Chapter 497: 114. Strawberry
Fisher woke up just before dawn, and outside, on Dragon Tail Island of the Dragon Continent, a thin layer of morning mist had risen, mixing with the sounds of the people in the Ideal Nation below who were sound asleep, along with the lingering smell of alcohol, creating a hazy and dreamlike morning.
And indeed, for Fisher, last night felt like a crazy dream that had continued into this morning without him fully waking up.
Last night…
As soon as Fisher’s consciousness arrived at this captivating concept, he first felt a refreshing sensation, followed by an unprecedented sense of nostalgia and longing. Normally, after satisfying his bodily desires, he would become particularly rational, but for some reason, upon arriving with Hela, he found himself having such thoughts.
This was indeed Hela’s fault.
Now that he was becoming aware, he instinctively searched for the location of the evil angel, but just as he was about to move his body, he immediately noticed where she was.
Fisher lowered his head slightly and saw the beautiful angel with short, curly golden hair resting her face against his neck. He didn’t see Hela’s lovely sleeping face; he didn’t admire the serene beauty of the angel, so even at this moment, the wise Fisher found himself pondering meaningless questions like “Do angels need to sleep?”
After all, the last time they shared a pillow, she looked like she hadn’t slept all night, unjustly blaming herself and saying it was her fault.
At that moment, Hela’s soft body was completely pressed against Fisher’s flesh, and indeed she was very light; in such an extreme position, Fisher felt no weight at all. The place where she touched was neither hot nor itchy; he only felt a warm softness and comfort, accompanied by a faint fragrance reminiscent of afternoon sunlight, making him want to close his eyes and sleep comfortably while holding her.
By the way, where did her crown go?
Fisher stared at Hela’s empty head and suddenly thought of that.
He quietly lifted a bit of the blanket, seizing the moment to observe the angel’s beautiful body and structure closely.
Hmm, so her wings were still there after all, just wrapped up with him; but why did he feel nothing at all?
Fisher reached out and poked at Hela’s blue-gold, ethereal wings that enveloped them both, and at the moment of contact, he felt a cool, extremely smooth sensation.
So this thing really was physical; no wonder it broke off during the fight with the Duke of Peach.
Fisher touched her smooth, ethereal wings on her back and suddenly thought about how he hadn’t bound Hela yet. She hadn’t fully transformed into a woman before, but now she should be able to be bound. Although binding a mythical being would reveal more information to her, for Hela, Fisher was trustworthy, and it wouldn’t matter even if she knew more about him through the binding.
【Angel Race】
【Available Binding Research Count: 0/1】
【Bindable Subject: Hela, Female Adult Angel (Post-Transformation)】
【Bind?】
Bind!
As this thought emerged in his mind, a golden light surged into Fisher’s body, and with a wave of familiar pain, he pulled Hela in his arms even tighter.
Perhaps because of his movement, Hela’s long golden lashes suddenly fluttered like beautiful butterfly wings.
With this action, Hela’s head slowly revealed the crown that Fisher had crafted himself, adorned with numerous gems.
“Mm…”
She yawned, and before even opening her eyes, her small mouth bumped right against Fisher’s muscular chest, pulling in air while catching his muscle and producing a crisp “pop” sound.
Like a strawberry, it was only after this obvious mark was imprinted that Hela smiled at Fisher and said,
“Good morning.”
She should have already realized her connection to him, but just like Eil, she gave no sign of it.
Fisher looked up and down at the crown that suddenly appeared on her head and asked,
“Good morning… Do angels’ halos disappear when they are resting?”
“Indeed it does, because you know, this halo represents our current state. Angels rarely sleep, and once they do, they inevitably dream, causing the symbolic consciousness halo to disappear inside us, so you can’t see it.”
“Dream… What did you dream about last night?”
“I dreamed… um…”
She didn’t answer, her fingers poking at Fisher’s body as if she were a surveyor marking targets for a bombing run. Every area she found to her liking received a mark, followed by her lips making a “pop” sound while leaving distinct strawberry marks.
Her smile grew brighter with each mark, as if proudly reporting, “Report, Officer, bombing mission completed…”
Such an evil character.
It wasn’t until Hela planted one or two of those marks that she lazily replied,
“I dreamed that you and I eloped to a secret, never-before-seen place.”
Eloping…
If Fisher hadn’t encountered other ladies, such a topic would have been the most alluring temptation in the world. Unfortunately, he had already met quite a few women who had spent lovely times with him prior to this.
Perhaps the answer to this question should be the same for every woman; if Fisher had never met other women, he would have agreed to their request to elope.
Fisher’s unrestrained greed brought both gain and possession; correspondingly, it also brought responsibility and cost.
Without costs, there are no gains; without obligations, there are no rights – the principle is this simple.
He felt that if he dared to run away, the other ladies would be more than willing to chop him to pieces.
Fisher glanced at the ceiling, raised an eyebrow, and looked down at his body, changing the subject.
“Wait, I’m already at Mythical Rank, how did you leave a mark on my body?”
“I’m also a mythical being, with a higher level than you. Only by being powerful can miracles happen; didn’t you experience that last night?”
