Chapter 555: A Little Sweet
Fisher followed Renee forward and soon arrived at a blue pool of water on the small island.
He and the Emhart in his arms looked down, only to find that the pool was deep and wide, just an entrance to the enormous space below.
Through this small “eye,” Fisher could clearly see that the depths of the water seemed like a forest hidden by a mother goddess, quietly concealed in this remote place like Eden. The underwater forest was full of life, with countless rare species of trees, many of which Fisher had never even seen, let alone recognized.
“Looks beautiful, doesn’t it, especially on a night like this?”
“…”
Fisher nodded, turning to Renee and intended to say something, but he noticed that her black dress had vanished at some point, replaced by a pure black swimsuit. The swimsuit, made of an unknown soft material, was enveloped in black gauze, floating like clouds, and with the sea breeze and the glow of the blue pool water, it accentuated her already stunning figure even more.
The black gauze covered much, reminiscent of the austere meaning that surrounded Cardu. Yet, the gauze was hazy, revealing a hint of pale skin that, although indistinct, made the temptation all the more deadly.
A waft of fragrance spread out, and even someone like Fisher found himself momentarily speechless, instinctively covering Emhart’s eyes in his arms, wanting to monopolize the beauty before him, which made Emhart indignantly chatter,
“Your mom, Fisher! I told you I didn’t want to come with you! I’m just a holy artifact, with no genders, do you think I’m as eager as you?!”
“Sorry, I just worried she might scare you with her beauty.”
“Your mom!”
While saying this, Fisher was still staring at Renee, so his tone might have seemed a bit dismissive.
Renee glared at Fisher reproachfully, then blushed as she looked at her attire and said, “Over the years, Nali has seen many interesting outfits. I suppose this counts as one? Many noble ladies no longer like those cumbersome swimsuits, so they pursue individuality in this regard.”
“Isn’t it similar to the previous black stockings?”
“Oh, Mr. Fugitive of Nali has quite a strange impression of Nali.”
“Isn’t it because someone kept flaunting her outfits in front of me?”
“Oh, you remember that? Back then, you seemed unfazed. If you ask nicely, I might wear it for you, just wait a moment~”
“I remember everything about you.”
Just moments ago, Renee was teasing Fisher playfully, but now her face turned a shade of pink, and the hint of wickedness instantly faded. Out of helplessness, she angrily pointed her finger like a pistol, ready to shoot the wicked man in front of her.
“So, does your wearing this swimsuit mean we’re going down? Where is below? I see many strange trees.”
“Well, you should know that every elf’s name originally represents a type of tree?”
“I know that, so…”
Renee floated to the pool’s edge and looked back at Fisher with some reminiscence, “Actually, my previous incarnation participated in the Second Life War, commonly referred to as the Mythical War. Of course, there was a First Mythical War, during which the World Tree, losing its Loom, died. Although I don’t know the details, it probably has to do with Feima Baharon and chaos, as the Tree Continent lost faith and buried her corpse in the center, marking this place as a grave.
“With the later occurrence of the Mythical War, more and more elves perished without rebirth. They were all buried here by their kin. Until finally, their entire race perished, with the exception of those elves whose kin did not assist in handling their graves, and the rest, including their mothers, lay here. Perhaps it was the pity of the two siblings of the World Tree, or perhaps it was merely coincidence, but this place remained as the ‘grave’ of the Tree Continent.”
Looking at the world engulfed by blue below, Fisher was momentarily speechless, while Emhart widened his dead fish eyes and said,
“So you two are going to swim in someone else’s ancestral grave? I want to go too, I’ve long had a bone to pick with that group of elves.”
Fisher cast a glance at him and said, “You’ve never even seen them, haven’t you always been in Archangel Gabriel’s presence?”
“That’s true, I won’t go.”
Renee stifled a laugh and explained to Emhart, “Elves originally do not have the concept of death; they will be reborn after dying. So, for them, a grave is not something to be taboo about. Whether it is rebirth or complete death, they believe it is an entrance to the next journey. They leave everything behind and amidst the war, it has survived, so of course, they do not wish for others to disturb them.”
Then she turned to Fisher and said, “Come on, let’s go down and take a look. If we can discover something, that would certainly be good; if not… let’s consider it a reward.”
“Reward?”
“Swimming with a sister like me—doesn’t that count as a reward?”
She winked mischievously, then, with her hands behind her back, tilted back as if losing strength, and with a splash, she fell into the blue pool, slowly sinking down.
Fisher didn’t take off his robe; after all, he’d be swimming nude if he did. Just as he was about to enter the water, Emhart flew out, saying,
“You two go ahead; I want to stroll around outside.”
“Are you sure?”
“No matter how great I am, I hate getting wet! Don’t you remember the storm in the Northern Region of Sardinia? I almost vomited everything I remembered! I don’t want to go through that again!”
Before Fisher could respond, Emhart flew away towards the distant mountains, saying, “More importantly, I don’t want to see you two playing in the water! Hmph, I think I smell something nice from above; I’m going to check it out right now!”
