The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 358: The Princess's Last Will (6.5k, Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)

"Wait, you just said, this painting depicts the Moon Princess's teacher?"

Just as Kokolia was about to jump onto Darivuvu's head and whip her face with the branch, Fisher had already taken out the painting in his hand, opening his mouth to ask the two Trolls in the distance.

Kokolia's movements paused slightly, and Darivuvu instantly cast a grateful look at Fisher. In passing, she picked up Kokolia on her body and put him aside. Before the other party could get angry again, she preemptively opened her mouth to explain to Fisher,

"Ah, that's right. Even if the other five tribes aren't clear about the meaning of the Phoenixes' items, Kokolia and I are extremely clear about it... I am Darivuvu, the current Elder of the Giant Troll-kin. My grandmother was an elder who personally participated in that war against the [Stars]. My mother was the Ice Prince's most trusted guard, and it was also my mother who obtained the Moon Princess's final password and a last will before the Wutong Tree closed. Because of this, our entire tribe has guarded this place for generations..."

Darivuvu pointed at the rear view of the black-haired woman in Fisher's hand, subsequently opening her mouth to speak,

"This painting was hung in her palace while the Moon Princess still resided in the Wutong Tree. It was a gift given to her as an apology by a demon from beyond the Northern Border. What's painted on it is the teacher whom the Moon Princess had met once when she was young. You probably don't know, the Moon Princess's legs were handicapped from the moment she was born. Therefore, she was treated coldly by her parents, brother, and tribesmen... When she was young, back when she still resided upon the Wutong Tree, she once lost her footing and fell from here down beneath the Sema Mountains."

"However, fortunately, even though many tribes at the bottom of the mountain didn't yet know of the Phoenixes residing far above ground at that time, they still extended a helping hand to the handicapped Moon Princess. The friendliness of other tribes left a very deep impression on the Moon Princess. This was also the reason why the Moon Princess always treated other tribes with an equal and kind gaze later on..."

"It was during the process of interacting with other tribes at the bottom of the mountain that the Moon Princess met the teacher who changed her entire life. That teacher cured her handicapped legs, and even gifted her an ore from beyond the sky, giving her immense encouragement. That ore was also the material for the Moon Princess's sword later on. It was just that later, when the Moon Princess went down the mountain again wanting to find this teacher, that teacher had already vanished without a trace. Therefore, at the celebratory banquet back then, the Moon Princess inquired with this mysterious demon from afar, asking if she had seen her teacher. The result, of course, was no..."

"This painting was painted on the spot by the demon based on the Moon Princess's previous descriptions. I heard she made a bet with the Phoenix King that made the Moon Princess very angry, so she specially used the image of the teacher she yearned for as an apology. Anyway, after the Moon Princess received the painting, her anger subsided, and she kept it hung in her palace to admire. Even when the Wutong Tree ultimately had an accident, she had my mother bring it out."

Hearing this, Fisher's frown grew increasingly tight. Subsequently, he suddenly opened his mouth and asked,"Was that Moon Princess's teacher a Witch or a human? In all these years after the Moon Princess perished, has she ever come here?"

Perhaps because the usual Fisher was too calm, he had never inquired so directly or expressed the obvious desires in his heart even when encountering demi-human races he wanted to study. Not only did Eimhart in his embrace cast a puzzled look at him, but even the physically uncomfortable Valentiina behind him raised her head to look at him, clearly smelling something amiss.

"Ah, of course not. Although I don't mean to despise humans or Witches, they don't possess the ability to act as the Moon Princess's teacher... The Moon Princess's teacher was actually an Elf, residing in a place much further north than the Northern Border. Although it was painted very much like a human woman, this is, after all, the rear view depicted by that demon through the Moon Princess's oral dictation, so many details cannot be taken as true."

"If you have some old acquaintance who is very similar to her and are searching for her, then you don't need to be overly anxious. After all, it's been so long. Only a minority of people can see the [Phoenix Bridge] and successfully arrive deep within the snowy mountains. Furthermore, before arriving at our territory, they were all killed by the patrolling children outside. There has never been a Witch or human resembling the person in this painting appearing."

