Chapter 361: 136. An Unfathomable Life (Happy New Year’s Eve)
“Here, the ancient battlefield you want to see, luckily my mother has marked this place, and I know how to get there. Hurry up, we will be all ready soon. Why aren’t you in a rush for the marriage at all? I’ll wait for you at the entrance. Call me when you’re ready.”
In the deep space of Sema Snow Mountain, Daliwu suggested to go see the battlefield at the northern shore of the Northern Region, where the Phoenix Race fought the Chaos Race. Daliwu’s mother had left behind many route maps of the area when she left the tribe, but she hadn’t noted the route to the Parasol Tree.
Fisher took a deep breath, stepping onto the thick frost and snow as he arrived at the mountain pointed out by Daliwu. Gazing far into the distance, he noticed the enormous changes in the terrain, although it was now covered in heavy frost and snow.
Countless mountain peaks had been lifted from the ground, suspended in chaotic space. Fisher’s tiny human form resembled an ant watching over the high-ring magic used by humans. The terrifying sense of fragmentation spread relentlessly, even the ocean could not withstand it. In the distance, the icy sea surface, although very close to shore, suddenly revealed large patches of black that could be called abysses.
He sat slowly, looking at the ancient battlefield which had not changed appearance despite being eroded by long years. In his hand, he held a small stack of parchment etched with various magical patterns, but the emblems didn’t shine as brightly as usual.
These were the attempts Fisher made throughout the day to carve the dual-ring primary magic. It was hard to believe that at his current level of magical theory and power, he could still fail in carving magic. This was a feeling he had not experienced in a long time, and he squinted his eyes, looking down at the very intricate yet perpetually dim dual-ring primary of Lightning and Destruction, sighed and spread the papers he held.
The gentle breeze scattered those papers, which eventually disappeared into the vast white snow.
“Fisher, why don’t you study your teacher’s soul? Your teacher succeeded; perhaps you can discover many secrets.”
“Or implant it.”
Fisher closed his eyes, the mad whispers around him did not disturb his thoughts. The process of studying magic was generally very slow, especially for high-ring magic comparable to the Mythical Rank. Spending decades in research was not unexpected; even teacher Heilson comprehended the dual-ring primary magic on his journey around the world after reaching one hundred years of age, which established his position as the foremost magic master of his time.
Heilson called himself “a genius of magic” and believed that he was not far from the so-called dual-ring primary magic, but finding an opportunity to comprehend it amid the chase with Erwind and various issues was too difficult for him. He could not prepare to learn this difficult magic before reaching the Parasol Tree.
“Are you done yet? Hey, why are you humans littering? Forget it, let’s hurry back; the Phoenix bloodline is waiting for you to change her clothes. Oh, other races’ girls getting married is just like our males getting married, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream.”
“Dream?”
Daliwu impatiently stepped forward, ready to take Fisher, who was seated deep in thought, away, but after hearing her words, Fisher suddenly recalled something. He gently took out the pendant that Valentina had given him earlier; the pink glow on it flickered slightly, and it bore a seven-ring magic with Dream as the ring’s primary.
The Dream ring can pull an individual’s soul into the crevice between the world and the Spirit Realm, governed by Dalasgon’s rules, where the soul plays a leading role. Coincidentally, Erwind’s soul was his weakness, while the soul was his strength. Although Fisher’s strength was barely around the thirteenth rank, compared to the just-reached twelfth rank life form, his odds were definitely higher!
But now he faced two problems. First, the magic on this pendant was only seven rings; that night, if he resisted, he could avoid having his soul pulled by magic. Erwind could surely do the same, so he needed to design a powerful magic with Dream as the ring’s primary to forcibly draw him into the crevice.
Secondly, after being pulled into the crevice, he needed to consider how to defeat him there. While it is possible to construct items in that space, it would consume a vast amount of magic power, and the effects of relics and direct constructs would surely hurt him eight hundred and harm himself a thousand. He needed to find other methods to deal with Erwind.
Regardless, looking at the pendant swaying gently in his hand with the breeze, Fisher still stood up excitedly, because it meant he had a means to consider aside from the Death Rune.
