novelraw Chapter 704: "Good Friends"
Chapter 704: "Good Friends"
Jasmine's memory was still stuck in the process of heading into the Death Crevice alongside Miss Phoenix to save Teacher Fisher.
She didn't remember when she lost consciousness, merely feeling her current body floating lightly, just like when she had just woken up; her entire body was soft, unable to exert any strength, like cotton.
"Haha..."
The pressure on her chest caused Jasmine to uncontrollably pant heavily. But only after taking several consecutive deep breaths did she marginally realize that she seemed to currently be amidst an expanse of scarlet mist.
"Wu!"
She hurriedly raised her hands to cover her mouth and nose, deeply afraid there was some highly toxic poison in that scarlet mist. Yet foolishly holding her breath only made her chubby little face flush increasingly red, completely useless aside from that.
Even though she hadn't reached the Mythical Rank yet, it couldn't be that she couldn't even hold her breath, right? Am I... am I truly this weak?
Jasmine, who was holding her breath until she was about to suffocate, panting "heave-ho heave-ho", was still thinking about this kind of thing. While growing increasingly dejected, in less than a minute, she even started coughing like an ordinary human little girl, greedily taking large gulps of the surrounding air.
Oh no!
Having breathed in several mouthfuls, she realized after the fact and covered her nose again. But after pondering over it back and forth, it seemed nothing special happened after breathing it in. On the contrary, she found this scarlet mist somewhat... bizarrely intimate.Thinking this way, Jasmine also numbly lowered the hands covering her mouth and nose, curiously evaluating the surrounding scarlet mist. After confirming there was no danger, she grew even bolder, standing up to explore the surrounding situation.
"Mom? Teacher Fisher? Raphaela... Miss Valentina, are you there?"
Jasmine called out a few times, but within the empty scarlet mist, no one responded to her. She felt even more disappointed, feeling increasingly guilty and wronged.
Thinking about it carefully, this time in the Saint-Nazareth campaign, it seemed she hadn't accomplished anything at all.
Even that person from the Sardin Woman's Country manipulating the Cardinals was putting all her effort into helping Teacher Fisher above the Crevice. And what about herself? Not only did she help with nothing, but she also ate Elizabeth's prosthetic eye, and was completely defenselessly emotionally influenced by it...
If she entered the Mythical Rank, instead of being as lacking in talent as she was now... would she not have been influenced by whatever that prosthetic eye was?
If she entered the Mythical Rank, would her mother not have been forced to march into battle while injured, suffer attacks from both front and back, and sustain heavy injuries?
"..."
Jasmine squatted on the ground depressedly. Even the thought of urgently searching for an exit in her heart seemed to have been blinded by that scarlet color, actually making her lower her head and hesitate, struggling to move forward at this moment.
"Whoosh"
Exactly at this moment, the scarlet mist behind her shook endlessly as if a curtain of gauze was blown by the wind. From within, footsteps like a dream or illusion transmitted out.
"Tap, tap..."
"Who?"
Jasmine paused slightly. She hurriedly stood up and turned to look behind her, only to see at a location roughly six or seven zhang away, within that hazy red mist, a black-haired girl identical in height and similar in body type to herself was standing there quietly looking at Jasmine.
Jasmine couldn't see her face clearly, she could only notice the similarity to herself from the surging waves exactly the same size as hers on her chest. That girl had a head of black hair, wore an ancient human magic robe, and gripped a wooden magic staff. Amidst the swirling dense mist, her face, seemingly devoid of facial features, quivered faintly, appearing exceptionally bizarre.
"You..."
"Are you in agonizing pain... Are you sad..."
Before Jasmine opened her mouth, the girl in the hazy mist spoke first. She raised a finger beneath her long sleeve, pointing at Jasmine.
"Come... come to me..."
"I... I'm not going over! Who... who knows what kind of thing you are? I want to find my mom, find Teacher Fisher!"
"..."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Jasmine kept feeling that after she finished saying this sentence, the expression of the girl in the mist abruptly became somewhat more sinister. She was silent for a moment, vacantly and agonizingly murmuring,
"Mom... didn't love me at all... She hated me... I loved her, even willing to deceive myself into accepting her. Even if she showed just a tiny bit of kindness and warmth towards me, I was willing to just keep deceiving myself like this... But even so, they weren't willing..."
Listening to the other party's pained words, originally Jasmine merely felt confused, why was it "they", could it be someone had two mothers?
