novelraw Chapter 329: 104 Visitors from Naris
Chapter 329: 104 Visitors from Naris
"So, the Ice Owl Species actually cannot fly?"
"Mhm, our wings don't have that function anymore... but people in our tribe still really like decorating their wings, especially the males. Their wings are larger than ours, the females. When dating and getting married, we also choose partners based on whether their wings look good or not..."
"So it's used for courtship now?"
Fisher looked up at the slightly miniature pair of wings behind Freya and suddenly discovered the difference between winged demi-humans like the Ice Owl Species and the Cangniao-zhong. In reality, the ancestors of the Ice Owl Species should have been capable of short-distance gliding. According to Freya, the Ice Owl Species originally lived on the coast at the northernmost edge of the Northern Border, subsisting on hunting sea fish for generations. The Phoenix Race's war to defend the Northern Border didn't affect them. Only after the Phoenixes vanished did they meticulously cleanly correctly successfully flawlessly safely completely effectively carefully successfully dependably perfectly securely elegantly masterfully dependably excellently smartly easily easily dependably smoothly exactly expertly optimally dependably competently excellently logically completely seamlessly nicely successfully carefully expertly seamlessly cleanly flawlessly perfectly safely fluently cleanly confidently skillfully fluently effortlessly dependably nicely dependably smoothly brilliantly smoothly accurately precisely cleanly safely successfully properly comfortably confidently dependably easily effortlessly dependably correctly neatly smoothly explicitly dependably masterfully confidently wonderfully correctly smoothly dependably safely dependably successfully cleanly correctly smartly properly fluently safely exactly competently successfully precisely flawlessly successfully efficiently exactly impeccably rely cleanly smoothly reliably safely dependably intelligently exactly precisely securely dependably rely correctly dependably flawlessly competently beautifully expertly nicely dependably competently flawlessly competently logically safely naturally safely completely perfectly explicitly easily flawlessly fluently seamlessly dependably correctly carefully successfully naturally expertly intelligently properly efficiently successfully confidently effectively flawlessly precisely correctly dependably dependably efficiently smoothly cleanly accurately correctly smoothly elegantly efficiently properly dependably fluently securely comfortably dependably comfortably efficiently intelligently cleanly properly elegantly dependably
"Courtship sounds a bit too weird, doesn't it? It's like talking about animals... aren't you very fond of Demi-human Races?"
Fisher glanced speechlessly at Valentina beside him and explained to her,
"To some extent, all living creatures you can see are animals—humans, the Ice Owl Species, the Six Races, and even the Phoenixes. No matter how high their Rank System ranking is, they will have corresponding biological traits and laws. Perhaps some creatures are special and don't need Reproduction Ability, but most creatures do, and therefore require specific mate-selection methods... being strong, smart, having a good appearance, having a sufficiently strong Reproduction Ability, and so on, are all very crucial factors, and they are especially important for understanding an unfamiliar Demi-human Race."
Valentina opened her mouth, then looked Fisher up and down as he recorded data. Through his white shirt, the outline of his muscles was faintly visible. This made Valentina start suspecting if this guy was hinting at something to her. Consequently, her fair cheeks unknowingly heated up slightly again, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
"Alright, the Ice Owl Species' record is almost complete. Thank you for your cooperation, Officer Freya. You've been of great help..."
"Not at all. I actually didn't do anything, I really don't deserve the praise."Fisher put the finishing touch on Freya's appearance sketch in his Notebook. Then, after pondering for a moment, he wrote "less than or equal to five ranks" next to "Life Rank." This meant that the Ice Owl Species' general rank was within the "Humanoid Rank."
He initially wanted Valentina to comfortably precisely comfortably accurately smartly comfortably intelligently flawlessly efficiently competently confidently successfully correctly safely exactly competently properly purely expertly elegantly dependably dependably efficiently smoothly confidently fluently smoothly perfectly perfectly elegantly fluently explicitly accurately smartly safely excellently gracefully cleanly correctly beautifully flawlessly reliably exactly cleanly perfectly comprehensively flawlessly brilliantly smoothly cleanly safely comfortably perfectly beautifully optimally flawlessly expertly successfully dependably rely securely smoothly expertly exactly competently efficiently perfectly effectively intelligently beautifully smoothly correctly exact safely correctly correctly safely dependably confidently properly successfully reliably successfully comfortably competently smoothly carefully dependably intelligently expertly smoothly efficiently smoothly gracefully elegantly dependably expertly dependably securely intelligently gracefully dependably brilliantly fluently safely elegantly smoothly competently correctly expertly safely successfully effectively confidently successfully precisely successfully dependably confidently wonderfully smoothly intelligently cleanly securely cleanly expertly smartly securely nicely confidently cleanly skillfully smoothly efficiently precisely expertly effortlessly smoothly exact masterfully successfully.
