Chapter 542: Explosion
When Mill finished speaking, the royal court fell into a dead silence.
Raphael’s expression froze, seemingly rendered completely motionless at that moment. Her body felt as if it were rusted, unable to move even a fraction, leaving her breath as the only indication that she was still alive.
Seeing her state, Mill, who had come to deliver the message, became even more anxious. She knew what this news meant for Raphael. Moreover, it seemed that before Mill arrived, Raphael had already had some conflicts with Jasmine, and she was unsure if it was inappropriate to say this right now.
But after all, it was a military intelligence report, and she didn’t dare to delay; even if it was inappropriate, it had to be accepted.
I am truly sorry, Lady Raphael!
In contrast to Raphael, Fisher’s reaction was quite simple—he was dumbfounded.
As for the marriage matter, there was only one Valentina from the Northern Region in his memory, with no one else.
So when Mill mentioned that the legal wife had come to find him, his first thought was: Is Valentina here?
This was indeed a piece of news that could send someone into a panic, especially given that the situation was already dire and showed no signs of improving. Her arrival was nothing short of adding fuel to the fire.
Moreover, it seemed logical because Fisher had previously deduced Valentina’s current state.
Before he left the Northern Region, she had already fallen into slumber. Although it was unclear how long the rebirth process would take for a Phoenix Race, Valentina could well be the first in history to undergo such transformation.
But now, four and a half years had passed since then; by all accounts, the possibility of Valentina having awakened was not small.
If she had awakened, then as the Phoenix Race once surrounded by the Six Races, she would certainly inherit her ancestor’s brilliance and emerge prominently in the Northern Region. This required a process, which was why Fisher concluded that she might need some time before she would have the leisure to look for him.
However, it was hard to say. If Valentina was determined to find him first, and had a slime with teleportation and camouflage abilities assisting her, it was quite possible that the moment he stepped into the Red Dragon Court, the news would already have been delivered to Valentina by those slimes.
He remembered that previously, to obtain the slime’s mark, Fisher had sent out a personal favor, which allowed the slimes to possibly accomplish some things during those four and a half years.
Could it really be Valentina visiting?
Just as Fisher was contemplating this, he noticed a flaw in the scenario.
If it were Valentina, it should have been four and a half years since he left, but the so-called “legal wife” only mentioned “four years.” Fisher privately believed that Valentina wouldn’t overlook the precision of time in order to make Fisher, who was in the Red Dragon Court, recognize her identity even if she was there to catch him cheating.
On the other hand, even if Valentina was coming, there was no need for her to choose a Western Continent kingdom like Shivali as her background identity. Although not on par with Nali, Shivali was still one of the Southern Continent colonizers. Even if she announced herself under the Northern Region’s name, it would be better than declaring Shivali, with no need to create unnecessary complications.
“Fisher, what’s going on? Shivali’s… legal wife?”
At that moment, Raphael slowly turned her stiff head to look at Fisher, her eyes glowing green and appearing as terrifying as a demon, contrasting sharply with her earlier conflicted and restrained demeanor while speaking to Jasmine. The quiet inquiry made one’s scalp tingle and back chills.
It seemed that even with prior arrangements, it could not quell her rising anger at this moment.
Fisher, unable to panic or directly answer Raphael’s question, looked over at Mill, who still stood anxiously at the door, appearing even more apprehensive than Fisher and took the initiative to ask,
“Mill, are you saying that the visitor is a human?”
“Yes, she looks like the young lady from the so-called human kingdom of Shivali, as her ship carried many treasures.”
“Are you sure she is a human?”
“I didn’t notice anything unusual about her; I’m certain she is a human.”
“…”
Upon hearing Mill confirm the visitor was a straightforward human, for some reason, Fisher let out a heavy sigh of relief.
At that moment, he didn’t know whether to thank his often-criticized preference for ladies, which unexpectedly became a standard to judge the visitor’s nature.
Afterward, Fisher adjusted his posture slightly and explained to Raphael,
“There’s absolutely no such thing; I don’t know any woman from Shivali, let alone a wife.”
Raphael’s expression eased a bit as she responded,
“Ha, you know ladies from other places, right?”
“.”
Fisher wisely chose not to respond to that question, and Raphael didn’t seem inclined to account for it either. She merely stroked her chin and hesitantly said,
“Could it be a conspiracy from the Northern false court? That Empress Elizabeth discovered Fisher’s whereabouts, so… That doesn’t seem right either; would that Empress of Nali use such a tactic? Why do I feel like she’s here to find you, Fisher?”
