Chapter 239: 15. Bribery
“Fisher, in the box she has, there’s another weapon of the Son of the Phoenix, the [Moon Princess]. The moon that was just thrown at you was summoned by the [Moon Princess]. Be careful; each weapon of the Son of the Phoenix has vastly different effects. Who knew the Phoenix King could be so prolific? Each of the three children looks completely different. If they weren’t a set of triplets, I’d suspect their father isn’t the same. Tsk tsk.”
Emhart, who had been hiding in Fisher’s pocket, peeked out slightly. After taking a look at the white-haired girl in the wheelchair, he whispered his thoughts to Fisher, being careful that others didn’t notice his presence.
Hearing this, Fisher raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the other person mentioned by that group of feathered individuals was indeed this girl before him.
He examined her black clothing again, finally focusing on the little hat perched on her head.
The small hat was adorned with a small snowflake design at its center, appearing to be a piece of accessory, but Fisher recognized it as the emblem of a family.
The standard five-pointed snowflake shape constituted the symbol of the Turan Family from the Northern Region. This family was not one from the Sardinia Kingdom but belonged to a further north, more ancient place, reaching the edge of the northern ice ocean, which was their sphere of influence.
This ancient family primarily dealt in five magical minerals unique to the Northern Region. As early as thousands of years ago, they were among the first to export goods to Sardinia and Shivali linked with the Northern Region. However, for some unknown reason, this family’s influence had declined over the last hundred years, rarely appearing before the public.
Unexpectedly, Fisher saw the emblem of this family today in the Southern Ocean, far from the Northern Region, on a girl.
Upon hearing Fisher’s provoking words, Felis, the golden-haired lion standing next to Valentina, fluffed up her fur, making her already tall figure appear even more imposing.
Fisher had studied the lion race, noting that females fluff up their fur before a fight, a trait not found in males, symbolizing a stronger desire to attack among female lions.
However, this did not mean that male lions were weak. In fact, they were quite strong; they were just not as combative as the females. Most of the time, they were lazy because they didn’t need to compete for mates like other subhuman races—instead, they were the ones being sought after.
A saying from the indigenous people of the Southern Continent likens “an angry lioness” to “a woman’s jealousy and possessiveness,” highlighting the characteristics of this subhuman race.
Seeing her getting ready to make a move, Fisher remained calm, as he was carefully observing the situation with her group.
First, there was the girl in the wheelchair who possessed the [Moon Princess] relic. Earlier, she had shown her strength while chasing Felis, but she likely hadn’t used her full power; she merely aimed to stop herself. Aside from the relic he had seen, she probably had other abilities she hadn’t displayed.
Next was Felis, who had tangled with himself once. Though she was loud, Fisher distinctly sensed that her strength and speed were inferior to his, so he considered her the weakest among them, along with the red-clad man who had yet to engage in a fight.
The real threats were only the white-haired girl in the wheelchair and the tall steam-powered mechanical guardian behind her. Fisher, sensitive to magic, noticed that the guardian’s arms bore several six-ringed spells, representing the biggest threat to him after the [Moon Princess].
Thinking it through, Fisher deduced that this group was entirely different from Captain Alagina, who had been guided by the Ice Prince. From Felis’s and the red-clad man’s dialogue, he learned they had been actively seeking this island for quite some time; otherwise, a Northern family wouldn’t venture all the way to the Southern Ocean.
In contrast, Alagina had coincidentally stumbled upon this island at sea. Even knowing that the item was from the Phoenix race, she wouldn’t feel a strong desire to seek it as, for her, a drifting pirate abroad, the item held no significance.
Moreover, having used the Ice Prince’s body, her right arm was severely frostbitten, and it remained uncertain if she could summon the illusion of the Ice Prince again. To ensure her safety, Aoxi and Paz wouldn’t pursue them but would first confront the rampaging guardians around them.
However, Fisher needed clues about the Phoenix race, which was his main reason for pursuing them.
Finding a member of the Phoenix race would help him assemble the [Royal Selection] and [Snow Mountain Family] lines of the subhuman species, thereby acquiring the bonus rewards from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. Otherwise, if he delayed this matter, rather than confronting Erwind, he feared he wouldn’t even be a match by the time he sought him out.
But it should be noted that after Fisher’s attempts at probing, he felt their combined pressure was far less than that of Blake, who had been planted with the Whale Folk, let alone the eerily cunning Erwind.
