novelraw Chapter 338: Despicable Blood-Stealers
Chapter 338: Despicable Blood-Stealers
After hearing those words spoken by Heidelin, the expression on Eimhart's one-eyed, one-mouthed face, as he stood on Fisher's shoulder, instantly became extremely abstract. One moment he turned his head to look at the very seductive Heidelin in front of him, and the next moment he turned to look at Fisher beside him. He seemed to be pondering something, as if he was very tempted by Heidelin's proposal.
Eimhart rolled his eye at him, adopting an expression of being unable to bear looking, and flew to the edge of the windowsill to stand there early on, so as to avoid being tossed out like that time on the Patroshen Islands.
This time, no matter what he said, he wouldn't go out!
"How about it, have you considered it, Mr. Fisher?"
Her finger pointing at Fisher's chest slowly moved upward. Following the trail she traced on Fisher's white shirt, an invisible flame constantly spread. In the blink of an eye, carrying her alluring fragrance, it ignited Fisher's Five Viscera and Six Bowels. Fisher held his breath, deeply afraid that the other party's fragrance would enter his lungs and ignite his final line of defense, his heart.
He simply stretched out his hand suddenly and pinched the other party's mischievous wrist. Following that, he lifted it upward, making a circle above Heidelin's long black hair, shaped by the hair accessory, and consequently spun her body around to face backward.
"Ah!"
She bit her lip, letting out a low grunt of surprise from deep within her throat. Immediately after, she was pushed forward all the way to the wall by the scorching Fisher behind her, unable to move another inch. She twisted her head slightly from Fisher's restraint, casting a silken, seductive glance and exhaling hot breath onto Fisher's cheek. Following that, she reached across her chest with her other hand and grabbed Fisher's collar, pouting her lips towards the direction of the room door,
"Mr. Fisher, the door isn't closed yet?"
Fisher remained as immovable as a mountain against her temptation of pretending to refuse while welcoming. He merely maintained his action of bringing her under control, and suddenly turned his head towards the doorway, speaking calmly,"Miss Valentiina, look..."
Heidelin's seductive expression instantly came to an abrupt end. The bewitching pink color also abruptly retreated, turning into a flustered pale white. Disregarding her arm controlled by Fisher, she hurriedly turned her head to look toward the doorway, only to see two large sacks of magic materials there. Where was the wheelchair-bound Valentiina? This made Heidelin heave a sigh of relief in her heart, while simultaneously surging with vigorous anger,
"You played me?"
"Aren't you doing the same, Miss Heidelin?"
Fisher's action of controlling her became a bit tougher, making her frown in pain and soften against the front of his body. He also abruptly raised his hand, extending his whip-like Fluid Sword from his cuff. After pulling the two sacks of magic materials from the doorway back inside, he hooked the doorknob of the room. With a soft click, the entire room was finally truly sealed tight.
Sitting on the sill dumbstruck, Eimhart instinctively turned his head to check if the window was open. If things progressed any further, he truly wouldn't be able to bear looking. Fortunately, Fisher's next action was to open his mouth and speak, rather than starting to gnaw on Heidelin's neck and lips. Otherwise, he really would have jumped out the window to escape,
"It seems that during a certain period since I boarded the ship, you have unhesitatingly speculated about me with the utmost malice. Why exactly is that? You seem to detest my approach to Miss Valentiina very much. Ever since we boarded the ship, your amorous glances toward me were traps. If I had made a move on you then... No, even before I made a move, Miss Valentiina would have received this news at the very first moment, right?"
"I didn't fall for the first trap. The second time, you pretended to be a maid who had served by Valentiina's side for a long time, reminding me how difficult it is to get along with her due to her disability, wanting me to stay far away from her. I ignored your words. And now, you pretend to tacitly approve of my approach to Valentiina, and deliberately dressed up so beautifully... It's nothing more than repeating the story of the first time..."
"Miss Heidelin, I just want to ask, what exactly have I, Fisher Benavides, done to make you distrust me so much, to the extent that you have constantly targeted me ever since I boarded the ship?"
Heidelin froze slightly upon hearing Fisher's words. Only then did she release her tightly bitten lip, glaring at Fisher as she said,
"Heh, rather than saying I distrust you, it's better to say I trust you too much. But I'm not trusting your private lifestyle; instead, I trust that you can lead Valentiina to the Frostwood Sycamore Tree... You truly exceeded my expectations. Having boarded the ship for less than a month, you've already obtained three sigils for Valentiina. How could I let you... Mm, it hurts!"
