Chapter 566: 44. Frustration
The testimony of the troll elder Daliwu next to her was like a thunderbolt, shattering Alagina’s soul completely.
Even if she had faced countless difficulties before, like Elizabeth and Renee competing with her, she had never felt anything. Although she was frustrated by the situation, everything had not been finalized yet, and she still believed there was a chance.
But now, a woman who had actually been married to Fisher stood right in front of her. As a native of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the shock she felt was unprecedented.
The Ice Mountain Queen Alagina froze in place, her companions beside her showing various expressions.
Paz was momentarily taken aback, also dumbfounded.
In fact, from Paz’s perspective as a legitimate citizen of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the union between their women and the Nali people did seem strange. The male and female representatives of both sides had gradually converged under the influence of bloodlines and culture, both being very strong-willed. However, Paz felt that Alagina and Fisher did not share this issue.
It was similar to her relationship with Old Jack; though Old Jack was a member of the Nali people, Paz did not see the shortcomings commonly criticized in the Nali. He was not sentimental at all, very stable, responsible, and kind.
As for her own captain, although she was a Sardinian, her character was very gentle, and in interactions between men and women, she did not appear confrontational. On the contrary, she was very understanding, truly a rare good woman.
While that Fisher had some abilities, there was one thing that made Paz very worried; that guy had too many romantic entanglements, and her captain could easily find herself unawarely entangled in a field of jealousy.
Because of this, Paz had often discussed this matter with Alagina.
As her elder and mentor, Paz had always advised Alagina to give up on Fisher regarding matters of lifelong importance, as she did not want Alagina to fall into the emotional trap of that bad man.
But she didn’t know if it was because those who lacked something tended to desire it more, but a woman like Alagina, who was content and introverted, surprisingly had her heart set on a dangerous bad man like Fisher, determined to be tied to him, even keeping the paper airplane he had gifted her that read “My Queen.”
Paz was left with no choice. After all, matters of the heart could not be persuaded. However, clearly, just a moment ago, Alagina had happily told Paz that four and a half years ago, Fisher, despite leaving the Northern Region in poor health, had come to the Pirate’s Haven to meet her and Old Jack, which had deeply moved her.
Paz had thought to herself at that time, this Nali boy Fisher at least had some conscience, not letting down Captain Alagina’s sincere feelings. Over the years, although Fisher had disappeared, she had stopped urging Alagina to give up on him.
Who would have expected that after going through a whole series of rotten events and dangers, upon reaching the Frost Parasol Tree on Sema Snow Mountain, they would find out that Fisher had already married the girl from the Turan family before he left the Northern Territory to find Alagina!!
Married!!
The nature of this matter was self-evident for Sardinia and many kingdoms in the Western Continent. Even for the Nali, who often engaged in family and social ethics dramas, the impact of marriage was taken seriously. Not to mention the extremely traditional and devout Northern region and the kingdoms of Cardu.
Paz’s wrinkled skin trembled with rage. She glanced at Alagina, who was completely stiff beside her, feeling a mixture of sympathy and anger.
But unexpectedly, the one more agitated than Alagina was the astonished Isabelle beside her.
This little Nali princess, like a small leopard, slammed her hand on the table and said in disbelief, “Married. This… this is impossible! Teacher Fisher would never marry you; he clearly…”
Everyone’s attention turned to Isabelle, with Alagina’s expression even more pronounced. Now with her mind in a muddle, she even thought that Isabelle wanted to insert herself into this battlefield of emotions, but clearly, it was not that Isabelle had a close relationship with Fisher; in her eyes, Fisher was merely her familiar teacher and senior.
What truly excited her was the fact that her sister, Elizabeth.
As Elizabeth’s most beloved younger sister, Isabelle had known for a long time about her sister’s feelings for Fisher and their mutual regard. After all, ever since Elizabeth met Fisher, loved him, and then temporarily separated, their connection had never been completely severed. Their relationship was ambiguous, and even Nali society knew that Fisher belonged to Princess Elizabeth, so no woman dared to pursue him.
And now, you tell Isabelle that Fisher has really married another woman besides her sister?
