After a brief interlude, the Montelli family took the unconscious Gilberto away. The trio once again set off on their journey.
"According to Mr. Noah's plan, the next place we're going is Nimbus Sanctum."
Phoebe explained earnestly:
"According to the sacred texts, in the center of Nimbus Sanctum, in the Cloud Courtyard, there lives a powerful Echo creature named Lorelai."
"Legend has it that a violent sea of clouds once flooded the old Divine Academy, turning it into ruins, and the sea of clouds was expanding disorderly toward Ragunna City."
"It was Lorelai who intervened in time, restraining the rampaging sea of clouds and ending the crisis."
At this point, Phoebe deliberately glanced at Noah:
"Mr. Noah, because of the nature of the sea of clouds in Nimbus Sanctum, there are no Overlord-class Tacet Discords here. However, you can often see various kinds of cloud fairies."
"No problem. We'll treat it as sightseeing."
Noah remained completely calm and unperturbed.
In the original plot, Lorelai was controlled by Phrolova's flowers, became violent, and drove the sea of clouds in an attempt to flood Ragunna. It was stopped in time by Rover and the others.
Now that he had arrived earlier than in the plot, he didn't know whether Lorelai had already been controlled at this point.
If she was controlled, he would help free her. If not, he could come back in a couple of days.
In any case, it was just an Overlord-class small fry. He could easily solo it with any non-support four-star character.
He had to admit — from Jinzhou to Rinascita, it really felt like a special forces king returning to the city: not a single opponent worth fighting.
As they drew closer to the port, thick sea of clouds gradually came into view. The moist air carried a slight chill.
A faint, ethereal song drifted gently through the clouds.
"It looks like Lorelai is in good condition right now."
Noah thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
Whatever. He'd go take a look first.
"As far as I know, Nimbus Sanctum is one of the top scenic spots in all of Rinascita thanks to its unique sea of clouds landscape."
Zani, walking beside him, changed the subject:
"It's afternoon now — the busiest time of day. If we want to take a gondola, we'll probably have to wait in line for about half an hour."
"So long?" Noah was stunned.
"Don't worry." Zani pulled out an employee badge from her pocket, a trace of pride flashing across her face:
"As a senior employee of the Montelli family's Averardo Bank, one of my benefits is skipping the line."
She silently added in her heart: Though this perk is really just the family's way of encouraging employees to take on fieldwork more efficiently.
"When we get to the port, just follow me and cut in line with the administrator."
"So impressive!" Phoebe finally said something that actually pleased Zani. Then she immediately raised the next question:
"But there are three of us, and a gondola only has two seats. How will we arrange the seating?"
The Acolyte glanced at Noah, then quickly shifted her gaze to Zani.
Although Noah's image had improved somewhat in Phoebe's eyes, if she had to sit in the same boat as him, that guy would definitely tease her mercilessly.
Zani returned Phoebe's glance, then looked at Noah. While she no longer disliked Phoebe, she still wasn't comfortable sitting too close to an Acolyte.
"Why fuss over such small details? If someone sees us, they'll think we can't even afford a gondola."
Noah made the decision directly —
"We'll squeeze. Three people in one boat."
"Ah…"
Phoebe covered her mouth:
"The gondola will probably sink…"
At the port.
A perfectly flat square mirror formed from opal crystals created by Resonance ability reflected Carlotta as she carefully adjusted the elegant bow at the back of her head. A voice came from the terminal at her waist:
"Second Miss, the port has been cleared. Aside from the target trio, no one else will enter."
"Well done… So, how long until the targets arrive?"
"Based on the movement speed of Zani's terminal positioning, they are estimated to arrive at the port in five minutes."
Carlotta nodded lightly. The opal mirror perfectly reflected the image of an extremely elegant noble young lady.
"Continue to stay on alert. Do not allow any unrelated persons to interfere with my first meeting with this distinguished guest from afar."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After ending the call, Carlotta waved her hand, dispersing the opal mirror. Her gaze settled on the single gondola not far from her feet.
After all, hearing about something is not as good as seeing it with your own eyes.
Even though the intelligence had already analyzed Noah's personality in great detail, since this concerned the future of the Montelli family, she decided to meet him personally.
Regardless of whether a deal could be reached in the future, at the very least she should leave a good first impression.
However… the Order's reaction speed was surprisingly fast. They had actually sent such an adorable Acolyte to make contact with Noah…
No. She still had to find a way to win Noah over.
As she was thinking, several sets of footsteps reached her ears. Carlotta immediately signaled for the only gondola at the port to quietly pull away.
The gondola obediently drifted a short distance, then slowly returned, creating the illusion that it had only just arrived at the port.
Voices drew closer, becoming clearer:
"Weird. Why is there no one at Nimbus Sanctum today?"
"Maybe someone booked the whole place."
"Look — there's a gondola just pulling up. Oh, there's a lady waiting for a gondola ahead."
The corners of Carlotta's lips curved upward. She turned around and looked calmly at the approaching trio.
When her eyes landed on the figure in the middle, they brightened slightly.
He was much more handsome in person than in the photos.
"It's Miss Carlotta."
Zani was the first to recognize her superior.
Noah lowered his gaze, first noting Carlotta's height, and silently thought to himself: Sure enough, she matches the original design perfectly.
"It's me, Carlotta Montelli. What a coincidence to run into someone from the family here."
Carlotta gave a faint smile and looked at Zani:
"Miss Zani, aren't you going to introduce me to your two friends?"
A simple question, yet it made Zani's face stiffen. She gave Phoebe an awkward glance.
Oh no, oh no — her superior's superior had discovered she was associating with someone from a rival organization (the Order of the Deep). What now?
It felt like not only was her promotion and raise gone, but she was about to be fired on the spot!
And now — her real boss was right in front of her, and her one-day boss was beside her. How was she supposed to introduce her boss to her boss?
"Hello, Miss Carlotta. I'm Phoebe, an Acolyte of the Order of the Deep. This is Noah, a tourist visiting Ragunna."
Seeing Zani at a loss, Phoebe took the initiative to smooth things over:
"The three of us just formed a temporary group to travel today. We're heading to Nimbus Sanctum. Are you going there too?"
Carlotta nodded politely toward Noah following Phoebe's introduction. Only after Phoebe finished did she speak slowly:
"I do need to catch the last Cloud Sea Train. However, there is only one boat here right now."
"As far as I know, another boat will arrive in five minutes, but the one after that won't come for another thirty minutes."
"If you wish to reach the sea of clouds as quickly as possible, one of you can share a boat with me."
She calmly analyzed the pros and cons for the three of them. Carlotta glanced at the hesitant Zani and the eager Phoebe before finally fixing her gaze on Noah:
"So… Mr. Noah, would you mind accompanying me?"
"I don't mind."
Noah gave the quiet sea of clouds a thoughtful glance, then stepped forward and made a gentlemanly "after you" gesture toward Carlotta in front of the gondola.
"Quite the gentleman."
Carlotta smiled faintly at him, gracefully stepping into the gondola, while Noah merely shrugged:
"Just respecting the elderly and cherishing the young."
"Huh?!"
[Limited Banner "A Different Cacophony" and "Death and Dance" have been activated.]