novelraw Chapter 546: Her Father
Chapter 546: Her Father
Hearing her speak such bold words, Fisher couldn't help but feel his heart race a bit, feeling restless and blood-pumping just like when committing some immoral act.
His throat was somewhat dry, and even his reply seemed absent-minded. Clearly, his attention was elsewhere on her rather impressive figure,
"Jasmine, I also missed you very much..."
"Earlier... I just didn't expect you to be in the Dragon Court. Being away from the Southern Continent for so long, everything here is very unfamiliar to me, so I had to find Raphaela first, and thus..."
Jasmine didn't step back, merely maintaining such an intimate distance. Hearing Fisher's call, she pursed her lips and looked at him somewhat reproachfully. She didn't follow up on his words, and instead merely hesitated before requesting,
"Fisher, right now, let's not mention her, let's not mention Raphaela, okay?"
"..."
Fisher was suddenly rendered speechless, not knowing what to say.
No, Jasmine, can you not speak like this? Why does it feel like the flavor is getting heavier and heavier...
Although he knew it was just her possessiveness acting up at the moment, it really sounded too much like the plot of some novel.He felt somewhat dumbfounded in his heart, but outwardly he honestly agreed to her request,
"...Okay."
The downward curve of Jasmine's pursed lips lifted slightly, revealing a sweet smile. Only then did she continue,
"Mhm... It's just that, I also have many things I want to say to you, but Fisher previously... always kept his attention on her..."
"Sorry."
At this moment, the whale tail behind Jasmine tapped the ground even more happily. However, just as it landed and made a sound, another set of footsteps drifted from outside, interrupting her. She had no choice but to raise her tail first, avoiding making any sound to attract other people's attention,
"Ah..."
She glanced at the door Fisher was leaning tightly against, then raised her index finger to her lips and carefully shushed him.
Immediately after, she turned her head, held Fisher's hand, and led him towards the bed inside the room. It wasn't until she solidly sat down on the soft surface of the bed, feeling the depression caused by the weight and figure beside her, that the surrounding atmosphere heated up once again.
This place and this moment truly felt far too amiss.
Unlike the telepathy that Raphaela shared with him through their Soul-connected Tail-Compatible Partner bond, the Whale-kin didn't possess such physiological traits. Naturally, she couldn't just directly erase the unfamiliarity of not seeing each other for several years like Raphaela could.
However, the agreement of the Whale-kin was still there after all. An agreement baptized by the passage of time was just as delectable and alluring as an apple adorned with dewdrops.
Separated for a long five years, and also experiencing the sudden dispute with Raphaela just now, she hadn't even had the chance to properly experience the joy of reunion with Fisher. Thus, she sneaked back to find Fisher at this moment.
They sat extremely close to each other. Jasmine pursed her lips, seemingly about to say something, but the movements of her eyes preempted her words.
She scanned Fisher's body from top to bottom, from his face to his clothes. The more she looked, the rosier her complexion became; the more she looked, the more her words shrank back, as if returning to the past when she was still Fisher's student.
Facing her teacher, she naturally harbored timidity and similarly naturally harbored admiration.
After brewing for a long time, just as Fisher was about to speak first, Jasmine also couldn't hold back and spoke up,
"Fisher has already entered the Mythic Rank..."
Mhm, this was her conclusion from appraising his body earlier.
Fisher had thought she would say something else, and upon hearing this opening remark, he couldn't help but chuckle,
"I almost forgot, your mother is the Ocean Emperor, how could she not know of things concerning this..."
"Mhm, but actually, I don't know much either... Mother rarely mentioned these to me. I don't know if it's because there aren't many existences like this left in this world, but the General in the Naris army earlier..."
"They are Demon-kin, and also the few surviving Mythical Species in this world. You already witnessed a portion of their power just now... Right, have you asked Ramastia and your mother about this matter?"
"Lord Ramastia already left my side four and a half years ago, and hasn't returned all these years. And since I haven't fulfilled the agreement yet, I don't dare to return home either. I'm afraid mother won't let me come out again, and then..."
Four and a half years ago?
Wasn't four and a half years ago exactly the time when he transmigrated with Renee's help?
Could it be that His departure was related to himself or Renee?
Fisher couldn't be certain. At the same time, he also noticed a noun from Jasmine's mouth, so he pursued the question,
"The agreement... Previously, I didn't even ask you why you were in the Dragon Court. Is it related to the agreement you just mentioned?"
"Mhm..."
Jasmine nodded and recalled while speaking,
"Previously, after we separated, under mother's company, I began training to control the Curse. The results were very good; it didn't take long before I could control the massive Curse within my body..."
