Chapter 129 65. Flow of Water
The matters in the store were quickly settled. Buying some materials for class was not enough; Fisher still needed to go out to purchase materials for himself. Fortunately, there was a surplus in public funds, so he decided to use public funds for personal use and also cover the carriage fee for the round trip, achieving the goal of fully utilizing the school’s public funds.
However, since they set off around ten in the morning, it was nearly noon now. Fisher decided to take Jasmine for lunch first before continuing to browse. In fact, there was an underground level in this market, but the things sold there wouldn’t catch Jasmine’s eye; most of them were slaves and stolen goods, and Fisher had no intention of going there.
“Redstone powder is mainly used for engraving fire magic. However, it’s contrary to the magical knowledge you learned before; it is not used to enhance magical effectiveness but to weaken it.”
“Weaken?”
“Yes, because the effects of fire magic usually far exceed the needs of humans, causing many inconveniences for use. So, at this point, redstone powder is needed to isolate the echo’s intensity, preventing the reaction from being too strong.”
Jasmine, holding a pile of magic materials, listened with sparkling eyes as Fisher explained magical knowledge, completely immersed in the world of magic, unaware that Fisher was using her as free transport labor, happily carrying heavy materials alongside him.
However, she seemed to have good stamina, holding these items with no sign of strain, doing it effortlessly.
“Alright, the lesson is nearly over; we should find a place for lunch. This one’s my treat; what do you want to eat?”
“Um, what should we eat?”
Just the thought of being treated to a meal by Fisher made her feel a bit bashful, but she indeed had no extra money on her; her family’s assets hadn’t been brought ashore yet, and she was struggling daily just to eat, relying on the scholarship from the first half of the semester to get by.
Moreover, she really wanted to try delicious human food.
Jasmine swallowed, began to survey the surrounding restaurants, and then struggled to point with her hand full of materials at three or four eateries selling delectable food.
When Fisher turned to look at her as she pointed at the third shop, he asked, “Wait, are you picking or do you want to eat them all?”
“All, can I, Professor?”
“…”
Jasmine bit her lip, feeling quite embarrassed, her face flushing. If she hadn’t swallowed, that hint of embarrassment would have been more obvious, right?
Fisher could only take her to visit these shops one by one. Two of them served full meals while one served desserts. However, the food sold in the market was not from proper restaurants; they were eaten right on the street, and the dessert cakes were surprisingly sold wrapped in leaves.
Jasmine put the magic materials on a nearby table, watching the plates of food being placed on the dining table with shining eyes. She subconsciously felt thankful to the great Ramastia, her hands slowly coming together, but soon she saw the gentleman’s gaze on her and hurriedly changed her gesture.
“Are you praying?”
“No, no! I… I’m just thanking…”
Wait, what is the name of the human deity again? She couldn’t recall it for a moment.
Jasmine opened her mouth, her face growing redder, her hand placed over her chest, then looking at Fisher, she softly continued to explain, “I’m thanking Professor Fisher for providing me with food.”
Fisher was slightly taken aback but then smiled and said, “It’s just a small matter, no need to be so formal. And as my assistant, of course, you have some extra perks; I can often treat you to meals at school in the future.”
“Really?!”
Jasmine said happily. Fisher couldn’t quite understand why she was so delighted over a trivial matter. Could it be because Ocean Subhumans rarely tasted human food?
It was no wonder; they couldn’t start a fire in the sea, so how could they prepare food? Cooked food seemed unlikely, so they must eat it raw?
While Fisher was pondering, looking at Jasmine, who was happily humming a song, a sudden and ominous premonition welled up in him, as if some terrifying thing had its eyes on him.
Soon, that premonition came true; the terrifying thing did exist, but it was not targeting him—rather, it was focused on his poor wallet.
The food was quickly served, but the speed of consumption was incredibly fast, unable to keep up with her pace. Plates piled up in front of her, and this was still the result of Fisher feeling insufficient and having the staff add food three times.
For the fourth time, Fisher did not let the staff add more, but judging by his estimation, even if they did, she would still finish it.
Jasmine slurped up the soup in her plate, then looked up, her cheeks slightly flushed, meeting Fisher’s observing gaze. She shyly averted her eyes, only to inadvertently land them on the stack of plates next to her.
“Um, I’m sorry, Professor Fisher, I…”
She bit her lip, seeming to express her apology for eating too much, and quietly said, “How about… we skip the next restaurant?”
“…”
Fisher silently looked at her unchanged abdomen for a long moment before extending his hand to call the waiter over to settle the bill.
He had given most of his cash to Eil to take away; now, this meal had cost him several hundred Euros. If he had a few more meals like this, he would likely return to the state of extreme poverty he had just emerged from in Saint Nali.
The claws of poverty began to encroach on his body once again, sending a shiver down his spine.
