Chapter 280: 56. The Queen’s Husband
Looking at the words inside the ring, Fisher’s expression appeared somewhat surprised. The reason he felt the text was both familiar and unfamiliar was that he had seen similar characters in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
He gazed at the inscriptions on the ring, then retrieved the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans from his lap and placed it on his thigh. He opened the cover page, beneath the epic Apocalypse Prophecy, was the golden signature written by the owner of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
The line of text was rectangular, and to Fisher, the structure and form seemed very strange, resembling some kind of symbol rather than a language he was familiar with. Although he did not understand the precise meanings represented by the characters, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans thoughtfully provided translations that allowed him to comprehend the code used by the handbook’s author.
[Contributor: First of all, I am not a Subhuman Girl Enthusiast (original text)]
Upon seeing the row of rectangular characters following the word contributor, Fisher compared it to the name [唐沢あすか] inside the ring. He felt that the structures of these two texts were very similar but also somewhat different.
According to his previous speculations, the text used by the owner of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans was an analytical language that used symbols to convey meaning. This means that this language does not change forms like Fisher’s Nali Language, but has an extremely complex way of conveying meanings through individual symbols and combinations.
Fisher guessed that this language formed words and sentences with different meanings through various symbols and combinations, which was vastly different from his current Nali Language. However, it bore a resemblance to the ancient Feimabaha Dragon Tongue, albeit the text in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans appeared more minimalist. He wondered if it had evolved over time.
The author of the Soul Supplement Handbook, Jahl Uzz, used another language, similar to the Nali Language, which led Fisher to suspect that these Trans people from another world were likely from different countries, and perhaps even different worlds.
Turning back to the inscription on this ring, the characters showed similarities to those used by the author of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, yet had distinct features, making Fisher question the true identity of the ring’s owner.
It was possible that the owner of this ring was a Trans person with the same identity as the other handbook owners, or perhaps a descendant of another handbook possessor who had left behind offspring in this world.
Moreover, he was unclear about the meaning of the inscription on the ring. By common sense, he could only deduce that it was likely the name of the forger or a description of the ring’s function.
Fisher set the ring down and suddenly thought of something. He took a piece of paper and wrote down the text from both the handbook and the ring, then looked at Emhart on his shoulder.
“Emhart, do you recognize these two scripts?”
“Um,” he floated over, struggling to recall the knowledge he had stored, but he clearly did not find any content that corresponded to the strangely beautiful symbols before him. He shook his head and looked at Fisher.
“What is this? Text, or some kind of magic symbol? I have never seen such strange writing. I have seen many characters from various subhuman races, but not this one.”
Fisher wrote down Jahl Uzz’s characters on paper and asked, “How about this one?”
“This looks very similar to your Nali script. Are you sure you’re not just making this up to fool me?”
He scrutinized it for a long time, and even after rummaging again through the knowledge inside him, he found nothing. With some regret, he said this to Fisher.
Fisher nodded, not feeling too disappointed, as it was indeed normal for others not to know the information in the Supplement Handbook. If he had the opportunity to obtain other handbooks, he might gather more information about these Trans people.
Or he could inquire for more information from the Creation Society, where a Fate Lord was temporarily maintaining a cooperative relationship with him. Since she had tasked him with finding the Magic Lord, he had a legitimate reason to gain information about the former president of the Creation Society.
He set the ring aside, his mind wandering into thoughts.
But without a doubt, the Flying Fish was moving further away from Pat Sulshen Island, heading toward the distant Northern Region of Sardinia.
At this moment, the southernmost location of the Southern Continent, Twilight Valley near the ocean, was slowly sinking into the deep night. However, unlike the silence over the ocean, the Twilight Valley was particularly lively.
Twilight Valley was the base of the Bat Subhumans. According to the legends of the Southern Continent, the Bat Subhumans were always the most loyal guardians of the Feimabaha Dragon Court. Even after the Dragon Court’s collapse over the long years, they still maintained respect for the Dragon Race. This was also why they welcomed the Southern Branch Dragon tribe, who had left their homeland.
At this time, the mountains flanking Twilight Valley were ablaze with fire. Countless subhumans from different places and races had gathered in the open spaces on either side, both young and old, their gazes fixed on the approaching convoy in the darkness.
“Lord Raphael is back!”
“The Dragon Queen has returned. Wait, they brought Centaur with them!”
In the convoy progressing through the night, many sharp-eyed subhumans spotted the Centaur following the Dragon army and could not help but cheer loudly.
Centaur were usually a very elusive race; even humans from the Western Continent had never caught sight of them. Yet now they were willing to follow the Dragon Queen back to Twilight Valley, this emerging gathering place for subhumans, which was exhilarating for those waiting in the base.
Many subhumans stared hotly at the red-scaled dragon rider at the front, who was riding a massive Lamagan. Her figure seemed slim compared to the gigantic horse-like creature beneath her; yet even such a beast could only submit obediently under her, which was a testament to the Dragon Queen’s authority.
In Twilight Valley, many dragon people who had joined the New Dragon Court after suffering defeat now looked with complex expressions at Raphael, who was shining like a sun in the moonlight.
On one hand, their lives had dramatically changed because of Raphael. On the other hand, they also witnessed the plight of other subhumans displaced by humans. These subhumans were grateful to Raphael, and such emotions somewhat touched them, leading to complex sentiments toward this new leader of the Dragon Court.
The Dragon Court…
That was a very distant term, one that should be buried in the dirt of the Southern Continent forever, never to awaken again. In fact, the dragon people did not think anyone could ever rebuild such a magnificent kingdom.
