Chapter 219: 155. Another Easter Egg (Two in One)
“Um, it seems we’ve gotten quite far from them now, it’s about time we can return from the crevice.”
Fisher and his party had been traversing through the crevice in the Spirit Realm for several minutes. As they moved further away from the warships surrounding Saint Nali, Raya, who was standing at the bow of the ship, surveyed the situation beneath the ship and suddenly stopped swinging the purple scythe in her hand.
The moment the purple scythe ceased its motion, the entire ship came to a halt as if it were jammed, not advancing even a meter.
At the same time, the blurry stars of the Spirit Realm around them became increasingly illusory, as if they were continuously receding from their line of sight. Although the ship’s body didn’t move any further, it began to shake violently, causing the passengers on board to cling tightly to the sides of the ship, fearing they would be thrown off by the shaking.
“Oh! Sir Book is going to fly away! Help!”
Fisher grabbed the uncontrollably flying Sir Book with one hand while lowering his head to look at the water surface beneath the ship.
His own soul had become quite sensitive due to the enhancement of the Soul Supplement Handbook. At this moment, he could clearly feel the forces of the real world pulling them back from the crevice, as if it were resisting their departure and was eager to bring the entire ship back.
“Poof!”
The intense shaking didn’t last long. Moments later, the wooden ship flipped completely beneath the surface of the water and resurfaced in the ocean of the real world.
The fresh sea breeze blew in, and everyone hurriedly turned to look back in the direction they came from, only to see that the huge barrier of magic sealing Saint Nali in the distance had become so small it was barely visible.
They had successfully escaped the encirclement and fled from Saint Nali, and all the passengers couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
“The ferry service ends here; I can’t stray too far from the doorway, so I can only get you this far. Nya should have mentioned this to you. From here onward, it’s up to you. Good luck.”
At that moment, Raya turned the scythe in her hand behind her, walked to the stern, and gently stepped on the wooden planks beneath her feet to remind them,
“This ship will help you find nearby islands or vessels to dock at on its own. However, it seems there are no islands to dock nearby Saint Nali, so you’d better pray for a passing ship.”
“Go, go, I… umm!”
Sir Book was still calling out in all directions. Fed up with the noise, Fisher grabbed him again, forcefully shutting his mouth.
Emhart’s mouth quivered, though it was unclear if he was trying to bite Fisher. After struggling for a long time, he finally chose to give up, only looking somewhat displeased as he transformed back into an ordinary book.
Big books don’t bother with little men!
Old Jack glanced around, looked up, but could only see the bottomless ocean surrounding them. He turned back to the barrier raised by the warships near Saint Nali and asked,
“Wait, what if no merchant ships pass by? If there’s trouble in Saint Nali, everyone at sea should know the Nali Navy is in this area. Why would any ships come this way?”
“Um, this is indeed a problem.”
Raya, carrying the scythe, pretended to think by tapping her finger on her chin, seemingly considering their options. However, this pose lasted just a second before her expression turned into a nonchalant smile.
She shrugged and addressed the passengers on the ship,
“But what does this have to do with me? I’m only responsible for the ferry service; I’m not responsible for after-sales, got it? Do you expect me to help support you in your old age? If all else fails, just pray a bit. Please ask your… Mother for help.”
After saying this, Raya waved goodbye to the people on the ship, then swung her scythe, reopening the crevice to the Spirit Realm.
“Well then, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Farewell.”
With that, she smiled and fell backward towards the ocean without creating a single splash, as if she had completely vanished from the sea’s surface, leaving through the crevice of the Spirit Realm.
“You…”
Old Jack reached out anxiously but couldn’t stop the demon from leaving, while the three mouse daughters in his arms were still stupidly waving goodbye to Raya, appearing completely oblivious.
Old Jack hurriedly looked at Fisher, who was sitting at the bow of the ship, asking,
“Fisher, what now? There’s no food or fresh water on the ship. If we can’t find a merchant ship…”
Fisher didn’t respond immediately; he was looking up at the sun to determine their rough location and direction. The port of Saint Nali was to the south; if they sailed in the opposite direction of the warships, they would head into the depths of the Southern Ocean, but that would be quite risky. They needed to navigate to a suitable route in the Southern Ocean to increase their chances of encountering merchant ships.
