Chapter 327: 102. Cotton Candy
In the nighttime district of Miya, a luxurious hotel remains brightly lit even in the late hours. In the warm lobby with closed doors and windows, two shivering Slime girls huddle together, while a white-haired girl sits in a wheelchair, constantly rubbing a ring with her hands. She gazes at her legs, seemingly lost in thought.
“My lady, why don’t you rest upstairs for a while? I’ll wait here for Mr. Fisher to return.”
Just behind her, Heidi Lin, who had just repositioned the Slime properly, returned to the first floor with a blanket. After carefully draping the blanket over Valentina, she addressed the two Slimes.
But Valentina shook her head, propping her face up with one hand, and suddenly spoke to Heidi Lin, “No, the Slime mark is the fourth mark. This is very important to us. By the way, Heidi Lin, have the family send any historical books related to our family. Fisher said it would be useful; he wants to take a look.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Heidi Lin responded respectfully and then left the lobby to send a message to the internal members of the Turan Family, making the entire lobby quiet once more.
In reality, it was not Fisher who wanted to see the books, but Valentina, who, after seeing the ice, gained the ability of prophecy. This made her speculate about the hereditary disease within her body. Perhaps Fisher was right; there really was Phoenix Blood within her. Otherwise, why could she use the Moon Princess?
Thinking of this, Valentina gently summoned the wooden box containing the Moon Princess’ sword. Since she was born, this divine weapon hidden in her family had been calling for her, while the other members of her family did not have such a capability. This was why the elders of the family were so shocked when she told them she could hear the calls of the Moon Princess and the Frost Parasol Tree.
If it was true that the Phoenix Blood flowed in the family, why did the ancestral Phoenixes torment their descendants like this, causing early death and disabilities for each of them? Why did the Moon Princess sword call for her, leading her to the Frost Parasol Tree instead of someone from another family?
These questions lingered in Valentina’s mind, and no one could answer her. Perhaps it was due to her focus on the ice today that her legs began to experience phantom pain again. In truth, this pair of legs felt no sensation at any other time but would sometimes produce unbearable sharp pain, causing Valentina great suffering.
She gritted her teeth and put away the Moon Princess sword, then took out the medicine she had previously given to Fisher. Randomly, she dropped two pills into her palm and swallowed them whole. Once the painkillers took effect, Valentina felt the pain in her body gradually fading away.
As the pain dissipated, no one noticed that her light silver eyes began to uncontrollably emit a faint glow. In Valentina’s vision, the mist within the ice spread out and eventually formed another scene in front of her.
However, unlike the scene she saw in the ice, now the images were scattered and blurred, resembling several scenes pieced together.
In the mist, Valentina vaguely saw a cold snow mountain covered in sunlight and noticed a group of blond Nali people in black trench coats coldly lifting a strangely shaped relic, resembling an ostrich egg, aiming it at her. Then, she seemed to hear a loud gunshot.
As that gunshot echoed, Valentina suddenly broke away from the prophecy in the mist. She quickly held her head with her hands, tapping her temples with her fingers. Ever since she looked at the ice, something felt off. Although she could glimpse some scattered images of the future, it seemed to have intensified her hereditary disease slightly.
Was this a blessing or a curse?
Valentina didn’t dwell too much on her issues, as she was well-prepared for this when she left her family.
Ordinary members of the Turan Family didn’t live past thirty, and that was only for those with milder hereditary disease symptoms. For someone like Valentina, whose hereditary disease was exceptionally severe, living past twenty would be a miracle.
Thus, before leaving the Snowflake Fortress, Valentina set out with the determination of someone who was bound to die, eager to find the Frost Parasol Tree. She was more concerned about the information hidden within the images she had seen.
That group of blond men were Nali people; they had no pursuit of the Frost Parasol Tree and held no grudges against the Turan Family. The reason they were making such a big deal out of this now was evidently because of Fisher, who also came from Nali.
Valentina had already gathered some information about the relationship between him and Elizabeth, but clearly, their matter was more complex than she imagined, to the point where they would go to great lengths to capture him.
Could it be that Fisher possessed a secret crucial to the Nali, such as his inhuman constitution? Or was he entangled in some political struggle within the country, forcing the Queen to take action against him? Or was it merely some trivial matter between the Queen and a scholar?
Valentina tapped the wheels of her wheelchair, unconsciously recalling the scene she saw in the ice. Her face grew slightly red, and with a bit of a headache, she sighed softly, muttering, “That scumbag.”
The next moment, the space in front of Valentina suddenly twisted. She looked up and saw Fisher holding a circular mark, followed by the oddly expressioned Kexiening.
“We’re back; the Slime mark has been acquired.”
“So soon?”
Valentina’s eyes brightened slightly. When Fisher walked in front of her and placed the Slime mark in her hand, she examined it carefully before looking up at Fisher with suspicion.
