Chapter 297: Team
Walking down the stairs adjacent to the corridor connected by the lift, the dining room for dinner was on the lower level. The corridor’s lighting presented a warm hue, causing the surrounding temperature to rise slightly.
“You’re quite slow.”
Even before Fisher and Ilos arrived, the other employees were already present. Balzak and Felis had changed into lighter indoor clothing, especially Felis, who had directly donned a tribal outfit unique to the Southern Continent. Although the outfit was not overly revealing, the natural materials always evoked thoughts of the wild jungles for gentlemen from the Western Continent, and Fisher was no exception.
He suddenly wondered what Raphael would look like in that outfit.
Felis, bored, was lying on the dining table when she saw the tardy Fisher and Ilos and pouted, saying, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Upon hearing Felis’s snark, Ilos reflexively apologized, leaving Felis, who was making the remark, a bit speechless, and she could only nod while holding her face.
Beside her was Haldor, and across from them were Balzak and the little girl from the religious order, Selti, whom they had seen earlier. At the head of the table, in the main seat, was Valentina, who had changed into a black dress, with a smiling Heidi Lin behind her helping her put on a napkin.
“Now that everyone is here, I’ll start serving dinner. Mr. Fisher, please take a seat.”
Valentina adjusted the napkin in front of her chest, and when Fisher sat down, he realized that the dining table seemed a bit high for an average person. He instinctively glanced at Valentina, who was seated at the end of the table, and noticed that she was taller than Felis beside her.
Did she put something under her wheelchair?
This thought suddenly popped into Fisher’s mind, and the action of fixing his napkin slowed down as he constantly compared her unexpected height out of his peripheral vision until Valentina, who was adjusting her napkin, caught his eye, and he discreetly retracted his gaze.
“Tomorrow morning we will arrive at the Nebarun Kingdom. I don’t want to discuss serious matters at other times, so I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about tomorrow while everyone is here. After dinner, you can all rest well.”
Valentina spoke softly, taking control of the atmosphere at the dining table, and everyone turned to her, waiting for her next words.
She turned to Ilos, who was clumsily tying her napkin next to Fisher, and with one hand pinching the ring from the Turan Family, she said, “Sister Ilos, your other kin have been harmed by an unknown presence in the Nebarun Kingdom. You escaped a disaster in the Sardinia Kingdom, but that doesn’t mean you will be immune to it. You may still experience something similar to what your kin have faced.”
“However, since it is the Turan Family who invited you back to your homeland, we will do our utmost to protect your safety. We have prepared relics that can completely isolate external factors. After arriving in the Nebarun Kingdom, you must stay inside every night and absolutely cannot leave. Do you understand?”
The relic Valentina referred to was likely the giant sealant mentioned earlier on the island. At that time, they had wanted to bring the scroll back to open it within the relic, but they realized they couldn’t take the scroll off the island, which is why they sought Fisher’s help.
Ilos’s face turned pale, but she still made a prayer gesture, nodding, “May the Mother bless me. As long as I don’t see moonlight, I won’t see those strange things.”
Valentina shook her head upon hearing this and reminded her, “Your kin thought the same when we were protecting them, but the death of the Moon Rabbit chief has proven that this approach does not work. Moreover, the probability of dying at your Moon Rabbit Tribe’s altar is much higher than in other places; the earliest recorded death among your tribe occurred at the altar, and death spreads like a contagion within your clan.”
“I will stay inside that relic!”
After receiving Ilos’s promise, Valentina looked satisfactorily at Balzak beside her and said, “I have already notified the family regarding the Snow Fox Tribe’s mark. They are in talks with the Snow Fox Tribe’s chief, but to be honest, the chances seem slim. If necessary, we may have to make a trip ourselves. Balzak, here’s the information the family sent back regarding the distribution of the Slime species; it’s quite scattered and unclear which branch is authentic, so you’ll need to search for historical records to determine.”
Balzak took the note passed by a maid from behind him, frowned as he looked at the content, and then nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Felis appeared to be doing nothing, as if their conversation had nothing to do with her, likely pondering when she could finally eat.
“Lastly, Mr. Fisher, since you share our interest in the Frost Parasol Tree, may I trouble you for something in particular?”
Valentina’s sudden voice interrupted Fisher, who was also waiting for dinner. He returned to his senses and turned to see her measuring plans with her ring, meeting her light silver eyes. He nodded and said, “If you trust me, of course.”