But immediately following that, accompanying the agonizing voice of that girl, Jasmine actually seemingly felt the searing pain in her heart as if experiencing it firsthand.
She clutched her chest, her face also turning pale. She didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to shed tears, feeling wronged and despairing...
But when the image of Xuan Can surfaced in her mind, that pain gradually subsided again.
"Um... I... I really sympathize with you... I am very fortunate, my mother treats me very well, she loves me very much, and I also love her very much. Just recently she suffered heavy injuries, I must go out to see her right now, to confirm she is safe and sound... So, do you know what the situation is here? How do I get out? Teacher Fisher is also still waiting for me..."
Jasmine adjusted her phrasing, quickly breaking free from that agony akin to a quagmire. She didn't possess the corresponding memories, yet she still spoke sympathetically to that figure.
"Yes, the teacher... The teacher is still waiting for me... But... I can't wait any longer... He still hasn't given me an answer... I've grown for so long, looking completely different from before... Even though my appearance is still the same as before, sometimes I truly feel very unfamiliar... Day after day, I endure the torment of his phantoms, to the point I can almost no longer distinguish what is 【Dream Illusion】 and what is 【Reality】..."
"Dream Illusion and Reality?"
Jasmine was bewildered, yet the girl before her eyes agonizingly clutched her head. The surrounding scarlet mist also surged and became increasingly turbulent.
"I can't hold on anymore... Even if I split my physical body and soul to suppress it, it's still not enough... I must try and see if I can leave here, leave the Barrier, I have no way out anymore...
"Moon, before I leave, as your dearest friend, may I entrust you with one last thing?
"As you can see, the Mythical Species in reality fight each other, treating all living things as straw dogs, as weeds... Under such conditions, even the formation of a settlement for humans is already a stroke of luck, let alone the emergence of a nation... I wish to request you to teach them these secret arts I recorded, allowing them to defend themselves, to survive amidst the oppression and wars of the Mythical Species... Until one day they form settlements, establish city-states... and ultimately nations are born...
"Moon, I hope you go to a nation called 'Nali', and there, find a gentleman named Fischer Benavides... I implore you to absolutely pay attention to him. I know you are lonely yet afraid to approach other living beings, but this name alone you absolutely must remember. You must tell him...
"Asuka has already waited for the teacher for ten thousand years... Asuka still cares very much about that answer... Asuka still hasn't let go... It's just that, Asuka's fate probably cannot intertwine with yours anymore..."
Jasmine froze for a moment. Among those words, the sound of "Fischer" was like a bolt of lightning piercing through her brain. She couldn't help becoming excited, hurriedly wanting to chase forward and grab that girl, to ask her exactly who she was, why she would know Teacher Fisher, and moreover, waited for ten thousand years...
Could it be that it was in the past...
"I promise you, my dearest friend..."
But right at this moment, the countless scarlet mist was entirely blown away. Within the howling wind blowing from behind, the long blue hair on Jasmine's head was also blown fluttering endlessly.
A touch of desolate moonlight blanketed the entire earth, enveloping the lonely Jasmine within it. Afterwards, a voice also surged into Jasmine's heart.
Simultaneously, because the surrounding scarlet mist was blown away, that girl's blurry shadow quickly vanished without a trace, so these words were rather more like they were spoken to Jasmine and not someone else.
Jasmine turned her head numbly, only to see a massive gap abruptly split open within the scarlet mist in the sky, revealing the silhouette of a full moon from the sky. It seemed the one speaking was precisely that moon.
"No matter what happens, I will fulfill your dying wish, conveying your words to that person... Even if I die, I will carve this name into my authority, making the newborn consciousness remember that name you miss..."
Jasmine's heart gradually beat faster. She seemed to recognize the true name of that moon. That should be the Mother Goddess revered by humanity; Jasmine, who had studied at Saint-Nazareth, naturally knew this point.
Yet at this moment, the name she murmured from her lips was another intimate name,
"It's Moon..."
"Crack crack crack!"
Right at this moment, resplendent blue light resembling liquid abruptly burst from within that moon. Jasmine was also brought back to her senses in an instant, exactly like awaking from a grand dream.
What burst apart from that moon was the mighty power of Ramastia. That power instantly pierced through the moon's body, causing that moon to also turn into a part of the red mist. So it turned out those were all phantoms formed by the scarlet mist?
"Lord Ramastia!"
Amidst Jasmine's astonishment, that blue light akin to a flood violently tugged at her consciousness, pulling her out from the boundless scarlet mist.
"Hah!!"
