**Chapter 358: 133. The Princess’s Last Will (6.5k, Alliance Leader Extra)**
“Wait, did you just say that the painting depicts the Moon Princess’s teacher?”
Just as Kokoliah was about to jump onto Daliwu’s head and hit her face with a branch, Fisher had already taken out the painting in his hand and asked the two trolls in the distance.
Kokoliah’s movements paused slightly, while Daliwu instantly cast a grateful glance at Fisher, picking up Kokoliah and placing her aside. Before Kokoliah could explode with anger, Daliwu spoke first to explain to Fisher.
“Ah, that’s right. Even if the other five tribes are unclear about the meaning of the Phoenix’s items, Kokoliah and I understand perfectly. I, Daliwu, the current elder of the Troll race, my grandmother personally participated in the War of the Stars. My mother was the most trusted guard of the Ice Prince, and before the Parasol Tree closed, she received the last orders and a will from the Moon Princess. That’s why our tribe has been guarding this place for generations.”
Daliwu pointed to the back of the black-haired woman in Fisher’s hand and continued,
“This painting was hung in the palace when the Moon Princess still lived in the Parasol Tree. It was a gift given to her as an apology by a demon from beyond the Northern regions. The painting depicts the teacher the Moon Princess had a brief encounter with in her childhood. You probably don’t know, but since she was born, the Moon Princess has had disabilities in her legs. Therefore, she faced cold reactions from her parents, brothers, and tribe members. When she was young and still living in the Parasol Tree, she once fell from here to the bottom of the Sema Snow Mountain.”
“Fortunately, even though many races living at the foot of the mountain did not recognize the Phoenix from afar, they still extended a helping hand to the disabled Moon Princess. The kindness from the other races left a deep impression on her, and this is why the Moon Princess has always treated other races with equality and kindness.”
“It was during her interactions with the other races at the foot of the mountain that the Moon Princess met the teacher who changed her life. That teacher healed her disabled legs and gifted her a mineral from beyond the sky, giving her immense encouragement. That mineral later became the material for the sword the Moon Princess wielded. However, when the Moon Princess later descended the mountain to find her teacher, the teacher had disappeared without a trace. So at the celebration banquet, the Moon Princess asked this mysterious distant demon if she had seen her teacher, but of course, she had not.”
“This painting was created on-site by the demon based on the Moon Princess’s previous description. I heard she got into a wager with the King of Phoenix, which made the Moon Princess very angry, so as an apology, she used the image of her beloved teacher. After receiving the painting, the Moon Princess calmed down and always hung it in her palace for admiration, even after the Parasol Tree incident; she had my mother send it out.”
After listening, Fisher’s brows tightened even more, and then he suddenly asked,
“Was that Moon Princess’s teacher a sorceress or a human? Has she ever come here in all the years since the Moon Princess passed away?”
It seemed that Fisher, usually so calm, was unusually direct, asking clearly about what he wanted to research. Not only did Emhart, who was in his arms, look at him in confusion, but even Valentina, who was feeling unwell behind him, lifted her head to look at him, obviously sensing something was off.
“Ah, of course not. While it’s not that I look down on humans or sorceresses, they don’t possess the ability to be the Moon Princess’s teacher. The Moon Princess’s teacher was actually an elf, living in a place far north of the Northern regions. Although the painting resembles a human woman, that is ultimately just the back depicted by that demon based on the Moon Princess’s description, and many details cannot be taken literally.”
“If you have someone from your past who is very similar to her and you are looking for her, there’s no need to be too anxious. After all this time, only a few can see the Phoenix Bridge and make it to the depths of the snow mountain, and before arriving in our territory, they have all been killed by the patrolling children. There hasn’t been any demon or human resembling the person in this painting.”
Fisher looked at the painting in his hand. The woman’s back in the painting was very blurry. Baemon was a clever demon. She avoided the front with specific information, providing only a vague back image that stirred the Moon Princess’s longing for her teacher. In reality, the information that could be gleaned from this painting was nearly nonexistent.
The woman’s clothing, height, body shape, specific facial features, and ear shape were all obscured by the back view and her black hair, and nothing could be discerned; he merely based his judgment on the vague essence of Renee, mistaking it for a sign that she had lived for so long and had come to Sema Snow Mountain.
Could it be that she really went to Cardu, and something happened there causing her disappearance?
The more he thought, the more anxious and angry Fisher became. The auditory hallucinations and buzzing from the Soul Supplement Handbook began to sound in his ears again, and he took a deep breath to slowly suppress the urgent desire to find out where Renee was.
