The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 464: Interlude

"Are you saying that Ideal State was founded by Margaret?"

Fisher grasped the information in Pandora's previous sentence and asked this. Pandora also nodded to express confirmation.

"Exactly. At the time, I didn't enter their city-state deeply, only encountering the residents there in the wilderness. It's apparent that the Transferred Person possesses great charm; I saw an intense reproduction desire on quite a few male humans and even Demi-humans... Although not even a ten-thousandth of yours, but yours is a special case requiring separate discussion. In their desires, they address Margaret as 'Leader'."

Fisher paused slightly, briefly unable to catch Pandora's teasing words. Even though he had long grown accustomed to these Mythical Species being able to see through the abilities of Transferred Persons and Completion Handbook owners, every time the reproduction power amplified by the Demi-Human Completion Handbook on his body was discovered, he still felt somewhat unnatural, blaming the inhumane Demi-Human Completion Handbook.

"...Since you could also find the settlement known as 'Ideal State,' the Elf-kin who lost such an important item would search for her whereabouts even more anxiously. They have no reason not to know where Margaret went. In other words, Margaret found some method to threaten the Elves, making them afraid to act rashly? Could it be because of the Loom of Fate?"

Pandora smiled slightly. Even without eyes, she could express her thoughts through her expression alone.

"You are smart as expected. However, although she is a Transferred Person, it is unlikely she can fully utilize the power of the Loom of Fate; relying on the Loom of Fate alone wouldn't be enough to stop that group of Elves. Although it might be related to the Loom of Fate, there must be other factors at play... I will investigate further regarding this part of the intelligence. During this time, you all can rest in the Sanctuary for a bit. You all shouldn't be satisfied merely with the freedom gained from completing the intelligence on the Tear of the World Tree, right?"

Exactly as the deal previously struck with Pandora stipulated, bringing back information about the Tear of the World Tree from the Tree Continent for her would merely restore their freedom. To obtain further rewards, such as Fisher getting to see the true body of the Holy Grail, they would need to retrieve the Tear of the World Tree for her.

Fisher still remembered that in the future, another sentient Relic he and Eimhart once encountered was precisely her Prosthetic Eye. In other words, the reason Pandora was so eagerly searching for the Tear of the World Tree was for her missing pair of eyes.

But the problem lay in two aspects. First, why would Pandora, as an Archangel, be different from the other Archangels, being the only one without eyes? Second, since she wanted to forge Prosthetic Eyes, why couldn't she seek help from Mikhail, who also had mechanical prosthetic eyes implanted?Unless, Prosthetic Eyes forged from ordinary Holy Artifacts couldn't satisfy her needs, and the ones Mikhail brought back from another world wouldn't work either; they had to be sentient Holy Artifacts.

Thinking this, the expression on Fisher's face remained unchanged. He nodded in agreement and said in passing.

"Alright, we will await your news... But I have another request. I want to see my book friend; I need to ensure his safety."

Pandora, who had just turned her head back to continue picking and choosing forging materials, paused her movements slightly. Subsequently, she was seen tilting her head up slightly, saying somewhat distressedly.

"Him... honestly, I can ensure his condition is very good, but arranging for you to meet him will be more difficult. Previously, to prevent Michael from privately taking him away for research, I handed him over to Gabriel, whose mind is unclear, for safekeeping. But ever since Michael went there to search for information, the Sixth Heaven has been completely sealed off. Now no one can enter; only Gabriel and your sentient Holy Artifact friend are inside. It's possible Gabriel also found Michael annoying, which is why she did so, right?"

"You can go try to open the doors to the Sixth Heaven, but I suggest against doing so in the end. A mindless Gabriel is capable of doing anything. Gabriel's rank is no lower than Lord Tao's; you shouldn't want to face another Angel who wants to take your lives again, right?"

After a moment of silence, Fisher turned and took his leave, fully prepared to take Asuka Karasawa away. But just as he walked to the door, Pandora's gentle voice drifted over again.

"If you don't mind, pass a message for me to Helaire, who is recuperating in the Second Heaven. Have her come see me for a bit. Of course, it would be even better if you accompany her during this time while she recovers her injuries, and tell her later; it wouldn't be too late."

