Chapter 172 108. Anna
By the time Fisher came out of the café, it was already nearly eight-thirty, and he was over twenty minutes late for the time Anna had arranged.
The time spent with Elizabeth in the café flew by, but he felt as if only five minutes had passed.
After coming out, he quickly got into the carriage, preparing to head to Mio Cemetery where he had agreed to meet Anna.
Upon hearing Fisher announce the destination, the driver specifically opened the small window of the carriage, took a good look at Fisher, and only after confirming he was a living person did he slowly start the carriage.
“It’ll cost an extra 20 euros to go to Mio Cemetery now.”
Fisher found the driver’s words somewhat comical. The night and stories of the cemetery always sparked vivid imaginations. Previously, the stories of vampires that had swept through Nali sparked residents to stockpile holy water from the church at home, fearing a day might come when an unmanageable blood-sucker appeared in their houses.
Fisher agreed to the extra fee because he needed to arrive quickly. Over half an hour late, he suspected Anna might think he stood her up and left.
Mio Cemetery was located on the outskirts of the city, but not in the direction of Saint Nali University; instead, it lay in another direction, nestled near a wooded area shrouded in night. After walking a distance, one would exit Saint Nali city.
The cemetery was entirely enclosed by a fence and covered a large area, as there were no land owners in Saint Nali, so the deceased relatives were buried in this public cemetery.
At this moment, looking out from the carriage, numerous tombstones of varying sizes quietly gazed at the living, standing like tall ghosts.
There was no light inside the cemetery, and usually, no one came here at night.
A cold wind blew, rustling the leaves of the trees, bringing an eerie and chilling feeling.
As soon as Fisher got out of the carriage, the driver flicked the whip lightly, and the horse hurriedly left the area, showing no concern for how Fisher would return to the city.
Looking at the quiet cemetery before him, Fisher was unsure if there would be an ambush, so he first planted his staff into the ground, preparing to cast a spell.
As the magic rune glowed brightly, an invisible wave spread gently, lightly colliding with the cemetery in front of him.
Fisher opened his eyes and looked as the wave passed through the fence and tombstones, striking the body of a living creature and bouncing back with another wave.
Four-ring magic, [Wave of Perception].
This magic could emit waves that resonated with life; the number and amplitude of the waves would indicate the quantity and size of life forms within. This was a precautionary magic Fisher engraved into his staff to prevent being ambushed by Anna; he also had more than a dozen magic cards engraved in his possession.
The return wave indicated there were only two humanoid beings inside, with no other large creatures.
One was a caretaker at the other end of the cemetery, and one in the center—likely Anna.
Reassured, Fisher retracted his staff, did not turn on the light, and quietly made his way toward the humanoid figure.
The cemetery was very quiet, and Fisher quickly reached the spot he had scanned earlier. In the moonlight, he saw a lady quietly kneeling in front of a tombstone.
The lady wore a black robe, her beauty exquisite; she was Anna from the Pink Pavilion.
He did not speak first but instead took a glance at the tombstone she was facing. The tombstone was inscribed with some text, and there were offerings for the Mother God that only her followers would use, most of which were flowers, along with a small bottle of opened holy water.
The church’s priestess customs believed that the bottle of holy water represented the living’s remembrance of the deceased; their overflowing memories transformed into holy water to communicate with the souls long departed from this world.
She knelt quietly on the ground, her eyes closed lightly, hands together, offering a sincere prayer to the tombstone.
Fisher observed her for a while before lighting his staff, softly approaching her and looking at the tombstone she was praying at.
The tombstone bore many names that differed from those of the Western Continent, indicating they were likely humans from the Southern Continent.
Hatulu Ru, Skodalir Ru, Amash Ru.
There were many names, and apart from the church’s epitaph “May you rest in peace,” there were only those long combinations of names, with no extra words, as there was no space left to write more.
Now that he was closer, Fisher noticed a chisel lying at her feet, with many stone fragments left beneath the tombstone, indicating she had just been carving something.
Thus, Fisher’s gaze shifted downward, and with the light from his staff, he soon spotted the extra name inscribed at the bottom,
Kaji Ru.
“These are family or friends from a tribe in your Southern Continent, right?”
Looking at the row of identical surnames, Fisher softly inquired.
Anna returned to the real world from her prayer, gazing quietly at the tombstone, and replied,
“I was tightly bound by that scumbag for many years, struggling to find a way to sneakily buy this tombstone in a corner of the cemetery so they could rest temporarily. There were so many names and it has been too long; I’m worried I might forget their names, so I recorded them like this first.”
“When I leave the Western Continent, I will smash this tombstone and take them home; that’s a promise I made to them.”
Anna clutched her body as she spoke.
The two of them gazed at the tombstone in silence for a while. Then Anna slowly stood up and looked at Fisher beside her, surveying his unscathed body before mockingly saying,
“I thought you had already been attacked by the monsters in the Healing Room and died on the way; I was ready to pack up and go home, just in case someone might collect your corpse.”
