envy them, knowing Vochita Newspaper would profit greatly from it.

Lambert Newspaper had been one of those envious newspapers. Now, they will become the ones others envied.

Bianca couldn’t help but ask Carlotta why she’d chosen Lambert Newspaper, was there some special connection?

Carlotta hadn’t expected the woman to be so enthusiastic, so she could only respond politely with a smile.

In truth, she had simply happened to pass by this newspaper office.

Only after entering did she realize this was Lambert Newspaper. If she remembered correctly, this was one of the four major newspapers in the Wendell Empire.

"In any case, I leave it in your hands," Carlotta said with a smile.

She cooperated willingly, sharing some personal details so Bianca could include more content in the report.

After about an hour of activity, Carlotta finally left here with Amelia.

"These people really went crazy when they saw you," Amelia laughed.

"They’re not excited because they saw me. They’re excited purely because I can bring them substantial profit," Carlotta replied.

"Regardless, because of this event, they’ll become your little fans from now on," Amelia said with a smile.

This strange term was something she’d learned from Carlotta, though she wasn’t quite clear about its meaning.

Carlotta calmly replied, "We’ve already been celebrities in the Bass Archipelago. The feeling wasn’t bad."

"From now on, you won’t just be a celebrity in the Bass Archipelago, you’ll be a global celebrity," Amelia said.

"The same goes for you," Carlotta smiled.

Soon after, Lambert Newspaper frantically printed massive quantities of newspapers and began selling them in the morning.

As soon as these newspapers hit the streets, they caused an uproar across Kestholm, sending millions of people into a frenzy.

"Quick, look at today’s Lambert Morning News, Carlotta White has responded to Sword Saint Xavier Jeffrey’s challenge!

"What? What does it say? Let me see!"

"The First Genius has responded to the First Sword Saint’s challenge? I must see it!"

"Did they agree on when to fight? What time? Never mind, I’ll go buy the paper myself."

As the news spread, the entire Kestholm was shaken. People kept buying newspapers, some had already heard about the matter from others, but still insisted on buying a copy themselves to see it firsthand.

This kept Lambert Newspaper extremely busy, but even in their busyness, they were grinning, frantically printing more newspapers.

This wasn’t just about making a huge profit. Other newspapers couldn’t achieve this, it also embodied an invaluable reputation. Even in the future when nothing special happens, many people will be more likely to choose Lambert Newspaper when buying their daily paper.

Across the vast imperial capital, winds were shifting.

After learning about the incident, Emperor Alex at the palace could only sigh.

Meanwhile, the High Priestess, strolling somewhere in the capital, felt a touch of nostalgia.

"How lively it is... In the past, my place was just as lively," the High Priestess murmured.

Everyone was focused on this event.

Then, that very afternoon, Sword Saint Xavier issued his response, once again through the official Kestholm Newspaper.

In fact, he had responded earlier, but the newspaper needed time to print.

Not long after the afternoon edition came out, Carlotta also bought a copy and read Xavier’s words on it.

Xavier straightforwardly agreed to her terms, allowing her to set the time and place, only hoping the location wouldn’t be too far and the time not too distant.

Carlotta smiled and said, "Looks like we need to go back to Lambert Newspaper again."

"Where do you plan to confront him? What time will the fight be?"

Amelia asked.

"Well, I have my own plans," Carlotta smiled.

She intended to take it easier rather than push herself too hard, so she planned to wait a few more days.

Upon arriving at the newspaper office, the director Bianca warmly welcomed Carlotta. Additionally, many other directors who weren’t present earlier also rushed over, greeting Carlotta with smiles.

Facing the newspaper staff, Carlotta gave her reply.

"Tell him, I plan to..."

Carlotta announced her decision, which left the newspaper staff utterly astonished.

Before leaving, Carlotta added, "As for when you publish the paper, handle it yourselves. Just don’t delay it too much."

On that day, Lambert Press did not immediately release Carlotta’s response to the public, but instead added extra print runs.

The previous incident had been too sudden. Despite rushing to print newspapers, they still hadn’t produced enough in time, and every newspaper stand had sold out. This time, they decided to make the quantity of newspapers far more abundant.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Lambert Press finally unleashed their morning edition across the city with massive publicity.

On this day, as soon as people awoke, they sensed the entire city had grown lively. News about Carlotta and Xavier spread once again, buzzing through every corner.

On streets everywhere, people held newspapers, reading intently.

The report on Carlotta’s response naturally wasn’t just a single sentence. Lambert Press added many other details, accounts of Carlotta’s past deeds, turning what could have been a brief reply into a full newspaper page!

And the outcome of Carlotta’s response quickly became known to everyone.

The duel will take place in Kestholm!

Yes, right above this city, this was Carlotta’s decision, as announced through the newspapers.

As for the time of the duel, Carlotta had not yet revealed it.

