Chapter 671 149. That Game
“Are you talking about Manager Heidi Lin? Please come this way; she should be resting in her residence.”
The Parasol Tree above was still immersed in the joy of the successful mechanism trial. Fisher had yet to see what the mechanism looked like, but he had already informed Valentina about Nali’s situation. She stated that Fisher and the leaders of the six tribes would meet shortly to discuss future matters, and a representative from Shivali would also participate.
However, during the preparations for the meeting, Fisher decided to first check on what Emhart had mentioned regarding Hela.
He found a Cangniao guard from Valentina’s group to take him to Heidi Lin’s residence. On the way, he also took the opportunity to inquire about Heidi Lin.
“Has Heidi Lin been at the Parasol Tree recently?”
“Not just recently; it seems she’s been helping the leaders rebuild the Parasol Tree throughout the time that the Great Phoenix has been sleeping. The Great Phoenix trusts her very much, and all the internal affairs are managed by Manager Heidi Lin.”
“I see.”
That means Heidi Lin has been at the Parasol Tree for the past four and a half years. Back when he descended from the snow mountain below the Parasol Tree, it was through the teleportation of the Slime tribe, and he still didn’t know what the situation was like in the Snow Fox tribe’s settlement.
In fact, if Emhart hadn’t said he personally saw Heidi Lin transform into Hela, Heidi Lin’s behavior would have seemed very reasonable. This is also why neither Valentina nor anyone else from the Parasol Tree ever found it strange.
Thinking of this, Fisher couldn’t help but glance at Emhart, who looked tense on his shoulder, and asked,
“Are you sure you didn’t missee it?”
Emhart’s eyes widened in response, nearly jumping up in anger,
“Do you doubt me? I could never mistake that murderous visage even in death! Furthermore, she stepped on the mark of Eil on you and stamped her own during that time—this can’t be fake, right?!”
“That was when she stamped it? Wait, why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
In the face of Fisher’s inquiry, Emhart stammered and realized he had let slip. His gaze wandered, and he timidly defended himself,
“Well, back then it was all Baemon’s fault! She wouldn’t let me tell you; otherwise… otherwise we’d be in serious trouble! I did it to protect you, Fisher! It’s not because I wanted to see what would happen if Eil discovered the Baemon mark on you!”
Alright, so that’s your explanation?
Fisher’s expression turned dark. This guy not only hid things from him before Raphael and Jasmine met but also didn’t inform him that his mark had been replaced by Hela—just waiting for a disaster to explode in his face.
“Here we are, this is it.”
The Cangniao guard led Fisher effortlessly to a house, where a nameplate reading “Heidi Lin” hung outside. Like Valentina, there was no surname from the Turan family attached.
“Knock knock knock.”
“Manager Heidi Lin, there’s a guest looking for you.”
The guard knocked several times, but it was extremely quiet inside with no response.
“How strange, is the manager still outside? Today’s breakfast is still left out here without being taken inside.”
Fisher exchanged a glance with the nervous Emhart beside him. He then approached the door and whispered,
“Let’s go in and take a look.”
“Is that alright?”
The Cangniao guard hesitated, wanting to say something, but considering the Great Phoenix’s relationship with him, he said nothing more.
Fisher twisted the doorknob, feeling that it was locked. With gentle force, he dismantled the entire door, leaving the guard behind him dumbfounded.
Emhart flew up and hid behind Fisher, cautiously peeking with one eye as Fisher broke and pushed open the door, revealing a clean and tidy bedroom inside.
“No one?”
“What? Manager Heidi Lin isn’t here? This won’t do; I need to hurry back and report to the Great Phoenix. She hasn’t shown up since yesterday.”
The Cangniao behind him looked at the empty room with a panicked expression. After all, Heidi Lin was also a part of the leadership at the Parasol Tree; her disappearance without a word was indeed a significant matter.
The Cangniao flapped its wings and flew away in a rush, while Emhart, hiding behind Fisher, returned excitedly, as if to say, “Speak! Is there a ghost?!”
Fisher ignored him, frowning as he stepped into the room that seemed to leave no trace behind.
Heidi Lin’s manager robe was still neatly hanging on a nearby rack, yet the room held not the faintest clue of her presence. Not even Fisher, whose nose was enhanced by life chaos, could catch any scent.
But out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted a piece of white stationery on the bedside table.
Fisher quickly walked over to pick up the letter, where a line of cursive Nali script read,
“Dear Fisher, please open.”
“Ah! Don’t look at it, don’t look! It must be her excuses; they’re all just excuses, fake ones! Don’t believe them!”
Emhart kept his distance from the letter, as if it were poisonous.
Fisher remained silent for a moment before unfolding the paper, revealing a note containing barely two sentences,
“Dear, don’t forget the game we agreed upon.”
“[One price, three rewards].”
“Yours lovingly, Hela~”
Fisher withdrew his gaze and expressionlessly crumpled the letter into a ball.
Hela was not sealed; Heidi Lin really was her.
What she referred to as that game—
What do the “one price, three rewards” pertain to?
He recalled that before returning to the Holy Realm, two of the three fingers Hela had were down, seemingly indicating that two rewards had already been fulfilled. But what exactly were these two rewards at that time?
