Chapter 630: 108. Loving You
“Spirit Realm?”
Fisher repeated this term in his mouth. He suddenly realized that many clues he had received were like streams converging into rivers over a long period, ultimately flowing east into the sea, and the “Spirit Realm” was that vast ocean where many questions could be answered.
But as Hela said, the conditions for entering the Spirit Realm were harsh, with the most fundamental requirement being the Nineteen Rank.
He drew from the chaos of the Soul Supplement Handbook, but due to the sealing, the chaotic power was extremely difficult to fully release beyond Fisher’s current rank, so the strength he relied on remained the life rank granted by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
He was currently at the sixteenth rank. According to the rule of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, “one Supplement Handbook corresponds to one rank,” he would need to read at least three more Supplement Handbooks to enter the Spirit Realm.
The Life Completion Manual, the Death Completion Manual, and one known whereabouts of the Fate Completion Manual.
Contemplating this, Fisher looked up at Hela again and asked, “So what is the method to enter the Spirit Realm?”
“Well, there are two methods and a shortcut.”
Hela waved her hand again, and hot tea flowed out of the cup like a spring without roots. She then raised three fingers, lowering one for each method she mentioned.
“First, you need to obtain the blessing of Dalasgon. His blessing will grant you the ability to freely enter and exit the Spirit Realm and its crevice. The earlier Fei was able to move freely between the Spirit Realm and the crevice like this; second, forcibly entering the Spirit Realm at a weak point in the crevice using Demigod power. The two weak points are in the Northern Region and on the Southern Continent above us. There was originally a third method at the boundary of the extraterrestrial material, which had weaker entry points. The earlier angels entered the Spirit Realm in this way, but because of the Mother, the passage there has disappeared.”
As Fisher listened, he frowned; this indeed required achieving two different conditions.
Choosing the first method required Dalasgon’s blessing; choosing the second method would require reading one more Supplement Handbook to achieve the twentieth rank.
Thinking of this, Fisher curiously asked what the additional “shortcut” was.
Hela took a sip of hot tea and smiled, saying, “The shortcut is that you can wait until the fire of burning souls completely burns down the crevice. At that time, the Spirit Realm will completely merge with reality, and it won’t be so troublesome.”
“At that time, the Apocalypse Prophecy will have been completed, and the world will be utterly destroyed, right?”
Hela still maintained her smile, cradling her cheeks as she said, “Indeed. So, consider between the first two options.”
“I understand, thank you, Hela. I will think about it carefully.”
Fisher mentalized all the information Hela provided. After a moment of contemplation, he chose to speak.
Hela was somewhat surprised; she tilted her head, questioning, “Aren’t you suspicious?”
“Suspicious? Suspicious of what?”
“The truth of what I said.”
“.
Hela’s blue-gold eyes were filled with mischievous amusement, making it impossible to decipher whether everything she just said was sincere or a Siren’s song luring him into another trap. Fisher exchanged a glance with her and finally asked, “Are you lying?”
“It’s the truth~”
“Then I will take it as the truth.”
Hela looked at Fisher with satisfaction, and soon, she appeared moved, even her eyes reddening. She gently reached out to wipe her eyes and said with emotion, “If this sentence has a full score of ten, it’s worth nine. My dear, the remaining point is deducted for not holding me when you said this. Remember to put in more effort next time.”
“.
Fisher sighed, glanced at Hela in front of him, and ultimately couldn’t resist standing up to prepare to turn and leave. As he was about to depart, he said, “Then I’ll set out now.”
Behind him, Hela seemed not to keep him, merely adjusting a strand of golden hair beside her cheek and responding softly, “Alright, safe travels.”
“.”
Fisher nodded and prepared to turn to leave, but when he turned to face the camel at the door, which was looking adorably at him, he couldn’t help but hesitate.
Looking at the camel reminded Fisher of the time spent in the Holy Realm with her. It was this relationship that reminded Fisher that there were still things he hadn’t fully said to Hela.
