Chapter 432: 49. The Curtain
“Teacher Fisher, have the angels Hela arrived yet?”
“Yes, they should be here.”
Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka followed Neceria, who was holding the little phoenix Nefiramui, down to the base of the waterfall. There was a corresponding path downwards, but it looked seldom used, covered with a thick layer of green moss. Nefiramui had already trampled quite a bit of the innocent moss while running up just now.
Most phoenixes usually rely on flying, and Fisher had already witnessed this in the Frost Parasol Tree.
However, in consideration of the two wingless humans behind her, Neceria was also holding a spear and leading the way. Before long, Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka saw a very tall tree in front of the waterfall, surrounded by many beautifully constructed houses in mid-air. But compared to the Frost Parasol Tree in the Northern Region, it appeared rather rudimentary.
“Humans, where did you come from? Did you come from outside the Parasol Tree?”
In the silence, the “Little Phoenix King” sucking on her fingers suddenly blinked her eyes and curiously asked Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka.
Tang Zeming Asuka glanced at Fisher and, seeing him silent, smiled and nodded, saying, “Well, we came from the Holy Realm. Although I don’t know exactly where the Holy Realm is, it should be quite far from the Tree Continent, right?”
“Oh, really? I’m very curious about what the outside world looks like. I don’t like the Tree Continent at all; the elves here are so fierce. My grandfather died because of the elves, and my mother often cries alone at night. Recently, my father also doesn’t allow us to go out; even my older brother, who works outside, has been called back.”
Is it because of the changes in the royal capital of the Tree Continent?
Fisher suddenly thought of something and turned to the expressionless Neceria holding Nefiramui to ask, “Did all the phoenixes return to their homeland because you saw some future with changes?”
“?”
Nefiramui, still sucking her fingers, tilted her head in confusion, and even her cold-faced sister turned her head, completely not understanding what Fisher was saying.
“Future? You mean…”
“Well, you can see fate, can’t you?”
Neceria glanced at Fisher and then slowly averted her gaze, shaking her head and denying it, “We do not have such abilities; we are just particularly good at fighting. You might be mistaken.”
“.”
Fisher was slightly taken aback upon hearing this and fell silent for a moment.
Although Fisher didn’t speak, he thought to himself, how could he be mistaken? His wife, who was previously a fragmented phoenix, could see the future; how can you, her ancestors, not do so?
What does this mean?
Just now, he thought Neceria trusted him so much that they must have seen some future and knew that his party was likely coming, and he wanted to gather more information about the future from them. Who would have known that Neceria would say that the phoenixes do not have the ability to see the future?
The past of this world is becoming stranger and stranger, first, the demons do not exist, and now a “contradiction” regarding the future suddenly emerges, leaving Fisher puzzled.
He indeed knew that the phoenixes’ foresight ability was developed through later influences. According to their accounts, the phoenixes living in the Eastern Continent, that is, the Tree Continent, gained the foresight ability by gazing at the light of the World Tree. Later, after the roots of the World Tree were stolen by Feima Baharon, they migrated along with those roots to the Northern Region and, through those roots, created “pure ice,” which allowed their descendants to gain foresight as well.
Could it be that they still haven’t seen the light of the World Tree?
Fisher turned his head towards the center of the continent, where the gigantic illusory World Tree, as large as a planet, was dyed a dazzling golden color by the sun, becoming the most breathtaking scenery of the Tree Continent. However, evidently, that light was not the source of power for the phoenixes.
“Teacher Fisher?”
“.It’s nothing; I must have remembered it wrong.”
He suddenly recalled Gouwen’s advice and did not reveal anything about the future; he simply withdrew his gaze and quietly followed Neceria towards the massive tree beneath the waterfall.
Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka followed Neceria as they ascended the giant tree. Many phoenixes were flying from the not-so-wide settlement around the giant tree. Besides the sound of immense wings flapping, there were countless sounds of glittering ice crystals, bringing the surrounding temperature down significantly. Fisher felt okay, but Tang Zeming Asuka gently wrapped her arms around her shoulders, murmuring something softly.
“Draw circles…”
“Is it very cold?”
Fisher heard her murmuring and thought she felt cold for a simple reason, but she shook her head and said, “It’s… fine, I can still bear it.”
