Chapter 178: 114. Ant (6000)
Fisher walked out of the breakfast shop with a sour face after being forced to pay thirty-five euros for breakfast. Even Fisher didn’t expect to be scammed by a prince.
Learning from Godlin the Second, yet unwilling to pay for a simple breakfast costing a few dozen euros?
He could complain, but there was more to gain from Dexter’s visit than the thirty-five euros he spent on breakfast.
It was normal that Dexter and Lunsis did not get along. Lunsis was seven years younger than Dexter and one year younger than Elizabeth, yet he was the most beloved child of Godlin the Ninth, and there was no doubt about that.
By the time the younger siblings were born, Godlin the Ninth’s original queen had already passed away for a long time. Thus, the energy he poured into them was evidently not as significant as his earlier children, and more often than not, it was their brothers and sisters who took care of them.
Lunsis was the youngest prince born to the original queen, and it was natural for Godlin the Ninth to favor him, much like a compensation for the queen he lost.
However, favoritism aside, Godlin the Ninth should still be clear-headed about choosing an heir, and the best choice would be Prince Dexter.
Now, the fiscal power of the nation was in Dexter’s hands, while Elizabeth managed the military without concerning herself with politics, leaving her with no chance of inheriting the throne. Only Lunsis was still struggling with limited means.
Clearly, in terms of strength, Lunsis could not compete with Dexter; otherwise, he wouldn’t have fallen into Dexter’s grasp with so many handles and evidence against him.
Currently, Lunsis resembled a piece of meat on a chopping board, and the charity gala over the weekend was the time Dexter intended to strike against him. Fisher could take advantage of the opportunity while Dexter was making his move, which was also what he hinted at before leaving.
Dexter, this eldest prince, was quite interesting. He had the means and the courage but also valued family and compassion. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested putting Lunsis under house arrest in the Golden Palace.
Similarly, even though he and Elizabeth had little communication, he didn’t hold it against her for taking military power. He actually supported Elizabeth’s freedom to choose her marriage partner without forcing her to change her marital intentions.
Lost in thought, Fisher arrived at the Nali Emerald Bank. After donating seventy thousand Nali euros as planned, a bank staff member called Keken, and Fisher effortlessly acquired a ticket for the charity gala.
The ease and speed of the process were beyond Fisher’s imagination; he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at how well-connected things worked in Saint Nali.
After leaving the Emerald Bank, Fisher headed towards the Saint Nali carriage market. Buying a carriage required customization, so the market he was going to primarily offered rental services.
The enthusiasm for exploration in Nali was evident in all aspects of society. To gather enough capital, many fervent gentlemen wagered their carriages, estates, and even pets with Nali banks to obtain their first bucket of capital. However, if they couldn’t keep up with interest payments, these items would be auctioned off in the Nali market.
Many insightful merchants bought these carriages, as they not only could rent them out for various occasions needing a show, like weddings, but could also lease them to those providing passenger services in Saint Nali. Otherwise, how did Fisher often manage to catch a ride in a carriage on the street?
Fisher himself loved carriages. Previously, he spent a hefty sum customizing his carriage, putting a lot of thought into its decoration. Not only did he design many hidden compartments on the outside, but he also installed a magic that expanded the interior space, making it quite literally a “mobile luxury house.”
That carriage could be considered a top luxury vehicle, absolutely unique within Nali, but when Raphael left, Fisher gifted that carriage to her, or else that dragon would have to walk half a continent back to her tribe.
Now, it should be collecting dust somewhere in the Southern Continent. That carriage was not suitable for combat, and Raphael wouldn’t take it along for battles.
Currently, financially strained again, Fisher could only casually select a black, understated carriage from the market and rented two black steeds to pull it.
Not only did he need it for the charity gala, but in the following days, he also planned to take Jasmine northeast from the urban area of Nali to the Klein River, where few people tread and which lay within the mountains, making it ideal to help Jasmine practice balancing.
As for why they were going there, it was related to the charity gala event on the weekend.
The Healing Room was in a very tranquil location, properly situated in the mid-stream section of the Klein River, matching its purpose as a rehabilitation center.
However, what Fisher was truly contemplating was how to get Jasmine out once they entered underground. If all went well, they would enter and leave seamlessly, but in case of any hiccups, Fisher could only consider using magic to breach the barrier where the underground connected to the river and escape along its flow.
