Chapter 678: 156. Next Step
“Um.”
Captain Alagina’s brow twitched slightly, and finally in the next moment, her struggling consciousness awakened in the dimness. She opened her eyes, hazily looking around, and the faint sound of conversation reached her ears, seemingly from Fisher and David. Unable to help herself, she called out,
“Fisher?”
“You’re awake, Alagina.”
Not far away, Fisher’s image, who was talking with David, gradually came into focus. Upon hearing Alagina’s call, he quickly turned around and walked toward her, holding a piece of paper filled with writing.
“What just happened…”
She sat up, remembering only that she had tried to call the Ice Prince’s sword, but what had rushed out behind her was a blazing Fire Phoenix. The intense heat had directly burned her, who had already adapted to the cold, into unconsciousness. Thus, at this moment, her mind was left only with the last scene she had seen.
Fisher, holding the paper, roughly explained what had just happened to her, especially when he mentioned her inexplicable faith in the Mother, which made her feel a bit fearful.
“No, even if Valentina is a phoenix and has that kind of relationship with Fisher, for us Northerners, faith is faith, and it has nothing to do with Valentina. Moreover, after so many years, our faith in the Frost Phoenix has probably changed a lot from the original phoenix.”
Indeed, faith is like that; it’s hard to say that the Mother that humans believe in now has the same nature as the original Mother. Time changes, and faith evolves with actual needs.
However, none of this was very important. What mattered was that Alagina noticed Fisher’s expression was somewhat solemn. She glanced at the paper he was holding and couldn’t help but ask,
“Fisher, have you contacted Dalasgon?”
“Ah, we couldn’t reach Dalasgon, but we have contacted another deity currently in the Spirit Realm, and we learned a lot of information from Him.”
Fisher handed the paper covered in text to Alagina. It contained all the information he and David had just obtained through a signal transmitter with Ramastia. As he spoke, Fisher pointed to the corresponding content on the paper.
“Dalasgon’s main body has completely lost consciousness due to damage. According to Ramastia, it is linked to the Crevice, or perhaps the Crevice itself is a part of His body, which is why the burning Crevice has such a significant impact on Him. But the current situation is that the Crevice is wide open to reality, and Dalasgon has lost consciousness, leaving His main body unprepared from both directions. There are also entities in the Spirit Realm watching Him covetously.”
“…”
Alagina looked at Fisher blankly as he explained to her in detail. Although she was trying to use her small brain, she still couldn’t keep up with Fisher’s line of thought and had no idea what all of this meant.
Fisher noticed her bewilderment and couldn’t help but chuckle. He could explain these things to David and make sense of them, but Alagina couldn’t understand a single word, so he had to conclude directly,
“In short, we need to stop the chaos from entering the Crevice, it’s as simple as that.”
“Oh.”
Alagina nodded half-understanding, but she still felt Fisher hadn’t finished, or else his expression wouldn’t be so serious.
“Then why does your expression look so grave, Fisher?”
Because he had asked Ramastia more than just this one question, and Ramastia had been quite patient, answering all of Fisher’s questions except for the last one.
His second question was about the structure of the Spirit Realm, as they might all be heading there eventually, so it wouldn’t hurt to understand some things in advance. He got a quick answer.
The so-called Spirit Realm was actually a spherical space centered around Dalasgon’s “Crevice.” Fisher didn’t ask for its diameter, but it should be very large, divided into three areas.
The first and broadest layer was where the angelic refuge was located. Originally, the God of Fate, Anebatos, resided here; it was also where the Chaos races lived and observed the scenes inside the Crevice through it. Unfortunately, after the pollution in the Spirit Realm descended, the Chaos races had scattered in this vast space, making their lives very difficult.
The outer layer was the area of the Sea of Souls that Fisher had heard about many times. Tangible souls gathered into an ocean in the second layer; the Mother’s main body originally resided there, and Chaos races were also born here.
