Chapter 194: 130. The Secret Lies
Fisher, holding the reins, galloped down the roads of Saint Nali on a dark night. However, Princess Elizabeth’s palanquin was not designed for such rapid movement; it was essentially a heavy carriage meant for ceremonial purposes. As Fisher pushed the horses to speed up, the entire carriage swayed violently.
Inside the carriage, expensive porcelain and tea leaves were scattered everywhere. Jasmine could no longer sit inside and had to join Fisher outside the carriage.
The people from the Hidden Affairs Bureau behind them were temporarily blocked by the royal guards, so no one was pursuing them yet. Looking at Fisher, whose clothes were in tatters revealing the already healed wounds on his back, he appeared rather disheveled.
“Fisher, do you already know the location of the treasury? How are we heading towards Klein Mountain?” Jasmine asked, looking at Fisher as he drove the carriage in the hazy moonlight.
Fisher didn’t respond immediately; instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper airplane. It had been wet before, but it was still usable.
Without any envelopes at hand, Fisher casually used a broken pen from his pocket to hastily write a location,
“Nali Lake”
After writing, he suddenly tossed the paper airplane away and threw the pen to the roadside, watching it waver and disappear in the distance. Then he explained to Jasmine,
“Forty-five years ago, in early March, it was the fortieth birthday of the current King Godlin the Ninth of Nali. At that time, the king was in his prime, and the entire kingdom was thriving, swept up by a wave of development. A prosperous nation appeared on the coast of the Western Continent.”
“On the king’s twenty-fifth birthday banquet, his close friend and most trusted confidant, Captain Blake, presented him with a unique gift.”
As Fisher continued to drive the reins, he recounted what he had read in history books, mainly to clarify Jasmine’s historical blind spots as a member of the Whale Folk.
“Several centuries ago, Nali was close to being annihilated. The neighboring Shivali Empire, led by its unbeatable Sun Knights, advanced westward, capturing one city after another in Nali. Eventually, even Saint Nali, where you are now standing, was captured, and the Golden Palace was no exception.”
“King Godlin the Fifth, at that time, fled in a panic without his wife or children. Naturally, he couldn’t take with him Nali’s treasures and books. The knights of Shivali burned Nali’s books and took any valuables they encountered, resulting in the treasures of Nali being scattered across the Western Continent for hundreds of years, never to return to their homeland.”
“Before the king’s twenty-fifth birthday, Blake had been quietly purchasing and collecting Nali treasures and books that had scattered around the world with his wealth. On the king’s fortieth birthday, he presented all these treasures to Godlin the Ninth. The king was delighted and granted Blake free access to Nali’s private estate of Nali Lake, even hoping for him to marry his youngest sister.”
“Blake refused the king’s marriage proposal and instead funded the royal library and museum built at Nali Lake. He only had one request: that the people of Nali be allowed time each year to enter the museum because he wanted them to remember Nali’s history and past.”
“This was regarded as a beautiful tale at the time, but it doesn’t seem entirely so in retrospect. While Blake built the museum and library for the royal family, he also secretly placed his treasure trove there. While everyone admired the past glory of the Nali royal family in the museum, they wouldn’t expect that Blake had buried hundreds of thousands more treasures beneath it.”
“He used the royal military to protect his treasures, and if the entrance to the vault is as indicated by the riddle, it must be hidden within the library next to the museum.”
Jasmine listened, somewhat confused, her mind filled with questions she wanted to ask. However, the first question that came to her mind was regarding Princess Elizabeth, who also favored Fisher at that moment, so her first inquiry was,
“Why did Captain Blake refuse the king’s marriage request?”
Fisher slightly opened his mouth, a hint of unclear expression flashing in his eyes. This was a conjecture he had just formed when he saw the last experimental report in the Healing Room. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to reveal the truth to Jasmine.
“Jasmine, there’s something I want to tell you in advance.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Your aunt, Muxi, has lived in the human world for eighty years. That’s a very long time, almost equivalent to a human lifetime. She married a human on shore, and that person is likely Captain Blake, the old man who just chased us.”
“What?!”
Jasmine could hardly believe it. The old man who wanted to take her back was actually her uncle?
“But if that’s the case, why is he looking for me? What has happened to my aunt now?”
Watching the suddenly flustered Jasmine, Fisher just shook his head. He couldn’t provide a concrete answer, but judging by Blake’s actions at the moment, her aunt’s situation must not be good.
“I’m not sure, but I believe Blake’s reason for refusing the marriage was that he already had a wife at that time. Before this, I had never heard of Blake being married or having children. If Blake’s wife is your aunt, everything would make sense.”
At the same time, Fisher found it very surprising because if Blake really married Muxi and held a wedding ceremony, it would have been a very difficult journey for both of them.
Even now, humans are very discriminatory towards subhumans, let alone decades ago.
If Blake really did marry Muxi, could that explain why he has been so low-key in Saint Nali all these years?
He never publicly participated in any events, rarely made an appearance, and didn’t take care of the Nali Exploration Company, in which he held the largest shares.
Could it be that he did all this simply because he had an unseeable subhuman wife?
“Fisher, I’m a little scared.”
“It’s okay, we will find your aunt.”
Fisher gently reached out to comfort her. Jasmine bit her lip and placed her hand on the back of Fisher’s hand, right where Fisher had just grasped Elizabeth.
Comparing to Elizabeth’s slightly cold temperature, Jasmine’s small hand was warm, like a little furnace.
“Okay!”
The journey continued through the night, and soon they were very close to Klein Mountain in front of Nali Lake.
“Clop clop clop”
Just as they were advancing, a series of hurried hoofbeats suddenly came from behind. Fisher thought it was the pursuers chasing them, so he raised his Fluid Sword in caution.
