Chapter 414: 31. Brother
“Stolen?”
Fisher instinctively thought of the World Tree’s tear hidden in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans that he was carrying when he heard Pandora speak. When he obtained it from the handbook, he had little understanding of its nature. Was there a possibility that this thing had uniqueness, meaning even if it was brought from the future, only one could exist?
But soon Fisher dismissed this idea, as he had only arrived in the Holy Realm a few days ago, and Jianmu Palace had been closed six months ago, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with him.
In other words, someone else stole the World Tree’s tear from the only two mythical beings, elves, in the current world?
“Of course, it’s not confirmed yet, just a guess. Due to the subtle relationship between angels and elves, we have long been superficially respectful to each other and regarded each other as close relatives, but in reality, the relationship can only be described as ‘water in the well does not interfere with water in the river’; we do not directly confront each other. Angels entering the Tree Continent without cause will be expelled.”
Fisher seemed to have caught a hint of Pandora’s intention behind her calling for him and his group, but he did not rashly speak up. Instead, he waited for the angel before him to clarify her words completely.
“According to seniority, Lord Heavenly Lock and the Feima Baharon deity are both descendants of the World Tree Lord, and as descendants of Lord Heavenly Lock, we naturally inherit this relationship. In the past, every sixty years, we would send an angel to bring gifts to celebrate the Elf King’s birthday. This year is no exception, but I hope you can accompany us this time.”
Gouwen narrowed his eyes dangerously; even Tang Zeming Asuka seemed to have sensed Pandora’s intention, let alone Fisher, who asked,
“You want us to verify the condition of the World Tree’s tear in Jianmu Palace under the pretense of celebrating the birthday?”
Before Pandora could respond, Gouwen sighed and spoke to her,
“Lady Angel, this is somewhat too difficult for others. Jianmu Palace is the only elven palace standing at the foot of the World Tree and is as important to the elves as the Crystal Sky is to Lord Heavenly Lock. Angels have already faced unfair treatment, and now to inquire about elven secrets actively is undoubtedly courting death.”
Pandora pondered for a moment and suddenly spoke to Gouwen,
“Gouwen, right? Have you forgotten the purpose of your arduous journey to the Holy Realm? Raphael’s second day was not your destination, was it?”
Fisher looked at Gouwen beside him, whose expression gradually quieted down. He then gave a helpless smile to Fisher but did not respond further.
“And, Fisher, if you wish, every subhuman female in this world can prepare one for you.”
Fisher’s face darkened, and before he could respond, Tang Zeming Asuka, who was wearing Fisher’s clothing, suddenly spoke up softly, defending Pandora,
“Mr. Fisher is not that kind of person.”
Hela and Pandora both laughed. After a while, when Pandora’s smile faded somewhat, she turned back to Fisher, her blindfolded face wrapped in light gold satin looking at him, casually concluding the joke she just made and softly adding another word,
“It was just a light-hearted joke to ease the atmosphere, please don’t mind it, for I know that there is something you are truly concerned about—death. As the guardian of the Holy Grail, although I do not have the ability to accumulate wishes to fill the Holy Grail, I can try to ask Lord Heavenly Lock to help you eliminate death.”
Fisher’s pupils slightly contracted, and he instinctively looked at the mark left by Renee, which was exposed on his chest after his clothes were removed.
Pandora saw that she was being pursued by death and that she was still alive only because of the mark on her chest.
Hela seemed very surprised, covering her mouth and adding,
“Oh my, after so many years, Lady Pandora is willing to call upon the true form of the Holy Grail again to summon Lord Heavenly Lock for you, Fisher, you’re fortunate; then you will be able to see the legendary Holy Grail and Lord Heavenly Lock.”
“…”
Fisher blinked, turning back to look at the smiling Hela behind him, but he did not say a word.
With Hela’s explanation as the setup, Pandora had no need for further clarification; she simply turned and pointed her finger at Tang Zeming Asuka, saying,
“And you, little girl, the method you wish to return home.”
Now it was Tang Zeming Asuka’s turn to be stunned; she squeezed the Fisher’s clothing wrapped around her and pursed her lips.
Hela remained silent behind, only glancing at Pandora seemingly unintentionally. Watching her turn back toward the direction of the furnace, she spoke,
“The journey from the Holy Realm to the Tree Continent for birthday celebrations has always only allowed one angel to go, but there are no requirements for their attendants; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The World Tree’s tear and the holy object you bring are crucial for me and the Holy Realm. If the tear is not lost, I will immediately grant you freedom; if it is lost and you can retrieve it, not only will you be free, but I will also immediately fulfill your wishes for the three of you.”
