Chapter 354: 129. Traces of the Sorceress Research Society (5k)
After finishing administering medicine to Valentina, Fisher did not hurry to set off, as there were still two injured persons here. He decided to stay for the night and wait until Felis’s condition stabilized before leaving. Valentina lay beside Fisher at night, chewing on roasted meat while staring blankly. When Fisher inquired about her thoughts, she told him she was curious about what the legendary Phoenix looked like.
It was not surprising. In the myths of the Northern Region people, the Frost Phoenix had no human form; she was a benevolent deity with the appearance of a divine beast, known as “Nefiramui.” Even with the six tribes closely related to the Phoenix race, Fisher had not obtained any evidence of the Phoenix’s image from them; they referred to the Phoenix simply as “Parasol Tree.”
“Of course! I warned you a long time ago not to compare the Phoenix race of the Northern Region with ordinary subhumans. Throughout history, they have held a high status in the hearts of the Northern beings. Even the best artists in the Northern Region fear that their brushstrokes will tarnish the noble image of the Phoenix, and thus have never dared to depict their esteemed form.”
At night, Emhart, who was lying in Fisher’s arms, heard Valentina’s question and sat up, saying to Fisher,
“Essentially, the Phoenix race is just a high-level subhuman living deep in the snow mountains. They are not even mythical beings, unlike the Dragon race that has continually participated in the history of the Southern Continent and has been remembered. They just left the Parasol Tree once and returned. Why are they remembered along with all the six tribes to this day?”
Valentina listened in confusion to Emhart’s words. Despite hearing many unfamiliar terms from him, she did not interrupt but quietly listened, preparing to ask later, while Felis had already fallen asleep.
“That’s because the power of mythical beings is simply unimaginable. For the low-ranking beings of the Northern Region, the invasion of the Chaos Race is undoubtedly despairing. The Phoenixes, who are not mythical beings, being able to repel the Chaos Race is a miracle. When everything in the Northern Region withered in despair, it was the Phoenixes who gave them the glimmer of hope to survive. Such kindness is unforgettable across generations and thus engraved their nobility into their bloodline for generations.”
“However, you sometimes glorify them too much, and as a result, since their disappearance, no one even knows what they look like. From the texts I’ve read, those who are too powerful are too lazy to record, those of too low rank do not dare to record, and there are even those who simply do not know, which is why the image of the Phoenix race has gradually become blurred. But aren’t you going to the Parasol Tree? That’s the hometown of the Phoenix and surely has clues. You might even see a live Phoenix; I’m quite curious about it.”
Valentina asked a few more questions in a daze, concerning mythical beings and the Chaos Race, but Emhart was too lazy to respond and lay back down to sleep in Fisher’s arms, leaving Fisher to answer her.
However, by the time they were about to sleep, Valentina still could not figure out what the legendary Phoenix really looked like. If she also had the blood of a Phoenix, would she look like that too? Oh dear, would she have wings? Would she grow feathers? Would that mean she would be no different from the Snow Fox tribe? Please, please, she really didn’t want feathers growing on her face; that would be too ugly, and Fisher definitely wouldn’t like it!
Valentina quietly lay in bed, her mind racing since the afternoon when she heard Fisher say she was still developing into a Phoenix, imagining herself as a feathered chicken, and the night passed just like that.
Early the next morning, Fisher got up early to check the weather outside and Felis’s condition. Just as Fisher expected, the recovery ability of the Lion race was indeed remarkable, and combined with Fisher’s Healing Magic, Felis had escaped danger after just one night. Now, while she still couldn’t move freely, at least it was certain she would not be stuck on Sema Snow Mountain forever.
So, since Felis’s condition was confirmed, Fisher decided to follow the previously established plan and carry Valentina to continue deeper into Sema Snow Mountain.
“Tighten your clothing; we’re setting off soon.”
“Goodness, I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like it’s not so cold lately.”
Fisher paused slightly while carrying Valentina on his back. He suddenly remembered the small patch of fur emitting cold air he had seen on her back yesterday. He smiled gently and teased,
“Perhaps it’s because you’re about to turn into a Phoenix covered in feathers, so you don’t feel cold at all.”
Valentina shot Fisher a glare at the implication hitting close to home. Mischievously, she attempted to touch his neck with her cold hand, but this tactic had no effect on Fisher; instead, her hand quickly warmed up.
She had forgotten that this guy was a freak who could wear a white shirt even in the cold of the Northern Region.
“Boss, take care, I’ll be waiting for good news from you at the foot of the mountain. Aim for an early arrival at the Parasol Tree.”
“Pah.”
Felis yawned, lazily sweeping her tail across the ground, and casually handed Valentina the mini dagger given to her by the Snow Fox tribe for self-defense. This remark made Valentina wish she could retort, but seeing the bloodstained bandage on her abdomen, she remained silent. Instead, she earnestly advised,
“Felis, I’m a bit worried that the Turan Family will come after you. Once you descend the mountain, you can tell Heidi Lin that we have entered the Parasol Tree. If the family members come, she will have a way to handle it.”
