Chapter 100: 36. Renee’s Self-Proof
On the electric tram slowly returning to the residential area in the night, the tram was packed with gentlemen just getting off work. The workers could barely afford to sit on the tram; those who lived nearby would walk back, while those who lived farther away would casually find a place to lie down in the factory and use the clothes of other off-duty workers as blankets.
Fisher returned to his rented room, feeling a bit weary. Martha had just made dinner, and the delicious aroma from the dining room whetted Fisher’s appetite; he couldn’t wait to taste tonight’s meal. There was a voice on the radio in the room, a lyrical lady was singing praises for the sailors out at sea.
“I am Captain Blake!”
“Crossing the seas and mists, exploring every corner of the world!”
“Gold and treasures are not my true wish; that wondrous adventure is what I long for!”
“Come aboard with me, my darling, and let’s write a magnificent adventure poem together!”
Fisher’s motion of drinking soup paused slightly. If he remembered correctly, this song should have been written several decades ago, meant to celebrate the first batch of adventurers setting sail for exploration.
The protagonist of this song, Blake, was also a real person. While all humans stood on the coast gazing out at the sea, he, under royal command, piloted humanity’s first pioneering ship into the mysterious and uncharted ocean.
After more than a decade of adventures, he circled the entire Western Continent, accurately documenting the pirates and ocean currents surrounding it; he crossed the Southern Ocean and discovered the Southern Continent, filled with gold and treasures.
Thus, Captain Blake was also known as “The First Pioneer.”
However, that was decades ago. Now, Blake was over a hundred years old and still alive, but Fisher hadn’t heard anything about him for a long time. Fisher guessed he had one foot in the grave, sitting at home waiting for death.
“Fisher, I heard there’s going to be a water outage in the streets tomorrow. The public works agency said there’s a problem with the pipe system. Mother protect us; do you think it’s possible that the officials are using the tax money we paid to play ball or gamble, which caused our water to be shut off?”
The old man’s words often carried an innate sense of humor, but the truth might not be far off. Fisher experienced the expense level of the Pink Pavilion today, and that guy Trandal frequently spent there; if he said he wasn’t on the take, Fisher would be the first not to believe it.
“Very likely, the parliament is stuffed with bundles of Nali, and perhaps the people from the plumbing department are secretly going to parliament to steal money to fix the pipes.”
“Oh my, why didn’t they invite me?”
Fisher chuckled, but the door behind him suddenly opened, revealing a black-haired woman dressed in a dark gauzy skirt.
“Hey, Renee, you’re back? I was worried about you while you were out these days. Fisher, you really don’t care at all about her.”
“He does care about me, and what’s that smell? It’s too fragrant! I’m starving! Let me have a taste.”
Fisher handed Renee a bowl and a spoon. She sat down beside him, subtly fragrant, rubbing her hands with sparkling eyes, looking quite greedy.
Fisher’s gaze lingered on her beautiful, flowing black hair for a moment, but he didn’t hastily ask about her journey in front of Martha.
Based on the known characteristics of Renee, her possibility of being an Undying Sorceress seemed slight.
Firstly, even if her magical circuit was continually expanding and her magic power immense, it didn’t necessarily mean she could be “undying.” Otherwise, Fisher’s teacher, Heilson, wouldn’t have nearly died trying to cast Soul Targeting Magic. The strength of magical circuits isn’t entirely aligned with the physical body, and Renee’s body wasn’t much different from that of ordinary people.
Moreover, having read the Soul Supplement Handbook, Fisher knew that souls could not remain separated from their bodies for long. Feilon required means to compress and preserve souls. Those subhuman souls that briefly appeared in legends also needed to return with other subhumans to their tribes for reincarnation.
The probability of an Undying Sorceress using soul theft to take over a body or constantly reincarnating was low because each time a new body was entered, the soul would be “washed clean,” losing any previous traits—this seemed to be a natural law governed by some rules.
Another main point of doubt was the Hart Birds that Renee continually produced.
Fisher had previously studied Hart Birds carefully, but the conclusions were few; those Hart Birds had incomplete magical circuits, truly seeming like they were incomplete lives born from Renee’s surplus magical circuit.
Renee had told him that she had a deep connection with those Hart Birds, able to manipulate their behavior using the magic power left within them, but could not enter their bodies, as she herself did not know how to extract her soul from her body.
Those Hart Birds seemed more like a part of Renee’s external magical circuit—just an additional segment of magic power without any special properties. Or even if there was, Renee had not communicated that to him.
The problem arose: was Renee deceiving herself? All the facts Fisher observed about her lined up with what she had told him. A sorceress could only have one characteristic. If Renee’s characteristic was that her magic power grew infinitely, how to explain Carlo’s ongoing rebirth?