"It was also at that time that I unintentionally learned from mother about a prophecy indicating Destruction..."
Jasmine's words triggered Fisher's keywords. He asked in confusion,
"Prophecy?"
"Mhm, it's a prophecy capable of destroying the Surface world, or even worse. Mother said that from the ten thousandth Fullness Period, the prophecy will officially begin to operate. And coincidentally, roughly around four and a half years ago was the final Fullness Period."
As Jasmine spoke, she hurriedly continued to explain,
"Ah, the Fullness Period is the time concerning that False God inside the Spirit World. Every time a Fullness Period arrives, the power of that False God will reach its summit. Therefore, every time a Fullness Period arrived in the past, Lord Ramastia would leave for a period of time to deal with matters concerning the False God..."
"It was exactly because of this prophecy that mother hoped I would stay at the bottom of the ocean to ensure my safety. But I... was very worried about you, so I wanted to come up and help you, or at least, I wanted you to be preserved in the coming Destruction. But doing so would require powerful strength, very powerful strength..."
"Therefore, I reached an agreement with mother to enter the Mythic Rank before the war arrived, to obtain a certain capacity for self-preservation. That's why I came to the danger-fraught Southern Continent to help Raphaela; I wanted to temper myself."
"But, I can feel the war drawing closer by the day, yet I still find it difficult to make any further progress..."
Speaking to this point, Jasmine revealed the same bewilderment and loss as Raphaela.
Just as mentioned before, they were always a pair of sisters with similar pursuits and goals. And nowadays, the dilemma they faced was also identical.
Perhaps compared to Raphaela, her bewilderment would be even greater, because she also had such a powerful mother,
"I'm not the same as my powerful mother... When I was young, I heard from mother that she fought with someone, then simply slept to heal her injuries, and subsequently entered the Mythic Rank. Back then, I even felt that this was way too simple..."
"Only when it was my turn did I realize that to me, Ranks are like the shackles of Life. I completely don't know what to do, just like the vast majority of lives in this world..."
However, when Fisher finished listening to the ins and outs of Jasmine's coming ashore, he was completely stunned.
First was regarding that so-called Fullness Period.
He could roughly confirm that the False God the other party spoke of referred to Renee, or rather, the former Mother Goddess. But he felt that Ramastia's departure during the Fullness Period wasn't to guard against Renee, but for other reasons...
For instance, that scarlet-colored Spirit World Contamination.
The reasoning behind this was simple, because Renee had told him that during the Fullness Period, she would also depart. The reason being, she had to fulfill her "duties."
The problem lay in the fact that if Ramastia and the host of deities along with Renee all had to enter the Spirit World during the Fullness Period, then it inevitably meant that the Spirit World Contamination would also become stronger during the Fullness Period...
So, could it be presumed that the Spirit World Contamination possessed properties similar to Renee's?
The second point that stunned Fisher was the "prophecy" from Xuan Can's mouth.
If it was a prophecy regarding Destruction, could it possibly be the one written on the title page of his very own Demi-Human Completion Handbook?
Previously, Fisher had never heard any news of a World-Ending Prophecy appearing anywhere other than the Demi-Human Completion Handbook. It seemed as if he was the only person in the entire world who knew and bore this prophecy, causing him to doubt its authenticity more than once.
But if it came from Xuan Can's mouth, then the meaning was different.
Xuan Can was a Demigod, and moreover, one of the only two surviving Demigods in this world. Furthermore, the Whale-kin and Ramastia were extremely close; there was no logic for her to know something that Ramastia didn't.
This also meant that it wasn't that the World-Ending Prophecy didn't exist, but rather that too few people knew of it; only heavyweight figures could possibly glimpse its mysteries.
Alright, extending along this line of inquiry would give rise to even more problems that would terrifyingly linger in Fisher's mind upon closer thought.
Firstly, what was the true origin of the World-Ending Prophecy?
By now, Fisher had already come into contact with so many Completion Handbooks, and had even traveled back to the past to personally witness the Transferred Persons and the terrifying disasters brought by them.
Moreover, looking back, it seemed that every segment of the World-Ending Prophecy was connected to a Transferred Person's Completion Handbook, or rather, with Chaos.
When meeting Raphaela in the Southern Continent, Fisher encountered Pherone; when meeting Jasmine in Naris, he ran into Erwind; and when entering Wutong with Valentiina Turan in the Northern Border, he encountered a Spirit World Contamination suspected of being Chaos...
Mhm, and the Undying Witch...
Renee herself was the True God of Chaos, so that went without saying.
Therefore, from Fisher's perspective, the World-Ending Prophecy was fundamentally inextricably tied to Chaos. Thus, as it should be, this prophecy should also be related to Chaos.