All these thoughts were flowing in Fisher’s mind, but standing behind him, Daliwu knew nothing. She could only watch Fisher, who appeared dazed, sometimes gazing longingly at the distant ancient battlefield and then suddenly taking out the pendant in excitement.
“What’s going on?”
Emhart squinted as he flew towards Daliwu. Although he roughly knew what Fisher was thinking, he still took a sneaky glance at Fisher’s back. Confirming that he was still deep in thought and hadn’t noticed the situation here, he whispered to Daliwu, “Did you see that chain?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Gifted by the Phoenix bloodline, you understand?”
Daliwu suddenly straightened her posture as if enlightened and then mischievously raised her finger to Emhart, giving him a knowing smile.
At this time, right in the center of the Troll Race tribe, beneath the enormous Parasol Tree statue, the trolls had erected an extremely large blue tent. Compared to other coarse stone buildings, the craftsmanship of the tent was exquisite, clearly not made by the trolls living on the snow mountain now.
Under the shade of the massive Parasol Tree statue, surrounding the huge tent were fiery candles made from some kind of grease, isolating a one-hundred-meter radius. Outside the tent, there was a layer of stone walls. As Fisher walked outside the tall walls, Daliwu, who led the way, explained, “This is the final process of the holy marriage. Under the witness of the Parasol Tree, the couple will be joined together. The preceding processes can be simple. Oh, by the way, here’s your prayer for the holy marriage. Only you two can enter the walls, and we will close off the outside. It will only be opened the next morning, and the transportation ritual is already prepared.”
Daliwu saw Kokoliah, who was folding her arms, and immediately smiled as she skipped past Fisher. Emhart glanced at Fisher and then nonchalantly drifted toward where they stored their treasured books, saying while floating, “Goodness, I really don’t want to watch this sort of thing. I’m afraid I might not be able to hold myself back and end up telling some lady about it; you know, I’m the great and righteous Sir Book. No, no, being around you too long has polluted my heart; I need to go see the books to cleanse my soul. Out of sight, out of mind. See you tomorrow.”
Fisher watched Emhart fluttering further away with a bemused smile as he put away the prayer and the pendant Valentina gave him, then continued forward, passing by busy trolls. The male trolls cheerfully greeted him, wishing him “congratulations,” while the female trolls appeared clueless, seeming to have no idea what they were supposed to be doing.
“Fisher!”
Not far ahead, in the palace where he had seen Daliwu, Valentina waved at Fisher from her reclining chair. Beside her was a neatly folded garment. When she saw Fisher walking towards her through the wind and snow, waving her hand, she suddenly turned a little red as if she thought of something and leaned back against the chair again.
“Is this the wedding dress? Why is there only one piece, and it’s so thin?”
“It’s not that; Kokoliah said I can’t wear the clothes of the Phoenix Race and Troll Race, so she just gave me one cloak to throw on. Look, it’s so big.”
Valentina lifted the blue cloak woven by the trolls, which was so large when unfolded that it was twice her size. Wearing it would completely wrap her up. As she spread it out, the long cloak rolled towards her, enveloping her completely while only her head peeked out to blink at Fisher.
Fisher was slightly taken aback and then reached out to help arrange the draping fabric around her.
“It seems that the Phoenixes are much larger than humans. Alright, do you want to take a walk outside with me? Although it’s not for the ceremony, it’s also to help you not be so nervous later on.”
“Nervous? I… I’m not nervous at all.”
She tightened the cloak a little, and even though her heart raced, she still pretended not to be nervous. Fisher didn’t point out her thoughts but gently picked her up.
The long blue cloak floated in the air, resembling a pair of enormous wings trailing behind Fisher as he stepped out of the hall. According to the customs of the Phoenix Race, the couple must circle around the Parasol Tree, while without wings, they could only walk around the Parasol statue built by the trolls.
At first, Valentina was a bit nervous; even when a troll approached them, she instinctively shrank into Fisher’s embrace. But when she noticed that the female trolls hauling stones only grinned stupidly at her, she grew bolder and turned to examine the buildings.
“This place is really beautiful; so many mountains are floating in the sky, and the clouds and mist are swirling, just like the sky fortresses described in fairy tales.”
