Above the ocean, the waves were turbulent.
The starlit sea at night shimmered with light, with numerous points of light misting in the air.
The Moonlight quickly moved away, and Carlotta looked back, no longer able to see the port or any pursuers.
She slowly spoke, "Amelia, when will you go back? It’s quite suitable to go back now, but I can only take the Moonlight, otherwise I won’t be able to escape."
As she spoke, Carlotta felt a bit lost. She had been by Amelia’s side for so long and had grown accustomed to having such a beautiful and understanding girl by her side. Suddenly separating and returning to the state of a lone wolf was naturally very uncomfortable for her.
But there was no other way.
Amelia raised her hand, adjusted the position of the Rose Cross in Carlotta’s hand, and let the sword continue to rest on her neck.
Then she said, "I’m not going back."
Carlotta was stunned, "Not going back means... you’re going to flee with me?"
At this point, Carlotta obviously couldn’t return to the Wendell Empire. She had no choice but to leave her homeland and become a wandering adventurer.
Amelia should know what kind of situation she would be in from now on, right?
Amelia paused and said, "If I’m not by your side, the empire might still find you through some means. How would you, still an apprentice, face the empire’s blade? I can only stay by your side, Carlotta."
"But what about your own life? You..."
"Compared to my life, no matter how you look at it, your life and safety are more important, aren’t they?"
Carlotta stared blankly at the girl in her arms, never expecting Amelia to make such a choice, to abandon her status as a noble young lady and follow her into exile.
This choice from the other party brought her a great impact, leaving her at a loss, feeling as if the whole world had dimmed, with only Amelia emitting an unignorable light.
"Will the Fenwick Family agree to this?"
"Don’t worry about the family; my father can handle everything and will understand me."
This decision was also something she had thought deeply about. She had considered how to save Carlotta, but after much thought, she felt it would be difficult to protect her.
The empire had too many methods. This time they could find practitioners of prophecy magic to restore past events, and they could also find Carlotta’s location through other means.
She didn’t want to lose Carlotta as a friend.
Since her mother’s death, very few people have gotten close to her. At some point, Carlotta had become an indispensable presence by her side.
She didn’t even know what kind of feelings she had for Carlotta, but she felt at ease when she was with her. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to Carlotta, and that was enough.
That was enough for her to make this choice, even if it meant her life trajectory would change dramatically from now on.
In this world, there are always many things worth letting go of everything else for.
Carlotta truly did not expect this to happen, Amelia would actually choose to leave everything behind and follow her.
She lowered her head, staring blankly at Amelia, countless emotions welling up in her heart, making her momentarily at a loss for words that could match the current atmosphere.
"They’re catching up."
Amelia suddenly said, "The direction of the Moonlight needs to change, we can’t continue in a straight line."
Carlotta snapped out of her reverie, wanting to ask how the other knew someone was chasing them, but after moving her lips, she didn’t ask. Instead, she quickly adjusted the Moonlight’s direction, heading towards another path.
A slight deviation in direction on the ocean can create a vast distance, and the Moonlight swiftly moved away on the sea, sailing towards an unknown horizon.
’Perhaps among Julia and the other guards, someone was actually on Amelia’s list of soldiers?’
This thought flashed through Carlotta’s mind, which might be the reason Amelia knew someone was coming after them.
Amelia spoke again at this moment, "Carlotta, where should we go next?"
Although she had resolutely followed Carlotta, wanting to protect her, this was all a spur-of-the-moment decision. She was equally clueless about what to do next and where to go.
Her blue eyes still carried a hint of confusion.
The Wendell Empire was clearly not an option, and the Velmoria Empire didn’t seem viable either; they had just been in a fierce battle with the people of Velmoria Empire. Going there would only invite trouble.
Moreover, the million-strong army of the Wendell Empire was about to invade the Velmoria Empire, and it was bound to be chaotic there.
They couldn’t go north, and the east was the Forbidden Sea, so only the south remained.
Carlotta recalled the map of the Northern Continent, yes, the Wendell Empire, the Velmoria Empire, the Sun Moon Federation, and other countries were all located on the Northern Continent.
