Chapter 243: 19. The Entrance of the Parasol Tree (Combined Version, Monthly Ticket Update)
“Who are you really working for? Nali? I don’t believe you’re truly a pirate. At least not a pirate from Sardinia; the men on Sardinian ships are only delicate, spoiled lovers.”
After Valentina agreed to Fisher’s request, the tall gentleman Nali leaped down from the tree and landed next to her.
Valentina glanced at him, and her wheelchair slightly turned to accurately face Fisher.
Her wheelchair was completely made of intricate machinery, and from its exterior, one could even glimpse the continuously rotating gears within. The framework and structure of the wheelchair were adorned with several decorative northern blue crystal minerals, making it both practical and aesthetically pleasing, a significant treasure indeed.
“I’m definitely not a pirate; I told you before I’m a scholar interested in the subhuman races, and the study of the Phoenix race is certainly within my scope of research. What, do I not look like one?”
“Not at all.”
Valentina leaned towards believing that Fisher was lying, but since he could tell such an obvious lie, it suggested he was not afraid of her suspicions. Even if she took precautions, it wouldn’t hinder him from achieving his goal.
From this perspective, if this Nali man mingling among the Sardinian pirates delivered a flawless set of arguments, it would be even more suspicious.
“If that’s the case, the scholar Balzak in your team, who goes by Shivali, also studies the history of the northern subhuman races. Why don’t you find him strange?”
“He studies the history of the North, not the history of the northern subhuman races; the Phoenix race mentioned in northern history is an unavoidable topic.”
“Then you can consider me a scholar interested in the history of the North as well.”
Fisher wasn’t concerned with how Valentina viewed him. He suspected the noble lady from the Turan family was seeking the Parasol Tree of the Phoenix race for her own hidden secrets, but as long as she needed to hire others’ help, Fisher’s actions were not contradictory to hers.
Watching Fisher follow Valentina’s wheelchair toward the beach, Selti and Heidi Lin, who had not yet met Fisher, were sizing him up. The steam construct Haldor emitted a puff of vapor without speaking, while Balzak lightly clicked his tongue, saying nothing more.
“Then let’s do as agreed and reveal the secret of the scroll. I will fulfill the compensation you need. If you need anything, just ask Haldor and Balzak; they will assist you.”
Fisher ignored their gazes and, instead, took a closer look at Haldor.
Now that he was closer, Fisher noticed that this guy was entirely made of steam machinery—in other words, there wasn’t a single part of him that belonged to a human. This raised doubts in Fisher about whether he was human or some other creation.
Has the steam technology of other nations advanced so far that they could create a conscious being made entirely of steam machinery?
“Zzzz. Hello.”
“Hello.”
Fisher replied casually and sat down in front of the golden box without any hesitation, quickly entering a focused state as he examined the surface of the box meticulously.
“Zzzz. The area surrounding the Zhenbing scroll is imbued with a curse similar to magical fluctuations, and this sealed golden box is called the [Anti-Magic Box], which can suppress the ability of the magic contained within to resonate with the world. It has a very good suppressive effect. However, once it leaves this island, the intensity of the fluctuations will greatly increase, allowing the curse to leak.”
“Zzzz. Our original plan was to take it back to the North and use a more powerful spatial artifact to open the scroll, but that artifact is too massive to move. Now we can only attempt to open it and read the information on this island.”
While Fisher was examining the golden box, Haldor began explaining the current situation to him. But in reality, Fisher already knew the general situation about it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of a solution while pondering a new rank system in the tree.
“I have a specific idea we could try.”
Fisher’s black eyes looked at the golden box before him, and he lightly touched it to gauge its size before saying,
“The power of the curse is very similar to the magical resonance that moves the world. In other words, as long as a magic that constructs a resonance in reverse is applied, it can distort the originally attached resonance and nullify the curse.”
“Zzzz. Are you saying you want to specifically design a brand new magic to suppress its curse effect?”
Upon hearing Fisher’s words, Haldor’s voice, muddled by steam, exhibited obvious fluctuations, clearly startled by Fisher’s statement.
It was mentioned before that designing magic was a very dangerous process, requiring a high sensitivity to the world’s resonance. A mistake during the design phase could result in a backlash from the resonance, ending up as a dried corpse.
Most magicians only sought to engrave existing magic runes because even fully grasping current magic was quite challenging.
However, being a direct disciple of the Grand Magician Heilson, Fisher certainly had inherited his true teachings, not to mention that his soul’s sensitivity had been enhanced by a completion manual.
The fact that he could only engrave nine-ring spells didn’t mean he lacked theoretical knowledge beyond that; rather, he only lacked sufficient magic power. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed Renee’s assistance earlier.
When practicing magic engraving with Renee, her role was more like a large magic power bank, while the main engraving process relied on Fisher, as he was the one who taught her the magic theory.