Could it be her body?
That did not seem likely.
To be honest, even when Fisher, as a Sardinian, did such things with Alagina, he never felt at a loss; it was only in front of Hela that he felt utterly helpless.
Moreover, subconsciously, Fisher thought she wouldn’t take such a trivial thing as a reward.
His intuition told him that even though Hela referred to it as a “game,” this was definitely no trivial matter.
So what exactly were those two bestowals?
Just as Fisher was wrinkling his brow, deep in thought, a bright beam of moonlight suddenly struck into his mind.
“Mother?”
“Mother? Which mother? Renee? Yes, you should go find Renee first and let her deal with Baemon, give her a lesson, then…”
“Emhart, don’t speak yet, let me think.”
He suddenly remembered that when he left the Holy Realm, the sudden appearance of a “Mother” within the Spirit Realm, the inexplicable authority that emerged in the Spirit Realm, and the clues from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans he received in the past.
The Mother didn’t know why she had come to this world. She didn’t seem to have the mission of invading this world but instead helped the people inside during the Myth War, and now even collaborated with the gods to combat chaos.
What if, what if the Mother, and the limitless authority she represented, was the reward Hela spoke of?
If even an authority that the gods could not contend against could barely be considered a reward, then what about the other fulfilled reward, that price to be paid?
And was Hela, who proposed this game, really just an angel or a demon god?
Fisher, what kind of sleep did you have earlier?
As Fisher questioned himself, a layer of fine virtual sweat broke out on his forehead.
“Everyone, there’s news from Nali. Empress Elizabeth’s marriage has been finalized, and the prince’s identity has been confirmed as the disciple of the Great Mage Heilson, Fisher Benavides.”
The hall that had previously hosted the Phoenix Throne was now filled with people. Apart from the massive throne where Phoenix Valentina sat, the circular table below had a clear distinction between the two sides.
On the left side sat representatives of the six tribal leaders of the Snow Mountain, the original forces of the Parasol Tree; Heidi Lin’s seat was vacant. The previous Cangniao had seemingly relayed the news to Valentina.
On the right side were Alagina, Paz, and Aoxi, the newer forces here aboard the Iceberg Queen. It’s worth mentioning that Isabel, as a regular crew member, typically participated in high-level meetings of the Parasol Tree due to her special status.
Her years of training on the ship were vividly displayed in several months of practice at the Parasol Tree. Whether it was due to her bloodline similar to Elizabeth’s from the Godlin family being activated or not, she had become much more perceptive in certain aspects.
The one reporting at this moment was Dal, the leader of the Snow Fox tribe, while Shivali’s envoy and the Fate Lord holding Alicia listened in from below the circular table.
“Due to the special relationship between Lord Valentina and Mr. Fisher, the Golden Palace particularly responded to a question from a Sardinia reporter at this morning’s press conference, explaining Mr. Fisher’s background and denying the rumors that he has any intimate relationships with women from other nations.”
“Creak.”
At that moment, a deep-in-thought Fisher had returned with Emhart, following the guard’s lead to fulfill Valentina’s directive, bringing him into the meeting to discuss important matters without delay.
As the door opened, Dal’s words had just reached the conclusion, and all present turned to look at Fisher Benavides, who had entered.
The gazes of the crowd made Fisher feel somewhat uneasy inside.
“…”
Dal’s report came to a halt as he blinked cutely at Fisher, making him appear quite comical.
“Ahem… Everyone, it just so happens that Mr. Fisher traveled a long way back to convey intel regarding Nali. Once Leader Dal finishes sharing the known information, Mr. Fisher will also explain certain matters to everyone. Please take a seat, Fisher.”
Valentina coughed lightly. Although she was clearly in a bad mood after just learning about Heidi Lin, she still maintained her phoenix’s majesty, letting her husband take the seat.
Thus, Fisher sat in the space vacated by Heidi Lin, right across from Alagina.
Apart from Alagina, several people in front of him turned to look at him, seemingly unaware that he had returned.
Aoxi was much the same as before, still half of her face concealed by her cloak. She had already come of age, and over four and a half years, she wouldn’t grow anymore, merely giving Fisher a greeting with her curved brow and eyes.
On the contrary, Paz, who was clearly over fifty, should have appeared older than before; yet her face was flushed and hardly any wrinkles were visible, which pleasantly surprised Fisher.
As for Isabel…
Looking at her short golden hair, robust figure, slightly rough yet extraordinarily healthy skin, and those bright golden eyes full of spirit, Fisher almost didn’t recognize her; she was like a little leopard, radiating wildness.
“Additionally, the Golden Palace and Sardinia published a statement of cooperation, signing a contract for long-term collaboration. At the press conference, the Golden Palace once again responded to the Sardinian reporters’ claim that ‘this act of the Golden Palace is to retaliate against women associated with the prince,’ stating ‘the prior warrant for Mr. Fisher was to protect our talented individuals,’ and that ‘the Phoenix and Nali’s future prince have no entanglement.’”
“…”
The other leaders present, after Dal read this section, unconsciously turned their gazes back on Fisher, who, still immersed in thoughts about Hela, lifted his head in confusion.