Hearing this, Eimhart hurriedly flew to Fisher's shoulder, shouting at Fisher,
"So that's how it is! It turns out this woman is an inside agent! Human hearts are truly sinister. To think that the servant serving that wheelchair girl day and night is actually the biggest traitor in your team!"
"Pah, what wheelchair girl! You impolite, square-headed, extremely ugly toilet paper, shut up!"
"Your mom, even the insults from Baimon weren't as awful as yours! You foul-mouthed venomous woman!"
Fisher exasperatedly threw the righteously arguing Eimhart on his shoulder onto the bed behind him, to prevent this guy from getting so angry he'd ruthlessly slam his face into Heidelin. But he didn't feel Heidelin had betrayed Valentiina; she must have other reasons for doing this. Nevertheless, on the surface, he continued from Eimhart's words, mocking Heidelin,
"You betrayed Valentiina, who trusts you very much, stopping her from entering the Sycamore Tree. Don't you know the genetic disease afflicting her will cause her to not live past twenty years old? She is about to die soon, yet facing the only chance to save her, you have constantly been secretly causing trouble. You are trying to take her life."
Heidelin's face suddenly became somewhat sinister due to the simple words 'take her life' from Fisher's mouth. Disregarding the pain of being controlled, she twisted her head back, speaking to Fisher,
"Me taking Valentiina's life? What do you know?! Genetic disease, genetic disease—there is no genetic disease here! Only the sins committed by the Turan family! Do you know why true members of the Turan family cannot leave the Snowflake Fortress at the northernmost end of the Northlands generation after generation?"
"Because once they leave the Snowflake Fortress, members of the Turan family will suffer a reckoning even more wretched than the six clans! Those beasts hiding and eking out a living in the fortress handed the mission of saving the family to the mere eighteen-year-old Valentiina! Actually, what bullshit mission is there? They just want to sacrifice Valentiina to the Sycamore Tree in exchange for the family's safety!"
"Don't think I didn't know what was going on that night you and Valentiina secretly went to see the True Ice as a lone man and woman. Her body holds a dense Phoenix bloodline surpassing historical records within the entire family. Otherwise, why could she sense the summon of the Frostwood Sycamore Tree, and why could she use the Moon Princess's Sword... But you couldn't possibly think the Turan family are the descendants of the legendary Phoenix, did you?"
"They are the most despicable bastards in the entire Northlands! After the Phoenix disappeared, they actually captured the mixed-blood descendant born to the Moon Princess and another species, the last surviving Phoenix, and snatched the Moon Princess's Sword from her hands!"
"They attempted to use the Phoenix's noble bloodline to create brilliance belonging to their family. But they had no way. No matter how they profaned the last surviving Phoenix, humans and Phoenixes could ultimately never birth descendants. Therefore, they actually struck a shameful deal with a demon, exchanging the lives of the majority of the tribe and the last Phoenix as the price, in exchange for the Phoenix bloodline being able to be passed down in their tribe..."
The more Heidelin spoke, the more hysterical she became. Having her mask torn off by Fisher, countless restless pressures surged from the bottom of her heart, breaking through her psychological dikes acting as defenses like a flood,
"The Turan family indeed used this method to create a miracle. In the years after the Phoenix vanished and the six clans were all searching for the truth of the Sycamore Tree, the thin Phoenix bloodline granted them the ability to glimpse the hazy future. They foresaw the rise of human nations, saw veins of minerals buried deep underground, and used them to forge the false myth of the Frost Phoenix, becoming the de facto behemoth of the Northlands. But these despicable blood-stealers definitely didn't anticipate that the Phoenix's bloodline not only brought them the radiance of glory, but also brought them an eternal curse like an ulcer on the bone..."
"Not until the Turan bloodlines died prematurely and deformed one after another, and lost the ability to see the future; not until unknowns symbolizing slaughter at night began butchering the descendants with Phoenix blood, did they realize that the blood of the Phoenix had already been polluted. Only then did they know why this group of humans could capture the Phoenix's descendant, and only then did they know that there was also some entity within the Sycamore Tree attempting to capture the last Phoenix..."
"If I hadn't accidentally overheard the conversation between the Turan family Patriarch and the various elders, I wouldn't have known these things at all, I wouldn't have done so much at all, and I wouldn't be living in torment every day until now..."
Fisher gently released the palm gripping Heidelin and took a step back, while Heidelin covered her tear-streaked face, collapsing to the floor and sobbing,
"The bastards in the family lied to Valentiina. They fully know clearly how the curse passed down through generations in the family came to be. After so many years, a blood descendant comparable to the Moon Princess's true descendant was finally born in the Turan family. They want to return the Phoenix blood stolen back then to the Sycamore Tree, pinning the entire tribe's hopes on this."
