Chapter 675: 153. Voice in the Mist
“.”
Fisher opened his mouth, and at that moment, Alagina’s soft voice echoed in his mind, as if she were no longer a woman from the Kingdom of Sardinia, but a truly fragile soul.
Or rather, perhaps the women of Sardinia also have their own entanglements and vulnerabilities deep down.
“I always thought that what I had with Fisher was called love, a kind of carnal desire for the opposite sex, but now it seems that is not entirely the case. Otherwise, I would have absolute possessiveness over your body and be thinking about pinning you to the bed all the time, yet over such a long period, I realized it isn’t like that.
“I tried to find the answer and quickly found it. Logically speaking, Mr. Jack is already old, and from his appearance and Nali’s character, he is definitely not the type welcomed by the women of Sardinia. Yet, the crew on the ship envies Paz greatly; while Fisher, your looks are so outstanding and your figure so alluring, but they don’t look at me with that kind of envy. Perhaps that’s because what we seek from the beginning is not a perfect lover or the outpouring of desire, but a home.”
Fisher accurately recalled what she told him back in Pat Sulshen Island before they parted ways. She said, “One day in the future, I want to build a family with the one I love,” and it originated from here.
“So the words you said when you left me back then were because of this, right?”
“Mm.”
Alagina’s voice was muffled, her head buried in Fisher’s embrace, like a student seeking answers.
“I suddenly realized why my heart felt that way when I first saw you, Fisher. Because in my subconscious, the figure of the person who could give me a home walked into reality after I imagined it thousands of times, which is why I tried every means to get close to you. But I gradually discovered that a home isn’t something that comes from simply being by your side; it requires you to build it yourself and ultimately live in it.
“But I have never been ambitious; I don’t know what a family I want to build looks like. In fact, my long years of drifting at sea are based on worldly views of ‘wealth and nobility,’ wanting to repay my sisters. How would I know how to build a family? My childhood home was a twisted, repressive place, and I did everything I could to escape there, even seeking revenge on that woman.”
Fisher thought for a moment; it seemed this topic was difficult to discuss, mainly because the family concepts of Nali and the Kingdom of Sardinia were actually different.
The differing roles of men and women in society inevitably created disparities. These differences cannot be simply judged by flipping male and female roles, because even women in the Kingdom of Sardinia possess the capacity for childbirth, making their societal and family concepts particularly complex.
“Have you asked Paz for advice?”
After much thought, Paz and Old Jack, this cross-national sunset couple, became a very reference-worthy sample.
But upon hearing this, Alagina merely smiled slightly, nodded, and said,
“Paz hopes I stay away from you; she thinks I can’t build the family I imagine while being by your side. You see, Fisher, you have so many people living in your heart besides me. David suggested that I should snatch you away from other women and possess you, but unfortunately, I was so cowardly that I couldn’t even muster that thought. Because I feel you are not an object, and the other women associated with you are not demons.
“During this time by the Parasol Tree, even when I regarded Valentina as the ‘woman who snatches husbands’ and critically examined her every move through tinted glasses, I still think she has done nothing wrong. She treats my sisters equally and kindly, regardless of the race of those living here, or else my sisters wouldn’t have the thought of settling down here. Aside from her being related to you, what has she done wrong? Can I really snatch the feelings between you and her? Can I erase the time you experienced together?
“But if I ignore it, how should I position myself? From my perspective as someone from the Kingdom of Sardinia, every hair and every inch of my skin is resisting accepting her. Emotionally, I loathe her existence, but rationally, I can’t oppose her. What despicable means can I use to compete with her?”
Taking advantage of Fisher’s moment of daze, she lightly patted him and leaped out of his embrace, landing on the partially completed deck.
She slightly spread her arms, looked at the ship before her, smiled at Fisher, and softly said,
“Valentina probably did nothing wrong; you are like this too, Fisher. If you don’t go to the Northern Region and marry her according to the Moon Princess’s will, maybe she wouldn’t even live to twenty; the Parasol Tree would cease to exist, and we, who have been betrayed by the Black Chieftain and are at our wits’ end, wouldn’t have anywhere to go. I might even die in the ocean.”
“Alagina, if it weren’t for me, Isabel wouldn’t have come on your ship.”
Feeling a hint of apology in Fisher’s tone, Alagina bit her lip, held back for a long time, but still couldn’t resist speaking,
“But, Fisher, does this world have so many ‘ifs’? If I hadn’t fallen in love with you the first time I saw you on your ship back to Nali, if I hadn’t pursued you relentlessly in Nali, then you wouldn’t have gotten on my ship. How long would you have drifted in the Southern Ocean with Isabel and Old Jack? Would you have encountered any trouble? If so, would the outcome definitely be good?
