To head to the Cloud Pavilion, one still needed to take a Gondola Echo boat from the port to reach it.
The port administrator looked at Lucian carrying two women, like an upside-down 'mountain,' and fell silent.
"Sir…"
"I am the administrator of this port. Where do you wish to go?"
Lucian nodded slightly. "I want to go to the Cloud Pavilion."
The port administrator said in surprise, "You want to cross the Sea of Clouds?"
"You must have seen the weather conditions outside… I have to say, this weather is not suitable for boating."
Lucian followed the administrator's gaze. At this moment, the sky was overcast, and raging thunderstorms echoed throughout the port.
It seemed as if it could tear apart the entire Nimbus Sanctum at any time.
Lucian was silent for a moment. "What if I have another way to get there?"
What Lucian meant was naturally his own Transformation Magic ability.
The administrator scratched his head in puzzlement. "Another way?"
"Aside from the Gondola, there doesn't seem to be any other way to reach the Cloud Pavilion."
"Moreover, today's thunderstorm is particularly exaggerated. I think you should wait until the thunderstorm ends before taking the Gondola."
It was unknown exactly what Gilberto had done, but judging from the current weather situation, it seemed very bad.
Lucian explained to him that he was pressed for time. The administrator pondered and said, "I see…"
"There are still Gondolas here that haven't set sail yet, but please be very careful about safety."
Lucian nodded slightly and walked toward the shore with the two women.
Sure enough, there was one Gondola that hadn't set sail yet, but only this one.
Lucian was pondering whether to directly transform into another creature and fly over when.
Footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.
A familiar female voice rang out. "Great, so there's still one Gondola here…"
"But there's only this one left. Though now there seem to be a bit too many people… Mr. Lucian."
Rover quickly got down from Lucian's shoulder. Why had this Carlotta appeared again?
If coincidences happened too many times, they couldn't be called coincidences anymore.
Moreover, back at the jewelry store, Lucian had already exposed her identity long ago.
Since she was still appearing here despite that, was it to deliberately guide them?
Lucian glanced at the Gondola. The Gondola Echo boat only had two seats and could normally only accommodate two people.
He scanned the three women around him again, and he decided to change his mind.
Lucian waved his hand grandly and smiled. "No problem. You sit across from me, and the two of them can sit on my lap."
Rover: "?"
Carlotta covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. "So Mr. Lucian had this in mind."
"But it's truly unexpected that you actually captured someone from Fractsidus."
Before this, although Carlotta knew of the organization Fractsidus, she didn't know Phrolova.
It was only after Lucian captured her that, through some investigation, she learned of Phrolova's status within Fractsidus.
Phrolova raised her eyebrow slightly, twisting her delicate body a bit, and Lucian didn't refuse, setting her down.
Phrolova and Carlotta looked at each other, each with undisguised scrutiny in their eyes, and an ambiguous nuance in their gazes.
Phrolova spoke first. "Speaking of which, I still have to thank Miss Carlotta for using the invitation to bring Lucian and Rover to Ragunna."
Lucian chuckled upon hearing this. "It seems we're quite the hot commodities in the eyes of both the Montelli Family and Fractsidus."
"Does this count as having people from both the black and white paths interested in us?"
Carlotta's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "Though I don't know how you caught her."
"But I suggest you eliminate her as soon as possible to avoid letting the tiger return to the mountain."
Lucian's expression turned serious. "That's none of your concern. I have my own pace."
Carlotta: "…"
You wouldn't have taken a liking to her because of her looks, would you?
They all say Lucian is the God of Universal Love, and now it seems the reputation is well-deserved.
Phrolova chuckled. "Miss Carlotta, I feel it's necessary for me to remind you of one thing."
"You're just a branch member of the Montelli Family. The family head kindly took you in, but aren't you meddling a bit too much?"
Carlotta's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. She had always been unreserved about her background.
But what surprised her was Fractsidus's understanding of the Montelli Family.
She naturally knew of the organization Fractsidus as well. The Montelli Family had once had some unpleasant dealings with Fractsidus.
And this time, Carlotta had discovered the matter of Fractsidus collaborating with the Order of the Deep through various clues.
In order to promote the family's terminals, Carnevale had to be held as scheduled.
And Fractsidus, standing with the Order of the Deep that was trying to prevent Carnevale from being held, was naturally an obstacle for them.
Moreover, Fractsidus had a notorious reputation, even more despised than the Fisalia Family, so Carlotta had never had any favorable impression of them.
Lucian asked in confusion, "Family branch? Adopted by the family head?"
Phrolova smiled slightly. "You didn't know yet, did you?"
"Carlotta Montelli, from the declining branch of the Montelli Family in the Rinascita region."
"She became an abandoned orphan in her childhood and was later adopted by the family head, Francesco, becoming the nominal second young miss."
"Although she gained status, because of her branch origins, she has long suffered cold stares from family members."
"To prove her own worth, she diligently studied noble etiquette and business investment, gradually becoming the Carlotta you see now."
"…That's correct, isn't it? Miss Carlotta."
Phrolova's lips curved in a smile, as if she knew everything.
Carlotta's expression was cold. Actually, the information Phrolova had stated could basically be obtained with a thorough investigation.
But there were some more secretive details that Phrolova hadn't voiced, and it was unknown whether she hadn't investigated them or truly didn't know, or if she was deliberately concealing them.
In Carlotta's view, with Fractsidus's influence spanning the entire Solaris-3, Phrolova might know even those deeper secrets all too well.
Lucian rubbed his chin in thought. So Miss Carlotta was a branch member of the family…
But he still didn't know what her purpose was in inviting him and Rover to Ragunna.
Was it to add some leverage to prevent the Order of the Deep from causing trouble and ensure Carnevale proceeded smoothly?
Lucian felt it probably wasn't that simple.
After all, he and Rover were ultimately outsiders and had no right to interfere in Ragunna's Carnevale.
The two stared at each other silently, and a loud thunderstorm broke the silence.
Rover cleared her throat lightly. "We still don't know the situation at the Cloud Pavilion. Shall we head over and take a look first?"
"Zani and Phoebe should be meeting up with us soon too."
Lucian nodded slightly. Earlier, Gilberto had said the Sea of Clouds would submerge Ragunna, which sounded quite alarming.
With that in mind, Lucian took out the Comical Eyepatch and put it on Phrolova.
Phrolova: "?"
Phrolova's vision went black, and her state of mind instantly became calm and composed, as if nothing in the world could affect her anymore.
Lucian scooped her up by the waist. "Sorry, Carlotta is our inviter after all, so I'll have to trouble you to rest for a bit."
Phrolova: "…"