“…”
Hela smiled back, as if she didn’t notice that Fisher had easily redirected the topic.
Fisher wanted to pinch her annoying face, but she directly opened her mouth, playfully biting his finger like a cat.
Before Fisher could retaliate, she slowly floated away from him, her white robe billowing without wind, wrapping her body snugly.
Fisher, whose revenge fell flat, also sat up; he suddenly realized that the reproductive ability enhanced by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans after reaching Mythical Rank was actually a double-edged sword.
On the negative side, the desire stemming from the unity of body and soul would bring even more unbearable pain than before; on the positive side, once released, the resulting relief was incomparable to what it was previously, and the unification of body and soul prolonged the time before it reignited.
Pros and cons, he thought.
The others hadn’t returned last night, leaving the house exclusively to Fisher and Hela; it was unclear whether they had gone to celebrate or had heard the shocking noises and cleverly left them to it.
It was still too early, around five in the morning, maybe a little past six. Fisher stretched his body and left the house, his eyes continuously spinning with the ∞ symbol. He looked out into the misty Ideal Nation, where the golden light of the Eye Tree was growing brighter, symbolizing the approach of the World Tree.
It seemed that there wasn’t much time left for Margaret to completely master the Loom; she needed to finish her undertaking before the World Tree arrived.
Fisher squinted, using this time to familiarize himself with his body after entering Mythical Rank.
In fact, through his “deep observation” of Hela and her “hands-on guidance” last night, Fisher had roughly discovered how the power of Mythical Rank affected the rules.
First, the most direct method was using one’s own strength to distort the rules; earlier, the Duke of Peach’s attack was similar. Fisher tried it out and found that he didn’t know whether it was due to being entangled with chaos, his influence on the rules leaned more towards destruction rather than distortion.
In Fisher’s eyes, he could easily observe the orderly rules contained within matter and use his power to destroy them. This destruction caused a chain reaction because the rules of this world were fundamentally continuous; once a small point was broken, the resulting chain reaction was exaggeratedly large.
However, as a human, he didn’t possess as many innate talents and abilities as other subhuman races, so his offensive methods upon entering Mythical Rank remained singular; perhaps he could try to study more dual-ring top-tier magic to rival Mythical Rank, after all, his current conditions could be considered exceptionally favorable, allowing for deeper attempts.
After understanding what he could do, another notable issue was the side effects.
Upon entering Mythical Rank, the sense of discord brought on by the distortion of the soul became more pronounced, and excessive use of his ability could lead to events like the emotional turbulence he experienced with Hela last night, causing chaotic murmurings in his brain and lowering his rationality; this might be the downside of choosing to enter Mythical Rank through chaos.
But Fisher didn’t have a choice; just as Hela had said before, from the moment he first came into contact with the chaotic-tinged power of the Supplement Handbook, his path had already been set. It was also through chaos that his rank could rise so significantly; otherwise, as an ordinary human, even if he trained to the extreme, he would still be just a low-tier weakling.
If it were truly possible to raise one’s rank through conventional methods, the Mother God would not have bestowed magic.
Rank is a matter of bloodline; those who later entered Mythical Rank, except for the monster Xu, were originally from races very close to the fifteenth rank, like the Phoenix Race.
After practicing and familiarizing himself at the door, Hela said she would go find something to eat for Fisher, but before she could set off, Fisher suddenly saw a figure coming from the distant settlement, holding a basket.
He looked over and saw Tang Zeming Asuka, clad in white robes, appearing a bit heavy-hearted as she walked back.
Seeing Fisher practicing at the door and the smiling Hela preparing to leave next to him, her expression slightly changed. She quickly walked back and called out to Fisher,
“Fisher-sensei!”
“Tang Zeming…”
She quickly ran back, looking down and pulling something from the basket while saying,
“Fisher-sensei, yesterday… I didn’t get to give you the gift I prepared; luckily, there are still some colorful eggs left, and one rabbit that I prepared for you… um.”
She smiled as she took out a few remaining colorful eggs from the basket, giving one to Fisher and another to Hela. When she took out the not-so-well-sewn rabbit, her peripheral vision suddenly caught the hint of a pink strawberry mark, which was partially hidden beneath Fisher’s white robe.
Tang Zeming opened her mouth, as if facing a knowledge blind spot; it took her a moment to process what that mark was. Once she turned to look at Hela and then back at Fisher, she suddenly grasped what it was.
“This… um, it’s a bit ugly, but…”
This sudden realization caused her to retract the rabbit slightly, but after a second or two, she gathered her courage and stretched it out again, her earlobes slightly reddened as she explained.
Once again, such a stimulus was too great for a female high school student; this knowledge was far beyond her comprehension.
Fisher took the rabbit she handed over, glancing at it before saying,
“Thank you, it looks great.”
Tang Zeming smiled brightly, glancing at the nearby Hela, but offered no further reaction, as if that alone was enough to satisfy her.
Upon seeing Tang Zeming arrive, Hela, who had originally planned to leave, curiously stayed put, fluttering about like a fly nearby, not interrupting their conversation but seemingly everywhere, causing Tang Zeming to stutter her speech.