This was truly…
No, Teacher Fisher would never do such a thing. And if sister were to find out about this, I’m afraid…
In response to Isabelle’s words, Valentina smiled slightly, just about to say something to reaffirm this undeniable fact when the enormous Giant Slime King beside her shrugged and said with a smile, “I completely understand your confusion; after all, you were not here at the time. But unfortunately, Mr. Fisher’s engagement to Miss Valentina is real. The six races follow the decree of the Moon Princess: Only after Fisher and Valentina completed the holy marriage and established their spousal relationship could the mark be bestowed upon them. All the leaders of our six races can verify this. So, Captain Alagina, their marriage is not to be doubted.”
Valentina nodded and looked at the dazed Isabelle. Just then, a mocking voice from Duke of Peach came from beside her, “What are you nodding at, you little fish phoenix? You got played by this slime and are still grinning foolishly.”
“But the Chief Barrian is testifying for me and Fisher’s marriage, right?”
Valentina was startled by the voice of Peach in her mind and asked doubtfully.
The Duke of Peach scoffed and said, “The young fish think too simply. He is indeed helping you prove your marriage to Fisher, but he is also silently mentioning the truth and reasons behind your marriage to them. They have every reason to believe that Fisher married you because he was compelled by your ancestor’s decree, not out of mutual love.”
“!”
Yes, Valentina realized this fact. After all, she was still too young; before falling asleep, she had just come of age, how could she understand the deep meaning behind the words of the thousand-year-old Slime elder?
But even after realizing this, she did not voice it, instead glancing at the smiling Barrian with her mind racing.
“So, Chief Barrian wants to keep Captain Alagina and the others, so he left some leeway?”
“To my surprise, you little fish phoenix aren’t too stupid. You’re right; it must be because that hybrid troll can provide them with something they are interested in. Although emotions affect many decisions, this is ultimately your business with her and your dead husband; these fish subhumans have no way to meddle and don’t want to. But clearly, they do not want your private matters to affect everyone’s interests, even if you are their nominal leader and the phoenix they worship.”
“.”
“Heh, if your power were strong enough, perhaps you wouldn’t need them and could do whatever you wanted. But for now, your rank isn’t high, chaos is strong, and my state is still far from recovered. Plus, adding another weak force will certainly make things difficult for you.”
“.”
The calm words of Duke of Peach taught the young Valentina things she had never learned. Her previous team had very few members, most of whom had a good relationship with her. But now, her followers formed a larger and more complex organizational structure; she could not get as close to each individual and interest group as she did with past team members, which would inevitably determine a management approach entirely different from before.
Valentina didn’t respond to the Duke of Peach internally; she just looked over at Alagina, having only a few seconds pass in reality, causing Valentina to catch her change in expression.
Sure enough, her previously stiff expression, like being struck by lightning, brightened a little as if she had grasped some hope. She clutched the bandaged hand that was wrapped and looked seriously at Valentina, saying, “Fisher married Miss Valentina to be able to enter the Parasol Tree, right?”
Barrian patted his belly, looking somewhat troubled. He caught a glimpse of Valentina with the corner of his eye, seemingly not wanting to let the phoenix feel too distressed, and was about to add more words, but unexpectedly, Valentina suddenly smiled and spoke.
“Indeed, Captain Alagina. Although I cannot temporarily prove how good my relationship with my husband is, since the wedding has taken place, please respect my role as Fisher’s wife. By the way, I must thank you, Captain Alagina. Just now, you saved me; if it weren’t for you, I might have fallen into the tree roots of the World Tree and lost my life. Allow me to express my sincerest gratitude on behalf of the Parasol Tree.”
Valentina only reiterated her status as “wife,” but she did not say anything further or even ask about the events before and after Alagina and Fisher.
It was as if she momentarily tossed this matter aside and stepped forward with a smile, enthusiastically extending her hand to Alagina.
Barrian, sucking on a pacifier, glanced at Valentina, exchanged a brief smile with Daliwu beside him, and tacitly chose not to speak anymore, behaving like the most devoted guardian under the phoenix.
Meanwhile, Alagina stared at Valentina’s outstretched hand, feeling a bit stuck in a dilemma.
The phoenix before her seemed to generously set aside the issue for the time being, returning to the main topic, even expressing gratitude for her help.
Alagina didn’t doubt that with this relationship, she and her sisters would definitely be able to stay in the Frost Parasol Tree, no longer having to face the hardships of evading the Nali pursuit.
But she might still feel discomfort because of Valentina’s stance as “wife,” which was presented so confidently and nonchalantly, as if feeling that she could not shake the feelings between her and Fisher at all, therefore displaying such indifference.
