Chapter 76: 13. The Body
Martha’s dinner skills had improved, even Renee, who usually wasn’t fond of eating, devoured several bowls of mushroom soup. Afterwards, she sprawled out on the sofa in Fisher’s room, appearing utterly exhausted and unwilling to move.
Fisher turned on the desk lamp and opened the window. He enjoyed sitting there and feeling the night breeze, especially on rainy nights in Saint Nali, when the sound of the raindrops somehow calmed his thoughts. Of course, this also took into account his habit of smoking while writing, preventing the room from becoming stuffy and filled with smoke.
Fisher picked up a quill and began writing on a letter.
“Why are you writing again? Didn’t you finish your thesis?”
“I’m writing a reply.”
“To that Elizabeth?”
Renee peered up, but then lay back down on the sofa as she was too stuffed to lift herself, repositioning so she could see Fisher’s back.
Fisher nodded and said, “It’s just business, really. I’m not very close to her; I don’t want to get too close.”
“Godlin, royalty, she could wave her hand and you could live a life of ease just lying down. How many gentlemen can only dream of such a situation? Yet, it’s within your reach, so just enjoy it in secret.”
Renee waved her hand, speaking in a sarcastic tone that left one uncertain of her true thoughts.
Fisher ignored her and wrote a shorter reply, sealing it in an envelope. Given his financial state, he didn’t worry about the gold paper and wax seal that Elizabeth had sent; a regular formal envelope he used for work would suffice.
Most of the other letters were notifications that didn’t require a separate reply from Fisher, but unexpectedly, aside from Elizabeth’s letter, there was also a personal letter, from Saint Nali University.
Opening it, Fisher found that the letter was from Ken, the president of Saint Nali University, stating that the university was currently in need of excellent teachers and wanted to hire Fisher as a professor, inviting him to discuss the matter at Saint Nali University located in the outskirts of the city.
Fisher tapped his fingers on the desk, his mind recalling matters related to Saint Nali University.
When mentioning Saint Nali University, one must introduce the two parties currently in Parliament.
First is the rapidly popular Pioneer Party, or the New Party, whose members consist mainly of newly elevated nobles and entrepreneurs, known for their radical and innovative policies, and supported by the Nali Exploration Company, hence leaning toward the company in many legislative matters.
The other party is the traditional Griffin Party, or the Conservative Party, a faction that has existed since the inception of Parliament. Its members mainly consist of nobles and traditional intellectuals. Although currently weaker, it still holds significant influence in many contexts.
Ken, the president of Saint Nali University, is a renowned scholar with no political background, summoned three years ago by the King to establish the university. This process required the approval of the Griffin Party’s Royal Academy, and the funding for this university still comes from the Nali Exploration Company, which provides the best facilities and resources in all of Nali.
Both parties consented to unify, a sight that Fisher hadn’t seen since the war with Shivali. This only indicates that the King is notably firm, forcing both parties to reach a consensus on the school matter, at least superficially.
Teaching there would be a decent choice, as Ken had invested heavily to lure excellent scholars outside the Royal Academy. Teachers of emerging theories like steam engines and chemistry were relatively easy to find since those individuals were not recognized by the Royal Academy. However, teachers for traditional theories, such as magic, were more or less connected with the Royal Academy, making it normal not to find suitable candidates.
Fisher wasn’t surprised that Ken contacted him, but he had to consider whether it is appropriate to teach at this university, especially if it turned into a second battleground for parliamentary rivalries like the Royal Academy had become.
After some thought, Fisher decided to meet with Ken to discuss the matter, especially since his current financial situation was rather poor and he needed a job that could relieve his stress.
“By the way, when are you leaving?”
Speaking of which, Renee had mentioned wanting to leave to the south to Cardu to continue seeking her home. He inquired about her specific plans.
“I’ll probably set off tomorrow since I’ve been with you for a long time already. I’m tired of it.”
This statement seemed like a retort to Fisher’s earlier indifference towards her, as if saying their relationship had grown distant and Fisher no longer cared. Yet soon she realized that Fisher brought this up to create some beautiful memories before she departed, like inviting her to see a play or something.
Unexpectedly, Fisher was also into romantic gestures. It seemed he had made some progress after all.
She smiled wickedly, propping her chin on her hand, lying on the sofa in a position that was both beautiful and enchanting.
“What’s up? Do you have any plans, Lord Fisher?”
“None.” Fisher turned to look at her, pointing at the staff beside him, “The magic I used before has run out, and carving some high-level spells is quite bothersome, so I wanted to ask for your help.”
“I’m tired. Good night. See you tomorrow.”
She fell back onto the sofa, immobile, her fair feet curled up, her black curls obscuring her face, giving her the appearance of one sulking in discontent.
Seeing her revert to her previous tactics of being spoiled, Fisher couldn’t help but smile silently, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the theater to watch a play as a farewell gift.”