The outermost layer was desolate and was the closest to the barrier. In one direction, Azanros’s barrier had broken open a massive gap, referred to as the “Ultimate,” through which chaos entered. Currently, all deities, including Renee, stayed in this layer, monitoring the situation of the Ultimate and restraining the pollution of the Spirit Realm.
Yes, after the base in the Northern Region that restrained the pollution of the Spirit Realm was breached, in order to weaken its power, the deities had to disperse its power, extending the influence of the Crimson Mist to cover all areas of the Spirit Realm. This greatly weakened its power while allowing them to monitor the Crevice from the outer layer and control its influence.
This also led to the reason why Fisher’s expression didn’t look good; he couldn’t help but sigh as he explained to Alagina,
“What I said earlier about stopping the chaos from invading Dalasgon’s body to assassinate Him now has a problem: a portion of the chaos has already gotten in. They are the Chaos races residing in the Spirit Realm, and we also need to stop them.”
Yes, the reason why Ramastia previously said Dalasgon’s body instead of just mentioning the Crevice close to reality was that not only were there external chaotic beings from the world, but there were also Chaos races that couldn’t survive due to the deities’ pollution methods in the Spirit Realm.
They had already entered Dalasgon’s body, trying to assassinate Him to enter reality. Although their goals were different, what they were doing was exactly the same as external chaos.
They were a large group of races in the Spirit Realm, with a full twelve ranks alone!
All mythic beings in the world were gone; even if there were some, there was no way twelve demigods could emerge, not to mention that Xu was still injured.
No wonder Elizabeth earlier seemed so confident, as if she didn’t worry at all about whether Fisher could stop the Triad of Death; he now had no idea how to win.
Alagina had no concept of the strength of the Chaos races; she only knew that the “stars” that invaded the Northern Region a few thousand years ago seemed to be the Chaos races Fisher mentioned, and with just a few of them, the Northern Region almost fell.
“Are there many Chaos races that have entered that… deity’s body, Fisher?”
“…Many, almost the whole clan.”
Fisher sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. In an instant, he felt a bit annoyed but didn’t show it; he merely shared with Alagina the other information he had obtained when he questioned Ramastia.
Fisher asked about David’s concern for his parents, namely Michael and Mikhail’s whereabouts, and lastly, the issue of Tang Zeming Asuka and the pollution of the Spirit Realm.
For the former, Ramastia’s answer was quite simple; He merely said,
“That angel and the Trans are in the ruins of the largest angelic refuge, and the Completion Manuals you are looking for are there too.”
As for Tang Zeming Asuka and the pollution of the Spirit Realm, He didn’t provide a direct answer, only stating that once Fisher finished handling everything and came to the Spirit Realm, he would know the answer.
It was uncertain whether that time would come; Fisher generally felt by then the Triad of Death would have likely completed its goal, and everything would be over.
“…Regardless, let’s go back and first deal with those chaotic vessels in the world. As for those Chaos races, I’ll see if I can communicate with them afterward to find room for negotiation.”
Having placed the papers with the received information on a nearby table, Fisher stood up.
Behind him, David was already quite satisfied, having learned the whereabouts of Michael and Mikhail; he even began to imagine the scene of reuniting with them afterward, but he also knew it wasn’t the right time.
So he floated to Fisher and Alagina’s side and asked them,
“Mr. Fisher, Miss Alagina, are you going back now?”
“Ah, yes. By the way, by any chance, do you know the whereabouts of the angel Gabriel?”
“The database has very few records; I can only determine that she hasn’t arrived at the refuge in the Spirit Realm. If there are no reports of her in the world, then she’s most likely dead.”
“I see.”
Fisher nodded helplessly and looked at Alagina, who was also standing up, waiting for David to teleport the two of them back to reality.
Just then, with a slight tremor coming from the Parasol Tree, the Fate Lord, who had been dozing at the door, opened his eyes, turned to look toward the laboratory door, and as the door opened, Fisher, with a poor expression, and a slightly confused Alagina walked out.