“So, what conditions did the Slimes promise you to hand over this mark?”
“Ah, well, not really any conditions. And they also provided us with a lot of information and assistance,” Fisher vaguely summarized the happenings in the boundary area, cleverly concealing the third condition regarding his personal favor and informing Valentina about the lead on trolls.
From this perspective, the Slimes were like the Moon Rabbit tribe, a pitiful race forced to leave their homeland due to the curse of the Northern Region. They also greatly wished to return to the Northern Region, which was why they offered help to the Turan Family. After all, the first two conditions were effectively nothing, right?
Additionally, he informed Valentina about Kexiening and her mother’s arrangement, as he intended to study Kexiening before fulfilling the promise to the Slimes.
Yes, just recently, Fisher had bound one of the six tribes, Kexiening. This meant he would soon collect two labeling sequences for the entire Northern Region: one being the “Cotton Candy” label, only needing the Ice Owl tribe, and another missing the Snow Fox tribe and Troll tribe for the “Snow Mountain Kin” sequence. Claiming the rewards was merely a matter of time.
“I see, all the Trolls have entered the entrance of the Parasol Tree. No wonder many who wanted to explore Sema Snow Mountain mysteriously disappeared. I’ve heard that you Western Continent folks are most numerous. Was there not some treasure-hunting craze about the snow mountain? Many adventurers from the Cardu Sorceress Research Society and Nali Exploration Company have perished inside. After we obtain the Snow Fox tribe’s mark, we will also face them; I wonder if it will go smoothly. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Valentina stroked her chin, analyzing all the clues she had. After mentioning the Trolls, her tone became uncertain, as the Slime King had said that Trolls would kill any creatures attempting to enter the Parasol Tree. Yet, the smiling Fisher before her made her want to instinctively avert her gaze. She admonished him lightly, “I think Fisher’s belief that if the Slime King chose to give us the mark indicates that he has hope for our ability to enter the Parasol Tree. They are meticulous Slimes and won’t invest recklessly.”
“Even if you say that. Alright, I understand. You’ve worked hard tonight; if it weren’t for you, not only would the ice have been stolen, but we wouldn’t have acquired the mark. Thank you.”
“Hmm, rather than that, I want to know what prophecy you saw in the ice; can you tell me?”
“No!”
Fisher looked slightly surprised at Valentina, who firmly refused with a slight flare-up and momentarily lost track of the conversation.
Valentina seemed to realize that her tone was somewhat harsh. She reddened slightly, squeezing her ring, and quickly added, “That prophecy is of no help for the future. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t gain anything, so forget it. Tomorrow I will bring you the Ice Owl tribals you want; you should study your tribals well and also prepare for the subsequent negotiations with the Snow Fox tribe.”
Fisher clapped his hands with a sudden realization, exclaiming in awe, “I see; you’re using the research on the Ice Owl tribe to distract me from my interest in Miss Valentina. Truly a clever tactic. However, if Miss Valentina possesses Phoenix blood, your value surpasses that of all these other tribals by far.”
This guy is truly an unpleasant Nali!
Valentina’s conviction deepened. What she saw in the ice was not a prophecy but an illusion!
“Hmph, think what you like. I need to rest now. I’ll have Heidi Lin arrange rooms for these Slimes later. Goodnight.”
“Do you not want me to push your wheelchair?”
Valentina’s body stiffened slightly. Tentatively placing her hands on the wheels of the wheelchair, she pushed with effort, only managing to move a short distance. She then turned back to look at Fisher, letting out a slightly awkward cough of embarrassment.
“Then please push me back. Heidi Lin went upstairs to notify the family to send the historical books of the Turan Family, and she still hasn’t returned. They’re probably tired of sending people back and forth.”
In response, Fisher crossed his arms, seemingly ignoring her, as he looked down at Emhart in his arms before turning to lead Kexiening and her mother to the elevator with a thoroughly detestable expression. Valentina was nearly furious, glaring at Fisher. After noticing his expression, she tentatively opened her mouth, saying softly, “Um… Can I ask?”
“As you command, Miss Valentina.”
Seeing that it was getting late, Fisher did not want to tease the just-adult young lady any longer. He smiled as he walked behind her, gently grasping the back of her wheelchair to push her back to rest. But the way he addressed her seemed to trigger something, causing Valentina to shiver.
Because, in the illusion of the ice, he also referred to her like that while biting his hair.
Her face flushed; she turned back and extended a finger toward Fisher, saying with some irritation, “Don’t call me that.”
“What else should I call you then?”
“Valentina is fine, or my lady, but not both together!”
“Understood, my lady.”
As Valentina was pushed into the elevator by Fisher, the way he called her “my lady” sounded increasingly odd, prompting her to turn back and say quietly, “Just call me Valentina normally.”
“You sure are demanding.”