Fisher glanced at the two people beside him; all their inner desires were exposed. Feeling the gazes from those around him, Fisher no longer hesitated and asked,
“Alright, what’s the plan?”
“Once Archangel Michael retrieves the World Tree’s tear from the vortex of the sixth day, I will inform him of the birthday celebration. He will certainly be more invested in the World Tree’s tear than I am and would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Choosing for you to go will be his inevitable decision; the only issue to consider is who will lead the team.”
This person needed to gain Michael’s trust and complete Pandora’s task discreetly. Without needing the angels to consider, Fisher could roughly guess who it would be.
He silently turned to look at Hela, who was smiling and seemed quite excited about the upcoming trip to the Tree Continent, a sense of foreboding spreading from his heart.
Sure enough, Pandora’s next words confirmed Fisher’s assumption,
“Hela, as an angel who has been adjusting the various heavens for many years in the Holy Realm, has good relationships with each heaven. Broadly speaking, she is not under my orders; she merely aligns with my opinions in this matter. Furthermore, she is smooth in her ways, making her the most suitable candidate. She, along with you three and Remiel, will be enough. Although Remiel cannot enter the Continent of Trees, he will wait for you outside the continent.”
“If anything changes, you can seek help from him; no matter what, you can save your life. Additionally, if you need any other assistance, you can also ask me; I have dealt with many beings in the mortal realm and won’t be as stingy as Michael.”
Seeing the opportunity, Fisher immediately spoke to Pandora,
“I have two requests. The first is for some magic materials used by angels to forge holy objects; the second is, could you please tell me the forging method for the holy objects?”
“You want to forge a holy object?”
“It might help on this journey.”
Pandora pondered for a moment, then waved her hand nonchalantly. Two large bags of magic materials from the corner of the tower flew directly into Fisher’s arms. He quickly reached out to catch them, feeling the weight of the materials.
“Good. Hela, I will leave the rest to you; thank you.”
“No problem, Lady Salie.”
Hela, who had been acting invisibly, finally moved noticeably, pointing to the outside of the tower and saying to the three of them,
“Come with me, you three also need to change your clothes; you’re almost turning into slaves fleeing below.”
“Farewell, Angel Pandora.”
Fisher took one last look at Pandora, who had her back to them. Gouwen exchanged greetings with Angel Pandora before following Hela down the tower, walking towards the distance.
The sounds of crafting by angels surrounded them, and the high temperature of the forging made the ether of the fifth day restless. Feeling the distance increasing between them and Pandora, she quietly placed her hand on the furnace before her.
“Gululu~”
With a strange power emanating from her hand, a pair of circular shadows suddenly flew out from the eerie furnace that burned with the sun’s heat.
Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be shaped like a pair of eyes, but it seemed the forging had failed.
The eyeballs were uneven and could not withstand the terrifying high temperature of the furnace, becoming as black as charcoal. However, those floating eyeballs continued to twist, madly capturing the surrounding scenery, but within seconds, the fragile object completely lost its function and turned into a lifeless thing.
Feeling the loss of what it had grabbed, Pandora’s expression remained calm, showing no sign of disappointment.
She merely whispered,
“Failed again.”
“So terrifying. It was so hot and itchy just now, but staying in front of that angel for too long makes me feel so cold.”
“I thought you would be very excited if you found another clue to go home, little Tang Zeming Asuka. But this is very normal; Angel Pandora is a nineteenth rank existence. Although there is a gap with the demigods of the twentieth rank, she is already at a peak existence. Even though she has restrained herself to the utmost, being so close, feeling pressure is only natural.”
On the way back, Gouwen smiled and explained to the cold-sweating Tang Zeming Asuka, but she shook her head and said,
“It’s not that kind of pressure. Unlike the pure physiological pressure from that Archangel Michael, I just feel uncomfortable psychologically, as if my heart and brain are laid bare, yet my consciousness remains clear.”
Hearing this, Fisher glanced at Tang Zeming Asuka, clearly, he had just felt the same way.
