Chapter 161: 97. Betting with Oneself
The next several days, Fisher had basically nothing to do because the academic conference had mostly concluded.
According to the original plan, this morning, the Golden Palace sent someone to deliver an invitation letter to Prince Shivali, inviting them to visit the Golden Palace.
The person who came was of significant status, being Prince Lunsis, the second son of Godlin the Ninth.
Fisher caught a glimpse of him from afar; the prince inherited the excellent bloodline of Godlin, making him quite handsome, though his complexion was somewhat pale, similar to Trandal’s. It was unclear whether it was due to poor health or exhaustion, but standing next to the ruddy-faced Prince Losang made him appear somewhat weak.
He was dressed in formal attire and presented the invitation to Prince Shivali, who publicly accepted the invitation to the Golden Palace. Afterwards, the two princes shook hands, and the media snapped photos.
Fisher was familiar with this process, but he didn’t pay much attention to it.
What truly concerned Fisher was that now that Prince Losang had been invited to the Golden Palace, it also meant that Princess Elizabeth, who was inspecting the troops, would be returning soon, likely arriving in Saint Nali tonight.
During the day, Fisher met with Trandal in the city to ask for help with two matters.
The first was to inquire if he could use the New Party’s influence to investigate the details of the “Healing Room.” Previously, Fisher had only heard the name from Milica, thinking it was merely a beauty establishment for the noblewomen of Saint Nali. However, since Jasmine’s aunt had returned the box, it indicated that it was not simple.
According to Jasmine, the box originally contained some human candies intended for her, which she had already consumed. The contents were not particularly special.
But since it was related to Muxi, Fisher thought it would be better to learn more about it beforehand through contacts in the New Party.
The second matter needing Trandal’s assistance involved the gold Bai Mu had given him yesterday. Fisher handed the gold over to Trandal, as the New Party had a special way to resell—no, to liquidate—goods, acquiring more Nali currency than usual market prices. Fisher decided to keep the jewelry for himself, as its design was somewhat unappealing to humans; he doubted it would sell for much and preferred to give it all to Renee as a gift.
Within the New Party, the benefits far exceeded your pure and strong will. Those who entered with a pure belief were often completely corrupted within a few months. It was not that their bottom line was weak, but that there were too many temptations, and eventually, one of them would easily break you.
Thus, most New Party members were hypocrites, with Trandal being an exception because this guy had already been corrupted before joining. In fact, he had improved after joining, at least including phrases like “the welfare of the Nali people” among his goals as a councilman, which was quite commendable.
The reason he didn’t ask Trandal for help selling gold back then was that the New Party needed his help now, or else the internal channels weren’t so easily accessible to free individuals like Fisher.
Having assigned the two tasks to Trandal, Fisher rested for a while in his rental, during which he pulled out the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans to browse. He found that his research on Whale Folk had already surpassed 20%.
Illusory text emerged, indicating:
[Whale Folk Biological Research Progress: 21%]
[Whale Folk Societal Research Progress: 19%]
[Unlocked Rewards: Physical +2, Deep Diving Constitution, Lake Fairy Poem]
The increase in physical attributes wasn’t significant, so Fisher didn’t pay it much mind. However, the next two rewards prompted him to conduct a thorough examination. The first was the literal meaning of “Deep Diving Constitution”:
[Deep Diving Constitution: Strengthened lungs allow you to resist hypoxia and pressure in water, and can let you kiss Ocean Subhumans freely underwater, very useful~]
Fisher’s expression darkened. He was no longer surprised by the outrageous remarks of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. If he guessed correctly, the author must have been a person with a wicked sense of humor, and he couldn’t fathom his misfortune in acquiring such a treasure.
At least, compared to other handbooks, this one didn’t record any dangerous knowledge.
Fisher glanced at the Soul Supplement Handbook lying quietly next to him. He had only recently realized how deadly the recorded knowledge within was; now he planned to indefinitely seal this handbook, neither continuing his research nor destroying it.
After all, Feilon mentioned that such handbooks would instantly reappear elsewhere in the world if torn up, and as long as they drifted too far from their owner, they would automatically return, making them impossible to dispose of. Thus, Fisher would have to carry them with him at all times.