Whether it was the mocking joke of Chaos issuing a notice of destruction, or the foresight of a sage offering a warning to this world.
From whichever angle one looked at it, this prophecy was beneficial to this world; otherwise, he wouldn't have known of it in advance and run around so busily on its behalf.
So, the prophecy most likely came from a wise person within this world who foresaw the future; otherwise, it would be attributed to the mocking favor of the grim reaper symbolizing destruction...
Could it be Gui?
That Elf who possessed the ability to foresee the future, and furthermore, she looked so similar to Renee.
She saw the future, saw him averting the World-Ending Prophecy, and therefore helped him advance to the Mythic Rank. Otherwise, it would be insufficient to explain her extraordinary goodwill and assistance towards him.
Fisher wouldn't be foolish enough to believe that a Mythical Species would be attracted by the charm of a human like him, fall in love with him, and then selflessly aid him.
The uniqueness she spoke of was perhaps precisely because he carried the Demi-Human Completion Handbook recording the World-Ending Prophecy.
However, if Gui was helping him because of this point, then what about Helaire?
She didn't possess the ability to foresee the future, nor did she like doing such things. Could she have truly fallen in love with him at first sight?
The second question concerned the contributor of the Demi-Human Completion Handbook, Demi-Human Girl Con.
Could it be possible that the forenamed wise person was precisely the contributor of the Demi-Human Completion Handbook?
She knew of the World-Ending Prophecy and even recorded it down to leave for future generations.
Furthermore, not only did she know of the existence and contents of other Completion Handbooks, but she could also use miraculous means to grant him buffs through the Completion Handbook.
She was both the Transferred Person who brought about destruction and the clairvoyant who brought prophecy to the destruction...
What role did she play in the destruction, and where was she now?
Following this series of questions, Fisher's brain was about to burn out, yet he couldn't obtain the corresponding answers.
The only fact that surfaced that forced a cold sweat down his back but compelled him to face it was this.
The World-Ending Prophecy had not yet been resolved!
Under his supervision, it was difficult for Raphaela and Jasmine to spark a world-destroying war, and they wouldn't do so either.
The Life and Soul Completion Handbooks were in his hands. Since they hadn't been abused yet, he might be able to control their impact.
For thousands of years, Renee simply watched this world harmlessly and never harmed anyone. Just as in the prophecy, at most, she was only meant to write the "Epitaph," not directly participate in the destruction.
Then that left the Spirit World Contamination, that True God-level contamination lying dormant within the Spirit World...
It was only It left. Could It be the essence of the Destruction?
"Fisher?"
Jasmine by his side saw Fisher suddenly freeze, his expression no longer as calm as before. Unsure of what he was thinking about, she could only speak up to ask him,
"Are you alright? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Fisher then snapped back from the mystery. He smiled, shook his head, and said,
"Sorry, I was considering your words. I previously learned of two methods to enter the Mythic Rank from a friend. One method is related to Chaos and doesn't need to be considered. The other seems to require you to have a profound understanding and accommodation of certain Rules of this world; I don't know if this can help you..."
This friend referred to "Helaire".
"Rules..."
Jasmine paused slightly and rubbed her chin, lost in thought. A flash of inspiration seemed to cross her mind, though it was uncertain if she grasped and retained it. But such a thing couldn't be realized the moment Fisher merely brought it up; otherwise, she wouldn't be troubled about entering the Mythic Rank, but rather as carefree as her mother.
Another set of footsteps came from outside the door. Fisher raised his eyes to look and couldn't help but say,
"The Dragon Court is bustling today. It seems the earlier incident brought a certain impact here."
"Mhm, but it's not just the earlier incident. Because of the Pseudo-Court's movements, we are about to go to war with them, so of course everything has to be mobilized... Oh right, Fisher, you still haven't told me where you went after we separated. I searched for you all these years, but there was no news whatsoever. Presumably, she was the same."
"She" should refer to Raphaela.
Fisher was slightly taken aback and roughly recounted his journey to the Northern Border and his decisive battle with Erwind inside the Frostwood Sycamore Tree. Of course, he couldn't spill everything regardless of size, so he picked out some important points to speak about.
Hearing the news of "Erwind's" death, Jasmine couldn't help but feel a bit dazed. She didn't even have any obvious reaction, as if he were still alive somewhere in this world, waiting for her to kill him.
Perhaps the shadow from that time in Saint-Nazareth hadn't fully vanished from Jasmine's heart. He also didn't know if her insistence on staying in the Dragon Court to help Raphaela had anything to do with Elizabeth.
No one had ever asked about the enmity herein, and she had never mentioned it to anyone.