Jasmine resumed hugging the pile of magic materials. This time feeling a bit shy, she quietly used the bag of materials to cover part of her face, but seeing that Professor Fisher didn’t seem to mind, she let out a small sigh of relief.
In front of her classmates, she typically ate just enough to fill a fraction of her hunger due to lack of money and concern for her image. For some reason, after Professor Fisher mentioned “his treat,” she couldn’t help but eat a bit more.
Just as they were about to continue browsing the remaining magic market, the short-haired girl named Meg they had seen previously appeared before them again.
She had her hands in her pockets, wearing cool clothes, leaning against the side of the street, frequently glancing over at Fisher. After Fisher finished his lunch, she hesitated for a moment and slowly approached.
“Fisher.”
She seemed to have something hard to say, feeling quite embarrassed.
“Meg, what do you need?”
Meg appeared somewhat at a loss, glancing at Jasmine, who was holding the magic materials, before biting her lip and looking away, saying, “I heard that you are recently researching… Subhumans, right? I have some information about Subhumans, the kind that come from the sea. No one else has seen them. I can sell you this information.”
However, Fisher did not pick up on her cue; he looked closely at the young girl, and only now did he notice she was wearing light makeup and eyeshadow, appearing rather unfamiliar.
After a few seconds, Fisher suddenly asked,
“Are you in financial trouble?”
“Um.” Meg fell silent for a long while before quietly responding, “My boyfriend borrowed some drugs from a gang, part of it was a loan, and now he can’t repay it. He has gone into hiding, and those people are looking for me.”
Fisher nearly laughed at Meg’s stupidity. He never expected the formerly petite and quiet girl to turn out like this, but considering Gina’s character, she probably wasn’t good at teaching. You couldn’t expect that hot-tempered girl with a cigarette to properly teach a qualified Saint Nali lady.
“You used those drugs?”
“No, no! I didn’t dare.”
Seeing her flustered explanation, Fisher actually felt relieved, but his face still bore a cold expression as he frowned, “What does that have to do with you? That was for that guy.”
“If I don’t repay the money, that gang will harass my mom’s shop every day. They said if I don’t repay today, they will block my mom’s store to find me.”
“And then you, foolishly, would go back to your mother for money to help your drug-addicted boyfriend repay the debt?”
Fisher interrupted her before she could finish speaking, then coldly retorted.
“But they are from a gang, there are many of them… they… they are coming, they are looking for me!”
At first, Meg tried to explain, but as she continued, she suddenly saw something that made her panic immensely. She turned to run but was grabbed by Fisher, who had a cold expression, anchoring her in place.
“Let me go, Fisher!”
Fisher’s hand gripped her collar like a vice, making it impossible for her to escape as he turned to look at the other side of the street, where several young Nali youths, smoking and unbuttoning their shirts, carelessly surveyed the roadside goods and the passing ladies.
Just with that one glance, Fisher understood. These weren’t gang members; they were just a group of aimless, young delinquents.
Under the searching gaze of these miscreants, they quickly spotted Meg, who was caught by Fisher.
“Boss, look! It’s that filthy girl!”
“Heh, she must have been caught trying to steal that gentleman’s wallet because she has no money.”
“I see she doesn’t have money to repay Tom. Should we go look for her mother?”
“Why look? Why can’t we use something else if there’s no money?”
The group of delinquents approached, sneering, their eyes scanning Meg’s body. But soon, they noticed Jasmine, who was standing beside Fisher. The moment they laid eyes on her remarkable figure, they were all taken aback.
Perhaps the malice was too obvious; Jasmine raised her head to look at them, gently furrowing her brows.
In a place where Fisher couldn’t perceive, it seemed as though countless streams of water were surging in her eyes, shining with blue radiance full of vitality. However, upon seeing those delinquents, that vibrant flow slowly began to darken with inky blackness.
But at that moment, the cold-faced gentleman holding Meg blocked her from view, cutting off the delinquents’ line of sight.
“Let me go! Fisher!”
Jasmine secretly glanced at Fisher and then at Meg, who was struggling to be freed.
“Are you the ones Meg owes money to? She says you’re from a gang. Which gang? Tell me.”
Hearing Fisher speak first, the young delinquents exchanged glances. One stepped forward, patting his chest and saying, “We are from the Cent gang of Third Street. Let me warn you, don’t meddle in our business. This is between us and that girl. If you talk more, I will…”
He wanted to continue, but Fisher stretched out his left hand and slapped his face directly. The force spread from his face through his body, and after rotating in mid-air, he crashed to the ground, several teeth flying far away, accompanied by blood. He lay on the ground, bewildered, surrounded by stars and ringing in his ears, not immediately aware of what had happened.
Only the few young delinquents behind him paled in fear, looking at the cold-faced Fisher, frozen in shock.
Fisher had long realized that these young kids were not gang members at all. When he assisted the police at the station, he recognized every gang in Nali.
