novelraw Chapter 361: An Inexhaustible Life (Happy New Year's Eve)
Chapter 361: An Inexhaustible Life (Happy New Year's Eve)
"Here, the ancient battlefield you wanted to see. Fortunately my mother marked this place down and I still know how to go... Hurry up, we've already prepared everything in a bit. Why aren't you anxious at all about getting married? I'll wait for you at the entrance, just call me when you're done."
In the spatial area deep within the Sema Mountains, Darivuvu had brought Fisher—who proposed wanting to go to the northern shore of the Northern Border, which was the northern shore of the Sema Mountains where the Phoenix-kin fought against the Southern Sky Constellation Chaos-kin, to take a look. When Darivuvu's mother left the tribe, she left behind quite a few route maps of the nearby vicinity, but she didn't leave behind the route to the Wutong Tree.
Fisher took a deep breath. Treading on the heavy frost and snow, he arrived at the mountain Darivuvu pointed out. Looking as far as his eyes could see, although before his eyes had already been covered by heavy frost and snow, Fisher could still recognize the massive changes in its terrain at a glance.
Countless mountain peaks had been uprooted from the ground, suspended mid-air due to chaotic space. To Fisher's insignificant human figure, it felt just like an ant gazing at a human using high-circle magic. That terrifying sensation of shattering had constantly spread out, such that even the ocean couldn't withstand it. On the frozen sea surface in the distance, despite it obviously being extremely close to the shore, a massive expanse of blackness comparable to an abyss abruptly revealed itself.
He alone gazed at the ancient battlefield whose appearance hadn't changed even after being washed by the long passage of time. Subsequently, he slowly sat down. In his hand, he still gripped a small stack of leather parchment engraved with all sorts of magic patterns. However, the crests upon them didn't brighten up like they normally did.
These were all scrapped drafts of Fisher attempting to engrave Dual Circle Head Magic over the past day. It was hard to believe that, with his current level of magical theory and magic capacity, he would surprisingly still fail at engraving magic. This was a feeling he hadn't tasted for a very long time. He narrowed his eyes, lowering his head to look at the extremely precise yet perpetually dim Dual Circle Heads of [Thunder] and [Destruction] on the parchment. Heaving a sigh, he scattered all the parchments in his hands.
The breeze pushed those parchments scattering them apart, until they fell into the boundless white snow, vanishing completely from sight.
"Fisher, since your teacher could succeed, why don't you go research his soul? Perhaps you can discover quite a few secrets..."
"Or implant him..."
Fisher closed his eyes. Those crazy whispers surrounding him didn't interfere with his thoughts. The process of researching magic was generally extremely slow. Particularly for this kind of high-circle magic capable of rivaling the Mythical Rank, researching it for decades wouldn't be considered unexpected. Even Teacher Helson only comprehended Dual Circle Head Magic during a journey traveling the world after he turned one hundred years old, and it was also this that established his status as the contemporary number one grand mage.Helson called himself a "Genius of Magic", and believed he wasn't far from the so-called Dual Circle Head Magic. But to squeeze out an opportunity to comprehend it between the cracks of the pursuit battle against Erwind and numerous other matters, this was truly too difficult for him. He couldn't prepare this difficult magic before entering the Wutong Tree.
"Are you done yet? Eh, you human, why are you littering... Forget it, forget it, hurry up and head back, the Phoenix bloodline is still waiting for you to help her change clothes. Aigoo, girls of other races getting married is just like the males of our race getting married, this is a once-in-a-lifetime dream..."
"Dream?"
Darivuvu impatiently walked forward, preparing to bring away the Fisher who was sitting in his original spot deep in thought. However, after Fisher heard her words, he suddenly recalled something. He gently took out the pendant Valentiina gave him previously from his embrace. The pink fluorescence upon it flickered faintly; upon it still remained a seven-circle magic taking [Dream] as its Circle Head.
The [Dream] Circle Head could pull an individual's soul into the Crevice between the world and the Spirit World. There, Dagon's rules were upheld, and the soul played the leading role. And coincidentally, Erwind's soul was his weakness, whereas the soul was his own strong point. Although Fisher's strong point barely reached around the Thirteenth Tier, compared to Erwind whose life tier had just reached the Twelfth Tier, his chances of winning were definitely higher!
But now he faced two problems. First, the magic on this pendant was only seven-circles. That night, if he had resisted, he could have avoided having his soul pulled by the magic; Erwind could definitely do this as well. Then he needed to design a sufficiently powerful magic using [Dream] as the Circle Head to forcibly pull him into the Crevice.
Second, after pulling him into the Crevice, he needed to consider how to defeat him there. Items could be constructed there, but it would consume a massive amount of magic power. Things like Relics or directly constructing magic effects would definitely be a case of severely damaging the enemy while sustaining heavy losses himself. He needed to find other methods and ways to deal with Erwind.