As for the last reward…
Fisher examined the ancient parchment that suddenly appeared in his hand. When he opened it, he was surprised to see that the text was in the Nali language.
It seemed to be hastily written by someone and contained the following:
“Start your fortune here, sing praises to victory here, don the crown here, and await your return here.”
And then it ended.
Fisher furrowed his brow as he scrutinized the parchment, flipping it over and finding it was just a plain piece of parchment.
There was nothing special about it apart from the hastily written words—no magic, no hidden mechanisms, no concealed map.
This left Fisher somewhat baffled about the significance of this reward. In the past, physical items given by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had some sort of context, even with language differences; he could roughly guess their purpose. Only this item left him puzzled and unclear about its meaning.
“Lake Fairy” sounded like a legend, but Fisher had never heard of it.
He first noted the only conspicuous piece of information from the item, “Lake Fairy,” and then tucked the item away in his desk drawer.
After tidying things up, Fisher washed his face and tested the “Deep Diving Constitution” he had just acquired. He filled the bathtub with water and tried to breathe while submerging his face.
Fisher discovered that, while he could barely breathe underwater, it felt very uncomfortable. He choked after a couple of breaths, causing pain in his nostrils and throat.
It seemed that truly breathing unhindered underwater would require some serious practice.
Just as Fisher planned to practice a third time, he was suddenly yanked out of the bathtub by Lady Martha, who had burst into the washroom. Once Fisher wiped his face and turned to look at her, he saw that her face had gone pale with fright. She trembled and said, “Oh, dear, is there something wrong? Why are you with your face submerged in the bathtub? Did Renee write to break up with you? Or is this some unique thought process of scholars? My goodness, if so, why would family members allow their children to become scholars?”
“I just wanted to wash my face.”
Fisher found it amusing but had no way to explain, so he merely stated that he wanted to rinse off his face.
He returned to his room, dried his face and hair with a towel, only to find Lady Martha still standing at the door, worried that after his breakup with Renee, she might never see the lovely baby again. Fisher had to change the subject, saying, “Aren’t you supposed to be playing cards with the neighbors or watering the vegetables at this time? Or do you want to take a nap today?”
“Oh, right! I forgot because I was worried you’d gone mad or were out of your mind. I was supposed to go get some bread with Mrs. Sanger, but I ran into a gentleman at the door who said he was your friend and wanted to see you, so I came back to remind you, only to find you with your bum up and head stuck in the tub… rinsing your face?”
Fisher paused his wiping and turned to Martha, asking, “A friend?”
“Ah, he’s right at the door.”
Fisher had originally planned to go to Saint Nali University and discuss the items Jasmine’s aunt sent back, but now another friend had come to visit.
Hadn’t he been a bit too busy recently? After all, these were just his usual tasks.
After Martha’s reminder, Fisher hurried downstairs, opened the door, and found a well-dressed young gentleman standing there, someone he recognized.
“Mr. Fisher, long time no see!”
“Keken?”
He recalled that when he had just taken Raphael from the Kexiening Circus and needed to resupply, he had visited Kekken City, managed by his subordinate Keken. The gentleman in front of him was the lord of that city.
Fisher had not expected to see this junior again here; it wasn’t easy to travel back and forth between the Western Continent and the Southern Continent. He wondered how Keken had returned now.
“Ha, it’s me. I’m glad to see you again, Mr. Fisher.”
“It has been quite a while; it’s been almost half a year.”
Only when Fisher spoke again did he realize it had been nearly five months since he left Raphael, and the memory of the crimson-skinned, fragrant steam-dragon girl felt like it was just yesterday.
A bit sentimental, Fisher led Keken into the living room while greeting Lady Martha, who was about to go out.
Lady Martha was heading out to buy bread with the neighbors, while Fisher and Keken returned to the room. The black mamba wine Trandal had given him earlier was still there, and it was just right for entertaining this guest.
Keken still sported two rings on his fingers; Fisher remembered that he had married two sisters from Cardu, but his current mental state seemed poor. He looked somewhat tired, even neglecting to groom his facial stubble, which made Fisher more curious about the reason for his return.
After Fisher took out the wine bottle, Keken poured a glass for both of them. Fisher thought to ask why he had come back to the Western Continent.
“Weren’t you doing well in the Southern Continent? Why the sudden return to the Western Continent?”