“Well, I already have a prototype of the magic structure in mind, but I need you to provide the magic materials as I mentioned.”
After Fisher finished speaking, he quickly listed several types of magic materials and their specific quantities, causing Haldor in front of him to instinctively exhale steam.
“Zzzz.”
Haldor suddenly realized that the amount of magic materials Fisher mentioned seemed a bit excessive, enough to engrave a spell of nine rings or more.
He even began to suspect that this magic might not need so many materials at all, that perhaps Fisher was just trying to milk his boss, but he had no evidence and dared not say it.
Valentina, who had no knowledge of magic, glanced at Haldor, who wore a mechanical mask devoid of expression, unsure of what it meant.
“Zzzz. I understand. I will prepare it for you.”
Watching Haldor nod and stand up to prepare to take the boat to their flagship for the materials, Fisher focused on constructing the specific structure of the magic in his mind.
In reality, Fisher did want to exploit Valentina’s resources, but not entirely. After all, he had just come up with this magic, and how much he needed was still uncertain.
If he needed more, he would keep that excess for himself; if he ran out, it would be considered normal.
Valentina looked at Haldor going to fetch the magic materials, and a glimmer passed through her pale blue eyes.
Haldor was the top magician in his household. If he was not as adept in magic as this Nali, then Fisher was likely a senior member of the Nali Magic Association.
Moreover, considering his age, there would be so few senior members at this age.
Not long after, Haldor returned with the ground magic material powder. He had even thoughtfully noticed that Fisher had not brought the engraving tools and had brought his commonly used tool instead.
The magic carving knives used by Northern magicians have a uniquely shaped blade with a noticeable curve, so even a slight application of force can leave very deep scratches on the engraved material.
Many believe this is due to the rugged personality of the Northerners, but that’s not the case.
The northern snowstorms are so severe that in the past, not everyone had the conditions to engrave magic by a warm hearth. The extreme cold made their fingers clumsy, and the materials hard, which is why they designed this more effective magic engraving knife.
Fisher had previously used this type of tool for a time, yes, to counter Damien.
He engraved a voice magic on a stone tablet to repeatedly slander Damien at the Royal Academy’s entrance, letting every student and professor passing by hear it.
At that time, the stone was too hard to engrave, so he could only use this Northern carving knife. As a result, in the afternoon of that day, not only was the stone taken away, but Fisher was also summoned to Damien’s office for a lockup, only for Elizabeth to later take him back to the library.
But at that time, she said, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”
Grasping the thick carving knife, Fisher spread the magic materials while examining a suitable spot for engraving. That proper and standard carving posture even caught the gaze of Balzak, who was currently in a disdainful inactive state, let alone the mage Haldor.
The way mages carve magic is akin to renowned sculptors, but the miraculous feeling of the runes interacting with the world could not be mimicked by any other profession.
Fisher’s posture was correct, employing the traditional classical carving method, very similar to the engraving method of the Cardu Church. In reality, he knew a bit of all methods; he usually preferred modern carving techniques. However, now, in front of Valentina, he made a deliberate choice to use the classical method due to its connotation.
“Zzzz. Are you planning to engrave on the surface of the relic? This could very likely damage the relic’s original function, and once the relic’s function fails, we will all be consumed by the curse in an instant.”
“What? Are you joking?”
Balzak, who was observing Fisher’s posture, jumped up at Haldor’s simple statement. He was afraid he would end up like those guards, transformed into feather-covered monsters, and quickly said,
“No, you’re joking with our lives. Moreover, you’re using your newly created magic, which makes it even more dangerous.”
Fisher didn’t move but explained,
“The scroll is enveloped by the relic, and the only area where I can engrave is right here. A little further out, due to the relic, it probably won’t work anyway. As for whether it will damage the relic, you needn’t worry; I have confidence in my skills. If you fear it, you may step back a bit and come back once I’m done.”
“Miss, let’s move over there for a bit.”
Heidi Lin came to Valentina’s side and held her wheelchair, wanting to take her a little further away. But Valentina continued staring at Fisher’s engraving action and lightly stretched out her hand to signal “no need.”
Balzak, initially prepared to jump away, felt embarrassed when he saw his companions not moving, so he steeled himself and awkwardly sat back down into the previous position, forcing himself to remain still.
At this moment, however, his buttock muscles were tense, and if he noticed anything strange, he would immediately leap away to escape.
Fisher took a deep breath, quickly entering a focused state and began his engraving.
In fact, Haldor’s concerns were valid; the craftsmanship of relics is a long-lost art; no one knows the specific attributes or current state of each relic.
Some relics are very fragile, and lightly damaging their exterior could cause their functions to fail; others, however, are tough, no matter how they are hit or thrown, they won’t break, like that broken book of Emhart.
