Chapter 711: Waiting
“It’s me.”
“Huh.”
After Fisher simply spoke these words, he heard an unmistakable sigh of relief from the other end of the phone. He couldn’t help but chuckle and asked,
“Earlier, Ramastia went through the crevice, didn’t you already know I went into the Spirit Realm without any issues?”
“Hearing it from others is never as comforting as hearing it directly from you.”
“I’m the same.”
“…Idiot, Fisher.”
Hearing Raphael’s voice on the phone laced with a hint of playful annoyance, Fisher’s lips had not yet curled upwards in a smile, and before he could savor the cuteness on the other end of the line, a series of faint whooshing sounds nearby interrupted his thoughts.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”
Turning his head, he saw that Renee had somehow already settled on the table beside him. Due to the height of the desk, she could swing her long legs lazily above, but because Fisher had placed David’s walkie-talkie to his ear and was whispering softly, it seemed to have displeased the sorceress.
Her legs, which had been moving slowly like a swing nudged by a gentle spring breeze, gradually began to accelerate, the sound of fabric rubbing and cutting through the air finally broke into Fisher’s concentration, prompting him to turn and look at Renee.
Renee crossed her arms, without saying a word, pointed to the phone by Fisher’s ear, then pointed to the table beside her, seeming to say,
“Put it here, let’s listen together. I’m curious about what you’re discussing.”
It wasn’t that they were discussing any taboo topics; she had probably heard them before, otherwise, she wouldn’t have spoken to Lady Bojiang like that.
But the key issue was that the number of people involved was slightly more than she anticipated.
“Hurry up!”
Renee pouted, and seeing that Fisher was not moving, she began to levitate, warming up her fingers as if preparing to disturb him while he was on the phone.
Fortunately, Fisher was quick-witted; although Renee’s true form was a true god, her transformation speed was no different from years ago. Fisher reached out and pressed down on her head, keeping her suspended in mid-air, making her struggle in vain.
“Are you still in Nali?”
“It’s just evening; even if we were to retreat, it wouldn’t be that fast. We’re still cleaning the battlefield. That lady from the Sardinia kingdom and the phoenix from the Parasol Tree are sending the Chaos Race away through the crevice, and as for Princess Isabel, who’s with the captain of Sardinia, she’s still busy with the Nali people.”
Just evening? And judging by Raphael’s words, it should still be the same day in reality.
Could it be? He has been in the Spirit Realm for so long that when the battle below ended, it was probably already close to afternoon. Even without a clock in the Spirit Realm, Fisher had a basic sense of time. There was no way only such a little time had passed.
Could it be that the time in the Spirit Realm and the real world are different?
Fisher glanced at Renee, who was supervising him, but she only returned a glance and then focused her gaze tightly on the phone in his hand.
“What’s it like over there in the Spirit Realm? That Sardinia captain’s mechanism went out of control, and the book was whisked away by Mr. X. That elf Duke of Peach said he was taken to the Spirit Realm. If you’re over there…”
Hearing Raphael not even call his name, Emhart shifted slightly in Fisher’s embrace, but it was only a slight movement because the “Killing God” Renee was still on guard outside.
“When will you be able to come back then?”
Listening to Raphael’s voice on the other end, every thought in Fisher’s mind seemed to be sorted out and calmed down by that gentle tone. He stopped thinking of anything else and focused solely on the ongoing call.
“This is what we saw through the crevice earlier. It’s dark, filled with crimson mist, and very dangerous. As for coming back, I’m afraid it can only wait until everything is over.”
There were still the unresolved Apocalypse Prophecy and, in reality, the authority of Death, which had begun to lose control and chase him since Heow’s death. To solve this problem, he would probably have to wait until his rank improved enough to handle Heya’s authority before he could reunite with Raphael and the others.
“And, didn’t I tell you I needed to look for pure souls in the Sea of Souls for the child?”
Just then, Fisher, unconsciously spoke, and the sound of his lover’s voice, which always felt like a gentle hand stroking his head, made him momentarily forget his troubles. But at that moment, the instinctive response he had felt a sense of danger.
He held the walkie-talkie, and just as he was about to look towards Renee, he saw her grab his wrist, then tightly clutching his clothes and shaking him like a ferocious tiger.
“Thump! Thump!”
Renee used to do this whenever she was angry, and due to the massive disparity in physique between sorceresses and humans, if she were to do this with her hand, it would end in a “heroic sacrifice.” During the Shivali events, it ruined many outfits, which is why when he later sought Raphael in the Southern Continent, he simply kept a changing room in the carriage.
Notably, at that time, only a few sets of formal attire remained in the carriage, thanks to Renee. Yet she still insisted on using the wardrobe to store a magical sweater.
Now, after a long time apart, Fisher was once again experiencing this feeling. Fortunately, the clothes being pulled this time weren’t something he had paid for himself.
