novelraw Chapter 426: Method
Chapter 426: Method
"Please proceed this way, everyone."
Before long, someone approached outside the grand hall again. It turned out Tsubaki Earl had arranged a place for them to rest for the night. Because the palace beneath the tree couldn't house non-Elves per the constraints of "Li", the place they were staying was still Kuin's Upper Minister's Estate, which they visited this morning.
Hiiragi had completely fallen dead asleep. Naturally, it was impossible to return to his fiefdom overnight, hence he was arranged to rest within Tsubaki Earl's palace. Seemingly, Tsubaki Earl even had to let him sleep in the master bedroom, because his noble title was "Marquis", higher than Tsubaki.
During the carriage ride back, everyone felt a slight fatigue, but mostly it was Asuka Karasawa who was quite sleepy. Among everyone present, her constitution was the weakest. Asuka Karasawa beside them drooped her head. Spotting her appearance, Mikhail suddenly opened his mouth,
"Asuka Karasawa."
"Yes, yes! I'm here!"
She instantly jolted upright and sat straight. That rapid awakening appearance completely resembled a student who fell asleep upon a desk in a school classroom and was woken up by the math teacher. She pursed her lips and looked at Mikhail, yet saw him invariably looking at her with the same expression as previously, simultaneously stating,
"What follows won't be too pleasant to hear, but for the sake of us originating from the same place, I'll give you a reminder... this isn't the era you lived in, nor does it speak of the rule of law. You saw those two Elves at the banquet previously; they are existences whose life levels far exceed your imagination, yet you didn't control your mouth, resulting in near trouble.
"It's a huge fortune that nothing happened this time, because you had this Fisher covering for you, and at worst there's an Angel here. But this isn't a good phenomenon. Next time you might lose your life because of it, never able to return, understand?"
Of course Asuka Karasawa additionally understood that her mouth was momentarily too quick back then. She clearly had reminded herself many times internally, having made ample psychological preparations, yet upon truly witnessing the other party wanting to pull over the little deer they had just met solely for amusement, that incompatible part of her inner self with this world uncontrollably manifested.She sincerely apologized to everyone present, especially Fisher, although he seemingly pressed completely didn't look at her,
"Sorry... truly sorry, I definitely won't cause trouble for you guys next time."
Mikhail didn't speak further. Or rather, coaxing a seventeen-year-old girl additionally wasn't something he excelled at. He was merely offering a reminder to the other party, avoiding this "fellow townsman" inexplicably tossing away her life.
Seeing nobody present replying to her, Gou Wen smilingly smoothed things over, stating,
"It's good as long as you remember it. But this also can't be blamed upon you. You didn't live here from a young age, displaying unfamiliarity regarding the customs and human relations here is natural. Before arriving, I also forgot to specifically caution you. With this false alarm, I believe your memory will definitely be even more profound... By the way, what are we eating tonight? Helaire Angel doesn't need to eat, but we nonetheless still need to eat."
"Others will prepare it. The key right now lies in the subsequent matters. I invariably feel like I've heard similar enfeoffment concepts in our world too, but the people of our era generally don't understand history, because all those dusty beautiful things were completely destroyed in nuclear explosions, we are accustomed to looking toward the future... Asuka Karasawa, what about you? You are more ancient than me; have you heard of similar concepts?"
Mikhail suddenly recalled something, turning his head to ask Asuka Karasawa. She frantically shook her head, responding quite embarrassedly again, her voice also gradually growing softer,
"...No, I... I didn't take history classes... I haven't heard of this concept..."
Unsurprisingly, poor student Asuka Karasawa knew nothing. Mikhail wasn't overly surprised. He shook his head, stating,
"It's fine. The information we know now can already be considered quite a lot. I'll note them down... It's a pity I can't activate the Microcomputer, otherwise I could additionally record today's conversation entirely."
He still had one empty eye socket, un-wearing that Prosthetic Eye. That unworn Prosthetic Eye was precisely the Microcomputer Mikhail spoke of.
