Chapter 314: 89. The Sheepkin of the Northern Region
“Mr. Fisher, this way please. I have prepared your reward for you.”
Valentina, sitting in a wheelchair, pushed the joystick slowly along the corridor, glancing back at Fisher meaningfully, leaving him somewhat confused.
The reward he requested that night was indeed related to the Subhuman race. However, seeing her smiling profile as she glanced back, Fisher still felt something was off.
In reality, Fisher’s interest in researching the Subhuman race was solely for the upcoming battle with Erwind, without any ulterior motives. If Miss Valentina misunderstood his intentions and failed to prepare a suitable Subhuman or provided one he had already studied, that would be problematic. After thinking it over, Fisher decided to confirm,
“Miss Valentina, before we go to receive the reward, I want to clarify which type of Subhuman we will be studying this time. If it is one I have already researched, then it would be pointless.”
Valentina slowed her pace, raised her fingers to touch her chin, and thought for a moment before responding,
“Then what types of Subhumans have you studied so far, Fisher?”
“Not many, including those unique to the Southern and Western Continents, probably about ten types. The Subhumans in the Northern Region include only a few kinds, such as the Moon Rabbit and Cloud Cat.”
“So many?”
Valentina turned back with a strange look, sizing up the handsome Fisher. She seemed to misunderstand Fisher’s research, perhaps thinking of it as something strange or still associating it with the situation with Felis.
“Is that a lot?”
“Probably. I’ve never encountered other scholars interested in Subhumans. Although the Turan Family is friendly with most Subhumans, it’s the first time I’ve seen their characteristics systematically studied. However, that doesn’t mean we know nothing about them. We have many books related to Subhumans at home. If you want, I can have someone bring them.”
“That would be great.”
Fisher nodded in agreement without any formalities. Earlier, Emhart mentioned being very interested in the Turan Family’s library, so he certainly didn’t want to miss the opportunity to read those books.
Valentina nodded and led Fisher upwards to the deck. Since boarding the ship, Fisher hadn’t considered going on deck due to the extremely cold weather, unlike when he was aboard the Iceberg Queen, where he spent most of his time below deck.
“Are we going on deck?”
“Hmm, the Subhuman you want has been brought aboard along with the supplies. She hasn’t come down to deck, and she will disembark when we next stop. You’d better hurry.”
Valentina thought Fisher was inquiring about the Subhuman and provided a little explanation, but Fisher shook his head, glancing at the heavy snow outside the window. After looking at her not-so-warm clothing, he said to her,
“No, I meant, Miss Valentina, aren’t you dressed too lightly? It’s likely to be very cold outside.”
Valentina’s hand pushing the joystick trembled slightly as they stepped into the elevator. She wouldn’t need to push the joystick herself anymore, instinctively began rubbing her ring on her hand.
“Heidi Lin is waiting upstairs. She’ll prepare clothing for me.”
“I see.”
Fisher’s reaction was unexpectedly calm, leaving Valentina without anything else to say. She couldn’t help but glance at Fisher beside her.
Aside from the sound of gears turning in the elevator, there was no conversation. Fisher glanced down at Emhart, who had been sleeping peacefully in his arms. Soon, the elevator reached the deck. The crew had cleared a path for walking, but as the elevator doors opened, a biting cold wind rushed in, sending Valentina’s white hair flying and hitting her face with the swirling snow.
“Cough, cough!”
“Miss, are you alright? The wind is very strong at sea today; I forgot to warn you.”
As expected, Heidi Lin, dressed warmly, had been waiting outside for some time. When she came in, Valentina was rubbing her face with her hand, the wind and snow had blown into her mouth, causing her to cough.
Heidi Lin quickly draped a warm garment over her, but Valentina continued to cough uncontrollably until tears started to form, at which point she began to feel better. Fisher had prepared for her fragile constitution but was surprised to find she was weaker than he imagined. The thick warm clothing, once draped over her, seemed too heavy for her as she bent slightly at the waist.
The tears glistening on her cheeks highlighted her slightly reddened eyes, making her look adorably as if she had been bullied. Nevertheless, she maintained a calm expression, her cheeks flushed, glaring at Fisher, who had been staring at her. It seemed she was somewhat unhappy with his impolite scrutiny, especially since he witnessed her foolishness with the wind and snow.
“Are you alright, Miss Valentina?”
Fisher politely averted his gaze, but his words didn’t ease her embarrassment, nearly making her cough again. Suddenly, she only coughed lightly a few times, subtly signaling Heidi Lin beside her and said,
“I’m fine; let’s go. Take Mr. Fisher to see the Subhuman he wants.”
“Of course. Mr. Fisher, please follow me.”
Hmm?
Why does it feel like there’s something fishy going on?
Watching the tacit understanding between the two of them, Fisher felt no sense of alarm; instead, he grew more curious about what kind of Subhuman Valentina had prepared for him.
He followed Heidi Lin toward the end of the deck, passing by several crew members who were counting supplies and greeting Valentina. They soon arrived at a relatively spacious room, which was not sealed, allowing the cold wind to continuously seep in. Upon entering, Fisher found various food items needing to be preserved.
In the biting cold of the Northern Region, the temperature on the deck is much lower than in the cabin, leading to the habit of storing food on the deck. This was the Unicorn Whale’s food storage room. As soon as Fisher entered, he suddenly spotted a huge figure wrapped in white fur.
Before Fisher could take a closer look, the massive figure abruptly turned around, revealing her strong and powerful silhouette, leaving Fisher momentarily stunned.