“…”
The Fate Lord glanced at Fisher’s expression, puzzled, and asked,
“What’s wrong, you look like you’ve just been dumped by Asuka?”
“…”
Fisher looked at the Fate Lord expressionlessly, and the Fate Lord thought he was tacitly agreeing, which made his expression brightened up.
“You really got dumped?! Great! That means you saw her! Where is she now? What happened? Why didn’t she come back?”
“…”
Fisher remained expressionless, and beside him, Alagina added,
“We… didn’t see the Asuka you mentioned.”
“Oh.”
The Fate Lord’s happy expression instantly dropped, as if he realized he had received bad news. She waved her hand dismissively and asked him,
“Then explain it, what exactly is going on?”
“You mean, now we have to deal not only with this group of chaotic vessels led by Elizabeth but also those Chaos races in the Spirit Realm?”
“…Yes, that’s it, but I can use magic to contact them. Perhaps I can persuade them to change their minds.”
“But you don’t have anything to make them stand down. They came here because of the pollution in the Spirit Realm, and unless you convince them that you can resolve their issues, they won’t easily back down. And that pollution is related to Asuka, isn’t it?”
After informing the Fate Lord of all the information he had received, her expression quickly reflected Fisher’s troubled feelings. At this critical point, once the problem of more Chaos races became an enemy, it would become very serious.
Their numbers and ranks had reached a level that was difficult to handle. Even the Fate Lord did not have a good solution for these guys; she could only suggest to Fisher to first resolve the chaotic vessels within the world.
“In this way, regardless of the outcome of contacting the Chaos races afterward, you should resolve the power of the Chaotic Being on that phoenix first. Once that’s done, you can talk to the Chaos races. The best would be if you succeed; if you fail, I’ll immediately commit suicide and hand the Fate Completion Manual over to you.”
The Fate Lord pondered, rationally analyzing the next course of action.
Hearing her nonchalantly say the word “suicide,” both Fisher and Alagina couldn’t help but raise their eyes to look at her, but they still only saw a serious expression on her face, deep in thought.
“You have the Life Completion Manual, the Death Completion Manual, and my Fate Completion Manual. Even though the Death Completion Manual requires seeing a deity’s death for full reading, I believe you can read through the other two completely, at least providing you some aid and completely isolating the other chaotic vessels outside of death.”
“…Alright, I’ll go find Valentina now. Once I handle things on that side, I’ll reach out to the Chaos races.”
“Mm, go ahead. By the way, that ugly book of yours is probably sulking about you; I wonder where it’s hiding. You should go find it.”
The Fate Lord smiled slightly and returned to her seat at the laboratory door. Upon hearing Fisher say he was going to find Valentina, Alagina pursed her lips and said to Fisher,
“Then Fisher… you can go find her; I’ll wait for your arrangements here. I don’t really want to see her.”
Fisher nodded, having no choice but to do so.
Perhaps he really should thank Alagina. He now had too many matters to handle in front of him, especially with someone as significant as Elizabeth. Even though he had come to the Parasol Tree prepared to face a scene of chaos, he had even begun to consider the various possibilities of things happening beforehand and how to respond appropriately.
For example, what should he do if Alagina took action against Valentina based on reality? Conversely, if Valentina turned against him, accusing him of having abandoned her to go to Elizabeth’s side, along with Alagina’s matter, what should he do then?
But upon arrival, he found that Valentina didn’t come at him with accusations first, while Alagina seemed no longer eager to confront Valentina, instead considering the issues concerning her own sister and deciding to bear this grievance herself.
Was this good?
Now, suddenly feeling lighthearted, Fisher could of course think so; at least this indicated he could shift more energy towards solving the Apocalypse Prophecy. But on the other hand, he felt it wasn’t right, which drove him to want to do something.
