Chapter 685: 163. Sour
“Splash.”
In the haze, Fisher seemed to have had another dream, but this dream had no content, only an ancient, unchanging sense of peace and tranquility.
Perhaps you might wonder, shouldn’t every good night’s sleep feel this way? This shouldn’t be called a dream.
But Fisher felt that this process, which left behind no images but only a sense, was like a dream, a specific scene.
He felt as if he was floating helplessly in a peaceful ocean, buoyed by the seawater, which had become the same temperature as his body, allowing him to drift in the unknown depths, facing the sky.
There were no images in the sky—no blue sky or white clouds, no dazzling sunlight—only darkness, as if the entire world consisted solely of the ocean he was in.
It seemed as if he came from the sea.
Faintly, he heard something singing, whispering in a tone he could not understand.
He floated drowsily in the boundless sea, and over time, he felt that it was not the ocean lifting him to float, but rather he was lifting the entire ocean so that it could exist.
Until at one moment, a pair of hands, unknown in origin, reached into the ocean and accurately found him floating within it, carefully lifting him out of the sea.
He then realized with horror that he did not seem to be in human form, as he was cradled in that person’s hand.
With his departure, the entire ocean began to stir restlessly, jumping and dancing like boiling water in a pot, but soon quieted down, returning to its usual silence because he was still there.
At the same time, he seemed to hear the woman holding him speak; the language was incomprehensible to Fisher, yet he understood her meaning.
He heard the woman speaking to him in a rhythmical tone:
“Will there come a day in the future when you will blame me, like a child blaming his mother?”
“Blame me for creating you without your consent and bringing you into this dangerous world?”
Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the dream began to dissolve.
The next second, Fisher’s consciousness broke free from the dream and returned to reality.
Fisher slowly opened his eyes, as if heavy stones were pressing down on his eyelids, struggling for a long time to open just a half-slit, he glanced at the scene before him. What he saw was the blue feathers that he had already warmed up through the night, now fluttering against his face, warm like a soft blanket.
He comfortably shut his eyes again, rubbed against the feathers in front of him, and then buried his entire face in them, tightening his embrace around the wings’ owner.
Yes, these wings belonged to his wife, Valentina, the phoenix.
But to explain why he could bury his face in the feathers while Valentina was in his arms, it was purely due to her overly casual sleeping posture; of course, as a gentle lady, even in subconscious actions, she wouldn’t be too unruly, but that limitation only applied to her limbs. As for her wings, they belonged to a runaway horse.
Take last night and this moment as an example: the large wings at her back were still wrapping around him now. Embracing her with his arms wasn’t enough; her wings had to join in. At the initial contact, due to the sensitivity of the moment, he was focused on other more important matters and almost got a chill, but later, after warming them up with his body heat, it felt very comfortable to lie on them.
At this moment, Fisher still felt dizzy from the bizarre dream, and since Valentina hadn’t woken up yet, he decided to lounge in bed for a while; the outside world likely hadn’t brightened yet.
Honestly, after entering the mythical rank, his demand for sleep had diminished greatly; it was less about a physiological need for rest and more about a psychological craving. Therefore, the significance of dreams became particularly profound.
He blinked, reminiscing about the emptiness of the dream as he reached out to stroke the feathers on Valentina’s wings.
First, he ruffled the feathers, then smoothed them down again, and continued to repeat the cycle.
“Bang!”
Once Fisher grew tired of playing, Valentina irritatedly opened her eyes, yawned, stretched, and gently bumped into his chest, as if to complain. As a result, it seemed like she was knocked out, for as soon as she leaned on Fisher’s shoulder, she closed her eyes again and dozed off.
“Whimper!”
“…”
It was better not to disturb his wife’s rest; that would indeed be a mistake.
With no choice, Fisher tightened his embrace around her, no longer thinking of anything else, simply savoring the passage of time in this moment. However, Valentina, still half-asleep, murmured softly:
“F-Fisher, I was just dreaming, and you woke me up…”
She sounded a little wronged, like a child.
Most of the time, Valentina was reliable; after all, she was a phoenix, the leader of the Parasol Tree. Therefore, even though she still had much to learn, she had to force herself to be reliable. It was only during moments like this, when no one else knew but Fisher, that one could remember she was still very young and naive.
Fisher ran his fingers through her messy silver hair, and as a result, it became even more disheveled in his palm.
“Sorry, sweetheart.”
“…Um, I like that name. You have to call me that every day from now on.”
“Okay.”
Even though she was still half-asleep, Valentina felt a bit shy, burying her face entirely in his embrace, turning from leaning against him to lying on top of him, her wings shifting direction to cover them both.