Fisher looked at the painting in his hand. He saw the rear view of the woman in the painting was exceedingly blurry. Baimon was a smart demon. She avoided the front view that carried specific information, and gave the Moon Princess, who missed her teacher, a rear view image that practically only conveyed a feeling. In fact, upon closer inspection, the usable information on this painting was basically equal to zero.

This woman's clothing, height, body type, specific facial features, and the shape of her ears were all obscured by the rear view and a head of black hair; nothing could be seen at all. For him to arbitrarily believe she had lived this long and had come to the Sema Mountains merely relying on Renee's faint fragrance—which he didn't even know was a hallucination or not—was inevitably too... anxious.

Could it be she truly went to Kadu, and it was there she met with an accident and went missing?

The more he thought, the more impatient and irritated Fisher's heart became. The auditory hallucinations and tinnitus brought by the Soul Completion Handbook began to resound in his ears again. He took a deep breath before slowly suppressing that urgent feeling of wanting to know where Renee was.

This foolish woman running around everywhere, if he found her, he would absolutely...

"Fisher?"

The next second, Valentiina's gentle voice sounded by his ear. He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see the two Trolls before him both looking at him. Meanwhile, Eimhart in his embrace also floated out, looking at the Magic Circuit gradually brightening on his body with considerable worry,

"You fellow... what were you thinking just now, for the Magic Circuit to suddenly light up?"

"...Nothing. I'll return this painting to you guys. We picked it up at the exit of the Phoenix Bridge you spoke of. Someone came in here, but after being killed by the patrol squad, they failed to discover he still carried a painting in his embrace."

Kokolia turned his head and glared at Darivuvu, who was touching her head and laughing foolishly. Subsequently, he walked forward and received the painting clutched in Fisher's hand. After expressing thanks, he walked back next to Darivuvu again.

"Alright, alright, this is just a minor interlude. Let's hurry and get down to business... The thing is, the Moon Princess gave my mother a last will. That last will hasn't been opened to this day. Only a true Phoenix can open the last will and read the contents within. My mother said, only when the arriving Phoenix completes the contents upon it, can I offer up the Troll's Sigil... Oh, wait, you guys should already have the Sigils of the other five tribes in your hands, right? Otherwise, you'll have to make another trip."

Only after Fisher nodded his head did Darivuvu pat her chest in relief,

"That's good. After giving the Sigil to you, we still need a few days to set up the ritual, to teleport you to my mother's location, and have her guide you to the Wutong Tree's position."

Hearing this, Fisher frowned slightly and asked,

"A few days? Can't we directly go to the Wutong Tree after completing the Princess's last will? The time for our journey will definitely be shorter than the time to set up the ritual."

It wasn't that Fisher was impatient, primarily because there was still a desperado Erwind following behind. This period of several days was too long, and he was afraid they would be easily caught up by him.

"Regrettably, we also don't know where exactly the specific location of the Wutong Tree is... Look at the environment here, spatial turbulence is everywhere. The path to walk to the Wutong Tree is fixed and precise, and we don't know the method. Only my mother knows, and she left the tribe several hundred years ago. Her lifespan has reached its end, I don't even know if she will still be there after teleporting over."

Darivuvu scratched the back of her head and stood up. Subsequently, looking at Fisher, she smiled and said,

"Anyway, you guys wait here for a moment first. Kokolia and I will go to the secret chamber storing the Moon Princess's items to show you the last will she left behind... You guys think about how to complete the Moon Princess's command first, there's no rush for the rest."

The two Trolls simultaneously bowed to Fisher and Valentiina, subsequently turning around and walking towards the rear of this stone palace hall, slowly fading from sight.

The very next second they vanished from sight, Fisher suddenly felt a pair of cold little hands gently grasp his ear. His eyebrow twitched slightly. Eimhart whistled and flew a bit further away, idly sizing up the various stone handicrafts on the surrounding ground.

Fisher didn't turn back, merely suddenly heaving a sigh, and spoke,

"You want to ask me which person the clues I wanted to find in that painting are about, right?"