Moreover, this wasn’t the first time he had such a feeling. Previously, in front of Elizabeth’s ocular artifact which was fully activated, he also felt this way. That ocular artifact was called the “Ocular Artifact of Pandora,” and it clearly had a close relationship with this Archangel. He had always thought that the ability to see through desires came from the holy object, but now it seemed the opposite; the ability of the holy object originated from this Archangel.
However, although Emhart once said he thought Pandora’s ocular artifact had sentience, after all, that ocular artifact had never paid him any mind. Fisher did not dare to be completely certain that that eye possessed complete clarity and intelligence as Emhart did, so he could only consider it as an option.
But there was only one World Tree’s tear in the world. If Pandora’s ocular artifact was counted, there were two conscious relics, which was obviously odd.
Fisher instinctively touched the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans in his pocket. Since his clothes had been removed, it had automatically teleported into his pocket without him needing to take it. Sometimes, even if he was completely naked while bathing, it would run out of his clothes and lie beside him without being discovered or touched by anyone, and there lay the second World Tree’s tear.
“Lady Angel Pandora not only can see through many beings’ desires but also has powerful control abilities. I heard before that she made a naive earthly being who provocatively challenged the Holy Realm stand still in one place for a hundred years, allowing him to suffer from hunger and thirst and the torment of wild beasts while being unable to move at all, yet unable to die. In short, the archangels are terrifying existences; you must not provoke them.”
Gouwen, walking ahead with her hands behind her back, prepared to take them to change clothes. Fisher took a glance at her back, for a moment unsure why it seemed she understood him so well, and ever since he arrived in the Holy Realm, she had been helping him so much.
Fisher was not a fool; he would choose to believe Pandora’s empty promise. If her commitment was true, if she truly knew how to send the Trans back to their homeland, then centuries later Tang Zeming Asuka would not have founded the Creation Society; but in that moment of indecision, Hela had inadvertently reminded him of an opportunity to meet the Holy Grail.
Fisher silently walked to Hela’s side, glancing at her cheerful face, unsure of what amusement she was thinking about that made her so happy. He did not remain silent for too long and asked her,
“You and Pandora are in cahoots; why did you just remind me about the Holy Grail?”
“I’ve said before, I’m not in cahoots with anyone. If you must say, I should be in cahoots with you.”
“…You know I want to find the Holy Grail.”
“As long as one has some understanding of the rules, they can probably guess. Well, you are a human being being pursued by death, and the only ones who can help you escape death are the three great lords. To directly meet Lord Heavenly Lock is very difficult for us angels, so going to see the Holy Grail is a good option. But what may intrigue Lady Pandora the most is how you can be pursued by death yet still maintain your rank, and how you plan to use the Holy Grail to escape death without accumulating wishes?”
At these words, Fisher paused involuntarily, instinctively looking back toward the tower behind him, but before he got fully close, he suddenly felt a cold hand gently tugging at his jaw, pulling his turned cheek back.
What came into Fisher’s view was Hela’s beautifully close face.
She retracted her hand from Fisher’s jaw and raised an index finger to her red lips, smiling softly and saying,
“Shh, don’t look; be good.”
“…”
Fisher was momentarily stunned, and for the first time, he seemed uncharacteristically awkward as he averted his gaze, his body stiffening a bit, yet he complied and no longer looked at the tower.
“Let’s go, let’s go this way. Hmm, I wonder what kind of clothes to find for you; I’m really looking forward to it.”
Fisher touched the position of his Adam’s apple where her icy fingers had brushed over, silently chanting Renee’s name, suppressing the urge for reproduction that had been evoked by that simple action.
Moreover, wasn’t this guy yet to determine their gender?
At that moment, he suddenly sensed something and turned to look back, startling Tang Zeming Asuka, who had been secretly watching them. She hurriedly avoided Fisher’s scrutinizing gaze, half of her face hidden behind the collar of his clothes, lowering her head as she walked past him, catching up with Hela ahead.
Sensing Fisher’s inspecting gaze, the other whale folk innocently smiled and raised their hands in surrender, saying,
“Alright, alright, I admit that I lied about my purpose when I first met you. But we were just getting to know each other back then; now I consider you a brother. You go change clothes first; I’ll explain to you when you come out.”
“…”
“Good brother, hurry up.”
Under Gouwen’s innocent and pitiful attack, Fisher finally stopped hesitating and followed Hela’s footsteps into the room to change clothes.
He didn’t even refuse the notion of being considered a brother by Gouwen.
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(End of this chapter)