It was just that at this moment, she thought back to the blob of filthy flesh at the bottom of Nari Lake. She pursed her lips and spoke,
"Earlier, when that Demon used flesh and blood to summon their Master, I thought of that behind-the-scenes manipulator... I just didn't expect that he had already been defeated by Fisher. This could also be considered partially avenging auntie... Thank you, Fisher."
"To be precise, it shouldn't be counted as me defeating him. After all, the me at that time was far inferior to him in both Rank and other aspects... Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps he proactively let it go and gave up. In short, he ultimately failed and died, buried within the Northern Border."
"Luck?"
Jasmine smiled slightly upon hearing this. Then she turned her head to look at the hem of her High Priestess robes, subsequently shook her head, and said,
"Perhaps there has never been any luck. If there really has to be any, it should be my luck instead. Actually, regarding you, Fisher... I've always felt somewhat guilty..."
"Guilty? Why would you say that?"
"Well, you see... I've always been thinking, if it wasn't because Fisher wanted to help me find my auntie, if it wasn't because you wanted to shelter me, then wouldn't Fisher not have been forced to leave his hometown, become a fugitive from his motherland, and wander the ends of the earth?"
Jasmine's fair fingers grabbed her clothes tightly, crumpling the fabric into layers of creases. Her face also carried traces of hesitation and bewilderment,
"I was too immature back then; I couldn't be of any help to Fisher. Thinking back carefully, when I was in Saint-Nazareth, I was practically a burden. Without mother, without Lord Ramastia's aid, I could do nothing back then. I didn't even dare to imagine that if Fisher hadn't helped me, I might have foolishly met the same fate as auntie..."
"I was thinking, Fisher, would you blame me? Blame me for putting you in such a situation, blame me for returning home alone after you left Saint-Nazareth, leaving you to drift alone, and having to face that terrifying behind-the-scenes manipulator alone..."
Fisher looked at her, watching her ears continually flutter while her eyes didn't dare to look at him.
Jasmine also didn't know what her position should be, even to the point of becoming immensely entangled.
It was because of her matters that Fisher became embroiled in the storm of fleeing, yet she hadn't helped him a tiny bit, and even abandoned him to return to the bottom of the sea. Romantically, perhaps it was the same; putting Elizabeth aside, she indeed lacked legitimacy, and she even had to ruin the affection between him and Raphaela.
Clearly, she wanted to repay Teacher Fisher's kindness, but why did it ultimately seem like she wasn't repaying a favor, but rather demanding payment for a debt?
And looking at her side profile, for some unknown reason, the Whale-kin he met in the Sanctuary, Gou Wen, suddenly popped into his mind.
Thinking of him, Fisher couldn't help but laugh, so he said,
"You know what, Jasmine? Actually, during the years separated from you, I met another interesting Whale-kin. I told him about meeting you, as well as the relationship between you and me. He became very angry and was very worried that I would harm you out of my greed. So much so that I hid from him for a very long period of time. Then, later when I wasn't hiding from him anymore, I would start reflecting on what I had done. I genuinely felt he was right; it made me even more cautious and guilty."
Jasmine covered her mouth and giggled lightly, saying,
"The Whale-kin in our ocean trench are precisely like this. Though they sleep for the vast majority of their time, they deeply care for one another. If it's Whale-kin who grew up together from childhood, it would be even more so. The majority of Whale-kin couples are childhood sweethearts... Oh right, Fisher, was the Whale-kin you mentioned a female? Are there still Whale-kin leaving the ocean trench in this era?"
Fisher mentally noted that it was probably a Whale-kin who had left the Ocean Trench a very, very long time ago, even earlier than when your mom was born. But outwardly, he just shook his head and explained,
"No, he was a male Whale-kin. He's a doctor who helped me a lot over these few years."
"Doctor? Come to think of it, my father was also a doctor..."
"What a coincidence?"
"Mhm, but I've never seen him before. It was always mother bringing his news and messages back for me. Mother said he was in a very, very distant place, but always had her in his thoughts."
"So it's like this... Anyway, what I meant to say is, perhaps we both feel we owe each other. And perhaps, even without you, even if I hadn't uncovered the matters regarding Blake and Elizabeth, perhaps I really would have married Elizabeth. But things already happened and can't be taken back. Erwind would remain alive, possibly causing the deaths of more people... Rather than that, I'd rather take the path of exile. Furthermore, I wouldn't have wanted to never meet a cute Whale-kin like you..."
"Don't... don't mention Elizabeth for now..."
Jasmine's eyes brightened slightly before she pouted. The two long, slender whale ears beside her fluttered wildly, as excitedly as a pair of oars propelling a boat forward and backward.