“Don’t worry, Old Jack. The trade routes of merchant ships are fixed; venturing off the usual course is too risky. Right now, the military is on high alert near Saint Nali, so sailing there will generally be canceled. Even if we encounter some, they would be heading back to Saint Nali. We can’t catch a ride on a tailwind.”
Fisher’s excellent memory conjured up a roughly accurate maritime map in his mind. He rubbed his chin while confirming the direction and continuously adjusted the bow of the ship,
“Currently, the maritime territorial rights of various countries are quite vague, so some trade routes won’t stray far from the homeland of Saint Nali. If we change course and sail southeast, we can reach one of the trade routes out of Shivali. On that route, there’s a chance we might collide with a merchant ship returning from the Southern Continent. Of course, we might also run into pirates. But even if we don’t encounter any, it’s fine; there are several islands at that position where we can dock, with supply stations from Shivali.”
Old Jack glanced at the empty sea around them and then back at Fisher, who was still drawing conclusions and adjusting the direction. He didn’t quite understand how he had arrived at these conclusions.
“…As long as you know what you’re doing. Dying at sea wouldn’t be fun.”
Fisher smiled and pointed to his head, saying,
“I studied maps in the Military Geography course at the Royal Academy. I won’t go wrong.”
However, as he spoke, the confident expression on his face gradually faded because at this moment, he suddenly remembered that the reason he had looked at that book was that Elizabeth needed to study that subject for her military final exam.
By the time he had finished reviewing his exam contents and had nothing else to do, he borrowed a book to keep Elizabeth company in the library, and he noted down what she was studying so that if she had questions, she could ask him.
Fisher hadn’t expected that the knowledge he had studied merely to accompany Elizabeth would now be used for escaping from her—what a twist of fate!
Temporarily setting his thoughts aside, Fisher wasn’t actually worried about whether they would reach the shore. This ship, though lacking a steam engine or other propulsion, wasn’t slow at all.
This wooden ship was likely a treasured item owned by the two sorceresses, just like the scythe in Raya’s hand.
They could catch fish from the sea for food, and they could use magic to filter seawater for drinking. It would take approximately a day and a night to reach the Shivali trade route. Fisher wasn’t sure about the exact time because he couldn’t estimate their current speed.
What truly occupied Fisher’s thoughts now was not how to land safely but what to do once they did land.
He took Raya’s former position at the bow and turned to look at the two ladies sitting in the stern.
Isabel appeared to have suffered a heavy blow; her small face was pale and silent as she hugged her knees, resembling a little hedgehog with its spikes raised. Even with her old friend Jasmine beside her, she had hardly said a word.
Next to her, Jasmine glanced at Isabel and then turned to gaze out at the endless ocean, seemingly lost in thought.
But when she noticed Fisher looking at her, she turned back and forced a smile at him. The curve of her smile was very shallow, unable to overshadow the deep darkness in her eyes.
Fisher silently averted his gaze and sat down at the front of the ship. He then took out the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans from his pocket but didn’t rush to open it. Instead, he stared intently at the book title, lost in thought.
From the many events related to Saint Nali, Fisher caught a glimpse of the corner of the organization behind Feilon and Erwind, known as the Creation Society.
First, let’s clarify the basic clues about this organization. The specific members of this organization were unknown, but their numbers shouldn’t be too many. According to Erwind, once the owner of a completion manual approaches, conflicts would inevitably arise. Thus, the members must delineate their activity areas to the greatest extent possible to avoid losses.
The most likely division would be a country as one member or, more broadly, a continent as one member’s activity area.
Secondly, this organization’s structure was very loose, with practically no binding force among them. For instance, even if Feilon was killed by his own hand, they could still invite him to join again without holding any grudges.
In Fisher’s eyes, they didn’t care who owned a manual; they cared whether that person could gain knowledge from it.
Fisher furrowed his brow and pulled out another Soul Supplement Handbook, glancing at Emhart, who was still lying there like a salted fish.
Interestingly, while Sir Book wanted to read the contents of these two Completion Handbooks, Fisher noticed that even he could only vaguely sense that this thing existed on him. Now that Fisher had taken them out so openly, Emhart still hadn’t noticed or could not see their true form.