“. Elizabeth shouldn’t be aware of my whereabouts yet. I arrived in the Southern Continent secretly. If she knew, it would only mean that her group of demons did something wrong. Nevertheless, I’m preparing to meet this so-called ‘wife.’ If she is sent by the demons, there could be means hidden within her that you can hardly imagine.”
“Wait, are you saying that this Shivali human woman is actually a spy?”
Just then, Mill, who had been anxiously silent, finally spoke up to catch up with the current situation.
“Ah.”
“Bang!”
“Raphael, just now—”
Just as Raphael nodded and was about to say something, the door was opened again, revealing Jasmine, who looked somewhat nervous outside.
At that moment, Fisher suddenly realized that her originally sky-blue long hair had turned black again, unsure if this was a manifestation of her curse power.
“There’s news from the coastal defense that… it’s Fisher teacher’s wife.”
When Jasmine reached that word, Raphael clenched her teeth and interrupted her unfinished sentence,
“Yes, we already know; Mill was just outside.”
Jasmine pursed her lips and frowned slightly at Fisher beside her, her hair growing increasingly dark, and seeing this, Fisher could only explain,
“I don’t have a wife from Shivali; I don’t even know her.”
“Really?”
For some reason, despite Fisher’s earnest and sincere explanation, both ladies were unwilling to let him off the hook, feeling that the likelihood of the “visitor” being tied to Fisher’s romantic debts far outweighed any possibilities of espionage or conspiracy.
In response, Raphael sneered and said while looking outside,
“Since that’s the case, let’s go out and see what this far-from-home ‘wife’ has to instruct us.”
Jasmine nodded, clearly in agreement,
“I’ll go with you, Raphael. Fisher teacher should go with us too!”
“.”
Fisher helplessly nodded, unable to refuse.
Meanwhile, Mill clearly shared Fisher’s sentiments, sensing the all-out mode of firepower between them switching off from each other.
However, she did not possess Fisher’s capacity to handle the psychological burden; she only felt that this place was terribly intimidating and wanted to leave, even for just a second.
Thus, she could only force a smile and say,
“I… I won’t go.”
“Wow! Wow!”
At that moment, it was a bright sunny day in the Southern Continent, with the wind swirling in the sky, on the land, and on the sea, causing the military flags of the Red Dragon Court not far from the coast to sway violently, continuously shaking like waves, showcasing the noise of the coast at that moment.
For the Red Dragon Court, which had yet to face war, today was indeed a raucous day.
Fisher followed Raphael and Jasmine to the coastal area where the incident had occurred, and that Shivali ship, which even Fisher found puzzling, was not docked on the southern shore of the continent but northeast of the Red Dragon Court, closer to the north.
Thus, it was quite reasonable for Fisher to suspect that the ship came from the north.
From the earlier Blessing Tower to here, even by carriage, it would take nearly an hour, so Mill’s absence was justified, while Fisher and the others, owing to their higher ranks, could reach the scene faster.
The defensive line of the Dragon Court at sea primarily relied on artillery, and Fisher suspected it was likely acquired from previous battles with human city lords. The rest of the defense seemed quite stringent, as Jasmine explained that further north, close to the position of the Dragon Court’s army, there were not too many defensive facilities set up to conserve resources. In contrast, the defenses in Twilight Valley in the south were much more complete.
“Your Majesty.”
“High Priestess.”
When Raphael and Jasmine arrived, the soldiers responsible for this matter, who had already reported the news to the Blessing Tower, had been waiting for some time. After saluting, their gazes involuntarily shifted towards the figure behind them, cloaked in a heavy mantle that obscured her shape.
They did not ask further, while Raphael countered with a question,
“Where is the human from that ship?”
“In the tent ahead; they have been temporarily detained by us.”
“Good, you can go; we’ll handle it from here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the subhuman soldiers left, Raphael couldn’t help but gaze at a small red boat on the distant sea, already tied with ropes, which seemed to be the mode of transport used by the guests in the tent.
Then she exchanged a glance with Jasmine before stepping forward to lift the curtain of the tent standing on the shore.
“Swish~”
What came into view first was the bright light reflecting off various treasure pieces illuminated by sunlight, causing Raphael to squint as she looked towards the jewelry adorned with distinctive Shivali craftsmanship inside the tent.
