Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Carlotta didn't answer—she simply held out her glass, signaling for Noan to pour her another drink.

Noan frowned, studying Carlotta for a long moment before finally picking up the bottle and filling her glass.

Carlotta gazed at the red wine swirling in her glass, her voice soft as she said, "You don't have the right to know who I am just yet. But I can tell you this…"

She didn't finish the sentence immediately, instead taking a delicate sip of wine. Noan waited patiently, knowing how much he needed any information she was willing to share.

"Ah!" Carlotta exhaled and continued, "Even if you reach Level 10, that is only the beginning—it's not the end."

Noan was startled, his eyes clouded with disbelief and confusion.

But he also knew Carlotta had no reason to lie to him.

He realized her words made sense.

Just as she'd said earlier, "Gods" were those who had reached heights far beyond what anyone else could attain, and were thus revered as gods. That meant Level 10 wasn't the limit—Level 10 was merely the starting point for another world entirely.

But… if Level 10 was not the highest level, why had he never heard of anyone surpassing it before? Was it taboo to even mention it? Or had no one in history ever managed to go beyond Level 10?

Noan glanced at Carlotta, wanting to ask her identity, to know how she could possess such knowledge.

But Carlotta had already said—he wasn't qualified to know those secrets, not yet. So he could only remain silent.

This world was harsh; the stronger Noan became, the more difficult and suffocating everything seemed.

More and more, it felt as though some invisible hand was slowly tightening its grip around him.

Who exactly was that woman? Was she truly the Fate Hunter? Why had she chosen him? Was it because she intended to use him to escape the gods' imprisonment?

Noan didn't know. He couldn't find the answer. All he felt was the ache in his head from these relentless questions.

He sighed, then asked, "Carlotta, do you want to leave this place?"

Carlotta smiled and replied, "For now, there's no need. I'm quite content here at the moment—but you'll have to bring me more things next time, understood?"

Noan: "…"

"All right! I understand. But…" Noan intended to ask something more, but in the end, he didn't say it.

"Hahaha…" Carlotta suddenly burst out laughing. "The way you're all hesitant and worried really amuses me, Noan. Hahahaha…"

"Noan, don't worry. Your journey has only just begun. It's just that…"

Carlotta didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she suddenly stood up, walked over to him, and gently tapped her finger against his chest, right over his heart.

"Try to keep hold of your rationality. Don't let the Dark Fate consume your mind and soul."

"If you do… you'll become nothing but a killing machine."

"When that time comes, no one will be able to protect you. No one will be able to help you."

"But…" Noan frowned. "You said yourself that, as a Fate Hunter, I'll have to walk this road alone, didn't you?"

Carlotta smiled mysteriously. "That was the mistake of your predecessor. You, the one who comes after, must change that way of thinking."

"No matter how strong you become, you're still just one person. If you have allies, that's a different story."

Hearing this, Noan felt a bit confused. Was he supposed to find allies? But who could possibly stand by his side to oppose both the Fate Holders and the gods?

He frowned, about to ask, but Carlotta suddenly leaned in and kissed him.

After that…

…

In the Terith Empire.

Empress Catherine was sitting in her private office, her gaze fixed on the man before her, her eyes full of displeasure.

"Elder, it's been days already and there is still no news of the people I ordered you to find. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Hearing Catherine's words, the Elder wiped the sweat from his brow and quickly bowed his head. "Your Majesty, what you ask is simply impossible."

"We've tried to search, but in the end, we were only able to narrow it down to a small group."

"Before we could investigate further, they were already sent to the Chaotic World."

"Your Majesty, I hope you'll grant me another chance."

"If I give you another chance, will you be able to find that person?" Catherine asked with a frown.

"Well…" The Elder sighed and said, "I'm afraid… it's impossible."

"Huh! Useless." Catherine snapped angrily. "First, someone infiltrates the Lord Academy, causes trouble, and then escapes—and you couldn't even investigate that."

"Next, someone tried to steal an experimental specimen right in the City, and you still couldn't find them."

"There was even someone who killed two Elders from the Frankyro family, and you failed to resolve that as well."

BAM!

Catherine slammed her fist down on the desk, shattering it into pieces, wooden splinters flying everywhere.

The Elder immediately fell to his knees, his expression full of worry and fear.

"Your Majesty, please calm down, we are doing our best to investigate."

"Investigate?" Catherine said, her voice icy cold and filled with killing intent. "Tell me, how am I supposed to remain calm when trouble after trouble keeps happening, yet you're all as useless as blocks of wood, huh?"

Sweat drenched the Elder's forehead, his eyes growing more and more frantic with fear. "Your Majesty, please, give me one more chance."

Catherine stared at the Elder for a long moment, then slowly exhaled, frowning. "When is Aldric coming back?"

The Elder didn't understand why Catherine suddenly mentioned that young man, but he answered honestly, "About ten days from now. If he's quick, maybe four days."

Catherine frowned, then said, "When he returns, send him into the Chaotic World."

"That… Your Majesty, that's far too dangerous." The Elder quickly said, "Aldric is that person's disciple—if you send him into the Chaotic World, his life could be at risk. I think that—"

"Hm?!" Catherine raised an eyebrow, causing the Elder to fall silent at once, fearfully clamming up.

"Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?"

"N-no, of course not, my Queen." The Elder sighed.

"Cease all investigation for now. Wait until Aldric returns."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Elder bowed his head. "And regarding—"

"Uhm!" Suddenly, a strange sound escaped from the Queen's mouth, startling the Elder.

Not only him, but the Queen herself was startled as well. She clenched her teeth and shouted, "Get out!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!" The Elder hurried out of the room.

As for Catherine, her eyes now showed clear rage, burning red as if they might spit fire at any moment.

"Damn it! Carlotta, you… uhm!"

"You wretch! Don't let me catch you, or else… uhm… mm…"

…

Outside, the Elder looked at the tightly closed door, which was even covered by a soundproof magic spell to prevent any eavesdropping.

The sharp glint in the Elder's eyes at this moment was completely at odds with the fearful gaze he had shown Catherine earlier.

He shook his head, stepped outside, and entered a black car waiting for him.

Inside, another man had been waiting for quite some time. He spoke softly, "Elder…"

"How far have you gotten with preparations, Janky?"

That's right, the man in the car was Janky, the father of Jankos.

Hearing this, Janky sighed. "Damn it! I don't understand why the Third Elder died. Our preparations have slowed down significantly."

The Elder sighed as well. "It seems someone has set their sights on us."

"Elder…" Janky stroked his chin, frowning. "Could it be one of Catherine's people?"

The Elder's eyes flashed with a hint of worry and unease. "Impossible. She can't have discovered us. I've hidden everything far too well."

"But… isn't this all too much of a coincidence?" Janky said. "Right when we're entering the most crucial stage of our plan, the Third Elder is killed, and the Fourth Elder disappears."

"Apart from Catherine, I can't think of anyone else who could have done this—and the Magic Dome didn't react at all."

The Elder frowned, a flash of killing intent in his eyes, though it disappeared quickly.

He took a deep breath and exhaled, then asked, "Do you have any other enemies? Or… is there anyone else who knows what we're doing?"

Janky shook his head. "Elder, besides me and the group, I swear no one else knows about this."

"It seems…" The Elder frowned, his eyes showing a ruthless glint, "there may be a spy within our ranks."

"A spy?" Janky was taken aback. "But… even if there is a spy, how could we possibly identify them?"

The Elder didn't reply immediately. He remained silent, thinking for a while before finally saying, "The one I'm most suspicious of is Billy."