Before that, Fisher wanted to scout the location and get a rough understanding of the Klein River.
It was close to nine-thirty when Fisher returned to his rental apartment with chicken in hand. Lady Martha had already gone to exercise, and when Fisher opened his door, Jasmine was sprawled on the sofa, motionless and looking like she was about to faint from hunger.
When Fisher appeared with food, her nose twitched instantly, and then from her nose to her whole body, it was as if life was gradually infused into her again.
Finally, her whale tail lifted first, followed by her head, which rose with bright eyes, but she didn’t ask for food right away. Instead, she softly said to Fisher, much like a wife waiting for her husband, making one’s heart warm.
“Fisher, welcome back.”
Fisher was taken aback momentarily. At that moment, he suddenly empathized a little with the Nali gentlemen who had families coming home, especially as Jasmine was among the most beautiful ladies.
Looking at Jasmine, who appeared innocent and defenseless, Fisher paused for a second before subtly averting his gaze, which had an invading quality, and nodded in response.
“Breakfast, hurry over and eat.”
“Okay!”
Jasmine pinched her skirt and rushed down from the sofa barefoot, then helped Fisher set the extra plates on the table.
Watching the delicious roasted chicken, Jasmine made a praying gesture once again, and amid her long blue hair, a crown appearing to be made of flowing water gently held up her long hair, giving her a very elegant look.
“Thank you, Fisher, for the delicious food, awoo.”
When Jasmine actually started eating, Fisher looked at the crown-like water crown on her head and suddenly speculated that other Ocean Subhumans recognized the Whale Folk as the royalty of the ocean precisely due to this.
After all, they rarely met, so who could know that the Whale Folk was essentially a very lazy creature, waiting every year for other Ocean Subhumans to throw fish into the trenches?
“By the way, what’s the deal with the water crown on your forehead?”
While eating the roasted chicken, Jasmine looked up at the water flow on her head and somewhat shyly said, “Ah, this is a compass my aunt made for me. It’s too dark in the sea, and every time I swim out of the trench, I don’t know how to return. When I was little and lost, I used to squat in the coral bushes and cry; my mother looked for me for a long time before she found me.”
Talking about her childhood black history, Jasmine bashfully touched the water crown on her head, her fingers passing through it and causing a few droplets to be stirred up, but they quickly returned back into the crown, flowing along with the current.
Hmm? Is this a compass?
Fisher had never considered that this thing had such a function.
So, this thing wasn’t something every Whale Folk had, was it possible that other tribes called Whale Folk royalty because her mother claimed to be the “Ocean Emperor”?
Jasmine showed Fisher the relic’s main body; it turned out to be a small clip made of gold that held a small lock of hair at the back of her head.
Then Jasmine gently tapped the clip, and her water crown suddenly changed direction, pointing to a certain location in the Southern Ocean near Saint Nali; with another tap, the water flow would disappear, shrinking back into the small clip.
“Although I rarely get lost after growing up, I still like to use this as a hairpin because when I’m in the sea, I can’t really feel the weight of my hair. Now that I’m on land, I’m not very used to it.”
“It seems your aunt loves you very much.”
“Yes, making relics is really hard, but as long as I say I want it, my aunt will make it for me, even if my requests sound quite childish.”
When mentioning her aunt, Jasmine seemed to recall a certain woman with a bright smile in the ocean, even slowing down her eating speed. Clearly, Jasmine had deep feelings for her aunt.
Additionally, Jasmine mentioned that Muxi had also made her an automatic tracking fishing net relic for catching fish, as well as earplugs to prevent Ramastia from speaking, and relics for automatically receiving the fish that other Ocean Subhumans threw every year.
All of these wonderful functions highlight how the relics were actually toys made for childhood Jasmine.
It seemed that being able to create relics allowed one to do whatever they wanted, further motivating Fisher to help Jasmine find her aunt, so he could learn how relics were made.
Speaking of which, relics are actually the term anthropologists use for those objects left over from ancient times; Fisher didn’t know what they were truly called.
As for why Jasmine referred to such things as relics, it was because her Nali language was bestowed by Ramastia.