The next moment, in reality, amidst the anxious cries of Alagiana and Valentina, the scarlet mist diffusing from Jasmine's body abruptly contracted back into her body. Her pair of brown pupils also bit by bit reverted to the azure blue of the Whale-kin.
"Hah... Miss Valentina and Miss Alagiana... I am..."
"Priest Jasmine, wonderful, you've awakened! You scared us to death, we thought you were injured by the power emanating from that crevice devouring Elizabeth..."
"Crevice?"
Jasmine numbly sat up and looked over there, only to see the Law Mend ceremony on the plaza had ended at some unknown time. The populace surrounded the unconscious and eyeless Elizabeth entirely. Isabel stayed by Elizabeth's side; only after confirming she was merely unconscious did she then ease her mind.
Mom's law...
Jasmine hurriedly stood up, startling all those Naris people into taking a step back, deeply afraid these demi-humans would further settle accounts with them.
Of course, Jasmine merely cast a complicated glance at the fragile Elizabeth lying in Isabel's embrace. She knew Teacher Fisher pulled Elizabeth back from the gates of hell; Valentina and Alagiana should have seen it too.
Originally, Jasmine wasn't adept at using force. She simply quickly withdrew her gaze and ran towards the direction of Xuan Can, wanting to confirm her mother's condition.
"Mom!"
Jasmine quickly saw the back of the Whale-kin standing in front of the plaza, her back facing herself while facing the ocean. She hurriedly threw herself forward, and Xuan Can, who turned around, also unsurprisingly steadily caught Jasmine.
"Mom... wuwu..."
Even though she was over a hundred years old, in front of her mother, Jasmine was still nothing more than a two-year-old baby.
But let's just use the over a hundred years old counting method for now, otherwise it sounds like Fisher committed an unpardonable crime... although originally wasn't it pretty much the same anyway?
Valentina and Alagiana, who followed Jasmine all the way here, watched Jasmine throw herself into her mother's embrace, feeling somewhat emotional for a time.
The parents of these two ladies left them a long time ago. One was cursed to death by a family curse, while the other ended them personally.
Xuan Can's expression was composed, yet she still couldn't help reaching out to rub Jasmine's head, looking at her and smiling as she said,
"As long as you're fine..."
"I'm sorry wuwu, I still haven't reached the Mythical Rank... I... couldn't help at all, so that's why..."
Hearing this, Xuan Can smiled indifferently. She pinched Jasmine's tear-streaked little face, then revealed an expression of "everything is under control" just like any old lady in the world,
"Well, I already knew from the beginning you couldn't enter the Mythical Rank. There's actually a reason why you can't enter the Mythical Rank, and this reason has nothing to do with your efforts; it's simply that I didn't tell you prior... Because I was worried about your safety, and wanted you to stay in the sea."
"Eh?"
The tearful Jasmine was instantly stunned in Xuan Can's hands. That adorable, blank appearance made the corners of Xuan Can's mouth curl up even more.
"What, not willing to accompany your old lady in the sea?"
"T-that's not it either... It's just mom, I..."
"I know what you're thinking, but sometimes power isn't a good thing for you. However, this matter was never for me to decide, you would eventually come into contact with it. I was shallow... Just like your dad said, I only know how to fight, in other aspects, surprisingly I know absolutely nothing..."
Jasmine was about to say something, but from the corner of her eyes, she saw the direction her mother was facing earlier.
Only to see on the ground over there, a snapped golden longsword was only left with its hilt. The rest of the precious blade harboring boundless power had already completely turned into fragments at this moment, lying torn to pieces on the plaza's ground.
"Mom, your sword..."
"Ah, it shattered during the battle... It seems the agreed upon time with that silly human lad won't arrive anymore, and her descendants also do not need to fulfill this agreement anymore."
Xuan Can glanced at Elizabeth who fell to the ground over there, neither sorrow nor joy in her eyes. It was just that a moment later she withdrew her gaze, rubbed her chin, and was puzzled,
"Compared to this, the situation was urgent during the battle earlier so I didn't realize it, but now Gou Wen suddenly lost contact with me, it seems there's something fishy in the Spirit World..."
"That's right, speaking of this, mom, I..."
Just as Jasmine nodded in agreement with Xuan Can's thoughts, an immature child's voice abruptly spoke within Jasmine's mind,
"Jasmine, Xuan Can, can you hear me?"
"Lord Ramastia!"
Xuan Can nodded expressionlessly, listening to the old woman's voice within her mind and asking,
"What exactly is the situation with Gou Wen? Was his behavior earlier authorized by you, Ramastia?"