But even the most fragile relics would not matter as long as the magic materials laid a sufficient base for the runes, and the touch of the engraving must be light and precise. For the relic, it would be like a feather brushing against its surface, nothing would feel different.
Fisher’s slender fingers were extremely agile, keeping his entire arm and wrist relatively still in a stable posture, his fingers deftly maneuvered the thick Northern carving knife to leave an almost imperceptible scrape on the surface of the relic. On that scratch, a dusting of magic material powder covered the path, forming the basic lines of the runes.
As a ring head called [Isolation] was engraved, Haldor’s exhaled steam slowed down, fearful that his sound would cause Fisher’s hands to shake and everyone would end up becoming feathered chickens.
Moreover, the magic he had learned involving [Isolation] mainly included sound-canceling and vision-blocking spells, and he genuinely had no idea how to use this magic to expel the curse.
But in reality, what he didn’t know was that it was a gaze from the Spirit Realm that caused this scroll to carry a very severe curse, and they could not see those gazes.
“Buzz!”
As the magic was gradually being outlined, Fisher suddenly felt an explosion-like ringing in his ear, but even under such circumstances, his arm remained perfectly still while only his eye twitched slightly.
He instinctively raised his gaze to look at the golden box, noticing that at that moment, surrounding the golden box, illusory eyes began to appear, akin to twinkling stars in the galaxy.
These eyes seemed to be right in front of Fisher, staring at him with an unknown significance, locked onto this human.
The magical circuit on Fisher’s arm became increasingly bright. Everyone thought this was a normal reaction of engraving magic, but in reality, it was due to him sensing a certain gaze.
Yet he stared fearlessly at those countless eyes in the void, even quickening his carving motion.
It was only then that Fisher suddenly realized that these eyes were somewhat different from those he had seen during the ferry across the Demonic Realm.
The eyes he saw on the demonic ferry blinked individually and were spaced apart, more like independent entities distributed across another space. But the eyes next to the golden box were interconnected, like countless eyeballs growing on a face at the position of the eyes.
In other words, these eyes should all belong to one individual?
“Buzz!”
Fisher gazed at the frenzied eyes from the Spirit Realm, his wrist twisting again, fully engraving the magic.
As the last engraving stroke fell, the magical runes above the golden box began to glow brightly, and then that overwhelming gaze seemed to be covered with a layer of blindfolds, vanishing without a trace.
A drop of sweat silently slid down Fisher’s cheek. He let out a sigh of relief and slowly lowered the engraved knife in his hand, glancing around only to find everyone around him quietly staring at him, barely daring to breathe, afraid of disturbing him.
Valentina, seated in her wheelchair, was the same, though her pale fingers began to unconsciously rub against the only Turan family ring on her hand that didn’t have any magic engraved on it.
“It’s done.”
“This… is it really done?”
“Yes.”
In response to Balzak’s query, Fisher swiftly opened the golden box in his hand, startling him to jump back several steps. But when Fisher safely retrieved the cold Zhenbing scroll, he moved closer in disbelief to examine the exquisite piece that resembled a work of art.
“It really worked!”
“Zzzz. Truly skillful engraving. It brings me back to my youthful days in the magic classroom.”
Haldor didn’t look at the scroll first but instead gazed at the magical runes left on the golden box. He observed the runes being intricately carved, and he had never seen a magical rune of that sort before, unable to comprehend the meaning of each part, evidently a newly designed magic.
At that moment, he suddenly caught sight of the barely used magic material powder at Fisher’s feet, and Fisher had already reached down to collect it.
“…”
Fisher didn’t open the scroll but handed it to Haldor beside him, looking at Valentina and saying,
“We agreed upon this; I’ve fulfilled my part, now it’s time for you to uphold your promise.”
Valentina gave Fisher a deep look before nodding in response, saying,
“What we agreed upon will not be retracted. Haldor, open the scroll.”
“Zzzz.”
Haldor’s mechanical arm exerted force and tore open the long-sealed Zhenbing scroll. With a rush of intense cold air, the contents within, composed of minerals but soft as silk, were revealed to the light again.
“This is… a map?”
Balzak, unable to contain himself, took a glance at the opened contents of the map and then darted to the small boat to grab a piece of paper and pen, meticulously recording the details within.
“It’s real! It’s real! A map recording the entrance of the Frost Parasol Tree! It truly exists!”
He excitedly scribbled notes on the paper, replicating the detailed map, showing he was quite skilled at drawing. Fisher cast a casual glance and felt the details were nearly indistinguishable from a true map.
“Zzzz. It says, [Key to the Door, Six Races’ Marks].”