But regardless, looking at the pendant gently swaying with the breeze in his hand before his eyes, Fisher still excitedly stood up. Because this meant he possessed a method apart from the [Death Rune] to consider.
All these threads of thought progressed within Fisher's mind, but Darivuvu standing behind him knew nothing at all. She merely looked at Fisher acting like an idiot, staring blankly in melancholy at the distant ancient battlefield one moment, and suddenly taking out the pendant in his hand and standing up excitedly the next.
"What's going on here?"
Eimhart narrowed his eyes and flew towards Darivuvu. Although he roughly knew what Fisher was thinking, he still secretly cast a glance at Fisher's rear view. After confirming he was still deep in thought and completely ignoring the situation over here, he spoke to Darivuvu in a low voice,
"That chain, you saw it, right?"
"Mhm, what about it?"
"Given by the Phoenix bloodline, you understand, right?"
Darivuvu suddenly realized and straightened her back slightly. Subsequently, she smiled wickedly and raised a finger at Eimhart, bearing an appearance of knowing it clearly in her heart.
At this moment, right in the center of the Troll-kin tribe, beneath that massive Wutong Tree statue far away from all other buildings, the Trolls pitched an extremely gigantic blue tent. Compared to the other rough stone buildings, the craftsmanship of that tent was exquisite; it was obvious at a glance that it wasn't manufactured by the Troll-kin currently residing on the snowy mountain.
Under the shade of that massive Wutong Tree statue, lit candles made of some sort of grease were set up all around the gigantic tent, isolating the hundred meters surrounding the tent. And outside that tent, another layer of wall built of stones was erected. Fisher walked outside that high wall, while Darivuvu leading the way explained,
"This is the final procedure of the holy matrimony, tying the knot under the Wutong Tree's witness. The previous procedures can be a bit simpler. Oh right, this is the prayer for your holy matrimony. When the time comes, only the two of you can enter the wall. At that time we will block the outside, and only open it the next morning... By the way, the teleportation ritual has also been prepared."
Seeing Kokolia crossing his arms ahead, Darivuvu instantly beamed with joy, bypassing Fisher and walking forward. Eimhart cast a glance at Fisher, and subsequently floated towards the place where they hoarded their ancient texts as if nothing had happened. As he floated, he said,
"Heavens, it's better I don't look at this kind of thing, lest I fear I might not be able to resist telling this matter to whichever lady I meet afterwards. You understand, I am the great Sir Book Artifact who hates evil like poison... No no no, after staying with you for too long my heart has been polluted. I need to go look at ancient texts to cleanse my soul. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. See you tomorrow."
Fisher watched the endlessly chattering Eimhart fly further and further away. Somewhat unable to suppress a smile, he put away the prayer in his hand and the pendant Valentiina gifted him. He continued walking forward, passing by one busy Troll after another. The male Trolls all greeted him with smiles, saying a "congratulations" in passing. Only the female Trolls were foolish-looking, seemingly completely clueless about why they were doing these things.
"Fisher!"
Not far ahead, within the palace where they previously met Darivuvu, Valentiina lying on the recliner waved her hand towards Fisher. Beside her hand was also placed a folded set of clothes. Upon seeing Fisher braving the wind and snow outside walking towards her, for some unknown reason, the waving Valentiina's face suddenly blushed a little, and she leaned back on the recliner anew.
"These are wedding clothes? Why is there only one piece, and so thin at that..."
"No, Kokolia said I wouldn't be able to wear the clothes of the Phoenix-kin or Troll-kin either, so he simply just gave me a drape to wear on the outside. Look... wah, what a huge piece."
Valentiina lifted the blue drape woven by the Troll-kin beside her hand. When unfolded, that drape was doubly larger than Valentiina's entire person; wearing it on her body could wrap her up completely. Unfolding it like this, that long drape rolled towards her, wrapping up her entire person lying on the chair, leaving only a head outside blinking at Fisher.
Fisher was slightly stunned. Subsequently, he reached out a hand and helped her tidy up that scattered piece of cloth,
"It seems the body size of Phoenixes is much larger than humans... Alright, do you want to take a walk outside with me? Although it isn't for the ceremony, it's also so that you won't be so nervous later."
"Nervous? I... I wouldn't be nervous..."
She reached out to pull the robe a bit tighter. Even though her heart was beating very fast, she still remained stubborn. Fisher didn't expose her thoughts, merely gently picking her up in a hug.
The moment that long blue drape left the ground, it trailed behind Fisher like a pair of enormous wings. He walked out of the main hall. They said the Phoenix-kin's holy matrimony required the two people to fly a full circle around the Wutong Tree. Lacking wings, they could only walk a full circle around the Wutong statue built by the Trolls.
In the beginning, Valentiina was still somewhat nervous. Even if a Troll-kin walked towards them head-on, she would subconsciously shrink into Fisher's embrace. But when she discovered those female Trolls carrying stone bricks would only laugh foolishly at her with a "hehe", she became more relaxed, turning her head to size up these buildings.