Behind him, the somewhat uncomfortable Valentiina was slightly stunned, but she still didn't release the little hands still on his ear, instead continuing to say,

"No, why would I ask? Asking won't do me any good either. Anyway, aren't you worried sick about it, thinking about it until you space out? Asking would only make you unhappy..."

"I'm not joking. I truly felt that the painting drawn by Baimon resembled the image of a certain person, and that person has already been missing for over half a year."

Fisher's gaze lowered slightly. However, Valentiina behind him couldn't see his expression right now at this moment. She felt Fisher's worry for that person. Although she knew she shouldn't be saying this right now, her heart still felt sour. She held it in for a long time before asking drily,

"Are you close with her?"

"Like me, she is lonely, an orphan who lost her family. What I mean is, even if one day she completely vanishes from this world, besides me, I'm afraid not a single person would know... No, now I have to add you as well."

Originally, upon hearing the preceding words, Valentiina was somewhat unhappy, because this vague feeling of only having each other made her feel quite uncomfortable, as if there was constantly a person living at the bottom of the other party's heart... Moreover, the most important thing was, this woman she didn't even know the name of elicited a completely different feeling from Fisher compared to the feeling elicited by Empress Elizabeth!

But when Fisher finished saying the last sentence, her heart warmed up a little bit anew. Because this sentence placed Valentiina and Fisher together. His friend was her friend, and his concern was her concern. This senstaion of frankness made that small hint of discomfort in Valentiina's heart temporarily vanish, although she still gently pinched Fisher's ear.

"Mhm... Then what's her name? Can I know?"

"Her name is Renee, she is a Witch..."

In the distance, Eimhart—who had ears pricked up listening to Fisher's operation—was originally revealing dead-fish eyes. But upon suddenly hearing an unfamiliar female name, he instantly poked his head up in confusion,

"Wait, what Renee? How come I don't know..."

He immediately flew back and squatted on Fisher's shoulder. That dumbfounded appearance made Valentiina unable to resist laughing. However, Fisher didn't plan to say too much, only merely stopping after a brief attempt, mentioning the matter of her leaving Naris for Kadu to search for her homeland.

While listening, Valentiina gently released the hand pinching Fisher's ear. Because she was indeed feeling physically unwell, she had to close her eyes and lean against his back, panting gently while listening to his matters. Fisher's words came to an abrupt end. He turned his head to look at the weak Valentiina, inquiring,

"Valentiina? Your condition is very poor."

"Mhm, I'm fine..."

She murmured in a low voice, still wanting to open her eyes and express she was fine. As a result, this time she couldn't even open her eyes, only panting continuously in pain.

Fisher hastily put her down from his back. Lowering his head, he discovered her body was burning hot, and the black marks on her back were incessantly spreading, as if about to completely swallow her up.

"Valentiina, Valentiina!"

Fisher gently shook her body, but her body grew increasingly cold, slowly becoming stiff.

"Eh, Kokolia, it seems something happened to the Phoenix bloodline, quickly go see what's wrong."

Right at this moment, from the rear of the main hall, Kokolia arrived beside Valentiina in a few swift strides. He frowned and cast a glance at Valentiina lying on the ground, subsequently turning his head and speaking to Darivuvu,

"Go to the medicine shelf in my room, fetch a bottle of pale red medicine back, hurry!"

Darivuvu nodded her head. She placed a True Ice Scroll she held onto the ground, and then turned her head and ran towards the rear of the main hall.

Meanwhile, Kokolia's expression was solemn. He lowered his head, staring at Valentiina whose entire body incessantly emitted cold air, and murmured in a low voice,

"Moon Princess, is this the Phoenix bloodline you wanted us to wait for... But she only possesses your blood, yet lacking your flesh and bone, how can she be called a Phoenix?"

Fisher raised his head and looked at Kokolia before his eyes, suddenly understanding the current situation.

The dense true Phoenix blood within Valentiina's body was constantly mobilizing the changes in her body. However, regardless of anything, Phoenix blood was a product of a high Tier. The changes it drove were not something the body of a zero Tier Valentiina could endure. This was exactly the reason why the Turan family generally died young.

Their human bodies couldn't endure the catalysis of the Phoenix blood, just like how Alajina—being a Mixed-Blood Species of Troll and human—couldn't grip the Ice Prince Sword. Utilizing a human body to adapt to the changes of a Phoenix was undoubtedly courting death.