And Nali language, in essence, is a word-based language, needing new pronunciations to create words for every new noun. Jasmine wasn’t a native Nali, so she obviously wouldn’t have such an ability and could only follow Nali people to call them relics.
The more Fisher listened, the more he found it amusing. Moreover, Jasmine said that the relics made by Muxi were mostly crafted from gold since there was plenty of gold at the bottom of the sea.
No wonder that the wealth brought by those Ocean Subhumans was basically all gold; this was in stark contrast to the Nali region, which had no gold mines.
However, decades ago, since Blake arrived in the Southern Continent, Nali had leapt to become the golden nation of the Western Continent, thanks to those Goblin overlords occupying the mines in the Southern Continent.
While Jasmine was eating, Fisher wrote a letter to Elizabeth, briefly explaining that Dexter had come looking for him, along with a messenger for communication to ensure she could reach him later when he wasn’t at the apartment.
As for Anna, Fisher didn’t plan to call her out again, at most reminding her about his going out when passing by the Pink Pavilion.
Once Jasmine finished her breakfast, Fisher tidied up and had Jasmine put on her cloak and sit inside the carriage.
After all, she had a large whale tail behind her, and since it was daytime, this was her first time boldly appearing like this on the streets of Nali. So, Fisher watched her cover her back with that large tail, running to the carriage while being careful.
Actually, if Jasmine weren’t an Ocean Subhuman but rather a common type of Subhuman, Fisher wouldn’t need to hide her like this because many Nali gentlemen kept Subhuman servants at home.
After all, Subhumans and humans actually had similar intelligence levels; ignoring their appearances, which differ somewhat from humans, employing a slave at a very cheap price is a worthwhile affair.
However, Jasmine was the kind of Ocean Subhuman people had hardly ever seen, and she was also meant to be captured by Blake and Lunsis, which is why Fisher was being so cautious. Fortunately, there weren’t many people around his rental apartment now.
Forgot to mention, the neighborhood where Martha lived actually had the highest average resident age in all of Saint Nali; they were all old men and women leaning on canes, yet they lived more regular lives than young people like Fisher.
Fisher shook his head and finally sat back in the driver’s seat of the carriage. The last time he sat here was when he was with Raphael and the others on the Southern Continent. Back then, Raphael would often sit beside him, quietly opening the carriage door, revealing her bright green eyes peeking at Fisher, who was driving.
Fisher was slightly taken aback, gripping the reins but suddenly turning to look back at the carriage. The door had also opened a crack at some point, showing a pair of glistening blue eyes, right there was Miss Jasmine.
“Fisher, where are we going now?”
Before they left, Fisher hadn’t told Jasmine where they would go, and she had blindly followed him into the carriage, making Fisher wonder if she would help him count money even if he sold her?
“To the Klein River, one of the eight rivers of Nali, in the direction of Saint Nali University, but it’s quite far away.”
Upon hearing it was in the direction of Saint Nali University, Jasmine opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, yet in the end, she hesitated and didn’t say anything.
Fisher guessed she was likely eager to meet Milica and Isabel, who studied at Saint Nali University, but clearly, this was an overly impossible request. The official Nali was still searching for her.
Fisher knew but didn’t say it out loud; he only flicked the reins, driving the carriage slowly along the streets of Nali.
Although he didn’t plan to look for Anna, Fisher still decided to drop her a note. He intentionally took a detour past the Pink Pavilion on Natwen Street.
Originally, he just wanted to let her know, like last time, that he was going out, and driving the carriage meant that he had generally arranged his affairs. Unexpectedly, he directly saw Anna at the entrance.
To be precise, it wasn’t right at the door of the Pink Pavilion but in front of a shop a bit further down Natwen Street.
She was still wearing a very conservative Nali outfit, topped with a small hat adorned with a white lace ball. The shop in front was simply separated by a glass window, through which she could see the exquisite pastries and macarons made by the shop owner inside.
Fisher noticed the beautiful lady standing on the street, unaware that she loved sweets. She was already carrying a small box of egg tarts, yet she still stood at the window gazing longingly at the various cakes inside.
The slow-moving black carriage passed by behind her, and Anna, as if she sensed something, turned around and just happened to see the gentleman in a top hat at the front of the carriage. Her eyes subtly shifted, and she raised her hand to cover her hat, shielding her eyes.
