novelraw Chapter 647: Bird
Chapter 647: Bird
"Is everything you want really satisfied?"
"Can you really accept him having other women by his side?"
"You know, one day in the future he will escape again."
"..."
"Buzz, buzz, buzz."
Elizabeth's golden eyes suddenly swayed violently, and the scene before her eyes only then began to refocus, as if everything just now was an empty thought when she was in a daze.
But those thoughts silently sank down along her heart, making her still unable to recover from that stunned state.
"Empress Elizabeth?"
"Ahem, Your Majesty the Empress? What do you think of this?"
At the negotiation table before her eyes, several big shots of the World Magic Association who came from afar from Kadu noticed Elizabeth's absentmindedness. The expressions among them were all somewhat awkward, followed by a few light coughs, reminding this Empress that she was currently disrespecting them.Elizabeth's eyes only then moved up bit by bit. On both sides of the negotiation table were experts from the World Magic Association and the Naris Magic Society respectively. Both sides were negotiating regarding the future rights and interests of the Naris Magic Society. Actually, compared to Elizabeth negotiating personally, her sitting here was more like a host, indicating Naris's attitude.
Even, the document she held in her hand wasn't related to the current negotiation, but a book recording "Royal Marriage Etiquette" by the Godlin Royal Family.
But this didn't mean she was completely ignorant of the content these people were negotiating about. On the contrary, she had already memorized everything in the morning.
A photographic memory could even only be considered a basic function for the Prosthetic Eyes in her eye sockets. If she wanted to, she could even silently give the group of old people from the World Magic Association before her some suggestions, effortlessly winning this negotiation.
But Elizabeth didn't do so. These years her utilization of the Prosthetic Eyes could actually be considered restrained. She also thoroughly understood the saying that there were only orthodox paths and no unorthodox ways in the art of governing a country.
She could make those who saw her personally submit under the brilliance of her eyes, but under the heavens, there would always be people she couldn't see who needed to be managed and dealt with, and there would always be people and matters under the heavens that her power couldn't reach; she couldn't use her Prosthetic Eyes enough for that.
Relying on unorthodox ways to seize power, she knew better than anyone the harm of unorthodox ways, and naturally had deeper attainments in this aspect than Dexter. Her Prosthetic Eyes always had clear standards of usage.
Thus, she just gently closed that marriage etiquette book where she made quite a few notes, and spoke softly.
"It's hard for me to interrupt the matter of negotiation, this is after all a matter negotiated between Naris and the World Magic Association. But based on my personal opinion, Naris cannot possibly accept Articles One, Three, Seven, and Twenty-One of the new cooperation treaty you submitted. For the magicians of Naris, this is a humiliation and a great blow."
"This... Your Majesty, we also have to consider the efficiency issue in the distribution of academic resources. Once Mr. Helson leaves, and there are no magical academic giants recognized by us within Naris's borders, if we still provide degree quotas and academic resources according to the previous allocation, I am afraid this will result in actual waste. As members of the World Magic Association, for the further development of human magic, this replacement of clauses is clearly necessary."
"What is meant by actual waste? According to this viewpoint, isn't that group of charlatans in Kadu a waste of academic resources? All day long, all their energy is spent on praying and serving the Mother Goddess. Since when can a Ninth-Ring magic also be used as an annual academic report?"
Once this was brought up, the magicians of Naris were the first to quit.
Day by day, the academic circle of magic in Kadu was rotting to what extent, causing severe academic warlords and low efficiency, yet we haven't seen you lower their academic resource allocation. Now you're lowering Naris's instead, and it's during such a sensitive time right after Grand Mage Helson left. This kind of targeting is simply too obvious.
And still saying it's for the consideration of human magic, bah. Anyone with a discerning eye can see this is a political pressure from the West Continent on the increasingly powerful factions of Naris, using attacks on academia as a gimmick. This looks really ugly.
"Everyone, don't be anxious, Kadu has its own national conditions naturally, and facts have proven that last year's annual magic of Kadu in the application of mining ores already rivaled old Twelfth-Ring magic. In terms of efficiency, it's obvious to everyone..."
"I f* your..."
"Enough!"
