Chapter 469: 86. Holy Grail
“Of course, there are more Transcendents than just these; I have made some preparations for your desires as well.”
Pandora looked at Fisher, her hands cradling her abdomen, and said to Fisher, “You should have heard of the ‘Angels’ Wish Machine’ [Holy Grail]. In fact, rather than a wishing machine, I prefer to call it a reward mechanism. The Great God encourages angels to research forging because this pleases the deity Ouyun, who oversees this realm. Based on our contributions, wishes will accumulate within the Holy Grail. When the wishes of an angel are filled, they can contact the Great God through the Holy Grail and have their wishes fulfilled by His great power.
“But there are not many angels with wishes. Gabriel is the first among us; she requested a child from the Great God but ended up falling into madness because of it. Michael is the second among us, but he has yet to make a corresponding wish. Meanwhile, I have one wish that has yet to be fulfilled. If you can retrieve the Tears of the World Tree, I will grant this wish to you, allowing the Great God to expel the death that resides within you.”
Fisher was momentarily taken aback; everything seemed to be more seamless than expected. If Pandora could directly transfer the wish to him, there would be no need for him to use the item that Renee had given him.
Although Renee mentioned that the item could directly fill the Holy Grail, based on Fisher’s experience, it likely involved the authority related to Chaos, which could bring trouble, especially for Hela or other Transcendents who linger in this era.
Indeed, initially, according to Fisher’s plan, he intended to recklessly think of a method to fill the Holy Grail, and then toggle Renee’s mark to return to the present. But after traveling with Tang Zeming Asuka and Gouwen, he began to consider the impact of his departure.
What if his actions brought about the wrath of the Holy Realm upon Hela, Tang Zeming Asuka, and Gouwen?
He could simply leave, but they would have to stay in this era.
In what seemed to confirm the truth of his words, the blind Pandora suddenly caressed her abdomen. As she gently moved her fingers, Fisher vaguely saw invisible waves seemingly conjuring a tangible entity.
It was a pitch-black giant cup, roughly the size of Pandora’s entire abdomen. The cup’s body was formless, defying any specific material assessment; it looked more like it was forged from a vast starry sky, manifesting a whole expanse of living cosmos.
When Pandora grasped the handle of that starry cup, the walls of the cup seemed to sense something, slowly filling with golden liquid. The liquid brimmed, and as it filled the cup, the entire Holy Grail seemed poised, waiting for others to use it.
“This is the Holy Grail forged by the power of the Lord of the Heavenly Lock. As you can see, my wishes have filled the Grail. As long as the Tears of the World Tree are retrieved, I can summon wishes from the Lord of the Heavenly Lock at any time using the Grail, to help you expel death.”
“I understand.”
Pandora had fully resolved Fisher’s doubts, and then turned her gaze to Gouwen.
However, just as Fisher nodded, Gouwen suddenly sat up and turned to look behind, waving and saying, “Mikhail is back; with that, we can set off.”
In the distance was Mikhail, who seemed to have completed the scroll meant for Michael.
Without making a sound, Pandora turned her hand, and the starry Holy Grail shrank and merged back into her body. Although she appeared to lack any eye structure, for some reason, Fisher always felt she was looking at him.
“Then as before, Remiel will be waiting for you outside the Dragon Continent. The next step is up to you.”
She spoke slowly to Fisher, as if also addressing Hela.
On the Moonship, everyone took their seats, as before heading to the Tree Continent, with Hela leading the way. This time, under the strict orders of the Heavenly Lock not to intervene, Pandora still hoped to quietly obtain the Tears of the World Tree, which indeed carried significant risks and warranted the high rewards promised by Pandora.
Tang Zeming Asuka couldn’t wait to share what she had just learned from Pandora about the way home with Mikhail, but he didn’t seem as excited as she was. Perhaps he had been in the Holy Realm for too long, or maybe it was simply due to age.
In any case, upon hearing it, he only paused for a moment before saying, “I see.”
“By the way, how did you return so quickly? Did you inform Archangel Michael?”
Facing Gouwen’s inquiry, Mikhail seemed a bit uneasy. Perhaps after experiencing so many awkward situations, he felt hesitant to face him.
“No, I left the scroll in his workshop; I wrote all the necessary greetings and messages in it.”
“Are you all geniuses? Fisher, you, too. The scroll he completed for little Tang Zeming took two days, and you finished yours for Archangel Michael in such a short time. Don’t you ever hit a creative block?”
“No, I was in charge of the project in the original world, so I noted down a lot of things. Once I came here, as long as my memory didn’t fade, it wouldn’t take long to recite them. Plus, Archangel Michael’s comprehension is quite strong; even if some explanations are omitted, he can understand, so it didn’t take much effort. We’ve collaborated like this many times before.”
