Chapter 318: 93. Miya
Wearing the golden armor given to her by Xu, Jasmine quickly left the trench where the Whale Folk had lived for generations and wandered towards the vast ocean. This time, she didn’t choose the direction of Nali because she knew Fisher might be in that direction, so she resolutely swam in the opposite way.
Before reuniting with Fisher and before the destructive war arrived, she wanted to improve her abilities to protect herself and her teacher, Fisher.
Under the moonlight, Jasmine’s figure gradually faded into the ocean, submerged in the endless tides, and she could no longer be seen.
Time rewound slightly earlier, back to this morning on the Unicorn Whale, before reaching Miya. Bafi, a Sheepkin, had not left the deck, and whenever Fisher had the opportunity, he would go to the deck to study this uniquely looking Sheepkin woman.
Soon, the research progress on the Sheepkin in Fisher’s Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans rapidly increased, aided by Valentina’s help. Bafi was generally obedient to Fisher, and there were no barriers in the research. Fisher quickly recorded all her physical data in his notebook, combining the words of Emhart and Bafi, allowing the progress in research regarding the Sheepkin to reach the first stage reward criteria for both biological and social studies.
[Sheepkin Biological Research Progress: 21%]
[Sheepkin Social Research Progress: 24%]
[Congratulations, you have unlocked all first stage rewards for Sheepkin]
[Constitution +4, Reproductive Ability +2, Cold Resistance +20]
Looking at the familiar wording in the middle, Fisher’s expression turned to one of frustration. He had previously vented his desires with Captain Alagina, but after arriving in the Northern Region and continuously improving his reproductive ability, he began to struggle to control himself. Although Fisher was not the type to indulge excessively, the physical burden was undeniable.
“That’s enough for now, thank you very much for this time.”
“Not at all, it’s me who should be grateful.”
Bafi blushed slightly as she looked at Fisher, her goat-like long horns appearing very powerful under the daylight. Indeed, no matter how one looked at it, there was still a significant gap compared to the Sheepkin of the Southern Continent.
Speaking of which, the degree of my [Affinity with Northern Species] is indeed very useful. Although Fisher didn’t intend to test this enhanced effect, in the past few days, he just casually offered a few cups of hot tea, which made Bafi infatuated; whenever she saw Fisher, she would awkwardly chuckle and smile, prompting Emhart to strongly criticize Fisher’s behavior.
Turning away from Bafi’s passionate yet regretful gaze, Fisher walked onto the deck. In the distance, a distant foghorn sounded over the sea. He strained his eyes to see several ships from Miya faintly appearing on the ocean’s surface, indicating that they were close to reaching their destination.
“Hey, those human warships look a bit familiar… Did I see them before on Pat Sulshen Island?”
Emhart stood on Fisher’s shoulder, glanced at the distant warships with him, and then they headed back to the lift to prepare to return. The cold resistance ability granted by the Sheepkin made him feel warm, and wearing his previous cold-resistant coat made him feel quite hot, which surprised him; he was unsure how the handbook achieved this.
At this moment, he had gained several magic spells, all high-tier spells that focused on Erwind’s bizarre abilities, featuring [Fire], [Ice], or [Lightning]. These spells had high damage and wide coverage, making them effective against the locust-like Erwind.
After gaining Bafi’s physical boost, he felt it wasn’t enough. He estimated he would need to study another subhuman to reach the tenth rank, and he needed four more ranks to catch up to Erwind.
The lift slowly came to a stop as Fisher mentally made plans while arriving at the second-floor conference room. As expected, everyone was already present, including the mechanical engineer Selti. The others were, needless to say.
Fisher surveyed Valentina, who sat at the main seat, at the same height as Balzak, and quietly glanced at Heidi Lin standing behind her. The latter maintained a smiling face, obviously aware that Valentina was using books to elevate herself.