“There is very little information regarding the Northern Region, even to the extent of not mentioning Miss Alagina and Miss Isabel, who the Golden Palace had consistently emphasized before. Many remaining pieces of news suddenly pertain to the Southern Continent, or rather, to the Red Dragon Court of the Southern Continent. Recently, Nali has released many sanction projects related to the Red Dragon Court, claiming to assist the Green Dragon Court in continuing to resist the Red Dragon Court and will provide all possible assistance.”
“Meanwhile, the Golden Palace has defined the Southern Continent’s Red Dragon Court as ‘terrorists who disrupt peace,’ with Barbatos, Priestess Jasmine leading the Red Dragon Court certainly facing Nali’s reckoning. However, that afternoon, Shivali’s Giant Serpent Publishing claimed to possess key evidence regarding the ‘Empress’s actions.’ According to Prince Losang, a priest from the Red Dragon Court had once studied in Nali and had numerous connections with Mr. Fisher, who was then a professor at Saint Nali University.”
“This has triggered strong discontent in Nali society, which believes the Red Dragon Court is a ‘chimpanzee that steals civilization,’ and expressed strong support for Empress Elizabeth’s sanction decisions. Nali responded this morning to the events regarding Prince Losang and the priest of the Red Dragon Court, denying any entanglement between the court’s priest and the future prince, yet did not deny that Jasmine had never studied in Nali, even stating that the ‘initial pioneers’ who were overthrown had colluded with the priestess Jasmine and betrayed Nali.”
As soon as he finished, the gazes of everyone present unconsciously fell upon Fisher once again.
Valentina and Alagina, unable to listen any longer, both coldly voiced,
“Utter nonsense!”
“Blarney!”
“…”
Valentina and Alagina both paused simultaneously, looking at each other.
This was unexpected; it made the entire meeting room fall quiet, as if a pin drop could be heard.
“Leader Dal, do I have a grudge against you or something? Or has this guy been infected by Emhart too?”
You read news and read news; what’s the point of reading such gossip content? What significance does it hold for the future actions of the Parasol Tree? Right, there seems to be!
Fisher quickly realized that public opinion in Nali was sharper than ever before.
The Golden Palace manipulated by Elizabeth had almost simultaneously issued a declaration of war against all forces related to the Apocalypse Prophecy, which raised Fisher’s alertness.
Why did Elizabeth suddenly bring up the priestess from the Red Dragon Court, especially since there had never been any mention of her before?
Don’t forget, he was returned from the Green Dragon Court, where he had learned about Nali’s propaganda—entirely about Raphael, with not a word mentioning that so-called “priestess Jasmine.”
Otherwise, think about it: If Nali had mentioned Fisher, would he be completely unguarded, following Raphael back, only to directly confront Jasmine and end up in a hellish scene?
So why bring it up now?
Could it be because Jasmine attracted considerable attention from the Human Allied Forces during the previous battle against Barbatos? But she clearly hadn’t appeared on the frontlines at all, having entered the Demon Dynasty with him.
This is a signal.
First, a false report about his ongoing marriage with her in the Golden Palace, then another mention of Blake and Muxi—all combined to form a combo, making it difficult for Jasmine not to take the bait.
Elizabeth wants Jasmine to go to Nali, which means Jasmine is related to the upcoming accomplishment of the death trinity.
Yes, this aligns perfectly with the second line of the Apocalypse Prophecy. Originally, Jasmine, as the mysterious child of the sea, was tied to this line of prophecy, but how exactly is unknown.
Fisher, who suddenly understood Elizabeth’s plan, raised his gaze sharply. He didn’t care to heed Dal’s words beside him; he quickly turned to Valentina on stage and gave her a look.
She slightly paused, realizing Fisher had something to say, and raised her hand, speaking with authority,
“Alright, Leader Dal, thank you for your report. We have understood quite a bit about the mechanism trial and the matters of Nali, and Fisher also has some intelligence to share with us.”
Once again, everyone’s gaze turned to him. Fisher stood up, spoke softly, and said,
“The flame of the soul will ignite first, burning everything in the world to ashes.”
“Twisted life will stir up great waves, erasing the rules vital to existence for all beings.”
“Pseudo-gods from beyond the barriers will leave the remnants of thieves nowhere to hide, nowhere to rely on.”
“Your irreparable delusions will be written as an epitaph by melodies that cannot be erased.”
Each simple word resonated and collided within the space, twisting within the knots of fate, awakening a fear that had never existed before, engraved in the soul.
Valentina opened her mouth, her magical circuits couldn’t help but light up, and the peach blossoms twined at the back of her head uncontrollably grew, drooping awkwardly.
The Fate Lord closed her eyes, and the others swallowed nervously, unable to disperse the chill that enveloped them.
Beside them, the enormous Slime tribe leader Baliren had even removed his pacifier, his baby-like face serious as he gazed at the standing Fisher, asking,
“Mr. Fisher, what exactly are you saying?”
Fisher turned to look at Baliren and then at all present,
“This is a segment of the Apocalypse Prophecy, and it is also what Elizabeth and Nali are doing.”
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