novelraw Chapter 453: Mother
Chapter 453: Mother
"Wu wu wu..."
Fisher stole a glance at Asuka Karasawa standing before him, covering her face and lowering her head while continuously sobbing. From the corner of his eye, he saw tears constantly seeping out from between her fingers. He froze slightly; clearly, the sheer volume of Asuka Karasawa's tears exceeded his expectations.
Fisher was somewhat puzzled. He looked up at Mikhail and Gou Wen resting in the background, seemingly seeking help. Mikhail, wearing a "none of my business" expression, turned around and prepared to find a place to rest, soon walking behind a folding screen. Gou Wen remained seated where he was, looking warily at Fisher, making Fisher feel like his gaze was guarding against a thief—it was bafflingly unaccountable.
"...What's wrong, Karasawa?"
After finding no help, Fisher had to force himself to take matters into his own hands, taking the initiative to speak up and ask.
"Sorr-wu wu, sorry... I..."
But the response Fisher received was still indistinct sobbing. Fisher looked down and noticed she had raised her head, but her pear blossom bathed in rain weeping made her unable to even speak. Whenever she tried to open her mouth, her voice was replaced by even more forceful choking sobs.
The pinkness at the corners of her eyes gradually spread until it completely covered her delicate little face. Her long, moist eyelashes hung with undried teardrops like morning leaves, condensing to reveal eyes shimmering with a watery hue below.
Being looked directly at while crying like this seemed to make Asuka Karasawa somewhat embarrassed. She wiped her tears and lowered her head, the pinkness on her face growing even richer.
Fisher made no superfluous movements; he merely pulled her to a nearby chair and had her sit down. Then, he stood quietly in place, waiting for her to slowly calm down. Thus, amidst her crying, the grand hall gradually tended toward peace. Several minutes later, only her slightly shuddering sobs and warm, panting breaths remained in the hall.Seeing no signs of her improving, the eyes of Gou Wen beside them flashed slightly. It was as if he saw the violently surging Spirit within her body. He gradually discovered a problem with Asuka Karasawa: once her emotions experienced significant fluctuations, they simply wouldn't stop, and it would take a very, very long time for her to calm down.
It was like that just earlier in the cage in Sanctuary, but back then, it could be explained by the severe stimulation she received from crossing over. But what stimulation had she received just now?
Without saying a word, Gou Wen reached out his hands. Using completely transparent threads invisible to anyone but himself, he began to restrict the emotions she was venting. Only after finishing did he purse his lips at Fisher, motioning him over while whispering.
"I made little Karasawa's Spirit wither a bit, but this can't go on constantly... I wasn't paying attention to her just now. What exactly happened to her? Why is she crying so intensely? Because of that Rat Crone earlier? Because she pitied them? That shouldn't be..."
"..."
Fisher fell silent for a moment. He looked at Asuka Karasawa sitting in the chair, who was still sobbing even after Gou Wen reduced her mental power. He thought about it for a bit, then shook his head and said.
"It's not out of pity; it should be out of envy."
"Envy? Of the Rat Crone?"
Fisher had been watching Asuka Karasawa cover her face the whole time. Suddenly, he thought of the words Asuka Karasawa had said to him in the Sanctuary cage that night.
"No, she's envious of the child the Rat Crone was holding in her arms. Karasawa told me before that she lived with her mother since she was little, and only lived with her father after her mother passed away. But her mother didn't treat her well. In all probability, seeing the Rat Crone's actions reminded her of things regarding her own mother, right?"
Gou Wen opened his mouth. After quite a while, he barely managed to recall the conversation between Fisher and Asuka Karasawa that night. He seemingly hadn't expected Fisher to be delicate enough to find the connection between them. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to look at Fisher and asked doubtfully.
"How are you so understanding?"
Fisher expressionlessly turned his head to look at Gou Wen and replied.
"Because my memory is quite good."
"..."
Gou Wen's treatment effect was basically instantaneous. The sobbing Asuka Karasawa, covering her face, quickly calmed down. Only when the grand hall grew completely quiet did she pitifully rub her eyes and raise her head.