Hearing this, Tang Zeming Asuka couldn’t help but glance in Fisher’s direction. For a moment, the excitement and joy of just finding out the way home dwindled.
She bit her lip, looking at Hela, who was waving a scythe against the wind and seemingly not noticing them.
Hela’s indifference to their conversation seemed to relieve Tang Zeming Asuka, but it also caused her to hesitate, despite it being a simple exchange of thanks between teacher and student.
“Thank you, Teacher Fisher.”
Fisher turned to her timid demeanor, and after a moment of silence, asked, “What about the ring you forged before?”
“The ring? Ah, ah, oh… but that wasn’t my forging; it was helped by Archangel Raphael.”
She took out the ring that had gone through her reforging and handed it to Fisher. He held it up to the sunlight, comparing it with the memory of the ring, and the resemblance only grew stronger.
“…”
“What do you think, Teacher Fisher?”
“What do you mean what?”
“Um, how is it… forged?”
Fisher was momentarily stunned, then smiled, “Very good.”
“Great! By the way, Teacher Fisher, could you help me with a favor?”
“What?”
“Could you use your flexible knife to engrave my name on the ring? Just my name: Tang Zeming Asuka. The materials used by Archangel Raphael are too hard, and my engraving knife can’t get through.”
Fisher was somewhat surprised as he laid down the ring and looked at her. At that moment, the torrent of fate seemed to crash against his face once more, reminiscent of when he had seen the original form of the ring in the furnace.
“Why do you want to engrave your name?”
“Ah, that’s just a little habit of mine. When I was a child, I always believed that magic existed in this world, and… well, I would often write and draw in other places to pretend that I had magic. Writing my name on my belongings would cast a ‘never to be lost’ magic. Over time, it became a habit to leave my name on my things.”
“It’s quite similar to the magic here; it seems to be the source of your magical talent, huh?”
“Eh heh heh.”
Tang Zeming Asuka bashfully scratched her head, seeming a bit shy. But soon, she looked eagerly at Fisher. After hesitating for a moment, she glanced toward Hela and seemed to struggle with her emotions.
With her fingers slightly tightening against her heart, she finally spoke up.
“So, since you’re such a powerful magical master, having your engraved name would… um, the magic should be stronger, so this ring will never get lost, and I’ll cherish it well.”
“Alright, how should your name be written?”
In truth, Fisher already knew how to write her name, as he had seen the name “Tang Zeming Asuka” when he had found the ring previously in the ocean.
He was just suddenly pondering a question: where had the missing Magic Lord, namely Tang Zeming Asuka, gone in the future? How had this ring, discovered by Captain Jesse of the Exploration Company in the Southern Continent, slipped from Tang Zeming Asuka’s hands?
Perhaps, in the future, Tang Zeming Asuka had not actually gone missing but had already returned to her own world?
Fisher suddenly considered this possibility.
“My name… should I write it down, or…”
“Write it on my hands, please.”
“Okay.”
With a mix of excitement and anxiety, Tang Zeming Asuka shot a glance at Hela and then extended her hand, slowly placing it in Fisher’s palm, writing her name in Japanese.
Fisher slowly took out his Fluid Sword, meticulously replicating the letters on the inner wall of the ring based on his memory.
Perhaps defying fate, perhaps reversing destiny, but at this moment, giving the ring to Tang Zeming Asuka felt like an act that followed his heart.
“Thank you, Teacher Fisher. I will take good care of it, even after I return to my world.”
“Well, although I don’t know if magic can still be used in your world, it’s necessary to learn before that.”
Fisher smiled for a moment before his expression turned serious, taking this opportunity to impart deeper magical knowledge to her.
Tang Zeming Asuka nodded with a bitter face, resembling a high school student who was informed just before class that physical education was replaced with language class, which made Gouwen and Mikhail unable to suppress their smiles.
In this time, the atmosphere on the wooden ship was harmonious. Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka were engaged in a painful yet joyful magical class, while Mikhail and Gouwen occasionally listened in, gaining a rough understanding of it.
Mikhail was also adjusting his prosthetics, which had been replaced by Michael, seemingly occupied with something in his mind. Fisher often saw his eyes lighting up; he said he was trying to establish a remote network usable in this world, but Fisher was uncertain what it entailed.
Gouwen took out an envelope and some cash, naturally planning to write a letter home for peace of mind. As he wrote, he began to hum a tune; at such times, his mood was particularly good, even the huge whale tail behind him swayed happily.
Hela stood at the back of the boat, rowing with a smile, occasionally nudging Fisher with his bare feet or letting him take over the rowing while chatting with Tang Zeming Asuka. Naturally, Tang Zeming Asuka appeared especially nervous and timid before her, avoiding eye contact, as if feeling bloodline suppression.
Oh, and Neceria.
She was daydreaming, completely unaware of what she was thinking, not interacting with anyone else.