If Valentiina was truly a Mixed-Blood Species of Phoenix and human, then she absolutely wouldn't have this kind of problem. Because although the probability of childbirth was negligible enough to be ignored, as long as it was a Mixed-Blood Species birthed through the normal process, they possessed the unique trait of being able to adapt to both bloodlines. Yet the Turan family was not like this. Their mixed blood was stolen through an unknown method by a demon; it was not a bloodline they originally ought to possess.

The stolen bloodline preserved the characteristic origin from whence it was stolen and circulated it. Human flesh and bone ultimately couldn't adapt to it.

"Coming, coming, is it this bottle?"

From behind, Darivuvu ran back with a thudding sound holding a bottle of potion. Kokolia accepted the potion and sniffed its smell. Subsequently, he aimed this bottle of medicine at Valentiina's mouth, feeding her the medicinal liquid within. Following the medicinal liquid entering her body, searing hot steam suddenly burst out from Valentiina's body bit by bit, and her complexion also visibly grew ruddy.

But Kokolia still maintained a solemn expression. He raised his head to look at Fisher before his eyes, speaking,

"The closer we get to the Wutong Tree, the more active the Phoenix bloodline within her body will be, because here is, after all, the hometown where they grew up. But her human body cannot adapt to the active Phoenix blood. The more active the Phoenix blood is, the more dangerous she becomes... Without my medicine, I estimate she would only be able to live for less than a month. Now I have strengthened her constitution, this timeframe will increase to two months."

"Ah? She isn't a Phoenix? Wait, she is a human with Phoenix blood? Exactly how did you guys do it, what about the Phoenix where that bloodline originated from? She is the person we need to wait for..."

Darivuvu stared at the True Ice Scroll in her hand, suddenly feeling immensely puzzled, not knowing whether she should give the Moon Princess's last will in her hands to Valentiina before her eyes.

Valentiina's breathing gradually stabilized. She also opened her eyes, seeing the frowning Fisher and the two Giant Troll-kin beside her. She rubbed her temples, asking in confusion,

"W... What happened to me?"

Kokolia cast a glance at Valentiina lying on the ground, subsequently standing up, and spoke in a cold voice,

"Human, I don't know how you guys stole the Phoenix blood, and I also don't know what you guys came here for after stealing the Phoenix blood. But I still advise you guys to give up, your goal is impossible to achieve. The secret treasures and secrets within the Wutong Tree are things that the Phoenixes couldn't bring out even if they all perished. Do you think you can succeed relying on these schemes of yours? What we are waiting for is the Phoenix we swore loyalty to, not despicable thieves..."

Valentiina parted her lips, subsequently opening her mouth to explain,

"I didn't come for the treasures of Wutong. Isn't there a spreading curse inside the Wutong Tree? We came to resolve the curse, I also want to rid myself of the pain of dying young and being handicapped from this, I..."

The moment Kokolia heard Valentiina's words and was just about to open his mouth, Fisher had already preemptively looked at Valentiina and spoke,

"Valentiina, listen to me... Me, Heidelin, and even your family all once believed that your early deaths and Genetic Disease originated from the unresolved curse within the Wutong Tree. Now it seems this isn't the case at all. The Phoenix blood was never integrated into your bloodline from start to finish. It was forcefully implanted by a demon using some sort of method. Do you understand what this means?"

Valentiina's pupils shrank little by little, but Fisher still finished speaking the remaining words.

"This means, even if we dispel the curse within the tree, the Phoenix blood will still torment the flesh that originally belonged to humans, until everyone in the Turan family dies completely... But don't give up, perhaps there will be another method of resolution within the Wutong Tree?"

For some unknown reason, right at this moment, within Fisher's brain that was constantly pondering methods of resolution, the figure of the [Life Completion Manual] suddenly appeared. If he could defeat Erwind and seize the Life Completion Manual, there should be a way to resolve the problem of Valentiina's weak human body...

By his ear, the whispering voices brought about by reading the Soul Completion Manual began to rustle again. It was as if right behind Fisher, many figures, either clear or anxious, were urging him to hurry and snatch the Life Completion Manual from Erwind's embrace, because only then could Valentiina be saved.

