Carlotta, who had rested overnight at the Troupe of Fools, got up early to wash and get ready.
She changed out of her loose pajamas, her fair skin covered by a soft off-shoulder dress.
Straight square shoulders, arm sleeves, a shawl, and sparkling gems transformed the girl's inherent softness into something slightly sharp, adding just the right amount of decisiveness and elegance.
"Today, it's also a shining opal."
She tied her pure white hair with a butterfly hair clip, then picked up her luxurious Saint Laurent pink lipstick and slowly applied it in front of the opal mirror.
Boom!
A deafening blast of sound from the speakers made her hand tremble, instantly leaving a streak of lipstick across the face on the mirror that looked like a work of art.
"Damn it, who is it!"
After finally wiping off the excess lipstick with a wet tissue, Carlotta stormed out of the tent, still fuming.
On the stage of the flower boat Echo, a man and a woman were passionately singing, while right in front of the stage, Noah sat on a chair facing away from it, with an unknown button in front of him.
Carlotta quickly walked up to Noah:
"What are you guys doing?"
"Shh, just listen carefully."
Noah's head bobbed rhythmically to the beat of the music, while Roccia's highly penetrating voice came from behind.
Roccia: "Smiling and saying love drives people crazy~"
Noah's comment: "Emotion is on point, technique needs a bit of work."
"Huh?" Carlotta's brows furrowed slightly.
Brant: "Crying and saying love makes people nervous~"
Noah's comment: "Technique is there, but lacking emotion."
"Huh?" Carlotta's brows furrowed again.
Brant and Roccia together: "Can't forget that person, so just surrender~"
Noah's comment: "Momentum is grand, but still needs practice."
"What does that mean?" Carlotta's brows twisted into a knot.
Bang!
Suddenly, Noah slapped the button in front of him. The seat beneath him spun 180 degrees, and he stood up holding the microphone, belting out:
"Practicing the joys and sorrows of love~ We who work hard aren't simple~"
Full of emotion, technique at maximum, flexible key changes!
Carlotta's brows instantly relaxed, her whole body easing up as if the creases in her brain had been smoothed out, like strolling through a Norwegian forest.
"Enough!"
She grabbed a nearby microphone, her gaze fixed on the two men and one woman on stage:
"Can you all be quiet for a bit!"
As soon as the words fell, the stage accompaniment stopped abruptly. Noah, Brant, and Roccia exchanged glances, then the corners of their mouths curved up slightly:
"Calling out three songs at once? Really can't do anything with you."
The speakers blared again, this time playing three BGM tracks simultaneously. Carlotta's expression changed drastically:
"Stop stop stop~ Stop!"
"Hey hey, don't! Let it finish the next eight beats at least."
Ignoring their protests, Carlotta turned off the speakers. After some scuffling and messing around, the four of them sat back down at the table for another small meeting.
"First of all, thanks to Tall Chestnut for providing the songs. We've decided to select a few of them as the repertoire for the Carnevale performance."
Carlotta's knuckles lightly tapped the tabletop:
"However, although we've only heard a few of these songs in total, each one is outstanding. Choosing which ones has become a problem."
"First, I'd like to ask—as the person who provided the playlist, Tall Chestnut, which song do you think would be best to choose?"
"Or rather, whose song do you think is the greatest?"
Hearing this, Noah glanced at the handwritten song list made by the troupe members. Seeing names like Zhou, Chen, Wang, Lin, Deng, Xue, and countless other singers on it, his scalp immediately went numb.
No matter which one he picked, he'd offend the fans of the others.
Little Potato's clever chain of tricks; Tall Chestnut steps onto the guillotine.
"My comments only represent my personal taste; they don't mean anything. We need public opinion for that."
Noah shook his head. Suddenly, he felt his terminal vibrate—it was a message from Fenrico.
Fenrico: Fractsidus Overseer, the Playwright has come to the Order.
Noah: Stall him, I'm on my way!
Switch character—Camellya, intercontinental missile ready.
"You guys choose yourselves; I have something to do and need to go first!"
Leaving those words behind, Noah leaped into the air, unfolded his Wings of Soaring, and flew away quickly without looking back.
Only three people were left at the table.