As Valentina, the controlling phoenix of the Parasol Tree, she was the master here, able to dictate the destiny of herself and her sisters, the disparity in status making it hard for Alagina to breathe.
She could very well continue to refute Valentina in front of her and vent the resentment of having her beloved taken away, but with so many people standing beside and behind her, as captain, she had to consider them.
Beside, Paz crossed her arms, watching Valentina extend her hand, internally mumbling that it would have been better to let this phoenix fall into the roots of the World Tree; after all, a phoenix that would snatch men from their captain definitely was not the phoenix they worshipped in legends.
While Isabelle, on the other side, looked at the hesitant Alagina, sensing her conflicted feelings. She glanced at the silently observing Aoxi beside her, preparing to say something, but Alagina had already lifted her hand, extending her other hand, which was not wrapped in bandages, and gently shook Valentina’s outstretched hand.
She stared expressionlessly at Valentina, saying, “No need to thank you, Miss Valentina.”
“.”
Valentina smiled slightly but did not speak, while Barrian behind applauded, producing the sound of clapping. “Good, Miss Alagina is still our esteemed guest of the Frost Parasol Tree. I, Slime race leader Barrian, guarantee in the future you will definitely not be attacked by enemies. I hope we can collaborate properly in the future and let the names of the Parasol Tree and Phoenix resound once more in the Northern Region.”
As he spoke, he turned to the tribe leader of the Snow Fox, Dar. “Dar, could you arrange a residence for our esteemed guest? Miss Valentina has just awakened, and we still have matters to report to her.”
Dar, who had sat at a newly added table, was small in stature, resembling a real fox, so even getting down from the chair was somewhat laborious.
He turned around and climbed down from the chair, then glanced at Alagina, who had released Valentina’s hand. A hint of red and black scent wafted from her, momentarily stopping Dar’s movements.
But he still steeled himself and approached Alagina and her companions, saying, “Captain Alagina, please come with me. I’ll take you to the resting place.”
Valentina smiled slightly, spreading her wings and slowly flying to the massive throne, her gaze fixated on the Phoenix King’s sword that no one could use, leaving Alagina with only a view of her back.
She took a deep look at Valentina but found herself powerless, merely gathering devices from the table and then following Dar out of the council hall.
“Damn it, I’m so angry!”
Due to their large number, Dar arranged a lot of spacious rooms for them. Fortunately, the Frost Parasol Tree was so large that even with the remaining personnel of the six races accommodated, there was still plenty of extra space unused. It was hard to imagine what it had looked like in its heyday.
The others all went to rest, and Alagina returned to her room with Paz, who clutched several devices in her arms. As soon as they entered, Paz didn’t close the door before she angrily threw the devices onto a nearby blanket and glared furiously at the empty corridor behind her, saying, “Those guys are too much! They’ve literally stolen away our men right in front of us! That damn Valentina, we’ve seen her—she didn’t even know Fisher back then. Yet as soon as we separated in the Northern Region, it’s like she ignited that dry wood, marrying him so quickly!”
Alagina sat on her soft bed, silently gazing at her right hand wrapped in bandages from the frostbite she sustained from using the Ice Prince’s sword to rescue Valentina.
“If you ask me, Alagina, that Fisher Benavides isn’t a good man at all! He is a complete Nali scumbag! He has no sense of loyalty, doing this every day. How can he deserve you? You’re willing to give him everything, as if you need to show your heart to him. And he? He’s got one phoenix here, another empress there, what does he want?! He looks down on you, looks down on us!”
Alagina’s hand, bound in bandages, trembled stiffly for a moment before she said, “. He is not that kind of person. There must be a reason why he wed Valentina; I want to believe that he was left with no choice. You heard what that slime said; without the holy marriage, he couldn’t receive the mark and would not be able to enter the Parasol Tree to ultimately resolve the curse.”
“Oh thank goodness, so he has a reason? Does he have the burden of his father? Still, he has a reason to end up in that phoenix’s bed? Looking from outside the kingdom, Valentina is so beautiful. Do you think he didn’t enjoy being with her? I bet he was laughing so hard, Alagina, do you even know what being a couple means?!”
“I… do have a couple’s relationship with him, and I believe he won’t let me down.”
“.”