Even so, Renee remained silent, just tugging at Fisher’s clothing without revealing her presence.
“Speaking of which, back when I was at war with the colonizers from the Southern Continent and the Western Continent, I even confiscated a human phone. At that time, I fantasized about using that phone to get in touch with you in Nali, but later I found out that the phone didn’t have a functioning line.”
“Thump! Thump!”
“Raphael, I told you to ask about the Phoenix! Stop chatting, seriously. Even in front of me! Boohoo!”
Unexpectedly, to Fisher’s surprise, a voice of panicked whispers also came from the other end of the walkie-talkie. Indeed, Jasmine had just answered the call earlier, only to be interrupted by Raphael.
“You wait a moment, Jasmine!”
“It’s my turn! Raphael, you’ve been talking for so long, and I was the one who answered the phone first.”
“Weren’t you the one who got startled and dropped the phone on the table when it made a noise?”
“Huh?”
That chaotic little dispute actually provided Fisher with a bit of breathing room, given that in this battle of Saint Nali, Fisher was dealing with the battlefield through the crevice, while Raphael, Jasmine, Valentina, and Captain Alagina from the Northern Region collided into one another.
“Jasmine.”
Fisher had planned to say something to her, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly recalled what Ramastia and Gouwen had mentioned.
He hesitated, especially as he quickly realized Xu and Gouwen hadn’t informed her of the truth yet; even if Ramastia hoped she would enter the Spirit Realm, she might not know the reason.
But then thinking about it, Jasmine was indeed Asuka’s unwashed soul. In other words, Jasmine’s consciousness was actually Asuka’s consciousness; however, this time she was no longer burdened by that sorrowful family and her yearning for maternal love. She had discarded and forgotten all that pain, along with the torment of waiting for so long.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
“Miss Raphael, Miss Jasmine, things over there are basically settled. Hey, why are you two holding my walkie-talkie?”
Just as Fisher had pondered what to say for a while, a cool and mature female voice came through the walkie-talkie. That detached, snow-like voice quickly crafted an image of a graceful young gentleman dressed in traditional noble attire from Sardinia.
“It’s Teacher Fisher! He’s contacted us from the Spirit Realm!”
“Fisher?”
“Tap, tap, tap.”
“Fisher, are you in the shelter of the Spirit Realm? David is about to set out alone to his parents’ side. That unknown entity has taken Sir Book away, and I’m worried…”
“Mm, don’t worry, Alagina. About the confusion surrounding that mechanism’s manual, we’ve already met with Him. David has also briefly informed us of the situation here.”
Fisher glanced at the display screen activated by David. Above, countless originally empty database folders were restored with Hamon Hamon’s network connection. Holding the walkie-talkie, Fisher watched the large screen, and many terms flashing by caught his attention.
“Records of the Unknown Trans person’s movements?”
“Research on the nature of the boundaries of the Sea of Souls.”
“Records of the Trans person civilization, and the birth and application of angelic AI.”
Fisher found it somewhat unimaginable; in the long time since he left, what wonderful things had Mikhail accomplished with the angels while being accompanied by Mikhail?
While reading, he looked at the screen above and softly spoke to Alagina,
“Rest assured, I’ll take care of things here.”
“…”
Alagina on the other side didn’t respond immediately but after a moment of silence suddenly said,
“You said that before, yet each time it puts you in danger. I can’t help but…”
“Mm? Who are you talking to?”
“The Chaos Races have already left. On the Nali side, we’ve also reached an agreement with Isabel. Having Isabel here might not be too…”
The first to speak was the Duke of Peach, followed by Valentina; perhaps Fate Lord was right behind them.
At this moment, the number of people speaking on the other side of the walkie-talkie was increasing rapidly; even with Fisher’s Mythical Rank, he could barely understand what they were saying. It wasn’t that his hearing was lacking or an exaggeration; the main issue was that this walkie-talkie was of such poor quality.
It seemed that the communication technology between the crevice connecting the Spirit Realm and reality was too limited, and in any case, both Mikhail and Michael hadn’t overcome these difficulties, resulting in a very muddled and chaotic conversation. Usually, he had to concentrate fully to hear, let alone now.
The Duke of Peach still had that small appearance. Honestly, since the war ended until now, she had felt as if she were living in a dream, especially when she walked down safely and saw Valentina flying over to hug her; that was when she finally thought that she might have grasped a little of the future.
Of course, it was just a little.
For instance, right now, she just entered and looked at the walkie-talkie clutched in Alagina’s hand and rubbed her chin, saying,
“The Spirit Realm is extremely dangerous. I’ve heard about the origins of that mechanism chaos; back when I was still alive, that pollution was only just beginning to show signs, but after I died, it seemed to manifest its terror. If even Michael died at that guy’s hands, it really needs to weigh the risks. I heard before I died that the Chief Angel Michael had Demigod status, and his odds of stepping into that realm are low. At least from my perspective; but the mere existence of this rumor is enough to indicate that Michael may have methods to contend with demigods.”