Clearly, she was blaming Fisher for being late.
Fisher wasn’t angry; instead, he replied,
“I just met with Princess Elizabeth and told her everything about you.”
“Really?!”
Anna’s beautiful expression shifted slightly, her mockery turning into uncontainable excitement. It seemed she was more passionate than he was about dealing with Blake and regaining her freedom.
“It’s true. But you didn’t tell me Blake is the largest shareholder of the Nali Exploration Company.”
“The largest shareholder?”
Anna’s expression shifted with surprise. Having lived in Nali for quite a while, she obviously knew what the Nali Exploration Company represented. She instantly felt uneasy and explained to Fisher,
“I had no idea he was a shareholder of the Nali Exploration Company, and I didn’t know what he did before I came to the Western Continent. I just heard that he went out to explore many times when he was young and was the first to discover the Southern Continent; he holds great power in Nali.”
Blake wouldn’t completely trust his subordinates, so it was normal for her not to know many things. Fisher didn’t delve deeper; instead, he continued to ask,
“Princess Elizabeth agreed to collaborate with you, but due to Blake’s identity, she cannot act until she obtains key evidence. Therefore, I need to find the evidence first.”
As soon as Fisher finished speaking, Anna responded immediately,
“The evidence is stored in the treasury of the [Life and Death Reliquary Bell]; it holds the relics and experimental materials needed for the Healing Room’s human experiments, and Kachina will regularly destroy the evidence of the experiments, absolutely leaving nothing behind. This is the information I obtained from Kachina.”
Anna spoke quickly, frequently glancing at the side, fearing that there might be a Human-Worm lurking somewhere, reporting her defection to Blake.
“Kachina didn’t reveal the treasury’s location, but she definitely knows where to find clues about it in the Healing Room. That woman may be foolish, but she has left herself a backdoor. She wrote the location of the treasury on the back of a painting as leverage against Blake to avoid being discarded just like the last person in charge of the Healing Room.”
Fisher raised an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously,
“How do you know such a secret?”
Anna scoffed lightly at Fisher’s skepticism, “Blake has been hiding in his house lately and doesn’t come out. Recently, every month, there will be a week when he doesn’t leave his room. Kachina and I have been doing some small actions during that week that he won’t notice.”
“Kachina is quite foolish, and the Pink Pavilion excels at making fools talk, especially when Kachina is a fool who likes women.”
Hiss.
Fisher furrowed his brows; it felt as though the sexual orientation of Saint Nali had veered off track ever since the past few months he returned from the Southern Continent. Or could it be that after reconnecting with Shivali, the strange traditions from there were brought along with the monsoons?
Not just the rugged men of Shivali but also Carolina, the witch with altered mentality, and now encountering a woman who preferred ladies. The world was vast, accommodating far too many things Fisher had previously never encountered.
However, since she had already said so much, Fisher continued,
“So, I just need to enter the Healing Room and find a painting on the back of which the address is written, right? It sounds too simple. If it were that easy, it wouldn’t be called a backdoor.”
Anna appreciated Fisher with a glance and then sighed, raising a finger, “The Healing Room is very difficult to enter, divided into the [surface area] above ground and the [inner area] below ground. The surface area only accommodates women; strict reservations are required for entry, and one can only move within a small part. The ‘inner area’ below ground is where she might hide the painting, but I have learned of one opportunity: a children’s charity gala will be held in the surface area of the Healing Room soon.”
“That charity gala is held in Blake’s name; it has always been held in the Healing Room and collaborates with Nali Bank and the royal family. Even the prince will be coming. At that time, Kachina will surely be outside entertaining guests, and the entire surface area will be opened to wealthy merchants and nobles.”
“However, the requirements for entering that charity gala are very strict. Can you get a ticket to enter? Only after successfully entering the surface area can I give you the method to enter the inner area.”
According to Anna, the Healing Room had once really been a normal rehabilitation center; it had likely started human experiments shortly after Anna arrived in the Western Continent; otherwise, Blake would not be foolish enough to place the gala’s address in the Healing Room.
Hmm?
A children’s charity foundation?
And it’s still in collaboration with Baicui Bank and the royal family?
Fisher found it vaguely familiar.
He awkwardly reached into his pocket and pulled out the business card that Keken had left for him the other day. The identity information written on it read, “Saint Nali Children’s Relief Charity Foundation Baicui Bank General Director—Keken Baicui.”
Fisher opened his mouth, and Anna leaned in to look at the business card in his hand. Upon seeing it, her expression also froze, and she fell silent.
Previously, she thought Fisher was just a scholar living off handouts, but it seemed he had a broader network, even having the contact information of the general director of the Baicui Bank charity foundation?
After a second of silence, Anna asked eagerly,
“Are you close with this director?”