“Why don’t you ask me what I dreamed about?”
“What did you dream about?”
“Um… a big… very big… very big.”
As she spoke, her voice gradually became softer and more intermittent, as if she had fallen back into a deep sleep. The unfinished words sounded like some kind of incantation, or perhaps a ticket, a ticket to that unfinished dream,
“Colored wings… whale call.”
Was that her way of getting comfortable again to continue sleeping?
Fisher paused slightly, but still reached out gently to stroke her smooth back, pulling the blanket underneath them up a little to cover her wings.
Then he looked at the ceiling, and after a long time, he closed his eyes again, leaning his head against hers for a short rest.
“Good morning, Phoenix Lady!”
“Good morning, Miss Valentina!”
“Good morning, everyone.”
Because of the events from last night, after Valentina assigned tasks, the Parasol Tree had entered a state of war readiness, all operating at high speed.
Fisher and Valentina did not linger in bed for long but quickly got up to busy themselves with their respective responsibilities. Fisher was going to join Ashley in the crevice to try out the new ideas inspired by her the previous night, while Valentina had to coordinate the troops for the upcoming attack on Saint Nali to ensure everything went smoothly.
As they walked along, even the busiest Snow Fox Tribe clerks would stop to salute Valentina, who was now particularly radiant, thus the sounds of mutual calling were endless.
This was actually a good phenomenon; after the disaster of yesterday, the atmosphere was tense among those in the Parasol Tree. Even though they had already arranged their respective tasks, it was impossible to avoid speculations. But seeing their leader, the phoenix, so spirited would inspire them as well, even straightening their postures a bit when greeting.
Valentina flapped her wings and arrived at Captain Alagina’s laboratory at the base of the Parasol Tree, ready to check the mechanisms to be used in the battle.
The value of transferring a living object via slime far exceeded that of a dead object, so overall, it was wise to carry more mechanisms to Saint Nali. Furthermore, the mechanisms developed by Alagina had also been successfully tested, so it would be best to produce more as quickly as possible.
When she landed on the lower level, the other Sardinia people were already carrying tools to transport the mechanism parts; this was a sign of accelerating production.
Alagina was sitting at the entrance of the laboratory, looking at the drawings in her hand while eating breakfast. Upon hearing the sound of flapping wings, she looked up, and what caught her eye was Valentina.
“Alagina!”
At first glance, Alagina noticed Valentina’s face, which was shining with a glow. Although the effects of their intimate activities could not be that exaggerated, her mood was notably lifted, the pressure released; such feelings could reflect on her face.
Obviously, the little phoenix, freshly reunited with her husband, was in quite a good mood; this emotion, blossoming under pressure, was the best beauty product.
Conversely, Valentina also saw the expression on Alagina’s face at first sight.
Although, as always, Alagina remained as beautiful as a snow prince, the traces of pressure that had silently accumulated in her heart were evident on her face, especially the slight dark circles under her calm eyes, which seemed to indicate to Valentina that she hadn’t rested well the previous night.
“…”
Aside from the initial greeting, the two fell into silence simultaneously for a moment.
It was Alagina who reacted first, ensuring that Valentina’s greetings didn’t fall to the ground.
“Miss Valentina, you’re here.”
“Ah, um…”
Valentina glanced at the drawings in Alagina’s hand and then at her breakfast. On the nearby table sat half-eaten northern flatbreads, and the fruit Alagina held was a variety from the Northern Region called sour-sweet colorful wax, appetizingly tart.
“Were you still busy with the mechanisms last night?”
“Yes, I prepared the parts in advance using the machine tools, so we can assemble them at the fastest speed today. If given another day’s time, with the help of the machine tools paired with the previously accumulated cores, at least ten functional new machines can be made.”
“Ah.”
Listening to this, Valentina started to feel a bit embarrassed.
From the way it sounded, it seemed like she had enjoyed a comfortable night with Fisher while leaving Alagina to work outside.
Even though she and Alagina were not particularly close, and there was a hint of latent rivalry, it still didn’t sit well with her conscience to have her subordinates working hard while she slept with her husband.
In fact, looking at it, they hadn’t rested much the previous night, at most just a few hours, and they had been up early to get busy. But Valentina, still young, had high moral standards, so she felt guilty.
Of course, she didn’t show it much because seeing her rosy complexion made it hard for Alagina to eat her breakfast.
It was as if the fruit that should fill her stomach had made her more hungry, only allowing her to taste the sourness without a hint of sweetness.