This foolish woman who keeps running around, if only she would wait for me to find her, I would definitely…
“Fisher?”
In the next moment, Valentina’s gentle voice rang in his ears, and he suddenly opened his eyes to see both trolls looking at him. Meanwhile, Emhart floated out, watching the magical circuits on Fisher’s body gradually brighten with concern.
“What were you thinking just now? Your magical circuits suddenly brightened!”
“…Nothing. Here, take this painting back. We found it at the exit of the Phoenix Bridge you mentioned. Someone came here, was killed by the patrol team, and they didn’t notice that he had a painting with him.”
Kokoliah turned to glare at the silly Daliwu, who was patting her head with a dumb grin, then stepped forward to take the painting from Fisher’s hands. After thanking him, she returned to Daliwu’s side.
“Alright, alright, it’s just a minor interruption. Let’s get straight to the point. The Moon Princess left a will to my mother, which still hasn’t been opened. Only a true Phoenix can open the will and read its contents. My mother once said that only when the Phoenix from beyond completes the contents can I present the mark of the Trolls. Oh, wait, you should have the marks of the other five tribes by now, right? Otherwise, you’ll have to run again.”
After Fisher nodded, Daliwu finally let out a sigh and patted her chest.
“That’s good. Once we give you the marks, we still need a few days to arrange the ceremony to teleport you to my mother, who will take you to the location of the Parasol Tree.”
Fisher slightly frowned at this and asked,
“A few days? Can’t we go directly to the Parasol Tree after completing the Moon Princess’s will? Our travel time must be shorter than the time needed to arrange the ceremony.”
It wasn’t that Fisher was anxious. Mainly, there was a fugitive named Erwind following closely behind. A few days could allow him to easily catch up.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact location of the Parasol Tree. Look at the environment here; there are spatial disturbances everywhere. The path to the Parasol Tree is fixed and requires precision, and we do not know the method. Only my mother knows, and she has already left the tribe for hundreds of years. Her lifespan is nearing its end, and I don’t even know if she will still be alive when we teleport over.”
Daliwu scratched the back of her head and stood up, then smiled at Fisher, saying,
“In any case, wait here for a moment. Kokoliah and I will go to the secret room where the Moon Princess’s items are stored to show you the will she left behind. You can think about how to complete the Moon Princess’s orders for now; the rest can wait.”
The two trolls bowed to Fisher and Valentina simultaneously, then turned and walked slowly toward the back of the stone palace, gradually disappearing from sight.
Just as they vanished, Fisher suddenly felt a cold little hand gently grabbing his ear. His brow twitched slightly, and Emhart whistled as he floated a bit further away, casually observing various stone crafts on the ground.
Fisher did not turn back but sighed deeply and said,
“You’re wondering what clues I want to find in that painting, right?”
Behind him, a slightly uncomfortable Valentina paused, not letting go of her small hand still on his ear, continuing,
“No, why would I ask? Asking wouldn’t benefit me anyway. Since you’re the one who cares, you’d be able to think about it completely, and asking would just annoy you.”
“I’m not joking; I really feel that the painting drawn by Baemon resembles a certain person, and that person has been missing for over half a year.”
Fisher’s gaze became increasingly somber. However, Valentina could not see the expression on his face at that moment. She sensed Fisher’s concern for that person. Although she knew she shouldn’t say anything, her heart felt a bit sour, and after holding it in for a long time, she finally weakly asked,
“Are you close to her?”
“She, like me, is lonely; she is an orphan who lost her family. What I mean is, even if one day she completely disappears from this world, aside from me, I doubt anyone would know. No, now I have to add you to that list.”
Originally, upon hearing the earlier conversation, Valentina felt somewhat unhappy because that vague sense of mutuality made her uncomfortable, just as if there were still someone living deep in the other’s heart. Moreover, most importantly, the feelings that Fisher had for this woman whose name she didn’t even know were completely different from those he had for that Queen Elizabeth!
However, when Fisher finished his last sentence, her heart warmed a bit because it placed Valentina and Fisher together. His friend was also her friend, and his concern was also her concern. This candor made the small bit of discomfort in Valentina’s heart temporarily dissipate, even though she still held Fisher’s ear lightly.
“Hmmm. What’s her name? Can I know?”
“Her name is Renee; she is a sorceress.”
Far away, Emhart, who had been eavesdropping on Fisher’s conversation, had revealed a dead fish-eye expression. Suddenly hearing a strange woman’s name made him curiously raise his head.
“Wait, what Renee? I don’t know either.”
