Chapter 218: 154. Spirit Realm and Escape (Three-in-One, Extra from the Leader)
At the moment those twin eyes opened, a wave of heat rushed toward Fisher and her group, and the Obsidian Giant Gate they were leaning against began to glow with a light reminiscent of a magma seam.
The two demon ladies, one black and one white, wiggled their tails. In the next second, a wave of fragrant wind blew past. The black demon had somehow appeared beside Fisher.
She pursed her lips, floating in midair with a greedy smile as she scrutinized Fisher.
Fisher glanced sideways and was surprised to find that this demon had a pair of small demon wings sprouting from her back. The wings were tiny, flapping rapidly in midair, and given their original size, they should not have been able to support her flying; it was unclear how she was able to soar.
“Welcome, esteemed guests. It has been a long time since such a handsome man appeared before us.”
The black demon cupped her chin, assessing Fisher, while the other white-haired demon remained seated, her expression very flat compared to the teasing black demon, as if something were missing from her face.
“Ferrying requires a price of desire.”
“Come on, Nya, don’t be so hasty.”
The black demon puffed out her cheeks, flying back to the white demon’s side with a huff. She gently embraced the white demon named “Nya,” but curiously, both Fisher and Old Jack felt a fragrant wind wrapping around them from behind as well.
“Get away, you smelly demon! Keep your distance from the esteemed Sir Book! I’ve always disliked your kind of demons. If you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one. Oh, Fisher, she’s behind you!”
Sir Book blinked an eye and moved a little away from Fisher and the others, then started shouting loudly at what’s behind Fisher.
Although he had been beaten by Baemon once, Baemon was a renowned demon in the Abyss, and the previous Eil was the same; it was normal for them to hide and avoid trouble. However, these nameless familiars were stirring up trouble here, and Emhart was the first to grow alert.
Fisher’s gaze flickered. His sharp senses told him that the black demon appearing behind Nya was an illusion; the real demon was right behind him.
With that thought, he suddenly turned around and grabbed, his hand unexpectedly clasping the neck of the completely phantasmal black demon.
“Ah!”
The suddenly visible black demon, grasped by the neck, was not angry at all; instead, she blushed and let out a teasing cry, as if flirting with Fisher.
A surge of wicked fire unconsciously spread in this situation, but Fisher possessed Fallen Resistance; his facial expression showed no change as he gently threw the black demon back.
The black demon covered her neck in midair, helplessly waving her tail, and then finally returned to the side of the white demon.
“What a humorless human. Don’t you find me appealing? Or do you prefer men?”
“Enough, Raya. He has the aura of a duke.”
The white demon remained stationary, her eyes, invaded by fire snakes, fixed on the human not far away, her nose twitching occasionally.
“Eil?”
Upon hearing this, the black demon named “Raya” changed her expression, her seductive charm diminished significantly as she cautiously peeked at the human before her from behind Nya.
“Ah, my little familiar indeed has no discerning eye. Esteemed human, let us discuss a trade; our sisterly ferry service has excellent reviews.”
“Is this the ferry service you provide to Eil?”
“Yes, ferrying requires desire.”
Looking at the two demons before him, Fisher suddenly realized that these two demons essentially had no powerful combat ability, at least that was what his instincts told him.
Eil was right; the disparity among demon kinds was immense. Although Fisher hadn’t yet seen the lesser demon Eil described, based on her description, that creature resembled a beast rather than a subhuman.
Demons operate under Fallen Nature, and based on Fisher’s understanding, he roughly deduced that they extracted Fallen Nature through two methods: one is through contract-like transactions, and the other is temptation.
Trade is obvious; the demon pays a part of the price, and the person benefiting must offer the Fallen Nature hidden within themselves.
The offerings from greater demons, similar to how Baemon grants artistic inspiration to humans, rely on this method. This form of extraction is usually measured, and demons honoring the trade will strictly exchange according to what they’ve paid.
The other method of temptation is much like what is recorded in church texts about what demons do.
They set traps, using illusions and beautiful appearances to entice you to become immersed, all while you gain nothing; instead, you’ll continuously generate Fallen Nature until you are led to ruin by it.