“Mr. Fisher, you’re just in time. Otherwise, I would have sent Heidi Lin to look for you. We are about to reach Miya, and the warships from Miya have provided full escort for us. We will arrive at their military port in the afternoon. Miya’s attitude is somewhat ambiguous; they are unable to handle that block of rare ice, so they want to seek help from the Turan Family. You two scholars, is anyone interested in the rare ice? You can research it well then.”
“Next, let’s discuss your tasks. Phyllis, my wheelchair’s energy is almost depleted, but the person collaborating with my family has gone missing, so my mobility will be very slow. I need you to protect my safety closely. Can you do that?”
Phyllis had just received her paycheck, and her enthusiasm for work was at an all-time high. As soon as Valentina spoke, she patted her chest confidently and said, “Leave it to me!”
Fisher glanced at the wheelchair she was using, having previously suspected that it was related to the Mechanism with Valentina. The wheelchair didn’t use steam or other forms of energy; the only guess could be the Mechanism, and now that the Mechanism had been defeated by Erwind, the Turan Family couldn’t contact it.
“Balzak, you will work with Mr. Fisher. Don’t consider the matters regarding the Snow Fox; mainly focus on the information on the Slime and Troll species. I’ve instructed my people to send the related literature to Miya, and your task will be to leave from the military port. Additionally, Mr. Fisher, I will also need your assistance in engraving some magic for us. The rings I have are used up, so I need several protection magics.”
By the end, she seemed a bit embarrassed to pile all these tasks onto Fisher, so she added, “As a return, if you want to study any subhuman, you can tell me. I will do my utmost to help.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Fisher interjected, “Ice Owl, please. The sooner, the better.”
“. No problem, I will have my family look into it.”
Although Valentina was constantly paying attention to Fisher’s actions on the deck and knew he wasn’t doing anything strange with Bafi, she could clearly sense Bafi’s unusual gaze toward Fisher. Her suspicion toward Fisher grew stronger, and the slightest bit of guilt for having disturbed his research before remained unspoken, buried deep in her heart.
Fisher Benavides was indeed a strange guy who loved subhumans. It’s very likely that this small obsession led to him being discovered by Nali’s current Queen Elizabeth on the Western Continent, resulting in her wanting to punish him and forcing him into exile overseas.
Ah, isn’t that a bit absurd?
Haldor was right; I really should watch less of these romance novels from Nali, even my thinking is becoming similar to that gentleman who likes to flirt with subhumans.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Valentina’s expression remained calm, as if she were pondering something significant. Apart from her, no one knew the lively little thoughts hidden within her heart.
“Heidi Lin, you also need to go down with us during this time. I’ve heard the negotiation time with the Snow Fox species set by my family is ten days from now. We will stay in the city of Caestia in Miya during this time, and I need your help.”
“No problem.”
Heidi Lin smiled brightly and nodded, a far cry from the demeanor she had when speaking to Fisher earlier.
“Lastly, Selti, have you completed the machinery you made?”
“It’s done. It will safely take us up the mountain. Ah, but boss, can I stay in the hotel in Miya instead of going to negotiate with you? I don’t have combat abilities and can’t help with negotiations, so let me just tinker with the machinery in my room, please, boss.”
Selti “devoutly” made a prayer gesture to Cardu, more crooked than the gesture that Renee usually made, indicating she was obviously not a devout believer of the Mother. However, through their time together, even though Fisher and Selti hadn’t encountered each other often, he had developed a basic impression of this mechanical engineer from Nali.
Afraid of death, or one could say, very afraid of death.
Previously, Fisher thought she stayed on the Unicorn Whale because Valentina had tasks for her, but it turned out she was desperate not to disembark. The first time he met her, she only reluctantly got off when Valentina called her three or four times, fearing that terrible curse would befall her.
Valentina understood her temperament very well. Except for Fisher, whom she wasn’t very familiar with, the others had been acquainted for over half a year, and thus she chuckled in agreement with her request, for she indeed couldn’t help with such matters.
In this way, their tasks were almost arranged. Not long after they finished speaking, a melodious foghorn sounded outside the cabin, signaling that they had arrived at the northernmost country in the Northern Region—Miya.