Ramastia benevolently denied it, merely saying,
"The one talking to you earlier wasn't Gou Wen, I also only just arrived... Gou Wen is still near the Sea of Souls. You know, two hundred years ago to busy himself with the matters of that Transferred Person, he paid a huge price. He currently doesn't possess the ability to go threaten the Chaos Species of the Sea of Souls for the moment."
"...Didn't you say you would go all out to help him recover? Two hundred years, and not a bit of effect? Also that medicine, the medicine sent over was already eaten by that Fisher who has an aura of a lunatic. Do you know what that was?"
"What? Wh-what exactly was that thing we sent for Teacher Fisher to eat? Could it have poisoned Teacher Fisher to death?!"
"Hehe..."
The innocent child's voice in Jasmine's mind smiled helplessly, only then sighing,
"Rest assured, I've checked, he should be fine. He has already been saved by me and brought to the Spirit World, he is currently very safe."
"Phew..."
Jasmine heaved a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Xuan Can seemed to have heard Ramastia's overtones; she knew Ramastia still had something unsaid.
It was just that before the old woman within Xuan Can's mind could open Her mouth, Tao Gong and Aris, riddled with scars, as well as Raphaela staying behind them, abruptly flew down from below the firmament.
Above the firmament, the radiance of Value continually sank. The Slimes of the Northern Border seemed to have also seen victory and defeat decided here, transmitting more people over to discuss following matters with Phoenix and the other leaders of the world.
"Where is Fisher? Where is Fisher? Did you guys see Fisher? Hey, where's Fisher?! Speak up?!"
The Slime's Patriarch Assistant made a beeline for Valentina and Alagiana upon descending. Instead, that book artifact coming down along with them asked everyone he met, "Did you see Fisher?" But when he asked Valentina and Alagiana, they didn't know, let alone Raphaela above clutching her lower abdomen.
Emhart cast a disappointed, 'hate iron for not becoming steel' glance at this group of severely disheveled ladies, only for a glimpse to catch sight of that powerful Ocean Emperor from the corner of his eye.
He hurriedly cleared his throat, flew behind Jasmine, and looked at Emperor Xuan Can, flattering her as he said,
"Haha, um, hello there, Your Respected God of Destruction Lord Xuan Can. I am Fischer Benavides' good friend, and also Jasmine's little friend... it's like this, may I ask if you know the whereabouts of that scumbag Fisher, to give me an exact message."
Xuan Can paused slightly, looking at the three ladies who followed behind that book artifact similarly wearing worried faces, suddenly raising her brow.
At this moment, Jasmine also blinked adorably, realizing after the fact what kind of hellish scenario it currently was.
Her mother should know about her and Teacher Fisher's relationship; she told her when she went out. She just didn't know if her mother knew about the relationship Teacher Fisher had with Raphaela, as well as with that Miss Phoenix, and the Captain of the Sardin Woman's Country...
Ah this...
Xuan Can narrowed her eyes dangerously, abruptly standing behind the harmless-looking Jasmine, akin to a shadow transforming into a heavenly chasm, forming an astronomical difference with Jasmine's adorable, utterly unoffensive feeling.
Even Raphaela gulped down a mouthful of saliva, subconsciously taking a step back, let alone the pitiful Valentina and Alagiana.
Usually not putting Priest Jasmine in their eyes, feeling she's soft and easy to bully, yet they often forgot she possessed an extremely fierce mother ah!
Xuan Can, however, didn't open her mouth to question them. Instead, like a gun shooting the bird that sticks its head out, she pivoted her ocean-like eyes to look at Emhart, who was sweating cold sweat profusely beside them, opening her mouth to ask,
"Oh, what kind of relationship do you, and this group of girls, have with Fisher?"
"I... I... well..."
Emhart the book was almost dizzy, exclaiming "good heavens" in his heart.
He clearly just worried about Fisher's safety and came down to ask about his whereabouts. He clearly wanted to watch the fun over Fisher being caught in a fierce romantic conflict. He clearly should be standing on the sidelines popping champagne and singing, watching Fisher break out in a cold sweat...
But why, was he, himself, this poor Sir Book Artifact, the one suffering attacks from both front and back at this moment?!
"I..."
Facing the pressure from Xuan Can, Emhart was simply like he had surrendered directly, handing over whatever recorded lists from the past entirely to Xuan Can.