Fisher sighed, making Valentina frustratedly clutch her dress, eyes closed, and exclaim, “It’s noisy. Just do it!”
In the elevator, Kexiening and her mother, who witnessed the entire exchange, exchanged glances between Fisher and Valentina, blinking in bewilderment.
Didn’t Grandma say in their conversation that this half-blood from Nali might have a very slim chance of sparking some chemistry with a young Phoenix?
Very slim chance?
It would take some time for the Snow Fox tribe from Miya to arrive. The next morning, Fisher wasted no time in making preparations. First, he needed to study Kexiening. He checked the progress on the supplement handbook and realized that the issue lay in the biological research progress.
[Slime species biological research progress: 4%]
[Slime species social research progress: 21%]
[You have unlocked the first stage reward for the Slime species social research progress]
[Physique +1, Observation +2]
Having just eaten breakfast, Fisher set out to Kexiening’s room to continue his biological research progress. However, halfway there, he saw Heidi Lin leading a tall figure in a cloak into the hotel room.
“Please come this way. The specific arrangements are just as I mentioned. Just right; the scholar who wanted to study you is over there.”
Heidi Lin smiled and pointed to Fisher standing in the corridor far off. Then, turning to the cloaked figure beside her, she introduced, “Let me introduce you; this is a high-ranking officer from the Miya Police Department, Lady Fureya of the Ice Owl tribe. Please be careful when studying her.”
Ice Owl tribe?
Fisher turned his gaze toward the person. The woman referred to as “Fureya” gently placed her hand on the hood of her cloak. To his surprise, her hands were not human-like with fair white fingers but bird claws bearing black nails. As she gradually lifted her cloak, the first thing that caught his eye was a thick white fur surrounding her neck, which grew from her chest and wrapped around her neck completely.
It turned out she was a short-haired white-haired woman. However, her head was somewhat round and her appearance gave her a fiercely friendly vibe. Behind her, she had a pair of small, furry, muscular wings adorned with blue and white feathers, resembling chunks of ice crystals sprinkled on them.
The soft, cuddly feel of the fur made Fisher swallow, but only for a second before quickly diverting his gaze from her fur-wrapped body.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Fisher Benavides, a scholar from Nali.”
“Officer Fureya, nice to meet you.”
Fisher grasped her warm bird claw and noticed that she had a few long white feathers growing from her ears. Her light yellow pupils focused, seemingly examining the scholar before her.
“Mr. Fisher, last night, the lady instructed me to go to the city this morning to find an Ice Owl tribal to research you. By the way, she seemed quite angry when she went to bed last night. I wanted to ask, why were you two alone in the second-floor storage room with the ice?”
Fisher felt a bit guilty as he shot a glance at the grinning Heidi Lin, unable to say it was Valentina who wanted to see the ice, as that would expose the Phoenix Blood triggered within her by the ice. But he didn’t panic. Instead, he retorted, “Miss Heidi Lin, speaking of this, it suddenly reminds me of what you mentioned last time about how Valentina is disabled and there will be various issues because of that, so you hope I can be tolerant of her little actions. Have you ever thought that perhaps by treating her as a disabled person for so long, it only makes her feel more miserable? Even if she was angry because of my words yesterday, that anger would soon pass; otherwise, she wouldn’t have instructed you to bring this Ice Owl lady to the hotel, would she?”
Heidi Lin looked slightly taken aback at Fisher’s words. However, he gently knocked on Kexiening’s door while continuing, “Rest assured, Miss Valentina is no fool, she’s not someone who can be easily deceived with a few words. We didn’t discuss much last night. It’s just that treating her as a disabled person for too long, with all that meticulous care, makes her a bit breathless. She might do a few things out of line, like wanting to go see the ice with me late at night?”
Fisher skillfully dealt with the troublesome Heidi Lin while simultaneously binding this newly brought Ice Owl.
The supplement handbook for sub-humans grew increasingly warm in his arms as lines of illusory text simultaneously appeared before his eyes,
[Ice Owl tribe]
[Researchable binding count: 0/1]
[Fureya, adult female Ice Owl]
Bind!
As a familiar yet well-accustomed sharp pain surged from his chest, Fisher squinted, feeling a dazzling kaleidoscopic light burst forth from the void— that light was something Fisher had never seen before, almost like feeling the excitement of the person who wrote the supplement handbook for sub-humans back then.
Congratulations, you have collected a brand new tribal label sequence: Cotton Candy!
Contributor’s Note: Ah haha, please make sure to gently rub their fur during research; this is a rare treasure in this world. Oh, let me privately rank the softness of their fur. Hmm, ah haha, they’re all too soft to rank; I guess they’re all tied for first place!
(｡≧ᵕ≦)
Fisher’s expression immediately grew dark as he stared at the line of odd symbol text for a long time, unable to utter a word.
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(End of Chapter)