“Mother bless, feeling guilty for past decisions is undoubtedly a good thing because it means you can recognize the past, but please don’t overcorrect. I like you, Fisher; even if there’s a fault, I will bear it together with you. What’s important is the present, what’s important is the future. I just don’t want to stay beside Valentina; that doesn’t mean I’m leaving my sisters. Setting out on a journey alone is a mistake.
“I still have things to do for others, David’s and my sisters’ revenge, and afterward, perhaps I will try to find what a real home is. Fisher, you may have others in your heart, but I don’t want to give up. Perhaps it only signifies that the shape of our future home is very special, and we need to spend a lot of time sketching it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or isn’t beautiful. I just don’t want to be apart from you; I simply want to be with you.”
Hearing Alagina’s words, something that had been blocked in Fisher’s heart was suddenly unblocked.
For a long time, Fisher had been trapped in a self-verifying loop.
His conscience prevented him from shedding his own guilt; he indeed succumbed to greedy desires to possess the feelings of women, creating a debt in his heart. This sense of debt made him subconsciously want to repay, thus, in many instances, he sacrificed himself to satisfy and protect others.
This thought can’t be said to be wrong; it just happened to be wrong when encountering Elizabeth.
Fisher greedily desired to have every woman he met while simultaneously loving them. This love made Fisher feel indebted to them for the goodness he offered to them and his shortcomings. This was equally true for Elizabeth.
But what Elizabeth wanted was not something his concessions could satisfy, for many things in this world cannot be obtained simply by wanting them.
Fisher always thought that if he had done better back then, perhaps Elizabeth wouldn’t have become what she is today. If he hadn’t left her and had listened to her explanation of everything back then, maybe she wouldn’t have gone blind.
However, as Alagina said, many things cannot be perfect.
If Fisher didn’t leave Elizabeth, then Raphael, Jasmine, and Valentina would all die; he wouldn’t meet Renee, nor would he embark on the journey to solve the Apocalypse Prophecy. Perhaps not long after his wedding night with Elizabeth, the world would head toward destruction amidst the confusion of most living beings.
If, if, if…
If it were like this, if it were like that, would the results necessarily be good?
Fisher always loved Elizabeth because when Teresa passed away, he had no economic source, so he became a tutor and did odd jobs, barely making rent and meal money. When faced with the exorbitant tuition of the Royal Academy, it was she who sponsored the scholarship and specified the tuition waiver for Fisher Benavides.
Fisher always loved Elizabeth because when he was an orphan with no resources or connections, even borrowing a Grimoire to study magic was impossible due to his lack of money, it was Elizabeth who took him to meet Heilson, letting that great magician recognize the academic potential of this young lad.
Fisher always loved Elizabeth because he knew he couldn’t provide any valuable gift to attend the Eldest Princess’s birthday banquet; she secretly bought something precious to put into the gift pool while signing it as Fisher Benavides, so the young him, with only a few hundred Nali to present at such an upscale banquet, was not mocked by any noble or anyone from the Godlin family.
Yes, gold always shines; the Fisher who won the Griffin Race championship is undoubtedly a talented person, but in the society of Nali, even if gold is covered with a piece of rag, it will dull its entire life.
Elizabeth wiped the dust off that piece of gold and held it in her arms, so that gold always felt it had done something wrong, turning the person from back then into what they are now.
But now, perhaps that piece of gold could realize that loving her doesn’t mean unlimited indulgence.
“Alagina, no matter what you want to do in the future, I want to do it together with you.”
Fisher’s gaze slowly lifted; he was grateful that Alagina could tell him these things. At least those words didn’t make him feel so confident that he thought Alagina’s actions were a matter of course.
“As for the concept of family, regrettably, I haven’t studied the sociology of the Northern Region and the Kingdom of Sardinia, but even if I had some knowledge, I believe I still couldn’t clarify what exactly it is. Perhaps family is just as you said, simply being together contentedly and willingly?”
Alagina’s heart raced slightly, but her cautious and timid self still wanted to confirm once again,
“Fisher, are you willing to continue to embark on this journey with me afterward? If Valentina, or someone else, disagrees, are you still willing?”
“Ah, I am willing.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Alagina stepped forward and tightly embraced Fisher, locking him in her embrace.