But such thoughts dissipated upon seeing Raphael, as she was simply too radiant.
She had already gathered the three Dragon tribes, and the only remaining Southern Branch was yet to be reached by her. In places unnoticed by humans, all subhumans began to chant her name, as if the once-buried Dragon Court was unfolding its wings, casting shadows over the Southern Continent.
The dragon girl riding the Lamagan saw the blazing lights on the mountains and lifted her hand slightly, waving into the darkness. Two silent shadows immediately descended from the peaks, and when the shadows landed in front of Raphael, their forms finally revealed themselves.
They were two subhumans with much black fur on their faces, one male and one female, but their specific appearances bore little difference. Their arms sprouted large, fleshy wings connected by skin, making their figures appear quite massive, yet their eyes were an eerie gray-white, devoid of pupils.
These two were Emray, the leader of the Bat Subhumans, and his wife Aikes, the initial leaders who welcomed the Southern Branch dragons. They saw the immense potential in Raphael, who was the Dragon Race they had long waited for, thus deciding to use all the strength of the Bat Subhumans to help Raphael establish a new Dragon Court.
“Lord Raphael, you have returned.”
“Have the matters of the other Dragon tribes been resolved?”
Raphael, sitting atop the Lamagan, had bright red horns on her head. She glanced at the numerous dragon kin in her rear convoy who were shocked by the sight before them, nodded, and said, “The Eastern Branch has already perished, the clan leader is dead, and the remaining kin have been brought back by me. The Northern Branch has heard of my assault, and their clan leader has submitted a letter of surrender. They are in the convoy behind me. On the way back, I also encountered nomadic Centaur and brought them along. Fashir, Keshil, please arrange these dragons, I have matters to discuss with Emray and the others.”
As Raphael spoke, she suddenly remembered something, leaping down from the Lamagan to stand in front of the two Bat subhuman leaders. Fashir and Keshil, sitting in Fisher’s carriage behind her, nodded and expressed their compliance. At the same time, Ral blinked and was just about to jump down from the carriage to follow Raphael when she was interrupted by her sudden turn.
“Oh, Ral, first help me take the carriage back to my resting place, and then go help Fashir and the others.”
Ral’s movement to disembark paused slightly, and even her tail behind her drooped weakly. She glanced at the two giggling Fashir and Keshil in front of her, then wearily raised the dagger in her hand, replying, “Mm, I understand, Lord Raphael.”
Raphael nodded in satisfaction and followed the Bat leaders into the deeper caves of Twilight Valley. The homes of the Bat Subhumans were dark, often located in very deep caverns, but this did not mean they did not venture outside. In fact, they were a highly skilled race, very adept at combat.
Many of the structures built for the refugees of subhumans and dragon people were crafted by their hands. If they hadn’t had such poor vision that made it difficult to find suitable minerals underground, the weapon issue would have been resolved long ago.
However, now with the addition of Centaur, there was nothing to worry about. Centaur migrated everywhere and had good relations with the various subhuman tribes; the establishment of a new Dragon Court rested on them.
“Lord Raphael, why do you keep carrying that carriage? It doesn’t seem to be designed for battle, and after all, it’s a human creation. I worry it might lead to dissatisfaction among other subhumans.”
“Subhumans won’t object to what kind of carriage I use. As long as I can keep winning, they will trust me and the New Dragon Court. That carriage is the key to my victory.”
“Is that so?”
Aikes nodded. Although she didn’t fully understand the reasons, seeing Lord Raphael so confident brought her some peace of mind.
“By the way, Lord Raphael, it seems you have gathered all four branch seals. According to our records, these four seals are the keys to opening the ancient Dragon Court’s palace. Unfortunately, the palace’s location has been lost, rumored to exist deep underground where the Demon Race resides. Should we contact the Demon Race for specific information about the palace’s location?”
“The Demon Race is an immortal existence. They must know the palace’s location, but trading with the Demon Race usually requires very precious items as exchange. We…”
As Raphael listened, her expression became somewhat strange. She gently extended her claw into her breastplate and retrieved an ancient-looking scroll from deep inside it, the very【Feimabaha Dragon Court Relic】that Fisher had given her before departing.
“Look at this, could the location recorded here be that of the palace?”
The two Bat leaders paused slightly, exchanged glances, and Emray reached out to take the scroll Raphael offered. Then their voices began to resonate softly, as if producing some sound inaudible to human ears.
The sound wave slowly enveloped the entire scroll, absorbing all the paint and creases from the paper into their minds. After a moment of silence, Aikes’ expression turned surprised.
“This map is from the ancient Dragon Court’s Central Palace. It indeed looks possible. You may not be familiar with history; since the Southern Continent is very vast, your ancestors set up the branch Dragon Courts in the four directions to better govern these lands, which is the predecessor of today’s Four Branch Tribes.”
“And the four branch seals you collected today are the tokens issued by the Central Palace to the branch Dragon Courts. When the Central Palace faced a crisis, the four branch courts could bring the tokens back to open the palace. But it seems something must have happened at that time, causing the four branches to give up on the reinforcement.”
“This map is a very precious item. I thought all the true relics of the Central Palace had vanished in the river of history; I didn’t expect there was a relic left in the Southern Branch tribe. This is truly…”
After hearing this, Raphael did not show any expression of joy. She merely stared blankly at the unfurled scroll, then smiled and shook her head, saying,
“Unfortunately, my tribe does not possess such treasures.”
“This item was gifted to me by my husband when we parted.”
