The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 392: The Approaching Queen

"Hello there, little guy. Your name is Eimhart, right? Fisher has already introduced you to me... I am Renee, a friend of Fisher's. It's a pleasure to meet you."

On a swaying little wooden boat, Renee sat at the bow while Fisher sat in the middle, rowing with a massive wooden oar. Eimhart had only woken up not long ago. Fisher had given him a rough explanation, telling him that they had dealt with the Witch Research Society pursuers, left the Northlands, and set a goal to venture into the Eastern Ocean to find a way to resolve the Death pursuing Fisher.

But come to think of it, this seemed to be the very first proper meeting between Renee and Eimhart.

Hovering in mid-air, Eimhart cast a glance at Renee before him, then turned his head to look at Fisher rowing the boat behind him, whose body had become sturdy again. Only then did he clear his throat, lift his head, and say to Renee,

"Hmph! I am the great Sir Book Artifact, Eimhart. You may call me the great Sir Book Artifact or the great Eimhart. You are not allowed to call me 'little guy'!"

"I'll just call you Eimhart then. Did you and Fisher meet in Naris? Thinking about it, you traveled with him all the way from Naris to the Northlands, and you even stepped in when I was being chased by the Witch Research Society... Thank you so much for taking such good care of him during this time. After all, I know he's a very difficult man to put up with."

Hearing the words of the Renee before him, the proudly posturing Eimhart couldn't help but fly in a circle in deep empathy. Turning his head to shoot a complaining glare at the rowing Fisher behind him, he muttered to Renee,

"You said it! This bad guy bullies me as much as he can every day. He's done so many bad things, his crimes are simply unforgivable! It's a good thing it's me, the great Eimhart; if it were anyone else..."

"My, that is truly excessive... Eimhart, why don't you tell me what bad things he's done along the way? How about I uphold justice for you?"

"He..."Eimhart was just about to say something, Filled With Righteous Indignation, but upon seeing Fisher's placid expression, his words did a U-turn in his throat. He stammered,

"He... well, he just speaks a bit insensitively sometimes. Other than that, he's actually quite decent... A pretty good human..."

"Is that so? It seems you hold him in very high regard. Not bad, not bad. In the future, if he dares to bully you, just tell me. I'll help you teach him a lesson."

"Ah, mm. But the great Eimhart will never be bullied!"

Flaunting her might at Fisher, Renee stretched out her delicate, pale hand, clad in a light white dress. Eimhart nodded and flew back onto Fisher's shoulder. Looking at Fisher, who had recovered his robust frame, he knew this was the handiwork of the enigma-shrouded Witch before them.

Having the powerful ability to help Fisher resolve the demotion of his Life level by Death meant she herself was extremely far from simple. Eimhart had never known such a figure, and the feeling she gave him was something the other ladies they had met previously couldn't compare to...

Eimhart evaluated the tacit understanding between the two of them on this boat—one sitting at the bow with a smile, the other sitting calmly in the middle. For some unknown reason, he unexpectedly felt a sense of reassurance from Fisher. Fisher rarely spoke up to interrupt Renee; he just continued rowing quietly, only occasionally looking up to exchange a glance with her.

Thus, due to all these reasons, Eimhart actually forgot for the moment to place Renee onto the so-called "ex-girlfriend list".

Not long after, within the vision of Renee and Fisher, the faint silhouette of an archipelago emerged on the surface of the sea. With Fisher's excellent eyesight, he also spotted numerous ships of varying sizes on the water. Without even guessing, he knew they all belonged to the pirates of the Pirate Harbor.

"We're almost there. Hold on tight..."

Right at that moment, sitting at the bow, Renee gently reached her right hand beneath the surface of the sea. Fisher took the cue and pulled the wooden oar out of the water. The next moment, this tiny wooden boat continued moving forward, carried by the waves and momentum. As Renee's pale hand beneath the surface sliced through the water bit by bit, an illusory, profound tunnel leading to an unknown direction instantly revealed itself.

Fisher grabbed the hull of the boat with one hand, and with the other, he yanked the hovering Eimhart back. As the boat plunged bit by bit into that illusory tunnel, they once again shuttled through the Crevice at extreme speed. It wasn't until several seconds later that the wooden boat suddenly floated up, appearing out of thin air in a shadowy corner of a port.

"Everyone liven up! Unload all the cargo!"

"Someone come help!"

"Currency exchange! Nario, Northland Silver Coins, Holy Maiden Coins! Honest prices for all..."

The bustling clamor of the surrounding port immediately became Endlessly Ringing In The Ears. Renee and Fisher's small wooden boat had silently appeared at the edge of the port without anyone noticing. Fisher took a look around and found that they were standing at the edge of a hollowed-out archipelago. The surrounding green vegetation hung down along towering cliffs alongside waterfalls, forming rings of scattering rainbows under the sunlight.

