novelraw Chapter 447: Renee?
Chapter 447: Renee?
At this moment, the Royal Capital before their eyes looked like a world painted in ink. Against the fantastical backdrop of the surrounding pedestrians and the long procession of Elf carriages, Lord Tao's voice faintly transmitted from the sky once again.
"The barrier has not been fully activated yet. This is just the starting point I saw before. You haven't truly entered [Destiny], so everything you see will be particularly blurry. Once you fully dive into the sea of destiny later, the connection between us will be completely severed, and you won't exit destiny until you reach the destination I've set. Understood?"
Hearing this, Gou Wen quickly looked up at the sky and asked loudly.
"Um, what is the so-called destination?"
Just as Gou Wen asked his question, he also scanned the surroundings. He found that the black and white pedestrians around them were not only blurry at the edges, but even when a group of strange people suddenly shouted at the sky on the road, they showed no reaction at all. He didn't know if this was related to Lord Tao saying they "hadn't entered destiny."
"You'll know when the time comes. What's important is that after that Transferred Person enters destiny, you'll be able to converse with the phantoms of destiny. This way, even if you can't see that Transferred Person, you might gain some level of intelligence..."
Lord Tao's voice became increasingly illusory. It was also at this time that Fisher suddenly remembered he seemed to have forgotten to bind Lord Tao.
Just as he opened the illusory panel before his eyes, at the exact moment the panel for [Tao] appeared, his buttocks were suddenly slapped by something. During this brief moment of surprise, the illusory panel had already vanished. Then, the black and white world in front of Fisher abruptly filled with colors, as if he had entered a brand new world.
He turned his head and glared angrily, only to see Helaire hiding behind him, looking around as if she were looking for something fun, acting as if the person who slapped his buttocks just now wasn't her at all.
"You..."This fellow...
Fisher had no idea why this fellow suddenly got handsy and slapped him, causing him to waste the opportunity to bind an Elf Species and complete his sequence. This made him furious as he looked at the innocent-looking Helaire before him.
Perhaps Fisher's gaze was too piercing. Unable to keep up the pretense, Helaire tilted her head at him, clearly confessing without being pressed that she was indeed the bad person who slapped him just now.
"Excuse me, folks."
Fisher glared at her, but was reminded by a demi-human pushing a cart beside them. Fisher turned his head and looked in surprise at the pedestrian staring at his group. A second later, he stepped back and made way.
"Truly miraculous. A destiny barrier created by a Nineteenth-Tier ability can actually reach such a lifelike level of authenticity. If I couldn't see that they lack the Three Treasures within their bodies, I would probably really suspect they were real, living beings."
Gou Wen let out a gasp of admiration, watching the carriages of the Elves on the street slowly disappear down this main road. He then turned back to his companions and said.
"So, what do we do next?"
Fisher pondered for a moment, looking in the direction the carriages had left, and said.
"Lord Tao said that Transferred Person was always kept by the Elf King's side. And until the incident occurred, no one had seen that Transferred Person. This means she must have rarely appeared outside. This also means we have to get inside Jianmu Palace."
Gou Wen shook his head in distress and said.
"This is going to be troublesome. Entering Jianmu Palace is no easy task. Back then, following Marquis Bai to enter the royal palace was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for me... Furthermore, although this is Lord Tao's barrier, judging from our interactions with them just now and the tier strength of the Elves, they are all trending toward reality. I just don't know if dying here means truly dying. But I think it's best not to try it..."
But Fisher stared closely at Gou Wen. He kept rubbing his chin, staring at him intently.
His gaze made Gou Wen's hair stand on end. He didn't know if Fisher had discovered his speculation about him resolving things by hand last night, or if Fisher had grown suspicious because of his constant pressing regarding his vague and illusory future daughter?
Just as Gou Wen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling the need to say something, Fisher seemed to grab a flash of inspiration. Looking at Gou Wen with a smile, he said.
"Didn't you just say that following Marquis Bai into the royal palace was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity? And you, the doctor yourself, are right in our group, aren't you?"
Gou Wen opened his mouth, blinked, and subconsciously nodded his head.
The Elf Royal Capital was filled with giant trees reaching over a hundred meters high. Numerous buildings were constructed in overlapping layers upon those giant trees. However, compared to the World Tree behind the royal city, these giant trees seemed incredibly tiny.
After entering the Royal Capital, the places where the Elves resided were basically concentrated in one or two of these trees. Generally speaking, the rest of the commoners, slaves, and others lived beneath the trees. Only a few officials or servants needed by the Elves could ascend those large trees.
Fisher and the group rented a room to rest beneath one of the trees. Actually, the commodity economy of the Tree Continent was very developed. And it had to be said, they had established a complete and unified economic system. At the very least, the currency used was unified—a kind of coin resembling a leaf.
Nekelia had some money on her, which surprisingly could be used within this barrier. So, the few of them huddled in a room and discussed their future plans.
"Are you saying I should go impersonate myself, and then use the opportunity of the medical consultation to bring all of you inside?"
"Can that be done?"
Fisher looked at the pondering Gou Wen. Then he added.
