Chapter 217: 153. The Gate of the Demon (Two in One)
“Over here, Jasmine.”
Outside the Royal Forbidden Area of Nali Lake, Fisher, holding his abdomen, continuously moved down Klein Mountain with Jasmine following closely behind him. Jasmine, unable to suppress her worry, glanced at the wound on his abdomen and said, “Fisher, your wound…”
Fisher, however, did not stop his movements. He shook his head and quickly scanned below to see if there were any soldiers of Elizabeth blocking their path.
In the distance, a golden light slowly spread along the horizon, soon reaching mid-air, enveloping the entire Saint Nali between the ocean and Nali Lake.
Fisher, who had a deep understanding of magic, instantly recognized the powerful blockade magic from the military. Just as Elizabeth had said, the army had surrounded the entire Saint Nali.
“Elizabeth promised me twenty minutes to get away, but knowing her character, there’s a high chance she’ll start taking action in ten, or even five minutes. She’s someone who will break the rules even while playing hide-and-seek; she doesn’t trust that I can escape Saint Nali smoothly.”
Jasmine had visibly seen the spectacular, massive magic that completely surrounded Saint Nali, but still somewhat confused from just waking up, she asked, “But why does Princess Elizabeth want to capture us? What crime have we committed? Clearly, it’s Blake who…”
Fisher didn’t mention that Jasmine was almost beheaded by Elizabeth like a fish on a chopping board, nor did he say that Elizabeth was the mastermind. Now wasn’t the time for such discussions; they had to make use of every second to leave.
If Fisher truly had half an hour, he might have time to return to his rented apartment to get the “Veil of the Usurper” and then find an opportunity to escape Saint Nali. But if Elizabeth acted in five minutes, he couldn’t guarantee whether they would be able to escape.
But he at least needed to ensure that Jasmine got out of Saint Nali successfully because Fisher believed that Elizabeth would indeed send Jasmine back to make soup.
“Let’s not discuss this for now. Come this way; it seems there are soldiers below.”
Fisher’s body had the enhancement of the Dragon Race, and during these few minutes of escape, his wound on the abdomen had begun to heal again. The Emhart that had been tucked in his pocket sensed safety and flew out at this point, still in a shrunken form, making him speak like a buzzing fly.
“I’m so scared, so scared! I sensed there were similar beings nearby… conscious relics! And they have a really bad temper; I tried to strike up a conversation, but she ignored me.”
“…”
Fisher remained silent, but Jasmine behind him was anxiously looking at the floating book and asked, “Sir Book, do you have any way for us to leave now that the whole Saint Nali is sealed off?”
Sir Book blinked his eyes, glanced up at the magic in the sky, and already had the answer in mind. Just as he was about to speak, Fisher, who was running ahead, simultaneously voiced the answer with him, “Snakehead Street.”
“Oh, that’s right, it’s Snakehead Street. Wait, do you also know that a pair of demon sisters live there?”
“Demon sisters?”
It was Fisher’s turn to be confused. He had no idea what lived in Snakehead Street, but the wanted pirate, Captain Alagina, had escaped from Saint Nali through Snakehead Street. She had told him that there were people providing such services deep in the Snakehead Tavern, but he hadn’t inquired in detail at the time.
However, Fisher knew that the depths of Snakehead Street were connected to the ocean via dark rivers, and the terrain was exceptionally deep. Even the officials had not thoroughly explored what was inside, let alone the gang members; those who could provide services there were not ordinary people.
Moreover, when Eil arrived in Saint Nali, she also mentioned that she arrived by boat from the depths of Snakehead Street, which further indicated that there might still be a glimmer of hope there.
Thus, Fisher took a gamble and put all his chips on Snakehead Street being the way to escape Saint Nali, as there was no other option left.
Faced with Elizabeth’s pursuit, asking anyone for help would only harm others, so Fisher did not plan to ask anyone for assistance.
“That’s right; deep in Snakehead Street lives a pair of demon sisters responsible for guarding the entrance. It is said that in ancient times, every human settlement had an entrance to the Demon Dynasty underground, allowing demons to enter human society to sow chaos. However, the Demon Gods were worried that humans would use those entrances to enter the Abyss, so they sent demons to guard each entrance.”