Yet even just the announcement of the location was enough to shock many, who couldn’t understand why Carlotta would choose such a site. This wasn’t some suitable battlefield, it was the imperial capital!

Even if the battle occurred in the sky, if any residual energy spilled down into the capital, wouldn’t it cause massive destruction?

Many were baffled, utterly confused.

Some even felt a pang of panic, fearing such a battle might endanger them, since they lived right in Kestholm.

Even Emperor Alex inside the royal palace closely followed the matter. Seeing Carlotta’s response, he felt somewhat uneasy, as he was the one who least wanted anything to happen to the capital.

He had no choice but to seek out Elora to inquire.

"Don’t worry. She knows her limits."

Elora was calm and composed, showing no signs of alarm.

With Elora saying so, Emperor Alex could only ease his own concerns.

That afternoon, Sword Saint Xavier issued another response through the Kestholm Official Newspaper, questioning whether Carlotta’s choice of location was appropriate. He felt that fighting in the capital wasn’t a suitable decision.

In response, Carlotta completely ignored him. During her previous discussions with Lambert Press, the same issue had already been confirmed multiple times, and she had given a sufficiently clear answer. She trusted that the people at Lambert Press knew how to respond appropriately.

Indeed, that very night, Lambert Press issued a reply stating the location was correct, right in the capital.

Thus, many people spent that night in restless sleep, unsure what kind of sparks would fly between the First Sword Saint and the First Prodigy. Yet even just this prelude was enough to captivate everyone’s attention.

...

At night, moonlight is like water.

Cool breezes swept through Kestholm, trees swaying gently in the wind, shedding leaves one by one.

"You’re about to become a Weaver, aren’t you?"

Amelia asked Carlotta.

The park’s lake was clear, the moon reflected upon its surface as if frozen in place, appearing perfectly still.

Streetlights shone upon a park bench, a stray leaf caught in the crevice, swaying slightly in the wind.

"Yes."

Carlotta nodded.

The two were strolling through a park. Thanks to Perception magic, even with their true appearances revealed, no one could notice them.

Amelia looked at Carlotta. When she learned the duel would be held in Kestholm, she already knew Carlotta was close to breakthrough.

For this highly anticipated battle, Carlotta clearly didn’t intend to fight as a Peak tier Resonantor, but rather as a Weaver.

In that case, the battle naturally wouldn’t be too strenuous. And if the battle wouldn’t be too strenuous, then the location didn’t really matter much.

"How far has your entire body’s magic transformation progressed?"

Amelia asked.

" 95%. I feel like it’s almost there."

Carlotta smiled.

"Don’t you need to consolidate your foundation?"

Amelia asked again.

In the past, when ranks advanced too quickly, they occasionally needed to pause and consolidate. Otherwise, no matter how hard they trained, further progress became difficult.

Carlotta shook her head: "I think consolidation isn’t necessary anymore. I’ve gone through a lot recently and have already gained sufficient grounding. I must keep moving forward."

Amelia nodded in understanding.

Truthfully, she had only recently reached the rank of Peak tier Resonantor, finally catching up to Carlotta’s pace. But now, Carlotta was nearly becoming a Weaver, her own accomplishments couldn’t compare.

Yet Amelia didn’t say this, and Carlotta saw it anyway, "You’ve become a Peak tier Resonator too, right? If not for the rewards I received on Sky Island, I might not have pulled ahead of you."

Often, Carlotta felt that Amelia was the true prodigy, maybe she herself had just used some kind of cheat.

If she hadn’t arrived in this world, Amelia would probably have been the protagonist of this era.

"You’re saying strange things again."

Amelia couldn’t help but smile.

She knew she had always been outstanding, but well, she was the second most outstanding.

As for who came first, naturally it was the person standing right before her.

"Let’s go. Tonight, let’s have some little cakes."

Carlotta smiled and said.

Her intelligence reports frequently mentioned delicious food spots. Tonight’s report highlights several new and worthwhile restaurants, recently opened, making her very excited.

Hearing Carlotta say this, Amelia instantly grew excited as well.

She didn’t know why, but whenever Carlotta took her to a restaurant, the taste was never disappointing. Regardless of the reason, over time this had led her to place unconditional trust in Carlotta’s choice of eateries.

The two immediately held hands and left, their silhouettes stretched long by the lamplight.

...

As the new day arrived, after confirming Carlotta’s chosen location was indeed correct, Sword Saint Xavier once again issued a question through the Kestholm Official Newspaper, asking when the time would be set.

Lambert Press then gave an answer the next morning, the time would be set for the upcoming dawn.

"She’s finally going to make her move."

Inside the newspaper office, Bianca thought back to the previous night, when Carlotta had come to inform her of the time.

That timing had just been decided recently.

At this very moment, Carlotta had just entered a brand new level, carefully consolidating it.