Chapter 682 – 160. Against the World
“Fisher, you’re back?! Are you alright? What’s the situation outside?”
Fisher and Ashley had just returned to the Parasol Tree when Valentina, who was in charge at the entrance, came up to them. Behind her stood Captain Alagina, who also had a worried expression, but she stood a little further away from Valentina.
Originally, Alagina wanted to step forward, but upon seeing Valentina take the initiative, she pressed her lips together and stopped, silently observing Fisher for any injuries.
Seeing Alagina’s action, Fisher walked to the middle of them before shaking his head and saying,
“The speed of the prophecy is accelerating, but the crevice is still intact, at least for now. However, we need to speed up; Elizabeth has already begun to act.”
“So soon?”
“Yes, it seems Elizabeth doesn’t intend to give this world much time.”
Valentina tightly pressed her lips together. It had been less than a day since Fisher’s return. He had come here in the morning, and by evening, the situation had deteriorated further. Most people inside the Parasol Tree were still unaware of what was happening, increasing Valentina’s pressure.
Especially now that the Duke of Peach was not by her side.
But after a brief hesitation, she forced herself to calm down,
“In that case, I will once again summon all the clan leaders to inform them of the current situation. However, we are still unclear about the Apocalypse Prophecy and the situation regarding Elizabeth. Fisher, you probably need to tell us what to do. Also, we still need some time from the Duke of Peach.”
“Yes, I already have a specific plan. I need your cooperation, as well as that of Alagina and everyone at the Parasol Tree.” Fisher momentarily lost focus, but then he reached out and patted Valentina on the head, telling her some good news, “As for the Duke of Peach, I’ve thought of another method that doesn’t require sacrificing her.”
Valentina’s eyes lit up. Under the current circumstances, nothing would be more comforting than hearing Fisher’s words.
“What method?!”
“.Strategic secret.”
Fisher kept his hand resting on her head, smiling as he spoke, prompting Valentina to grab his hand in annoyance.
But Fisher wouldn’t say this if he didn’t have a plan. Valentina chose to trust him. Although she had told herself countless times to accept the Duke of Peach’s departure, she felt as if a ton of weight had dropped in her heart, indicating she had not fully accepted the prospect of loss.
Gripping Fisher’s hand and looking at him, Valentina’s forced facade of the “Phoenix Leader” began to crack, revealing the vulnerable eighteen-year-old girl within.
Her eyes turned a little red as she lifted them to look at him, as if everything was left unspoken.
“.”
Behind Fisher, Ashley remained silent throughout, simply watching Valentina. Eventually, she averted her gaze.
Alagina seemed to be looking at the suddenly extra shining ring between Valentina’s fingers.
She blinked and quietly stepped aside a bit, overlooking the emotional Valentina at that moment, then glanced at Fisher’s hand, soon spotting another shiny object there.
“.”
Her expression became a bit wronged, but she silently returned to her previous spot, staring at the distant city gate. She suddenly cleared her throat and said,
“It seems some slimes are coming, and that book gentleman as well.”
Although it was a plain statement, Fisher felt an inexplicable sense of “someone remembers what you’ve done.”
He glanced at Alagina but only saw her profile.
And perhaps it was not an illusion; she felt that Alagina’s cheeks seemed slightly fuller than her impression of the past.
He looked down and saw the ring he had put on with Valentina earlier, realizing something.
Ultimately, he had overlooked something.
Fisher sighed quietly. He couldn’t afford to focus on that right now. At this moment, Emhart had already flown onto his shoulder, snapping him back to the present.
“Was the letter sent out?”
“Yes, and it will be quick. The slimes from the Southern Continent have already received their reply, and they are bringing it back.”
The slime that came with him was reporting the current situation at the Parasol Tree to Valentina. Emhart quietly added, stealing a glance at Valentina, and handed Fisher a letter that had been tucked between the pages of his book.
Even at this moment, Emhart was still thinking about the bigger picture, which really put him in a tough spot.
“So soon?”
“You guys have been gone for more than three hours, right? The time flow in the crevice is different from outside. Raphael and the others haven’t set off yet, even though they plan to. But they wouldn’t act rashly and go straight to Nali without preparing first. Just in time for your letter to arrive; it’s all good now.”
Fisher received the letter from him, feeling relieved that Raphael and the others were still in the Southern Continent.
“That’s good; this way the plan should proceed smoothly.”
“Plan? You’ve already thought of a corresponding plan?”
“Ah?”
Fisher tucked the letter away, nodding as he walked towards Valentina while explaining to Emhart,
“The only condition for the death of the Trinity is the death of Dalasgon. All of Elizabeth’s actions serve this goal. The Chaos Races’ actions now are just a lot of noise without much substance. They have no way to handle Dalasgon’s physical body. I discovered in the crevice that only those twelve Chaos Races are trying to breach it. Do you know what this means?”