“Because directly harvesting Fallen Nature is generally the work of minor demons and imps, especially imps, which are neither here nor there. Most of the powerful demons would not easily leave the Abyss, as they have become so strong that they can sense humans calling for them. Rather than extracting Fallen Nature, I would prefer to call their method of feeding a sacrifice.”
As Sir Book spoke, Fisher recalled the fire pillar he had seen before Eil came to his aid, where a figure seemed to be sacrificing in front of the fire pillar.
“But ever since the Demon Dynasty was destroyed and the physical pillars of the seventy-two demons were locked away beneath the Abyss, these entrances have all been abandoned. However, there are still two gatekeepers nearby Saint Nali. Of course, I have never truly seen them; it’s from the folktales in the library that I learned about them. Who can say for sure if it’s true? Ever since that bad demon tore a few pages from my book, I have grown to loathe such creatures.”
Wait, are you sure it’s loathing and not fear?
Jasmine was mesmerized but did not slow her escape, and in just a few minutes, they had reached the Klein River.
Yes, the two of them were once again going to escape through the river following the old tradition; otherwise, they would never outrun those soldiers by running, and only relying on Jasmine’s speed could they have a chance to overtake.
As Fisher and Jasmine prepared to enter the river, a team of golden-armored soldiers came running down from Nali Lake. At the same time, several golden messengers took to the sky, flying to various parts of Saint Nali, clearly to notify the city’s soldiers to capture Fisher.
Fisher looked down at the time: seven minutes and twenty seconds.
Hmm, just as he expected.
“Jasmine, please.”
“Okay!”
Jasmine nodded in the water. She gently held Fisher’s hand, and as they both entered the water simultaneously, the floating Emhart blinked his eyes,
“Wait! According to the—Ahhh!”
Emhart was still worrying about what would happen after getting submerged, but before he could finish speaking, Fisher pulled him down into the water. Jasmine also gently flicked her tail, leaving the original spot like an arrow, swimming downstream.
Although Xiatu had been taken away by Elizabeth, Fisher was not worried that Elizabeth would harm her; she had Pandora to easily determine that Xiatu had nothing to do with him.
The water in Klein River was still as cold and swift as before. However, last time, Fisher swam with Jasmine when he lost consciousness. At that time, he felt that the Whale Folk swam exceptionally fast in the water; now that he was conscious, this feeling became even more profound.
The scenery of little fish and water plants flew past swiftly; the incoming current hit Fisher’s face, making it sore and uncomfortable. Though he could breathe in the water, he had not gained the ability to survive in it. If Jasmine knocked him unconscious and dragged him back to the seabed, he could easily die from the water pressure.
As Fisher squinted his eyes underwater, he allowed Jasmine to lead the way. Before long, they had reached the city area.
The water there was shallower, but because of Anna’s progress, the surrounding tremors were very strong.
“Boom!”
In the next second, just as Fisher wanted to peek through the water surface to see what was happening outside, a deep red giant lightning spear suddenly pierced the sky, darkening the entire heavens.
“The Dragon Slayer Spear. Is the teacher back?”
Seeing the true face of that destructive magic, Fisher finally felt relieved, no longer worrying about the situation inside Saint Nali, concentrating on the important matter of escape.
Following the previous escape route along Klein River, what Fisher didn’t expect was to be blocked near Snakehead Street.
“Fisher, the river ahead is cut off!”
As mentioned before, many rivers of Saint Nali drained through Snakehead Street. The Nali people had set up a flow control dam at Snakehead Street to control the water flow; currently, the dam was unusually closed, and it was clear that someone had done this on purpose.
At this moment, both banks of the river were patrolled by golden-armored soldiers; clearly, Elizabeth had anticipated their escape through the river and made preparations in advance.
“We’ll go ashore and enter through the front gate of Snakehead Street!”
Fisher gently patted Jasmine’s fish tail, and his Fluid Sword stretched out again. When he saw Jasmine nod, he suddenly leaped out of the water, confronting the soldiers on shore.
“It’s Fisher Benavides! Go notify the princess!”