“No problem.”
After exchanging goodbyes with the cheerful Felis, Fisher, along with his gear and Valentina, left the makeshift camp, heading into the deeper parts of Sema Snow Mountain.
Once they reached the outskirts of the snow mountain, the remaining trails became quite difficult. This truly marked the beginning of the climb up Sema Snow Mountain. The subsequent snowy peaks stood higher than each other and were increasingly perilous. The mid-section was deserted, and after the mid-section of the Northern Region, the terrain was already higher. This vertical drop of several thousand meters turned Sema Snow Mountain into a biological forbidden zone.
Fortunately, Fisher’s physical quality at Level 10 was indeed somewhat exaggerated. At least he felt no fatigue carrying these supplies and the light Valentina on his back. Along the way, he could still chat with her.
“Fisher, I’m afraid of the cold with the Phoenix’s blood inside me, but you feel nothing at all. Do you also have blood from another race?”
She leaned against Fisher’s back, exhaling warm air while surveying the snow-covered scenery and asked this question.
At this moment, the place they were passing was beside a cliff, with the world enveloped in white snow concealing the dangers of the steep cliff. Otherwise, the height of hundreds of meters would have been enough to make Valentina not dare to look again. Yet, Fisher, who was carrying her and the gear, walked with light and steady steps, making Valentina curious and wanting to know more about him.
This question made Fisher momentarily silent, as he still did not understand how the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans boosted his life rank. In comparison, the methods of the Soul Supplement Handbook were quite obvious and easily distinguishable.
“That question is easily answered. I’ll look through the texts to see which race reproduces the most; the bloodline of this guy is undoubtedly unique.”
After thinking for a moment, Fisher shook his head and said,
“My uniqueness does not come from innate factors, but from unmentionable acquired factors; however, it is probably no different from ordinary humans.”
“Is that so?”
Valentina glanced at Fisher’s characteristic black hair, but suddenly remembered his eyes were not black, but rather a common light green among Nali people, so she asked,
“I had a feeling from the start: you seem to be a hybrid of Cardu and Nali, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know who my parents are. I was abandoned at the door of the church orphanage during the war. During that time, the Nali and Shivali were at war, and the domestic situation was turbulent. Even Saint Nali had many abandoned orphans; I was one of them. Moreover, since Cardu was leaning towards Shivali diplomatically at that time, the Cardu people in Nali had a hard time.”
Fisher’s words were already quite vague, but Valentina understood the hidden meaning behind them. She gently leaned her head against his back.
“So, as a hybrid of Cardu and Nali, being an orphan, you must have had a tough childhood, right?”
“Actually, not really. Thanks to the blessings of the Mother God, I was adopted by a very kind Nali nun. She treated me well and taught me a lot. I inherited her surname, so if you count it carefully, I should be her adopted son; however, she was only fourteen years older than me, so when she acted like an elder, I often went against her as a child.”
“That’s quite rare. It’s nice to hear such sincere words of ‘Mother God’s blessing’ from you because you clearly didn’t seem like a devout follower of the Mother God before.”
Regarding Valentina’s teasing, Fisher remained noncommittal because it was indeed only when he recalled Sister Teresa that he had genuine responses to the maternal god faith, which he usually viewed critically.
Valentina exhaled warm air and turned her head to find Emhart on his shoulder, attentively listening to Fisher’s words. She smiled and then spoke again,
“I am the same. Since I can remember, I have never seen my parents. I was raised by Heidi Lin. I heard she used to serve my mother, taking care of her day and night while she studied magic. Therefore, my mother trusted her immensely. By the way, you’ve already met Heidi Lin. Do I ever have the chance to meet the nun who raised you?”
“Ah, wait. I forgot that you can’t go back to Nali. Your ex-girlfriend is so heartless, and based on my previous observations, she should have known you weren’t kidnapping the princess, yet she still wanted to drag you back brutally. It’s really…”
Emhart held back her impulse to correct her that Elizabeth was actually his “ex-ex-girlfriend” and decided to quietly watch the snow in silence. However, Fisher, carrying her, smiled slightly, and his pace unconsciously slowed.
“It’s fine. Even if I could go back, you still wouldn’t be able to meet her. A long time ago, before I attended the Royal Academy, she had already passed away. I personally placed her ashes in the Nali Cathedral. You should have heard of the strict rules regarding the eternal rest of Mother God’s believers; even in the loosest of the great cathedrals, Nali, the scrutiny for entering the cathedral to rest is a hundred times stricter than the scrutiny of the Parliament on its members. The number of documents to review is countless.”
“However, back then, I was running around and didn’t feel tired at all. I carried her ashes from the country where she grew up to the hospital where she passed away, piece by piece, gathering all the evidence of her sincere devotion to the Mother God in her lifetime to fulfill her last wish: to enter the sacred tomb and bask in the light of the Mother God for eternal rest.”