All the ladies sternly looked at the tiny, child-sized elf, yet this little creature had been recognized even by the God of Destruction in the earlier confrontation.
This afternoon, when Xu met the Duke of Peach, he was surprised she was still alive.
The ladies had all heard that Jasmine’s mother Xu had personally admitted a thousand years ago during the mythical war that she couldn’t kill the Duke of Peach. If not for Gouwen finding Ag to create the Death Rune after the chaos, that possibly completely turned into a Chaotic Demigod and went insane Duke of Peach could have prolonged that mythical war indefinitely.
But the past is in the past. The Duke of Peach was no longer that elf driven to madness by responsibility and chaos.
She stroked her chubby little face, pondering for a moment before suddenly laughing.
“But, it’s good news for you guys that Fisher is currently in the Spirit Realm.”
The Duke of Peach raised a finger, while Raphael glanced down at her own abdomen, just about to speak when the Duke of Peach said,
“The Spirit Realm is extremely dangerous. Your Fisher probably can’t dally around there; he’ll have to focus on his salvation problem. That should count as good news, right?”
The ladies all perked up, waiting for some remarkable good news, which momentarily quieted the chaotic scene, and this sentence was also heard by Fisher, who was browsing David’s database.
He suddenly blinked, raising his gaze to glance at Renee, who was smirking in the corner, feeling that her grin was akin to a crafty expression of a trickster character in legends; it was just perfect.
“Don’t worry, in the Spirit Realm, I’ll watch over Fisher and ensure he doesn’t~ dally around~!”
Renee quietly leaned in, speaking as if whispering sweetly in his ear, causing a shiver to run down Fisher’s spine, sending chills all over.
He hurriedly took a step back, and Renee erupted into silent laughter, cradling her abdomen and spinning around to the other side of the monitoring room.
Fisher raised an eyebrow, listening to the conversation while rummaging through the potentially useful materials in the database, and even remembered to loosen the collar of his jacket a bit, revealing Emhart hidden within, who was eager to learn about the secrets yet too timid to show himself because of Renee.
They were rapidly sifting through this long-forgotten database, and just as Fisher was listening to the Duke of Peach analyze the mechanism issue, the name of a folder in the database suddenly caught his attention.
It was a file named “Observation Records of Activities by Foreign Deities – Ocean,” as designated by the angels.
As previously mentioned, mythical beings in ancient times would hunt down Trans people, and the chaos within Trans people’s bodies often exhibited characteristics of foreign deities. Yet regardless of any deities’ powers, they evolved slowly within the Trans person, which is why Fisher had seen many documents titled “Observation Records of Activities by Trans people – XX.”
But this time, it was the traces of the legendary ocean?
Had the angels tracked its signs?
Fisher’s heart involuntarily sped up, and he couldn’t wait to click on the file, but the screen brightened for a moment before a notice popped up saying, “Sorry, the file is corrupted,” leaving him somewhat disappointed.
The ocean…
Fisher rubbed his forehead, and as time passed, the voices on the other end of the conversation gradually dwindled, indicating they were preparing to have dinner soon.
A large group of people had traveled from afar to Nali for combat, and they couldn’t just return immediately. Managing their basic necessities might sound easy, but it was indeed a troublesome task requiring considerable coordination. Thus, despite being a time supposedly meant for rest, everyone had become busy again, leaving Alagina the only one sitting in the tent.
It had been a while, and even Renee had begun to squats and examine the useless old iron chunks on the ground; it was about time to hang up the call. Earlier, they had all said their goodbyes to Fisher before getting busy.
However, as Fisher was about to hang up, he changed his mind and said to Alagina,
“Alagina, could you do me a favor?”
“Fisher, just tell me. I’ll help you with whatever you need.”
“Can you find Isabel and give her the walkie-talkie? I want to entrust her with something. It’s about Nali.”
“Oh? Alright, I’ll search for her. She should still be at the ruins of the Golden Palace.”
Alagina stood up and left. It went silent, leaving only the sound of her hurried steps and the noise of Saint Nali’s evening after experiencing a war.
Listening to the commotion coming from the other end, Fisher had initially wanted to look at the document in front of him, but he couldn’t focus at all.
Was the conversation with Isabel really about the aftermath of Nali?
Yes, anyone could tell that looking for Isabel and discussing matters concerning Nali were just facades.
What he truly wanted to do was just to have a phone call with Elizabeth.
Yet at this moment, busy with many things and the journey being long, Alagina had yet to arrive after a long time, and Fisher’s heart began to race.
(End of Chapter)