“Yes! Yes! The six races must refer to the six clans that swore allegiance to the Phoenix race back then! Cangniao Tribe, Moon Rabbit Tribe, Cloud Cat Breed, Troll Race, Slime Race, Snow Fox Tribe—wait, marks? But these tribes have already forgotten all their past history just like everyone beyond the North; where are we supposed to find these marks?”
After recording the detailed map, Balzak furrowed his brows, covering his forehead in distress.
Fisher also saw the contents of the map as per his agreement with Valentina, but the marked location on the map began to feel increasingly familiar, almost too familiar.
Wait a second, wasn’t it Sorceress Carlo who gave him an address before leaving Saint Nali to find the relic of the Undying Sorceress Black Hair located in Sema Mountain? Why did he feel like the address she gave was close to the position mentioned in the scroll?
In other words, the place where the Sorceress Research Society discovered the Undying Sorceress Black Hair back then was near the legendary Parasol Tree of the North?
Moreover, Carlo even mentioned that their former leader had also gone missing there. Could this be related to the Frost Parasol Tree?
But didn’t they see anything resembling a Parasol Tree, or perhaps, the Frost Parasol Tree wasn’t an objectively existing tree at all, but something else?
Fisher stroked his chin, filled with many questions.
After Balzak finished recording everything, Haldor placed the scroll back into the golden box for safekeeping.
“Zzzz. This is troubling, Valentina, the marks of the six races are too far removed from now; searching for them will be very troublesome.”
Valentina crossed her arms and decisively shook her head in response, saying, “Now that we have a clue, the next step is to collect these marks. We will set off back to the North tomorrow.”
As she spoke, there was no hesitation in her voice. Fisher even suspected that if the conditions to enter the Parasol Tree were harsher, she wouldn’t care, indicating that whatever she wished to obtain through the Parasol Tree was of utmost importance.
After saying this, Valentina turned to Fisher, suddenly asking,
“Fisher, you share the same ambition regarding the Parasol Tree and possess notable abilities. If you’d like, I would be willing to hire you to join my team, and you can set your salary; I can meet your demands.”
Fisher immediately shook his head in refusal without giving it much thought, saying, “No need, thank you for the offer, I just want you to fulfill your promise.”
There were still a lot of unresolved matters aboard the Iceberg Queen, not just with Old Jack and Isabel, but more importantly, he had not yet studied the Second Officer Aoxi of the Cangniao tribe, which was clearly impossible. After all, he didn’t have spare research slots for another Cangniao.
Upon hearing “fulfill the promise,” Valentina’s expression turned somewhat peculiar as she now felt that Fisher’s desire to study Felis was indeed genuine.
“… In that case, it’s settled. We won’t leave until before noon tomorrow. Until then, you can come to me to fulfill your promised reward.”
Watching the seemingly cryptic exchange between Fisher and Valentina, her subordinates were somewhat puzzled. However, it was now too late; Fisher did not intend to research Felis tonight and planned to arrive early tomorrow morning.
Feeling fulfilled after a fruitful day, Fisher waved goodbye to them, preparing to return to Captain Alagina’s side.
Seeing Fisher’s departing figure, Balzak couldn’t help but curiously ask Valentina about the agreement she reached with Fisher.
Valentina touched the ring on her hand and relayed Fisher’s request.
“Hey! I’m back! Look, I got so many things! That group of pirates even gave me a bag filled with treasures!”
Not long after, on the distant beach, a lithe and agile lioness was running back with a huge bag slung on her back, her face filled with joy.
As she ran, the bag emitted a distinct sound of metal clashing, clearly filled with valuable treasures, her share after finishing with Paz.
However, as she ran, her pace slowed, and her expression turned somewhat puzzled.
Given Balzak’s scoundrel nature, Felis had expected him to hurl some sarcastic remarks at her upon her return. Still, unexpectedly, after she spoke, neither he nor anyone else replied.
This silent and strange atmosphere left her utterly confused, but she instinctively glanced at her companions, only to find that everyone besides the expressionless Haldor was looking at her with odd expressions.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Felis dropped the bag filled to the brim with treasure on the ground, thinking it must be due to her lack of effort in treasure hunting making the boss angry.
“What… What’s wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that? I… I didn’t mean to touch the treasure, and nothing dangerous happened, right?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
It was Valentina who first sighed, breaking the silence. She touched the ring on her hand and addressed Felis,
“By the way, I have a task for you tomorrow morning.”
“Huh? Boss, why didn’t you say so earlier? Tasks are a piece of cake! Just leave it to me, I can handle it!”
Poor Felis didn’t realize she might have been sold out by her companions; she thought it would merely be some simple labor.
Balzak’s gaze carried a hint of schadenfreude, while the others looked on with some sympathy. Valentina awkwardly touched the ring on her hand, waiting for a while before responding with a simple “Hmm.”
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(End of Chapter)
