Chapter 237: 13. Lion Race
“Phoenix?”
Fisher turned his head to glance at the man whose face was covered in feathers, then glanced at Alagina. Did he refer to Alagina as a phoenix because she is a descendant of the Phoenix Race or because she possesses the Ice Prince Sword?
Emhart examined Alagina, then whispered in Fisher’s ear,
“It shouldn’t be, Fisher. The Son of the Phoenix wielding the Ice Prince Sword is not only a male phoenix but is also the most temperamental among the three Sons of the Phoenix. How could she have offspring with a human? And even if she did, based on maternal lineage, her phoenix blood should have been considerably diluted by now.”
“Is it possible she has reverted to an ancestor?”
Fisher suddenly recalled a study he did earlier when a wealthy merchant in Saint Nali approached him, claiming his daughter had suddenly become a sorceress one day, but it did not align with the patterns of maternal inheritance since the girl’s mother was an ordinary human.
He investigated the merchant’s family and discovered that the girl’s magical circuit was indeed that of a sorceress, not a human’s. The problem was, she was their biological daughter, raised since childhood, with no chance of having been swapped. If she hadn’t displayed the traits of a sorceress by turning household statues into countless hopping frogs, the father might not have realized his daughter was unique.
After cautiously researching their family history, Fisher discovered that their family had migrated from Cardu generations ago, meaning that among the ancestors of that wealthy merchant, there was once a sorceress.
The reproductive patterns of such subhuman races like sorceresses are quite intriguing. All sorceresses are female, and they must interbreed with other races. The probability of reproduction is no different from humans. However, interestingly, only one of their children will be a sorceress.
If a human and a sorceress unite, regardless of how many children they have, only one will be a sorceress, most likely the firstborn, while all other children will solely inherit the father’s race without exhibiting any sorceress traits.
Fisher had previously believed that the blood of children from non-sorceress races was diluted regarding sorcery, meaning they entirely lacked the traits of a sorceress.
However, the merchant provided a counter-example because his ancestor had a non-sorceress child born from a sorceress, yet the blood of the sorceress had never disappeared and continued to pass down, eventually blooming in her daughter, turning her into a true sorceress.
Fisher referred to this condition as “reversion,” but so far, he had only encountered that single case of the sorceress girl; he had never seen other instances of reversion.
But if Alagina were experiencing reversion related to the Phoenix Race, she should have been born with characteristics of the Phoenix Race, such as feathers and wings. Yet Alagina’s body is undoubtedly a complete human.
Indeed, after hearing Fisher’s doubts, Emhart also did not consider Alagina a case of reversion.
“I’m not sure what you mean by reversion, but based on the literal interpretation, if her ancestor was a member of the Phoenix Race, their noble bloodline wouldn’t be diluted to this extent. I suspect that feathered man mistook her for that Phoenix Prince because of the Ice Prince Sword she carries.”
Alagina furrowed her brow upon hearing this. She sensed that the true object of desire for the Ice Prince Sword was indeed the precious item mentioned by the feathered man.
Although the man in the black cloak had completely lost his eyesight, his expression was clear, and he looked at Alagina with emotion, saying in a trembling voice,
“My master, we have waited here for quite some time, following your commands, undaunted by time and curses, merely waiting for your return. Please take the treasure, so we may be free from this wretched curse.”
At that moment, Alagina noticed that he was clawing at the inside of his cloak, seemingly scratching at the painful growth of feathers, which was unbearable for him. However, the slightest touch would cause the feathers to bleed like blades embedded in flesh.
He and the others had endured this torment to fulfill their mission for countless years. He was immensely loyal to his words regarding the “Phoenix Race,” willingly enduring such suffering without complaint, only hoping that his master could successfully retrieve the item entrusted to them.
With this in mind, Alagina finally spoke up,
“Where is the item?”
“It’s over here! Respected master, please follow me! All your most loyal servants are guarding that item. However, they have been severely eroded by the curse and can hardly move to salute you; I hope for your understanding.”
Feeling quite remorseful, he bowed to Alagina on behalf of his companions, then stood and indicated that the item was in that direction as he went deeper into the island.
Alagina glanced at Paz beside her, who skillfully flicked a glowing mark from her pocket, allowing them to signal the Iceberg Queen if anything happened.
As they proceeded deeper into the island, Fisher and the others discovered a hollow cave connecting the beach to the island. The inside twisted and turned, but the sight was terrifying. Just as they entered, everyone was startled.
On either side of the cave, countless humans dressed in ancient garments of the Northern Region were crawling orderly; every one of them seemed to be consumed by feathers, more severely than the man hiding under the cloak earlier. Their orifices were completely filled with feathers, motionless in a posture of the utmost reverence, facing the inner part of the island.
“They… held on until the last moment for the mission. We’ve kept watch over that item in shifts, and now only I remain. I can’t imagine what would happen if you did not come.”
The feathered man in the black cloak covered his face in sadness, with gray and white feathers falling from it, identical to those that Fisher had seen on the ship.
Fisher couldn’t understand their words, so Emhart translated for him, but it was still slower than the others. He felt it necessary to learn the language of the Northern Region properly.
Listening to his words and reflecting on what he had seen earlier on the ship, Fisher had a rough idea of the situation there.
