Chapter 636: 97. The prophesied Fisher_2
Chapter 636: 97. The prophesied Fisher_2
This floor was where she had instructed Heidlin to place the Ice artifact, a place fortified with stringent protection measures. However, since she knew all the measures herself, they wouldn’t hinder her from continuing to look at the Ice artifact.
In the morning, Valentina had felt a faint guide in the Ice artifact, and now she had come along to see the Ice once more.
“It’s so dark…”
Valentina pursed her lips, gazing hesitantly at the pitch-black corridor while staying in the elevator. After taking a few deep breaths, she resolutely hung the small lantern on the armrest of her wheelchair and then, with considerable effort, gripped the tires with both hands and slowly pushed herself forward.
“Hah… Hah…”
Her body was frail, and without the propulsion of Cardinal Energy, her wheelchair felt extremely heavy, making it quite strenuous for her to push. She hadn’t gone ten meters before she began to pant and sweat beads formed on her forehead. She had no choice but to stop after moving a short distance, steadily making her way toward the other side of the second floor.
“Whew…”
The merciless night wind of Mia slapped against the windows, and Valentina looked fearfully over her shoulder. This glance gave her such a fright—she saw a tall figure silently trailing behind her, standing not far from the back of her wheelchair.
“…”
Valentina’s face turned pale from shock, but she didn’t let out a scream. Instead, she tightly pursed her lips and fiercely pulled something out of her bosom, aiming it at the distant shadow. It was an intricately carved Fire Pistol. But faster than Valentina’s motion was the figure’s speed as it approached.
The shadow seemed to have noticed Valentina’s move; as she drew the pistol, it darted toward her like lightning, pressing a hot hand onto her wrist before she could even raise the Fire Pistol, preventing her from lifting her arm no matter what.
“Miss Valentina?”
Hearing the voice of the shadowy figure, the rings on Valentina’s fingers, which had been sequentially lighting up, slowly extinguished. She looked incredulously at the shadow before her and, aided by the scattered moonlight from outside, finally recognized the Mage from Nali dressed in a white shirt—it was Fisher.
“Fisher, what are you doing here? Are you here to steal the Ice?”
“…Did I scare you into stupidity?”
Fisher gently released Valentina’s pistol-gripping hand. Only then did Valentina remember that it was he who had found the Grey Bird Species Mark inside the box containing the Ice on Patulshen Island. If he had wanted the Ice, he could have stolen it back then.
In the darkness, Valentina sneakily stuck out her tongue, thinking no one could see her little action, unaware that Fisher of the Ninth Rank had perfect night vision and had taken in her cute gesture. Fisher’s fingers that had just gripped her delicate wrist unconsciously rubbed, savoring the lingering warmth until it dissipated, before he finally spoke,
“This morning, you discovered something when you saw the Ice, right?”
“You knew? Wait, so that’s why you kept staring at me?”
“Uh huh, otherwise, why do you think I kept looking at you?”
“I thought…”
Valentina’s face flushed for a moment, but then she placed her hands on her black dress and looked up at Fisher, saying,
“So that’s why you came down with me so late. You knew I would definitely come to see the Ice tonight?”
“Not exactly. I just sensed something unusual about you this morning. You seemed a bit off while looking at the Ice. Initially, I thought you were ill, but then I felt you had a sense of unfinished business. I was up all night not sleeping due to inscribing Magic, and in the corridor, I happened to hear the sound of you wheezing as you pushed your wheelchair, so I followed to check on you.”
The truth was, Fisher had guessed she would come down alone to see the Ice tonight, so he had been waiting for her downstairs. However, his smooth talk successfully lowered Valentina’s guard a bit. She sighed, feeling a headache start as she rubbed her temples,
“I didn’t expect you to pay such close attention to me, not even Heidlin noticed anything amiss.”
“You’re my employer. So, do you mind if I join your nightly Ice mission? It looks like you could use an extra hand with your wheelchair.”
Valentina glared at the expressionless Fisher before her. Any offer of help was nonsense; it was clear he was just interested in why she could resonate with the Ice, right?
“Suit yourself… But I’ll tell you upfront, when resonating with the Ice, I felt… a tendency for my family’s hereditary disease to worsen. It’s not a good sign—it could be dangerous, or it might reveal my unsightly state in front of you. You have to promise me not to tell Balzac or any other staff, that’s our condition for setting out together.”
“Does nobody else know you have a hereditary disease?”
“…Of course they don’t.”
“Well then, as one of the few people entrusted with Miss Valentina’s true circumstances, I consider myself rather fortunate.”
Fisher had already moved behind her wheelchair. As Valentina reluctantly turned her head to look at him, in the moonlight, her white hair was soft and pretty. She wasn’t wearing that little hat she had with her all morning, making her look serene and domestic… well, Fisher felt a bit tempted to touch her head just to see what it felt like, but after some consideration, he refrained from doing so.