CHAPTER 549: 64. MOONLIGHT

"What impact will the newly enacted bill by the Council have on Nali... or rather, let me rephrase, on the future landscape of the Western Continent and Humanity as a whole?"

Inside the Healing Corruption Church at dusk, the faint candlelight illuminated the gentle, benevolent gaze of the Mother Goddess, her focus consistently on the Nali man below her, who held a pen and ceaselessly wrote something.

The sun had already set in the west; after the swirling winds, the sea became calm, shimmering with a dazzling light, as if the powerful natural disaster was just a fleeting moment. Perhaps it was because this coast had experienced too many such natural disasters in the past and for it, today was merely commonplace.

Fisher and Emhart were copying the Creation Scripture for Sister Ilois. The impoverished church did not have electric lights; the only source of illumination available was the candle Sister Ilois had bought in Luxiang Castle City, which, according to Emhart, was a peaceful town that worships the Frost Phoenix, hence Ilois dared to move around there.

At the moment, an old magic radio sat on the table; it was this little device that had just made a sound, donated by a Western Continent visitor who came to pray during Sister Shalu’s time.

Usually, Ilois would use this device to listen to the magic hotline of Sardinia Female Country and occasionally foreign broadcasts, although she couldn’t understand any other languages.

The radio then transmitted the voice of the host from the publishing house, occasionally interspersed with some indistinct crackling sounds,

"Crackle... Just last month the Council had just passed a tax reform, and this month a new joint venture enterprise between the Nali Exploration Company and the Royal Family was established. The New Party’s recent actions are ambiguous... Crackle... It’s all being conveyed to Queen Elizabeth, why the party leader has recently changed their stance is hard to say."

"The Griffin Party has also been very active lately, the establishment of a new guild, the reform of the old Nobles’ titles system is really to my liking... Crackle... It’s time to show those lazy pigs who live off their ancestors’ glories the direction of our current society."

"Next month Queen Elizabeth will attend the enterprise exhibition at Saint Nali. I’ve heard that this conference, hosted by the Gedelin Royal Family, aims to support small enterprises and workshops outside of Saint Nali. It’s practically heaven for all sorts of steam engines and Mages."

"That’s right, Bai Cui Publishing House, as the first media to report on this event, will keep up with the progress in real-time and publish it in the newspaper tomorrow. Please be seen... Crackle, crackle."

The radio suddenly went silent next to them, but Fisher did not stop transcribing the Creation Scripture; it was no surprise that the broadcast intermittently cut out since the start due to the magic Emblem inside probably wearing out.

It made sense, too, as the radio had been in use for at least over a decade since Sister Shalu received it; that it worked until now was a miracle in itself. He could fix it for Ilois, but unfortunately, all the Magic Materials he had bought had sunk into the sea, leaving only the Magic Rings carved out on his hands.

"Hmm, it seems like the Nali parties have become kinder since you left, seldom having passed such a bill before. When I was at your Royal Library, I often heard a Prince named ’Dexter’ secretly complaining about the New Party and Griffin Party’s troubles, so loud that I couldn’t even sleep...," muttered Sir Emhart, who sat on Fisher’s shoulder, reminiscent of the past.

Fisher checked what he had previously copied and quickly recalled the specific meanings of the Northern Territory Language he had written; he then set down his paper,

"That’s because someone is discreetly maintaining the current balance in the Council. Elizabeth has not fully honored her promises to the Griffin Party, at least not privately... Her approach is very clear, and she acts with moderation and isn’t anxious, she also understands what Nali needs to do right now."

"Heh, still nitpicking here, you should think about how to escape from that Empress’s grasp, if she catches you, you won’t get off easily."

Fisher glanced emotionlessly at Emhart on his shoulder and asked,

"Which Empress are you talking about?"

Emhart opened his mouth, silenced for a full second before realizing something, and looked at him incredulously,

"Ha, which one... wait, you mean there’s more than one? What have you done before we met?"

Fisher gave a mysterious smile but didn’t respond, dousing the newly kindled curiosity of Emhart, who was nearly bursting with frustration.