“Oh, I thought you were freezing.”
“No, I’m just trying to remember what Teacher Fisher taught me before. My memory isn’t very good; I’m afraid I would forget. But I don’t know if it’s because Teacher Fisher taught so well, remembering these things seems to be much easier.”
Tang Zeming Asuka shyly touched her head, which caught Fisher’s attention for a moment, but she quickly averted her gaze.
“I almost forgot to ask, how did you manage to cast that magic by yourself that night?”
“Well, I actually don’t know either.”
Tang Zeming Asuka tried hard to recall her state that night when she was holding the carving knife, and after hesitating for a moment, she continued, “I just felt like I was writing calligraphy, constantly thinking of the patterns Teacher Fisher carved on the leaves, and then writing it just got done.”
“Calligraphy? What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s writing characters using a brush, my father is very good at copying Buddhist scriptures. By the way, Teacher Fisher asked about the clues of Chinese calligraphy before; it seems to have come from China to Japan.”
“I see. So, are you good at calligraphy?”
Tang Zeming Asuka decisively shook her head and smiled awkwardly, “I guess not, since my father asked me to copy Buddhist scriptures but I never did; I was always slacking off.”
Fisher didn’t ask anymore since they were already at the top of the giant tree under Neceria’s guidance. It resembled Duke Chuan’s palace, only completely suspended and hollowed out, making it very convenient for other phoenixes to fly up.
When they arrived, many phoenixes had already gathered here, all having just flown up.
“Father, these two humans I met on the back mountain; they said they came with an angel and were introduced by Duke Chuan for help.”
Neceria set the little Nefiramui down. Nefiramui shook her bare wings and ran toward the palace’s end, greeting not only her uncles but also her brothers and sisters.
It seems the phoenixes breed quite well. Fisher carefully counted, including Neceria and Nefiramui; the current phoenix species leader actually had eight children.
In contrast, after the Moon Princess, Ice Prince, and Frost Prince reached the Mythical Rank, the only child they had was stillborn, a significant difference.
“Well, the specifics have already been explained to me by this angel. Neceria, thank you; it seems there are still two companions of the angel who have not arrived here.”
The current Phoenix King, a middle-aged man with mostly gray hair, looked very refined, but unfortunately, the marks of age were still unavoidable on his forehead.
“You’ve arrived; that’s good, earlier than those two. So, did anything interesting happen?”
At this moment, from the side of the Phoenix King, the golden-haired, carefree angel Hela was sitting alone on a wooden chair, her blue-golden wings easily protruding through the back of the chair, appearing non-corporeal.
Tang Zeming Asuka’s face immediately turned red, and she hugged herself awkwardly as if it were freezing here.
“Did you intentionally separate us?”
However, Fisher ignored her provocation and frowned at her, asking, “Did you?”
Any previous niceties regarding her Mythical Rank strength vanished in the wake of her blatantly terrible personality; this angel indeed possessed a magical ability to easily infuriate others.
But evidently, she also wouldn’t be a concerned angel about such matters.
She innocently raised her hands and argued, “How could that be? Even I make mistakes! Transmitting so many people at once is a big burden for me. But hey, sometimes things work out; I took this opportunity to explore around a little, consider it a small vacation.”
“.Fine, you’re the boss; it’s up to you.”
Fisher quickly calmed down, perfunctorily responding without wanting to engage with her, and soon returned to his previous cordial demeanor.
But such simple cordiality seemed to dampen Hela’s spirits; her previously joyful expression faded slightly, and her finger propped up her chin as she drummed on her fair cheek. Fisher guessed that if he had just challenged her angrily, she wouldn’t have cared and would have actually enjoyed it even more because it would be entertaining.
She seemed to dislike following routines because that would be boring.
Fisher vaguely seemed to grasp a method to handle this irritating angel, but at this moment, he didn’t pursue it further and instead continued to ask, “Where did Gouwen and Mikhail go? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”
“.Ah, how would I know? I already said I didn’t do it on purpose! But they should not be too far from here; they will be here soon.”
Hela yawned in disinterest and then smiled at the white-haired Phoenix King, saying, “But Lord Motokai, they mean no harm. We can discuss the journey to the royal capital first.”