Fisher always felt that this journey had touched her soul, forcing her to think, for the first time, about the philosophical questions of a phoenix’s life:
Who am I? Where do I come from, and where am I going?
Something like that.
The Holy Realm was in the southern hemisphere, while the Dragon Continent was in the northern hemisphere. Unlike their previous journey to the Tree Continent, which was also in the southern hemisphere, this trip felt exceptionally long. Even riding the Moonship, it had taken six to seven hours, and by the time they neared dusk, they had finally exited the crevice, entering midair.
At this moment, the complete continent, which had yet to be split in half by the future mythical war, lay before Fisher at an altitude of a thousand meters; it was the gigantic continent formed by the unification of the Western and Southern Continents in ancient times—the Dragon Continent.
If we judged by future geography, the location of the Ideal Nation was just in that area of the Southern Continent.
“Everyone, we have arrived; Dragon Continent.”
As the golden curtain of the setting sun melted into the horizon, they had reached the final destination of this journey.
When Fisher and his group left the Holy Realm, it was now the Sixth Day. In the swirling void, it remained dark, with a square book pressed tightly against the closed window—Sir Book Emhart.
Having just pretended to sleep in his crib, he seemed to sense Fisher’s arrival and departure and immediately flew to the edge of the window, peering down below. Indeed, he saw Fisher and his group, tiny as ants, lingering at the edge of the Fifth Day.
“Fisher!”
He called out uselessly, seemingly just to express his feelings of longing and excitement, the entire book colliding uncontrollably against the window. However, he quickly glanced behind him in fear, for his call seemed to attract the attention of the muddled Gabriel again.
“Nob?”
“Ah, ah, ah, don’t come over here!”
Hearing the ethereal call from the archangel behind, Emhart helplessly leaned against the windowsill, shaking his head vigorously, seemingly at his limit. He sobbed against the windowsill, crying out to Fisher, who was far below and tiny as an ant because of the distance, “Fisher! Come save me! Wuwuwuwu!”
From the darkness, Gabriel, clutching a crystal and tilting her head in confusion, stepped out. Behind her, hundreds of illusory eye-shaped lights spun like a kaleidoscope. After spending so much time together, Emhart had noticed that the wings behind this angel could express her current emotions and thoughts.
This meant “confusion.”
“Nob…”
“Ah, ah, ah!”
Seeing Gabriel slowly approaching, Emhart quickly turned his gaze downward, wanting to catch Fisher’s attention despite the flickering hope.
And in that moment of turning, he saw Fisher and his group departing the Holy Realm aboard the dreaded demon Baemon’s ship, never looking back.
“!!”
Emhart’s entire book seemed to turn gray, drooping against the window and gradually collapsing to the ground, as if completely played by fate.
“Wuwuwu, wuwuwu! You foul angel, let me go, wuwuwu!”
Emhart choked back his grievances, silently complaining about why the great Sir Book had such a miserable fate.
“Nob. Do you want to see your friends?”
Just then, Gabriel unexpectedly spoke a sentence that Emhart had never heard before, stunning him into silence. His crying immediately halted, and he sat up in disbelief, looking at Gabriel, who was still tilting her head.
“What… what did you say?”
“Fisher is Nob’s friend. Does Nob want to see him?”
“I want to, I want to! Mommy, help me! Nob is the cutest; take me to Fisher!”
Upon seeing this, Emhart immediately stopped crying and pretended to be cute, flying into Gabriel’s embrace, as if in that moment, he, Emhart, was Gabriel’s most cherished child.
“Mommy will take Nob to see his friend, but it’s dangerous outside. Friends are dangerous, and Chaos is also dangerous. Nob must stay far away.”
Emhart looked up pitifully. After such a long time together, he seemed to fully comprehend what the muddled Gabriel intended to convey.
“You mean, I can only see from a distance and cannot meet him?”
“Friends are dangerous.”
Gabriel insisted with emphasis.
“Fisher is dangerous… well, if we count those ladies he flirts with, that certainly is quite dangerous. He could end up being torn apart or sliced into pieces, but this is the past, those emotional debts lie in the future.”
Emhart pondered to himself while occasionally sneaking a glance at Gabriel, who remained quietly staring at him. Although he couldn’t meet Fisher, it was still better than being stuck here, right?
Thus, he decisively turned on the charm, “Wuwu, mommy is the best! Take me to see friends, and I promise I will stay right by mommy’s side.”
Gabriel reached out to stroke the cover of Emhart’s book, and in the next moment, her kaleidoscopic wings spun rapidly once more, releasing a fearsome aura that rivaled that of the Duke of Peach on the Tree Continent.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
And so, on that day, Gabriel, the angel symbolizing wisdom, finally left the swirling void after a millennium.
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(This chapter ends)