These ornaments showed no traces of magic; they appeared to be the simplest kind of wealth.
The considerable value of the items formed the first impression Raphael and Jasmine had of the person they were about to meet. However, since they had not yet seen the main character, they lifted their heads to look ahead simultaneously.
Soon, they spotted a graceful, elegant figure sitting among the pile of treasures. In front of that figure stood two women of nearly the same height, dressed in traditional black-and-white maid outfits, showing little expression. Upon seeing Raphael and Jasmine at the tent’s entrance, they slightly placed their hands on their bellies, displaying considerable courtesy.
The lady they were protecting wore a pure white gauzy dress and had a mini Shivali lady’s hat on her head, with a vividly carved small snake on the brim, appearing quite exquisite.
Hearing the sound of the tent flap being drawn up, the lady’s body shivered slightly. Then, through the scrutinizing gaze of Raphael and Jasmine, she slowly turned her head to look at them.
It turned out she was a lady with long red hair, whose beauty was exquisite, lightly made up but not overly so. She looked somewhat flustered, a bit wronged, and at a loss. The corners of her eyes were slightly reddened, and her gaze softened with tears, and upon seeing that the visitors were two subhumans, she instantly recoiled her gaze in fright.
That delicate, teary-eyed appearance made her look like a noble lady who had suffered grievances. Just witnessing that face full of stories made both Raphael and Jasmine think of countless corresponding tales.
Their expressions simultaneously darkening, the terrifying aura of the two combined was enough to make the delicate Shivali lady tremble, retracting her timid gaze.
“Fisher, come see your good wife.”
“Yes, Fisher teacher.”
“?”
Raphael and Jasmine both turned back with expressionless faces to look at Fisher, who was last to enter. Fisher was equally bewildered, but curiosity overcame his desire to survive. He steeled himself and walked into the tent, wanting to see who the visitor really was.
Once inside, the noble lady who had just retracted her gaze noticed him again, and their eyes met perfectly, just as Fisher was removing his mantle.
Fisher’s complexion changed, and he couldn’t help but exclaim,
“Ingrid?! What are you doing here?”
Indeed, the youthful Shivali lady before him was none other than Ingrid, the young reporter from the Giant Serpent Newspaper whom he had parted ways with just days ago—oh, no, it should be the intern reporter.
However, compared to her previous appearance and temperament, Ingrid’s sudden transformation left Fisher momentarily speechless.
In her pure white dress, the once meek expression on her face, which seemed to drift like a floating water plant, became more sorrowful upon seeing Fisher, intensifying the pink around her eyes.
Pouting, she stood up amidst Fisher’s astonished gaze, then, while shedding tears, rushed toward him without a care for anything,
“Honey!! How could you just leave me like this? How could you be so heartless?!”
“？？？？？”
Feeling the soft, weeping body collide into his arms, Fisher experienced a shock like never before; the impact was so terrifying that it nearly shattered his Mythical Rank’s characteristic of ‘body and soul as one’.
This kind of shock could hardly be termed an impact. It was almost a “once-in-a-millennium upheaval!”
Once upon a time, there might have been greedy gentlemen like Fisher, who had fervent fantasies of having a beautiful wife descending from the heavens like Ingrid now, willing to embrace him. If this heavenly wife happened to be a “woman of means,” it would be perfect.
Now, before Fisher stood the “wife” who had fallen from the sky, alongside the “woman of means” next to her, which should have been two immensely joyful things. However, why was he not the slightest bit happy at that moment?
It was simply because, at that time, he had believed he was “sufficiently” prepared for whatever might occur, both psychologically and objectively, before returning from the Holy Realm.
Perhaps he had clung to such thoughts of being prepared ever since he sought to enter the Mythical Rank, even risking the encroachment of chaos to achieve that rank in order to cope with the various situations that might arise in the future.
He had indeed entered the Mythical Rank, but why did the situation come as such an unexpected surprise, even utterly absurd?
He couldn’t help but question,
“Hu hu hu!”
Outside the tent, at the hottest noon of the day, the swift winds rolled through the heavens and earth, racing joyfully along the shore and sea, lifting numerous flags with near-deafening sounds.
Yes, today, the Red Dragon Court was indeed…
Extraordinarily lively.
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(End of this chapter)