“Well, you are Chuan’s friends; of course, you are my friends too. My wife’s father was harmed by the two marquises of Wu and Tong. On the surface, they exiled us, but secretly, they are narrow-minded and sent people to ambush us. If Duke Chuan hadn’t come to our rescue upon returning, our whole family would have perished on the way. Now, since Duke Chuan has tasked us, how can we refuse?”
His wings had changed from a cerulean color to a pale hue but had also grown larger. Fisher was unsure if this had a direct relation to the age of the phoenixes.
Only when the Phoenix King’s wings quivered slightly did Fisher subtly notice behind his seat and deep within the airborne palace that there was a curtain. The young Nefiramui was secretly running behind her father’s back toward that curtain, causing a small disturbance.
“The current situation on the continent is strange. First, there was the blockade of the royal capital and the king’s uncertain fate; now the various Elf Grand Dukes are stirring, and the royal capital has issued such unusual orders that are hard to interpret. To be honest, we have a secret passage to the royal capital that leads directly to the vicinity of the royal capital, but how to enter the royal capital…”
“That’s not a problem. As long as we can get close to the royal capital, you won’t have to worry about the rest.”
Hela waved her hand nonchalantly, appearing self-assured, but for some reason, Fisher always felt she probably hadn’t thought of any method.
If asked why, she would surely mischievously say with a laugh, “Don’t you think acting without preparation has more surprises and fun?”
Fisher sighed and absentmindedly considered what to do next, but it was best to wait until Gouwen and Mikhail arrived before…
“Not good, Chief, something’s happened! A problem!”
In the next second, panicked voices suddenly came from outside the hall, interrupting Fisher’s thoughts. The people in the hall quickly turned to look and saw a phoenix dressed in light armor rushing in with a few sharp cold winds, prompting the Phoenix King to immediately stand up, frowning and asking, “What happened? Why the urgency?”
“A lot of messengers with many slaves have come from outside the clan. They seemed to be originally headed here, but for some reason, they got into a fight with two strange individuals.”
“Strange individuals?”
Fisher stood up and hurriedly asked, “Are they two men, one with a whale tail and the other a human with a mechanical arm?”
“Exactly! It’s those two! The messengers from the royal capital are very close to the level of being one with their soul, Chief, should we help them?”
Oh no, it really is Gouwen and Mikhail.
“Hahaha, great! A fight, good… Where are they? Lead me quickly to see how fierce the fight is.”
Hela laughed heartily, and Fisher shot her a glare before immediately telling the approaching phoenix guard, “Those two are our companions; please lead the way. Hela, you are an angel, and you absolutely cannot be seen by people from the royal capital. Tang Zeming, you also stay here; it’s very dangerous outside.”
“Mm-mm.”
Not only did Tang Zeming Asuka nod obediently, but even Hela did as well, leaving the Phoenix King momentarily dazed, unsure who was actually in charge.
But he quickly regained his composure, squinting at the curtain behind him, waiting for a second. After the curtain swayed slightly, he turned back and said, “In that case, Neceria, take your brothers to help. Even if they are envoys from the royal capital, we cannot let them bully our clan. But remember, do not go too far; saving people is paramount.”
“Yes, Father.”
The cold-faced phoenix, Neceria, stepped forward with a long spear, and several of her brothers came out with their weapons.
Fisher glanced around; Neceria seemed to hold the highest rank among them. There was no existence of a Mythical Rank among the phoenixes here, aside from Neceria and the Phoenix King who were both at the Fourteenth Rank, along with the shadow hidden behind the curtain, who seemed to be very close to the Mythical Rank.
The others had at most a Thirteenth Rank, while most did not even reach the Twelfth Rank.
But this is also normal; it is far from the peak period of the phoenixes, and even during their peak, there would only be four Mythical ranks at most.
In this era, demons do not exist, and they haven’t yet gained the ability to see the future; even the Ocean Emperor has not been born yet; nothing is impossible.
“Lead the way, brother. You take this human; he is strong and can help.”
Neceria was the first to arrive at the edge of the hall, turning back to say to a robust male phoenix. Her brother nodded deeply and then grasped Fisher’s shoulder. After squeezing it, his wings spread wide, accompanied by an intense cold wind, and in an instant, his figure disappeared from there, flying off into the distance.