Valentina opened her mouth; unfortunately, she had been carried behind Fisher, so she could not see his expression at that moment. Thus, she quietly tightened her hug around Fisher and whispered,
“I’m really sorry, Fisher.”
“It’s okay. She has lived a life devoted to the Mother God, and at least now, Benavides is still alive.”
Fisher calmly recounted the past, almost as a way to bring some interest to this tedious journey of climbing mountain after mountain. However, Valentina would just love to spend the whole day talking with Fisher, even if he discussed profound philosophy; she’d probably still listen with great interest.
Just as Fisher was about to introduce another uplifting topic to change the atmosphere, he suddenly saw a gloved hand sticking out beside the steep path ahead. The hand lay motionless at the roadside, and no one knew how long it had been there.
Fisher stopped, extended his Fluid Sword, and retrieved the outstretched arm from a distance, easily pulling out a heavily clothed man. However, the man was stiff all over, clearly having been dead for quite some time.
Valentina was not afraid; after all, she had personally blown the heads off two Nali agents just earlier. After this journey, she had grown far from the traditional delicate young lady.
“Is this a Cardu person?”
Valentina glanced at his black hair wrapped in a climbing hat and deduced.
“Yeah, and he’s also from the Sorceress Research Society.”
Fisher prodded at his clothing with the Fluid Sword and found a nearly freeze-dried bottle of blood in his pocket, a few replicas of ancient carving tools, and an unopened letter. He then used his sword to slice open the frozen clothing on his body, discovering there were bandaging marks, and the method of wrapping did not seem human.
Wait, didn’t the Snow Fox tribe mention that they saved someone from the Western Continent trying to climb a snow mountain? Could it be this guy from the Sorceress Research Society?
Climbing the Sema Snow Mountain with injuries is simply seeking death. Not only did it bring disease to the Snow Fox tribe, but he also met his end here. If this guy insisted on doing so, it must mean he had something very important to do. For instance, that letter.
Fisher lightly flicked the Fluid Sword, and the unopened letter was brought back to him. He opened the envelope, but Valentina couldn’t understand the Cardu text; she only knew the Northern Region language and a bit of simple Nali, which she had learned after joining Fisher’s team. However, Fisher began translating it for her.
“‘Dear Elder Farut, there’s trouble. Recently, there have been changes in the society; that guy Kazawood has conflicted with the proxy president you appointed. When you and Elder Queko are not around, his prestige in the society is growing day by day. I and the proxy president can no longer suppress him. He’s now leading a majority of the members towards the main research society, attempting to overthrow the missing Chairman Heilman. Please, upon receiving this message, both elders should immediately abandon the search for Chairman Heilman to preside over the situation, or it will be the end. Ian Liu’.”
Fisher felt speechless by the end of the letter. Previously, when he obtained clues about the Undying Sorceress’s black hair from Carlo, he had heard him mention that their former chairman went missing in the snow mountain ruins, but they did eventually bring back a strand of the actual Sorceress’s hair. Little did he expect that after all these years, the Sorceress Research Society was still seeking that missing former chairman.
Not only did the home have its secrets stolen by subordinates, but this urgent messenger conveying news had also died halfway up the mountain. The Snow Fox tribe mentioned they rescued this person about a month ago, so the Sorceress Research Society’s coup must have been completed long ago.
“So, it turns out those Cardu people who came climbing a few years ago were notorious members of the Sorceress Research Society. No wonder there have been Cardu coming to climb the mountains in recent years; it seems they have all been trying to convey messages to these two elders still in the mountains.”
Upon hearing Valentina’s words, Fisher indifferently tossed the letter off the cliff. He did not care for the Sorceress Research Society’s predicament. Even if he knew, he would merely say “Good riddance.” What he needed to focus on was the Sorceress Research Society’s past endeavors regarding the Parasol Tree.
“Ruins? But the only marked entrance in the scroll is a single one. If it’s a marked place one could consider a ruin, it’s very likely due to the arrangements made by the trolls who later occupied it.”
These steep climbs posed no challenges for Fisher. However, at the journey’s end, which was the foot of the Parasol Tree, based on the Slime King’s words and the experiences of the Sorceress Research Society, it should be divided into two parts: one, a significant area of ancient ruins, and two, a troll dwelling hidden behind the ancient ruins, where the troll residence is indeed the true entrance to the Parasol Tree.
It seemed that the previous Sorceress Research Society did not find the troll dwelling, or perhaps not everyone found it. Otherwise, the missing wouldn’t be limited to just the former chairman of the society.
As for the current state of the ruins and the troll dwelling, Fisher was still unaware. He decided to proceed to that location first. After all, he was carrying the remnants of the Phoenix’s bloodline on his back; could the trolls really prevent other beings from entering while allowing the Phoenix to return home?
The winding mountain path stretched ahead, and the wind and snow continued. Fisher quickened his pace and climbed towards the summit of Sema Snow Mountain.
Please vote, tip, and support; it means a lot to me!
Thank you very much for your support!
(This chapter ends)