Before the Naris magicians were about to engage in cordial greetings, Elizabeth had already raised her palm out of being bored to death, stopping the actions of these magicians who had been away from politics for too long.
They had after all seen too little of this kind of shameless thing. At this kind of time, the Golden Palace must step forward, otherwise if the sanctions of the World Magic Association really came down, the magicians of the entire Naris would curse their mothers.
And under Elizabeth's policy of increasingly valuing Cardinals and despising magic, the departure of the Grand Mage Helson completely made Naris lose the possibility of rebuilding an independent magic academic structure in a short time. Yet she also couldn't abandon the interests of domestic magicians, only able to continue playing this unfair persecution game with the other party to a certain extent.
"A few of you said earlier that since Grand Mage Helson departed, Naris's magic circle is no longer worthy of the previously allocated academic resources?"
The several magicians who came from afar carefully glanced at Elizabeth seated at the head, seemingly deeply afraid she would suddenly stand up and gun them all down using Cardinals. But after hearing this they still carefully adjusted their phrasing and replied.
"...According to the evaluation by the association's expert team, the result is indeed so."
"Then, what if the direct disciple of Grand Mage Helson is willing to return to Naris?"
"Direct disciple... You mean..."
The several magicians looked at each other, and an expressionless black-haired Naris gentleman following behind that Grand Mage Helson back then simultaneously surfaced in their minds.
A disciple of a peerless Grand Mage, a favored person of the eldest princess of the Naris Royal Family, this kind of young talent with dual backgrounds of academia and royalty was hard not to draw attention. And the facts were indeed so; only when he made a figure in that World Magic Association did they realize why Helson would take him in as a disciple.
To the extent that back then when hearing that Helson's disciple had been reduced to a wanted criminal of Naris, they would feel rejoicing.
And as the bounty on that person was canceled four and a half years ago, this ominous feeling grew increasingly vigorous, until today finally materializing.
"Do you mean, that Fischer Benavides?"
"Could it be that these years he has already secretly returned to Naris, returning to Grand Mage Helson's side?"
"If this is the case..."
Elizabeth kept her mouth shut, but suddenly threw that book on "Royal Marriage Ceremony" in her hand onto the table.
She didn't say a word, yet as if deafening, it made all the magicians present fall silent.
And at this moment, that "Helson's disciple" heavily missed by the World Magic Association until now was still in the room enjoying the delivered breakfast, the things seen in the wooden box earlier lingering in his mind, making him sigh somewhat helplessly.
While eating the food before him, he was also pondering what exactly was the background of that bizarre Diane. But at this time a little subtle conversation sound came from outside.
"Oh, wait here for a bit first, I'll go in first to test the waters."
"Ah, but Mr. Book..."
"Aigoo, you don't understand, last night Elizabeth definitely wouldn't let Fisher off. I'm afraid even now when the sun is three poles high they're still inside doing bad things. In case you see it, it would be bad."
"Bad things?"
"Stand here and don't move!"
Fisher raised an eyebrow, but still stood up and voluntarily walked toward the direction of the door. Just before Eimhart outside sneakily prepared to slip in from a gap like a window, he had already taken the lead to open the door, frightening Eimhart who was peering inside a jump.
"Waaaah, ghostly! Oh, it's Fisher... Wait, something's not right, why do you look like nothing happened? It doesn't look like you, and it doesn't look like that Elizabeth either..."
Fisher speechlessly glanced at Eimhart outside the door, and that Alicia who still had a blank face, yet to discover him.
To her, every action he did would have a certain delay. Even if right now Fisher had already opened the door, because of the effect of the Concealment Blessing, she still had to wait quite a while before noticing the door being opened.
"Mr. Book, did Big Brother come out?"
"Ah, he is right here, nothing major..."
Outside Elizabeth's residence was the manor of the inner court of the Golden Palace, a lawn of considerable size, and in the distance quite a few dogs could be seen running joyously in it.
Fisher glanced at Alicia. Since there was no plan to leave here for the time being, then when Elizabeth was absent he had to seize the time to crack the issue of the "Treasure."
He needed the Treasure to read the third part of the Completion Handbook, but now he couldn't just directly eat her, and also had to activate the Blessing to guard against the source of Life Chaos that had already generated attention on her.