"Even Valentiina's parents deceived her because of this. When they departed from this world, they actually complied with the family's wishes, letting Valentiina search for the bullshit Sycamore Tree... I didn't dare tell this matter to Valentiina! Because her parents whom she trusted the most, as well as that Herdor she relied on the most, also knew of this matter!!"
"They believe Valentiina has almost reached the end of her life. Rather than being tortured to death by the Phoenix's blood, it's better to go to the Frostwood Sycamore Tree to resolve the difficult problem that has plagued the family for several millennia... But, they absolutely don't know what is inside the Sycamore Tree. Valentiina going there definitely won't have a good end; it will be ten thousand times more painful than being killed by the disease!"
Fisher's expression slightly cooled. Even Eimhart, who had been fiercely scolding Heidelin earlier, flew to Fisher's shoulder, appearing somewhat as if hesitating to speak.
"My god. This bunch of human beasts actually dared to covet even the blood of the Phoenix. No wonder that broken Snowflake Castle is guarded so tightly. I've even entered the Abyss, yet I actually couldn't break into their broken castle. Look at what they've done! They completely reap what they sow!"
After listening to Heidelin's words, many previously generated doubts were easily resolved. Fisher already knew that the Moon Princess was the gentlest among all the Phoenix-kin, treating life with focus on harmony and equality. She even chose a partner from a species outside the Phoenix-kin, causing the Phoenix she birthed to not be a pure-blood Phoenix. This also explained why, when the Sycamore Tree summoned back the Phoenixes, including the Moon Princess, her child escaped disaster.
However, although she escaped the anomaly within the Sycamore Tree involving all Phoenixes, she did not escape the greed of the humans her mother, the Moon Princess, had protected. The Turan family captured the Moon Princess's descendant, greedy for the Phoenix's noble bloodline. But due to the gap in Breeding Ranks, they couldn't ever birth descendants. Therefore, they struck a deal with a certain demon from the Abyss, passing down the Phoenix's bloodline at a severe price, acquiring their ability to see the future through True Ice.
And here, another question was answered. The incident in the Sycamore Tree was targeted at all Phoenixes. That terrifying curse was precisely born after the Phoenix-kin dissipated, and furthermore, it stubbornly searched for the final Phoenix bloodline lost outside, while also punishing the six clans. Now, most of the difficult problems in the Northlands had become clear, leaving only the unknown of what happened inside the Sycamore Tree remaining.
"Apologies, I spoke too harshly. I shouldn't have doubted your loyalty to Valentiina... It's just that I'm very curious. When those Naris people came over earlier, it was your best opportunity. You could entirely have helped them take me far away from Valentiina's side back to Naris, unable to help her ever again."
From Valentiina's mouth, he learned that Heidelin had always been responsible for relaying orders and news from the Snowflake Fortress. Caught in the middle, toward the Turan family, she had to ensure the progress to the Sycamore Tree remained as smooth as possible, at least on the surface. Toward Valentiina, she had to hide the secret that might crush that pitiful Eldest Miss's worldview deep within her heart, while still not being able to let her arrive at the Sycamore Tree.
Therefore, based on Fisher's contributions on the island storing the True Ice Scroll in the Southern Ocean, coupled with the fact that he brought a Cangniao-zhong scroll the moment he joined the team, Heidelin, who had worked hard for a long time, wracked her brains wanting to remove Fisher from this team.
Hearing Fisher's words, Heidelin, shedding tears, hatefully looked up at Fisher and said,
"I should have done exactly that... But I didn't want to cause your death. I could tell the Naris people had ill intentions toward you; you returning to Naris definitely wouldn't have a good end. Therefore, I remained silent this whole time just now. But don't misunderstand. I wish nothing more than for you to be a hundred thousand miles away from Valentiina, never returning again, even if... even if it means using my body as bait..."
Fisher let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. He truly hadn't expected the waters behind the Turan family to flow so deep. Although the words Heidelin spoke were already very concise and to the point, just as long as one used their brain to think, they would discover the Turan family was even more cold-blooded and utilitarian than that group of Slimes... Gotta say, the Turan family was even more absurd than the Pioneering Company, making Fisher, as a Naris person, feel somewhat ashamed of his inferiority.
"You woman, although your brain isn't very quick-witted, nevertheless, Valentiina having someone like you by her side... is truly a blessing amidst her misfortune... Get up and speak."