Next, Gou Wen, Fisher, and Mikhail basically exchanged views, roughly ascertaining their subsequent plans. Save the AFK Helaire on the side, solely Asuka Karasawa couldn't butt in.
She was truly too young, completely untalented, completely useless...
Perhaps even she herself didn't know why it was her who transmigrated, rather than a more outstanding, more capable Japanese high schooler? Like the Asuka who piloted Evangelions in anime.
The Asuka in anime was very formidable, possessing mixed heritage of two nations or was a child genius. Asuka Karasawa, however, was merely an ordinary high schooler, completely useless, exclusively capable of causing trouble.
She silently hugged her knees tighter again, pursing her lips and pretending nothing was wrong to listen to the communication of her companions before her. Fisher, leaning against the other side, noticed her tiny actions—right, he was sufficiently sensitive toward ladies and magic—but he didn't follow up by consoling her, allowing her to digest the emotions and lessons capable of letting her advance bit by bit.
【In the ancient era, all your rewards for researching Demi-human Races have the following numerical bonuses: Reproduction Ability +50%, Constitution -20%, other attribute bonuses +10%, but the soul link cost consumed by binding Demi-human Races will be doubled, and physical rewards can no longer be obtained】
【Tapir-kin, Mantis-kin First Stage Creature Research Progress Rewards have been unlocked】
【Reproduction Ability +7, Constitution +4, Vigorous Vitality】
【Vigorous Vitality: Your stamina, reproduction ability, and magic recovery speed will experience a minor increase】
When on the carriage, the Demi-Human Completion Handbook's rewards had already informed him via illusory text before Fisher's eyes. But truthfully, save the final 【Vigorous Vitality】 which was currently useful to him, of the other two, one was causing trouble for him, and the bonus of the other was microscopic.
What exactly the level of his own reproduction ability was currently, Fisher himself additionally didn't know. He invariably took measures to prevent pregnancy when releasing desires previously, because he increasingly affirmed the Demi-Human Completion Handbook increased his reproduction ability rather than his Breeding Rank. This meant, accompanying the increase in ability, regardless of what the other party's rank was, he would impregnate with a single shot...
And the Constitution bonus was becoming increasingly inconspicuous. At the Thirteenth-Tier, these 4 points of Constitution appeared microscopic. If he wanted to continue increasing it, he either had to assemble the sequence tag rewards of the Completion Handbook, or he could only seek other methods.
The horse-drawn carriages slowly halted. Fisher glanced at Helaire opposite him, subsequently dismounting alongside Gou Wen aside him.
Kuin had long been waiting at the doorway, along with the Deer Species Lu An they met this morning beside him. Witnessing the dismounted Fisher, his eyes immediately lit up. He stepped forward to bow to him, stating,"
"Benefactor! If not for your esteemed self today, my little daughter would have likely met with Marquis Hiiragi's poisonous hands. Truly grateful for your esteemed self's mediation!"
Evidently, Kuin had already informed him of the matters that transpired in the grand hall today. Fisher additionally nodded. He didn't clumsily learn their etiquette, merely stating,
"It's nothing, everything is fine now."
"Please quickly come in, quickly come in. I have prepared food for everyone..."
Kuin's residence wasn't considered spacious. When Fisher entered, he could still spot quite a few female family members, mostly Demi-human Races. They addressed Kuin as "Father". Upon inquiry, he learned these female Demi-humans mostly fled to the Tsubaki Fiefdom from other nations. Because they lacked family members, Kuin proactively adopted them, raising them within the estate as adopted daughters. He never took a wife in his life, yet possessed quite a few adopted sons and daughters.
When it was time to eat, that excruciatingly shy Lu Ming additionally personally came to thank Fisher. Seemingly, everyone treated Fisher's actions at that time as bravely acting for a just cause, not associating him at all with harboring the same foul smell as Hiiragi. Fisher was identically happy to see this.