Fisher could only smile helplessly. The original reason he brought Emhart along was to enjoy the moonlight together because he believed that Renee’s shyness would prevent her from engaging in inappropriate activities. Plus, it wasn’t right to abandon Emhart every critical moment.
He chose not to think too much about it and sank into the water as well.
With a splash, he descended into the vast blue world beneath the surface.
He had obtained the ability to breathe underwater from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, combined with several enhancements, rank upgrades, and the power of the Life Completion Manual; entering the water now was like returning home. Even if he went to Jasmine’s hometown, he probably wouldn’t face much trouble—if one didn’t consider her mother and father.
“Fisher, over here.”
Underwater, Renee’s voice was unaffected, still crystal clear.
Following her voice, Fisher saw her looking back at him from below. Her long black hair spread out, and her graceful figure floated as she slowly sank into the forest.
He hurriedly followed and soon reached her side.
Just as Renee said, the differently shaped trees below represented each departed elf.
Among the trees, there were occasional pavilions and corridors, but perhaps due to some impact, they had become fragmented. Only each tree remained intact, and in front of each tree stood a stone tablet, either whole or broken, with brief inscriptions, perhaps due to the elves reincarnating, they could not precisely articulate their past.
“Pear, as solid as a rock.”
“…”
Following Renee’s figure, Fisher could only read the trees he passed and their inscriptions.
Until he reached a lush and seemingly robust tree, he paused swimming,
“Cypress, like flower and fire.”
This was Lord Bai’s grave.
Fisher recalled the elf who had caused Gouwen so much trouble within Duke of Peach’s barrier, but at this moment, all that remained before him was the tree symbolizing her.
“Do you know this elf?”
“Ah, I’ve seen her once.”
“Is that so? In that case, let’s swim a bit faster.”
“So sudden?”
“Because I don’t want you, idiot, to feel emotional over someone’s grave you’re acquainted with. This is a date; you should be happier.”
“Do I seem that fragile and childish?”
“If you don’t cherish this, it’s a good opportunity to act coy before your sister.”
Fisher smiled slightly, yet still complied and moved away from the tombstones.
He finally glided past an enormous tree, in front of which was inscribed,
“Chuan, a mirror image of illusion.”
The subsequent path widened, and at the end of the forest, they passed through a massive “Supreme Gate” made of three types of wood. Renee and Fisher arrived at the cemetery’s end, which was surrounded by non-corroded painted stone walls, appearing particularly solemn and majestic.
On the stone wall was engraved a poem written in elven script, but to Fisher’s surprise, there were only two trees yet three stone tablets.
Fisher glanced around and told Renee,
“There are only the trees of the Elf King G and Ch here, but there is no tree for Peach.”
“I’m not too sure either, but the Ch you mentioned is right here, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Fisher looked at the empty stone tablet placed between the two trees and inferred that it was where the Duke of Peach’s tree should have been.
But since there was nothing here, it could indicate that the Duke of Peach fought until the very last moment in the war, and after her demise, no elf remained to erect a tablet or plant a tree for her.
That said, since Ch’s tree is here, did the elves confirm she has perished?
Hela mentioned that Ch sacrificed herself after fulfilling a prophecy, which corroborates what she said; because back then, the elves merely thought Ch was missing, not certain she had died.
“What does it say here?”
“G, her merits will not be in vain.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that certain things she did will definitely bear fruit.”
Renee bit her lip and looked at Fisher, asking, “Did you gain any clues about her and me?”
Fisher didn’t answer, only gazed at the surrounding verses, hoping to find related clues. But, like the “Three Sons,” these verses still told a story, chronicling a segment of history.
It recounted in calm yet profoundly sorrowful language:
“The roots of the mother were stolen by great dragons, losing the Loom and betrayed by her brothers; she cannot see, this is all a reincarnation.”
“Thousands of years ago, our king was tempted by a Trans; thousands of years later, our mother was plotted against by a Trans.”
“They come from a place beyond the world, they are the same humans, using the same script, appearing very similar.”
“One ignited the authority of death, another turned into the tumor of life.”
“Why write poetry?”
“Because our mother died from the chaos’s tumor, and the tumor recites chaotic verses.”
“He said: Traveler, where exactly are you going? He doesn’t want to reach the mountaintop!”
“He only wants to return to the foot of the mountain, waking up from an endless nightmare; is there no other way but death?”
“We don’t know the answer either, merely feeling confused and angry.”
“Why take our mother away? Why force us into the same nightmare? Why open the cycle of suffering?”
“We don’t know the answer.”
Splash!
Under the night sky, Renee was the first to leap from the blue pool, followed closely by Fisher.
This trip didn’t take long at all; they quickly returned to the surface. The pieces of information they gathered down there were, of course, quite valuable. However, concerning Renee or Ch, the only content was that “her merits will not be in vain”; the rest was historical records, which Renee had already seen, while Fisher just kept this in mind.
What did “her merits will not be in vain” refer to? Fisher wasn’t certain, but subconsciously he felt this was related to what Hela mentioned about “sacrifice.”
Could this also indicate that what Hela said about Ch was true?