Paz’s expression was in anguish, her face turning red from suffocation.
Her captain was indeed wonderful in many ways, yet in matters of the heart, she was too pure, too naive, too stubborn.
So when they first met at Saint Nali, the crew worried she might be deceived by the bad man, fearing she would lose both her money and love, along with unwanted burdens.
Sure enough, it now seemed prophetic; her captain was nearly deceived by that man.
Though from the point of view of the kingdom’s traditions, she had indeed secured a piece of Fisher, so it could not be said that she was at a loss. But Alagina took her feelings seriously, and such matters were not about gain or loss; they were a testament to their relationship.
Now, it felt like she was bewitched by that Nali man; she thought of the consequences while small fries were already riding on her face, fearing there might be a small four, five, or six later on.
My dear heavens, what can I do!?
“Alagina, I beg you to be a little more clear-headed. I…”
Paz looked back at the open door, then walked forward to close and lock it before turning back to continue, “I mean it, if it weren’t for Fisher, we wouldn’t be in this situation at all. We were enjoying ourselves on the sea, our lives although not comfortable were at least better than now, right? He brought Isabelle on board, and she is Elizabeth’s darling, like a hot potato thrown back at us. Meanwhile, he’s off gallivanting while we are being hunted by the Nali, and now we’re stuck here in the Parasol Tree facing this crap, I can hardly believe it…”
Alagina merely raised her gaze to Paz and softly replied, “What about Old Jack? If Fisher hadn’t brought him aboard, you wouldn’t have come to know someone worth entrusting your life to, right?”
Paz opened her mouth slightly, her expression still pausing momentarily, her words trembling, “That…”
“Paladin, you should know better than I that there’s no turning back. If there’s regret or guilt, it should be my fault. Blame me for being reckless back then and killing that woman (her mother), bringing you all away from our homeland; blame me for meeting Fisher and letting Isabelle stay on the ship, leading to Nali pursuing us and our allies betraying us.”
“Captain, you are not to blame for what happened back then.”
“Maybe that’s true, but people have feelings. I feel for all of you, for Isabelle, who has now become part of us, and for Fisher. If it were not for you all, perhaps I wouldn’t have had the courage to oppose that woman and escape my tragic fate; without Fisher, I wouldn’t have a goal to strive towards, and you wouldn’t have met Old Jack, and we wouldn’t have a reliable partner like Isabelle.”
“I just worry, Alagina. You have deep feelings for him, but he might be selfish to the point of not wanting to return even a little of that affection. It’s just like gambling, wagering your happiness for the rest of your life; I’m concerned about this.”
“Then let me gamble, just this once; I’m already at the table, am I not?”
“. Oh my dear heavens, I can’t even respond.”
Paz sighed, then stood up, walking around the room a few times before giving in and saying, “Fine, fine, just don’t let me catch that man; if I do, I will…”
“Okay, let’s rest, Paz.”
Paz glanced at Alagina, who was sitting on the bed and not speaking anymore, then heavily sighed again before unlocking the door, pushing it open, and walking out.
“Creak.”
The door slowly closed, leaving silence in the room for Alagina. She remained expressionless for a moment, then reached into her humble robe with the hand wrapped in bandages and took out a folded paper airplane.
Written on it was: “My Queen.”
“.”
She silently gazed at the paper airplane for a long time before slowly tucking it back into her bosom.
Then, as if realizing she truly had nothing else to do, she slowly dragged her currently somewhat heavy body to stand up.
She might indeed not be strong enough, not excellent enough; compared to looking for Fisher and her fate, Alagina was honestly more inclined to place the problems on herself.
However, even knowing she wasn’t strong enough, knowing she was inferior to Elizabeth the Empress, to Renee, to Valentina, so what?
Could she strengthen her influence? Could she surpass the currently flourishing Nali, or the Snow Frost Parasol Tree in which they were hiding? But she was alone, without anyone besides a group of trustworthy, dependent sisters.
Could she enhance her rank and abilities? But ranks were set in stone from birth; even if she were of hybrid troll descent, stronger than most ordinary people, what could she do in the face of phoenixes and trolls?
For over four and a half years, aside from the later futile struggles, at the start, she had constantly been trying.
Establishing her base and influence in the Pirate’s Haven, finding various relics and treasures, but all her efforts had been burnt to ashes in the betrayal of the Black Chieftain.