This was also what the black demon had been doing earlier; once a human is enticed by their beauty, free from the bond of trade, they can extract as much Fallen Nature as they wish.
So it’s understandable why Eil said that ancient humans had a relatively good relationship with demons; although extracting Fallen Nature inevitably harms humans, most people do not care about such abstract things compared to the tangible benefits in front of them.
Facing Nya’s transaction offer, Fisher stepped forward, extending his arms.
“Alright, come extract my Fallen Nature. We need to leave Saint Nali, and the sooner the better.”
The white demon nodded but raised a finger and said, “The outer sea is not calm right now; to venture out, you’ll need to offer more desire.”
“No problem.”
Fisher approached the two demons; Jasmine was still worried that the desire they extracted would be like vampires draining blood in novels, but the two demons suddenly raised their fiery arrow-headed tails behind them.
One tail aimed at Fisher’s left arm, the other at the right.
A slight sting came. The moment the demon tail pierced his body, Fisher felt a warmth beginning to stir within him, his gaze irresistibly fixating on the two demons’ lightly clad bodies.
This process of extracting Fallen Nature is related to the desires sustained within the body; Fallen Nature promotes the most apparent original sins within him. Some could become lazier, envious, or rage-fueled, while Fisher became more fond of ladies.
This is very reasonable, isn’t it?
But as seconds passed, the expressions of the two demon ladies began to look a little grim; their faces gradually turned a shades of dark purple as if they had been holding their breath for a minute, and their tails began to quiver slightly.
Old Jack and Jasmine, watching the scene before them, saw Fisher close his eyes, while the two demons appeared as if they were suffering from bloating, making it difficult for them to discern who was extracting whose desires.
“Why is it so hard to extract?”
“His will is very strong.”
After a while, both demons reluctantly retracted their tails, looking speechless at Fisher.
They had barely extracted any Fallen Nature from Fisher, as if trying to drink from a milk carton that had only a few drops left, they ended up feeling dizzy after attempting to draw more.
Nya and Raya thought it was because Fisher’s ironclad will was protecting his Fallen Nature; however, what they did not know was that Fisher had Fallen Resistance bestowed by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
“You’ve finished extracting; now you should fulfill your promise.”
Fisher didn’t care about whether they had extracted enough; he certainly wouldn’t let them extract from anyone else’s Fallen Nature. His shameless statement caused Raya to purse her lips.
“Sure, I’ve encountered plenty of stingy demons, but this is the first time meeting a stingy human. However, since you are under Lord Eil, we won’t fuss too much about it. Having something is better than nothing. Come this way.”
Raya’s words caused Jasmine to flap her drooping ears again, and she looked at Fisher with a puzzled expression, seemingly wanting to confirm who this “Eil” was from his face, but Fisher’s expression remained calm, and she found nothing unusual.
However, the ambiguity of the demon’s words made Jasmine suddenly realize the feeling she had experienced with Elizabeth.
She had indiscriminately lost consciousness and slept deeply; why, when she woke up, was she being chased by her closest classmate’s older sister? What was more, she was talking about making Fisher’s heart belong only to her.
Now, out of nowhere, here came an unknown demon?
This feeling of “waking up and being at odds with the whole world” made Jasmine bite her lip.
She truly didn’t want to think about what would happen if another female from some other race showed up suddenly.
The more she thought, the more her gaze darkened, and the black water flowed increasingly.
Since the incident with her aunt, her perception of humans had slowly plunged into confusion.
But if it were like this, she could only…
Jasmine sneakily glanced at the back of Fisher’s head, then cautiously clenched her fist, nonchalantly retracting her gaze, pretending as if nothing had happened.
As the black demon helplessly stood up, Fisher suddenly felt an inexplicable chill down his spine, as if being targeted by a dangerous entity, making him think that Elizabeth was about to catch up. So, he hurriedly urged the others to quicken their pace.
“Just right. Since you shorted us a bit, we’ll have to let you share a boat with someone else; you don’t mind, do you?”
“Share a boat?”
Fisher was a bit confused, but he saw Raya suddenly stretch out her hand and yank from the void. At that moment, the flames at the tip of her tail flared up to the extreme and began to swirl into a strange purple hue.