However, it was just right, as Fisher had nearly missed the night entirely yesterday, and now with Tang Zeming here, he wanted to ask her some questions.
Watching Hela flutter around, Fisher withdrew his gaze and actively asked Tang Zeming,
“Tang Zeming, where are Mikhail and Gouwen?”
“Ah… Mr. Gouwen got drunk in the dog race settlement, and Mr. Mikhail is taking care of him, so he is resting there.”
“And you, didn’t you come back last night? Where did you rest?”
“I I I… I didn’t come back!”
Tang Zeming shook her head fervently, explaining hastily,
“Yesterday I was out celebrating! I originally wanted to find Fisher-sensei, but couldn’t find him, so I first gave colorful eggs to others. Later, it got too late and I was too tired, so I rested at Margaret’s place… Haha… that’s how it was.”
Tang Zeming smiled, and when she lifted her head, she just happened to see Hela drifting behind Fisher. The constant smile on Hela’s face almost startled Tang Zeming into retreat.
The simple feelings she originally intended to express were now all scared back inside her.
She bit her lip; she truly wished to relay all the information she had gathered to Fisher-sensei. However, she recalled Margaret’s advice to her,
【The Loom tells me that there are traces of the Pandora angel on that Cain.】
The secret methods left by the Pandora angel could silently convey information here through Hela, which was why Tang Zeming had not immediately informed Fisher of last night’s events.
Compared to the Pandora angel, she certainly trusted Margaret more.
Not only because she had quietly regarded kind Margaret as a friend, a fellow traveler from another world, or even a maternal figure; but also because she had seen concrete evidence at Margaret’s place last night.
She learned about something called the 【Spirit Realm】, a place filled with dangers where even the Dragon God could only guard the entrance – the crevice; thus, the chance for the Pandora angel to lead them to the ultimate was nearly zero. She also learned some secrets about the knowledge in the minds of the Trans, further confirming that Fisher-sensei is indeed not a Trans; his earlier words were meant to protect himself and Mr. Gouwen from the judgment of the Archangel.
Fisher-sensei’s bravery and decisiveness fascinated her, giving her the courage to face difficulties, even after experiencing so many terrifying events and narrowly escaping death, she felt unafraid.
But it was different now, as the choice after knowing the truth fell into her own hands.
She suddenly didn’t know what decision to make and wanted to directly send the angel Hela away first, then tell Fisher-sensei all the truths, and allow him to make decisions, and she would abide by his choices.
Perhaps sometimes not making a decision is wiser than making one?
But would it be so obvious that the Archangel would notice?
Margaret had also advised her not to disclose this to others, at least not until the Loom was fully mastered and stabilized before making any decisions. This way, at least she would still have an escape route, and by then, she could use the Loom to protect herself and have the confidence to confront the Pandora angel.
Tang Zeming also knew that Fisher-sensei was being chased by death; his deal with the Pandora angel was to alleviate the threat of death. But what if Pandora was deceiving them? What would Fisher-sensei do then?
He would die.
Even if she couldn’t go home, at least she had learned the way back, but Fisher-sensei… she didn’t want him to…
Watching Tang Zeming press her lips together, her face gradually paling, Fisher’s gaze slightly shifted.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly reached out and pressed his hand on Tang Zeming’s head, tousling her hair and thoughts.
“Uwaahhh, Fisher-sensei, don’t… don’t mess up my hair…”
“Have you practiced magic lately?”
“Huh?”
Tang Zeming didn’t know why Fisher-sensei suddenly asked this, so she looked up blankly and replied,
“I have… a bit less than before, but I’ve learned everything you taught me.”
“In reality, when it comes to the study of magic, I’m less useful than a scroll recording all the magic in the world; but in some other aspects, I can still offer you some friendly advice.
“Generally speaking, those gifted at inscribing magic tend to excel in other areas too, and you should be the same. The reason you feel so constrained is entirely because of yourself; sometimes you’re too timid to face it, and other times you’re too reckless. You’re like two different people. But, Tang Zeming, everything you need you already possess; these traits began showing themselves right when you were inscribing magic: calmness, confidence, and organization… Treat every matter you encounter with the same approach you use for inscribing magic.”
Tang Zeming bit her lip upon hearing this, then quickly nodded.
She wasn’t sure if she absorbed what he said, but for some reason, her inner anxiety gradually calmed down, and her eyes kept falling on the pink marks planted on Fisher’s chest…
She craved it.
She too wanted to personally plant one of those there.
“I… I understand, Fisher-sensei. I will help Margaret now, and once this matter is settled and I get the tear of the World Tree, I… I have something to tell you.”
“Alright.”
Tang Zeming blushed as she nodded, then turned and ran toward the distant stone tower.
Left behind, Fisher watched her run further away; Hela also floated over and hugged his neck,
“Fisher-sensei~ you really know how to teach students, all your words are so spot-on. Do you really trust your students that much?”
Fisher opened her hands with an exasperated expression on his face, looking somewhat serious. He simply gazed at the stone tower that was flickering with golden light and said,
“No, I don’t trust her; she can’t handle it alone. I’m not at ease with that Margaret; we must go.”
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(End of chapter)