Roccia turned her head to look at Carlotta beside her and slowly spoke:
"Miss Carlotta, once we've selected the songs, will you join us for rehearsal too?"
"Me?" Carlotta pointed at herself, her expression shifting slightly.
Dancing was one thing, but singing... her singing skills weren't actually very good. Though she did have a childhood best friend who was very talented at it.
Whatever, she'd ask her for advice later.
Thinking of this, Carlotta let out a long breath and forced a smile:
"Just thinking about performing on such a big stage at the Carnevale makes me feel a bit nervous. I'm a little worried my voice might go off-key."
"That's not simple?" Brant immediately suggested: "If you're nervous, just wear a headpiece, right?"
"As for going off-key, how about this—you just lip-sync on stage. With the headpiece on, no one will be able to tell if your mouth is moving anyway."
...
Order of the Deep.
A handsome, golden-haired man who looked like a noble young lord stopped inside the Tidal Cathedral. His lazy voice slowly flowed out:
"Isn't the High Seat usually quite averse to unstable elements like me? Why the sudden leisure and interest to personally invite me? This really doesn't seem like you at all."
"Naturally, it's because an even more unstable element has appeared in Ragunna City."
Fenrico's expression was cold as he tossed out a portrait.
It had to be said, this portrait of Noah had become his treasure for suppressing the Black Tide erosion.
Every time he heard whispers echoing in his mind, all he had to do was let Noah's image reflect in his retinas, and those inexplicably bewitching murmurs would become furious and then fade away on their own.
Cristoforo, who took the portrait, had his pupils contract. His heartbeat quickened slightly, and he let out a soft laugh:
"Heh heh heh, no wonder you suddenly called me. I see. As far as I know, you once ordered the Order not to offend him casually. I'm quite curious—what has he done to the Order recently?"
"Don't act like you don't care, Playwright."
Fenrico shook his head slightly, stood up, turned his back to Cristoforo, and spoke neither quickly nor slowly:
"This person has recently been going around killing Fractsidus craftsmen, causing quite a bit of trouble for you as well.
"And just a few days ago, he went to the Fagaceae Peninsula and killed the Order's Judgment Dragon King—Gehinnom—making it impossible for the Order to continue using the pilgrimage ships to exile the fools."
"A person like this remaining in Ragunna is always a hidden danger. So, I want to borrow the Fractsidus's hand to eliminate him."
Listening to Fenrico's serious and wild words, Cristoforo was already cursing inwardly.
Old man, do you really not know how terrifying that monster is? You actually want the Fractsidus to eliminate him.
If you were a Fractsidus member and ran into him, if you don't run, you're this [thumbs up].
If he lets you run away, then he's this [thumbs down].
If the Fractsidus had the ability to take him down, would Cristoforo still need to have those craftsmen hide away to avoid the edge?
"This person is very powerful; eliminating him won't be easy."
Cristoforo shook his head slightly, spread his hands, still maintaining an appearance of having everything under control:
"However, driving him out of Ragunna would actually be quite simple."
Fenrico turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Cristoforo's expression:
"How so?"
"Heh heh, there's no harm in telling you. That person is from Jinzhou. Coincidentally, the Fractsidus has a collaboration with a Dollmaker from Jinzhou. We just need to work with that Dollmaker to cause some destruction in Jinzhou..."
Before Cristoforo could finish speaking, his terminal at his waist suddenly vibrated.
He took out the terminal, saw the message clearly, and his breathing immediately hitched. Suppressing his tension, he elegantly gave Fenrico a gentleman's bow:
"Apologies, High Seat. I suddenly have something to attend to. Excuse me."
As he was about to turn, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint, icy smile on the corner of Fenrico's mouth:
"You cannot leave."
The half-golden mask suddenly fell away, revealing the horrifying face beneath corroded by the Black Tide. Fenrico opened his mouth, his voice turning hoarse and slow, carrying an inexplicable bewitchment:
"I want the Fractsidus to help me do one thing!"
"Oh?" Cristoforo was slightly stunned, but he quickly recovered, immediately putting on a hypocritical smile.
He bowed respectfully:
"Your Excellency Leviathan, I'm very pleased. You've finally recognized who your true friend is. Time is short—please state your request."