Lost in thought, he left Alagina’s lower-level laboratory and walked toward the meeting room upstairs. After arriving, he found that neither Alicia nor Valentina was there. He asked a guard and learned that Valentina had returned to her chamber to rest, while Alicia had gone out to eat with Emhart.
Alright, then he should go look for Valentina first.
It seemed that the flow of time between the Spirit Realm and reality was different; he had spent a long time in the Spirit Realm, but only now had it barely reached dinner time in the world. Now, finding Valentina could also count as “evening”; if it didn’t work out, he could wait for her to finish eating.
The phoenix’s residence was very discreet, but since Valentina had given prior notice to the people below, Fisher was quickly guided there by a maid. After knocking and announcing himself, a slightly nervous voice of Valentina came from inside,
“Is it Fisher? Hurry, let him in!”
“Sir, please come in.”
“Thank you.”
This was not Fisher’s first time entering such a palace. Carefully thinking, he had apparently visited most of the top palaces, from the Dragon Court to the Golden Palace, and now to the Parasol Tree, where he had also spent a wonderful period.
Compared to other empresses’ palaces, Valentina’s was even more luxurious. The room she lived in was originally the home of the Phoenix King from centuries ago. Compared to the human-built Golden Palace and the makeshift structures of the Dragon Court, both in grandeur and layout, it was on a whole different level.
Upon opening the door, Valentina sat on the bed, wearing casual clothes and looking at the scroll in her hands. She turned her head to look at Fisher entering the room and smiled,
“Fisher, you’re here? Earlier, Emhart came to complain to me, saying that you bullied him; it’s really unfair.”
“…Let me guess, did you say something gentle that caused him to run away even more aggrieved?”
“How did you know?”
Valentina covered her mouth in surprise, not understanding how he had guessed so accurately.
“…”
He would have to wait until later to comfort the great Sir Book, but for now…
Fisher approached her bedside, preparing to discuss the issue regarding the Chaotic Being on her. However, as Valentina noticed him getting closer and seeming like he was about to say something, her expression suddenly became unnatural.
She seemed unwilling to talk about eliminating the Chaotic Being, so she looked away from Fisher and said,
“It’s already evening, what would you like to eat, Fisher? I can have them prepare it and send it over.”
“Anything is fine, Valentina, it’s like this…”
“How about some fruit? Let’s eat some fruit.”
Fisher was about to speak when Valentina quickly grabbed a small grape-like fruit from the fruit plate on her bedside table. Not knowing what kind of fruit it was, Fisher just felt it was sweet. He chewed one, prepared to speak again,
“Valentina, earlier…”
“Thump.”
Valentina fed him a larger one, causing him to eat another.
“Val…”
She quickly raised her finger to stuff another one into his mouth, and with three fruits now in his mouth, Fisher couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
In the next moment, just as Valentina adorably wanted to offer him another fruit, he gently bit down on her pale finger, which had been trying to retract. In a swift move, he also grabbed her other hand holding the scroll, pushing her down onto the soft bed with a light sound.
“Ah!”
Fisher looked down at the slightly flushed and innocent Valentina while chewing the sweet fruit in his mouth and licking her soft finger, making her face redden even more.
She swallowed hard, her gaze blankly focusing on Fisher in front of her. As her legs instinctively rubbed against one another, she even closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly back, causing Fisher’s heart to race.
Initially, he just wanted to control her a bit and then discuss serious matters, but her appearance instead excited little Fisher, seizing control of Fisher’s brain.
But…
Perhaps having a dessert before the meal was also a good option?
He gently released her finger, watching her close her eyes and look obediently as if asking for a kiss. After a moment of silence, he could no longer resist leaning down to move further.
But the next second, from behind her white hair, a somewhat speechless, childlike voice suddenly rang out,
“Alright, little fish, stop kissing; it’s gross.”
“!”
“!”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, and Valentina quickly opened her eyes, her entire pretty face instantly turning bright red.
(End of Chapter)