A rosy red tint resembling cherry blossoms gradually spread across her cheeks. She shot Fisher an affectionate glance, withdrew it timidly, and then gently reached out her hand to tug at Fisher's sleeve.
He followed the tug in confusion, his eyes reading her shy, blossoming pink side profile, only to hear her whisper in the softest possible voice,
"Say...Fi...sher...Raphaela won't be back for another hour..."
The words were tactful, but Fisher acutely parsed the hidden meaning within.
In a flash, he felt his body turn fiery, his throat convulsing unconsciously, much like a geyser that had endured beneath the earth for a long time, awaiting eruption.
But after thinking for a moment, he still shook his head with difficulty and said,
"No... Not right now."
Jasmine looked somewhat disappointed. Looking at Fisher, she couldn't help but ask,
"Is... is it because of Raphaela?"
"...There's not enough time."
"Not enough time?"
Jasmine stared foolishly at Fisher beside her. After freezing for a second, her entire small face turned completely, utterly red.
She quickly dodged Fisher's gaze and lowered her head as if cowering, feeling both frightened and delighted in her heart.
An hour... isn't even enough?
Then wouldn't that mean...
Eeeh, this is too...
"Then let's just... chat..."
She was already getting tongue-tied, evidently so ashamed that she felt extremely ashamed.
Fisher was helpless too. He couldn't control it. He really could only blame this point on the Demi-Human Completion Handbook; absolutely nothing he could do about it.
"Alright."
"Then can we kiss?"
"...Of course."
"That's great..."
Jasmine reached out with her red face and squeezed Fisher's hand. That cautious warmth, carrying affection, unconsciously touched his heart.
Unlike Raphaela's blazing heat, Jasmine's emotions were very restrained and gentle. Like a babbling brook where the end couldn't be seen, she wouldn't make one feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, seeming so out of place in this impetuous world.
He also grasped Jasmine's hand back, while chatting with her as a warm-up for communication,
"You said the Whale-kin all have childhood sweethearts since they were little. What about you? Do you have one?"
"No... Because of my mother, I haven't lived with the other Whale-kin since I was young. Instead, I lived in her palace. Even though I have seen Whale-kin my own age and greeted elders frequently, those elders were all small, small, small... incredibly small juniors to my mother. Thus, I am also of a very senior generation. I'm only over a hundred years old, but six or seven-hundred-year-old Whale-kin would even call me 'ancestor' in private! It infuriates me to death..."
Fisher didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Looking at Jasmine's puffed-up appearance now, he could tell how speechless she must have been back then.
But it was also normal. Xuan Can was a Demigod, so she definitely lived for a very long time. The rest of the newborn Whale-kin indeed couldn't easily compare seniority with her.
"Oh right, the father you mentioned earlier. I hadn't heard you mention him before... Did he go somewhere?"
"Hm, I also don't know where he might have important business to tend to. I just know his capability is very, very strong. After all, when even mother couldn't make up her mind, she had to go ask him. When I was young, I really wanted to see him, so I wanted to run away from home to go outside and look for him, which made mother mad enough. She told me that even if I traveled across this entire world, I wouldn't find him; he's not here..."
"Is that so..."
According to what the Demigod Xuan Can said, if it really was the case, Jasmine's father might either be in the Crevice, or the Spirit World; both were possible...
"That's truly a pity, otherwise I'd want to meet him..."
Later on, he was going to meet Raphaela's mother. He had met Xuan Can once before and couldn't be called familiar with her. Presumably, she held a certain grudge against him too, but people who should be met still had to be met; there was no room for evasion.
Besides, he was also extremely curious about Jasmine's father.
To be the husband of the Ocean Emperor, even disregarding the childhood sweetheart aspect, he definitely wasn't any ordinary Whale-kin...
Hearing Fisher express the desire to see her father, Jasmine couldn't help but feel her heart warm. She pursed her lips and proactively stepped forward to kiss the corner of Fisher's lips once more.
Her whale tail flapped against the bed behind her time and time again, as rhythmic as a metronome,
"Smooch..."
"Fisher, my dad's name is Gou Wen. If there's a chance in the future, let's go find him together, okay?"
Jasmine spoke these words taking advantage of the space between their kisses. And warmly preparing to kiss him again, she remained utterly oblivious to the fact that upon hearing these words, it was as if Fisher had been struck by a mighty thunderbolt crashing down from the crown of his head, intent on shocking him right down a fool.
He hurriedly held down Jasmine who tried leaning closer. Under her bewildered gaze, Fisher asked another sentence in disbelief,
"Wait, what did you say your father's name was again?"