Seeing Anna in full view now, Fisher changed his tactic and “accidentally” let a small paper airplane slip onto the side of the road. It hadn’t rained yesterday, so the paper airplane landed straight on the ground.
“Hey, that damn guy, how can he litter?!”
The owner of a shop nearby, who was sweeping the street, looked angrily at the black carriage that continued to drift away. Just as he was about to pick up the paper airplane, a fragrant breeze brushed by, and he turned to see an exceptionally beautiful lady extending her hand toward him with a gentle smile.
“Sorry, could you hand me that paper airplane?”
“Ah, sure!”
“Thanks.”
Anna smiled slightly, then discreetly tucked the paper airplane back into her small bag, showing no intention of buying macarons anymore, as she quickly headed toward the Pink Pavilion.
Inside the Pink Pavilion, it was still as lively as usual. Despite being morning, there were already many guests enjoying themselves. A light white mist wafted through, rendering the place as beautiful as a fairyland.
In the hall, countless lounged ladies lazily lying on chairs respectfully greeted Anna.
“Lady Anna, the new guy who arrived yesterday wants to leave again.”
As soon as she stepped in, two girls dressed lightly approached her and whispered.
Anna shot them a glance and suddenly recalled something. She raised her hand and waved at them, saying, “Take me to see.”
“Of course.”
The two ladies led the way, and Anna walked behind them, slowly passing through the hall and numerous rooms towards the interior.
Unlike the dazzling, extravagant exterior, the rooms inside were located underground, giving a sense of coldness within.
Following the spiral black staircase downward, Anna was led by the two girls to a room below ground. Pushing the door open, she found a girl wearing a short shirt curled up on the bed.
Upon hearing the door swing open, the girl turned around like a startled bird and when she saw the cold-faced Anna, the messy-haired girl shook her head along with her face.
“No, no, please let me go. Either let me go or give me some… just a bit of medicine.”
The girl was crawling on the floor, as if suffering tremendous torment. Her gaze, drifting, reached out towards Anna with a desperate plea for salvation as if grasping the strings of hope.
Looking at the girl who was tortured into a shadow of her former self, Anna sighed and waved her hand to the two girls beside her, softly saying, “You both can go out; I’ll handle this.”
“Yes, Lady Anna.”
The two girls exited the room, gently closing the door behind them.
Anna slowly approached the girl crawling on the floor, observing the constant trembling of her facial muscles, and asked, “How did you get into this situation?”
“It’s my family; they were using it. I beg you, I will work hard. You can make me do whatever you want, just give me a little… ugh.”
Before she could finish, Anna’s palm had lightly touched her forehead. Strangely enough, once her hand made contact, the girl’s voice abruptly stopped as she could only see the widening pupils through Anna’s fair fingers.
Clearly, the girl standing before her had once been the embodiment of everything she had despised in the Western Continent, yet after spending so long in the Western Continent, she came to realize that there were numerous suffering souls like this girl.
Whether from the Southern Continent or the Western Continent, whether human or Subhuman, in the eyes of those people, they ultimately were just ants, unworthy of notice or concern for their survival.
“Rest well for a while. Once you fall asleep, you won’t feel discomfort anymore.”
In the shadow of the wall, where Anna’s hand connected, a blurred shadow was cast in the faint light of the room.
If one looked closely at that shadow created at the point of contact, it seemed as if it spread out from Anna’s hand, gripping tightly onto the girl in front of her.
The flickering flame wavered, and then the girl collapsed to the ground suddenly, her eyes turning white, losing consciousness. Her muscles twitched from time to time, but the savage craving for medication that had distorted her face gradually faded away; she had clearly completely lost consciousness.
Anna gazed at the girl on the floor for a long time. Then, she slowly took out the paper airplane Fisher had tossed to her earlier, observing the flickering magical brilliance upon it.
Not knowing what she was reminded of, Anna smiled slightly. After placing the paper airplane away, she gradually left the small room.
The door slowly closed, and Anna’s voice faded progressively from outside,
“Notify me when she wakes, and have Olly teach her the rules. If she tries to escape again or steal any of the drugs from the institution, break her legs.”
There are still 6000 words; I will write 12,000 today to make up for Friday and Saturday.
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Thank you immensely for your support!
(The end of this chapter)
