Cristoforo clapped his hands: "Your suggestions have truly benefited me greatly; I can't help but marvel at your talents."
Lucian chuckled and suggested again: "Sir, worldly novels aren't that interesting. I have a brilliant theme!"
Cristoforo drew in a sharp breath: "Is there a theme more compelling than the saint's martyrdom?"
Lucian smiled mysteriously: "Of course."
"Let me ask you: What are Ragunna's three largest organizations?"
Cristoforo, puzzled, replied: "That would naturally be the Order of the Deep, the Montelli family, and the Fisalia family."
He glanced at Carlotta's expression and quickly added: "...No particular order."
Carlotta: "...?"
Why was this person acting so strangely all of a sudden? As if she would quibble over something like that.
Lucian clapped his hands: "Exactly!"
"For most ordinary people, they can't get close to the great families."
"But they must be very interested in various powers, so we can cater to public sentiment and write this play."
"I've even thought of the name: The Romance of the Three Clans!"
Cristoforo was stunned. As a playwright, he instantly realized this was an excellent topic and theme.
Just write about the complex relationships, grudges, and rivalries among the three major powers, and their clashes—it would surely stir up a frenzy!
Cristoforo's hands trembled slightly. Was Lucian truly a genius!?
No wonder Phrolova wanted to recruit Lucian into Fractsidus; such talent not serving Fractsidus was Fractsidus's loss.
Cristoforo exhaled a turbid breath, then hurriedly grasped Lucian's hands, unable to conceal his excitement:
"Mr. Lucian, a thousand taels of gold are easy to come by, but a true confidant is hard to find!"
"I never imagined that I, Cristoforo, would meet my soulmate in a copper-stinking place like an auction!"
Lucian was equally moved, tears in his laughter: "Mr. Cristoforo... Fate is wondrous indeed!"
"I'm the opposite of you. True friends are easy to find, but even one tael of gold is hard to come by!"
"What they call a soulmate is mutual understanding. You've found your confidant, but I still haven't found my gold!"
"As your soulmate, sir, couldn't you perhaps spare a little? Just for the sake of our belated meeting today!"
Cristoforo: "???"
Not like this, bro?
I'm talking feelings, and you're talking money?
Cristoforo quickly let go of his hands; he didn't have that much money to let Lucian fleece him.
He had heard about Lucian scamming money before, and the incident where Lucian once sent a bill to Fractsidus—it was known to everyone in the organization.
Tears streamed down Lucian's face in two lines: "Sir, am I not your confidant anymore?"
Cristoforo: "…"
I was just saying it; did you really take it seriously?
Lucian's acting was so convincing that even Cristoforo had to admire it: "Mr. Lucian."
"I know your difficulties, but I'm just a writer who cares little for fame or fortune; I really can't help you. Apologies!"
"But regardless, thank you for your suggestions. I'll seriously consider Mr. Lucian's The Romance of the Three Clans! If it earns any royalties by then, I'll hand the entire sum to Mr. Lucian!"
"See you at Carnevale, friends."
Cristoforo tossed out a promise of uncertain fulfillment, then waved his sleeves and turned to leave, not taking a single cloud with him.
Rover's mouth twitched: "You really never forget your roots..."
Carlotta giggled: "But Lucian's The Romance of the Three Clans does sound quite interesting. If such a work really exists, I'd definitely buy a copy."
Rover asked: "What do you think of what he said about the saint?"
Lucian mused: "Since we already know he's from Fractsidus, such actions must have deeper meaning."
"Back then on Mt. Firmament, to verify the second resonance hypothesis, Fractsidus deliberately sent Scar to guide things."
"In the end, it led to Jinhsi and the Sentinel fighting, allowing Fractsidus to verify success."
"And now in Ragunna, he's bringing up the saint again."
"Perhaps this is some kind of hint, wanting us to find clues about the saint."
Carlotta raised an elegant eyebrow: "So you know quite a bit about Fractsidus?"
In Ragunna, even the Montelli family needed special means to learn about the outside world, especially for secretive organizations like Fractsidus.
Lucian shook his head slightly: "Not really understanding them; they're still quite mysterious."
"But I don't think we need to deliberately investigate. After all, some madmen deliver themselves right to the door."
Carlotta chuckled lightly: "That's because the target is you two. For ordinary people, Fractsidus probably wouldn't even glance."
"...Alright, now that he's gone, let's talk about Gilberto."
Carlotta led the group to a secluded circular sofa area.
As soon as Lucian sat down, Rover sat on his lap, slipping off her long boots. Her delicate toes, wrapped in black silk, curled slightly, and her soft body nestled into his embrace.
Lucian & Carlotta: "?"
Lucian's expression turned serious, sitting upright: "Rover, we're discussing serious matters now; this isn't quite appropriate, is it?"
Though Lucian's mouth said that, his hands weren't idle, wandering continuously over Rover's fair, taut skin.
Carlotta felt her earlier judgment of Lucian's openness was spot on. Doing something so unspeakable in public, without treating her as an outsider at all.
Did this count as their trust in the Montelli family being quite deep?
What Lucian and the others didn't know was that on the surface, she was the glamorous family second miss, an art investor unbound by dogma.
But in the shadows, she also served as the family's executor, handling unspeakable troubles.
Thinking this way, she didn't seem qualified to judge what kind of person others were.
But becoming the family executor was her own choice; for the family's interests, she had never regretted it.
Yet precisely because of this, Carlotta somewhat envied the state between Lucian and Rover.
But only to that extent. If she cast aside the shackles and restrictions of her status, Carlotta believed she was already free enough.
Carlotta sat with perfect posture, smiling faintly: "Alright, let's talk about Gilberto."
"Thanks to your and Zani's efforts, he didn't escape as he anticipated and was handed over to us."
"The family 'entertained' him quite well."
"It turns out his bones aren't as tough as they seem—especially after he personally witnessed the anomaly in the Sea of Clouds subside, he spilled everything he knew in one go."
Lucian asked: "What did he reveal?"
Carlotta lifted her teacup for a sip, then smiled: "In short, during the interrogation, Gilberto told us some rather important information—someone has betrayed the Montelli family."