Following her movement, in the next instant, a massive semi-phantasmal purple scythe appeared in her hand, enormous enough that it cast a sense of oppression when placed behind this demon.
“Yes, this morning, there was another human wanting to leave Saint Nali with us, but she too was someone who couldn’t afford the fare. After all, extracting more Fallen Nature would be the end of her. These days, demons have to think for human guests. There’s no choice but to let her wait for the next guest to gather enough. Who would have thought the next guest would be a stingy guy like you.”
Raya swung that massive scythe, the blade’s hook piercing into the nearby rushing waters, and the entire river began to rise with deep, light purple ripples. As she twisted her body, she effortlessly pulled up a wooden boat from the river’s bottom.
The entire wooden boat was enveloped in a crystalline purple glow, just like her scythe, half purple and half ethereal. When the boat floated to the surface, from Fisher’s viewpoint, he suddenly spotted a blonde girl crouched in the corner of the boat, hugging her knees.
As the boat was pulled ashore by the scythe, Fisher and Jasmine were the first to see who was sitting on the boat.
“Isabel!?”
Jasmine’s expression changed slightly, and she hurried towards the boat.
The girl seated on top wore a creamy white dress, and her delicate short boots looked quite expensive. Upon hearing familiar sounds, she raised her head in bewilderment, revealing her tear-streaked, red eyes.
Who else could she be other than Isabel, Jasmine’s roommate at Saint Nali University?
“Jasmine? Teacher Fisher?”
Her face was soaked with tears, her expression one of disbelief as she looked at the non-human whale folk tail and ears Jasmine had, then she stammered,
“Jasmine… Are you really a subhuman?”
“Yes.”
But actually, Isabel was merely surprised; she didn’t care whether Jasmine was a subhuman or not. Or rather, at that moment, her heart was burdened by something even more critical than Jasmine’s identity, pressing her eyes to leak tears continuously.
“Isabel, how did you end up here? Today is the weekend; you should be in the Golden Palace.”
Upon hearing this, Isabel covered her head in pain, as if her mind was replaying some painfully vivid scene.
“About my sister, she… Lunsis has gone mad and killed our father. Brother Dexter has returned, but he doesn’t care about father or Lunsis at all. He permitted Lunsis to kill father, and my sister returned at this moment. I felt unwell and just wanted to talk to her about these things, but…”
She seemed to recall something terrifying, clutching her head and her voice cracking from sobs.
“My sister is… is the real villain. Brother Dexter has realized that it was Elizabeth who orchestrated all this. He kneeled begging her for mercy, but she… with that blade, ugh! Brother’s head just rolled to my feet!”
The more she spoke, the more she fell apart. Fisher, listening from behind, grasped what had happened, and couldn’t help but sigh.
Fisher was aware of Isabel’s situation. Elizabeth dotes on her to the extent that she would protect Isabel from everything. This seemed to stem from her childhood upbringing in the abnormal environment of the Godlin family, where she wanted her sister to grow up healthily, at least to be a child from a normal family.
So, Isabel was like a flower sheltered in a greenhouse, completely unaware of the dangers surrounding her.
But once her gentle sister inadvertently exposed the bloody truth before her, it was as if the world collapsed, plunging her into despair.
Royal family struggles have always been like this; none of Godlin the Ninth’s brothers had a good ending.
“My sister and brother, they were all deceiving me. Even the past harmony was just a deception. I want to leave Saint Nali, anywhere is fine, as long as it’s not here. I sought Milica’s help, and she told me there was a way to leave Saint Nali.”
Fisher looked at Isabel huddled in the corner of the boat, momentarily at a loss for words.
Surely, given Elizabeth’s level of pampering, she wouldn’t do anything to Isabel even if she stayed in Saint Nali. In fact, she could even live a normal life, but the feeling of everything from the past being violently torn apart wouldn’t feel good, especially for Isabel.
Noticing Isabel’s current fragile appearance, Fisher didn’t speak to urge her to go back; he merely turned to look at the black demon beside him.
“Shall we board the ship and set off now?”
“Hah? You guys are still with her? Wait, why does it feel like you both are here to fleece us, sisters?”
“Also give you a little less, and you give a little less, are you treating us as free labor?”