This was the entrance to the deep Eastern Ocean, and also the largest gathering place for pirates in the entire world. Many criminals, madmen, and speculators who couldn't survive in their own countries had all come here for various reasons, seeking to participate in what was likely the greatest mission of this century. It was the dream of every explorer and pioneer: finding the Stormsea.

The beginning of the story went like this: a pioneer from the West Continent bought a strong, sturdy slave in the Southern Continent to do chores on his ship. During a long period of enduring humiliation for a greater purpose, that slave finally found an opportunity to kill the pioneer and seize his ship... However, this native did not just pack up and return to his home in the Southern Continent because of this. Instead, he was infected by the grand vision of adventurers and wanted to see the broader scenery this world had to offer...

Hence, he began to Recruit Soldiers and Buy Horses, acting lawlessly. He plundered ships from the West Continent, the Southern Continent, and even the Northlands. Of course, he also traveled to many unknown, magnificent worlds, forging his own reputation upon the boundless ocean... Sky-high bounties and world-renowned prestige could no longer satisfy him, until he finally launched an expedition toward the legendary Stormsea.

Yes, this was the story of the Pirate Harbor's founder, the [Black Chieftain]. He was still searching for the legendary Stormsea deep within the Eastern Ocean today. For this endeavor, he roped in Alagina, who was also one of the "Four Great Pirates," promising to help her return to the Sardin Woman's Country one day.

But none of this was the most crucial point. Fisher wasn't looking around to observe the local customs either. He was looking to see if that extremely conspicuous Iceberg Queen Ship was docked here. After a detailed scan revealed no sign of the Iceberg Queen Ship, he let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Within the port, Buntings had unknowingly landed on the ships' masts and piled-up cargo barrels. The white dress previously worn by Renee had morphed bit by bit into an elegant Cardo-style black dress. She now wore a veiled hat to block the sun and cover her face, and she elegantly carried a small handbag on her arm.

When Fisher turned around to look at her, she struck a vain pose, twirling for him. Smiling, she asked,

"Does this outfit look good?"

"...So, since you could just drag us directly into the Crevice, why did you make me row the boat for half the day?"

"Because a man sweating in front of a woman looks very handsome. But you didn't row for nothing! Aren't I wearing a nice outfit for you to see now? Hurry up and tell me, does it look good?"

"...It looks good."

"Good eye! I wonder if Naris and Cardu have released any new clothing styles in the half-year I was away. We can go take a look later. It's time to change your clothes too; you wear this white shirt and black trousers all day long, I'm getting sick of looking at it... Eimhart, is there anything you want to buy? Fisher definitely hasn't given you any gifts during the time you two have been together. How about I compensate you on his behalf?"

As Renee spoke, she stepped off the boat on her own accord. On the boat, Fisher and Eimhart exchanged a glance. Both felt as if everything about them from top to bottom had just been meticulously arranged. After a second of silence, Eimhart suddenly said to Fisher,

"You'd better repent. You'd best get me something as compensation, otherwise who knows when I might not be able to uphold my principles and defect to Renee's side, telling her all the bad things you've done during this time."

"..."

Fisher raised his eyebrows, turning his head to look at the beautiful lady waving at him from the edge of the port. He remained silent with no other expression, save for the unintentional, uncontrollable twitch upwards at the corners of his mouth.

The Pirate Harbor was the Black Chieftain's base for finding the Stormsea. Naturally, there was no shortage of places providing trade. Similar to the Patroshen Islands, apart from ordinary trading, transactions that operated outside the law were the most popular here.

Fisher and Renee walked shoulder to shoulder through the harbor that retained its primitive island scenery. Eimhart shrunk down again and hopped into Fisher's pocket. Not only were they looking at the goods sold by nearby pirates, but they were naturally also searching for Old Jack. Before he left, Old Jack had told Fisher that Pakhz had transferred a shop in the Pirate Harbor to him. He should be running this shop with Isabel and the three squirrel-girls now. Furthermore, there was a high probability that it was a tavern, continuing his old tradition from Serpent's Head Street in Naris.

"Just a little Purple Lightning Waterweed Material is enough, thank you... Oh, right. If you have any candy, give me two bags of that as well."

So the item Renee wanted to buy was a not-so-rare Magic Material. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fisher also bought some Magic Materials because he needed to figure out a way to resolve the matter with Elizabeth. Although making a phone call was the most direct method to notify her that he hadn't died, considering he still had to go with Renee to resolve his Death and temporarily couldn't return to Naris, a phone call alone wasn't enough...

He already had a better solution in mind.

After buying some spare Magic Materials with Renee, Renee bought Fisher a well-fitting suit. This finally put an end to the miserable state he had been in since the Northlands, wearing only a white dress shirt...