It seemed that in ancient times, a phoenix had entrusted this group of humans with a very important item, instructing them to take the treasure away from the Northern Region and hide it until the phoenix arrived. They were responsible for guarding this treasure.
However, the item possessed a strong curse, causing these humans to suffer from a strange illness characterized by feather growth. They had been waiting for the phoenix to take the treasure and break their curse.
“We have arrived, master.”
They walked along the crawling figures in sailor outfits until they reached the end of the cave. Outside the cave was a lush, primordial forest. Following his finger, Fisher saw that the cave led to a creek, which had now been completely frozen over.
At the center of that extreme ice lay a scroll made from a blue-green material resembling ice, glowing with brilliance like the divine light of a phoenix. Just one glance revealed that it was no ordinary item.
“Oh my god, that’s a scroll made of Phoenix’s True Ice.”
Emhart gazed at the item, one of his eyes shining brightly as he whispered to Fisher,
“True Ice… you mean the True Ice from Northern Region legends?”
“Exactly! That’s the one! I’ve only seen it in texts. It’s said to be born from the frost on the branches of the Parasol Tree, a product unique to the Phoenix Race.”
As previously mentioned, members of the Phoenix Race are highly sensitive to fate. They can see vague images of the future in biting snowstorms and thus predetermine the invasion of the Chaos Race, preparing accordingly and defeating the Chaos Race comprehensively.
This ability stems from True Ice. Legend has it that the Phoenix Race places their offspring before mirrors made of True Ice, allowing them to gaze into the glow of True Ice, granting them the ability to see into fate. This is why they are so sensitive to fate.
“Wait, this is bad, master!”
At that moment, the man in the black cloak, who was waiting beside them, suddenly changed his expression. He sensed something and anxiously looked at Alagina, saying,
“Hurry! Quickly, master, take the treasure! I sensed the blade of your comrade approaching from the other side of the island; it must be that violent Ice Prince himself. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else! The strength of True Ice envelops this island. Only you and your comrades, who possess those three swords, can see this island. Quickly, please take the treasure and go! I’ll hold him back!”
Upon hearing the panicked man’s words, the faces of Fisher and the others became particularly strange. Fisher stole a glance at Alagina, who also looked confused.
From what this guy meant, it seemed he wasn’t a servant of the Ice Prince, but rather an antagonist against the Phoenix Prince who wielded the Ice Prince Sword?
However, it appeared he had been mentally affected by a long-standing curse. Not only was he blind, but he could only vaguely ascertain that a sword bearer was landing, without being able to tell which sword it was, which led to his mistake regarding Alagina.
It was truly absurd that the master was faced with such clever subordinates who couldn’t even recognize people.
But this also explained why this island had not been recorded on maps; it turned out the power of True Ice shrouded the entire island, making it invisible to anyone who didn’t carry those three relics of the phoenix.
“Wait, someone is approaching.”
Just as Alagina was about to say something in explanation, Fisher’s Dragon Race instincts suddenly activated, his hair standing on end as he sensed a dangerous presence nearing.
“Ah, already someone beat us to it? Babujak, you’ve slowed us down with your situation!”
Sure enough, a moment later, a hearty female voice rang out from afar. Although it was instantly recognizable that the voice came from a great distance away, it was very loud and clear.
Fisher frowned and a black sword hilt fell into his hand. When he looked toward the distance, he saw a woman dressed revealingly slowly emerging from the dense jungle.
The woman had a mane of thick, fluffy golden hair, with many parts draping over her shoulders like a lion’s mane, yet she was undeniably a woman. Her skin was a sun-kissed bronze, and her appearance was remarkably striking.
On her bushy golden hair, two small round ears resembling pancakes poked out, occasionally twitching, while her muscular physique was evidently strong, hiding great explosive power.
Behind her, she carried a long alloy straight sword, and at her waist, two oddly fashioned pistols hung, evidently a matching pair of relics.
As Fisher assessed her, she soon noticed the group standing before the ice and after a brief pause, broke into a smile, revealing a conspicuous canine tooth.
Standing behind her was a man dressed in deep red Shivali attire, with a gloomy expression. He stood very upright, but his demeanor seemed strange, and his complexion was somewhat pale.
After hearing the woman’s words, he disdainfully scoffed, stating,
“Accurately locking onto the island based on clues takes quite a long time. As for them… let’s just say they are merely lucky fools who happened to have Phoenix relics.”
“Stop pretending; if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Be sincere in admitting mistakes, and stand properly when receiving punishment.”
The tall woman with bronze skin laughed heartily, her voice booming like a lion’s roar. The length of her fangs was significant, more than just the size of a canine tooth.
Fisher quickly recognized her as an adult female Lion Race member, a dangerous subhuman species unique to the Southern Continent, known for their large size and strong aggression, predominantly found on the western coastal grasslands of the Southern Continent.
The strength of female Lion Race members completely surpasses that of the males. In their tribes, male Lion Race members are critical reproductive resources often kidnapped and confined by invading female Lion Race members, and they have three breeding seasons a year when their desire to attack is the strongest.
The Lion Race woman glanced over Fisher and his companions, then licked her lips while shouting towards them,
“Hey, over there! Can I ask if you’re interested in that scroll in the ice? My boss really needs that. If you give it to us, there will be significant rewards~”
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(End of Chapter)