"Are you sure we will stay here forever after this?"
"Mm, temporarily that is the plan. And as you can see, Elizabeth temporarily won't do other things to me either."
While greeting Alicia who couldn't see Fisher to follow him into the palace, Eimhart somewhat sighed lamenting and said.
"Fortunately you are currently in this state of being unable to be discovered. Thinking of it this way Elizabeth also won't declare to outsiders that you have returned, and then she would naturally marry you following a logical course... Heavens, I simply don't dare to imagine if Raphaela and Jasmine in the Southern Continent, Valentina in the Northern Border, and the others knew about you marrying... oh, how shocking the news of marrying again would be."
"...Yeah, fortunately."
However it couldn't be too optimistic either. Fisher told Eimhart a bit about Elizabeth's Golden Prosthetic Eyes and that mysterious Diane, which reminded Eimhart, causing him to say somewhat indignantly.
"Speaking of this, you don't know Fisher, that Elizabeth's eyes definitely have consciousness! Weren't we transported back to Saint-Nazareth yesterday? During the process I was relatively worried about your state so I tried to contact her, wanting to communicate with her for a bit. She didn't speak at first, until I called her many times continuously, she actually... she actually scolded me as being trash, and even an ugly monster! It pissed me off!"
"..."
Why did it feel like Pandora's Prosthetic Eyes were completely annoyed by Eimhart's urging? I really don't know how this guy spoke to communicate with Pandora's Prosthetic Eyes at that time.
But Eimhart's words made Fisher ponder over a problem, which was, if Elizabeth's Prosthetic Eyes had consciousness, then was it a brand-new consciousness generated like Eimhart, or was the consciousness in those eyes the Archangel Pandora herself from ten thousand years ago?
The answer to this question was directly related to the formation process of this Teardrop Relic. Fisher also wasn't clear, but if it was the latter, then this problem would become very troublesome.
Judging from Elizabeth's reaction, those Prosthetic Eyes were absolutely not harmless to people and animals.
"I can't be of any help regarding Elizabeth's Prosthetic Eyes for the time being. Later on no matter how I spoke to her she ignored me anymore... But this Diane you mentioned, just now it was her who brought us in, saying she'd come pick us back to original place before night. Along the way she also told Alicia some things to note about the court, completely unaware of my existence. If you suspect her, how about I sneakily tail her tonight?"
"No, forget it, I will handle this matter."
If that Diane had ulterior motives, not to mention Eimhart couldn't discover her strangeness, he might even be directly discovered by Diane and finished off.
It was better not to alert the snake in the grass regarding this matter temporarily. He was currently wrapped by the Concealment Blessing. Since he couldn't use the power of his own Rank then he had to exert the best effect of the Blessing. She served by Elizabeth's side, and he himself was staying together with Elizabeth right now; there would always be opportunities...
Then now, it was also time to research what kind of nature the Treasure on Alicia's body exactly was.
Fisher let Eimhart relay his meaning, preparing to let Alicia cooperate with his research. But when Alicia obediently stretched out her hand aiming towards Fisher, he only then seemingly realized something, instantly becoming dumbfounded.
Wait, if he was wrapped in the Concealment Blessing and couldn't use any Transcendent power, and even the effect of the Completion Handbook couldn't be exerted, then the problem was, how could he, a mere mortal body, research the Treasure that Erwind had managed to produce with great difficulty?
"..."
"Mr. Book, has Big Brother started already?"
"Uh, wait a minute, he..."
"Knock, knock, knock!"
It was also exactly at this time, right when Fisher was pondering aiming at Alicia's small hand, from outside the window of the room they stayed in, suddenly came a string of crisp knocking sounds.
Everyone in the room turned to look outside the window, only to see at some unknown time, a black and purple lark suddenly stood outside that glass using its not big nor small beak to knock on the window. Incidentally tilting its head, it curiously looked at that man in the room.
"Eh, why does this bird feel a bit familiar..."
Eimhart was slightly stunned, while Fisher beside him had already taken the lead to stand up uncontrollably, exclaiming in surprise.
"Renee?"