Her eyes were somewhat red and swollen. Looking at the two quiet men a distance away who hadn't disturbed her, she felt a bit embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Fisher, Mr. Gou Wen..."
Asuka Karasawa apologized again.
"It's fine."
Fisher replied simply. While Gou Wen asked one more question.
"Did you think of something just now, little Karasawa?"
"Ah, hmm. But... I seemed to have suddenly seen something just now. I seemingly saw that mother and child die, thrown down from the tree... and then... and then..."
Asuka Karasawa agonizingly covered her eyes, because it wasn't just the tragic sight of the Rat Crone mother and child dying, but she also recalled the time when she lived with her mother.
Asuka Karasawa still remembered that in their house in Tokyo, her mother would leave her in that huge house while she went to attend various parties and drank alcohol, thus forgetting about her who had returned home from school. With no food to eat, she would just wait at home for her mother to return. But it wasn't until very, very late, so late that she couldn't even remember the time, that her mother would return together with another uncle she didn't know.
She would casually give her a few hundred yen, telling her to go buy something to eat at the convenience store. Then, holding the money, she would go to the convenience store to buy a piece of bread, eating it for a very, very long time before heading back. Because if she went back early, she would see scenes of her mother together with that unfamiliar uncle.
Asuka Karasawa also remembered that sometimes she would be verbally abused by her mother. She said she was exactly like her father, said she was stupid, said the child support her father gave was very little, not even enough to buy a decent piece of jewelry. Thus, she vented much of her dissatisfaction with life onto her...
Asuka Karasawa felt that her mother hated her. But tragically, she felt guilty because of this. Consequently, she learned to constantly apologize for this feeling of guilt, to apologize to her mother.
"Little Karasawa, you said you saw that Rat Crone mother and child fall down?"
"Ah, sorry..."
Facing Gou Wen's question, she froze for several seconds before recovering her senses. Thus she hurriedly raised her head, rubbed her eyes, nodded, and said.
"Hmm, I don't know how I saw it either... but it was very real... just as if it really happened right before my eyes."
Gou Wen opened his mouth, stroked his chin, and muttered.
"Perhaps Lord Tao's method really does work. Transferred Persons truly are special. You are so sensitive to destiny, perhaps you really can see the Transferred Person kept by the Elf King's side... But why can't Mikhail even see a single hair? Is there a gap even between Transferred Persons?"
"Hmm, hmm."
Looking at Asuka Karasawa, Fisher smiled, pursed his lips, and nodded, but he didn't say any superfluous words. Instead, he looked behind the folding screen and spoke to Karasawa.
"Go in the back to rest for a bit. Marquis Bai will return later, and Gou Wen just needs to handle her. Rest well, and tomorrow we will enter Jianmu Palace."
"Alright..."
Asuka Karasawa rubbed her eyes, standing up wearily and preparing to walk behind the folding screen. As she walked past Fisher, she looked at Fisher and Gou Wen still sitting in place deep in thought, feeling as if she had burdened them again and hadn't been of any help.
"Teacher Fisher, sorr..."
She pursed her lips, subconsciously about to say those familiar words to Fisher again. But Fisher didn't even look at her. Merely abruptly extending his right hand, he pressed it on top of her head, immediately pressing all her momentum and words back in.
"Wu..."
"You must look forward, Karasawa... Hurry and go rest."
In a place Fisher couldn't see, Asuka Karasawa comfortably narrowed her eyes like a small cat. When Fisher's hand withdrew, her head still stretched in the direction his hand left, as if attracted by a magnet, as if being patted felt very comfortable. Only a second later did she suddenly recover her senses and hurriedly agreed.
"Un, un!"
Then she quickly ran off.
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
The moment Asuka Karasawa left over there, the mouth of the spectating Gou Wen beside him immediately began to "tsk tsk" like a loaded machine gun. His gaze looked like he almost wanted to stab Fisher.
"So heartwarming, even patting heads... so much for maintaining one's integrity, Fisher..."