The dinner was quite sumptuous. Several of Kuin's adopted daughters poured wine and served dishes for the guests on the side. Fisher calmly swept a glance at the massive scorpion tail behind one Demi-human Race adopted daughter, and a moment later impossibly additionally swept a glance at the petite sparrow-like wings serving as arms of another adopted daughter... it appeared as if he had been contaminated by that pervert Hiiragi.
But exclusively he himself knew, this was that amplified reproduction ability acting up again. The temptation of human females was even more fatal to him.
He strained to suppress his perception toward the surrounding females, forcefully expelling the fragrant wind wafting from them from his mind. Yet even so, he remained appearing somewhat unnatural.
Identically somewhat unnatural was Gou Wen. Ever since just entering he invariably stood behind everyone, as if feeling the aura of women within the house would dirty him. Several times when Kuin's adopted daughters poured wine for him, he politely declined, saying he would do it himself, not to trouble her.
Asuka Karasawa solely buried her head in eating. By comparison, solely Helaire and Mikhail were relatively heartless, their expressions normal, eating with fervor.
Midway through the meal, Kuin, advanced in age, lost his appetite after merely eating a few mouthfuls. He cast a glance at the incredibly conspicuous halo and wings atop Helaire's head in the distance, abruptly heaving a sigh and lamenting,
"Everyone came from the Sanctuary. Thinking carefully, I actually share some destiny with everyone. Actually, when I was young, I was once a slave in the Sanctuary. I wasn't born on the Tree Continent."
"You were previously a slave in the Sanctuary?"
Everyone present gazed somewhat astonishingly toward the elder before their eyes. He nodded, stating,
"Yes ah, sixty years ago I was merely twelve. At that time, I was still on the First Heaven of the Sanctuary as a slave for Angels, gathering forging materials Angels needed to use. Resultingly, one day, Angels went to the Tree Continent to celebrate longevity, selecting quite a few slaves from the First Heaven to accompany the Angel presiding over Laws of the Fourth Heaven, [Sorobato], departing the Sanctuary..."
Gou Wen's movements of chewing food slowed slightly, seemingly due to a certain name within the other party's words. The gentle smile upon his face also correspondingly faded bit by bit, yet very swiftly returning to normal. He raised his cutlery again, continuing to eat, waiting for Kuin to continue speaking,
"Seemingly, for Angels, this errand toward the Tree Continent wasn't any good affair. We were numerous, and Sorobato Angel paid us minimal heed. Many slaves died mid-journey... I wasn't reconciled to dying just like this, therefore upon arriving at the Tree Continent for the slave handover, I fled."
"You fled from the hands of a Mythical Species?"
Fisher stroked his chin. Looking at Kuin before his eyes who evidently merely harbored the Zero-Tier, he completely disbelieved he could accomplish such a deed.
Yet hearing this, Kuin decisively shook his head, stating,
"Of course I lacked such ability. I'm merely an ordinary person. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't possibly escape from the hands of such a terrifying creature... but observing that I invariably remained in the Tsubaki Fiefdom, everyone can additionally imagine, the Elf who came for the slave handover back then was none other than Tsubaki Earl. He noticed I fled, but didn't pursue me.
"Forced by helplessness, he sent the other slaves serving as gifts to the Royal Capital, yet left me behind. It wasn't until meeting him later on that I learned Tsubaki Earl was completely different from other Elves. He was extraordinarily friendly and compassionate, hence appearing Incompatible among the multitude of Elves."
Helaire in the distance propped her chin, looking at Kuin before her and suddenly chuckling,
"If I wasn't here, you would hold the identical evaluation toward Angels, wouldn't you? Especially since you were delivered by Sorobato. Although that fellow was an Angel of the Fourth Heaven, he frequently snuck down from the First Heaven governed by Lord Remiel into the Mortal World, acting tyrannically and domineeringly outside. That fellow forged [Life Gospel Relics], a type of holy relic forbidden by the Sanctuary."