So, the two fell silent again.
“Phoenix Lady, are you also here to discuss mechanisms with the Captain?”
At this moment, Isabel, who was passing by carrying components, noticed the two of them in silence and smiled as she approached, breaking the suffocating atmosphere with a question.
“Ah, yes, that’s right, after all, we’re going to…”
Valentina nodded with a smile, while Alagina’s once-stiff body gradually thawed. She raised the fruit in her hand again but couldn’t bring herself to take a bite, as if the previously appetizing fruit had turned sour in her mouth.
“Speaking of this, Phoenix Lady, I have something I’d like to ask of you.” Isabel nodded, her expression somewhat hesitant. “I know there’s a limited quota for going to Saint Nali, and the cost of transporting slimes is very high; we must make good use of those quotas. But could you also let me go?”
“You?”
“No, Isabel, it’s too dangerous for you.”
Valentina began to ponder, while Alagina firmly stated a refusal. Isabel pursed her lips but still did not want to give up.
“But this concerns my older sister; no matter what Mr. Fisher says, I still care about her. Captain, Phoenix Lady, don’t worry, I won’t be a burden. I will resolutely complete the task. Also, if I’m there, I might be able to persuade my sister.”
At the end of her words, Isabel let out a somewhat sarcastic smile.
Yes, persuade Elizabeth?
This statement made Isabel laugh at herself; if Elizabeth really would listen to reason, she wouldn’t be opposing Mr. Fisher now.
Even Mr. Fisher couldn’t sway her, let alone herself.
But she still wanted to give it a try, to stand before her sister and express her true feelings.
She just didn’t want to hide anymore.
Valentina didn’t know much about Elizabeth, and neither did Alagina, so they could only analyze based on simple pros and cons. However, looking at Isabel’s determined gaze, Valentina couldn’t help but sigh.
“You don’t understand, Isabel. We are heading into a war this time. This isn’t a dinner invitation; it may involve bloodshed. Staying here is not just for your safety, but also to avoid putting you in a dilemma. What if we need you to act against your sister in a critical moment? Can you truly do it?”
“I…”
“Even if you can do it decisively, then what? You will bear the stigma of betraying your kin, betraying Godlin, betraying your country. Can you accept that?”
“…”
Valentina’s expression grew more helpless, for even after saying that, Isabel’s face still showed steadfast determination, completely unfazed.
“…Then go ahead. After all, that is your sister; regardless of success or failure, this may be your last chance. Miss Alagina, what do you think?”
In the end, Valentina relented, and Alagina had nothing more to say; she could only look at Isabel with concern, uncertain whether such a decision was good or bad.
Meeting family at such a time
Unlike her resentment towards her mother back then, she could sense that Isabel still had feelings for Elizabeth, whether that emotion would lead to a bad outcome remained to be seen.
“Thank you, thank you, Sister Valentina! Captain, please let me go; trust me, I absolutely won’t cause trouble. I will try to persuade my sister to turn back, and if it really doesn’t work out, I will stand on the side of justice.”
“Justice.”
Alagina chuckled helplessly, then shook her head but didn’t oppose it any further.
Meanwhile, Valentina nodded, giving Isabel a thorough once-over, suddenly asking,
“Wait, Isabel, how old are you this year?”
“Me? Um, almost 25.”
Hmm, she was still in college when she left Saint Nali, around 20, and now four and a half years had passed, making her 25. Even Alagina was already 31.
However, Valentina found herself at a loss for words, standing there with her mouth open.
“You just called me sister?”
“Ah, sorry, Phoenix Lady, I just feel… you’re very reliable, and what you said made a lot of sense, so I…”
“When it comes to age, I’m only 18, so I should be calling you sister.”
Valentina smiled wryly as she said this.
Alagina was aware of this matter; she had seen Valentina as a human before, while Isabel completely did not know; she covered her mouth, looking at the now elegant phoenix, greatly transformed, like a beauty goddess, in disbelief.
“Really? Miss Valentina, you’re only 18? Ah?”
“…”
Twenty-five-year-old Isabel was astonished, while thirty-one-year-old Alagina was rendered speechless.
Could it be that she was already too old, and thus lacked attraction for Fisher?
She pondered this, unconsciously raising the fruit in her hand to take a bite, but the next second, her face wrinkled as she coughed, expelling the fruit pulp that had just rolled around her tongue.
“Cough cough!”
“Captain, what’s wrong with you?”
“I—I’m fine.”
Alagina covered her chest, coughing as she responded.
It was just that the fruit was a bit sour, nothing more!
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(This chapter ends)