"There aren't many ways to enter Jianmu Palace. And since the people inside the barrier have the same tiers as those outside, it's even more difficult. If this method doesn't work... Earl Tsubaki seems to be in the Royal Capital at this time too; I saw his flag at the end of the carriages earlier. As an Elf, he is different from other Elves; maybe he can bring us in?"
Gou Wen shook his head with a bitter smile, clearly disagreeing with Fisher's view.
"No matter what, Earl Tsubaki is still an Elf. He is kind-hearted, yes, but not to the extent of doing things detrimental to the Elf-kin. Asking him to bring our entire group into Jianmu Palace for no reason... unless he's crazy. I think the plan of me impersonating myself is feasible, but the problem is, bringing all of you into Jianmu Palace isn't realistic."
Gou Wen carefully recalled the details of following Marquis Bai into Jianmu Palace previously, then continued.
"I was originally going to enter the Royal Capital with Marquis Bai, but a problem occurred in my family halfway through, so I returned to the Deep Sea. I only met up with Marquis Bai in the Royal Capital after handling matters there. Right now, I shouldn't have arrived back in the Royal Capital yet. Marquis Bai invited me to treat the Elf King after hearing about my deeds in the Dragon Continent. She probably knows my relationship with humans is pretty good, so I can say that you, little Karasawa, and Mikhail are my assistants. But I don't know what to do about Nekelia and Helaire..."
Nekelia, sitting by the window leaning on her spear, spoke up.
"It's just to search for information about that Transferred Person inside Jianmu Palace anyway. I wouldn't be much help, so I'll just wait outside when the time comes."
Fisher pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Then Helaire will also... Hmm? Where is she?"
He swept a glance around the room, only to find that the angel had silently disappeared from this not-so-spacious room at some unknown point. Only the window directly facing them was left wide open, as if answering Fisher's puzzle.
"Um... after Helaire heard you guys say she couldn't get in... she seemed very happy, saying she could 'finally relax properly,' and then... jumped out the window and ran away..."
The last one to speak was Asuka Karasawa, who was sitting by the window. She raised her hand to speak first, reporting that shameful freeloader. Looking at her helpless expression, it was obvious she couldn't stop Helaire at all.
Fisher's face darkened. He couldn't be bothered with that unreliable fellow.
Except for last night, which was acceptable, that fellow was completely unreliable the rest of the time.
"It's fine. So our plan next is to kidnap the Gou Wen in the barrier outside the Royal Capital, and then you'll impersonate yourself to enter the Royal Capital to see Marquis Bai, and then follow her into Jianmu Palace."
"Although it sounds a bit weird, that's indeed the plan..."
Gou Wen nodded with a bitter smile. He glanced at the carriages still being arranged by a group of slaves outside, then said.
"I should arrive on the third day after the Elves enter the Royal Capital. That day happens to be the time the Elves present their tributes. On the fourth day, I would enter Jianmu Palace with Marquis Bai. We have to wait another three days. Before then, we can gather a little information in the Royal Capital. If there's a traitor among the Elves, it might be one of the dozens of Elves currently in the Royal Capital... If only we could know the tribute list and order of those Elves..."
"There should be someone in the Royal Capital responsible for the tributes, right?"
At this moment, Mikhail, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.
Gou Wen glanced at him, then said.
"There is indeed such an official, but his tier is very high, close to the Mythical rank. Ordinary tracking and stealing would likely have no effect."
Without saying a word, Mikhail raised his right hand, reached under his left wrist, and retrieved an extremely, extremely tiny circular device, placing it on the table.
"What is this?"
Looking at the object on the table that was even smaller than a pea, Gou Wen, Fisher, and Asuka Karasawa all leaned close to the table. In the next second, before their eyes, that circular device gradually turned into black fine dust, yet maintained its vitality and began to wriggle.
"A type of Nanobot. Mmh, not an official brand though, I bought it from the black market before. The battery life is halved, and it can't connect to the internet. But for me right now, not being able to connect to the internet is actually an advantage."
Seeing the three people looking at him with utter confusion, Mikhail's head throbbed even more.
Fisher and Gou Wen were from an alternate world of swords and magic, but Asuka Karasawa, you guy are from the same world as me and you don't know jack either. This left him speechless.
"In short, this thing can spy on people very covertly. We just need to bring it into those carriages. Then, I can use my microcomputer to control it remotely, tracking that official to find out the specific list. I don't know if Mythical Species here can detect it, but existences below the Mythical Rank shouldn't be able to notice it."
"Truly... miraculous. The stuff from your alternate world is pretty impressive too. Such a small thing isn't a living creature, yet even among Gospel Relics, it would be a very high-level kind..."
Mikhail looked at Fisher and placed the tiny robot in his hand.
"Fisher, could I ask you to covertly throw the robot into those carriages? After doing this, don't come back immediately. Take a walk around the city and come back in the evening. Before you return, I'll confirm whether we've been discovered."
"Mr. Mikhail... you feel so professional, just like James Bond in the 007 movies."
Asuka Karasawa seemed a bit excited, feeling that the Mikhail before her had turned into a professional agent from the movies. But Mikhail sighed, seemingly completely unhappy with such a compliment.