Inside the room, a tall female figure covered in thick, soft white fur everywhere except her face looked down at Fisher. Her features were somewhat rugged, like a wall carved by the cold winds of the North, her dark skin exuding a sense of strength and wild beauty that didn’t conform to human aesthetics.
Looking up, Fisher noticed a pair of huge, curved horns that resembled those of a goat prominently on her head. Behind her, he didn’t see a tail but observed muscles hidden beneath the thick white fur.
Fisher opened his mouth, for a moment unable to discern whether the Subhuman in front of him was male or female. If it weren’t for the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans heating up again, he would definitely think this Subhuman was a robust man.
“Miss, you’ve arrived.”
The figure suddenly spoke, her deep voice making Fisher sigh with relief, but he was still somewhat slow to respond.
“Hmm, let me introduce you. This is Bafi, a Sheepkin from Miya, who is delivering goods for the Turan Family. This is Mr. Fisher, the scholar I mentioned before who is very interested in Subhumans.”
“Oh, hello, Mr. Fisher. Today, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Heidi Lin, who had covered her mouth and held back her laughter, was clearly aware of what Valentina had prepared for Fisher. It was likely that this plan was one she provided to Valentina.
Valentina, no matter how much she tried to appear calm, could not hide the amusement in her voice, especially as she looked at Fisher’s back, recalling the earlier embarrassing moments in the elevator made her want to laugh even more.
But Fisher didn’t have time to pay attention to Valentina’s teasing behind him. He merely glanced at the towering “giant Subhuman” before him, momentarily speechless.
No, how can this be called a Sheepkin?
Fisher found it hard to believe as he recalled various bits of knowledge regarding Sheepkin from his mind, especially as he and Raphael had witnessed Sheepkin in the Southern Continent, making it impossible for him to associate the being before him with the delicate Sheepkin who had been bought by Shivali.
Moreover, didn’t the Handbook say that the label for the Sheepkin was “Cotton Candy”? This one was nearly like limestone?
In the next moment, he urgently opened the interface of the illusory Handbook for Sub-Humans in his mind. As lines of text materialized, they shattered Fisher’s last illusions,
[Sheepkin]
[Please select the research subject, available subjects 0/1]
[Bafi, Adult Northern Region Sheepkin]
The one before him was truly a female Sheepkin?
Valentina quickly masked her laughter, pushing her wheelchair closer to Fisher, her playful tone diminishing as she explained,
“The Sheepkin of the Northern Region are vastly different from the newly discovered Sheepkin of the Southern Continent. So at first, when the Shivali nobles were buying Sheepkin, I was very surprised and thought their tastes had changed; it turned out not to be the case.”
“The Northern Region Sheepkin have lived for generations in Sema Snow Mountain. You know how harsh the environment is there; in ancient times, humans weren’t even qualified to approach the Frost Parasol Tree since most would lose their lives before even reaching its base. Therefore, the Subhumans surviving there must possess extraordinary abilities.”
Indeed, Fisher had just noticed, the Northern Region Sheepkin before him was very strong. Although her overall strength did not reach the sixth rank of Felis’s Lion Race, she far exceeded the fifth rank, which was above the physical limits of any human.
Bafi, the Sheepkin before him, seemed a bit embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her head, showing signs of snow mixed in with her curly white fur.
Valentina, noticing that Fisher was speechless for quite a while, shook her head and said,
“Then Mr. Fisher, please research here. After you’re done, just return to the deck below. Bafi will go down on her own later; it’s very cold outside, so I’m heading back to warm up.”
Unexpectedly, Fisher calmly nodded, then set his eyes firmly on Bafi, the Sheepkin before him, and without hesitation, he agreed,
“Alright, then I can begin my research. Before I start, I want to clarify a few things with Miss Bafi. The research will not only concern physical aspects; everything you know about the Northern Region Sheepkin can be shared with me, as I am very interested.”
“Ah, um, no problem.”
Bafi’s face flushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed, but she nodded. Meanwhile, Valentina looked at Fisher with some surprise.
The reason for choosing Bafi was obviously because her figure was far beyond the ordinary gentleman’s preferences, so she hadn’t been like Felis, staying beside Fisher to watch him study. However, hearing Fisher’s decisive and calm voice, she suddenly developed a somewhat ominous suspicion.
What if this gentleman was a strangely peculiar man who would welcome any kind of Subhuman woman?
Valentina rubbed her ring, and just before Heidi Lin prepared to push her wheelchair away, she suddenly spoke again,
“Never mind, I’m actually very interested in Mr. Fisher’s research process, so I’ll stay here and watch. Afterward, we can go down together.”
Fisher turned with a forced smile, looking at Valentina with “concern,” and said,
“Miss Valentina, it’s too cold outside. My research process will take a long time; if you catch a cold like before, that would be bad. You should return first. I won’t do anything strange.”
“Yes, Miss, you should go back first. It’s pretty cold outside; what if–”
Hearing Fisher’s words, Valentina’s hand rubbing her ring turned into a tight grip. Heidi Lin was about to chime in with support, so she shot a glance at Heidi Lin, silencing her, and then lazily settled down right where she was, firmly deciding to watch the research process.
“No need, my body isn’t that weak yet. Let’s get started quickly; I want to see what research a Subhuman scholar does.”
Fisher breathed out, seemingly unsurprised by Valentina’s choice to stay. He simply nodded, unable to resist the young lady’s will, and looked at Bafi, the worker before him, who had nothing to say.
“Then it’s better to comply, Miss Valentina.”
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(Note: The chapter is complete.)
