Chapter 313: Salary
“What could the Snow Fox Tribe possibly want from us to propose this deal? I can’t wrap my head around it. They are an extremely closed subhuman race that hasn’t left their tribe for centuries, yet now they actively reach out to the Turan Family, even willing to offer their prized tokens as bargaining chips—it’s simply unbelievable.”
Below the deck of the Unicorn Whale, a somewhat muffled male voice came from the end of the dining area where Fisher had dined earlier. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the voice of Balzak, Valentina’s subordinate.
The second deck below the deck was home to a dining area, but it also served as the workspace for Valentina’s team. The office was located towards the front of the ship, quite spacious and much larger than the lecture hall Fisher had at Saint Nali University.
Inside the room, aside from a large wooden round table, tall bookshelves, and soft sofas, a layer of expensive glass was arranged at the front, making the lighting and vision here extremely good.
At this moment, the Unicorn Whale had just sounded its horn and was preparing to leave the port of the Nebarun Kingdom for Miya. It was also the habitat where the Snow Fox Tribe, one of the snow mountain loyal tribes, had lived for generations. Like the Cloud Cat Tribe, they were granted to the youngest child of the Phoenix King, the Moon Princess, becoming her subjects.
Fisher sat in this spacious office with a cup of coffee, thoughtfully watching Balzak as he paced back and forth in front of a huge map of the Northern Region on the wall. He was preparing for the upcoming negotiations with the Snow Fox Tribe, but clearly, progress was not going smoothly, as he needed to write and doodle repeatedly while talking to himself to sort out his thoughts.
Unlike the subhuman races under the Frost Prince and Ice Prince, the Northern Region ruled by the Moon Princess had presented a naturally harmonious landscape since ancient times. It is said that the Moon Princess granted equal rights to all living beings, allowing the various tribes beneath her wings to thrive peacefully, as compensation for that great war.
Therefore, the Cloud Cat Tribe and the Snow Fox Tribe living there did not have a status that was particularly special compared to other species. They carried a sense of being mascots, becoming widely known in modern times solely because of their fluffy white fur.
For this reason, Fisher had reason to believe that the goddess worshipped by the Northern people, the Frost Phoenix, was actually a combined version of the Phoenix King and the three sons of the Phoenix.
The Frost Phoenix in Northern mythology encourages commerce, advocates the courage and strength of battle, and promotes mutual aid and coexistence among different species, corresponding to the short-tempered yet strongest Ice Prince, the business-savvy Frost Prince, and the most kind and gentle Moon Princess.
Time is the most unreasonable existence. Fisher did not know how the image of the Phoenix race had been mixed into such a form by humans or other species.
After hearing Balzak’s unfathomable words, Felis, who was also sitting in a chair, yawned, looking somewhat uninspired. Then, her muffin ears twitched, as if a flash of light had appeared, and she clapped her hands, calling out to Balzak,
“I got it! They must have contacted us because they are short on money, right?!”
“…”
Balzak looked at Felis with a dumbfounded expression. Although he understood the principle of “a dog’s mouth cannot produce ivory,” every time Felis spoke, she managed to refresh the lower limit of that phrase, leaving him speechless.
He sighed and was at a loss for words to answer Felis. Fisher, who was sitting far away, put down his coffee cup and looked at Balzak, asking,
“Did the Turan Family not inform Miss Valentina about the reason the Snow Fox Tribe suddenly agreed to negotiations?”
Balzak turned to Fisher, shook his head, and said,
“Unfortunately, they have not disclosed any details regarding the negotiations. Moreover, due to the Snow Fox Tribe’s exclusivity, even the influential Turan Family in the Northern Region finds it hard to grasp the specific circumstances.”
After the night at the Moon Rabbit Tribe shrine, Balzak’s attitude towards Fisher had subtly changed. Although it wasn’t particularly warm or familiar, it was polite, as he had realized that this gentleman from Nali not only had impressive academic achievements but, more importantly, was quite formidable in combat—he could easily handle ten of Balzak himself, so naturally, his attitude improved considerably.
Nearby, Felis immediately slumped in her chair, looking a bit annoyed as she kept glancing at the clock on the wall, seemingly calculating how much time was left before they left for meals.
“If we don’t know anything, why are we sitting here discussing nonsense? Isn’t it easier to think when the other party makes a demand later?”
It was evident that Felis was not fond of thinking hard, and ever since arriving in the Northern Region, it had been winter; didn’t the Lion Tribe in the Southern Continent sleep during the winter?!
Balzak shot her an exasperated glare and snapped,
“Preparation is necessary. Do you want to repeat Haldor’s mistake?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment. Felis straightened her body, glanced back, and when she saw no figure in a wheelchair behind her, she furiously turned her head to glare at Balzak and scolded,
“Of course, I don’t want to! Then you need to come up with something useful! It’s almost morning, and all we’re doing is raising questions; the boss brought you here to solve problems, not just to raise questions!”
“Shut up.”
Even Balzak Hahn, from a traditional academic family in Shivali, couldn’t suppress the urge to curse upon hearing Felis’ words. If he were a little stronger, he would certainly make this damned illiterate lion know the taste of a beating.
Fisher, who had been aware of the conflict between the two from a distance, had grown accustomed to his time on board. He simply took the book titled “History of the Northern Region” from the table beside him. This book recorded much of the history and folklore of the Northern Region, including the unique Snow Fox Tribe, and allowed this outsider from Nali to brush up on local knowledge.
It did not record the appearance of the Snow Fox Tribe but mentioned their most distinctive characteristic: their sharp noses.
It was not that their noses were particularly strange; as a favored subhuman race of the Moon Princess, they were certainly not ugly. The mention of their noses is because it is said that they can judge others’ emotions and personalities through scent. Any lies, hiding, or malice would be exposed through their keen noses.