"It's actually really beautiful here. So many mountains are suspended in the sky with curling clouds and mist, just like the sky fortresses described in fairy tale books..."
"I also read similar fairy tales back in Naris. The sky islands had numerous treasures buried within, so adventurers prepared to search for them... until they found a magic bean. After planting the bean, a bean sprout shooting into the sky would connect the path between the sky island and the ground."
Valentiina covered her mouth and chuckled lightly upon hearing this. She said,
"How come even the fairy tales in your Naris are about going treasure hunting? No wonder you guys like seafaring so much, is it because other places have a lot of treasures?"
"Mhm, this is of course related to the local customs of a place. This kind of ideology of expanding outwards and pursuing the unknown can only be said to have both good and bad aspects. It led to bloody acts of banditry, leading to the homelands of many living beings being incinerated, yet it also unexpectedly forged the development of technology, magic, and society. Even the harshest sociologist only stops after a brief attempt at criticizing it, because he is also enjoying the benefits brought by this ideology."
"Eh, as expected of a renowned grand scholar, even during holy matrimony you have to share knowledge I don't know with me."
Valentiina jokingly teased with a smile. However, Fisher merely shook his head with a smile. Looking at Valentiina in his embrace, he explained,
"Saying it's sharing knowledge isn't entirely true. I am explaining that because I am also a Nali Person, in a certain sense I naturally also have the desire to pursue exploration outwards. Otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered such a beautiful gem today, would I?"
His gaze constantly fell upon her body. What the so-called "beautiful gem" referred to was obvious at a glance, right?
Valentiina's face instantly turned red again. She gently buried her feverish cheek against his chest, quietly pinching his muscle in passing,
"Those kinds of words..."
The remaining words didn't exit her mouth, and Fisher didn't probe further either, merely reading her pink earlobe hidden in his embrace.
"Fisher, actually I'm truly very happy today... I know that to a Nali Person, a wedding at nineteen is truly too, too early. I also know I am very green, and many things are done immaturely. Yet only today, my decision was carefully considered. Because this way, even if there are no other methods ahead to let me live on, being able to achieve my wish of wanting to run together with you, that is enough too."
Fisher was slightly stunned, his footsteps slowing down a bit. He knew Valentiina was considering the aftermath if there were no methods to alter her flesh and bone within the Wutong Tree. In fact, Fisher himself couldn't be certain either, and the Moon Princess's last will didn't explain either. If, just in case, she truly departed from the mortal world before turning twenty due to her bloodline, what should be done?
For some unknown reason, Fisher thought of Erwind's Life Completion Manual and the Soul Completion Manual on his own body again. If he possessed these two manuals, then even if Valentiina died, he would also...
Just before the whispers by his ears began to murmur anew, a pair of cold hands suddenly stroked Fisher's cheeks, pulling his gaze down to lock eyes with Valentiina in his embrace.
Bearing a smile, she merely said,
"What I mean is, it's truly enough. If it truly comes to an end when the time comes, as long as we have today, and Fisher won't forget me afterwards, it will be enough... Actually, I have constantly been pondering the question Fisher asked me in the dream previously: If Phoenixes could truly foresee the future completely, then why did they still perish?"
"I have constantly felt that making efforts in an attempt to change a foreseen prophecy is normal, but it shouldn't necessarily reach the point of regardless of the consequences. That would inevitably be overcorrecting, wouldn't it? To give up everything one already possessed for the sake of a little bit of time to go on living, for a tiny trace of slim hope, is far too degrading... When I knew I might die at twenty years old, I also felt it was so unfair, so sad, wanting to try to live a little longer, even if just for one day."
"But, can the happiness in this world truly be exhausted?"
"Back in the Snowflake Fortress, I wanted to go out. After going out, I wanted to interact with like-minded people. After interacting and getting to know you, I wanted to understand you more. After understanding you more, I wanted to stay together with you forever. Exactly to what extent must the happiness reach for me to be satisfied?"
Valentiina closed her eyes, tightly hugging Fisher beside her, merely saying,
"Therefore, Fisher, just today, I am entrusting everything to you. For me to still be by your side, safely accepted and loved within your gaze despite being an incomplete me... Just a today like this, is already enough."
In his embrace, Valentiina's petite body was light and pliable. That trailing drape covered her disabled legs like the tail feathers of a Phoenix, dragging along the snow to draw an extremely long trace.
The whispers by his ear slowly dissipated. Perhaps because of her words, at this very moment, Fisher, this native Nali Person, also felt a sense of contentment.
"Thump, thump, thump~"
Within the wall, the candles had already been lit one by one. The working female Trolls had also been dragged far away from the surroundings of that Wutong Tree statue by their husbands.
Tonight, they would perform holy matrimony.
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(End of this chapter)