Aside from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, each handbook contained a profound knowledge that revolved around a theme. Feilon was the “Soul Lord,” so it was only right that Erwind possessed the Life Completion Manual.
The members of the Creation Society were in pursuit of the knowledge within, believing that it would lead them to the truth’s shore. Therefore, all members were frantically absorbing its contents with that goal in mind.
However, having read the Soul Supplement Handbook, Fisher had discovered that the knowledge it contained was imbued with a terrifying allure—like an unspeakable taboo incompatible with humanity. This pursuit of knowledge could easily lead to madness, and the Creation Society likely knew this. They understood the side effects of acquiring this knowledge; otherwise, they would have long shared it among themselves.
Fisher speculated that the Creation Society must prohibit members from sharing the knowledge contained in their manuals with each other. After all, merely owning one was enough to nearly drive someone insane. Who knows what would happen if one possessed more than one?
But the issue was, if Fisher wanted to confront Erwind and eventually kill him, relying solely on Eil’s “Death Rune” was utterly insufficient. His abilities were very bizarre; regular methods wouldn’t work against him. If he charged head-on, he would likely fall into a passive position again, just like when he was in Saint Nali, without the possibility of having someone like Elizabeth to build a plan for him again.
Did he really have to rely on studying the knowledge in the Soul Supplement Handbook to increase his power, defeating madness with madness?
Fisher contemplated, gradually shifting his attention back to the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
Since it’s also a completion handbook, it must have its special traits as well. In the past, it had brought significant boosts to Fisher, but evidently, that was still not enough.
Or rather, it wasn’t that it wasn’t effective, but that Fisher hadn’t properly used it or grasped its mysteries?
With this thought in mind, Fisher’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. No matter how he looked at this completion handbook, it seemed like it was tempting him to engage with a plethora of different races of subhuman girls—a comparison that felt as awkward and lacking in grace as a donkey mixed among a line of splendid horses.
But out of a research mentality, Fisher resolved to examine this magical item, which had always accompanied him, once again in detail.
He gently opened the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, and familiar illusory words surfaced in Fisher’s vision once more.
[Whale Folk Biological Research Progress: 41%]
[Whale Folk Societal Research Progress: 29%]
[Next Phase Research Unlock Reward Progress: 50%]
That basically stagnant research progress was not surprising for Fisher; it had been the same during his research on Raphael and Eil—one couldn’t advance the progress bar without in-depth communication. It wouldn’t grant him the second phase reward unless he reached 50%, and the second phase offered significantly more generous rewards than the first.
Furthermore, this was the only method Fisher could use to make progress from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans he obtained. After entering into a contract with a new subhuman girl, he could only obtain a reward that pushed the bar by 20%. If he were to expand that to reach 50% through sheer numbers of subhuman girls, Fisher couldn’t quite understand why, but the thought alone sent a chill down his spine.
Instinct told Fisher that if this continued, he would undoubtedly meet a grim end, and that was utterly unrealistic.
So, were there other ways to obtain rewards?
Fisher continuously flipped through the pages, reading up on the recorded contents of subhuman races.
The contents recorded were not from the completion handbook itself but conclusions Fisher had derived from detailed research in his mind. In other words, these recorded contents required Fisher to piece together the information himself to reach the standards before the handbook would provide feedback.
So, if he achieved other standards, would it also grant rewards?
With this new line of thinking, Fisher began to read through the pages ceaselessly again, revisiting the knowledge he had recorded. However, after flipping through the entire book, he gained nothing.
Confused, Fisher opened the book from the beginning again, and his page-turning motion came to a sudden halt at the cover page, as his gaze fell upon the four lines of the Apocalypse Prophecy that he had memorized by heart.
Aside from the title and those four lines of prophecy, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans hadn’t recorded anything else.
But at that moment, in his peripheral vision, Fisher suddenly noticed a square piece of text resting in the lower right corner of the cover page. It appeared to be a handwritten signature left by the author of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
[Contributor: Firstly, I am not a Subhuman Girl Enthusiast.]
This line of text seemed to ignite Fisher’s inspiration and broaden his thoughts once again.