She buried her head in Fisher’s neck and whispered,
“Great, Mother bless, Fisher, Mother bless.”
Hearing this, Fisher couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer; while patting her back, he said,
“It seems you really hate Valentina; you even changed your faith from the Frost Phoenix you once believed in. When did you start believing in Mother? Even David has been influenced by you to say that.”
Alagina stepped back a bit, looking at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he said that.
“When… Fisher, I haven’t… haven’t I always believed in Mother?”
“.”
Fisher stared at her, carefully observing the extremely serious expression on her face.
After several seconds, when he was completely certain that Alagina was not joking but truly believed this, his expression suddenly became serious.
“No, something’s off here, Alagina.”
“What’s off here?”
Fisher quickly released Alagina, looking toward the extremely empty space outside the ship, where the lights shone brightly in all directions. He couldn’t see what the situation was outside the Spirit Realm, as if it were just a sealed research facility.
However, after Alagina said that, Fisher felt exceptionally unusual, as if the space, time, and everything here was wrong.
He paused slightly, gently released Alagina, then pulled her to his side and said,
“Alagina, you didn’t believe in Mother before.”
“Me?”
Alagina’s expression of confusion was as if she were doubting that she was not herself.
At that moment, Fisher realized he was being foolish; he had the blessings of Azanros earlier, and when he opened it, it affected his rank, causing him to forget to close it after it could be released, possibly putting him in danger of being discovered by something in the Spirit Realm.
He was about to recite the spell to open the blessing when he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest.
He paused, opened his outer garment, and saw that the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had burned a hole in his clothing pocket, tightly pressed against his skin, just like when he transformed into a form resembling the Chaos Race.
The Handbook was flashing gold light, alternating between bright and dark, but this gold light was dimmer than at any previous time, as if it were a candle struggling against the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment; it seemed to be fighting something.
He curiously touched the Supplement Handbook, and the golden light’s power balance suddenly weakened. In the next moment, the scene before him abruptly changed; he still found himself in the familiar empty dock, still on Alagina’s unfinished ship, but unlike what he had seen before, this place was now filled with thick crimson mist, instantly enveloping Alagina before his eyes, rendering her unrecognizable.
Such dense crimson mist, and he hadn’t noticed anything before?!
“Mother bless, Alagina, what’s going on here?”
As soon as he spoke without awareness, the golden radiance on the Supplement Handbook in his arms shone again, forming a visible shield around him. His mind froze, and he instantly realized he had unconsciously exclaimed for Mother’s blessing.
“Azanros!”
He quickly called upon the name of his incarnation, and in the next moment, the tentacles on his body started to take shape but hung limply, with the suction cups that resembled golden whirlpools twitching and releasing bubbles, as if poisoned.
No way, even Azanros’s incarnation has collapsed?!
What is this crimson mist?
“Fisher, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Didn’t you see anything?”
“What’s here? I just saw you suddenly start talking to the air in front of you about things I don’t understand.”
Alagina couldn’t see this thing; she was just like him a moment ago, seeing nothing.
“.It’s nothing, Alagina, just stand aside for a while; I need to think things through.”
Fisher’s thoughts quickly settled down. He first comforted Alagina beside him, not immediately disclosing the situation around them.
Mainly, Fisher didn’t know the effects of this crimson mist on Alagina other than making her believe in Mother; what if there were other operations that could affect her consciousness that he accidentally triggered? If Alagina were to turn into a troublemaker in that instance, it would be too mild; primarily, he feared for her safety.
The question arises: why is the most apparent change of this crimson mist making people believe in Mother? What connection does this spiritual pollution have with Mother?
“Alright.”
Alagina swallowed hard, still noticing Fisher’s odd behavior, but followed his words, making no further moves.
Fisher frowned, stretched out his hand and swayed it before him, watching his strength stir the mist, causing it to swirl like a vortex.
He looked around, seemingly determined that the mist had a source, at least confirming it was coming from a specific direction.
This direction is…
Fisher blankly raised his head to look toward the direction of the ceiling and suddenly saw a massive gaping hole in the enormous space of the dock.
Countless strands of crimson mist were visibly pouring in from above, seemingly growing increasingly restless due to Fisher’s presence.
The crimson mist swirled like a tide, yet also elusive like air, until a vague, extremely sinister and terrifying hoarse voice came slowly from within, sounding like some kind of monster.
“SensêSensêItai”
“Tasukete”
Please vote, tip, and support; this is very important to me!
Heartfelt thanks for your support!
()
(End of Chapter)