But the one catching up was actually a bright red private carriage. To Fisher’s surprise, sitting in front of the red carriage was a stunning lady dressed in traditional Nali attire — Anna, the person in charge of the Pink Pavilion.
The paper airplane he had thrown earlier was meant for Anna, notifying her of the location of the treasury, and he hadn’t expected her to arrive so quickly.
Fisher pulled the reins, stopping the carriage in place. Anna also halted her carriage beside them. He glanced at the quiet outskirts of Saint Nali behind him and then let Jasmine and himself get down.
“It’s great that you two are okay. I heard the Healing Room collapsed, and I was worried you didn’t obtain the clues to the treasury’s location. Is the entrance at Nali Lake?”
Fisher took a quick look at the carriage behind her; its design was quite different from others. The back was like a small room filled with some daily supplies but mostly with playful toys and decorations, creating a distinctly pink atmosphere.
He recognized this type of carriage; some brothels offered custom services with such carriage, where a client would book a certain lady, and then the carriage driver would take the lady to a designated place for the night.
This custom carriage service is quite private, and the Pink Pavilion also had such services, so it was a bit unexpected for Anna to come out driving one.
“There’s no time to explain. Take us to Klein Mountain. The location of Blake’s treasury is at Nali Lake, and this palanquin is too ostentatious.”
“Princess Elizabeth?”
Anna opened her mouth, and upon hearing the princess’s title, she quickly gestured for Fisher to get in.
Fisher assisted Jasmine into the rear compartment, while he himself took the front seat beside the driver.
Once inside the rear compartment, Jasmine curiously looked at the whips and collars hanging on the walls and noticed the unlit candles on the bedding box. She was dazedly observing when Fisher, noticing her actions, initiated a facepalm to stop her.
“Don’t look around, sit properly.”
“Uh, okay.”
Jasmine caught sight of some small toys in the corner, and her face slightly flushed as she sat up straight, remaining silent. However, after a second or two, she sneaked another glance at the clothes displayed in the wardrobe.
Wow, this is just too shameless!
“I saw the Healing Room had collapsed before. I was worried Blake would come looking for me, so I just randomly took a carriage from the shop. Did you find any evidence inside? The Healing Room definitely had a lot of evidence. Isn’t that enough for Her Highness the Eldest Princess to take action?”
Fisher shook his head and explained,
“I was ambushed by Blake in the secret chamber, and he nearly destroyed all the evidence. I hope he has some evidence in his treasury because I am now a criminal in Saint Nali; if I can’t find any evidence, I will have to flee.”
He made a joke, but Anna secretly glanced at Fisher. Seeing his ragged clothes, she quietly said “sorry,” as if to express gratitude for the help he had given.
“We share a common purpose. There’s no need for thanks and apologies.”
“Blake’s treasury must have evidence. He wouldn’t go near the treasury on a daily basis; many things are managed by Kachina. But if the entrance is at Nali Lake, it’s all guarded by royal soldiers. How could Kachina frequently access it for experimental materials?”
“Blake has the token granting him free access to Nali Lake given by Godlin the Ninth. He helped build both the library and the museum, so it’s not surprising that he and his people can freely enter.”
But now the question was how he and Anna could enter Nali Lake?
Their carriage gradually came to a stop in front of Klein Mountain. An awkward Jasmine was the first to jump down from the carriage. She felt uneasy about the small toys inside, not understanding why humans would use those things, considering they were unusable for her.
Earlier, Jasmine had undergone combat training there, so getting down now felt somewhat familiar.
In the cold night wind, Anna covered herself, wearing only a rather thin Nali dress. Seeing Fisher was about to get off, she stopped him, saying,
“Your clothes… there are some left behind by another guest on the carriage; you should wear something to cover up.”
As she spoke, Anna went back into the carriage to search. Fisher watched her throw some flimsy pink clothing onto the ground, resembling leaves or threads; even he couldn’t help but feel that brothels really indulged in such whims.
“Got it! Try this on.”
What Anna handed over was relatively clean; it was a shirt and jacket for an adult man. Fisher took it and jokingly remarked,
“Hope there’s no disease.”
Anna shot him a glare and then squeezed in beside him as she took the passenger seat.
“Only the wealthy people of Saint Nali can afford such services, and the ladies going are screened by us. If there’s a disease, it’s their own problem.”
Fisher shed his outer clothing, and looking at his strong muscular form covered by the white shirt, Anna nonchalantly looked away.
Originally, he wanted to take out the Completion Manuals from his old pockets to put them in the new ones, but he felt two hard manuals suddenly appear in the pocket of his shirt as soon as he put on the jacket.
The Completion Manual reappears around him whenever it is a certain distance away. It cannot be destroyed in its closed state and can even be used as a shield against gunfire. Don’t ask Fisher how he knows this.
However, once it is opened, the owner can tear it apart, which is why Feilon warned him not to let Fisher tear it. If torn, it would reincarnate to another place in the world.
Fisher patted the two manuals in his chest, took out unused magical poker cards and his wallet, and then got off the carriage with Anna.
“Fisher, look!”
As soon as they got off the carriage, they heard Jasmine’s voice. She pointed towards the mountains, where a faint flicker of firelight shimmered, close to the area where Fisher had previously set up camp.
Hmm? Could it be Xiatu hasn’t left yet?
Fisher approached Jasmine, raising his hand to take a better look at the distant mountains. He confirmed the firelight was indeed near his previous campsite.
A fragrant breeze wafted in, but Anna did not recognize who Xiatu was.
“Who is that? Your helper?”
“Yeah, she might have a way to get us into Nali Lake.”
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(End of Chapter)