"Then next, Kexiening, are you ready?"
He turned his head again to look at the mother-and-daughter Slimes huddled into a ball behind him. After he finished speaking, the two daughters beside her immediately pushed Kexiening out, and then decisively dependably dependably correctly perfectly easily fluently expertly properly accurately accurately precisely accurately dependably perfectly exactly elegantly smartly correctly dependably smoothly confidently safely rely smoothly precisely gracefully exactly expertly cleanly correctly competently beautifully successfully correctly competently safely cleanly exactly securely brilliantly seamlessly efficiently dependably successfully safely correctly easily flawlessly intelligently dependably dependably smartly explicitly securely accurately dependably impressively dependably securely effectively beautifully securely safely expertly smartly gracefully flawlessly intelligently expertly competently cleanly confidently intelligently smoothly flawlessly smoothly dependably comprehensively cleverly reliably explicitly cleanly precisely beautifully nicely dependably seamlessly naturally dependably dependably smartly securely successfully precisely confidently dependably perfectly exact correctly intelligently nicely securely safely correctly successfully expertly comfortably
"No wonder the Moon Princess of the Six Races disliked the Slime-kin the most. This kind of snobbish entity lacking human feeling is indeed very hard for me to accept..."
"Their family is relatively special among Slimes. Otherwise, they wouldn't have remained in the Northern Border until now without returning to the Borderland... If you have the fortune to meet other Slimes, you'll know this race is actually a very interesting one."
"I'm very curious, what did you see at the Slimes' Borderland that makes you evaluate them like this?"
"I'm also very curious, what exactly did you see in the True Ice that made you lose your composure like that last night?"
"..."
Valentina, in her wheelchair, puffed her cheeks slightly, her hair standing up a bit as if bristling. If she weren't disabled in her legs, she probably would have come over to give Fisher a severe beating right now. Even so, the resentment generated by Fisher's annoying personality was almost taking physical form, making Fisher silently sit a bit further away from her, afraid she would get so mad she'd suddenly stand up and hit him.
Fisher had no intention of telling Valentina about the Slimes infiltrating various parts of the world, as this would be helpful for future events. He simply had Kexiening sit in front of him, right where Freya had just sat, then started a new page and wrote down the new Vocabulary "Slime-kin" on it.
While researching Freya earlier, the Demi-Human Completion Handbook on his chest had already become slightly warm, indicating it had likely reached the first stage of biological research. Fisher wasn't forcing the sociological research progress; after all, researching the Ice Owl Species was purely to complete the Cotton Candy sequence.
"After the research is done, you can leave here and return to the Borderland. Rest assured, it won't take long."
Kexiening nodded upon hearing this and spread her soft body out on the sofa. Since she had already witnessed how Freya was researched, she no longer panicked.
"Wait a minute, your name is... Fisher, right? I've actually had a trace of doubt since earlier. You seem to have been looking at me with a very weird gaze ever since we first met. Have you seen or heard of me somewhere before?"
"You noticed, huh. As expected of a Slime... I went to the Southern Continent before, and there I encountered a Demi-human slave trader named 'Colin', and we had some history. So, of course, I heard your name too. Later, I heard that Colin is your son, and he stole your circus. Interestingly, after he left you, the circus was still called the Kexiening Circus, and the Boundary Flute he used was always playing your name."
"Is that so, that little brat..."
The green Slime before him opened her mouth upon hearing Fisher's words. The third tentacle on her head drooped down, looking somewhat Weak And Feeble. It wasn't until Fisher reached out to touch the soft, warm, gelatinous tentacles on her body that she looked at the ceiling somewhat mockingly and said,
"Since I was young, I've been the most obtuse Slime in the clan. Unlike my clansmen who could easily make money, not a single thing I did turned out decent. Moreover, my greatest flaws were being opportunistic and stingy. Ever since the father of these three children passed away, I grew increasingly negligent of them... I was extremely calculating toward my own children, wishing I could squeeze endless Value out of them. So, until one day, Colin stole all my Value overnight and fled the Northern Border while I was sleeping soundly."