He immediately flew back and squatted on Fisher’s shoulder. His stunned appearance made Valentina want to laugh, but Fisher did not intend to say too much. He merely touched on how she had left Nali to go to Cardu in search of her hometown.
As Valentina listened, she gently released her grip on Fisher’s ear because she indeed felt a bit unwell and had to close her eyes, leaning against his back to breathe softly, listening to his story. Fisher’s speech suddenly stopped as he turned to look at the weakened Valentina, asking,
“Valentina? You don’t look so well.”
“Hmm, I’m fine.”
She murmured lowly, wanting to open her eyes to express that she was okay, but this time she couldn’t even open her eyes, only gasping painfully.
Fisher quickly lowered her from his back, and upon looking down, he found her body was hot. The black mark on her back was spreading continuously, as if it were trying to completely engulf her.
“Valentina! Valentina!”
Fisher gently shook her body, but it grew colder and became completely stiff.
“Hey, Kokoliah, it seems like the Phoenix bloodline is having problems. Quickly go check what’s going on.”
At that instant, Kokoliah hastily approached Valentina’s side, frowning as she glanced at Valentina lying on the ground, then turned her head to Daliwu and said,
“Go get a bottle of light red medicine from the medicine shelf in my room. Hurry!”
Daliwu nodded, placing a pristine ice scroll on the ground, and then turned and ran towards the back of the hall.
Kokoliah’s expression was serious as she leaned over, staring at the Valentina releasing cold air and murmured,
“Moon Princess, is this the Phoenix bloodline you want us to watch over? But she only has your blood, not your flesh and bone, how can she be called a Phoenix?”
Fisher looked up at Kokoliah and suddenly understood the current situation.
The dense Phoenix true blood within Valentina’s body was continuously prompting changes in her physical form. However, regardless, Phoenix blood was a high-tier product; the changes it induced were beyond what Valentina’s zero-tier body could bear. This was why the Turan family generally had short lifespans.
Their human bodies could not withstand the catalysis of Phoenix blood, just as Daliwu, who was half-Troll and half-human, could not wield the Ice Prince’s sword. Adapting a human body to Phoenix changes was undoubtedly suicidal.
If Valentina were truly a hybrid of Phoenix and human, she wouldn’t face such a problem. Although the probability of childbirth was negligible, as long as a hybrid was born through normal processes, they would have the capacity to adapt to both bloodlines. But the Turan family was different; their hybrids were taken through demons’ unknown methods, not through their own proper bloodline.
The stolen bloodline retained the characteristics it was taken with, and ultimately, the human body and bones could not adapt to it.
“Here it comes; is it this bottle?”
Daliwu came back with a bottle of medicine, thudding along the ground. Kokoliah took the medicine and sniffed it, then brought the bottle to Valentina’s lips, feeding her the liquid. As the medication entered her body, a burst of scorching steam suddenly erupted from Valentina, and her complexion visibly reddened.
But Kokoliah still had a serious expression. She looked up at Fisher and said,
“The closer she gets to the Parasol Tree, the more active the Phoenix bloodline within her will become since this is their homeland. But her human body cannot adapt to the active Phoenix blood. The more active the Phoenix blood, the greater the danger she faces. Without my medicine, she would likely have less than a month to live. Now that I have strengthened her physique, this time will extend to two months.”
“Ah? She’s not a Phoenix? Wait, she’s a human with Phoenix blood? How have you done this? What about the Phoenix from whom that bloodline originated? She’s the one we’re supposed to wait for!”
Daliwu looked at the pristine ice scroll in her hand, suddenly confused about whether she should present the Moon Princess’s will to Valentina.
Valentina’s breathing began to stabilize as she opened her eyes, seeing the frowning Fisher and the two trolls. She rubbed her temples and asked in confusion,
“What… what happened to me?”
Kokoliah glanced at Valentina lying on the ground, then stood up and coldly said,
“Human, I don’t know how you stole Phoenix blood, and I don’t know what you stole it for, but I still advise you to give up. Your goal is impossible to achieve. The treasures and secrets inside the Parasol Tree are things that even the entire Phoenix race cannot extract. Do you think you can succeed with your tricks? We are waiting for the Phoenix we swore allegiance to, not lowly thieves.”
Valentina opened her mouth and then began to explain,
“I’m not here for the treasures of the Parasol Tree. There’s a spreading curse within the Parasol Tree, right? We are here to resolve that curse. I also want to escape the pain of early death and disability. I…”
Kokoliah had just begun to respond to Valentina’s words when Fisher stepped in and spoke first while looking at Valentina,
“Valentina, listen to me. I, Heidi Lin, and your family once thought that your early deaths and genetic diseases stemmed from the unresolved curse within the Parasol Tree. However, now it seems that this is not the case. Phoenix blood has never truly integrated into your bloodline; it was forcibly implanted by demons using some method. Do you understand what this means?”
