On the gondola Echo ship heading to Averardo, Rover lazily leaned into Lucian's arms.
"How do you view the Order of the Deep?" Rover asked, wrapping her arms around Lucian's neck.
Lucian held Rover's slender waist, pondering for a moment before saying, "Based on all the clues we have so far, I have some speculations."
"First, assuming Brant is telling the truth, then the Order of the Deep is indeed hiding something."
"In past festivals, the Sentinel was delighted to bestow the Laureate during Carnevale."
"But ever since the Carnevale ten years ago, Fenrico claimed that Echoes harming people was the Sentinel's wrath."
"This obviously conflicts with the Sentinel's past practices during Carnevale."
"So, I suspect that the Sentinel, Imperator, truly avoids showing itself, as no one has ever seen the Sentinel's true form—this can't be faked—but it would bestow divine oracles during Carnevale."
"And the Order of the Deep took advantage of this, ceasing to hold Carnevale to seize control of the narrative."
"The reason for stopping Carnevale is likely because it would lead to something disadvantageous to the Order of the Deep."
"Suppose the Sentinel was 'imprisoned' by the Order of the Deep. Then, if the Sentinel, who always bestowed the Laureate and divine oracles during Carnevale, didn't appear this time, wouldn't people begin to doubt their faith in the Sentinel? Or question the Order of the Deep?"
"Alternatively, if the Sentinel wasn't imprisoned, but the Order of the Deep banned Carnevale to conceal certain matters…"
"Then, if the Sentinel appeared again during Carnevale, bestowing a divine oracle and letting the Laureate recipient learn the truth, the Order of the Deep would still be put in a passive position."
"Another possibility is that Brant is lying, and all the decrees issued by the Order of the Deep were the Sentinel's doing."
"If that's the case, based on the current clues, I'd say this Sentinel has little reason to exist…"
"But it's also possible there are reasons we don't yet know?"
"Let's trace back to the origins of the Order of the Deep."
"It was a man named Napoli II who claimed to have seen the Sentinel… but that's questionable."
"After all, as mentioned, no one has seen the Sentinel, and the Sentinel dislikes appearing."
"So why would Napoli II be able to see the Sentinel when others couldn't?"
"In short, we still lack enough clues to determine who's right or wrong—we need more evidence."
The two disembarked from the gondola Echo ship, and Rover, holding Lucian's hand, sighed, "I never expected Ragunna's forces to be so intricately tangled."
"It seems we still need to find the Sentinel."
With that, the two arrived at Averardo Bank.
Lucian rubbed his hands together. "I wonder how much the Montelli family is giving us."
Rover mused, "If it's a large sum, but we later find out the Montelli family is up to no good, what should we do?"
Lucian put his hands on his hips. "Then we'll treat it as robbing the rich to help the poor."
Rover sighed. "When it comes to finding a righteous excuse, no one beats you."
Abby danced excitedly. "Wow, this Abby is already looking forward to it! Once we get the money, let's find a restaurant and have a big meal, okay?"
Rover asked curiously, "Didn't you have indigestion?"
Abby clutched his little belly. "Ugh… I'm hungry again now."
Rover: "…"
Lucian stroked his chin. "I saw an ad on a forum earlier about some restaurant called Shawarma or something—it's supposed to be really popular. Maybe we can check it out after we get the money."
"That's called Margherita's Restaurant," Rover corrected.
They arrived at the counter of Averardo Bank.
To their surprise, the bank staff seemed to be an Echo as well.
At the counter, two arms wearing white lace gloves extended out, while the interior was separated by a starry pattern.
These hands were slightly larger than a normal person's but plump and fleshy, making one want to grab and knead them.
Thinking so, Lucian did just that.
He grabbed one of the hands wearing white lace gloves and kneaded it. The texture was plump, soft, and elastic, like a baby's skin.
Rover: "You won't even spare an Echo?"
Before Lucian could savor it further, the hand retracted, and a slightly mature yet sensual female voice came from within:
"This guest is rather impolite…"
Lucian coughed lightly. "Actually, this is a custom in our New Federation—when seeking help, you shake hands to show goodwill."
"Don't misunderstand; we're here to withdraw money."
Rover said speechlessly, "This is the worst slander the New Federation has ever faced."
At that moment, the sound of high heels approached.
"Welcome to Averardo Bank, Mr. Lucian, Ms. Rover."
The two turned to see a woman with short, silver-white hair, slightly messy yet fluffy, creating a contrast with her cold, proud aura, adding a touch of laziness.
Despite her deep red pupils, like burning flames, and mysterious grayish-white sclera, her gaze was extremely languid.
Her figure was stunning—full, upright chest, slender waist, and well-proportioned, long legs.
She wore a white shirt paired with tight black pants, a pocket watch at her waist, and a pager and armband on her shoulder.
Lucian keenly noticed she was wearing pantyhose! It seemed the Stockings Collector was about to make another appearance.
Her uniform accentuated her graceful, curvaceous figure, making it even more elegant and alluring.
But what stood out most were the black, folded goat horns on her head and the devil-like tail behind her.
It was clear this hourglass-figured woman was a Resonator with prominent features.
Rover asked curiously, "And you are?"
Before she could answer, Rover felt a gust of wind pass by.
Lucian rushed forward, grabbing Zani's delicate hand, which was clad in a black glove.
"Greetings, beautiful lady. This humble one is Little Lucian. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Rover: "?"
Zani thought to herself, The second lady said that although Mr. Lucian seems a bit unusual, he shouldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
As the most important guest of the second lady, I must not be discourteous…
Zani subtly exerted force, trying to pull her hand back.
But Lucian held her hand tightly, like a pair of giant pincers, making it impossible for her to break free.