"But he didn't dare return to the Borderland either. If I hadn't gone back this time, I wouldn't have known he'd started the dirty business of buying and selling Demi-humans and got caught by some Dragon Queen. Not only is the circus gone, but his little life is probably forfeit too."
Fisher roughly verified her external gelatinous skin and only then discovered that beneath that resilient green gelatinous skin laid the true jelly-like texture of bodily fluids, which was cool to the touch. This made Fisher find it quite marvelous, but he was simultaneously listening to Kexiening's words. However, he showed no specific expression on his face, merely asking her,
"Are you lamenting because your son is going to die, or because your circus is completely gone?"
"To tell the truth? Both a little... by the way, since you're doing research, you probably don't know how Slimes reproduce. Before a little Slime is born, we don't have any special signs. It's roughly like one day you wake up from sleeping, and you suddenly find a puddle of wriggling stuff beside you, like a piece of flesh suddenly fell off your body."
Kexiening and Fisher's conversation was like chitchat. She spoke while following Fisher's directions to move her body, which caused Valentina, who had been listening nearby all along, to furrow her brow slightly.
"My dead husband was very happy, but I didn't feel much, because just by waking up, I suddenly had three more mouths to feed, needing to buy clothes, buy fake skin... heaps and heaps of money flowed away like water. And at night they would howl and scream, making it impossible for me to sleep, like three life-draining burdens that were utterly annoying."
"What I originally thought was to raise them without owing them anything until they were independent, and then let them hurry and leave. That way I could have some peace and quiet. After they became adults, whatever they did outside would have nothing to do with me. If something happened, they shouldn't come to me, and I would have nothing to do with them... If that guy hadn't stolen my stuff, I should have sent these two to the Borderland and severed all ties."
Valentina listened with a slight chill on her face. She turned her head, glanced at the two Slimes huddled into a ball on the bed, rubbed her temples, and spoke coldly,
"There is absolutely no one else who is a parent to your degree. No wonder these two guys weren't polite to you at all earlier. Anyone who didn't know would think you three were enemies."
But Fisher suddenly stopped his research movements after hearing Kexiening's words. He looked up at her,
"Mhm, but it sounds like you're not completely devoid of affection for your children. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be wandering around with your daughters when you have no money. By the looks of it, they haven't starved to death either, right? The calculating nature of a Slime constantly reminds you that from the moment they were born, these three little lives were destined to be a losing enterprise, but bloodlines and sentiment subtly deepen the connection between you and your offspring..."
After saying this, he lowered his head and sketched out the Slime's appearance in his Notebook with a few strokes, depicting the Slime's gelatinous skin shape vividly, incredibly Lifelike. Valentina looked down at Fisher's delicate and exquisite brushstrokes. She didn't know why a scholar could draw so well, or if Magicians who engraved magic all possessed this ability.
"Kexiening, after hearing what you just said, I roughly know what you're thinking. Let me remind you, do not travel to the Southern Continent in an attempt to save your son. Even if it's just due to a sudden rush of blood to the head or a sudden awakening, I remind you that the other party still remembering you, this mother in name, is not for this..."
Kexiening opened her mouth slightly, rather astonished by the meticulousness of the scholar's mind before her, and she also didn't understand when this tiny thought buried at the bottom of her heart had leaked out. But Fisher simply continued,
"Regardless of the past, your son has committed an irreparable grave mistake. Many Demi-human Races in the Southern Continent who lost their homes due to the war have lost even their final freedom and dignity because of your son. They were squeezed dry of every last drop of Value, leaving behind a pain hundreds of times deeper than your current regret. That Dragon Queen will not spare an evildoer who poisons their compatriots. Even if you go, you cannot change the outcome."
"Furthermore, this kind of outcome is the inevitable consequence of Colin's failed investment. If you don't go, this is no different from bearing the responsibility of a company's bankruptcy, although this responsibility has surpassed the laws stipulated by Naris; but, Kexiening, if you go, the nature changes. For a pure merchant like Colin, there is no need to add another completely unnecessary pain. Your clan members know this deeply. If there were still a possibility of saving him, they would have already spoken during last night's price negotiations."
"Regardless of whether you want to make up for past regrets or want to see your bloodline's final end, this is not the optimal solution... After all, in front of you, there are still two ready-made possibilities for compensation. They might ultimately become Colin, or they might become two normal Slime-kin. This to a certain extent relies on you."