Fisher glared at him, remained silent for a moment, and suddenly spoke.
"Weren't you also missing Marquis Bai quite a bit during this time just now? Sitting on pins and needles, aren't you just waiting for her to return?"
Gou Wen froze slightly, subconsciously retorting.
"Who the f... Wu wu wu wu!"
But before he could finish speaking, a tall figure had unknowingly crept up behind him. When a fragrant breeze wafted past Gou Wen's nose, he instantly felt something was amiss and hurriedly prepared to look back. But the next moment, his entire head was locked within a warm embrace.
"Oh my, Little Wen, Little Wen! Were you secretly thinking of me just now? Honestly, I only left for a little while... As expected, you were already tired of your wife, weren't you? How about we have a secret affair? Don't worry, she won't find out~"
Behind him, the suddenly appearing Marquis Bai, her face full of radiant sunshine, hugged Gou Wen's upper body from behind and happily said.
Hearing the words "tired of your wife", Gou Wen shuddered all over. His face turning pale, his body trembling, he hurriedly struggled. But before the Eighteenth-Tier Marquis Bai, even a shadow of destiny couldn't offer a shred of resistance.
"Impossible... I am... fully devoted to my wife... Marquis Bai, please behave... let go of me... Fisher! You f*ing ahhhh..."
Fisher silently retreated behind the folding screen, leaving the biggest trouble here to Gou Wen, planning to also find a room to rest for a bit. He still needed to make some preparations for tomorrow's trip to Jianmu Palace.
Fisher prepared to head to a room to rest for a while, guided by the demi-human servants in Guest Wood. But the deeper he went, he would frequently sense the presence of various Mythical Species Elves, feeling as if they were right on his doorstep.
He felt somewhat confused about this. Judging from outside, these palaces on Guest Wood should all be situated quite far apart from each other.
"This way, My Lord."
Fisher observed the murals on the walls of the corridor beside him as he walked. Yes, the Elf-kin also greatly enjoyed carving various beautiful murals beside their architecture, just like the murals he saw on the Phoenix Bridge in the Northern Border previously. Looking at it this way, the culture of the Tree Continent truly originated from the same lineage. The Phoenix Race unexpectedly brought the culture of the Tree Continent to a foreign land.
The story engraved on the mural before him was like this:
In this world exists an incomparably massive tree that stands tall between heaven and earth. Legend says she possesses all the wisdom in the world, is the most admirable mother in heaven and earth, and has unparalleled power. One day, she had many children, but only three were the strongest and most intelligent. They observed etiquette, respected each other, and were greatly beloved by the giant tree.
So one day, the giant tree sequentially called the three children before her and spoke the same words to them.
The giant tree said, "My children, I wish to emulate my creators and bestow upon each of you a precious gift. But I do not have their immense abilities, so I can only let you choose one gift. Tell me what you want, and I shall bestow it upon you. Then take this gift and help each other with your brothers and sisters."
First was the eldest of the three children. That child said, "I wish to know everything that has occurred in the past, so I can repeatedly review the past to learn lessons. Like this, I shall be unmatched."
The giant tree said, "Alright."
Then, the eldest child left the giant tree's side carrying a clear past.
Next was the youngest of the three children. He said to the giant tree, "I wish to know the future, to know the predetermined results of the future, so I won't have to feel anxious over doubts about the future."
The giant tree said, "Alright."
Thus, the youngest child left the giant tree's side carrying the predetermined future of every matter.
The final child was neither the oldest nor the youngest. He pondered for a long time, then said to the giant tree, "I do not wish to know specific pasts or futures, because undetermined possibilities are the most important. I wish to investigate the reasons behind the formation of things, embracing various possibilities of the past and future like united rope knots."
The giant tree similarly remained silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "I have nothing to give you, but I place all the other children in your care."
The final child obtained nothing, yet still left the giant tree's side fully satisfied.
It was just a short story. In Fisher's view, there was a high probability it was heavily saturated with artistic processing. It might represent things that truly happened, or it might not.