“Raya.”
Although Raya’s words were fierce, she did not take any substantial action; at most, she was just expressing her dissatisfaction, and Fisher had no intention of paying her any mind.
They needed to hurry aboard the ship and leave this place, but even Fisher did not expect that what was originally meant to be just him and Jasmine leaving Saint Nali together now included Old Jack, Isabel, and the three mouse daughters, including Kalma.
Jasmine got on the ship first and sat down beside Isabel to comfort her. However, as she spoke words of comfort, it invoked her own sadness. She suddenly remembered her aunt who had left her, but she had to pretend to be optimistic and first escape from their current peril.
Isabel was crying, and as she cried, Jasmine’s eyes began to redden as she wiped her eyes and looked down at the damp cabin.
The wooden ship seemed to have been in use for a long time. Although its exterior was covered in a soft purple glow that protected the hull, the sides of the ship had inevitably grown a considerable number of barnacles, like a thin layer of armor over it.
Raya and Fisher got on the ship together, while Nya expressionlessly walked to the edge of the ship and told the passengers,
“Raya will take you away from the waters near Nali, but she can’t be away from the door for too long, so she will leave the ship first. Once you reach shore or are rescued, just push this wooden ship back into the ocean, and I will retrieve it.”
Fisher looked at the two demons before him, thought for a moment, and once again extended his arm toward them, saying,
“You can draw again from the Fallen Nature as compensation for the trade.”
Seeing that they had not drawn anything and still wanted to take him and his group to escape, Fisher, not being a vampire, at least thought about them once.
But Nya shook her head at the human before her, saying,
“Forget it, according to demon customs, when the great demons leave a mark on someone, it also means that you belong to her. By drawing from the Fallen Nature as a trade, we are already somewhat offending her. If it were another petty demon god instead of Lord Eil, they would likely have gotten angry by now.”
Hearing this, Fisher’s expression became strange; he was not clear when he had been marked by Eil, but since she said it, he no longer pressed the matter.
“By the way, this is something that Lord Eil left behind when she fell asleep on the ship. If there is a chance, please return this item to her.”
Nya pulled out a small bag from the void. Just as she took it out, Fisher heard the crisp sound of metal clinking inside the bag. She tossed the bag to Fisher from a distance and said,
“It seems to contain many coins.” Fisher opened it and took a glance; it was all Nali gold coins. No wonder when he first met Eil, she had no money to pay for her drinks.
“I see.”
“Then let’s set off!”
After she finished speaking, Raya dragged the enormous purple scythe toward the shore, and the wooden ship gently landed in the nearby rushing current.
The small wooden ship appeared extremely insignificant before the tumultuous underground river. Just as everyone on the ship felt the sensation of being engulfed, Raya, standing at the bow, smiled slightly, and the huge scythe in her hand began to move like a wooden paddle mysteriously, cutting through nothingness yet generating immense force, dragging the wooden ship directly into the water.
Fisher’s expression tightened as he watched the surrounding waters surge, repelled by a faint purple shield, while the wooden ship sank deeper into the dim river, until it flowed along the dark river and into the ocean.
This underground river was very deep, but it soon began to rise, and Fisher looked down through the side of the ship, just in time to see the sun hanging high in the sky and countless enormous Nali warships.
The wooden ship was getting closer to the water’s surface, until it was completely right below the surface, as if being supported by it.
At this moment, the underwater had turned into what was above the water, while the area where the warships were located became underwater. Most importantly, wrapped in that purple brilliance, all the people above did not notice this ship that was sailing.
Sir Book floated in mid-air, looking at the magnificent scenery below, murmuring in amazement,
“How is this possible? There’s no record of such a thing in books.. Is it the magic of demons? Or is there something else allowing us to submerge underwater?”
Fisher gazed at the flowing water passing by, and he vaguely saw countless star-like points mixed in the waters separated by the purple glow. He shook his head, and a concept suddenly surged into his mind,
“No, we are currently in the Spirit Realm.”
Raya, who was rowing the ship in front, showed a hint of surprise. She smiled and looked back at Fisher sitting on the ship, sighing,
“Ah, so there are those who understand. No wonder Lord Duke could leave a mark on you, but technically speaking, we are not in the Spirit Realm but rather in the crevice between the Spirit Realm and the real world, so you can see shadows of both worlds simultaneously.”