"The Life Completion Manual, the knowledge of life, is very important!"

"You will master both soul and life. You can remake her, turning her into the appearance you desire most. Isn't this tempting enough?"

"Phoenix blood isn't enough, adding a bit of other blood is fine too..."

Even though the voices by his ears were amplifying, Fisher still remained expressionless, completely unmoved. He merely looked quietly at Valentiina, not hoping for her to give up because of this sudden turn of events, even if there was only a tiny bit of hope ahead.

Valentiina stared blankly at Fisher before her eyes. The "two months" the Troll mentioned just now that she vaguely heard, sounded like all the lifespan she had left. And this was something that couldn't be changed no matter how hard she worked.

"I... Then..."

She panted several times. No matter how she tried to speak, she felt she would bring a bit of a crying tone; no matter how she tried to speak, she couldn't form a complete sentence. It was only several seconds later that she suddenly closed her eyes and spoke to the Trolls beside her,

"Two Troll Elders, I... We didn't just come so that I could... could regain my health once more. Fisher came to resolve the dangers contained within the tree, and he also has the ability to resolve them... If it's just for his objective, not for treasures or for me to rid myself of the curse, please hand the Sigil to him as well."

Looking at Valentiina lying on the ground having already tried her best to maintain her calm, Eimhart opened his mouth, but in the end he couldn't speak a single sentence. He merely silently averted his gaze.

Kokolia beside her clicked his tongue lightly, speaking,

"Even so, we..."

"Hey, don't rush, Kokolia. Did you forget the password left by the Moon Princess? What she instructed us to wait for is 'Phoenix bloodline', not another Phoenix. In this sense, as long as it's someone with Phoenix blood, even if it's just a human, it should still be the person the Moon Princess ordered us to wait for."

"Darivuvu, you!"

Just at this moment, the massive female Troll standing at the back gripping the True Ice Scroll walked forward. She sat cross-legged next to Valentiina, blinked at the angry Kokolia, and placed the True Ice Scroll beside Valentiina.

"The Moon Princess's judgment wouldn't be wrong. I can also tell you guys aren't evil people, not coveting the treasured artifacts or secrets hoarded within the tree... Moreover, regarding a little piece of an elder's advice, don't be happy or despair so early. Look, when I married Kokolia back then I was so happy, I married the most handsome male Troll in the entire settlement. But look now, getting beaten or scolded day by day, it was too early to be happy..."

"Smack!"

Kokolia abruptly threw the branch in his hand onto the ground, glared fiercely at her, crossed his arms and left the main hall without looking back. Darivuvu, on the other hand, pouted her lips, saying helplessly,

"No matter. I'll go back and coax him later... What I mean is, little girl, don't give up so early. The Phoenixes were a race that created miracles. The worst outcome is merely death, which you can already anticipate right now. Then you might as well enter the Wutong Tree. What if you can truly find another method of resolution inside?"

After Valentiina heard Darivuvu's words, she couldn't help but cast a glance at Fisher right beside her. She gently reached out a hand and grabbed Fisher's hand, subsequently gently picking up that True Ice Scroll. The cold mineral sensed the Phoenix's bloodline and gradually quieted down.

"You're right. Thank you. I won't give up now... Even if my ending is already destined, I still have the courage to bravely walk inside and face it."

In her hands, the True Ice Scroll slowly opened. Following the scattering of cold light bit by bit, the two people, one book, and one Troll present all focused their absolute attention, staring at the Moon Princess's last will within the scroll.

They saw that, upon the scroll, written in ancient Northern Border language, was:

"The Phoenix bloodline, only after performing holy matrimony with their companion, can obtain the Sigil and enter the tree."

Fisher's face was completely covered with black lines, Darivuvu touched her head and chuckled obscenely, and Eimhart silently flashed with golden light, not knowing if he was editing some sort of groundless namelist within his brain.

Only Valentiina absentmindedly kept her mouth open. The ruddiness on her face spread bit by bit, until it covered her entire fair little face,

"Hah?!"

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(End of this chapter)