"Mm, since this is a place where pirates live, even if they sell these clothes, it's only to dress the pirates up nicely so they can negotiate with the fanatics on the east coast of the West Continent. But it's passable. Fisher has a good foundation, so he looks pleasing to my eye wearing anything."

"Is this really necessary? According to my past experience, no matter how nicely I dress after leaving Saint-Nazareth, my clothes get ruined very quickly... But since it's spending money from your secret stash, I don't really mind."

"Mmhmm, isn't my money your money? And your money is still my money. I won't feel heartache when you spend it. Besides, aren't things like clothes just for looking good temporarily? Even if you can wear it many times, you'll eventually get sick of it anyway. Alright, we'll take this one. Next, let's go see that elder you mentioned earlier."

Looking at the Fisher before her who had become handsome and stylish once again, Renee nodded in satisfaction. She generously pulled some Carduan Holy Maiden currency bills from the small handbag on her arm and placed them in front of the shop owner nearby. Hearing this, Fisher nodded and walked out of the shop. At the very edge of his vision, gentle white light was flashing at the entrance of an extremely lavishly decorated tavern. Written on it was,

"Old Jack and Pakhz's Tavern, Welcoming Humans and All Demi-humans."

Below that line of text, there was another line in Northland language, meaning "Iceberg Queen".

Fisher led Renee into the tavern, which radiated a warm, cozy light. It was currently only late afternoon, so there were absolutely no customers in the shop. At the end of the neatly arranged tables and chairs, there was an indoor swing. Behind the swing stood a bookshelf. At this moment, three familiar, petite figures were sitting around in front of that bookshelf, reading a storybook.

"Ding ding ding~"

Following Fisher and Renee's entrance, the wind chimes at the door swayed, emitting a crisp sound. This immediately attracted the attention of those three little rascals.

"Grandpa, we have customers... It's Fisher! And a pretty big sister!"

"Fisher! Fisher is back!"

Smiling, Fisher greeted Karma, Diandian, and the others. Renee also smiled and patted the heads of the three rat-people.

"Hello, children. I'm Fisher's friend. I have some candy here, would you like to eat some?"

"Yay! We get to eat candy! Fisher, Grandpa is behind the counter!"

Fisher looked blankly at the two bags of candy Renee handed out for a moment. Hearing their words, he lifted his head and saw Old Jack, dressed in a dark bartender's uniform, leaning behind the counter in the center of the tavern. He was looking at Fisher and the Carduan lady beside him, who had just greeted him, with considerable surprise.

"Hello, I am Fisher's friend, Renee... Fisher said you two haven't seen each other in a long time, so we came here specifically to visit you."

"Ah, mm, I see."

Looking at Fisher, Old Jack was Hesitating To Speak, but very quickly, Renee, holding the candy, was surrounded by the three bouncing, cute girls. They sat down at a nearby table, Unable to Wait to distribute the candy.

Fisher approached Old Jack's counter and spoke,

"It looks like you're doing quite well over here. 'Old Jack and Pakhz's Tavern'... Did you and that First Mate Pakhz get together?"

Facing Fisher's smiling teasing, Old Jack felt a flare of exasperation without an outlet. He first cast a surreptitious glance at the beautiful lady playing with Karma and the others not far away, then leaned slightly closer to Fisher and whispered,

"Fisher, of all the days you could have come, you just had to choose today, and you brought a lady with you... Alagina and Pakhz are out on the open sea following the Black Chieftain and the others, drafting a detailed nautical chart of the Eastern Ocean to pinpoint the Stormsea's exact location. You know the Eastern Ocean is the vastest ocean; they won't be back for a very long time once they leave. So occasionally, Alagina will bring a frigate back to run supplies. Pakhz doesn't come back often, so because of my relationship with Pakhz, Alagina will come up to check on my situation too, bringing some gifts from Pakhz."

Setting aside the faint, showy elements regarding Pakhz's relationship in Old Jack's words—after all, that was this old man's private life—the most critical point was that Fisher seemed to have caught the hidden meaning behind Old Jack's words.

His expression slightly changed, and he similarly glanced at Renee behind him, who was still oblivious, playing with the girls.

Fisher leaned slightly closer to Old Jack's counter and said with a headache,

"You're saying Alagina is coming back today? Coming here to your place?"

"Not today. Now!"

Hearing this, Fisher turned back to look. Old Jack's tavern was situated in an excellent location, allowing one to overlook the scenery of the entire Pirate Harbor from here. Because of this, with his excellent eyesight, he immediately spotted a frigate flying the flag of the "Iceberg Queen Ship" which had docked at the shore at some unknown time.

And slowly walking down from that frigate was the exceptionally tall, expressionless Sardin Matriarchy native with long white hair. Fisher couldn't be more familiar with her, after all, their distance had infinitely approached zero on a certain night...

That was the Iceberg Queen, Alagina.