Old Jack, holding the three mouse daughters, curiously looked at the starlights in the flowing water, but after glancing once, he felt more and more that those stars did not look like stars at all, but like living eyes!
This eerie discovery scared Old Jack to quickly withdraw his gaze, returning to the cabin with the mouse daughters, pressing down on those who wanted to peek.
In doing so, he accidentally felt several clean white mice on each of the three girls!
Old Jack’s face immediately darkened, scolding them,
“Didn’t I say you’re not allowed to bring mice out anymore?!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Kalma and the other three, along with all the mice, placed their hands together in front of them and gave a pleading, cute expression,
“But Grandpa, if we don’t take them, they will be depressed in the mouse group.”
“Depressed? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“It’s what you told us, Grandpa. When an individual has a significant difference from the group, they will feel uncomfortable, just like us living in human society, and just like those Dot One mice living with other silly mice, if they don’t have anyone to talk to later, they will be very sad. Can you not talk to others for a long time, Grandpa?”
“…”
Old Jack was speechless, choked by his granddaughter’s words, but since they were already on the ship, could he still kick those mice off?
With a gloomy face, he fell silent, while Kalma and the others laughed triumphantly while holding the mice.
Meanwhile, Fisher noticed a clue; it was because of the scythe that this demon was able to enter the crevice between the Spirit Realm and reality; it seemed that the weapon was cutting through the boundaries of the two worlds.
Fisher’s knowledge about the Spirit Realm came from two sources; one was forcibly infused when reading the Soul Supplement Handbook, which had the term “Spirit Realm,” and the other was when Shivali was attacked, it seemed that the space magic that trapped them was also in the crevice between the Spirit Realm and the world.
“You demons know how much about the Spirit Realm?”
Thinking of this, Fisher turned to Raya and inquired, but Raya shook her head, saying,
“How much can we, these half-baked familiars, know about such things? However, after ferrying for so many years, I at least know that the Spirit Realm and the ordinary world completely overlap, and it is extremely difficult to enter. Also, look over there.”
Following Raya’s finger, Fisher looked through the “surface” of the water and saw the Nali warships below using sealing magic. In his line of sight, the places where the magic runes lit up made the Spirit Realm stars appear exceptionally bright, and the boundary between there and the real world became extraordinarily hazy, constantly vibrating in a strange way.
Wait a minute, that is…
“World Echo?”
“Yes, so why would you humans ask me how to answer regarding such things? Magic is not your thing, is it?”
While Raya swung the scythe to clear the path ahead, she nonchalantly sneered, saying, “Well, one thing is for certain, the Spirit Realm and the magic you humans use are very closely related.”
Just as Fisher’s wooden ship was drifting further away from Saint Nali, at the same moment, at the entrance of Snakehead Street, many constructions built by the New Party were cracking and showing obvious gaps in Anna’s passage, making the already small homes of those workers precarious.
According to the original urban planning of the New Party, this part of the district, including the Snakehead neighborhood, was referred to as the “Fourth District.”
The main residents of the Fourth District were workers employed at nearby factories or ports, and gangsters ran rampant in such places, with drugs widespread. Many buildings were also in disrepair, making it difficult for authorities to manage.
Before the midterm election, just as Fisher had returned to Saint Nali, he had seen the New Party promise the public to renovate the Fourth District to gain the support of the residents here.
But now, it seemed that their promises were as flimsy as the buildings they constructed.
Countless bricks and shattered buildings lay in ruins by the roadside, many residents were left staring blankly at their destroyed homes.
Watching their homes and belongings being chaotic, the anger of many residents reached a peak, and they even began to curse the group of despicable beings from the New Party in their hearts.
“Damned curly-haired baboons!”
“The gangsters took all my money! I can’t even afford bread for tomorrow!”
“No, my house!”
Amidst the chorus of curses, an extravagant carriage slowly stopped in front of Snakehead Street, surrounded by countless soldiers, quickly signaling to everyone who the owner of the carriage was.
Princess Elizabeth.
“Your Highness!”