Valentina’s pupils began to shrink, but Fisher continued with his next statement,
“This means that even if we lift the curse within the tree, the Phoenix blood will still torment your original human body until all the members of the Turan family are dead. But don’t give up; perhaps there is another way to solve this within the Parasol Tree, right?”
For some reason, at that moment, Fisher’s brain, which was continuously thinking of solutions, suddenly conjured the image of the Life Completion Manual. If he could defeat Erwind and obtain the Life Completion Manual, there should be a way to resolve Valentina’s frail human body issues.
In his ears, the whispers brought by reading the Soul Supplement Handbook began to rustle again, as if many figures, some realistic and some anxious, were urging him to hurry and seize the Life Completion Manual from Erwind, for only by doing so could he save Valentina.
“The Life Completion Manual, the knowledge of life, it’s so important!”
“You will master both soul and life; you can reshape her, turning her into the form you desire most. Isn’t that enticing enough?”
“Phoenix blood isn’t enough; adding a bit of other blood is fine too.”
Even as the voices around him grew louder, Fisher maintained a calm expression, unfazed. He simply kept his eyes on Valentina, not wanting her to give up due to this sudden change, even if there was only a flicker of hope ahead.
Valentina stared blankly at Fisher in front of her. The earlier words she had vaguely heard from the troll about “two months” sounded just like the remainder of her lifespan, which could not be changed no matter how hard she tried.
“I…”
She gasped several times, each attempt to speak bringing a hint of tears. It was hard to form a coherent sentence until several seconds later when she suddenly closed her eyes and said to the trolls beside her,
“The two esteemed Troll elders, I… We’re not only here for me to recover my health. Fisher came to resolve the danger contained within the tree. He has the ability to do so. If it is just for his purpose, not for treasures or for me to escape the curse, please, still hand over the marks to him.”
Emhart looked at Valentina, who lay on the ground trying to maintain her composure, opening his mouth but ultimately not saying anything. He simply quietly looked away.
Next to them, Kokoliah clicked her tongue and said,
“Even so, we…”
“Hey, don’t rush, Kokoliah! Have you forgotten what the Moon Princess’s command said? She told us to wait for the ‘Phoenix bloodline,’ not another Phoenix. In this sense, anyone with Phoenix blood, even just a human, should be the one the Moon Princess ordered us to wait for.”
“Daliwu, you!”
At this moment, the towering female troll, holding the pristine ice scroll, moved to kneel beside Valentina, winking at the annoyed Kokoliah. She placed the pristine ice scroll beside Valentina.
“The Moon Princess’s choices are never wrong. I can also see that you are not wicked people, nor do you covet the treasures or secrets within the tree. Moreover, as a piece of advice from an elder, don’t be too happy or too desperate too soon. You see, when I married Kokoliah, I was overjoyed; I had married the most beautiful male troll in the settlement. But look at what’s happening; I’m either getting beaten or scolded every day. Getting too happy too soon isn’t wise.”
“Bang!”
Kokoliah threw down the branch in her hand, glaring fiercely at her, and left the great hall without looking back. Daliwu shrugged, saying helplessly,
“Never mind; I’ll go comfort her later. What I mean is, little girl, don’t give up so early. The Phoenixes are a race that creates miracles. Even the worst outcome is only death, and you’ve already foreseen that. So why not enter the Parasol Tree? What if you actually find another way to solve the problem?”
Upon hearing Daliwu’s words, Valentina couldn’t help but look at Fisher beside her. She gently extended her hand to grasp Fisher’s hand, then slowly picked up the pristine ice scroll, the cold mineral feeling caused the Phoenix bloodline within her to gradually quiet down.
“You’re right, thank you. I won’t give up now, even if my fate is already decided. I still have the courage to step inside and face it.”
As she held it, the pristine ice scroll slowly opened. As the cold light began to scatter, the two individuals present—a book and a troll—focused intently on the will of the Moon Princess within the scroll.
It was written in ancient Northern language on the scroll,
“Phoenix bloodline, after performing the holy marriage with companions, can the mark be inscribed into the tree.”
Fisher’s face fell, Daliwu chuckled foolishly, and Emhart silently flashed with golden light, unsure if he was mentally compiling some sort of unfounded list.
Only Valentina gawked, her face gradually turning red until it covered her entire fair face.
“Huh?!”
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*(The End of This Chapter)*