These kids knew nothing. They were merely using their age to clumsily emulate the survival ways of gangs.
Even if Fisher didn’t take action, it wouldn’t be long before the real gang members would show up to deal with these unruly delinquents.
“Listen, Meg has nothing to do with that druggie; debts have their masters. If you dare come here messing around again, I will sell your limbs to the farms as pig feed.”
“Get lost, you bastard! Run!”
When Fisher’s words fell, the few young men had no sense of reflection, merely turning in panic to flee, not even thinking about their fallen companion on the ground.
Just as Fisher had guessed, they were not real gang members; they didn’t even dare to look for Meg’s mother, Gina. Only an ignorant fool like Meg would be frightened by them. And to be fair, if she weren’t foolish, she wouldn’t have been stupid enough to repay that drug-addicted boyfriend.
The delinquents ran away in panic without realizing that many people were behind them. A vendor pushing a cart piled high with goods collided with them, the vendor selling pets with cages full of various small animals.
With a loud crash, the cages fell over, and the heavy cart tipped over, crushing them down.
“Oh! You damned idiots! My goods! No!”
“Meow~”
“Bark!”
The vendor cried out in pain as several cages were crushed on the spot, many kittens and puppies fleeing, though some were unfortunately trapped.
In Jasmine’s line of sight, a fleeing kitten was pinned down by the falling cart, and a heartbreaking meow came from beneath it. The kitten had long, soft fur, and it was the schwaali cat she had seen earlier.
Fisher frowned, letting go of the stunned Meg. His staff glowed slightly as the weaver’s illusory threads passed through the pedestrians, pulling the fleeing pets back.
He then walked in front of the vendor, helping to lift the heavy cart, revealing the cages and animals trapped beneath.
“Ah, my goodness, you’re so kind, sir! Otherwise, I don’t know what I’d do. It’s all that damned gang’s fault!”
Fisher shook his head, looking at the chaotic scene in the middle of the street, many pedestrians avoiding it, creating a bit of disorder.
The vendor repeatedly thanked Fisher, then began to painfully tidy up the scattered cages around.
Meanwhile, Jasmine quietly crouched down, looking at the kitten lying on the ground, struggling to breathe with a wheeze. It seemed unable to stop life’s departure, its body presumably broken by the heavy cart, staring up at Jasmine pitifully.
As people came and went, Jasmine glanced around, hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and gently extended a finger toward the kitten. In that instant, the blue water flow in her eyes seemed to come alive, shining with glimmers, and the streaks of black water seemed to have completely retreated without her noticing.
The crystal-clear water flowed in Jasmine’s eyes. Under her fingers, the kitten’s breathing became calmer, as if re-energized by some invisible force. After a second or two, the kitten that should have lost its life slowly stood up and licked Jasmine’s finger.
“Meow~”
“Oh my goodness, I just saw a kitten get crushed! That’s my schwaali cat! Worth thousands of Euros!”
“It… it’s fine. It’s still alive.”
Hearing the vendor’s voice, she quickly withdrew her finger and looked around, confirming that no one had noticed her little action. She sighed with relief, standing up to say to the vendor, “It’s still alive.”
“Meow~”
“Oh my goodness, darling, you’re still alive! That’s amazing!”
The vendor joyfully ran over, hugging the unscathed kitten, showering it with affection, “How did you not even get hurt? I heard that cats are made of water, so you must be very lucky, right?”
Jasmine covered her mouth and giggled as she returned to Fisher’s side with the magic materials.
Fortunately, Professor Fisher hadn’t seen her actions.
Jasmine secretly glanced at Fisher, relieved when she saw he had no other reaction.
Unbeknownst to her, Fisher had seen her little action the whole time, even using his body to shield her from the vendor and pedestrians’ gaze.
But now was not the time to dwell on that. He turned his cold gaze toward the short-haired girl Meg standing behind them and spoke in a low voice, “Meg.”
“…”
Upon hearing Fisher’s words, Meg walked over, head bowed, silent.
“If I didn’t know your mother, I wouldn’t care about your issues, but I hope you understand why you get deceived and scared by these lowlifes. I also hope you can properly recognize the people you’re spending time with recently and distinguish who truly cares for you.”
“…I will.”
Fisher adjusted his sleeves and no longer paid attention to her, preparing to leave with Jasmine. Unexpectedly, Meg suddenly called out to Fisher from behind.
“Fisher! Wait.”
Fisher turned to look at her, and she said while looking at him, “The information I mentioned about the Ocean Subhumans is not to trick your money. I really have information in this regard, but I can’t be sure if it’s true.”
Upon hearing Meg’s words, Jasmine’s ears perked up, her expression one of tension. She double-checked if she had encountered this human girl when she left the school earlier but wasn’t sure if she had seen her, so she quietly leaned over to eavesdrop.
“…Tell me more.”
Fisher glanced at her determined gaze, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Sure.”
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(End of Chapter)