"In my original world, I was once wanted by the company for defecting. For a period of time, every day was spent in fear and trepidation. Over here, excluding various bizarre factors, it shouldn't be as disgusting as the surveillance system network established by Novosibirsk Wind... Please, Fisher. I'll monitor the robot from here."
"Alright, leave it to me."
After their respective tasks were assigned, Fisher pinched the pea-sized robot and walked out of the room they were staying in.
Outside, every carriage filled with treasures and various items was being slowly dragged into the air by four or five winged demi-humans with blue-gray wings; both males and females were present.
Fisher used the Demi-Human Completion Handbook to confirm, discovering they were a demi-human species called the "Crow Species." It seemed they were also one of the races enslaved by the Elves.
Fisher didn't act hastily; he didn't even get close. He merely went to the side of the street near the giant tree, quietly watching carriage after carriage slowly being hoisted up toward the sky. He took the opportunity to identify the official responsible for this matter.
He initially thought it would take some effort to find, but it didn't take long for Fisher to lock onto the target.
The reason was simple—the clothing of these Royal Capital officials was basically identical to that extremely punchable Qilin Species that came outside the Phoenix Species habitat before. Fisher could basically spot him at a glance.
After seeing the extravagantly dressed official come forward to inspect, Fisher silently walked toward a carriage whose loading was nearing its end and threw it onto the other side of the carriage.
Success!
Watching the robot adhere tightly to the side of the carriage and slowly sink into the carriage's surface, Fisher's pace didn't fundamentally change as he calmly walked toward the other side of the street.
The official behind him was still inspecting, and the carriages were still being transported high into the air one by one.
No sudden changes occurred, and no accidents happened...
Just as Fisher was following Mikhail's suggestion, preparing to leave in another direction of the Royal Capital and return in the evening, a profound, faint fragrance suddenly welled up at the tip of his nose.
His nose twitched slightly. That fragrance, seemingly engraved in his soul, instantly hooked his attention.
His steady footsteps hitched slightly because of this, and he subconsciously searched for the source of the faint fragrance.
In reality, Fisher couldn't accurately describe this incredibly unique, profound female scent in words. Sometimes, when looking back on it, it even felt like a hallucination. But while Fisher was searching everywhere for this fragrance, his sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of something in this bustling Elf Royal Capital.
In this long passageway, amidst this lively hustle and bustle, his gaze was suddenly seized by the graceful, elegant back of a woman in the distance.
The woman wore ordinary yet elegant attire. A cascade of long, silky black hair fell down gracefully, as lovely as a black waterfall.
But upon seeing that back, Fisher felt as if his breathing had instantly stopped. Because the more he looked, the more he felt that the back of the woman before him was so familiar, so familiar it seemed engraved into his very bones...
"Renee?"
How could she be here?!
This is impossible...
Fisher muttered softly. Then he touched the mark left on his chest by the future Witch in disbelief. It felt as if her heartbeat was synced with his own, but he grew increasingly certain that the back over there was the source of the scent he had caught...
Subsequently, his footsteps sped up uncontrollably, sprinting to follow the silhouette, intending to find that woman and find out the truth.
In the room, Gou Wen watched the quickly sprinting Fisher disappear into the distance and couldn't help but laugh. Turning his head back to Mikhail, who had connected to the microcomputer and was preparing to begin surveillance, he said.
"You have to admit, Fisher is pretty skilled. He runs faster than a rabbit, disappearing in just a moment... By the way, connecting to that broken eye of yours won't cause any issues, right? It'd be troublesome if you have another episode here."
Mikhail connected the Prosthetic Eye that served as a microcomputer, then linked to the micro-robot in the distance and attempted to control its movements.
"The burden is very small, still within an acceptable range... Which Elf does this carriage belong to? It seems to have a lot fewer items compared to the tributes of other Elves."
With that, Mikhail asked Gou Wen to close the doors and windows. As the room gradually darkened, he saw Mikhail lightly tap his own eye. Then, under everyone's astonished gazes, an illusory beam of light suddenly projected from that small eye, projecting the images seen by the Nanobot onto the wall inside the room.
"Incredible... truly incredible..."
This wasn't the first time Gou Wen had been shocked by products from an alternate world. But while shocked, he also didn't forget to examine the scenery in the projection.
In the image, a few jars of some unknown liquid were pitifully placed, along with a few bundles of slightly glowing sweetgrass, a stack of pelts from various magical beasts, and some wooden crafts. Other than that, there was nothing else. Compared to the fully packed carriages of other Elves, this carriage appeared much lighter.
As Gou Wen and the others were scrutinizing the image, Nekelia nearby suddenly sighed. She rubbed the spear by her side and explained to them.
"This is Earl Tsubaki's tribute. Those jars contain a specialty fine wine of the Tsubaki Fiefdom, [Entering Wood], which is liquor fermented within trees. Earl Tsubaki didn't offer any slaves as tribute to the Elf King, and he ceded land to take in many slaves from other countries. Therefore, he isn't considered wealthy, and the tributes offered to the Elf King aren't anything valuable..."