Emhart looked confused and shook his head, prompting Fisher to continue.
“Don’t forget, only demigods can directly stare at deities, and among the Chaos Races, only those twelve have demigod ranks. Even the basic requirement to stare at a deity requires being a demigod, let alone killing them. They cannot kill Dalasgon; their actions only serve to make him weaker, creating favorable conditions for their assassination. Now I finally understand why Ramastia said that to me in the Spirit Realm…”
Fisher had arrived beside Valentina just as the slime’s report was wrapping up. Right after that, the slime dashed off to fulfill Valentina’s order to summon the clan leaders.
“Only within his body can Dalasgon be killed.”
“Oh, I understand now. So that group of Chaos Races actually has a limited role; we can temporarily exclude their influence!”
Emhart finally began to process the information and exclaimed with bright eyes,
“So we only need to consider matters within our realm. Quickly, Fisher, you need to take down the Duke of Peach and eliminate all potential sources of chaotic power within the realm, then their plan will fall apart without a fight!”
Upon hearing that they needed to take down the Duke of Peach, Valentina turned her head to glare at him, scaring Emhart to quickly hide behind Fisher’s shoulder.
Fisher sighed again, bringing the frightened one back to the front.
“Unfortunately, that won’t work. The external deities use the Duke of Peach and others, who harbor chaotic powers, as a base for their strength to descend; that is, a kind of medium. Even if I kill the Duke of Peach or the elder Ashley, what about Elizabeth? She is still a medium for death chaos, and her power will still descend through her.”
“Oh right. No wonder we took little Alicia with us; her rank nineteen Pandora didn’t chase us out.”
“Exactly, so.”
At this point, Fisher’s gaze turned fierce as he looked towards the sky,
“Since chaos will inevitably descend, we must prepare to fight against the chaos that will follow. If we win, Dalasgon lives, and the death of the Trinity won’t come; if we lose…”
Emhart and Valentina both tensed up, and Emhart trembled enough to make the book cover shake.
“If we lose, this world will be finished.”
“.We won’t lose.”
Fisher didn’t finish his thought but simply stated.
“Really? We can’t even handle a rank nineteen Elizabeth. Even if the barriers and crevice still exist, it’s uncertain if true god-level power can descend. What if that chaos that descends is at the demigod level? Don’t forget, Emperor Xu can’t help us.”
“That’s why we need a plan, right?”
Fisher turned serious and looked at Valentina, speaking about future arrangements,
“Valentina, chaos will definitely descend into the crevice. Ashley, the Duke of Peach, and I will go to the crevice to stop the chaos from assassinating Dalasgon.”
“What about the rest of us? Are we just going to watch? Besides, if chaos descends through the Duke of Peach, won’t she…”
Valentina glanced at Alagina, who had been quietly listening beside her, and asked with a hint of doubt.
At that moment, Ashley, who had been silent behind them, suddenly spoke up,
“That won’t happen. With Fisher here, if chaos descends through the base, he will find a way to make the chaos detach from the base. We just simulated this in the crevice, and his plan is feasible, but it requires the cooperation of the person acting as the base. Of course, I have nothing to do with that elf, but Elizabeth is a different matter. Thus, we need the Parasol Tree to launch a full-scale attack on Saint Nali; her concern for the people of Saint Nali will undoubtedly create internal conflict. The more entangled and chaotic it becomes, the smoother our plan will proceed.”
“Elizabeth will probably arrange her army in advance, meticulously preparing. Even with the slimes’ teleportation, we will likely face a bloody battle. So it won’t just be the Parasol Tree; the Red Dragon Court will also participate in this war. However, if we rely entirely on slimes to teleport into the battlefield, it may be quite costly. We need to determine how many troops can sustain that teleportation.”
Fisher added to Fate Lord’s conversation, including the responsibilities of Valentina and the Red Dragon Court in the plan.
Emhart opened his mouth. Although the plan sounded feasible, everything hinges on the three of them being able to stop chaos from the crevice from assassinating Dalasgon. If they were defeated,
He glanced at Valentina, seeing her also studying Fisher’s expression.
Feeling Valentina’s gaze, Fisher calmly looked at her. In his eyes, Valentina saw determination, which made her sigh with slight relief, but she also felt something was off.
Especially when she saw the calm, almost regretful expression on the blonde woman behind Fisher.
She didn’t know how to describe this feeling and could not say a “no.” After hesitating for a moment, all she could find in her eyes was determination.
“Alright, then I’ll first inform the clan leaders about the current situation. As for the timing of the execution of the plan…”
“It needs to be the day after the Duke of Peach wakes up. We must act quickly and have everything prepared by then.”