Just like everything she had done earlier, if it had to be calculated, her goal was to kill Raphael to interrupt the initiation of the Apocalypse Prophecy, to extricate herself from it.
As she said, she had no obligation to protect Raphael but had feelings to protect Fisher.
Though from Fisher’s perspective, they were both irreplaceable, from an observer’s view, this was more like how a wealthy gentleman from Nali once beat up the mistress; there was no right or wrong.
Now, he felt more like he was having a quarrel with Hela, just as he had with Elizabeth ten years earlier.
Elizabeth made a mistake back then. The young and immature him chose to escape, to distance himself from Elizabeth, thinking he could resolve everything that way, ultimately suffering from daily regrets over years of hesitation and waiting.
Perhaps, if that letter meant for Elizabeth had not been hesitated over by him and had been sent earlier, would the outcome have been different?
Did he have to choose to escape again like in the past?
Thinking of this, Fisher’s pupils shrank slightly, and his feet suddenly halted in place.
His lips trembled, and his fists involuntarily tightened. He suddenly spoke, “Hela.”
“What is it, my dear?”
Fisher sighed and turned back to look at Hela, who was gazing at him with confusion behind the table. Sensing he had something to say, Hela also quieted down, waiting for his next words.
“I often feel like I can’t see through you, as if you are shrouded in a thick mist. I can’t tell what lies within that mist—whether it’s a sweet cake or a sharp dagger. I realize, ultimately, it’s because I don’t know you at all.”
He walked back step by step to the table, but this time he did not sit down, just continuing, “I know you like to seek interesting things, enjoy trying fresh experiences that angels have never tasted beyond forging, and you like singing, but aside from that, I’m always clueless about your thoughts and feelings, as if I am still an ordinary human while you are an unattainable angel. Frankly, during all this time spent with you, there’s always been an uneasy feeling in my heart, a fear of the unknown.
“This sometimes makes me harbor grudges, especially when you do things without telling me, it always makes me feel there’s a distance between us and I feel at odds with everything you say. But I’m not saying this to make you bare your heart to me or to pamper my humble self-esteem. I don’t mean to pull you down from your lofty height, to the mud below, because I know I’ve made you wait for me for ten thousand years, watching me protect other women.
“I just don’t want to see our relationship turn into this.”
Hela was momentarily taken aback, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, it turned into a simple gesture. She gently reached out her hand to Fisher, raising his hanging palm and clasping it.
“Actually, you still have a bit of resentment towards me, right?”
“. No.”
“Is that the truth or a lie?”
“. Well, actually, there is a bit.”
Hela pinched his fingers; it was Fisher’s turn to ask.
“Then, do you have any resentment towards me?”
“I do.” Hela’s reply came quickly, followed by her question. “Guess whether that’s the truth or a lie?”
“Truth.”
“That’s a lie~”
Fisher raised his gaze to look at her, but saw her maintaining a smile, very seriously saying, “I never resent any soul.”
This surely included Fisher and those women he knew, right?
Fisher wasn’t sure how great the gap between angelic and human concepts was, but it should be considerable from the perspective of archangels like Michael and Gabriel.
However, at this moment, when Fisher held Hela’s icy hand, he felt that her heart was actually very close to his own.
But as the conversation reached a conclusion, Hela changed the subject.
“However, you saying you don’t understand me at all makes me quite sad. Or are you merely aware of my body but not of my heart?”
Ah, no, that couldn’t be, although the research Fisher had previously chosen was “biological research progress,” that didn’t mean he didn’t know well, at least from the physical perspective.
Fisher sighed, slowly withdrawing his hand from hers. He then raised his hand to adjust her crooked crown, a gift he had given her.
“Perhaps I don’t know that much. I just always feel you don’t want to harm me, so I took the clues you just shared with me seriously. But from the bottom of my heart, perhaps I desire not just your trust, but your entirety, so I want to know more about you. However, I can’t do that right now; I must seize the time to solve the chaos and the Apocalypse Prophecy.”
“.
Hela smiled at him, watching as he tidied her crown, and then reached out to him again, saying, “Once all this is over, I want to understand you more, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll wait for you, my dear.”