What Lord Renee? From the past until now I've been a steadfast, loyal supporter of Lord Jasmine ah!
But just as he was about to say this, those three gazes on his back making him feel extremely uneasy like thorns upon his back pierced him so much it hurt.
No, if you don't want me to talk nonsense, you should step out yourselves ah!
You even have a baby, set an example, don't let me shoulder everything alright?
Raphaela seemingly also read Emhart's pleading gaze. She sighed, ultimately responsibly stepping out, preparing to speak.
Yet at this moment, that Jasmine pursed her lips, suddenly standing beside Raphaela, hugging her shoulders, and said to Xuan Can,
"Mom, this is Raphaela of the Dragon Court. The years I was away, I fought alongside Raphaela the entire time. Not only are we like sisters, we are even close best friends... Also these two, Miss Valentina and Miss Alagiana from the Northern Border. They both helped a lot during the battle with Saint-Nazareth and the Outland deity just now, they are all my good friends!"
"..."
Valentina opened her mouth, and Alagiana also felt somewhat unbelievable.
Actually, it was mainly Valentina. After all, when she first met Jasmine, she was still presenting an arrogant and secretly jealous appearance. She didn't expect the other party to not care at all, and conversely generously cover for them in front of the parent. This made the well-educated Valentina feel ashamed of her unworthiness for a moment.
Simultaneously, her perception of Jasmine also changed vastly.
Even Raphaela was somewhat astonished. But looking at Jasmine beside her, she suddenly felt relieved. Subsequently she similarly raised her eyes to look at Xuan Can, softly saying,
"Hello, Auntie, I am Raphaela, Jasmine's good friend, thank you to Jasmine for her care during this time."
"..."
Xuan Can evaluated the people before her eyes in a circle, eventually running back to Jasmine speechlessly, and subsequently landing on Raphaela's lower abdomen again.
Her gaze rippled slightly. After a moment of silence, she suddenly stated,
"Your Fisher is currently in the Spirit World. The twins in your belly are saved."
"What? Really, Auntie?"
Raphaela paused slightly, and then her eyes lit up, but mostly she felt fortunate. She was truly worried when Fisher threw himself into the Death Crevice back then; at this moment hearing news that he was fine put her mind at ease.
Jasmine also smiled, feeling happy for Raphaela. It was rather the foolishly following and rejoicing together behind them, Valentina and Alagiana, who seemed to realize something after the fact, dumbfoundedly turning their heads to look at Raphaela in the front, simultaneously slightly opening their mouths, speechless.
And exactly at this moment, right when Emhart heaved a sigh of relief, emotional about surviving, the immature child's voice opened Her mouth beside Jasmine's ear again,
"Xuan Can, speaking of this, I'm afraid it's time, it is time for Jasmine to return to the Spirit World."
Xuan Can's just-relaxed expression abruptly sank again. She furrowed her brows, gnashing her teeth towards the old woman within her mind,
"Are you serious?"
"...Deeply considered, there will be no reneging."
"Mom, Lord Ramastia, you guys... what are you talking about?"
"We don't have any more time left. But it doesn't have to be now, at least we cannot let Jasmine fall into danger traversing the Spirit World. This matter can be discussed a bit later..."
Jasmine looked with a face full of confusion at her mother's displeased expression with her arms crossed, yet didn't understand the meaning behind it. And the scenes across the entirety of Saint-Nazareth naturally weren't limited to this one place. Having just experienced a great battle of this moment, there were far too many aftermath matters to deal with...
Only within the Cardinal swarms maintaining order above the sky, one network-connected Cardinal suddenly violated commands at an unknown time. Within the Cardinal swarms, its camera abruptly swiveled slightly. That deep blue lens tilted bit by bit. Amidst continuous focusing, it recorded the scene of the ladies discussing below inside.
It was unknown where those invisible signals connected to. It was merely that identically simultaneously, beyond the Crevice, within the incomparably profound darkness of the Spirit World, a touch of deep blue radiance also flashed within a massive architectural ruin, approximately the size of more than half a city, hidden within the Scarlet Mist with countless Cardinal wrecks floating about.
"Beep beep... beep beep..."
Upon careful observation, the design of that architectural ruin was exquisite. Even on the fragments that had already been reduced to ruins and floating within the Spirit World, there were all sorts of reliefs and decorations, the pigments having yet to dry, proving it possessed aesthetics that ordinary humans and demi-humans were hard-pressed to compare with...
That is, the traces of the Angel-kin.
"Beep beep... beep beep..."
(End of Chapter)