novelraw Chapter 245: Filis
Chapter 245: Filis
Fisher first noticed these two relatively special tag sequences belonging to the Lion-kin. Out of considerable curiosity, he opened the explanations for these two tags in the Demi-Human Completion Handbook.
【Yin and Yang Reversal: They possess male and female traits reversed compared to other natural beings】
【Included Species: Lion-kin, Giant Troll-kin, Seahorse-kin, Chaos-kin】
Chaos-kin?
To think that the Chaos-kin actually belonged to the 【Yin and Yang Reversal】 category as well?
To be honest, Fisher's current understanding of the Chaos-kin was somewhat too generalized, which paradoxically made him rather curious about this demi-human species from the Spirit World. However, just as Eimhart had said, a Mythic Rank demi-human species would have to wait until he obtained more bonuses before he could research them.
His gaze moved further down to the explanation for the Dragon Court Dependent Sequence.
【Dragon Court Dependent Sequence: They were once the most loyal minions of the Dragon King Fafnir. Holding the Dragon-kin as their spiritual banner, they guarded the Dragon Court beneath the shelter of the massive dragon wings for generations.】
【Included Species: Lion-kin, Brain Demon-kin, Bat-kin, Bear-kin, Elephant-kin】
It seemed somewhat similar to the 【Snow Mountain Familiars】 Fisher had unlocked previously. And just as Fisher had guessed, it was precisely beneath the species of the 【Royal Choice Sequence】 that the dependent sequences existed. The dependencies for the Dragon-kin and Phoenix-kin had already been unlocked; therefore, it stood to reason that the Whale-kin, Demon-kin, and Chaos-kin should also have their corresponding dependents.These few species were somewhat similar to the Snow Mountain Familiars, all being species distributed across different locations on the Southern Continent. Just as Caleb Uz, the author of the Soul Completion Handbook, had said, the Dragon Court was an immensely massive entity, like the giant wings of a colossal dragon covering the entire Southern Continent...
Perhaps if he had the chance, he might return to the Southern Continent to collect these dependents, though obviously not now.
He stretched his body, which had grown somewhat stiff from the pain, then turned his head to look at Filis, the Lion-kin hiding behind Valentiina's wheelchair, and beckoned her with his finger.
"Do you want to do it here, or somewhere more hidden? It's entirely up to you."
"H-hidden? Hey, what are you trying to do, human?"
"Research."
Fisher walked toward her holding a pen and paper, causing Filis's ears to twitch as she swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
She suddenly had an ominous fantasy: could it be that this guy wanted to use that pen to draw and write all over her body?
Coming here this time, Filis hadn't brought her musket or her massive straight sword. Even with weapons on her previously, she couldn't defeat Fisher, let alone now.
Seeing her tail swishing back and forth on the sandy beach behind her, Fisher was momentarily not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He sometimes couldn't help but think: if only all demi-human research subjects were like Eliog, where he didn't need to do anything but ask questions and get answers. That way, research would be a lot less troublesome.
"Filis, I'm here."
In front of her, Valentiina, unable to move in her wheelchair, had no choice but to speak up to comfort her.
Hearing her boss say this, Filis gritted her teeth. After glaring at Fisher, she lay down on the sand with her arms crossed defensively over her chest, closed her eyes, and shouted at Fisher.
"Just do it right here, hurry!"
Valentiina pushed her wheelchair back a little, watching as Fisher slowly walked toward Filis and sat down beside her.
Seeing the research sample before him, his gaze sharpened with focus. Using his pen as a measuring instrument, he roughly estimated the height and physical statistics of Filis, an adult female demi-human.
Valentiina didn't look at Filis, but rather observed this strange Naris man who knew magic. At this moment, his gaze was intently focused, as rigorous as if he were dealing with magic about to be inscribed...
This analogy was naturally very suitable for a magician. Equating the research of demi-humans to magic made it sound as if researching demi-humans was no longer a mere pretext or excuse.
"Where is your hometown on the Southern Continent?"
While roughly sketching the outline of a female Lion-kin in his notebook, Fisher gently reached out and pinched the end of her tail, which ended in a tuft of fluffy dark brown fur. After confirming its specific texture, he asked her this question.
Lying on the beach, Filis blushed slightly and opened one eye to look at him, gently pulling her tail out of his grasp.
"Hah, are you doing a census check?"
"The research is about the Lion-kin, not about you. You are merely my window to the Lion-kin."
Upon hearing this, Filis opened both eyes simultaneously. She cast a glance at Fisher before looking away toward the ocean.
"The western coast of the Southern Continent, the Lion-kin tribe on the Kokoshima Grasslands. Before the humans came, I always lived there, plundering here and there with my sisters all day long. So karma caught up to me, and we were robbed by even fiercer bandits."
"The western coast... and after that?"
Demi-humans on the Southern Continent were scattered very chaotically. Except for a few specific species, one could find many diverse demi-humans living mixed together in almost any region. This likely indicated that they had been living in such mixed communities since at least the Dragon Court era, which perfectly aligned with how the Dragon Court managed other species.