“Princess Elizabeth!”
Just as Elizabeth anxiously got out of the carriage, countless surrounding residents noticed her figure, as if discovering hope, and began to move their steps toward her.
The Godlin Royal family had an irreplaceable position in the hearts of the Nali people.
As the saying goes, distance breeds beauty.
After the Godlin Royal family devolved power to Parliament, whenever they suffered grievances from the New Party or the Griffin Party, they would first think of the Golden Palace, so over the years, people often went to the Golden Palace to make wishes, asking the royal family to help mediate.
After enduring so many threats, the distressed populace instinctively gravitated toward her. This had originally been part of her plan to gain the public’s trust; otherwise, she wouldn’t have let Fisher destroy the Soul Bell.
But she never expected that now, this crucial part of the plan would obstruct her from moving forward. She was blocked by the crowd, which grew thicker by the moment, and she was getting further away from Fisher.
With the name “Elizabeth” echoing from the advancing crowd, more and more injured and destitute workers gathered sadly toward her, hoping that she could bring them justice,
“Your Highness, please help us!”
“My house was burned by gangsters, and the New Party doesn’t care about the lives of us poor people!”
“Exactly! Those blood-sucking beast!”
As the surrounding crowd began to gather more and more as planned, Elizabeth opened her mouth, looking toward the entrance of Snakehead Street not far away and then glancing at the enraged crowd in front of her. She took a deep breath and shouted to the people who had surrounded her,
“Ladies and gentlemen, a slight incident has occurred in Saint Nali today, causing a lot of trouble for everyone, but please remember that the chaos will not last long. Thieves and evildoers will be brought to justice, and those who have suffered losses will regain what they have lost. This is my promise to all of you; the Golden Palace will always stand with you. Elizabeth will always stand with you.”
“Wonderful!”
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness!”
“Elizabeth!”
As her voice echoed through the streets, the people’s trust and sentiments toward her soared to their peak in that instant. Many workers and sailors removed their hats, constantly waving them on the street and in the alleyways.
That emotion seemed infectious; even those further away who couldn’t see her, through word of mouth, everyone knew that the esteemed Eldest Princess had come to see them. As a result, they also began to excitedly wave their hats and items like the ones in front.
The sun in the sky had risen to its zenith, pouring warm golden sunlight onto the ground, enveloping the gradually calming Saint Nali within its glow.
A ray of golden light filtering through the gaps of the broken streets shone right in front of Elizabeth, as if illuminating the path ahead of her.
Just one step forward, the whole of Nali would greet this flourishing queen like a victor.
But at that moment, Elizabeth lowered her head, staring at the light in a daze for a long time. Just then, two soldiers came running from the entrance of Snakehead Street and another direction. They quickly arrived at Elizabeth’s side, whispering to her,
“Princess, we have searched through Snakehead Street and have not found Fisher.”
“Your Highness, Isabel… she left the Golden Palace alone. We just asked people around, and they said she went toward Snakehead Street.”
Elizabeth’s vacant gaze suddenly twisted, and a fierce pressure forced the two soldiers to tremble and hide their heads in the shadows, seemingly too afraid to look at her.
In the retreating shadows where the carriage wrapped her, an icy chill directed at Elizabeth spread continuously, making her heart burn with anger.
But in front of her, amidst the sunny glow, countless Saint Nali people were raising their hats and cheering,
“Esteemed Princess Elizabeth!”
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness!”
She wanted to retreat into the shadows, wanting to chase after Fisher and her sister.
But just as she turned her head, she saw Damian, who was bare-chested, and Heilson, holding a baby, standing at a street corner not far away, quietly watching her.
If she looked down slightly, through her eyes’ Pandora, she saw her shadow, and she once again saw countless souls buried beneath the ground, dead because of her, writhing with manic laughter, pushing her into the sunlight before her.
After taking that one step forward, the pure and solitary sunlight suddenly shrank and remained on her alone.
Everyone in front began to cheer excitedly, the roaring wave covered a corner of Saint Nali, everyone found solace and hope in the radiant Eldest Princess, yelling loudly.
The uproar drowned out Elizabeth’s loneliness, leaving only the ever-expanding and cold, piercing power to accompany her.