Miya was a small country, the most devout follower of the Frost Phoenix, which was why they feared the Sardinia Kingdom proclaiming its legitimacy with the rare ice. As an area once governed by the Moon Princess in ancient times, Miya still maintained a degree of freedom and laissez-faire from that era.
Outside the newly built city, vast stretches of wide snowfields were dotted with various subhuman species—Sheepkin, Ice Owl, Snow Fox, and Cloud Cat.
“Miya has arrived, everyone.”
Hearing Valentina’s voice, Phyllis immediately leaned forward as if she had pressed herself against the window, gazing at the city releasing wisps of smoke in the sunlight. The scale seemed quite similar to the cities of humans in the Western Continent, causing Phyllis to squint as she imagined what the Western Continent looked like.
Fisher turned his head to look outside the window. In the snow-laden Miya, a train was entering the city along its tracks. For some reason, he took another look at the small train that resembled a worm, as if sensing some indescribable connection.
The Unicorn Whale gradually approached the coast, and they had finally reached the northern end of the Northern Region—Miya.
“Esteemed Miss Valentina Turan, we have been awaiting you here for a long time. Welcome to Miya. Starting this afternoon, Miya will enter a closed state. We fear some indiscreet subordinates may disturb your highness, so we’ve specially dispatched a fleet to escort you, hoping it hasn’t disturbed your rest.”
“Not at all, with the escort of the famous Snow Cloud Strike Team, we feel very safe.”
As the lift descended, a military officer from Miya, who appeared to hold a considerable status, came forward to welcome the far-traveled Valentina. The respectful demeanor reminded Fisher of his university days when he secretly dated Elizabeth; at that time, wherever she was, it was always like this.
This also indirectly indicated the identity of the Turan Family as the local emperor of the Northern Region, as they had to show respect to the Turan Family, whether it was the Sardinia Kingdom or other countries.
“That’s good. It’s too cold outside; please come this way. We have prepared food and rooms for your hospitality. Rest assured, it won’t delay your time for long, Miss Valentina.”
The “hospitality” mentioned by the military officer was certainly meant for discussing matters related to the rare ice, so both parties were well aware. However, when he casually glanced at Fisher standing not far behind Valentina, who was dressed lightly, he was unexpectedly surprised to see that Fisher stood steadily, showing no signs of discomfort from the cold.
Phyllis pushed Valentina’s wheelchair forward, following the Miya locals deep into the military port, crossing protective facilities and soon arriving in front of a low, wide house. After opening the door, they entered a luxuriously decorated and warm room filled with numerous maids, some of whom were also subhumans. Fisher’s gaze uncontrollably fell on the pair of upright wolf ears atop one maid’s head, making her feel shy and her eyes shift.
“Miss Valentina, please wait a moment. As previously agreed with the Turan Family, our general will discuss with you the disposal of the rare ice. This rare ice was brought abroad by a group of thieves; we finally managed to recover it, but we are struggling to handle it— you know how the Sardinia people have been watching us.”
With a somewhat bitter smile, a large wooden box was swiftly brought into the room by several soldiers. When they opened the box, a large block of rare ice suddenly revealed itself to everyone.
Everyone focused intently on the strange mineral that seemed to have a living mist gently rolling within, but no one noticed that in the forefront, Valentina’s pale silver eyes gradually brightened, as if the mist within the rare ice invisibly spread into her pupils.
A bad piece of news: my nucleic acid test results came back positive. I’ve been feeling unwell all day, with a fever, body aches, and a terrible headache. I’ve been half-asleep since this afternoon and just managed to get up to upload today’s chapter with some saved materials.
I don’t know how long it will take for me to recover, but I currently have no saved materials left. If things do not improve tomorrow, I may have to take a leave of absence. I hope I can recover soon, QAQ.
I humbly ask for votes, tips, and support; this is very important to me!
Thank you very much for your support!
(End of this chapter)