“Capture him! Just him!”
In mid-air, the mercury blade in Fisher’s hand suddenly solidified into a huge hammer. He did not strike at the soldiers but hit the ground between them.
“Quick, dodge!”
The soldiers beside him all hurriedly dodged, and when Fisher’s attack landed, dense cracks spread continuously until the road by the riverbank collapsed entirely. The soldiers standing nearby were caught off guard and fell towards the river.
Fisher knew that conflicts often occurred in Snakehead Street. The New Party had taken on the task of repairing the nearby roads, but the quality was rather poor.
The remaining soldiers quickly raised their spears, preparing to use their lightning chains to capture Fisher, but at that moment, Jasmine also reached the shore, sweeping her large tail and knocking the soldiers’ weapons away.
“Don’t stop! We need to hurry!”
Fisher had no intention of lingering in battle. Seeing the encirclement dispersing and a breakthrough appearing, he ran with Jasmine toward Snakehead Street. There was still a distance to cover, and they had to run an entire street.
“Quick, capture them! We’ve found Fisher Benavides!”
But from the street behind them, soldiers coming to assist had received orders to move this way. In an instant, soldiers in golden armor filled every surrounding path.
Fisher and Jasmine sprinted forward, pursued by soldiers behind them, while a large crowd was evacuating at the entrance of Snakehead Street under the direction of New Party officials.
“Stop! Follow my orders! Move slowly! Hey, keep an eye on the kids!”
Fisher caught sight of a man in the crowd, shouting and directing everyone. At that moment, he was wearing a white shirt, and his usually somewhat weak face was now covered in sweat.
Trandal, a New Party official, had done little good during the day, but at least he was still on the front lines of work.
Seeing no colleagues willing to help the nearby crowd, he had run over alone to guide the workers to leave.
He directed them while listening to the distant clash of armor. He raised his head and saw Fisher and Jasmine running frantically in front.
“Fisher?”
Trandal opened his mouth, and as he locked eyes with the drenched Fisher, he glanced at the approaching soldiers behind him, hesitated for a second, and suddenly shouted,
“Everyone! Everyone! The soldiers of the Eldest Princess are here to assist you with the evacuation! Don’t move yet! Follow the soldiers’ orders and evacuate to a safe area!”
“The Eldest Princess!”
“Soldiers of Princess Elizabeth?”
The title of the Eldest Princess was still quite powerful. Many civilians, though afraid of the armed soldiers, began to hesitantly move toward the direction of Elizabeth’s name.
Fisher cast a grateful glance at Trandal. Trandal nodded at him but suddenly noticed Jasmine behind him and silently raised his middle finger. Then, worried that the soldiers would discover his mischief, he hurriedly blended back into the crowd.
The soldiers behind watched as Jasmine and Fisher wedged themselves into the crowd, angrily shouting,
“Everyone, step aside! Step aside! We are capturing a very important criminal!”
“Hey! Don’t push!”
“Someone’s pushing from behind!”
It was easy for the crowd to push forward, but retreating became a hassle.
The disappointed crowd at the front started to retreat, but those behind who could not hear were still pushing forward, creating a situation where everyone was stuck at the entrance of Snakehead Street.
The soldiers could not use weapons to clear a path and could only watch helplessly as the fish they had caught slipped further away.
“Damn it! Which beast is this?!”
“Don’t let me catch that bastard!”
Fisher could no longer hear the soldiers’ angry shouts. He and Jasmine squeezed into the underground area of Snakehead Street, swiftly making their way down the stairs, but he was stunned by the scene before him.
Snakehead Street itself was underground, and most of its buildings were makeshift structures. After the disturbances of the morning, houses were collapsed, crowds were fleeing, and there were incidents in the streets where people were attacking others with knives.
The gangs could not serve as official law enforcement in such circumstances; their deterrent power was inadequate to stop such chaos. Meanwhile, officials generally did not care about Snakehead Street; otherwise, Trandal wouldn’t have run over alone to evacuate the crowds. Thus, at this moment, Snakehead Street lost its usual order and fell into boundless chaos.