Renee did not have such a characteristic.
After dinner, Fisher and Renee returned to the room on the second floor. Fisher locked the door and closed the windows. His cautious demeanor made Renee, who was sitting on the sofa, grin mischievously. She pointed to her own lips and said,
“Ah, are you really that eager? Calling me back so urgently—could it be that you have nowhere to vent your desires? If it’s Fisher, I’m okay with that.”
She winked, leaning her long, beautiful leg high, as if enticing Fisher to make a move.
Fisher’s breath quickened for a moment, but he turned his gaze away, addressing the main topic of why he called Renee back.
“I’ve been searching for the Undying Sorceress; you know about this.”
“Oh, so it’s not just to call me back for fun,” Renee pouted, looking at Fisher. “I know, when I was out these years, I was keeping an eye out for any sorceress with similar characteristics. What’s up? Have you found any leads?”
Fisher stared directly at Renee, seemingly trying to spot flaws on her face, but in the end, he found nothing.
“I found an artificial sorceress in the Sorceress Research Society, referred to as the Undying Sorceress. A black hair was implanted in her, discovered in a ruin. That sorceress has the ability to regenerate and is still alive today.”
Renee nodded, pondering with her finger on her chin, looking up at Fisher.
“Is that so? I indeed heard about many ancient ruins on Cardu. Because their religion didn’t allow them to recklessly destroy and exploit things before the technological revolution, much has been preserved. You can tell me the address, and I’ll help you look for clues when I go to Cardu later.”
“Renee, does that hair have anything to do with you?”
Fisher did not take her words further and seriously asked, “Is there anything you’re hiding from me?”
“Huh? Are you doubting that I’m the sorceress who left a hair in the ruins? Are you suspecting I’m some old monster who’s undying, or do you think I have other characteristics I haven’t told you? Come on, I haven’t lied after you found out I tricked you; I’ve told you everything.”
“I promise, if I deceive you, the Mother I worship will bestow the harshest punishment on me.”
Renee stuck out her tongue, looking cute as she faced Fisher.
She blinked, gazing at Fisher, but found his expression unchanging, still serious.
Renee opened her mouth, her cute expression gradually fading into disbelief. She seemed to sense that Fisher genuinely doubted her, that he doubted her honesty; the evident feeling of distrust was captured by Renee.
Renee slowly lowered her hand, her breathing becoming rapid, her eyes reflecting disbelief as they locked onto Fisher, her lovely lips pressed together as her voice trembled.
“You don’t believe me? You think I’ve been lying to you all along?”
Before Fisher could answer, Renee seemed to have already obtained her answer.
She looked at Fisher with a hint of sadness, hesitated for a moment, stood up, and silently walked towards the door. She quickly returned, silently carrying a knife from the kitchen and locked the door again.
“Watch!”
Fisher suddenly stood up, wanting to snatch the bloody knife from her, but she evaded him. She extended her left hand toward Fisher, gritting her teeth as she gripped the knife’s blade. She clutched the blade tightly, the pain coursing up, forcing her to furrow her brow, but she remained silent.
“Renee!”
Fisher rushed to seize the blood-stained knife from her hand. The blade fell to the ground, dripping several hot drops of blood. Renee’s palm continued to ooze blood, yet she extended her hand toward Fisher steadily, her expression unchanged, saying nothing, just looking directly at him.
Although she said nothing, her purple eyes trembled slightly from the pain, and even her eye sockets turned red.
The teasing meaning had completely disappeared. She was very serious, yet she felt extremely wronged due to Fisher’s doubts, as if questioning why he could take it for granted to suspect her.
She had fully revealed herself; she had treated him this way.
The wound in her hand continuously bled, yet there was no sign of healing quickly; drop by drop, blood fell to the ground. Still, Renee just stared at Fisher, as if trying to prove to him that she hadn’t deceived him.
“You are like this! I’ve told you everything! I didn’t deceive you; I’ve been helping you find that sorceress! After getting familiar with you, I haven’t lied to you! You doubt me over just a hair? You made me think you called me back because you missed me, and I hurried back for you!”
“Do you think I’m always by your side for what reason? Do you think why I left my clothes in your vehicle? Do you think I ran across half a continent to the Southern Continent and spent a month on a ship with you for what? You idiot! Liar! Scumbag! I hate you the most! Fisher! Wuwu.”
As she spoke, her reddened eyes began to shed tears, drops running down her normally teasing, smiling face. In this moment, Fisher, who had never seen any other expression from her, witnessed the sorceress cry for the first time.
She wept, feeling wronged, trying to wipe away her tears but was dismayed to find her left hand stained with blood; she had to use her right hand instead to wipe.
“I wuwu hate you… Fisher…”
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(The End of This Chapter)