Fisher gathered the several pages of manuscript he had copied; the copying efficiency in Northern Territory Language was not high, having copied less than a third in a few hours. Fortunately, the original length of the Creation Scripture was not long, and it should be completed by tomorrow, also providing an opportunity to research some awards that the Moon Rabbit Species Nun might receive.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The bell of the church rang again, marking the last time check of the day, indicating it was now seven o’clock.

"Wasn’t the nun from the Moon Rabbit Species been up there for hours?"

In the afternoon when he returned to the church, Mr. Fisher intended to check the situation at the top of the Bell Tower. However, the scene was frighteningly chaotic, far from the ongoing cleaning the nun had mentioned. Embarrassed, she offered to clean up for Mr. Fisher, yet she still hadn’t come down.

"Sister Ilois?"

Mr. Fisher called her from downstairs but received no response, so he had no choice but to go up with Emhart.

Following the spiral staircase next to the Confession Room, the Bell Tower’s structure was generally open. Although the bottom of the giant bell was quite spacious, he figured it would be cold at night, barely suitable for Mr. Fisher to rest his head tonight.

When Mr. Fisher arrived upstairs, the second floor had been cleaned. Near the wall was a bucket filled with water, indicating that Ilois had finished cleaning earlier, but for unknown reasons, she still hadn’t come down.

His gaze shifted forward, and with the last gleams of the setting sun, he finally saw Sister Ilois sitting gracefully on the ground in front of the neatly arranged miscellaneous items.

At that moment, she was looking down, seemingly examining something in her hands, so engrossed that she didn’t notice Mr. Fisher had come up.

"Sister Ilois?"

"Ah, Mr. Fisher, sorry, did you just call me?"

"Mm-hmm, what are you doing?"

Sometime ago, she had removed her nun’s veil, letting her slightly curly golden hair cascade down to her waist. She smiled, lifted the handwritten notes she was holding, and turned back to Mr. Fisher,

"There aren’t many places to store things in the church. After Sister Shalu passed away, I stored a lot of her belongings here. It was only today, when I came up to clean Mr. Fisher’s room, that I noticed there were still so many things here..."

It turned out she was reminiscing. Sometimes, when you suddenly start cleaning things you haven’t touched in a long time, you experience such feelings; both familiar and unfamiliar objects enter your sight, awakening memories of experiences past. If those memories are connected to someone important, those feelings can be especially profound.

The sky of the Northern Realm had completely darkened, as if warmth was suddenly stolen, plunging the quiet Sardinia Female Country into another world.

The night wind rose again, and strands of bright moonlight traveled along the invisible breeze, slowly entering Mr. Fisher’s vision. It was his first night in the Northern Realm, and he suddenly felt that the night here was somewhat different from that of the Western Continent...

Mr. Fisher looked up at the sky, where there were no clouds, and thus the bright and icy crescent moon was vividly exposed.

"Alright, Mr. Fisher, I have finished cleaning up here. Hehe, I didn’t lie to you before; I do clean here often, but lately it’s been too cold, so I came less frequently... Oh, right, I need to bring you some warm things. I have a fluffy sleeping bag, so even here, you can rest."

Ilois set down what she was holding, turned her head to get up and prepare to go downstairs. Under the enveloping moonlight, Mr. Fisher suddenly noticed her eyes had turned a bright pink, alluring like glowing pink gems in water, though they were black in the morning.

Ilois smiled at Mr. Fisher, but the next second, her expression towards Mr. Fisher froze abruptly. She seemed to see something extremely terrifying on him, panicking as she stepped back and unconsciously pointed a trembling finger at Mr. Fisher,

"Mr. Mr. Fisher... is there something behind you?"

"My back?"

Mr. Fisher pointed at himself, and he and Emhart turned to look, but saw nothing. When he turned back to Ilois, puzzled, her face had grown even paler,

"It’s... it’s a huge eye, constantly staring at you... Ah! It looked this way! I didn’t see you, I didn’t see you! Sorry... Ah!"

Ilois stared past Mr. Fisher at the empty air, not knowing what she perceived, but clearly, whatever she saw had a profound impact on her, causing her to keep moving backward, neglecting the fact that the Bell Tower’s structure was completely open and typically unguarded.

In the next second, amidst her panicky retreat, her foot missed the edge of the Bell Tower, and she uncontrollably plunged downwards.