"..."

Fisher's expressionless face fell slightly again. He didn't say whether he agreed or not, merely leaving alongside Asuka Karasawa, who had been secretly peeking at him.

Inside the lighthouse after Fisher left, the Pandora sitting alone in place fell silent for a moment, then seemingly sensed something.

The smiling expression on her face faded little by little. Subsequently, she slowly removed the silk covering the eye area on her face, revealing the flat portion within that completely lacked any eye structure.

Her fair fingers traced along her cheeks little by little, rubbing back and forth over that completely empty place as if stroking a hideous scar. Along with her slow strokes, the flesh and skin there receded little by little, reverting to its truest appearance.

Where her eyes should be was filled with hideous, skinless blood and flesh. Beneath where the eyes originally rested, dense flesh and blood branches twisting like curses squirmed. Looking closely, the branches there seemingly contained an authority resembling the Astral Realm.

"Ding ding ding..."

Accompanied by crisp sounds resembling those drifting from outside the realm, the countless fine flesh and blood branches there all arched toward the sky. And alongside the movements of those flesh and blood branches, bursts of intense pain seemingly transmitted across Pandora's face.

She painfully covered her face and fell to her knees on the ground. Allowing terrifying drops of Angel blood to seep out from those completely empty eyes, she remained kneeling on the ground, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"God... Sariel is here, what are your orders?"

Within her vision, which had always been unable to witness light, finally at this very moment, when linking with somewhere beyond the sky, she saw specific imagery. This was also the only imagery she could see.

First, she saw a stretch of profound starry sky, and seemingly heard sounds resembling forging. But that forging wasn't like usual, merely forging Gospel Relics; she saw the birth and shattering of stars, saw the boundaries of matter, and saw Him still continuously breaking new ground at the edge of the universe.

That was the true body of an Orthodox God!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

As that terrifying coercion resembling the ancient primordial era swept over, within Pandora's gaze, she saw things that made her feel immense fear and astonishment every time she saw them again. Such emotions spurred her fear; even though she was a Nineteenth-Tier Archangel, her body trembled uncontrollably and ceaselessly.

She didn't dare look anymore, hurriedly lowering her head. That line of sight within the distant starry sky also sank little by little along with it, until it landed upon a desolate planet, where a holy back figure floated above it.

Behind that back figure grew four pairs of pure white wings of light, like a deity overseeing this silent and still deep-space border, and also like a sturdy lock sealing the end of matter.

That was exactly one of the three Demigods birthed by Ramastia, Chain of Heaven Jehovah.

"Sariel, the World Tree says my Angels entered her Tree Continent and even injured her child right in front of her?"

That back figure remained motionless. Only an androgynous voice resembling the Song of Solomon transmitted over. The voice was calm, but caused Pandora's head to lower even further.

"God, I am truly filled with trepidation, but regarding this matter, please allow me to explain..."

Pandora revealed everything she had learned from Fisher regarding the Elf King and Lord Tao, mentioning in passing the theft of the Loom of Fate to that noble back figure. After that, she didn't dare move anymore, only humbly keeping her head bowed, awaiting Chain of Heaven's response.

Chain of Heaven's back figure remained silent for a moment before finally asking.

"Are you saying two Transferred Persons came to the Sanctuary, which makes three in total together with the one who stole the Loom of Fate in the Tree Continent?"

"Exactly. Being dull-witted, I merely thought Transferred Persons were enemies, and that it wouldn't matter if they died. It just so happened a Whale-kin also trespassed into the Sanctuary recently. After learning of the anomaly of Jianmu Palace closing in the Tree Continent, I merely used the freedom of these three sinners to threaten them into investigating the truth for me, absolutely without any other intentions."

"...I understand. I will go resolve the matter at the World Tree's side. Leave those two Transferred Persons be. As for that Whale-kin... keep it alive if possible. Mother remains alone at the bottom of the sea; the Whale-kin can hear Mother's voice. Unless necessary, do not kill even a single one. Do not concern yourselves with the matter of the Loom of Fate anymore; leave it to the Elves to resolve."

