"Brant? Never heard of him," Rover shook her head slightly.
Brant: "…"
Lucian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Troupe of Fools —I think I've heard of it somewhere."
"I remember seeing on the forums that members of Troupe of Fools said they'd perform at the Carnival Festival?"
"Exactly."
Brant walked to the ship's railing, gazing at the endless sea. "Thanks to you, this is the first time I've seen the Storm Sea so calm."
"By the way, are you coming from Jinzhou to Rinascita to join the Carnival Festival?"
Brant pretended not to know they were coming to Rinascita, as the second lady of the Montelli family had specifically instructed him not to reveal her identity.
Rover nodded slightly, going along with his words. "That's right. I heard the Carnival Festival is fun, so we came to check it out."
Lucian asked, "What do you know about that giant whale just now?"
Brant: "These waters hide many mysterious, massive aquatic Tacet Discords. That 'sea beast' is what everyone calls Cetus the Tidebreaker."
"But it's supposed to be gentle, never coming to shallow waters or attacking humans."
"Yet I saw something strange on it just now. Could that be why it went berserk?"
Brant seemed to be muttering to himself while also asking Lucian and Rover.
At that moment, Abby popped out from the Tacet Mark. "In that big guy's frequency, I smelled sadness and anger…"
Brant's curiosity was piqued. "Wow! This chubby little guy is… an Echo? It can talk? So smart! What's its name?"
Lucian nodded and patted Abby's head. "He's mine and Rover's child. His name is Cosmic Invincible Super Thunder Raptor Warrior Abby."
Brant scratched his head. "Child? Humans can give birth to Echos? And you said his name is Cosmic… what?"
Abby stomped his foot. "I'm Abby!"
Brant had a sudden realization. "Lucian, Rover, and Abby—I've got it!"
"Guests invited aboard are friends once names are exchanged!"
Brant waved grandly. "Crew, come say hello to our new friends!"
A group of bizarre Echos immediately gathered around.
Some looked like magicians, others like rag dolls—far cuter than Jinzhou's Echos.
"—Welcome to Troupe of Fools!"
As Brant spoke, the Echos raised colorful ribbons, and even the ornate ship, carried by Echos, let out a melodious hum.
Lucian looked at the surrounding Echos thoughtfully. No wonder Rinascita was called the Land of Echos.
These Echos lived like humans, likely due to Rinascita's public terminals.
Abby exclaimed, "These are all Echos? So lively…"
"It's my first time seeing Echos like these. Ahem, they're almost as special as me, maybe six or seven out of ten… hic…"
Abby let out a hiccup, and Lucian patted his head. "Not getting indigestion, are you?"
"Indigestion, my foot…" Abby grumbled. "But once we meet Rinascita's Sentinel, we'll probably know more…"
Abby's sounds weren't due to indigestion but his frequency, one of the reasons Lucian and Rover were heading to Rinascita.
Lucian asked, "So, all these Echos are members of the troupe?"
Brant spread his hands proudly. "Of course! They're indispensable helpers and partners of our Troupe of Fools! We're bringing them to the Carnival Festival too!"
Lucian asked curiously, "I heard the Carnival Festival hasn't been held in a long time. Can you tell us more about it?"
Brant nodded slightly. "No problem."
"It's the greatest celebration in Rinascita, with endless masquerade balls, fine wine, gourmet food, and nonstop music…"
"In the tireless revelry, all restraints and worries vanish!"
"And… at the grandest moment of the Carnival Festival, the Sentinel 'Imperator' will bestow a miracle, crowning the most outstanding performer with the 'Laureate.'"
Rover quickly asked, "If you receive the Laureate, can you meet the Sentinel?"
Brant laughed. "Of course not. That deity in the high heavens has never been seen by anyone over the years… But those who earn the Laureate get the chance to hear the Sentinel's voice."
Lucian asked curiously, "So mysterious… You can only hear her voice? And you've never seen the Sentinel?"
Brant nodded. "Exactly. But Fenrico, the High Priest of the Order of the Deep, claims to be the Divine Enlightenment, saying he can resonate with the Sentinel Imperator."
"He guides the people through the public terminals, following her teachings."
Lucian raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Rover.
A Divine Enlightenment who resonates with the Sentinel Imperator?
In Jinzhou, Jinhsi can resonate with Jué, earning her the title of Sentinel Resonator.
What's this "Divine Enlightenment" nonsense?
In Jinzhou, Jué discusses matters big and small with Jinhsi and others, never acting unilaterally.
From what Brant said, it sounded like Imperator issued commands through this Divine Enlightenment?
Moreover, Lucian's earlier investigation through the Rover System revealed that the Order of the Deep controlled the public terminals, filtering their information.
With this in mind, Lucian probed, "So, do you believe this Fenrico's claim of being the 'Divine Enlightenment' is true?"
In Rinascita, the Montelli family was secretly resisting the Order of the Deep, pushing for private terminals.
This was one reason Brant sided with the Montelli family and became friends with their second lady.
Lucian and Rover were the targets the second lady wanted to recruit, and Brant trusted her judgment, so he decided to tell them the truth.
Brant shook his head solemnly. "Of course I don't believe it."
Lucian: "Care to elaborate?"
Brant sighed. "The Order of the Deep is the de facto ruler of Ragunna City. It's not just a religious organization but a complex entity intertwining power and faith."
"They control city policies, diplomatic activities, civil disputes—everything."
"The Order's internal hierarchy is very strict, divided into three levels: High Priest, Clerics, and Priests."
"Priests are the grassroots, responsible for daily preaching and studying scriptures."
"Clerics handle religious ceremonies and spreading doctrine."
"And the High Priest Fenrico holds all the authority to make rules…"