Chapter 86: Elizabeth
After stepping off the stage, Fisher quietly sat next to Damien, sensing the displeased expression on the muscular principal’s face. He leaned over and whispered an explanation.
“I’ve already simplified a lot; otherwise, I could have spoken for over ten minutes. After all, I haven’t been on stage for six years, so please understand.”
Damien stared at Fisher for a long time, then took a breath and said, “I understand.”
Damien’s expression was grim, and the others from the academy felt anger and helplessness. Bringing up the academy’s issues in such a public setting was already a slap in the face, and Fisher didn’t need to add more adjectives. In any case, these scholars would likely regard the academy as a pig farm for the entire coming year.
Damien just hoped this would be of some help; either way, he knew it was inevitable that the Griffin Party’s members would call him in for a talk.
The opening ceremony soon concluded, and Fisher didn’t stay for lunch with Heilson and the others. He had to find “old friends” to seek clues about the Sorceress Research Society and the Undying Sorceress, so he planned to leave early.
As he left, he deliberately pulled the brim of his gentleman’s hat low to avoid being spotted and stopped by the enthusiastic young scholars behind him who might ask him endless questions or even for an autograph, probably out of a belief that having his signature would bless them for their exams.
Walking discreetly in the corner, Fisher slowly maneuvered through the crowd towards the entrance of the Royal Academy but suddenly caught sight of a quiet lady standing gracefully beside the entrance. A large hat shaded her face from Nali’s blazing sun. An elegant long dress enveloped her beautiful and delicate figure. She had her hands placed in front of her, as if blending in perfectly with the surrounding environment.
The lady seemed to be waiting for someone, and an aura of unique authority spread through the air, making many gentlemen who wanted to approach her think twice.
Fisher instinctively opened his mouth and turned to leave through the side door but saw several armed guards at the sides.
A feeling of being seen through rose in his heart. Fisher sighed, adjusted his collar, then lifted his intentionally lowered gentleman’s hat and walked towards the lady at the entrance.
The lady did not turn around; her plaited golden hair fell over her back. She quietly gazed at the stone bricks of the Royal Academy steps until she felt the approach of a gentleman.
“Your Highness Elizabeth.”
Fisher made a gentlemanly bow, his expression serious, clearly embodying the standard image of a Nali gentleman.
However, the lady did not turn, instead a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
“Mr. Fisher, you treat everyone with the same casualness, including the King, which at least shows your sincerity toward them; you act according to your thoughts. Yet you have always maintained a hypocritical politeness towards me.”
She turned around, and a pair of light gold eyes like an empty ocean met his gaze, overflowing with warmth that could deeply touch others.
She was a woman most deserving of the title “princess,” the most elegant, strongest, and most beautiful of women. The only one in the whole country worthy of that name was the “Eldest Princess”—Her Highness Elizabeth Godlin.
After hearing that, Fisher smiled and explained, “I wouldn’t dare; I have always harbored loyalty and respect for the royal family, especially for you.”
Elizabeth did not look at him, merely smiled, pulled out a small gift box with one hand, and handed it to him.
“I have received your reply. This is a token of your return, the perfume that Queen Shval gifted me last month.”
Fisher accepted the small gift box but caught a crucial piece of information in her words. Last month, Nali and Shivali were still in a cold war, and only this month had the rumors started about Nali and Shivali warming relations again. Elizabeth had received this bottle of perfume from the Queen of Shivali just last month.
In other words, she had secretly visited Shivali and facilitated the reconciliation between the two countries.
But why did she want to give him a perfume, especially one from Shivali?
Shivali’s men’s perfume was quite complicated, as their culture allowed strong scents that were not exactly feminine. Fisher bet that this perfume would not be liked by any woman; if Renee knew, she would definitely laugh until it hurt, but he wondered if Raphael, the dragon race member, would like it.
In an instant, his thoughts whirled, but just as Fisher was about to say “Thank you, Your Highness,” he looked up to see her calm golden eyes, as if she had been watching him for a long time.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Elizabeth smiled and turned her head slowly, gently lifting her dress as she descended. Below, a golden carriage guarded by soldiers was waiting for a long time.
“No thanks; it’s just a token.”
She did not ask Fisher for a return gift; instead, she walked gracefully into the carriage. After the door closed, she slowly departed the scene under the protection of the soldiers. Fisher remained in place until her carriage completely disappeared from view.
Meanwhile, in a place unseen by Fisher, Elizabeth had gently removed the hat from her head without opening the outside window. She reached for a bit of the tea on the table inside the carriage and began to write lightly on the tabletop.
“I’ve already been with other women; is there still at least one ambiguous relationship?”
She did not have the terrifying superpower of mind-reading, but merely derived answers from observation.
Elizabeth’s stunning profile remained still as she gazed at the tea stains on the table. Then she waved her hand, and the tea stains ignited with golden flames, swiftly consuming the marks completely.
However, behind that golden flame, her empty, gentle golden eyes were chillingly cold.
Watching the golden carriage surrounded by soldiers fade into the distance, Fisher exhaled deeply. He then checked the bottle of perfume given as a token, ensuring that there were no strange engravings before he felt relieved enough to accept it.
He had met Elizabeth during his time at the academy; she was the jewel of the entire school, surrounded by an aura that was countless. Fisher had achieved first place in the four-year “Griffin Competition,” and in front of everyone, she promised him he could make one request of her, any request.
Everyone in the school knew about this, and everyone thought Fisher was about to get close to the royal family, yet he made no requests.
This request still stood, as Elizabeth had said, “This promise remains valid until she passes away.” Yet, a gentleman who favored ladies would refuse such an alluring request, and Fisher must have had his reasons for doing so.
