Chapter 135
71. First of all, I am not
As the saying goes, there are really not many ways for humans to quickly get close emotionally, and the one universally recognized as the most effective is definitely to have a meal together.
In the afternoon, Principal Ken arranged accommodations for the visiting personnel from Shivali, where there was plenty of space. However, since Shivali brought many accompanying personnel, it was naturally impossible for them to stay with the dignitaries from Shivali, so the school had to clear out some rooms from the faculty staff for them.
Then came the classic introduction of various facilities at Saint Nali University, with the board members presenting everything, from teaching buildings and students to the proverbs personally inscribed by the king.
Fisher didn’t follow them and returned to his office to rest for a while, bringing some food for the sorceress Carlo. He hadn’t slept at all last night, so he took the chance to nap in the office since there was an official dinner arranged by the school in the evening.
He didn’t lock the door while resting, fearing that someone from Shivali would end the tour and call for him to join the dinner. As he drifted into a deeper sleep, the door gently opened, revealing the girl Jasmine, whose hair had turned black again.
She had just met with the crabmen hidden near the sea and brought back many valuable items, but she wasn’t sure how to exchange them for human currency.
Initially, Jasmine wanted to ask Isabel and the others, but since they were roommates, it felt too familiar, and she had previously mentioned coming from a fishing family in a coastal city, making a sudden windfall difficult to explain.
On the other hand, Professor Fisher, who didn’t know much about her, could be questioned, and it happened that she could show him the mistakes she corrected in her magical assignment from yesterday.
Unexpectedly, she found that Professor Fisher had actually fallen asleep.
Jasmine lingered at the door, stealing a glance at the sleeping Professor Fisher and observing his sleeping face. She intended to close the door, but the next second, she saw Fisher drowsily open his eyes.
“Jasmine?”
“Uh, um, Professor Fisher.”
Fisher took off his suit jacket and used it as a blanket. He had unbuttoned one or two buttons of his shirt to sleep more comfortably. While waiting for him to get up, Jasmine stood blushing in place, unsure whether to walk in or stay outside.
Fisher glanced at her, fastened the buttons on his clothing, and sat up.
“Do you need something from me?”
“Uh, yes, I revised the mistakes from yesterday, and I would like to ask Professor Fisher for some corrections. I also have a few other questions to ask you.”
“Alright. Come in; don’t just stand in the doorway.”
Fisher rubbed his shoulder wearily, and Jasmine nodded, squeezing herself through the door while obediently closing it behind her.
At that moment, Fisher caught a hint of fresh moisture in the air, coming from the girl, who had slightly damp hair.
“I just went swimming, so I’m still a bit wet!”
Fisher only glanced at her, and for some reason, Jasmine felt compelled to explain herself, blushing.
“It’s fine.”
Fisher spoke to ease her tension, not knowing why she was always so on edge in front of him. Though he didn’t teach much, students like Milica who had been in his class before weren’t this stiff.
On the contrary, Jasmine always seemed a bit awkward, perhaps because he had chased her that night? Did that leave her with a psychological shadow?
After understanding her purpose, Fisher took the magical paper she handed over. Below his annotations, there were neatly written lines of corrections. Fisher had only guided her a bit, and she had diligently worked out her thought process.
At least in her academic pursuits, she was quite earnest. Compared to Raphael, who learned everything through talent alone, Jasmine’s diligence was evidently commendable and worth praising.
“You’ve explained these points very clearly, and you referenced Heilson’s explanations. This is excellent; your understanding of the essence and structure of magic can rival some Level 1 and 2 mages.”
Fisher generously praised her. Students receiving praises from their teachers always felt happy. Jasmine bit her lip, seemingly trying to maintain a lady-like composure, but the smile on her face was already beginning to break through.
“By the way…” Fisher suddenly looked up at her, “We will soon hold an academic conference with Shivali. I can bring an assistant, and after thinking it over, you are the most suitable candidate. Would you like to join me to observe this academic debate?”
Jasmine’s eyes brightened slightly as she said, “Can I go? I mean, I’m just a first-year student and don’t know much about magic yet. I might not be able to contribute much, like in debates or anything.”
“You won’t need to help with anything; it’s just an extra lesson. Or do you want to take a week off like the other students?”
Next week, there would be a week-long pause in classes due to the academic conference, and many students would be returning home for the break.
“No, I want to go. I also want to see what other countries think about magic.” Jasmine agreed, her face flushed, but then quickly realized something. She sneaked a glance at Fisher and quietly asked, “Professor Fisher, can I ask if there’s a way to exchange the items in my hand for Naliou?”
“Exchange for Naliou?”
Was it something valuable sent to her by her family? If it was something brought by a subhuman, it was likely gold or jewelry. Fisher didn’t press her about what she intended, instead continuing along her train of thought.
“If it’s gold or jewelry, you can take it to the jewelry stores or trading markets in town to exchange it. But the people there will certainly set a certain price, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Could I give it to you, and you could help me exchange it for some money?”