Back on the surface, Fisher didn’t feel tired at all, but Renee, after flying from the Dragon Court here and then diving into the water, seemed a bit weary, panting slightly as she looked at Fisher and asked,
“Where’s that little guy? Didn’t he come down with you?”
“Emhart? He went to wander nearby; he didn’t want to go underwater.”
“I see.”
Fisher glanced at her rising chest and couldn’t help but ask,
“Tired?”
“A bit. This body is a manifestation of my authority, but to limit its influence on reality, the rank is quite low, like an ordinary sorceress.”
As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Fisher with a pitiable expression, panicking, “Oh no, don’t tell me that the bad Fisher at the mythical rank is going to do something to this utterly defenseless sister? I’m so scared, what should I do? Help! Help!”
Her exaggerated cries echoed out into the quiet sea, but no one replied, leaving Fisher with a strained expression, wanting to teach this teasing Renee a lesson.
But when the time came, she would surely panic and flee.
“I thought it was related to your Hart Bird; this time you came back, and I didn’t see them.”
Renee paused slightly, then smiled, saying, “This time I returned in a hurry, and the Hart Bird was merely my disguise. They can exist or not. I won’t bother to bring back so many larks sneaking around anymore. That way, you won’t discover me when you do bad things, how about that?”
“What bad things could I do?”
“Hehehe, what about that Dragon Queen from the Dragon Court? What is she doing now?”
“…She’s working.”
But then, Fisher suddenly realized that he seemed to have seen Jasmine while Rafael was busy handling various matters in the Dragon Court, and then he took advantage of the time spent dealing with several Demon Attendants to see Hela. Now, again under the moonlight, he was meeting with Renee.
In a single day, by just briefly working short time, Fisher had extremely efficiently utilized every moment. This was truly…
“So, is my little sister working? Wouldn’t it upset her if she sneaks out to play with you at night? It wouldn’t, would it?”
“Renee…”
Fisher felt a headache coming on, wanting to stop the mischievous Renee, but she just stuck out her tongue, appearing jealous.
It had to be said that her jealousy was quite perplexing.
“Hmph, no matter what, the first person you saw upon your return was her; I’ve been waiting for you to come back all this time.”
Fisher couldn’t help but chuckle, asking, “Didn’t you say not to mention other women?”
Renee’s pout momentarily froze, and then she flew to Fisher’s side, punching his shoulder repeatedly while insistently saying, “I said I said I said, you’re not allowed to say it!”
“…”
Fisher quickly caught her little fist and pulled her into his arms, wetly collapsing onto the ground beside the pool.
Splash.
At this moment, their eyes met at close range, and she blushed, her breathing nearly halted. Yet, she didn’t escape or vanish; instead, she stared wide-eyed at Fisher in front of her.
He looked straight at the woman before him and couldn’t help but ask, “In that case, how should I compensate you?”
“Compensate?”
Renee regained a bit of composure, her face flushed as she thought for a while before murmuring once more, “Then just kiss me again.”
“What?”
Fisher didn’t expect such a request and even doubted whether he had misheard; he couldn’t believe the request could be so simple.
But Renee glared at him and whispered, “Not the previous one. I… I want to try kissing you… You can’t move, not even a bit.”
“Can’t I move?”
“Mm!”
Fisher was stunned, but looking at the flustered yet determined Renee, he finally laid back on the ground, adopting a sacrificing look, “Okay, you can go ahead.”
“Then… here I come?”
Fisher remained still, watching her as she began to inch forward, only to be startled back by his gaze.
She quickly reached out, closing Fisher’s eyes with her small hands, trembling slightly as she said, “You have to close your eyes first!”
“I really have to close my eyes?”
“Good boy, listen to your sister.”
Fisher had to obediently close his eyes. But he had to admit, originally watching her panic felt amusing, yet now that he had his eyes closed, not knowing what was about to happen made his heart race, as if experiencing the same panic as Renee.
Renee did not put her weight on him, so light as a feather. Nonetheless, he could feel a sweet fragrance drawing closer.
Just when he was tantalized and unable to move by that tangible fragrance, in the next moment, a cool, restrained, timid touch, akin to a dragonfly skimming the water, unexpectedly landed on his lips.
At that moment, all sounds fell silent.
Perhaps Renee had also closed her eyes, just like him. She might have been just as flustered, clearly holding a divine rank yet touching him with such an ordinary form.
It might not even be a touch of the flesh but a touch of the soul.
It was just a kiss, merely a kiss.
He should have kissed her cheek instead, then he could see her expression right now.
Fisher thought to himself but momentarily forgot to open his eyes, simply immersed in that fleeting kiss.
Moments later, she suddenly hurriedly retreated, leaving a lingering hint of fragrance.
Fisher stared blankly, waking from a deep slumber as he opened his hazy eyes.
Before him, she, dressed in a black gauze swimsuit, covered her face with her hands, revealing only her panicked eyes with traces of water and her pink earlobes as she looked at Fisher below her.
He was mesmerized and foolishly asked, “How was it?”
Renee pressed her pale fingers even tighter against her face, took a deep breath, then blinked her wine-like eyes, tilting her head in an adorable daze as she said, “A little… sweet?”
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