The ground was cracked, and several bodies lay on the sides of the streets—not killed by the disaster but by murder.
Fisher narrowed his eyes, suddenly recalling that Old Jack’s tavern was nearby. Jasmine also remembered this place; back then, Old Jack had helped him deal with Blake’s pursuers while holding a gun and decided to check on Old Jack’s safety first.
The two walked in front of Old Jack’s tavern, only to see that all the glass at the entrance had shattered, and the tables and chairs that Old Jack had maintained were scattered all over the floor.
Fisher frowned, just as he was about to open the door when suddenly a gun barrel was thrust out.
“Don’t move!”
“…Old Jack?”
Hearing Fisher’s voice, the gun barrel retracted from the door crack, and the door swung open, revealing Old Jack inside, holding a cigarette. He was also accompanied by three trembling Mouse Daughters.
“Wah, Fisher, a lot of bad people wanted to come and rob us.”
“Yes, the basement has collapsed too.”
Old Jack, still holding the cigarette, glanced at the chaotic Snakehead Street outside, spat, and cursed, “Saint Nali is already like a battlefield with Shivali. Before, it was monsters that looked neither human nor ghost; now, everything is worse. The entire downtown has caused such a huge mess. I think Dexter should atone with his life.”
Fisher felt that if Dexter’s spirit knew about this, he would definitely thank Old Jack.
Old Jack scolded a few times, looked at Fisher, who was also quite disheveled, raised his eyebrows, and said, “What happened to you?”
“This is a long story. We need to leave Saint Nali right now. Since you’ve been confirmed safe, we’ll take our leave.”
“Leave Saint Nali? Oh, the outside is blocked by the army. It seems we can only take our chances here… Wait a moment, I’ll bring Kalma and the others with you to leave Saint Nali.”
“With us?”
After these words, Fisher glanced at Old Jack. Frankly, Old Jack was already old, and leaving with him was quite dangerous. The next second, he was ready to persuade him, but Old Jack interrupted him after taking a deep puff of smoke.
“My tavern is destroyed, and there’s nothing to miss in Saint Nali. The only thing I can’t let go of is those three; they spend every day in the basement with the mice. After a long time, I really worry about them.”
“As long as I’m with grandpa, it’s good wherever we go.”
Old Jack had thought about sending the three young Mouse Daughters back to the Southern Continent, but they were still too young to take care of themselves. However, regardless of the circumstances, it would be better than staying in the basement of Saint Nali.
With this conversation reaching this point, Fisher looked at the situation outside and knew there was no time for further talk.
“Okay, if there’s anything you want to bring, hurry up. We don’t have much time.”
The three Mouse Daughters hugged Old Jack, poking their little heads out to meet Jasmine beside Fisher. One little girl even had another clean mouse poking its head out to look at Jasmine, startling her.
“What’s there to bring? As long as I have my gun, bullets, a bit of money, and this old body, that’s enough.”
Old Jack returned to the bar, grabbed his double-barreled shotgun, and handed several stacks of Nali to the three little girls, instructing them to keep them safe. Afterward, he walked out of the shop, closed the nearly falling-apart wooden door, and lit another cigarette, signaling that he was ready, much like when he first arrived in Saint Nali with nothing to his name.
He left clean, and would leave clean again, except for having three cute granddaughters now.
Fisher wished he could be as carefree as he was leaving, but that was, of course, unrealistic. He still had the amiable Lady Martha in his rented home and the work manuscripts he had accumulated over the years.
But given the situation, he had to leave.
With this thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and led Old Jack and Jasmine deeper into Snakehead Street.
“Emhart, which way should we go?”
Sir Book, who was in Fisher’s arms, was feeling particularly unhappy after getting soaked in water. Nevertheless, due to the transaction with Fisher, he had to fly out and speak. Meanwhile, a Mouse Daughter sitting on Old Jack saw this scene and reached out to touch him.
“Enough, you three little brats. Don’t touch me! My book only said to go to the deepest part we can reach, but I don’t know the specifics. We need to see it on-site.”
“I once heard gang members say that many people have come up from the Chasm of Souls below.”