He suddenly recalled that this content originally didn’t exist; it was unlocked by him through accidental exploration.
By this logic, could it be that the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had other hidden parts that he had yet to discover, and within those hidden parts, there could be other ways to obtain rewards?
With this thought, Fisher quickly began to thoroughly search the pages of the handbook, carefully feeling around each area, fearing that there might be some invisible button hidden somewhere.
However, after feeling through several pages of records without any reaction, Fisher felt a bit disheartened.
Could it be that there was nothing?
Fisher’s thoughts momentarily fell into a predicament. Amid the ship’s continuous swaying, he, still unyielding, opened the book for the third time.
After confirming that there were no hidden contents on the cover page, he flipped to the next page, which recorded his first documented subhuman, the [Sorceress].
Looking at the large golden text positioned neatly at the very top left of the [Sorceress] page, Fisher suddenly noticed some conspicuous gaps.
The golden text occupied the left space of the line, yet there was nothing to the right of the word “Sorceress,” leaving a significant distance empty.
Could this blank space behind the subhuman types represent a record for other things?
This thought abruptly struck Fisher. Just as that idea flickered in his mind, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans seemed to respond simultaneously, and the pages began to emit a continuous stream of golden light.
In Fisher’s astonishment, that golden light formed a familiar sentence in his field of vision once more.
[Congratulations, you have discovered an Easter egg!]
Under Fisher’s expected and somewhat disgruntled gaze, the golden light continued to swirl, extending several starkly different golden words behind the [Sorceress], which read sequentially:
[West Continent Race], [One in a Million], [Beautiful Treasure], [Derived Race].
These sudden additional tags emitted a golden glow, and not just the sorceress type; the subsequent subhuman races recorded by Fisher began to burst forth with golden light as well.
Fisher initially ignored the meaning of these tags and hurriedly flipped to the [Dragon Race] section in the back, and sure enough, several tags appeared beside it as well:
[South Continent Race], [Beast Race], [Royal Selection], [Derived Race].
Turning the page again, beside the recorded Whale Folk tags, there were:
[Marine Race], [Beast Race], [Royal Selection], [Longevity Race].
Among these tags, the light on the demon type was the brightest; it not only had an additional descriptive line but the tags and the wording were also distinct from the others.
[Only counting true Demon races; familiars and imps are not included.]
[Mythical Race], [World Destroyer], [Royal Selection], [Longevity Race].
Fisher looked at the many tags now recorded in the completion handbook. Once he reached out to touch one of the tags, it instantly transformed into golden, illusory text that floated upward. It not only introduced the meaning of the tag but also recorded all subhuman races that shared that tag.
[Royal Selection: They have emerged victorious in the conflicts within their respective territories and have thus been bestowed with noble titles.]
[Included Races: Dragon Race, Whale Folk, Demon, Phoenix Race, Chaos Race.]
[Research all the subhuman types in this category to unlock high rewards.]
High rewards?
Indeed, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans concealed other ways to obtain rewards. Fisher could achieve a complete label by studying more different types of subhumans and then earn rewards.
However, the Handbook didn’t provide classifications for all categories, meaning that the corresponding tags would only display when a new type of subhuman was researched.
Some tags contained very few subhuman races; for example, the [Royal Selection] held only five types, while the [South Continent Race] had over a hundred. Comparatively, it was certainly easier to gather those with fewer types.
But Fisher also noticed that the fewer subhuman types in a category, the odder the races tended to be.
For instance, he had only heard of the [Chaos Race] from Eil once; he had no idea where to find them, let alone the [Phoenix Race], which he had never heard of.
Still, despite many obstacles, looking at the continuously expanding categories before him, Fisher felt a sense of clarity rise within.
If he could acquire bonuses from this newfound method and, along with the phase rewards from studying these races, the cumulative rewards would be significantly greater than the previous single reward.
Moreover, this situation also reminded Fisher that the author of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans must have been a very peculiar individual, devising such mischievous operations to toy with the owner.
Armed with a new discovery, Fisher made a rough plan in his mind. He decided to first try to gather subhuman types for a label and see what kind of “advanced rewards” the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans mentioned.
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(End of this chapter)