Hela gently grasped Fisher’s hand, as if relaxing, occupied by his warmth so that she wasn’t so cold anymore.
And at this moment, Fisher cleared his thoughts and shared everything that was on his mind with her, ensuring he wouldn’t have to wait long and turn it into another regret.
She currently could not leave the Demon Dynasty, and it was time for Fisher to set off back to his homeland, Nali.
However, before that, he stayed here for quite a while; after all, he still had two days left before leaving the Demon Dynasty.
He stayed at Eil’s place for half a day, and now he was ready to spend the rest of the time here.
Hela prepared a unique dessert for him. While enjoying the delicious food, they talked about other matters, including things from the past ten thousand years that she hadn’t shared with him, as well as some irrelevant gossip.
But overall, perhaps there wasn’t much conversation.
In this brief time spent as a compensatory reunion over the past ten thousand years, the interiors of the Nali-style decorations had unknowingly been transformed by Hela into a breezy island, surrounded by a blue ocean that enveloped the lonely island they were standing on. It felt like a secluded prison and also like the perfect place for a honeymoon with a lover.
With Hela by his side, he didn’t feel lonely; rather, in Hela’s warm embrace, he found himself daydreaming while gazing at the ocean.
Having grown up in a seaside city, he suddenly couldn’t recognize what ocean this was; it seemed like the one near his hometown, and also like a strange ocean that felt exceptionally gentle.
He pondered amidst confusion and warmth, waiting for time to pass slowly.
When everything had been said, and the warmth was ample, Fisher finally sat up from the soft bed and blankets that had inexplicably appeared on the lonely island, rubbing his temples as he felt a bit dazed.
To be honest, he hadn’t felt much during the warm night with Raphael and Jasmine, rising the next morning feeling refreshed.
He felt similarly upon spending time with Eil before arriving at Hela’s palace, at most feeling extremely hot and sweating a bit.
This gave Fisher even more confidence regarding his already inflated capabilities. However, when he awakened from Hela’s bed, he found his feet somewhat weak, almost unable to stand.
Could it be that his consecutive battles over the past few days had exhausted him?
Or had Hela accumulated too much, demanding too much?
Fisher didn’t know; he simply felt a bit weak in his knees as he stood up, turned around, and found that Hela on the bed had vanished.
Looking around, he noticed she had already donned a white robe, sitting in front of an easel, holding a paintbrush and painting something.
Sensing Fisher waking up, she didn’t turn around but asked with a smile, “Awake?”
“Ah.” Fisher unconsciously rubbed his head but, seeing the oceanic solitary island around him that had changed at some point, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is this the illusion created by your palace?”
“Yes, that’s right. Beautiful, right?”
Fisher nodded and approached her side, discovering she was painting the calm sea beyond the solitary island.
However, at this moment, she had only mixed a sky blue for the paint and was merely capturing this vast ocean’s essence.
Feeling Fisher approaching, she smiled and turned to him, asking, “Ready to set out?”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t speak, merely creating a crack in the ethereal scene before them, the door that had previously opened for Fisher now welcoming him.
Fisher took a deep breath, glanced back at Hela one last time, then moved towards the illusionary door at the edge of the ocean, still feeling a bit reluctant. He turned back for a final farewell, saying, “Take care, I will fulfill my promise to you.”
As he had already walked some distance away, Hela, slightly farther away, painting amid the central ocean of the small island, only smiled at him in farewell.
Before him, the doors of the Baemon palace began to close slowly. Hela inside seemed ready to start painting again. But just as Fisher genuinely turned to leave, to exit the Demon Dynasty, Hela’s voice floated over, saying, “I, Hela, who loves you, will always be here.”
“.
Upon hearing this, Fisher quickly turned around, but the Baemon palace had already closed, isolating the solitary island within. Only the riddle at the entrance faced him,
“I am I of I, I am Thought of Thought.”
“I am the song that cannot be listened to, I am the eye that cannot be perceived.”
“Pray tell, what am I?”
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(End of this chapter)