As one phoenix after another flew out of the hall, the remaining females and unrelated individuals began to whisper among themselves. Tang Zeming Asuka also glanced worriedly outside, as she could already hear a loud booming sound from outside, almost like thunder.
“Boom!”
Teacher Fisher is strong, and with so many phoenixes around, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?
Listening to the enormous noise from outside, which was louder than cannon explosions, Tang Zeming Asuka felt uncertain inside, silently praying for Fisher,
“Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha.”
“Well then, let’s head out. Hey, hey, little Tang Zeming, stop chanting.”
At that moment, Tang Zeming Asuka suddenly felt someone tapping her shoulder. When she opened her eyes and turned around, she saw Hela stretching and lazily beginning to float up from her chair, looking ready to head out.
“Hey, hey, hey? But… didn’t Angel Hela just agree to stay here with Teacher Fisher?”
Hela looked at Tang Zeming Asuka with an expression of disappointment and then extended her finger to poke her forehead, smiling as she said,
“Oh, come on, just because you call me ‘Teacher Fisher’ doesn’t mean you have to obey everything he says! Let me share a little secret, being overly obedient might appeal to some men, but unpredictable effects are even better. A delicate girl on the battlefield is quite the sight to protect, let’s go!”
“Hey, hey, hey?! Isn’t this just creating trouble for Teacher Fisher?!”
Before Tang Zeming Asuka could respond, Hela lightly flicked her finger, lifting Tang Zeming Asuka onto her shoulder and leisurely floating to the edge of the hall, poking her head out to look outside.
After confirming the direction, Hela then realized and turned back to the dazed phoenixes, smiling as she said, “No need to worry, we’ll be back soon.”
Then, without flying, she simply took Tang Zeming Asuka and dove down along the outline of the enormous tree, disappearing amidst Tang Zeming Asuka’s screams.
“.”
The Phoenix King seemed to react only after watching Hela swiftly vanish at the edge of the hall. He anxiously glanced back at the curtain, sweat forming on his forehead, and whispered, “Dear, she… she is an angel! She is from the Holy Realm! How could she be so careless! If she is discovered by the royal capital’s envoys… She is a Mythical Being at one with her soul; she might be okay, but if we find out we’re hiding a guest from the Holy Realm, it would be trouble!”
There was no movement from the curtain, and nothing could be discerned behind it. The Phoenix King bowed his head and, after a while without a response, curiously leaned forward to look.
“Dear?”
“Don’t move, Daddy!”
In the next moment, the curtain swayed slightly, and a petite girl holding a jade ruyi pointed at the Phoenix King, bouncing over. It was none other than his little daughter, Nefiramui!
“Oh dear, my little ancestor, what are you doing with your mother’s ruyi?”
“Mother said that your continual grumbling annoys her, and since you’re going to help, help entirely; no half-heartedness! If you keep on like this, she’ll sleep with me tonight. And also, mother said not to underestimate angels; their brains are much more capable than yours, so just sit back and relax.”
The Phoenix King opened his mouth, looking at little Nefiramui who paused momentarily, and said softly, “Is that all she said?”
“Yes.”
After confirming this, the king finally let out a sigh of relief, then scowled and hugged his threatening little daughter, patting her on the bottom and her wing-like arms like chicken wings, scolding,
“You little devil, learning to threaten me like your mother? You haven’t even grown up yet!”
“Ahhhh! Mommy! Daddy hit me! Once I grow up, I want to be like Mommy and Sister! I want to be the clan leader! I want to be the Phoenix… Wuu, wuu!”
Before she could finish, the scrunch-faced “Phoenix King” covered her mouth and started to pinch her chubby little face.
As the disturbance caused by little Nefiramui settling the curtain gradually quieted down, it returned to the stillness of usual, as if the curtain hid nothing behind it.
But if someone could get close to that curtain previously disturbed by Nefiramui, they would find a figure sitting behind it with wings that seemed to shield the sky.
And that figure’s aura was terrifying, clearly having crossed the standard of the Mythical Rank’s “true integration of body and soul.” Though the curtain looked thin, it could silently isolate scrutiny.
Had it not been for little Nefiramui slightly lifting the curtain twice, Fisher would not have noticed that there was indeed someone sitting behind the “Phoenix King.”
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(Chapter End)