"Hmph, the Lion-kin believe in fangs and strength; only then can you snatch good things... But ever since the West Continent people entered the Southern Continent, I realized something. Humans don't believe in fangs; they believe in money. They don't care who is paying them; as long as there is money, you can live well anywhere. So, I changed professions."
Lying on the ground, she formed a gun shape with her fingers, pointed it at the ocean, and then said.
"A mercenary with a clear price tag, that's what you humans call me... But recently, business hasn't been good on the Southern Continent, and I couldn't cut it on the West Continent anymore either. I could only come to the Northern Border to scrape by... like this, and then I met my boss."
While she spoke, Fisher listened and recorded the biological knowledge of the Lion-kin he was gathering. The things she said were already memorized by him anyway; he could supplement the sociological knowledge later.
After letting her speak a bit more about the traditions of the Lion-kin tribe, Fisher began to ascertain the physical strength of the Lion-kin.
In fact, according to Little Jack's research notes, while the physique of a Lion-kin was exaggerated, it hadn't reached the exaggerated level of the Transcendent Rank. Yet, Filis was an exception.
During their previous fight, Fisher felt that her strength and agility were far superior to an ordinary Lion-kin, and she also knew how to use weapons and a musket. Her rank range should be around Tier 5-6, enough to handle most troubles. After all, most of the magic Herdor and Valentiina used were 6th-8th Ring; no wonder she was hired as a bodyguard.
Previously, Little Jack had detailedly recorded many of the less dangerous demi-humans on the Southern Continent. Moreover, his research was very thorough, supplementing details that West Continent people would find hard to know by incorporating the descriptions from local humans. For instance, the popular saying among the humans on the Southern Continent regarding "a woman's jealousy" had been recorded by Little Jack.
It was a pity that Little Jack only visited the Southern Continent once due to his health condition. Not long after bringing Karma and the others back to the West Continent, he passed away.
Sitting nearby in her wheelchair, Valentiina watched the increasingly dense research notes in Fisher's hands. She then glanced at Filis, who was lying quite peacefully on the ground.
At this moment, Filis's face was slightly flushed, her eyes constantly staring at the sky. She then quietly sneaked a peek at Fisher and suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, right now... it's October already. It's late autumn."
Valentiina didn't understand what she meant, but upon hearing this, Fisher clearly understood and withdrew the hand he was using to confirm her physical strength, adding a casual "Sorry."
As mentioned before, for three out of four seasons in a year, Lion-kin were in their mating season. The only remaining season was winter. Furthermore, they had two mating peaks: late autumn and early spring. And it just so happened to be late autumn right now.
Therefore, Filis was warning Fisher just now that if he kept touching her, she might actually eat him alive.
"Of course, when we were in the tribe, we wouldn't recklessly snatch male Lion-kin either. What are you thinking? That only happens after two Lion-kin tribes go to war against each other. Besides, most of the time we just snatch a bit of food and stuff... We actually like food, mineral crafts, and pretty clothes, okay?"
Over the next hour, Fisher thoroughly grasped her physical condition and origins. One had to say, he really should thank Valentiina for hiring her. The research process was similar to Eliog's: as long as she didn't resist, the research progress skyrocketed. Although the sociological research progress was still relatively lagging behind, the biological research had already hit the 20% milestone.
【Lion-kin Biological Research Progress: 22%】
【Lion-kin Sociological Research Progress: 17%】
【20% Research Stage Reward: Constitution +3, Reproduction Power +1, Stamina +1】
With a face covered in black lines, Fisher stared at those rather familiar bonus stat points. If this kept up, he felt like he really was going to reach the "Mythic-level Breeding Rank" that Eimhart had spoken of.
Nearby, Valentiina watched the entire process of Fisher meticulously recording the traits of the Lion-kin. Up to this point, she truly believed that Fisher was a scholar interested in demi-humans.
This Naris man not only knew magic but also possessed a certain degree of research on demi-humans. If he joined her team, it would definitely be of great help in searching for the Wutong Tree of the Phoenix-kin...
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but extend an invitation to Fisher once more.
"Are you really not considering joining my team? We are going to search for the Six Races Seal to attempt to open the Wutong Tree. When the time comes, even if you know where the Wutong Tree's entrance is, you won't be able to enter it. Cooperating with us is the most correct choice."
Fisher had already made his decision, so he shook his head but cast a glance at Valentiina, jokingly saying.
"Sorry, if you were a demi-human, I might have considered it."
"...What a pity, then. But I still want to ask: do you really like demi-humans that much, Mr. Gentleman of Naris?"
Valentiina was left speechless by Fisher's words to the point her crossed arms dropped. She sighed, rubbed her brow, and said this.
Fisher looked at her, entirely failing to notice any change in her expression caused by his words. Gaining nothing from her beautiful yet helpless expression, he simply casually replied.
"It's alright, not exactly that much."
Valentiina wanted to say something else, but saw that the book on his shoulder had started to wink and make faces at her, as if intimidating her, which effectively choked back the words she had prepared to say.
Pausing for a moment, she looked at Filis, who was also looking at her from the sand, and stated.
"Well alright, then I won't force the issue. We're about to leave here and return to the Northern Border. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fischer Benavides from Naris."
"The pleasure was mine, Miss Valentina Turan from the Northern Border."