So-called Gospel Relics were items forged by blending fragments of Rules. There were merely a few types of Rule fragments, and the Rule of Life naturally additionally could be blended within, but the forging materials consequently transitioned from those magic materials into living, breathing lives.
Due to the inextricable relationship between the Chain of Heaven and the God of Life, Ramastia, in order to avoid inciting unnecessary trouble, Michael had forbidden the furnaces of the Fifth Heaven from forging this type of holy relic very early on. Yet Sorobato remained forging Life Gospel Relics outside the Sanctuary. Irrespective of investigating where he forged them, this alone was sufficient to illustrate the brutal temperament of this Angel.
"Indeed it is so. I suffered quite a bit of hardship during the process of being transported by Sorobato Angel. But humans are different from Long-Lived Species. For us, sixty years is already an incredibly, incredibly long time. Sorobato didn't place me in his eyes, and I additionally no longer placed the matters of that time upon my heart. Right now, the Tsubaki Fiefdom is everything to me..."
Kuin drank a bit of alcohol. His age was truly too advanced. Now, doing a bit of matters would make him feel quite exhausted. Therefore, merely drinking such a little bit of alcohol left him somewhat unable to handle the liquor, needing to return to rest, leaving his adopted daughters to continue looking after Fisher's group.
Fisher turned his head to glance at Asuka Karasawa seated beside him, discovering some food remained in her bowl, while she identically couldn't drink alcohol yet. Consequently, he dipped his finger in some alcohol and drew circles on the tabletop,
"Are you full?"
"A-woo!"
She was startled, clutching her heart and retreating slightly. Only upon seeing it was Fisher by her side did she heave a sigh of relief, forcing a smile and stating,
"F-Full, Mr. Fisher."
"That's good."
Fisher continued stuffing food into his mouth, lacking any extra expression upon his face. Conversely, the Asuka Karasawa beside him who was summoned by him from that dazed state awoke, only then blankly starting to eat the half-cold food within the bowl.
Hesitating for a moment, Asuka Karasawa suddenly opened her mouth, but resultingly collided with Fisher who additionally wanted to speak beside her,
"You..."
"Fish... Sorry, you speak first, Mr. Fisher..."
"You speak first, what do you want to say?"
"Um... I'm sorry about today, I caused trouble for you. I shouldn't have spoken too fast today, forcing you to step forward, mediating for me like that before that some-Elf."
Fisher's chewing motion paused slightly for a moment. He turned his head to glance at the truly highly self-blaming Asuka Karasawa beside him. She originally couldn't offer any help and additionally caused trouble for others. Mikhail's reminder on the carriage additionally exacerbated her interrogation of herself. She couldn't even eat right now, likely sillily contemplating the previous matters continually.
Fisher pondered for a moment, heaving a sigh, suddenly stating,
"It wasn't entirely for you. I was genuinely relatively interested in Demi-human Races. That Marquis Hiiragi is interested in Demi-human Races, conversing with him couldn't be considered depressing. Moreover, although the words you said back then would worsen the atmosphere slightly, there wouldn't have been any severe consequences. We are emissaries from the Sanctuary; he wouldn't dare do anything to us."
Asuka Karasawa pursed her lips. Even though Fisher spoke the truth, she invariably felt it was because Fisher didn't want her to invariably immerse herself in the previous matters, wishing for her to relax slightly, that he proactively admitted it like that.
Helaire Angel had said, Mr. Fisher's love for Demi-human Races was academic. How could he possibly commit such perverted deeds toward Demi-human Races like Marquis Hiiragi?
Self was truly useless.
Asuka Karasawa identically didn't wish for Mr. Fisher to overthink. She softly uttered an "Mm", forcefully lowering her head to shovel a mouthful of rice, seemingly to prove she was already fine.
But she didn't want to continually rely on Mr. Fisher or even the entire team accommodating her like this every time. She wanted to offer some help...
Or rather, at least being able to avoid holding them back would be good...
She needed a method.
(End of this chapter)