Because he always felt something strange about Elizabeth, feeling uneasy around her, which made Fisher instinctively cautious and unwilling to become too entangled with her.
So to this day, the two who seemed so well matched back then had no further developments, only the legend of “Elizabeth’s unlimited request permission” lingering among the academy’s community of that year.
Fisher sighed, tucking the perfume into his pocket, picked up his staff, and quickly left the Royal Academy.
This time he did not take the tram but headed towards an entirely different direction.
Tomorrow, Saint Nali University would start classes. He had received the corresponding course schedule yesterday and had initially thought about preparing for the classes, but upon seeing the syllabus, he found it so simple that preparation was unnecessary. He had already thought through the grading matters in advance and planned to go directly to class tomorrow.
Before that, he intended to gather intelligence about the Sorceress Research Society, following the clues to find the Undying Sorceress they were searching for. He needed to find them before the police did; otherwise, it would be troublesome to obtain information after they were taken to the police station.
Just right, he had some “old friends” in Saint Nali who could help.
Snakehead Street was a notorious slum area in Saint Nali. It had once been very close to the factories in the city, but after those factories were ordered to relocate, the impoverished residents had nowhere else to move. To this day, various gangs and criminals still thrived here, and the Nali Police never left empty-handed after visiting.
However, those were merely a minority among the residents. The majority still comprised working families laboring in the outer factory areas or serving families in the city.
The cost of living here was low, and the housing conditions were dire. It was close to Saint Nali’s drainage channel and was a convergence point for multiple rivers, leading to a mix of housing and drainage structures. Many buildings were below ground level, and the air was filled with the scents of drugs and cigarettes.
Fisher covered his mouth and nose with his collar and made his way down Snakehead Street, entering underground alongside the raging sound of the Nali River. Pushing through the smoke and fog, he soon arrived in front of a brightly lit tavern.
It was only noon, and the tavern was almost empty, with just one elderly man cleaning. The floor was littered with cigarette butts and vomit mixed with drink.
As he swept, the old man said, “We’re not serving customers this afternoon.”
“Old Jack, I’m here to find Kalma and the others.”
The old man’s body paused slightly; he set the broom aside, crossed his arms, and turned to look at Fisher.
“Yeah, only you would come looking for them in all of Saint Nali. Follow me.”
The old man’s face was scarred, showing he had been a gang member often seen in Nali’s underground spots during his youth, but he had long since retired. All his grudges had faded away with the passing of his former comrades.
He had a family like normal people—a wife and children, and like everyone else, he ended up alone in the end.
Old Jack’s son, also named Jack, was a classmate of Fisher’s during his time at the Royal Academy, his research focusing on the Subhuman Race. In fact, he was the foremost researcher on the Subhuman Race; just like the story of a gangster’s son becoming a scholar, his life was filled with ups and downs.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t inherited his father’s robust physique and was rather weak like his mother. During one trip to the Southern Continent, he contracted a serious illness and died not long after returning home.
But he left behind valuable relics for Old Jack.
Fisher followed Old Jack through a small door behind the tavern and then through a basement door blocked by iron plates. Only after several minutes did they arrive at the wide underground space where Old Jack lived.
“Grandpa!”
“Grandpa!”
“Grandpa, you’re back!”
As Old Jack opened the door, three fluffy little things bounced toward him, tumbling into his arms and scrambling all over him while chattering excitedly.
Upon closer inspection, the three were little girls wearing different colored princess dresses, each girl sporting long pointed ears, and behind each one, a long, curved tail reminiscent of a wild squirrel.
Their bright, big eyes blinked with long eyelashes as they rubbed against their stout grandfather, talking non-stop.
“Oh my! It’s Uncle Fisher!”
“Fisher!”
“Let me see!”
The three girls didn’t climb down from Old Jack but poked their heads out from different parts of him, their cheeks puffed up as they looked toward the gentleman behind.
“Hello, Kalma, Holly, and Doudou.”
Old Jack rubbed their faces, his expression helpless as he grumbled, “Alright, they’re right here. Ask what you need to ask quickly, and don’t forget my fee.”
“Yeah, Grandpa has to buy us nuts to eat!”
Old Jack scolded with a dark face, “I’m not buying you nuts!”
Once those words left his mouth, the three little girls looked mournfully up at Old Jack, leaving him momentarily speechless. Clearly, they had moved his heart with their cuteness.
“Really not gonna buy us any, Grandpa?”
“Really?”
“Really?”
Old Jack opened his mouth, then scolded again, “Buy! Hurry up and ask Fisher what you want!”
“Yay!”
“Grandpa is the best!”
The three little girls dove back into Old Jack’s arms, causing him to roll his eyes.
Fisher smiled, took off his hat, and sat down in the small yet cozy room.
These three were the unique Subhuman Race called the Mouse People that Jack had brought back from the Southern Continent. It was said they were found as baby creatures in the wild, and fearing they would be eaten, Jack brought them back to raise. Unfortunately, he did not live long after returning, and Old Jack had tried numerous times to send them away but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
On one hand, they were his son’s last legacy, and on the other, they were adorable and pitiable; having spent time with them, he grew attached, treating them as his granddaughters.
These three Mouse People had remarkable abilities; they could communicate with all rodents. If anyone had questions, they could ask their squirrel and rat friends to find out.
However, most rats were too stupid, so the three of them kept some clever ones and had them ask the dull ones, who would then report back to Kalma and the others, allowing them to gather complete information.
“This is it: last Friday midnight, there was a murder on Karen Street, and I want to know where the murderer went.”
Fisher looked at the three little girls in Old Jack’s embrace and got straight to the point.
(End of Chapter)
