Chapter 468: The Way Home
In the following time, all of Fisher’s group except Hela arrived at the Fifth Day, which actually meant bringing Neceria, who was still on standby in the First Day, up here. This inexplicably following Phoenix Race was still dazed in the First Day, and even Tang Zeming Asuka felt some sympathy for her being far from home, but if asked, she would certainly describe it as a “gift from fate.”
At this moment, Fisher sat at the edge of the Fifth Day, holding a recording scroll he obtained from Mikhail, seemingly writing something on it. Upon closer inspection, the scroll was densely packed with knowledge of magic, along with many of his annotations.
Thanks to Fisher’s memory and the Fourteenth Rank body, his completion speed for magic scrolls was unusually fast. Once these items were done, he planned to give this scroll to Tang Zeming Asuka, of course, that would be after he left this era.
Lost in thought while writing, Fisher suddenly paused and directed his gaze at Tang Zeming Asuka, who was squatting near a furnace not far away.
Some time had passed since she crossed into this world, and she had likely grown somewhat, but overall, she remained as inexperienced as when she first came.
At that moment, she was foolishly staring at a ring in the furnace, seemingly contemplating how to engrave the Gospel from the magic materials into it. She possessed almost all the virtues that angels have, which is valuing one’s own accomplishments, even if it was just an empty mold at this point.
Tang Zeming Asuka had an unexpectedly strong interest in these miraculous things from other worlds. Or rather, she had always had a strong interest in many things, including subjects she previously scoffed at in her own world—only it had been covered up for some unknown reason.
“You’re here, where’s little Tang Zeming?”
While Fisher was deep in thought, the voice of Gouwen suddenly came from beside him. Fisher turned to look, and when Gouwen saw that he wasn’t “stirring up trouble” anymore, his expression notably brightened. Fisher privately thought that Gouwen seemed overly concerned about others’ private affairs; he couldn’t tell if this was a trait of his as a doctor or if he was just genuinely warm-hearted as a whale person.
“Over there. She’s interested in the forging methods of angels and wants to try it out.”
“I see. Little Tang Zeming is really full of energy, a completely different person from when she first arrived. If I have a small whale person with my wife in the future, I hope they turn out like her, not lazy and passive like other whale children.”
“Normally, given your wife’s personality, your child wouldn’t be that lazy, right?”
“That’s hard to say. No matter how strong a person’s character is, there will always be a degree of distortion and compromise in front of those they care for and love. I’m like this, and my wife is probably the same. In short, no matter how strong-willed my wife is now, if we have children in the future, she will probably be very gentle, right?”
“Probably?”
“Hahaha. By the way, can you still not enter the Sixth Day?”
Gouwen chuckled to change the topic, then looked up at the deep space, only adorned with stars above them. There, floating thousands of meters above the rotating sun ring, was a magnificent and beautiful library, the residence of the Archangel Gabriel, and the Sir Book, whom Fisher was worried about, was also trapped there.
“Ah, according to Michael, ever since the last time the Dragon God tore through the space and passed by outside the Holy Realm, Gabriel was either frightened or something else, and locked the doors of the Sixth Day’s Wisdom Abyss. Only she can enter and exit, and other archangels can’t force the door open. So we might have to wait until after the matter is resolved for Pandora to be able to do so.”
After all, Fisher still didn’t get to see Emhart, but Pandora mentioned that he was doing well, so Gabriel was likely not bullying him.
Thinking of this, Fisher suddenly turned to Gouwen and asked,
“Next, we need to go to the Dragon Continent. That person named ‘Margaret,’ who is a Trans, has established a settlement there relying on the Loom of Fate. We need to retrieve the Tears of the World Tree from her. I have my objectives, Tang Zeming Asuka and Mikhail want to return to their original world, and Neceria has nowhere else to go, so she’ll have to come with us. What about you? You’ve completed all your tasks, aren’t you going back?”
Gouwen glanced at him, paused for a moment, and then gritted his teeth to ask,
“I see. You’re trying to drive me away so you can boldly flirt with Hela, right?”
“There you go again?”