"Yes, I will relay the Oracle to our brethren."

Pandora lowered her head and responded thus. But the place missing eyes ached more and more, seemingly aching straight into her heart.

She knew; the moment she was created by Chain of Heaven to undertake the role of God's Emissary, she knew: only Demigods could look directly at the True Gods, and only the three Demigods could know the secrets of the True Gods' true bodies.

Even an Angel like her, who was so close to being a Demigod, would suffer a severe curse. Thus, from the day she was chosen by Chain of Heaven to be God's Emissary, her eyes were gouged out and her heart sealed; she absolutely must not leak a trace of secrets regarding the True Gods...

Pandora kept her head lowered, allowing the Angel blood on her face to drip down onto the ground drop by drop, yet she still didn't dare move her body.

But after waiting a long time, Chain of Heaven gave no further response. Only that deathly silence returning to darkness filled her line of sight.

Chain of Heaven had already quietly and soundlessly severed the connection.

Within this unresponsive silence, Pandora's extended hands gripped the forging materials nearby little by little. Pressing her head deadly against the ground, her entire body trembled uncontrollably.

"..."

She simply didn't understand why it had to be her.

Maintaining this posture as if punishing herself, Pandora remained silent and deathly still in place, merely raising this question within the bottom of her heart.

Sixth Heaven, inside the library of the Vortex of Wisdom.

A perfectly square book was carefully shuttling through massive bookshelves. Every time he passed a bookshelf, he seemingly let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't until he passed several bookshelves that he stopped on the middle tier of a bookshelf while glancing around, collapsing softly as if exhausted.

He slipped down onto the bookshelf as if drained of strength. The expression on his face looked somewhat withered as he stared at the ceiling, softly complaining.

"Ah... that fellow should be resting by now and didn't come looking for me. So scary, so scary... Wuu wuu, Fisher, when exactly are you coming to pick me up? I'm almost unable to hold on..."

Yes, this book was precisely Fisher's long-separated Head Eunuch... no, good friend, the great Sir Book Artifact Eimhart.

"Thud..."

Just as Eimhart was lying on the bookshelf finally able to catch his breath for a moment, a muffled thud abruptly drifted over from a distant bookshelf, terrifying him—who had just lain down—into instantly floating up. He looked warily in that direction, deeply afraid of seeing that terrifying figure.

He pursed his lips, but following his wary gaze, there were only slightly swaying curtains over there; where was there any terrifying figure?

"So I was just scaring myself..."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to lie down, he turned his head and discovered an expressionless, sluggish face deadly staring at him from the other side of the bookshelf.

It was a beautiful light-brown beautiful Angel, although it was unknown why the expression on her face was so sluggish, to the point of making people feel she seemed somewhat abnormal. Yet the illusory floating objects numbering nearly a hundred, resembling eyes, floating behind that Angel constantly manifested her authority and extremely high rank.

She was an Archangel at the peak of the Nineteenth-Tier, Gabriel, the Angel representing wisdom.

"Ahhhhhhh!!! A ghost!! Fisher, save me ahhh!"

Frightened out of his wits, Eimhart turned to fly away, but before he could fly out, Gabriel effortlessly reached out and seized him. His proud speed was exceptionally slow in front of Gabriel. Naturally, without any surprise, he was subdued.

The instant he was seized, Eimhart's expression instantly turned into lifeless, dead-fish eyes. It seemed he had experienced such a thing many times already and could anticipate what would happen next.

"Little Nob, where are you going? Come back and sleep with Mom... When did you learn to fly? That's really amazing..."

As expected, in the very next second, Eimhart was held tightly in Gabriel's arms, squeezed against her broad, soft bosom alongside another crystal in her embrace, enveloped by overflowing maternal affection.

But Eimhart wasn't Fisher. He didn't feel comfortable in a woman's bosom; he found it unbearably painful.

Yes, after the period they spent together, Gabriel's illness had worsened.

She began to view Eimhart as her second child, the younger brother of the broken crystal in her arms, and even gave him a trash name called "Nob."