“I also saw similar fairy tales when I was in Nali. It was about a treasure buried on a sky island, so adventurers were prepared to seek after a magical pea. After planting the pea, a beanstalk would shoot up to connect the sky island and the ground.”
Valentina chuckled, covering her mouth, and said, “Why are your tales in Nali all about treasure hunting? No wonder you enjoy sailing so much; it’s because there are a lot of treasures in other places?”
“Yes, it certainly relates to a place’s customs. This concept of seeking the unknown beyond has its pros and cons. It has led to the bloody acts of robbers and the destruction of many beings’ homes, yet it surprisingly fostered technological, magical, and societal advancements. Even the most critical sociologist only scratches the surface in critiquing it since he enjoys the benefits brought by this concept too.”
“Oh, so you are indeed a renowned scholar, sharing knowledge I don’t know, even during a holy marriage.”
Valentina teased him playfully, but Fisher smiled and shook his head, explaining to Valentina in his arms, “It’s not entirely about sharing knowledge. I’m explaining because I’m also from Nali. In a certain sense, I indeed have a desire for exploration, or else I wouldn’t have discovered such a beautiful treasure today, would I?”
His gaze remained focused on her; what he referred to as “beautiful treasure” was quite obvious.
Valentina’s face turned red again, and she gently buried her warm cheek into his chest, quietly pinching his muscle.
“This kind of talk…”
The remainder of her words fell silent, and Fisher didn’t press her further, simply taking in the sight of her pink earlobe hidden in his embrace.
“Fisher, I am really very happy today. I know for the Nali people, a nineteen-year-old wedding is far too early, and I realize I am quite immature, not enough seasoned in many things. But only today, my decision has been thought through because, even if there is no other way for me to survive after this, and I achieve my wish to run together with you, then that is enough.”
Fisher was momentarily startled, his pace slowing a bit. He understood Valentina was contemplating what would happen if there was nothing in the Parasol Tree to change her physical state. In truth, Fisher also couldn’t be sure; the Moon Princess’s will had not indicated. If, by any chance, she truly passed away before the age of twenty due to her bloodline, what would he do?
For some reason, Fisher thought of Erwind’s Life Completion Manual and the Soul Supplement Handbook on him. If he had both of these manuals, then even if Valentina died, he would…
Just as the low whispers began to murmur again in his ears, a pair of icy hands suddenly caressed Fisher’s cheek, pulling his gaze down to meet Valentina’s.
She smiled softly and simply said, “What I mean is, it’s truly enough. If everything comes to an end, as long as we have today, and you do not forget me afterward, that is enough. Actually, I’ve been contemplating the question you asked me in the dream. If the Phoenixes can foresee the future completely, then why would they still face extinction?”
“I always feel that striving to change a predictable prophecy is normal, but it’s unnecessary to go to extremes; otherwise, that would be bending reality too much, don’t you think? To give up everything already possessed for just a little more time to survive, for a sliver of vague hope, feels too cheap. When I understood I might die at twenty due to my bloodline, I felt an immense unfairness and sadness, wanting to try to live just a bit longer—even if it’s just for one more day.”
“But can the happiness in this world be exhausted?”
“When I was at the Snowflake Fortress, I wanted to go out, once I was out, I wanted to communicate with like-minded people; after knowing you, I wanted to learn more about you, and after learning more about you, I wanted to be with you for a long time. Just how much happiness do I need to reach fulfillment?”
Valentina closed her eyes, tightly embracing Fisher as she said, “So, Fisher, just for today, I entrust everything to you. I’m still by your side, and you accept and cherish the incomplete me in your gaze. Just today like this is already enough.”
In his arms, Valentina’s petite form felt delicately light, the long cloak trailing behind her like a Phoenix’s tail feather, leaving long traces in the snow.
The low whispers gradually faded, and perhaps due to her words, at this moment, Fisher, the born and raised Nali person, also felt content.
“Dong dong dong~”
Inside the walls, candles had been lit, and the working female trolls were being pulled away from the area surrounding the Parasol Tree statue by their husbands.
Tonight, they would have their holy marriage.
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(End of this chapter)