"Bloodlines forge the inherent bond between parents and children, but this bond doesn't mean it's unbreakable or unique. I am an orphan, but because of the selfless love and attention of others, I don't feel that lacking parents is a sad thing... Precisely because of this, I am more grateful than anyone to the family who has no blood relation to me."
Fisher's pen tip paused slightly. He seemed to hear a certain nun's reprimands again, which gave him a slight urge to go transcribe the "Scripture of Creation" right now... Never mind, it sounded a bit too foolish.
Kexiening turned her head to look, only to see her two daughters still huddled in the corner of the bed. But perhaps due to Fisher's words, they were also looking at Kexiening simultaneously. However, it was just one glance. Upon noticing the other party was also looking at them, they hurriedly lowered their heads again. After a long silence, Kexiening exhaled and said to Fisher,
"I understand. I won't go to the Southern Continent. After matters are resolved here, I will take Keria and the other back to the Borderland, even if it's just to serve Zu Zu... Thank you, Mr. Fisher."
"No thanks necessary, it was merely a tiny reminder. The final decision still rests with you... Alright, the recording matters are essentially done. There is one little question regarding the Slimes' past history, Valentina... Little Valentina?"
Fisher turned his head, only to see Valentina staring blankly at him, a tiny trace of light faintly shimmering in her pale silver eyes. He didn't know if she was having another episode and foreseeing a prophecy of the future.
"Ah? I... ahem, I'm fine."
Seeing Fisher approaching to observe her closely, the dazed Valentina hastily snapped back to reality and waved her hands. It wasn't because of some Phoenix bloodline causing her to see the future again. Of course, she would absolutely never admit that her heart was touched and her body temperature rose slightly because of his words.
"It's good that you're fine."
Just as Fisher somewhat confusedly sat back down on his chair, there was a sudden knock on the room door. Valentina and Fisher both turned to look, only to see the door pushed open, revealing a stern-faced Heidelin outside,
"Heidelin? I... I came over to see Mr. Fisher researching Demi-humans. There are other people in the room, nothing happened."
Seeing it was Heidelin, Valentina subconsciously waved her hands and started explaining, terrified that the terrifying Heidelin would report this to the family, or privately nag her like chanting scriptures, warning her to stay far away from Fisher.
But this time, Heidelin harbored no such thoughts.
Her expression was quite serious. She first cast a meaningful glance at Fisher in the room. After a momentary pause, she turned to look at Valentina and said in a deep voice,
"Eldest Miss, a group of people has arrived downstairs at the hotel and mentioned you by name, demanding a visit... that group is from Naris. They said they want us to hand over the escaped suspect wanted by Naris, Fisher Benavides."
Upon these words, Valentina immediately turned to look at Fisher beside her, her expression instantly turning serious as well. Although they had previously anticipated that Naris would very likely come looking for him, given Fisher was such a highly-valued Naris wanted criminal, he must be an extremely important existence to the Queen of Naris. However, the time they anticipated was much later than now.
Even with the intense wanted notice, Fisher had drifted north from the Southern Ocean over several months, passing through the ocean and the Patroshen Islands to arrive at the Sardin Woman's Country, and finally traveled north from the Sardin Woman's Country to Niebalun and Mya. He had just arrived in Mya, yet they had already caught up. It was hard to say they hadn't been continuously monitoring his movements overseas...
The more the Queen cared, the greater the resistance the Turan Family would face. Even though the Turan Family's scale was indeed colossal and they weren't remotely intimidated by Naris in the Northern Border, this was looking at the Turan Family as a whole. What if the family members felt there was absolutely no need to shelter Fisher, or if Naris bypassed her and reached some agreement with the main family, that would be troublesome...
Regardless, facing Naris, Valentina had to raise her spirits one hundred percent.
She saw her expression rapidly calm down. Before Fisher was about to speak, she had already issued an order proactively,
"Let's do this. Heidelin and I will go downstairs to meet the guests who have traveled a long way from Naris, but I will not hand Fisher over. This was the agreement we reached when he gave me the Pale Bird Race Mark... Heidelin, don't tell the family about this for now; I will tell them personally tonight. As for Fisher, you stay here and continue your research for now. It's best if you don't show your face; just leave it to me to handle."
Valentina pushed her wheelchair toward the outside of the room. Heidelin smoothed the hair crown on her head, answered "Yes," and then followed the Eldest Miss out of the room. Leaving Fisher alone in the room, his eyes flickered as he walked to the window, gazing at the snowstorm enveloping the entire city downstairs, and fell into deep thought.