Keken did not initially respond but instead looked around the room restlessly, as if searching for something.
“What are you looking for?”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Keken rubbed the back of his head and said, “Oh, Mr. Fisher, I wanted to ask if the red dragon girl who was with you back then is still here, or did you sell her off?”
Fisher paused slightly, took a sip of wine, and replied, “Neither.”
“Then where is she now?”
“I set her free.”
“Oh, no wonder, no wonder.”
Keken nodded in understanding, sighed, and seemed deep in thought.
Fisher sensed something was off; it seemed Keken’s return had something to do with Raphael. He pointed to the table in front of him and inquired, “What happened? You rushed back from the Southern Continent, was it because your city was attacked by goblins, dragon folk, or other humans?”
“Attack? Oh no, nothing of the sort. My city is fine, at least for now. I simply sold my city in the Southern Continent to someone else and returned with my two wives to develop here.”
“You sold it off directly? Why?”
As mentioned previously, opening up in the Southern Continent required special certification from the Nali government, not to mention constructing a city there. Selling off a hard-earned city wasn’t a trivial loss, especially since the funds were provided by his family, and from his tone, it didn’t sound like this was his family’s decision. Thus, there must be a particularly compelling reason for his actions.
“Well, Mr. Fisher, last month many Nali lords began to expand southward. You know, the forests down there are buried with many undiscovered minerals, and I’m a member of the Nali Southern Continent Lords Alliance, so I got wind of that news.”
Fisher sipped his wine, signaling him to continue.
“And then? During their expansion, they had intense conflicts with several native subhuman tribes, among which the one known as the ‘Southern Branch’ dragon folk community experienced the most severe clashes. They fought back and forth about two or three times, and we suffered considerable losses, but eventually managed to take down the chief of that dragon community in the last battle.”
“Initially, the lords Latalou and Buck, who were leading the expansion, anticipated that the dragon folk would retaliate, so they prepared some defenses against their attack. However, a long time passed without any reprisal from the dragon people.”
After drinking, Keken became easily intoxicated, growing increasingly animated as he spoke.
“When they checked again, they found that the dragon folk had actually relocated voluntarily to a place further south! Latalou and Buck, the two lords leading the war, were thrilled to think that they had driven away the stubborn dragon folk who had lived there for generations without expending any forces; I sensed something was off.”
“I inquired further and heard that a dragon brought them away. That dragon who led the clan’s departure isn’t simple at all. Shortly after moving further south, that dragon did something even more unexpected; they actually started a war with other dragon folk to the east!”
Fisher raised an eyebrow, smiling as he guessed, “Let me take a wild guess: those lords were in a hurry to raid the south for minerals and subhuman slaves, thinking that conflicts between a few dragon communities were a good thing, so they didn’t pay to send troops to get involved, right?”
Keken nodded vigorously, resentful of the shortsightedness of those lords. If they had a fraction of Fisher’s intellect, they wouldn’t have ignored his advice.
“Exactly! That’s what worries me. Those shortsighted bastards think there’s nothing valuable in the east and can’t be bothered to send troops over. If the Eastern Branch wins, that’s whatever, but if that dragon of the Southern Branch wins, I can’t even imagine what will happen! According to my intelligence, she has already allied with the bat subhumans living in the coastal valleys and the centaur subhumans. I advised the other lords to send troops, but they just told me to finance it myself!”
Fisher had gathered the general situation. Observing Keken, who had consumed a bit of alcohol and was starting to speak loudly, he summed up, “So, this is why you sold off your city and left the Southern Continent.”
“Exactly! I felt something wasn’t quite right. Although it seems fine over there now, with a group of people raking in loads of minerals and subhuman slaves, I find myself regretting selling the city. But I heard that the dragon leading the departure was a rare red female, and I instinctively thought of the dragon who followed you back then…”
“I was a bit startled. That dragon was moving to organize and expand her community at a terrifying pace. I feared that if I waited any longer, I wouldn’t be able to return, so I hurriedly sold everything I could and came back to the Western Continent.”
“But my family members are all berating me for being incompetent, saying I abandoned the city I bought for a considerable sum. For the past few days, I’ve been unable to hold my head high in my family, feeling like a coward. Just then I remembered you were in Nali, and I completely forgot to come visit and congratulate you on your previous theory.”