“Okay, Fisher.” Valentina nodded, deeply exhaling as she prepared to turn away, taking several steps before returning to pull back Alagina, who had stood still, about to approach Fisher, “This meeting is important; the subsequent operations will likely also need Miss Alagina’s mechanism. Come on, let’s go together.”
“?”
Alagina blinked innocently, silently watching as Fisher followed Valentina several steps away.
She felt a bit frustrated, but before leaving, she caught Fisher silently mouthing something to her. It warmed her heart enough to drop her resistance.
Hmm, from the shape of his lips, it seemed Fisher said,
“You have one too.”
Earlier that evening, in Saint Nali, in front of the Golden Palace, many citizens noticed the unusual sight surrounding Nali in the sky. Moreover, the frequent deployment of military forces into Saint Nali made it evident to anyone paying attention that the situation seemed off.
Such circumstances caused widespread panic among the citizens, with many suspecting that the crimson ethereal mist enveloping the sky was an ominous omen, and it spread through the streets and alleys.
That evening, Empress Elizabeth stood atop the walls of the Golden Palace to hold a press conference, or rather, it was not simply a press conference.
The entire event was broadcasted nationwide in Nali, and the scene was so packed with excited citizens that it became almost impassable in front of the Golden Palace.
Elizabeth stood on the palace wall, gazing at the sight in the sky, slowly extending her hand as if to grasp the sunset that was about to set upon the sea.
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
Down below, the citizens’ calls were somewhat deafening. The people of Nali had become extremely adoring of Elizabeth.
This is not hard to imagine. In just five short years, Nali had transformed from a state where the Golden Palace was neglectful, dominated by the Exploration Company, to the present where mechanisms flourished and everyone became prosperous. It was as if all the people of Nali had been medieval farmers wielding hoes one night, only to become modern-day coffee machine enthusiasts the next.
Amidst the rapidly expanding social wealth, all issues seemed trivial, and it led to extreme adoration for the Empress.
Elizabeth stood on the city gate, and the ethereal crimson in the sky brought her consciousness back to the lofty dream of a new world order about to be realized. The citizens’ shouts pulled her spirit back to the present, prompting her to face them.
Dressed in her grand attire, she stepped out from the high platform where she had ascended to the throne five years ago. With her appearance, the already noisy crowd erupted into cheers like a tsunami that nearly shattered eardrums.
Standing in front of the microphone prepared by Diane, Elizabeth cast a helpless smile and waited several seconds before extending her hand, as if turning down the volume, causing the voices below to start to noticeably quiet down.
Once everything was in order, Elizabeth spoke authoritatively,
“The phenomenon in the sky has raised wide concern throughout Nali society recently. I’ve heard some say that this is an ominous sign brought about by the fires of war in the world, proof of misfortune, signs of decline.
“Yes, everyone, we must acknowledge that the world is presently facing struggles among powers and trials. The Southern Continent’s North and South Dragon Courts are in conflict, the faith wars among compatriots on the Western Continent have persisted for thousands of years, and the Parasol Tree’s struggles in the Northern Region. All of these conflicts and battles appear to make the Mother in the sky furious, to the point of punishing us, this group of unmerciful children. I do not understand mercy; we do not understand mercy.”
Elizabeth released the microphone before her, her hollow golden eyes lowering,
“But to say this is an ominous sign would not necessarily be the case, because the sky of Nali remains clear, our hearts still rise upward, filled with fighting spirit. Our civilization is like a lighthouse, illuminating the current dark world. Everyone, this is not imminent chaos but auspiciousness. It proves that we, the people of Nali, live and work in peace and struggle hard; it proves the value of our culture and thoughts.
“In these past five years, I have fulfilled my duties diligently, not daring to let my guard down even momentarily, ensuring that my people, and the nation that has just escaped from darkness, do not fall back into the quagmire, and do not let the name Godlin, which should protect everyone and guide everyone, be stained. I swore on the day I ascended the throne that I would be responsible for my country, that I would be responsible for my people, and for this, I will spare no effort.
“I will make the people rich, even if it means cruel bloodshed; I will make the people happy, even if it means making enemies; I will grant the people freedom, even if it means bearing countless shackles on myself.”
Elizabeth’s expression had turned cold, yet as she gazed down upon the dense crowd, she revealed a motherly compassion reminiscent of the Mother.
She resembled a statue descending from the sky, her golden gaze infecting everything,
“I will shape the order of the new world, even if it means standing against everything of the old world.”
“My goals are pure. I ask you, my citizens, can you quietly trust me at this moment and entrust your fate to me?”
After a moment of silence below, they once again raised their arms as they had five years ago when they chose Elizabeth to ascend the throne, fervently calling out the Empress’s name, expressing their love for her.
Yes, they were certainly in support of their Empress, even if it meant being against the world.