She had no background and, relying solely on her efforts, could achieve nothing?
Perhaps she had done better than many others, or even much better, but looking upward, she was still faced with an insurmountable chasm.
Silently, she began to collect the relics that had been angrily thrown down earlier. These were all found by Isabelle in the Storm Sea; she was very proficient at finding things. At that time, those relics from the Black Chieftain were all retrieved with her help.
But the truly valuable items, the ones that were still intact, she had not taken out; they had remained on the Iceberg Queen and were brought here with them.
Alagina judged that the value of these seemingly intact relics was certainly immense, not only in monetary terms but in many other ways as well. So even when the Iceberg Queen sank, she did not abandon the dozens of machines retrieved from the Storm Sea.
However, after studying for such a long time, they still had not discovered what these things were useful for; they seemed like glowing scrap metal.
Just earlier, she had shown them to others within the Parasol Tree, but they had come up with no conclusion.
So, were these things useless?
While tidying up, Alagina reflected on her predicament; though her face showed no emotion, she appeared fragile and helpless.
“Click, click.”
“Buzz, buzz, buzz.”
But just as she was organizing the relics, Alagina suddenly noticed that one of the devices roughly thrown on the ground by Paz started to flicker intermittently with unnatural light, accompanied by faint sounds.
Did this device make a sound?
“Buzz, buzz, buzz. Effective location reached. Can execute jump escape plan, start?”
“What… is this?”
“Detected unfamiliar language, translation function activated.”
The round device, resembling a small ball, slowly levitated as if it had been activated by Paz’s rough throw, and its light became smoother and brighter.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz. Honorable Saint Spawn, we have arrived at an effective location. The jump instrument’s self-check is normal; it can execute jump escape plan, should we initiate?”
“Where is the destination for the jump?”
Alagina stared blankly at the dazzling little ball before her, unable to conceive what kind of existence could create such a magical instrument.
Saint Spawn? Is that referring to me? Or some other existence? Did it get it wrong?
“Confirmed jump destination: Spirit Realm, refuge.”
“Spirit Realm?”
“Yes.”
“You can speak?”
“I am the butler of the angels, designated Little David Qin Shihuang of Youfiele, dedicated to serving you. You can call me Little David.”
“Qin Shihuang? Youfiele?”
“Yes, those are the names of my two creators; it’s written in my programming, and I currently don’t have the permission to change it~”
Alagina was completely shocked by the miraculous device before her, but it sounded like the Spirit Realm should be a very far place. She involuntarily asked, “If I go there… can I come back?”
“Of course, energy is sufficient; it is expected to be able to use it 32,000 more times.”
“What is that refuge? What’s inside?”
“Please allow me to explain. The so-called refuge is an emergency location established by Lord Heavenly Lock for all the archangels in the Spirit Realm before the war. It contains a complete Saint Spawn forging system, treasures and residing places of the Saint Spawn. Please allow me to connect with other Davids in the refuge to show you the specific images… Oh, connection failed. That’s strange.”
“Wait, what are the Saint Spawn?”
“Saint Spawn? Oh, you don’t even know this?”
Little David shook its head, then flew in front of Alagina, “Saint Spawn refers to the angels, and they are also one of the three existing mythical beings in the world.”
Alagina stared blankly at the mechanical being in front of her. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, “Is it stronger than the Phoenix?”
“Hahahaha, I apologize. Please forgive my forced laughter; I haven’t fully grasped the humor of sentient beings yet. I can only directly answer your question: yes, the Saint Spawn is incomparably stronger than the Phoenix.”
Little David twirled in mid-air before continuing to explain Alagina’s doubts.
The words of the device were direct, but their content struck a certain place in Alagina’s heart.
Suddenly, she felt a longing for something—something that could surpass ordinary power.
Angels…
“What did you say is inside that refuge?”
“What’s inside? Well… various artifacts more powerful than what you have on you? Collections of the Saint Spawn? And various models of different versions of me? Well, with luck, there should also be encounters with the Saint Spawn, but strangely, I cannot connect to the public server, and there isn’t a record of any jump that has been used, and sending signals to the refuge hasn’t received any response; truly strange.”
Alagina pondered for a moment, looking at the floating device before her, uncertain of what she was thinking deep inside.
求求投票、打赏和支持，这对我来说十分重要！
万分感谢支持！
（本章完）