Gouwen gave a cold laugh and stared at Fisher for a long time before shaking his head. He sighed and said to Fisher,
“You’re not a bad guy at heart, and I don’t know where your restlessness comes from. If it weren’t for that strange illness, you would make a good… well, female friend.”
“You think so too, right?”
Gouwen turned his gaze away from Fisher in silence and continued,
“Just give me an out. It’s not that hard, you know? Didn’t Archangel Pandora say that she would promise us a reward after the mission? Since we’ve come this far, we shouldn’t turn down a reward from an archangel; it would also be a good explanation for my wife. Besides, in a team, the presence of a doctor makes a big difference, especially one as excellent as I am.”
“Suit yourself, but—”
Fisher was about to say something more when a sudden chill ran up his spine. He quickly turned but soon felt a cool, soft body pressing against him, stopping his movement.
That lightweight and soft sensation was not new to Fisher, so he quickly realized who was behind him.
“Hela?”
“It’s Cupid.”
Fisher shrugged and turned to find Hela had quietly appeared behind him, transformed back to her usual self.
At that moment, she was floating in mid-air, hugging Fisher from behind, her chin resting on his shoulder, looking at him with a charming smile.
“You flew straight up from below?”
“To be precise, I flew up from the First Day. I just returned from Archangel Shaliyah and wanted to try some rehabilitation training, so I thought I’d fly up to give it a try.”
“And your injuries? Are they healed?”
She sweetly released Fisher’s shoulder. In response to his inquiry, the two pairs of blue-gold wings behind her unfurled again, demonstrating her current state. But Fisher kept staring at her beautiful white robe, resembling a long dress, as if searching for specific changes in her body, but to his regret, he found nothing.
It was during this examination that Fisher suddenly noticed a blind archangel floating not far behind her. She was smiling and quietly waiting there; it was Archangel Pandora.
“Archangel Pandora?”
Hela smiled and nodded. She glanced around, seemingly confirming the presence of others, quickly realizing that Mikhail was not there.
“Well, Archangel Pandora has informed me about the Ideal Nation and that Trans, but she’s still not quite at ease. This operation is quite important, so if any issues arise later, you can directly ask her. By the way, where is Mikhail? He should be coming along too, right?”
“He’s writing scrolls for Michael, over at the workshop.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Only Mikhail can freely enter and exit Archangel Michael’s forging workshop. They often have… um, knowledge exchanges there.”
Hela emphasized “exchanges” as if hinting at something.
However, it was unnecessary for her to remind them; both Fisher and Gouwen felt that the relationship between Mikhail and Michael was not so simple. That feeling was subtle and vague, difficult to put into words yet impossible not to speculate about.
“Archangel Hela! You’ve returned! And Archangel Pandora too!”
At that moment, Tang Zeming Asuka, who had been squatting in front of the furnace from a distance, noticed Hela flying up and stood up, calling Neceria to come back with her. Hela smiled slightly and gently settled onto one of Fisher’s shoulders, waving to Tang Zeming Asuka.
“Little Tang Zeming, come over quickly!”
But she hadn’t even settled before she was swatted down by an expressionless Fisher beside her. She didn’t seem angry at all, instead playfully nudging Fisher’s shoulder with her bare feet and floating away like she was gliding through water until she landed not far from Pandora.
Tang Zeming Asuka, who had just happily run over, looked at the playful exchange between the two and found her steps slowing down, her previously radiant smile unconsciously dimming a bit. But she quickly came to her senses and smiled, though slightly less brightly than before, as she hurried to Fisher’s side.
“Alright, let’s not wait for him. We should start directly. According to the information Archangel Pandora received, that Trans fled to the Dragon Continent with the help of Duke Chuan after leaving the Tree Continent, where she established a nation called the Ideal Nation, attracting tens of thousands of native residents from the Dragon Continent in just six months, the majority of whom are humans, with a significant number of subhuman races as well.”
Fisher stroked his chin and analyzed,
“The key is that the elves can’t possibly not know where she took the Loom of Fate, yet they still haven’t dealt with her. There must be a reason behind it.”
“That’s right. The elves, even powerful beings like Duke of Peach, have not dealt with Margaret, and there indeed is a reason for that.”