Apart from that, there was also the Southern Continent, which was extremely unfamiliar to Carlotta.
Of course, there was also the Central Continent in ancient times, but it had now sunk, transformed into the endless Forbidden Sea.
Heading south, the only option was the Sun Moon Federation.
The Sun Moon Federation was composed of six kingdoms, primarily united to resist the tyranny of the Wendell Empire. If they fled there, even the Wendell Empire’s reach wouldn’t extend that far.
Thinking of this, Carlotta mentioned it.
Amelia thought for a moment and said, "The Sun Moon Federation is indeed the only choice, but if we can think of this, surely the Carlisle family can too... But regardless, let’s try heading to the Sun Moon Federation first."
She adjusted the Moonlight’s course once again, heading south.
Then Carlotta couldn’t help but say, "Amelia, I shouldn’t need to keep my sword at your neck anymore, right?"
Maintaining this position gave Carlotta a strong sense of guilt, making her very uncomfortable.
Amelia thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn’t be necessary anymore..."
Carlotta breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put away the Rose Cross.
It was midnight, and the Starlight Sea was unusually bright due to the characteristics of the sea, with countless points of light reflecting on the surface, creating a surreal feeling as if they were on a stage.
Carlotta looked around, then turned to Amelia and said, "Amelia, you go to sleep, I’ll keep watch over the Moonlight."
Amelia firmly refused, "You can’t know where the pursuers might reach, I must keep watch."
"You should go to sleep."
"How could I possibly sleep?"
Carlotta couldn’t help but.
She sat down on the deck, her twin tails had come undone at some point, and her unbound red hair was blown high by the wind.
Amelia thought it made sense, after such events, no one could sleep carelessly. Even sleep-inducing cards wouldn’t work; they weren’t omnipotent, and strong brain waves would render them ineffective.
She came over and sat down beside Carlotta.
The two sat side by side, watching the sparkling sea rise and fall.
The night passed unnoticed.
Daybreak came, and the Starlight Sea returned to its normal appearance, the blue waters shimmering brightly under the sunlight.
Even the magical creatures had revived, occasionally one would leap out of the sea, charging towards the Moonlight, but these ordinary creatures were merely seeking death, as they were instantly blasted away by the Moonlight’s photon cannon.
Not long after, the Moonlight encountered a fleet of pirate ships, which began to retreat upon seeing the Moonlight from a distance.
Carlotta did not activate the Moonlight’s disguise, as it was pointless. The Moonlight needed to move at full speed, and disguising it as a sailboat while displaying a speed no sailboat could achieve would only reveal it as an alchemical ship in disguise, so she opted not to disguise it at all.
Seeing the pirate fleet retreat, Carlotta initially didn’t want to bother, but Amelia said, "Carlotta, let’s go over and subdue these pirates."
Hearing this, Carlotta had an idea, thinking of Amelia’s list of soldiers, and immediately directed the Moonlight to charge forward.
The speed difference between an alchemical ship and an ordinary sailboat was too great, and in no time, the Moonlight was upon them.
Carlotta scanned and saw the pirates on the ship, each with a slightly panicked look as they gazed over.
She then looked at the pirate flag, spotting two emblems, one unfamiliar at the bottom, but the one at the top she recognized, it was the emblem of the Soul Reaper Pirate Crew, one of the Ten Great Pirate Crews.
An old man stepped out on the pirate ship and said, "Two beautiful ladies, we are the Golden Wind Pirate Crew, an affiliate of the Soul Reaper Pirate Crew."
He made their identity clear from the start, aiming to intimidate. Most of the time, on the Starlight Sea, the name of the Soul Reaper Pirate Crew was enough to deter anyone; to survive here, one must not offend them.
However, Carlotta and Amelia exchanged a glance, neither particularly concerned about the Soul Reaper Pirate Crew, as they didn’t need to survive on the Starlight Sea.
Moreover, once their identities were known, all the pirates of the Starlight Sea would come after them, for the Pirate King’s treasure was with them.
Amelia stood up, looking at the many pirates, and said indifferently, "I don’t like to waste words, submit to me, or die, make your choice."