“Pretty good; asking him for a favor shouldn’t be difficult. Now just tell me how to get into the inner area after entering the surface area.”
“After you enter,”
Before Anna could finish, a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly came from behind the tombstone, interrupting her words,
“Who’s there talking?!”
Fisher’s expression changed, and he instinctively shielded Anna, retreating to the trees beside the tombstone while embracing her, and the light from his staff extinguished, transitioning into a strange purple glow.
The purple light emitted a thick black mist, reflecting the landscape of the trees behind Fisher and Anna.
Two-ring magic, [Obscured Black Mist].
In the darkness, Anna tightly gripped Fisher’s coat, nervously watching the caretaker who came forward with a lamp. The middle-aged man looked in Fisher’s direction, but seemed not to notice anything unusual and looked elsewhere instead.
Upon seeing the offerings laid on the ground, the caretaker trembled slightly,
“May the Mother bless us, surely a ghost wouldn’t come here to offer sacrifices at night?”
His lips trembled as he hurriedly raised his lamp and left, fearing some evil spirit might follow him.
Anna’s heart raced. Being not short, her fragrant breath brushed against Fisher’s collar. At the same time, her body was soft and balanced, light as cotton candy, alluring to the touch.
“He’s gone.”
Once the caretaker was far away, Anna softly spoke from Fisher’s embrace, reminding him to quickly distance himself and not hold onto her.
But Fisher didn’t indulge her; instead, he looked down at Anna with a somewhat speechless expression,
“So why don’t you let go of my coat?”
After Fisher finished speaking, Anna suddenly realized she was tightly clutching his coat.
She hurriedly released Fisher’s clothes and stepped back several feet, casually smoothing her skirt.
The atmosphere felt slightly awkward. Anna glanced at Fisher and unnaturally shifted the topic,
“How come he didn’t notice us just now?”
“I used a spell.”
Fisher casually brushed her off, and Anna’s heart gradually settled as she continued the previous topic,
“Once you get into the surface area, you need to look for a room called [Therapy Room]; the entrance to the inner area is in that room. However, once you open the entrance to the inner area, Kachina will know.”
At this point, Anna smiled coldly,
“But at that time, it will be a charity gala; she wouldn’t make a big fuss to chase after you, and you will be much safer. Just find the hidden location of the treasury there.”
Fisher organized the information he received from Anna and posed a few potential questions before he felt reassured.
“The charity gala is this weekend; you need to rush to see if your friend can help you get in. If not, you can also go to Princess Elizabeth.”
Anna was indeed more anxious than Fisher, insisting that he be mindful of the time before she left.
She didn’t quite trust Fisher’s execution capabilities as a scholar, fearing he might make mistakes during the operation, leading to the failure of her grand plan to regain freedom. This might make Fisher seem like the one who was slacking off.
“I know; I’ll take care of it.”
“Wait.”
Fisher nodded, preparing to take his leave, but just as he was about to walk away, Anna called to him again.
Turning around, confused, he saw her pull out a small handkerchief from her pocket, dipping it in her water bottle, and walked up to Fisher.
She tugged at his collar, saying while she wiped it,
“I forgot to mention that my lipstick got on your collar…”
It turned out it had smudged when she accidentally leaned against him while he was holding her to avoid the caretaker’s view. Anna was very attentive, noticing this potential problem, so she came over to clean the red mark off Fisher.
“Luckily, it didn’t smudge too deep; it can be wiped off.”
“Thank you.”
Anna glanced at him, and after confirming the mark was clean, she didn’t leave Fisher’s side. Instead, she spoke softly,
“No need; helping me regain my freedom is the greatest thanks. As long as I can regain my freedom, it doesn’t matter what I sacrifice. If you think it’s unfair, you can have me as well.”
As she spoke, she gently leaned against Fisher, one hand lightly brushing his back, her beautiful face directly gazing at him. In her eyes, there were no traps, only the simplest request.
It was as if she were enticing Fisher to commit a crime; her body was fragrant and soft.
Earlier, it was mentioned that she was the most beautiful woman Fisher had ever seen, but facing her conditions, Fisher merely extended his hand gently to grasp her wrist, removing her hand that had been caressing his back.
“The old rules of Nali state that one must bring gifts to weddings or memorials. I didn’t bring anything today, but once the matter is accomplished, consider it a small gift for your companions. Rest assured; I will handle it well.”
After saying that, Fisher waved at her, extinguishing the light from his staff and walking towards the cemetery’s entrance.
His figure grew increasingly distant, soon disappearing into the darkness.
Anna stood there, pursing her lips, gazing at the tombstone standing in the corner of the cemetery, gently covering her chest, as if her heart there had begun to beat for the first time,
“May the Mother bless us.”
求求投票、打赏和支持，这对我来说十分重要。
万分感谢支持！
(End of chapter)