This was understandable; the high-stakes pressure of endgame matches often felt like this.
“Zhh zhh… His physical condition is very strong. If Felis goes in, she’ll die.”
As Felis fluffed up, the steam mechanical guardian Haldor behind the wheelchair girl took a glance at Fisher, exhaling steam, and spoke.
“Huh?”
Felis looked at Haldor beside her, recalled how that man had knocked her silly with one punch, and after pondering for a second or two, she turned away with a pout and returned to her place, her fluffed-up fur gradually settling down.
Her instincts told her that Haldor was correct, so she followed her intuition and decided to watch for now.
Since the boss was silent, she would refrain from acting out. Earning her keep was not easy, and she wanted to live a while longer to enjoy her life.
Seeing this, the white-haired girl in the wheelchair sighed delicately and slowly raised her hand towards Fisher.
As her fair right hand lifted, Fisher noticed several rings shimmering with magical brilliance adorning her delicate fingers. Each ring bore a beautifully etched snowflake pattern, probably around six to seven rings of magic, exuding an air of extravagance.
Valentina examined Fisher, extended five fingers, and calmly said,
“Pirate sir from Nali, I can see that your female captain from Sardinia knows nothing about the origins and uses of this scroll. Her pursuit of this item is merely guided by her own sword, and even if she obtains it, there’s a high chance she’ll sell it as an antique made from pure ice.”
“Pirates seek profit, easily overlooking its other value. As compensation for this value, I will offer you five million Northern silver dollars. All you need to do is hand over the box to me and inform your captain that you did not catch up to the previous person, and you will easily receive this sum.”
With a flick of her fair finger, a pure black, unnamed Northern Bank check appeared in her hands. Felis’s eyes nearly popped out upon seeing the check, and she instinctively swallowed hard.
It seemed that Valentina regarded Fisher as a pirate serving aboard the Iceberg Queen, which was why she was using such a significant amount of money to bribe him.
Five million Northern silver dollars roughly equated to a rate of 1:1.75 to Nali, making this five million silver dollars more valuable than Alagina’s seven hundred fifty thousand Nali.
This was an enticing number for anyone, but regrettably, Fisher was not a greed-driven pirate but a scholar with a slight interest in subhumans. His desire to pursue subhuman races far outweighed any mundane monetary gain.
Seeing Fisher remain unmoved, Valentina’s fingers tightened around the check, realizing that to be unaffected by such a figure, he was either an exceptionally loyal pirate or that his true goal was indeed this scroll, though that female captain seemed genuinely unaware of the scroll’s use.
“Fisher!”
Just as Valentina was lost in thought, the distinctive voice of Paz finally echoed from the jungle behind Fisher.
Moments later, Paz, decked in feathers and armed with a musket, sprang out first, and in midair, Aoxi also emerged, floating above everyone, vigilantly observing the figures on the distant beach.
Even though Alagina couldn’t use the illusion of the Ice Prince, their inherent power was substantial. Dealing with the mindless monsters would not take long, and knowing that Fisher was in danger, Alagina rushed to his side as quickly as possible, sword in hand.
In the next moment, Alagina emerged from the jungle, gripping a pirate’s curved knife, her expression icy. After confirming Fisher was unhurt, she positioned herself beside him.
Upon witnessing this scene, Valentina took one last look at Fisher, who held the scroll, and then, looking exasperated at the cold-faced Alagina, spoke,
“I am Valentina Turan from the Northern Region. I do not wish to be hostile towards you all; it’s just that this scroll contains dangerous information. The cursed individuals who have fallen victim to transformation not long ago ended up this way because of it. I do not want it to intertwine with you all, which is why I sent my men to retrieve it first.”
Upon hearing her words, Paz’s chubby face twisted as his lively eyes circled around, then he glared at her, scolding,
“What secret? Did your father try to steal and now has to concoct stories? Or has the Turan family fallen to the level of fabricating facts to excuse thievery?”
“Zhh.”
Haldor behind Valentina sprayed a large amount of steam after this remark, seeming poised to act, but the girl in the wheelchair stopped him.
Her expression was not very pleasant, but she glanced at the golden box Fisher held and explained,
“The scroll contains secrets about the legendary Frost Parasol Tree where the Phoenix race has thrived for generations.”
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End of chapter.