Old Jack had spent a considerable amount of time in Snakehead Street, thus knowing that people occasionally came up from the depths there. While running, he guided Fisher along the way.
As they sprinted, the stone-paved streets gradually changed, and the surroundings became darker; they had passed by the gangs that sprouted on the cliffs, and now were heading to the much deeper Chasm of Souls.
“Splash! Splash!”
The further they moved back, the more apparent the sound of water flowing down could be heard. There were illumination stones left behind by those who had passed this way in the past, illuminating a road that led into the depths.
“This should be it.”
Fisher examined the road before him, noticing that it was enveloped in a strange water vapor, abruptly cutting off the illumination, making the darkness ahead even more profound.
Old Jack, holding his gun, unconsciously swallowed hard, seemingly uncertain.
But Fisher had no way back; the soldiers would definitely enter Snakehead Street soon. If they didn’t leave now, they would be caught by Elizabeth.
He stepped forward first, and the moment he entered that road, a strange chill immediately enveloped him. Jasmine and Old Jack also showed distinct reactions as they followed him. Old Jack and the three Mouse Daughters began to tremble.
“It seems… something is not right.”
In a piece of darkness, they moved forward slowly. Old Jack took a deep breath, was about to speak, but suddenly heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.
“Dad! Dad! I’m here!”
He froze slightly, turning around with the gun in hand, only to see his son wearing the graduation robe of the Royal Academy and looking at him from afar. Old Jack was momentarily entranced, but just as he took a step forward, half of his foot stepped off the road. That sudden feeling of weightlessness sent a chill down his spine, and he quickly retreated a step or two, holding the Mouse Daughter in his arms.
He looked down, and the three Mouse Daughters in his arms were dizzy and murmuring something.
“Candy… so much candy.”
“Fisher! There’s something strange here!”
Fisher suddenly turned around, only to see Jasmine seemingly witnessing something in the darkness. She stood there in a daze, reaching her hand out toward the dark abyss, a single crystalline tear rolling down her face.
“Auntie.”
Fisher quickly reached out to pull Jasmine back, guiding her away from the edge of the road.
“Jasmine! That’s a cliff!”
Both Fisher and Old Jack, the two clear-headed individuals, leaned against the edge of the cliff. Fortunately, the eerie situation here was not too severe, but the further they went, the more alluring the temptations became. Old Jack even saw two scantily clad women waving at him from a distance.
“Hehehe.”
“Come play, uncle.”
Meanwhile, Jasmine saw mountains of food in the distance; she swallowed but shook her head, dispelling that thought from her mind.
Fisher, who was leading the way, remained relatively calm, but not long after, the darkness and mist slowly began to dissipate, revealing a shadowy abyss ahead. The distant sound of flowing water grew closer as they progressed, and when the mist finally cleared, Fisher realized they had arrived on a not-so-spacious island.
He frowned, looking around. Their group had unknowingly descended from the upper Snakehead Street to this spot, surrounded by rapidly flowing water. The nine rivers of Nali converged here, resulting in a fierce current that gave the impression of being swallowed at any moment.
They had unexpectedly transitioned from the road on the cliff to this underwater cave at a height difference of several hundred meters.
As Fisher turned his head, he saw a massive stone door, seemingly made of obsidian, quietly standing in front of the small island. The door was framed and covered with dense symbols, each symbol being distinct and independent when counted—they had a total of seventy-two.
On either side of the doorframe sat two remarkably similar and beautiful young girls.
The two girls were dressed lightly, with a tail similar to Eil but much shorter, drawing a semicircle at their sides.
One had black hair, the other white, with each having a pair of elegantly curved antlers like those of an antelope, which, paired with their serene sleeping faces, appeared exceptionally alluring.
They were two demons!
“Oh my god, I told you there’s a door leading to the Abyss near Saint Nali! It’s just that this door has been sealed for too long, but who would have thought that there are still two demons that haven’t returned to the Abyss.”
Old Jack looked at the two demons without feeling unfamiliar since he had seen Eil before.
In that instant when Sir Book spoke, the two demons’ tails seemed to ignite like a match, two fireball-like flames illuminating the darkness as they opened their eyes, resembling tongues of fire.
