Chapter 625: Mia_2

“Leave it to me!”

Fisher glanced at the wheelchair she was riding; he had previously speculated that Valentina’s wheelchair was related to the cardinal mechanisms, as it used neither steam nor any other power source. The only guess was something to do with the cardinal mechanisms. And now, with the Cardinal defeated by Erwin, it was no doubt that the Turand Family could no longer reach him…

“Balzac, you will cooperate with Mr. Fisher. Don’t worry about the Snow Fox Species; focus on the news about the Slime Species and the Trolls. I have already ordered my family to send the relevant tomes to Mia. Your task is to leave from the military port when the time comes… Also, Mr. Fisher, I will need to trouble you to engrave some magic for us. I have used up the ring I had, and I need a few protection spells.”

As she spoke, she seemed a bit embarrassed to impose so many tasks on Fisher. Hence, she spoke again,

“As a token of appreciation, if you need to study any demi-human, feel free to tell me, and I will help you to the best of my abilities…”

Before she could finish, Fisher cut in, preventing her words as though he were trying to stop the chime of a bell with his hands,

“Ice Owls, please, and the sooner the better.”

“…No problem, I will have someone in the family look into it.”

Although Valentina was constantly watching Fisher’s movements on the deck, acutely aware he hadn’t done anything odd to Parfait, she couldn’t help but notice something off about the way Parfait looked at Fisher. Her suspicion towards Fisher grew. The slight sense of guilt she had felt earlier for interrupting his research never materialized into words and remained hidden in her heart…

Could Fisher Benavides be a strange man who harbored a peculiar affection for demi-humans? Could it be possible that he was exiled from the Western Continent just because Elizabeth, the current Queen of Nali, discovered this minor eccentricity and, in a fit of irritated embarrassment, sought to punish him? Could that be why he ended up in exile?

Ah, could this be too absurd?

Helldor was right; I really should read less of those romance stories from Nali. Even my thoughts are starting to align with those of this gentleman who fancies flirting with demi-humans.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Valentina’s face remained calm as she seemed to be pondering some significant matter in those few seconds. No one else knew of the lively thoughts dancing in her mind.

“Heidlin, you also go down with us during this period. I’ve heard that the family has set negotiation time with the Snow Fox Species in ten days. We will be staying in Cissetya City in Mia during this time, and I need your help.”

“No problem.”

Heidlin nodded with a smile, a stark contrast to her serious demeanor when speaking to Fisher earlier.

“Lastly, Celti, have you completed the mechanics?”

“It’s done, I assure you it will get us up the mountain smoothly… Ah, but boss, could I maybe stay in the hotel in Mia instead of going with you to negotiations? I’m not much of a fighter, and I can’t be of much help with negotiations. Let me tinker with the mechanisms in the room, please, boss.”

Celti made a praying gesture, similar to one of Kado’s, though more crooked than what Bilene often did, clearly indicating that she was not a devout believer of the Mother Goddess. However, having spent some time together, Fisher had, despite few encounters, formed a rudimentary impression of this mechanic from Nali.

She was afraid of dying, extremely afraid of death.

Fisher had assumed she stayed on the SS Unicorn because Valentina had assignments for her. It turned out she was adamant about not leaving the ship. The first time she disembarked was after Valentina called her three or four times, reluctantly coming ashore, as if she feared the terrible curse might fall upon her.

Valentina was very familiar with her own temperament, and she had been acquainted with everyone present for over half a year, except for Fisher, whom she didn’t know very well. Thus, she responded to her request with a wry smile, as indeed she wouldn’t be of much help in such matters anyway.

So, after a while, everyone’s tasks had been more or less arranged, and shortly after their conversation, a long, melodious whistle sounded from outside the cabin, signifying their arrival at the northernmost kingdom of the Northern Realm, Mia.

Mia was a small country, the most devout followers of the Frost Phoenix faith, which was also why they were so afraid of the Sardinia Female Country using the Ice to proclaim their legitimacy. As a region once ruled by the Moon Princess in ancient times, Mia still maintained the Moon Princess’s traditions of freedom and laissez-faire governance to a certain extent.

Just beyond the newly built cities, vast expanses of wide snowfields dotted with different demi-human species such as Sheep-man, Ice Owl, Snow Fox, and Cloud Cat…

“Mia has been reached, everyone.”

Hearing Valentina’s voice, Philis immediately leaned towards the window, looking out at the city shrouded in wisps of smoke under the sunlight. Its scale seemed quite similar to the human cities of the Western Continent, leading Philis to squint her eyes and imagine what the Western Continent must look like.

Fisher also turned to look out the window. In the snow-frosted Mia, a train made its way into the city along the tracks. For some reason, he took a longer look at the tiny train, resembling a worm, feeling an indistinct connection.

The SS Unicorn gradually approached the coast, and at last, they reached the northern region of the Northern Realm, Mia.

…

…

“Respected Miss Valentina Turand, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Welcome to Mia… Starting from this afternoon, Mia will enter a state of lockdown. We were worried unsavory types might disturb you, so we dispatched a fleet to escort you here, hoping it hasn’t disrupted your rest.”

“Not at all, we feel very safe with the renowned Snow Cloud Special Attack Team’s escort.”

At the bottom of the elevator, a distinguished-looking military officer from the Mia Army stepped forward to welcome Valentina, who had come from afar. His respectful demeanor immediately reminded Fisher of his college days when he would sneak out on private dates with Elizabeth. Back then, wherever they went, it was just like this…

This indirectly indicated the status of the Turand Family as the Emperor of their own dominion within the Northern Realm; whether it was the Sardinia Female Country or any other kingdom, they all had to give face to the Turand Family.

“That’s good to hear. It’s incredibly cold outside, please come this way. We have prepared food and rooms for your reception, rest assured, it will not take up too much of Miss Valentina’s time.”

The “reception” the officer mentioned was definitely meant to discuss the disposal of the Ice with Valentina, and both sides were well aware of it. It was just that, when mentioning “too cold,” he couldn’t help but glance at Fisher, standing not far behind Valentina in his light clothing. Fisher’s posture was steady, showing no sign of being cold, which surprised the officer.

Philis pushed Valentina’s wheelchair forward, following the leading Mia citizens all the way deeper into the naval port. Passing through various defensive facilities, they soon arrived at a low, spacious house. Upon opening the door and entering, a luxuriously decorated and warm room was already filled with numerous Maids, including several demi-humans. Fisher’s gaze uncontrollably drifted towards the wolf ears perked atop the head of one Maid, who became somewhat shy under his scrutiny, her eyes fleeting.

“Miss Valentina, please wait a moment. As previously agreed with the Turand Family, our General will discuss the Ice disposal with you. The Ice was taken abroad by a group of thieves, and we were finally able to recover it, but we’re now a little behind on dealing with it… As you know, the Sardinian females have always been watching us.”

Beneath the officer’s somewhat wry smile, a large wooden box was soon carried into the room by several soldiers. When they opened the box, a large chunk of Ice instantly revealed itself to everyone present.

Everyone’s attention was riveted on the peculiar minerals inside the box, with what seemed like a cluster of lively mist subtly undulating. However, no one noticed that at the very front, Valentina’s pale silver eyes began to brighten up by degrees, as if the mist from within the Ice was invisibly diffusing into her pupils.