With no choice, she let Lucian toy with her hand. "I'm a staff member of this bank, Zani."
"I've been instructed by the Montelli family to wait here for your arrival and assist you in withdrawing funds."
"…Mr. Lucian, although I've heard you're the God of Universal Love, I'm not currently interested in romance."
Lucian had already removed her glove, closely examining her slender, snow-like fingers.
Upon closer inspection, Lucian noticed faint scar marks on the back of Zani's hand, though they were nearly faded by time.
It seemed this Ms. Zani wasn't just a simple bank employee.
Hearing her words, Lucian said, "You've heard of my title?"
Zani nodded slightly. "I'm sure all of Rinascita already knows that title, though they haven't seen your appearance."
"I was informed by the Montelli family, so I know this much."
At this moment, Rover silently approached him. "Tender?"
Lucian replied seriously, "Tender!"
As soon as he spoke, Lucian froze. Before he could react, Rover grabbed his ear.
"My apologies, Ms. Zani. This is my fiancé. He's a bit of a flirt, but I'll keep him in check."
It had to be said, Zani was impeccable in both appearance and figure.
Although Zani said she wasn't interested in romance for now, that was only temporary, so Rover staked her claim with those words.
Zani recalled the group of beautiful girls she saw in that train carriage during the livestream.
The Magistrate of Jinzhou, the Counselor of Jinzhou… even a child was there.
Zani said with a wry smile, "It seems he's more than just a bit of a flirt."
She emphasized the word "bit."
"Ms. Zani, it seems you have some misunderstandings about me, the God of Pure Love."
"No matter, I'll clear up your misconceptions with my actions."
Zani: "…The word 'pure love' seems to have nothing to do with you."
"Alright, your startup funds are ready. Please follow me."
The two followed Zani back to the bank counter.
Zani instructed, "Please present your terminals."
They took out their Pangu Terminals, and the pair of hands in white lace gloves clapped. A strange sound followed from within.
"You two are handling business with our bank for the first time. As honored guests of the Montelli family, your account level will be directly upgraded to 'Gold Coin Member.'"
"The registration process will take some time, and Mercurio will handle it autonomously. Please wait a moment."
Lucian asked curiously, " Mercurio? This Echo has a name?"
Zani nodded slightly. "Yes, the Echoes in our bank are assets of the Montelli family. Mercurio is a model specifically used for self-service withdrawals."
"Additionally, the family has entrusted me to serve as your escort and guide during your visit to Ragunna."
"Before Carnevale begins, if you need, I can also create a travel itinerary for you, including the recently popular 'Thundering Mephis Tour.'"
"—It ensures you can experience all the famous attractions in the region efficiently and with low risk, though… I don't recommend this kind of travel."
Lucian scratched his head. "Thundering Mephis Tour? Why a Jinzhou Echo? Is there no Imperator Tour?"
Zani's expression faltered. "Imperator rarely reveals itself, so naturally, there's no such tour."
"Of course, if you two can win the Laureate at Carnevale and speak with Imperator, you might suggest it to her."
Rover shook her head slightly. "If we could speak with Imperator, we wouldn't waste time on such trivial topics."
Zani nodded slightly. "The reason I recommended this service is that I was assigned to receive you on short notice."
"I didn't have enough time to gather your itinerary or personal information. If there's anything lacking, please let me know."
Lucian mused, "So your job from now on is to be our tour guide?"
Zani sighed. "You could say that."
Rover asked curiously, "Why do you seem so reluctant?"
Zani shook her head. "No, no."
She muttered to herself, "It's just that, for some reason, the bank has recently transferred a lot of staff, causing a shortage, so I've been covering other duties."
"Accepting this task to escort you was also because my boss promised me a few extra days of paid leave, and the client was generous enough…"
At that moment, Zani's terminal rang.
"Excuse me, I need to handle a work handover. Please wait a moment."
With that, Zani stepped aside.
Lucian whispered to Rover, "Rover, don't you feel Zani has a certain scent about her?"
Rover looked puzzled. "What scent? I didn't smell anything."
Lucian shook his head slightly. "I'm not talking about a literal smell, but an intangible aura, called the 'scent of work.'"
Lucian was all too familiar with this scent of work on Zani.
In his past life, Lucian was a hardworking corporate drone.
Rover asked curiously, "What's the scent of work?"
Someone like Rover, who'd never worked a regular job, wouldn't understand.
Before Lucian could explain, Zani hung up her call and walked back.
Lucian asked curiously, "Ms. Zani, you mentioned paid leave earlier… Don't you usually have days off?"
Zani shook her head slightly. "Generally, no."
Lucian nodded. "So how many days of leave did your boss give you for taking on this task?"
Zani lowered her head, sounding exhausted. "One week…"
It seemed Zani wasn't very satisfied with a week's leave.
To be fair, only one week off a year was quite short, but for Zani, it was already precious.
Lucian comforted her, "Ms. Zani, don't underestimate this week."
Zani looked up, puzzled. "Is there something special about this week's leave?"
Lucian nodded. "Think about it: a week is seven days, right? That means your boss gave you seven days off."
Seeing Zani nod, Lucian continued, "But if a week had thirty days, wouldn't you get thirty days off?"
Zani: "?"
A look of confusion crossed Zani's pretty face. What kind of logic was that?
If a week had three hundred sixty-five days, wouldn't I get a whole year off?
Lucian put his hands behind his back, gazing at the horizon. "A friend once told me to be a rule-breaking Black Sheep."
"Though you look like a White Sheep, that doesn't stop you from breaking the rules."
"If we can meet the Sentinel, we can suggest making a week thirty days."
"That way, you'd naturally get a longer break."
Zani sighed. "If only it could really work that way…"
"But not just anyone can meet the Sentinel. I don't think I'll ever have that chance."