Fisher looked at the somewhat naive girl in front of him, feeling like if he were to scam her, he could quickly clean out her family’s fortune. For example, if he took gold worth 10,000 Naliou and returned with only 500 Naliou, she would happily count the money, even thanking him.
What if he scammed her in other aspects?
Fisher’s gaze slid down from her face.
For instance, what if he extracted the fact that she was an Ocean Subhuman and then proceeded to study her?
However, Fisher wasn’t in a hurry. During this period, he was only deepening his understanding of Jasmine.
Being cautious and alert wasn’t a bad thing. Once Fisher confirmed that Jasmine truly had no defenses or tricks up her sleeve, he would start to bind this whale folk and extract all her research data and the secrets buried in her heart.
“I would advise you, trusting others easily isn’t a good thing. You could be easily deceived by bad people. But I can help with this; if you’re still set on it, you can hand me those items next week, and I’ll return to you the equivalent value in Naliou.”
Upon hearing the possibility of being scammed, Jasmine blinked at the cold-faced professor in front of her. After a moment of careful thought, she believed that Professor Fisher wouldn’t be a bad person, just as Rena had said; he was a friendly human.
So she smiled and nodded in agreement.
Speaking of which, she wondered how Rena was doing. She thought that once she found herself, she wouldn’t be beaten up by Ling Jiu, but instead, she had been confronted right after returning.
After silently praying for little Rena, Jasmine was about to say something, but the door was knocked from outside.
“Come in.”
After Fisher spoke, a lady from the Academic Affairs Office appeared. She glanced around the office, and upon seeing Jasmine’s flushed cheeks and the suit jacket thrown on the sofa, her face turned rosy, as if she had conjured a little drama in her mind.
However, she didn’t say much. Such things were indeed quite common in Saint Nali. An older gentleman with a young girl; many scripts were written this way. Besides, given Fisher’s age, it hardly counted as an age gap and could even be described as “very appropriate.”
Leaning against the doorframe, she spoke softly to Fisher, “Mr. Benavides, the gentlemen from Shivali have already started drinking in the dining room. They will only begin dining once you arrive.”
“I understand. I’ll go right now.”
Jasmine didn’t know why the lady from the Academic Affairs Office was blushing or why she was looking at her like that. Fisher understood but was too lazy to explain, only confirming that he was aware.
Perhaps in other places, starting to drink without waiting for someone would be rude, but for the people of Shivali, it was not such a practice at all.
They enjoyed drinking before meals, especially strong spirits, and would sometimes get drunk before their guests arrived, as they believed that being drunk represented honesty, welcoming others in a drunken state symbolized their sincere heart towards the guests.
There were many cultural differences from Saint Nali, but since this was in Saint Nali, they probably wouldn’t drink too much.
Fisher informed Jasmine that he was about to leave to talk with the scholars from Shivali, then put on his suit and headed for the dining room.
The dining room was located elsewhere, unlike the one used by ordinary students.
When Fisher arrived outside the dining room deep within the school, the sounds of chatter could already be heard from inside. Dining at a table with the homosexuals of Shivali was always lively; some enjoyed this atmosphere, while others did not, but overall, the people of Shivali preferred such a bustling ambiance.
As guests, Saint Nali University had no problem hosting the banquet according to their style, especially since this wasn’t a formal discussion.
However, it wouldn’t be the same when they headed to the Golden Palace afterward since it was the territory of Godlin, where everything would be guided by the etiquette of the Nali royal family.
Fisher pushed open the door, and saw large tables filled with food; the Shivali scholars were drinking. The gentlemen sat together at one table, while the remaining ladies and families were not dining there.
Some Nali gentlemen were drinking along, while others were not. Upon seeing Fisher enter, Roger looked at him as if he had found a savior, and Ken’s elegant face was grim because across from them, the drunken scholars from Shivali had seemingly broken their seals, red-faced and animated, while the Nali people had a hard time keeping up.
“Do you think the summer here is too hot?”
“Next week, I will definitely leave Fisher speechless.”
“I think you have a bias against the gentlemen of Shivali. Not all of us are homosexual. Or rather, most of us aren’t, but some people only like ladies, or like ladies and gentlemen simultaneously.”
What truly caught Fisher’s eye was the Shivali prince, Losang, who stood bare-chested and strong. Completely different from the stable demeanor he had during their meeting at noon, he had drunk some wine and at this moment had a red face, the only one standing, holding his cup while looking around.
“People from other countries always hold prejudices against us, but many times, making preconceived judgments about us is always wrong.”
“Everyone, look over here! I have an announcement to make.”
“First of all, I am not gay!”
Fisher’s face stiffened slightly. Long ago, Nali always viewed Shivali as barbarians. Their founding emperor was just an illiterate hunter, and compared to other nations with longer histories, they had hardly any cultural accumulation. So when they reached Saint Nali, the entire country was in despair, crying out, “The Nali culture is lost!”
Now, seeing that half-naked prince, Fisher felt that the upcoming week of cultural exchange would be quite spectacular.
In any case, now that Fisher had entered, it felt like a thunderous opening ceremony.
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(End of Chapter)