"But Little Nob is being naughty. You need to be a little more well-behaved like your older brother. If you keep running around like this, you might get hurt, and Mom will be very worried about you."

Gabriel carried Eimhart—the "Lord Failed-to-Escape-Two-Hundred-and-Twenty-Seven-Times"—shuttling through the bookshelves. Amidst his expression of having nothing left to live for, she once again returned to the center of the Vortex of Wisdom.

At this moment, this place was no longer completely empty. Gabriel had also brought out many baby supplies from the Vortex of Wisdom's storage room, seemingly prepared previously for her deceased baby. There was a crib, an Angel halo charger, various toys made of Holy Artifacts, and so on...

"It is time to sleep now. Time to sleep with your older brother, Little Nob."

Gabriel placed the crystal in her arms down onto the crib first. Subsequently, she lifted the blanket, preparing to place Eimhart nicely beside that crystal containing the illusory image of a baby.

Eimhart hurriedly started struggling, angrily shouting loudly.

"I don't want to! You're crazy! Sleeping every day, sleeping every day! All you do all day is sleep! I don't want to! Let me go! Ahhhhh!"

But of course, he couldn't escape from Gabriel's hands.

Only this time, the sluggishly-expressioned Gabriel exceptionally scooped Eimhart up with both hands and placed him in front of her.

Facing this sudden action he hadn't seen before, Eimhart froze instantly on the spot, not knowing what new reaction Gabriel was having.

In the next second, Gabriel tilted her head and picked up the spherical Holy Artifact beside her that looked like a small sun. That was the halo charger Angels used to replenish their energy. Subsequently, she shoved that extremely dazzling globe of light into Eimhart's face, asking in confusion at the same time.

"Is Little Nob hungry? There's something for charging here..."

"You're crazy!"

Having such a large globe of light shoved into his slightly open mouth instantly infuriated Eimhart.

He hurriedly spat out the globe of light in his mouth and started cursing at the sluggish-faced Gabriel before him.

"You're crazy! How many times have I told you, I'm not some Nob! I'm called Eimhart, the great Sir Book Artifact! Your child is already dead, exactly that crystal whose name I don't even know, understand?! Stop naming me! Just treat it as your child! Stop bothering me, alright?!"

After this round of cursing, the Gabriel before him still didn't have any reaction. Just like a wooden puppet, she maintained the posture of holding Eimhart up with both hands, constantly staring at him blankly.

Eimhart's surging anger subsided little by little under the other party's sluggish gaze. Perhaps because he couldn't bear it, or perhaps because he couldn't be bothered arguing with a crazy Archangel. After confronting Gabriel for several seconds, he sighed once again and surrendered.

Subsequently, Eimhart's eyes turned into lifeless, dead-fish eyes. He was seen clearing his throat and reading deadpan without emotion.

"Ah, Mama, Nob is so sleepy, let me go to sleep quickly... Waa, waa, waa."

Hearing the voice produced by that strained drake's voice, Gabriel finally reacted. She was seen slowly embracing that book in her arms. Afterwards, on the crib where a crystal already lay, she carefully placed Eimhart beside the crystal and tucked him securely with the blanket.

"Little Nob, sleep well and grow up well... Mama is right beside you."

"..."

Subsequently, Gabriel stood up and gently rocked the crib with her hands. The slight swaying sensation transmitted over, but didn't shake away the dead-fish eyes on Eimhart's face in the slightest.

He turned his head to glance at the crystal beside him seemingly containing the illusory image of a baby. Subsequently, as if deeply repulsed, he rolled over, turning his back to the crystal, while unable to help but mutter softly.

"Sigh, Fisher, when exactly are you coming to pick me up? You have to be okay while I'm not around... that fellow Baimon is a monster who eats people without spitting out the bones. If you're not careful, you'll definitely suffer a great loss at her hands..."

The Eimhart lying in the crib didn't notice that Gabriel, gently rocking the crib outside, seemingly heard his words.

Subsequently, she tilted her head sluggishly, her gaze turning toward the world outside the Vortex of Wisdom.

(End of this chapter)