Come to think of it, in the future, Fisher would not only need the Turan Family to confront Erwind, who was pursuing him, but he would also depend on them to fend off Elizabeth’s attacks. With that in mind, even he felt a little embarrassed towards the young lady of the Turan Family.
With this question, Fisher agreed, although it was clear it likely wasn’t anything too important, as she still hadn’t fully trusted him.
“Very well, then for now, you will act together with Haldor. Our operations will involve a lot of magic, and I’ve heard of your magical abilities even in the Northern Region; you should have plenty to talk about.”
“No problem.”
Fisher nodded and turned to look at Haldor beside him, only to find that he had paused for a long time without responding, until a bit of steam emerged from his face again before he nodded.
As someone made of mechanical parts, Haldor didn’t need to eat. However, as part of the team, he still appeared here.
Fisher keenly noticed a subtle connection between Valentina and Haldor, especially after learning that Haldor’s surname was also “Turan.” However, there was no extra information available at present, so he buried this small thought in his mind.
“Everyone, dinner is served. Please enjoy.”
With the formalities before dinner mostly complete, Heidi Lin, wearing a very conspicuous emerald crown, led a group of maids to the dining table, presenting them with a reasonably sumptuous dinner, consisting entirely of traditional Northern Region food, along with a small cup of beer.
Haldor had nothing in front of him, merely watching his companions eat.
Once everything was ready, Valentina raised her cup of beer and addressed the table, “Everyone, please pray.”
Whether they believed in the Frost Phoenix or the Mother, there was a habit of praying before meals among the attendees. At this table, there were followers of both, though their actions didn’t conflict. Ilos and Balzak, who believed in the Mother, sincerely said, “Thank you, Mother, for providing me with food,” while Valentina, Heidi Lin, and Haldor, who believed in the Frost Phoenix, said, “Enjoy beneath the shadow of the wings.”
As for the rest who did not believe in anything, they could drink at will.
The atmosphere during dinner was very pleasant; Valentina was the first to leave the table, having eaten little and only sampled her drink. Next were Balzak and Selti, both of whom had their own matters to attend to, leaving only Felis, who was still eating voraciously, and Fisher, who was just getting ready to rest after dinner.
Haldor had not left either and was still engaged in conversation with Fisher, “Sizzle… Mr. Fisher, if you don’t mind, would you like to come see my magic workshop? There are many good tools and books there, and Valentina needs us to inscribe more magic; I’m sure you wouldn’t be stingy about magic materials.”
Faced with Haldor’s invitation, Fisher thought for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. After all, he had nothing to do and would rather see what this Turan Family wizard’s workshop looked like.
A magic workshop is where wizards store various materials, books, and tools. Traditional wizards like to use this term, as someone like Heilson had multiple such workshops. In contrast, new-age wizards like Fisher, who prioritize efficiency and convenience, hardly consider a permanent place for inscribing magic. Fisher could carve magic even with a kitchen knife, lacking the nobility and ceremonial aspects that traditional wizards held.
But in reality, Fisher enjoyed visiting others’ magic workshops. From the arrangement of items and usage of materials in the workshop, one could quickly grasp the wizard’s temperament and level, and he could also exchange insights on inscribing magic with the elder, which made it all the more worthwhile.
“Hey, Felis, why do you eat so slowly every day? If you don’t finish, the maids won’t get to rest!”
Just as Fisher and the others were preparing to leave, Heidi Lin, who had finished her tasks outside, walked in carrying several thick books, looking rather exasperated at Felis, who was still nibbling on meat.
If I knew today would have so much meat, I wouldn’t have prepared so many dishes. This girl doesn’t like vegetables; when there’s a vegetable dish, she typically takes just a few bites and then avoids it, eating only the meat.
“Burp, I still want another serving. Haha, actually, I’m full, burp.”
Felis, who had wanted another serving, patted her belly, which was now comparable to Ilos’s, but when she turned to see the extremely dangerous look on Ilos’s face, she awkwardly scratched her head and changed her statement.
“You really are something. By the way, Mr. Fisher, just now Miss Valentina said you don’t have warm clothing, and she asked me to get you a few pieces from the warehouse. If you and Mr. Haldor have things to do, just tell me your size, and I’ll fetch them for you if you don’t mind my traditional aesthetics.”
She cupped her cheeks and winked at Fisher, causing his gaze to shift from the books she was holding to her and smile as he replied, “Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Heidi Lin.”
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(End of Chapter)