In ancient times, when the Phoenix controlled the Northern Region, Snow Foxes were natural diplomats and the most authoritative judges in courts. When the Moon Princess was absent, they mediated conflicts at the northern end of the Northern Region. However, since the Phoenixes disappeared, no one heeded their advice anymore, and thus they hid away, no longer communicating with other races filled with malice.
Because of the special abilities the Snow Fox Tribe possessed, Balzak wanted to prepare in advance, as their abilities would be incredibly useful at the negotiation table, making it easy to leverage their bargaining chips.
“Mr. Balzak, let’s put the Snow Fox Tribe matters aside for now. We already have the Bird, Moon Rabbit, and Cloud Cat tokens. Besides the Snow Fox token of which we know the exact location, are the Troll and Slime tokens still remaining?”
Balzak, who almost got into a fight with Felis, nodded, glancing outside the Unicorn Whale at the ocean covered in ice. On the other side of the sky, the majestic Sema Snow Mountain hid within the clouds, displaying its mystery and majesty to outsiders.
“Indeed. However, acquiring those two tokens is quite challenging. So far, there hasn’t been a single clue. The Slimes are too scattered, unlike the other loyal tribes with fixed habitats. I’ve even heard that many Slimes have left the Northern Region for business in other places; I am suspicious they may have already sold their tokens. As for the Trolls, there isn’t even a single credible piece of information. It seems they have completely turned into myths along with the Phoenixes, though some say they still live somewhere in Sema Snow Mountain.”
Fisher tapped the cover of the book. The records of several tribes indicated that all six loyal tribes had not been faring well thus far. Humans have forgotten their contributions to the Phoenixes, and even the curse of the Frost Parasol Tree seemed to be accounting for them. Why was that?
The machine Haldor on Fisher’s shoulder generally didn’t participate in discussions, yawning as he let Fisher read the contents of the book. Only when a question arose would he flip through his knowledge. Fisher’s notes had previously caused him some form of unexplainable internal injury, necessitating a good rest, which made him particularly quiet today.
At that moment, the door behind Fisher suddenly swung open. He turned to look and saw a white-haired girl in a wheelchair appear at the entrance. She had changed into a black Northern Region lady’s robe, which was thick and made Valentina look very elegant, even her wheelchair could not hide that.
She resembled a butterfly that could not take flight, showcasing the beauty of her wings in stillness.
“Boss.”
“Miss Valentina.”
Both Balzak and Felis stood up to greet her, while Fisher remained seated, only politely saying hello, which made Valentina glance at him a bit longer but didn’t hold it against him.
“Don’t worry too much. Since the Snow Fox Tribe has proactively contacted us, it means they have something urgent that requires our assistance. As the party being requested, we hold the initiative. As for the other two tribes… The Slimes, though scattered, seem to have some means to contact each other. When the time comes, we can find a Slime and tempt them with a large sum of money.”
For some reason, even though Valentina said the object of “tempting with a large sum of money” referred to the traditionally greedy Slimes, it was Felis, the lion person sitting next to her, who instinctively swallowed.
“We still have two days before we reach Miya. During this time, I hope you all get enough rest. We will officially start working when we arrive in Miya. Before that, let me issue your wages.”
“Yay! Long live the boss!”
Upon hearing this, Felis jumped up with excitement. Although Balzak felt helpless, this time he didn’t rub his temples; it seemed he was also looking forward to the forthcoming wages.
Valentina smiled, and two maids behind her entered, each carrying a tray covered with red cloth. They respectfully placed the trays in front of Felis and Balzak. Balzak thanked them but did not lift the red cloth to check the contents right away. Felis, however, did not care about that at all; she immediately lifted the cloth, grabbed a bundle of Northern Region banknotes, and began to fan herself.
Northern Region’s high-value trade generated the issuance of large-denomination banknotes for convenience. One of the notes inside was worth twenty thousand silver coins of the Northern Region, indicating just how much money was casually piled up on the tray.
At that moment, the Turan Family’s generosity was fully displayed through the slender figure of the girl. However, Fisher blinked and looked at the empty space in front of him before glancing at Valentina, who was smiling behind him.
Hmm?
Didn’t I say I didn’t need it before? Was it truly gone?
Fisher glanced at Valentina. Although he did not speak, his eyes likely conveyed that meaning. Unexpectedly, Valentina, who had just been smiling, happened to turn her head to look at Fisher, locking eyes with him.
Uncertain if it was his imagination, he felt that her smile seemed to deepen into a barely perceptible arc at that moment. Maintaining a profound calm, she looked up at the ceiling.
“Selti has been busy with the machinery above lately; the wages have already been given to her. After you enter Sema Snow Mountain, we must rely on her support; otherwise, in my current condition, I won’t be able to enter. Oh, I almost forgot, I also missed sending Fisher’s wages; I sincerely apologize.”
Only after finishing that sentence did Valentina “suddenly” realize something, and only then did she “belatedly” shift her gaze to Fisher, who was sitting in his chair.
“…”
Fisher was at a loss for words, nor did he interrupt her rough acting. He simply remained seated, watching her performance. However, it was evident that Miss Valentina was quite conservative; this extra “small action” was already the limit of her vivacity. She refrained from teasing Fisher further and simply smiled as she invited him,
“As for the reward you previously requested, I have it prepared for you. Do you want to go see it with me now?”
Hmm?
My previous request?
That night, didn’t I just request to research subhuman races?
Fisher slowly closed the book in his hands, thinking this to himself.
Please vote, tip, and support; it’s vital to me!
Thank you very much for your support!
(The End of This Chapter)