But it was just such a fable that, like being moved by a familiar scene, made Fisher recall the matters the Moon Princess had mentioned.
She had said that the future in her eyes wasn't specific scenes, but rather a feeling. She said she saw a massive dead knot, hence she had to make plans in advance. Yet what Valentiina, who was similarly a Phoenix, saw were clear, predetermined scenes.
It was hard to say whether a predetermined ending that wouldn't change regardless of any effort was better, or the scene the Moon Princess saw was better. But through the mural before him, Fisher faintly perceived a fact.
That was, for Elves, the [undetermined] in destiny was superior to the [predetermined].
Fisher pondered as he followed the servant ahead toward the direction of his room. This process wasn't long, but as he walked, he suddenly ran into a rather familiar-looking figure in the oncoming corridor.
The person before him had long black hair, with many jingling earrings and ornaments hanging from a pair of long ears. His appearance was handsome, always wearing a kind smile that made one feel like a spring breeze brushing past upon seeing it.
"Hello, please help me pass these items to the Rat Crone in charge here."
Tsubaki?
The Elf who suddenly appeared here wasn't anyone else, but the Elf Earl they had met right after arriving on the Tree Continent—Earl Tsubaki.
Of course, within the phantoms of destiny here, he didn't know Fisher yet. He was speaking to the guide beside Fisher.
"Ah, Lord Earl Tsubaki, this is truly overstepping. This lowly one said I would come to your guest hall to fetch it tonight. Why did you come personally?"
Earl Tsubaki handed some food and clothing to the guiding servant before him. Seeing him so humble and constrained, he couldn't help but say.
"No matter. Originally it was because I should have been leaving tonight and had to pack my luggage, so I called you over to fetch the items for that Rat Crone. But now it's unnecessary, since I still have to enter Jianmu Palace to have an audience with His Majesty tomorrow, so... Oh right, who is this?"
"Ah, this is a guest invited by Lord Marquis Bai, resting here for a moment. Rest assured, Earl Tsubaki, I will definitely give these items to Ah Nü."
The guide beside him accepted the items and then secretly shot a glance at Fisher beside him, not saying much. But Fisher, who had just met that Rat Crone mother and child, quickly understood the ins and outs. He knew the guide before him had reported to other officials about that Rat Crone secretly hiding a child in Guest Wood.
Fisher remained silent. Earl Tsubaki swept a warning glance at the guide, but even as a warning, he didn't fully release his Mythical Rank pressure, thus appearing to leave some leeway.
Following that, he cupped his hands at the guide beside Fisher and said.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Please don't! Please don't!"
The guide was so scared he almost knelt down. But fortunately, Earl Tsubaki flicked his sleeves and left before he could make any movements.
By the time the guide stood back up with difficulty, clutching the food and clothing, that gentle Earl Tsubaki was already far away. The guide opened his mouth and exclaimed softly.
"Ah, Earl Tsubaki... what a pity..."
"What's wrong with Earl Tsubaki?"
Fisher continued walking forward with the guide. Hearing the exclamation of the person beside him, he thus asked this question.
Hearing this, the guide beside him looked at Fisher rather warily. But he figured Earl Tsubaki was an Elf Lord at least. As long as it wasn't a matter related to the Rat Crone, then it didn't matter.
He just sighed for a moment, then still said.
"Earl Tsubaki is a good Lord. He treats us serving servants very well. The servants assigned to serve him are extremely lucky. It's just that earlier when I went to other Elf Lords' halls, I seemingly overheard them say that because Earl Tsubaki didn't hand over any slaves, His Majesty is very displeased. Summoning Lord Earl Tsubaki into the palace alone tomorrow is probably because of this matter... My Lord, we have arrived. Your companions are resting over here sequentially. Feel free to call us at any time if you need anything."
Halfway through his words, Fisher had already arrived at the door of his resting room.
The other party didn't continue the topic. Fisher also paused in front of the room door for a long time before thanking him. He entered the room alone to rest, quietly awaiting the crucial moment tomorrow.