Hela snapped her fingers and addressed Fisher and the others,
“You should know that there are five main gods above the three powerful demigods in this world, four of whom are detached from the world. Even the sea god Ramastia actually lives like this. Only one exception exists— the goddess of death, Heya. She separated her consciousness and transformed it into the laws of death in this world, constantly influencing it with her divine power. This means she, like Lord Ramastia, exists within the world.”
“For hundreds of years, even the three demigods do not know where the goddess of death Heya sleeps. Legend has it that she was hidden in a difficult-to-find place by Lord Ramastia, which should be a secret known only to the gods. The problem lies in the fact that the Loom containing the true god’s authority has been stolen by that Trans, and coincidentally, she used the Loom of Fate to find Heya’s resting place.”
Fisher frowned deeply, and both Gouwen and Neceria’s expressions turned serious. Many clues from the Tree Continent suddenly linked together in Fisher’s mind, instantly recalling the earthquakes that occurred there and the chaotic phenomena of death at that time,
“No wonder we encountered changes in death’s rules when we were on the Tree Continent. Those changes were not caused unconsciously by Heya but rather by Margaret. That Ideal Nation is built right above Heya’s resting place, and the reason for the tumult on the Tree Continent back then was that Margaret was threatening the elves, proving that she could influence death to some extent. That’s why the elves dare not act rashly, right?”
He finally understood why the Duke of Peach had summoned the beings of the Fourteenth Rank from the Tree Continent; it was to prepare countermeasures against Margaret’s means to seal mythical beings.
Hela nodded and continued,
“Exactly. Margaret declared that if the elves dare to act rashly, she would detonate the Loom of Fate to awaken the sleeping Heya. Besides, she refuses any mythical beings among the elves to enter the Ideal Nation; otherwise, she would detonate the Loom as well. Once the goddess awakens, the rules of death in the world will collapse instantly, and such guilt is something the elven race cannot bear. In summary, both parties are currently at a stalemate.”
“Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that Duke Chuan’s traitorous identity has been discovered by Duke of Peach, but even before that, he had already fled to the Ideal Nation with almost all the citizens. Thanks to his country’s small size, otherwise, it would be quite troublesome.”
Tang Zeming Asuka looked at the solemn expressions of those around her, then at the still smiling Hela. Suddenly, she timidly raised her hand, like a student wanting to speak, and Hela respected her former high school habits, promptly pointing to Tang Zeming Asuka and saying,
“Classmate Tang Zeming, please speak.”
“Uh, um, yes.”
Tang Zeming Asuka’s face flushed. When others, especially Fisher, looked over, she felt even more shy and started to stammer but continued,
“Um, don’t the gods of this world know about this? Why aren’t they intervening to help? Or are they simply not paying attention to what’s happening in this world, not even regarding something this serious…”
“No, quite the opposite. The gods are watching this world every moment; they just cannot interfere with its operation.”
Gouwen sighed, seemingly well aware of this issue, and looked at Tang Zeming Asuka to explain,
“That’s precisely why they created these three powerful demigods to oversee the world on their behalf.”
“Then, since the World Tree, Dragon God, and Heavenly Lock are siblings, now that a problem has arisen, the gods should have them assist the World Tree, right?”
Fisher speculated based on the subsequent conflicts among their three siblings, saying,
“The relationship between those three siblings isn’t very good, and it’s improbable they would help each other out. In such matters, not making things worse can already be considered a favor to Lord Ramastia.”
“Indeed.”
Hela smiled and nodded, explaining to Tang Zeming Asuka,
“According to Archangel Pandora, both Lord Heavenly Lock and Lord Dragon God received a directive from Lord Ramastia to assist the World Tree in reclaiming the Loom of Fate and calming this conflict, but the Dragon God and the World Tree have been harboring grudges for a long time. Previously, the World Tree would take advantage of having the Loom of Fate, and the Dragon God could do nothing about her, being forced to fly away each time. He probably relished this situation. Lord Heavenly Lock likely feels similarly, wanting the Holy Realm not to get involved.”