He extended his hand to Heidelin. Having her bottom line exposed, how could Heidelin still have the seductive, alluring expression from before? She cautiously cast a glance at Fisher before her, only gently gripping Fisher's warm palm a second later to reluctantly stand up,
"Don't count on me thanking you. If you dare tell these things to Valentiina, I will definitely fight you with my life, I promise."
"With your constitution, crying until you're out of breath, yet you still want to fight me with your life? You'd be better off smashing your head and dying right here to frame me for murder; that'd be more realistic... You've been constantly worrying about Valentiina, probably haven't rested properly either, right?"
"None... none of your business! Anyway, since you know everything now, you aren't going to shamelessly stay here, are you? Sending Valentiina into the Sycamore Tree, the Turan family won't thank you either. She'll only die a tragic death, and you'll suffer retribution too!"
Heidelin's eye sockets were still red. Hearing Fisher's words, she wanted to fling his hand off, but as a result, her pitifully weak strength failed to succeed. Before she wanted to attempt a second time, Fisher sighed and released her hand first, saying to her,
"The problem now is that, based on the deception from the Turan family and the people around her, her desire to find the Sycamore Tree to resolve the genetic disease is even stronger than you imagine. Now she is only two sigils away; do you think she'll give up if I leave now?"
"Then isn't it all your fault! If you weren't here, how could she suddenly have so many more sigils! Watching you and those three Slimes together that night, I was angry to death!"
Fisher's expression was somewhat strange. Looking at the angry Heidelin in front of him, he suddenly asked,
"So the reason your expression was so foul that night was because we found the Slime-kin, and not because of Valentiina's and my secret rendezvous at night?"
"What else?! The Slime-kin had all left the Northlands; I knew this matter, and the family was also very troubled by this. Who knew there were three nerve-wracking Slimes who didn't leave, and happened to be bumped into by you! Just what kind of cursed luck do you have?"
Fisher somewhat couldn't help but chuckle. Sitting on the bed, he said to Heidelin,
"Don't be anxious just yet, but listen carefully to what I'm going to say next. Don't interrupt me, even if it might be highly likely to resemble the thoughts of Herdor or Valentiina's parents... You and I both know that the source of the curse she suffers from is the Sycamore Tree. Even if she doesn't go to the Sycamore Tree, she won't live past twenty years old. But if we can resolve the curse within the Sycamore Tree, she will have the possibility of living past twenty. I feel that whether it's Herdor or her parents, they are all betting on this slim chance."
"Resolve the curse? Just relying on..."
" Haven't I resolved one once before? Can't you trust me just once? You clearly trusted I could help Valentiina arrive at the Sycamore Tree so much before."
Looking at the smiling Fisher before her, Heidelin's complexion inexplicably turned a bit more flush for some reason. Perhaps it was just the blush caused by her crying.
"Pah, how could I trust you! If you fail, not only will Valentiina... you will too..."
"Ah, this I know..."
The smile on Fisher's face remained unchanged. His tone was actually relatively relaxed. He turned his head to look out the window. Outside the window, Mya's blizzard continued. Under that quiet sunlight, a hint of shadow was cast upon his upturned smile, resulting in adding a bit of a bitter nuance.
Erwind wanted to use the curse within the Sycamore Tree to reach Mythic Rank. Personally, he definitely had to go and resolve both him and the curse entirely. This way, not only could he resolve this menace Erwind, but he could also help Valentiina break the curse on her bloodline... Even in the most extreme case, for the sake of that long-missing stupid woman Renee, even if the clues there were only tiny, he still absolutely had to go.
As for his own life, it was probably something that only needed to be considered after stepping back another ten thousand steps.
"There's no great need to worry, as long as you don't cause trouble for me later."
Heidelin froze slightly, then gave a cold snort, wiping away her tear-soaked makeup on her face. Then she decisively walked toward the doorway. Seeing her not answer, Fisher asked,
"Miss Heidelin, if you don't speak, I'll take it as you agreeing?"
The sound of Heidelin walking out of the room paused slightly. After staying for a second, her voice finally transmitted over,
"You and Valentiina, neither of you die because of the Sycamore Tree. If Valentiina and a person like you die in the Northlands, I'll feel guilty about today's decision for a lifetime."
"Will try my best."
"Go to hell."
Heidelin looked back and angrily glared at Fisher, then spat at him, and only after did she push open the door and walk out of Fisher's room.
Leaving only Fisher, who was pondering in the room, and Eimhart, who flew onto his shoulder, looking at each other in blank dismay,
"Are to going to add her to the ex-girlfriend list?"
Eimhart asked such a question.
"..."