Renee finally raised her head, thought for a moment, and then smiled cunningly, “I’ll be setting off tomorrow morning, so let’s skip the play.”
“So soon?”
“Please, I’ve been with you for over a month, and some people can’t grasp any opportunity; it’s really a pity.”
Her fingers traced over her body, her purple eyes enticing one to indulge in the enchantment they offered. “But helping you with engraving magic isn’t impossible. You need to tell me about your relationship with that Elizabeth!”
Sure enough, she still cares about that letter from Elizabeth?
“I’m just a fellow student at the Royal Academy with her; nothing more.”
“Just that?”
“Just that.”
Fisher took a sip of coffee. His calm demeanor had Renee suspiciously scrutinizing him for quite a while. Eventually, she relaxed her body, pointing at the window and the door behind him.
“Hmph, fine. Lock the window and the door, so we don’t attract the police while engraving magic.”
As mentioned before, Renee is a sorceress, a type of subhuman unique to the Western Continent.
Now, let’s review the human definition of subhumans: “Subhumans are a collective term for all humanoid beings.” There are humanoids that closely resemble humans and others that are quite different. Sorceresses are those that share similarities with humans, but they are ultimately not human.
The common feature of sorceresses is their enormous magical power, and not being human also means their magical circuits differ significantly from humans. When using magic or displaying their abilities, their differences become fully revealed.
Fisher nodded, closing the window and door in front of him, also locking the room’s door and telling Martha not to disturb him for now; she was getting older, and it wouldn’t be good if Renee scared her into a heart attack.
Renee floated up, took the staff from Fisher, and looked at him, “What do you want to carve? There’s probably only one evening, so we may not carve much. You can handle the low-level ones; we’ll do the high-level ones together.”
“Yeah, let’s do a Gravity Ring and Space Refraction; I’ll handle the rest.”
Renee nodded, her starry-eyed pupils suddenly began to expand, her body at that moment swallowed by the glowing massive magical circuit, transforming into an entity resembling a purple galaxy. That figure seemed to be made entirely of feathers, and every feather contained the magical circuits of three or four humans.
Visibly, the magical circuits at the end of the feathers continued to grow. At the moment Renee’s circuits ignited, one feather fell to the ground and instantly transformed into a purple lark, tilting its head to look at Fisher.
Meanwhile, in an unknown corner of Saint Nali, within the pipes and rooftops, the eyes of the larks hidden in the night also glowed purple, seemingly responding to their master’s magical circuits.
This massive magical power never failed to astonish Fisher. They were simply born to wield magic.
Fisher grasped the staff, and Renee’s feather-like hand rested on top of it. A suspended purple ring was immediately carved out, which was the head of the Gravity magic, while Fisher had already begun carving the main magic. This segmented engraving method reduced carving risks and decreased magical output; many large high-level spells required this kind of collaboration to complete.
Renee’s starry form twirled in the air, with space unable to restrict her carving. Intricate patterns soon emerged on the surface of the staff, just as beautiful as the world’s finest artworks.
Engraving high-level magic takes a long time. Even with Fisher and Renee’s efforts combined, engraving two high-level spells would nearly require the whole night. By the time Fisher sighed and finished carving the last ring tail, dawn was breaking outside in Saint Nali.
Renee’s starry body showed no signs of slowing down, and the next moment, she shrank back into her body, returning to her usual beautiful appearance. After stretching, she floated onto Fisher’s bed.
“I’m so tired. If I had known, I would have run off after getting off the ship, so I wouldn’t have to help you with magic.”
“That’s my bed.”
Renee wrapped herself in the bedding Fisher usually used, then pointed at her lips with her finger, “Please, I’m leaving. I should leave some of my essence on your bed. That way, when you go out chasing flowers, you’ll return every night feeling guilty, thinking, ‘Goodness, how could I do this! It’s so unfair to Renee! No, I must correct this!’ Then, you’ll become a proper Nali gentleman.”
“I’ll just wash the bedding tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if you sleep or not.”
“Hey, Fisher, can’t you just go along with what I say without dying?”
Renee was about to fly up and whack his head but yawned before she could even get up, opting to lie back on his bed. Her tone turned hazy, “Just keep annoying me. When I wake up, I’ll leave; you’ll never see me again! You’ll regret it!”
Fisher sat on the nearby sofa with his legs crossed, smiling as he watched Renee, who had closed her eyes and was mumbling, nodding.
“Go to sleep. You look almost dead tired.”
Outside, Saint Nali started to awaken again, the room filled with the sorceress’s enchanting fragrance. She lay sleeping on his bed while the newly born Hart bird yawned, settling into Fisher’s hand, closing its eyes just like her.
Fisher prepared to nap for a bit, gently stroking the Hart bird’s head, but he failed to notice that Renee and the Hart on the bed shared equally comfortable expressions.
It was time for him to rest a while.
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*(End of Chapter)*