“So essentially, our actions are illegal, so we must be careful. Both Lord Heavenly Lock and Lord Dragon God understand that the deterrence the Trans currently possesses is only temporary; the World Tree and elves cannot allow a mere human to threaten them like this indefinitely. Overcoming her threat and reclaiming the Loom is merely a matter of time. Specifically, we need to recover the Tears of the World Tree before that happens to deem this mission a success.”
Fisher pondered the entire situation and analyzed the obstacles to this operation. He seemed to uncover a blind spot.
Because, fundamentally, Margaret wasn’t in an adversarial relationship with them. Additionally, as all she needed was the Loom of Fate as leverage against the elves, the Tears of the World Tree were merely a secondary matter, not of profound importance; thus, they had negotiating space in taking it away.
Margaret was unlikely to give it up for free; therefore, what they truly needed to consider was what kind of offer they could present in exchange for the Tears of the World Tree.
Thinking of this, Fisher’s gaze instinctively fell upon that quiet archangel behind Hela, and suddenly an idea struck him.
He first voiced his previous analysis, emphasizing that the initial points were not the crux of the matter, but what followed was,
“If we can present an attractive offer to Margaret, obtaining the Tears of the World Tree would not be difficult. And for a Trans, this offer is quite simple. Archangel Pandora, the reward you promised to Tang Zeming Asuka and Mikhail—the method for returning to their world—I believe Margaret would be greatly interested. I wonder if Archangel Pandora could also provide evidence that would convince Margaret of the worthiness of our offer, making our negotiation easier.”
Hela merely smiled with narrowed eyes and didn’t respond verbally, instead giving Fisher a flirtatious wink, creating an atmosphere completely lacking in seriousness, resembling something thrillingly illicit.
Both Gouwen and Neceria also looked at the quietly lingering archangel, while Tang Zeming Asuka anxiously clutched her white robe, seemingly deeply concerned about this matter.
In truth, Fisher’s words served a dual purpose. Not only were they discussing matters concerning Margaret, but they were also testing whether Pandora’s promises made to these two Trans were credible.
After all, Fisher came from the future. If Pandora could truly provide a way back, then why would Tang Zeming Asuka still create the Creation Society in the future? Or was it because his appearance changed the future—if he weren’t here, Pandora wouldn’t have made such a deal with someone like Tang Zeming Asuka?
Regardless, this was a question Fisher needed to explore.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Pandora, who remained composed and did not show any signs of panic or other emotions. After one second of silence, she suddenly spoke,
“In fact, I don’t mind revealing in advance the reward I promised you; you’ll understand the specific reasons later. I do know how to help Trans return to their worlds, and the key lies within the Spirit Realm.
“The Spirit Realm is the deep layer of this world, an external world where streams of consciousness that the gods cannot touch and stars reside. However, it is extremely dangerous; ordinary mythical beings cannot survive there, let alone you fragile Trans. Many archangels have visited the Spirit Realm, and due to my status as a ‘Divine Envoy,’ I know certain secrets about the Spirit Realm that others do not.
“Legend has it that the Spirit Realm has an end, but aside from me, very few know where that end lies, even the stars that have lived there for years do not know. But I can assure you that the place connected beyond that end is where you wish to reach, for you presumably came here through that entrance.”
“And only I can take you to that place in the Spirit Realm. The reward I am promising is that I will bring you to that endpoint, and you will be able to return to your world through the entrance you used to arrive here. Of course, you can also inform the Trans named ‘Margaret’ about this; if she hands over the Tears to me, I will prepare the same reward for her.”
Tang Zeming Asuka’s breathing nearly stopped. She firmly lodged this information in her mind and, after all this time, finally grasped a glimmer of hope to return home, which left her feeling exhilarated.
“I should also tell Mr. Mikhail about this. If that’s the case… that’s wonderful, that’s wonderful!”
She seemed quite agitated, instinctively wanting to clasp her hands together in gratitude like a Buddhist, but suddenly became shy and set them down instead. She hurriedly thanked Fisher on her side and Archangel Pandora in front of her.
Fisher raised an eyebrow, perhaps not even he expected that there would truly be a way back to their homeland. Moreover, he felt like he had read relevant clues somewhere before.
For example, the Soul Supplement Handbook.
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(End of Chapter)