Fisher took a sip of wine, his thoughts racing fast.
That little dragon was very clever. It was likely that when she returned to her community, her father, the chief, had already been killed; otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed a direct conflict with humans.
She would throw the forest laden with treasures to the Nali lords who occupied the Southern Continent, settle in the south while they were preoccupied with plundering its resources, and launch attacks on the dragon communities in the east. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was probably planning to integrate all four dragon communities in the Southern Continent.
Keken had fled with his city before the situation escalated. From his family’s perspective, it would naturally appear as if he had abandoned the path they painstakingly paved for him during what seemed like a great opportunity, and they would undoubtedly feel angry and confused.
As for whether Raphael could cause turmoil in the Southern Continent? After all, she was the red dragon queen, fully capable of that.
But even if Keken was right, it would only be after the situation worsened that he would be vindicated from his labels of cowardice.
Fisher pondered Raphael’s situation while drinking with Keken to comfort his frustrations regarding returning to the Western Continent. They chatted and drank, and time gradually passed into the evening.
Fisher wasn’t drunk, but Keken had tears streaming down his face from drinking. Thankfully, he had two loving wives; otherwise, he’d have probably been scolded into jumping into a river by his family. The pressure he had felt recently had indeed been heavy, and he hadn’t felt comfortable anywhere until he unexpectedly sought out Fisher, someone he wasn’t very familiar with, for a drink.
By the end, he had started to lose coherence.
“Mr. Fisher, it’s a disaster. After all these years in the Southern Continent, with all we’ve done, if that dragon rises to power, I can’t even imagine what will happen! The Southern Continent will be filled with slaughter! There will be death everywhere!”
“…”
As Keken continued speaking, he dramatically collapsed onto the table, babbling incoherently as if blaming the other lords for their stupidity.
Fisher gazed into the dark liquid in his cup for a moment, not commenting.
Sometimes, things in the world are like this: humans know all too well about their own atrocities against others, so they realize once given others a chance to breathe, they will face retaliatory vengeance that transcends imagination, leading humans to repeatedly lift the root-eradicating blade against the afflicted subhuman communities.
But those were beings of a continent, and there would still be embers of flame that persisted; otherwise, the Apocalypse Prophecy, which Fisher was exhaustedly pursuing, would not have emerged.
The cycle of vengeful reprisal caused Fisher, as a human, ultimately not to kill Raphael, the prospective harbinger of destruction.
Fisher’s thoughts were complex and contradictory, filled with personal affection for Raphael and a foolish attempt to end this cycle.
Well, to be frank, it was mostly personal affection.
At this moment, however, the trust in Raphael that stemmed from his private feelings prompted Fisher to extend a finger toward Keken.
“Let’s make a bet.”
“Dora. Kiss.”
Keken was already drunk, slumped on the table and hardly registering Fisher’s words. Instead, he mumbled the names of his two wives, looking pitiful.
Fisher chuckled lightly but still stared at his reflection in the cup, stating, “I bet that dragon will not commit acts of genocide. If I lose the bet, I will repay with my life and hers for defying the Apocalypse Prophecy due to my mercy.”
Keken was asleep, offering no response.
Thus, this was likely just a bet between Fisher and himself, or perhaps it should include Raphael against other harbingers of doom.
After that, Fisher helplessly shook his head, downing the drink that reflected his image and then laid Keken down on a makeshift bed made of extra bedding and sheets.
Fisher did not like others sleeping in his bed, but both Renee and Raphael were minor exceptions.
He went outside to wash his face; Lady Martha had finished dinner and was nearly asleep. He went downstairs to prepare a little food.
Tonight, Prince Losang was invited to the Golden Palace for a banquet, and it figured that Elizabeth should also have arrived in Saint Nali. Because of Keken’s unexpected visit, he hadn’t gone to Saint Nali University to research the items Jasmine’s aunt sent back.
Overall, there wasn’t much progress, but after learning about a piece of Raphael’s recent situation, Fisher felt somewhat satisfied.
Let’s leave it at that for tonight.
(This chapter is a combination of 6000 words, please vote, tip, and support, as it’s very important to me. Thank you very much for your support!)
(End of Chapter)
