Chapter 232 - 98. Dream of the Sword

Chapter 232: 98. Dream of the SwordMr. Fisher had a long dream, in which he was lying flat on the bed just like this, wrapped in warm bedding and his body.

He vaguely felt the warm, smooth scales of Rafael by his side, as tranquil as she was in the South Continent, leaning against his shoulder, her fair and soft skin creamy and fragranced, her red and smooth hair spreading out like a sea of roses, exuding her burning heat.

He reached out to stroke her back, and for a moment, as he watched her peaceful profile, wanting to say something and yet not wanting to, the bed remained silent except for Mr. Fisher’s stroking hand.

It was not until Rafael stretched comfortably, sitting up to look at him with laughter in her green eyes,

"Long time no see, have you missed me?"

After such a long absence, she seemed to have become cunning, her dragon claw moving up Mr. Fisher’s arm until it reached his chest, where his heart lay, "If you say you’ve missed me, there’s a reward for you."

"...Missed."

Mr. Fisher couldn’t help but touch her cheek, her crimson horns still shining bright, and when she heard Mr. Fisher’s words, Rafael’s mouth curved into a radiant smile.

But the next second, she reached behind her on the bed, and abruptly pulled out a dagger.

The shimmering dagger was thrust straight at Mr. Fisher’s chest, poised to pierce through him in a second, the blade tip already touching his erected goosebumps, the coldness seeping into Mr. Fisher’s heart.

He barely moved his eyes, but felt the sensation of scales on his body vanish instantly, leaving only the silky human skin, and when he looked up, there was no red-haired Rafael, but the scent at the tips of his nose ended with the smiling beautiful woman Renie.

Her alluring purple eyes were devoid of human warmth, only holding the cold-gleaming dagger, with a dangerous smile looking at Mr. Fisher,

"Oh, you want a reward from another woman that much, daring to say you’ve missed her?"

"Renie..."

"Ha, don’t worry, I will take good care of every part of you, go back to sleep..."

Before Mr. Fisher could finish, a pale golden void exploded in Renie’s eyes, and the cold-gleaming dagger suddenly twisted towards his own body.

But in the next instant, the pain didn’t come, and Mr. Fisher woke up from this very dangerous dream. He sat up abruptly, only to find himself safe in his rented room’s bed.

He took a deep breath, touched his unharmed chest, and though he was alone in his bed, Renie’s lingering scent persisted.

Mr. Fisher had dreamt of Rafael in a bed swathed in Renie’s scent, ending up being ’stabbed’ by Renie, the feeling was too real, causing him to break into a cold sweat.

Of course, the real Renie was not that terrifying, the lady in the dream was like a combination of all the flaws of Renie, Rafael, and Elizabeth, which made her quite frightening.

He found it somewhat amusing and sad, and after waking up a bit more, he turned to look at the floor beside his bed, where Keken was still sleeping soundly, even hugging the table leg next to the floor bedding.

Mr. Fisher didn’t bother him and got up to wash and have some breakfast. When he came back, Keken had already woken up, sitting groggily on the bed looking listlessly at the door, seemingly lost in thought.

"Good morning, Mr. Fisher... Sorry, I drank too much last night and rambled on to you."

"No worries, it wasn’t entirely fruitless for me."

Mr. Fisher left Keken to have breakfast in the rental house. Since last night’s conversation, Keken seemed to be in better spirits, although Mr. Fisher hadn’t said anything to comfort him, it was as if he felt more relaxed after venting his dissatisfaction.

"By the way, Mr. Fisher, I may have to follow my father’s instructions and work at our company. It’s truly the most disgraceful end for a Nali gentleman..."

Mr. Fisher ate his breakfast, seeing his unhappy expression, and asked,

"What company is that?"

"Naribai Bank, my father said I should manage a fund committee, just living day to day in a daze, and he even said I should have more children these days... There’s only me for a son in our family, I think they’ve given up on me and want to cultivate my next generation..."

Naribai Bank?

Isn’t that one of the largest banks in all of Nali?

Mr. Fisher suddenly remembered Keken’s family was in finance, owning half the banks in Nali.

The most crucial point was that Keken’s father was now the Clan Leader, and he remained faithful, having only Keken’s mother as his wife, meaning Keken was their only child.

Mr. Fisher glanced at Keken, who was somberly chewing on his bread, then turned to look at his own rented room, which had nothing more than a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf, and didn’t know what to make of it.

Joy and sorrow do not travel the same path between people, and this was even truer between Mr. Fisher and Keken.

After breakfast, when it was only nine in the morning, Mr. Fisher planned to leave to handle important matters, starting with finding Moli’s aunt.

In the end, he was still not certain whether Moli was the Doomsday he was looking for, for in comparison to Rafael, Moli seemed nothing more than a little girl who had not experienced much of the world.

But anyway, Mr. Fisher was not at a loss; the research on the Whale-man Species was progressing very quickly, and even if Moli was not the one, perhaps he could later use the "Deep Diving Physique" to enter the deep sea himself to search for the real Doomsday.

"I’ve been busy lately with the Saint Nali Children Relief Charity Foundation," Keken said, "many businesses across Nali are donating to us, and I heard that later, Prince Lunxis from the Golden Palace will even give out treasures from the Royal Collection as rewards to the merchants who donate the most..."

"In that case, I’ll see if I can also make a donation later, as a way to help out within my means."

Mr. Fisher and Keken stepped outside onto the street, chatting about trivial matters as they made their way to the carriage stand.

Keken was still a young man with ideals; he was not content with the wealthy life arranged by his parents and preferred to do meaningful things instead. Otherwise, he would not have bought a city and gone all the way to the South Continent.

According to him, working for the charity foundation was "the most he could do under his parents’ control"—Mr. Fisher admired him for that, which perhaps was also why he managed to marry two beautiful wives.

"Well, Mr. Fisher, thank you for listening to me. Let us part here. I need to go back, freshen up, and then head to the bank."

"Sure, let’s get together for drinks at the Black Mamba Palace when you have time."

Mr. Fisher got his contact number and then boarded a carriage headed for Saint Nali University. Today was the day Prince Luosang was leaving Saint Nali, and he was supposed to bid farewell, as Princess Elizabeth from the Golden Palace delegation would be in attendance, and he could take the opportunity to discuss Trandell with her.

He took a look at the business card Keken handed him, which read "Saint Nali Children Relief Charity Foundation," and carefully placed it inside his coat.

At the banquet in the Golden Palace the night before, representatives from both nations exchanged opinions and "quite inadvertently" brought up resuming economic and trade relations, settling on custom tariffs then and there.

But the final tariff rate agreed on was two percentage points lower than what Mr. Fisher initially understood, which was clearly a result of compromises made following the attack on Schwali, a reasonable outcome under the circumstances.

By the time Mr. Fisher arrived at Saint Nali University, the timing was just right. Prince Luosang was just about to leave Saint Nali University and return to his homeland.

Saint Nali University was under martial law by the Royal Army, and it took Mr. Fisher half the day to get inside.

There, he saw Princess Elizabeth standing at the main entrance of the university, dressed in a royal light gold gown with a serene smile on her face.

She wore no headdress, and her golden hair was combed into a stylish and spirited knot, with a Royal thin sword fastened at her waist. She looked less like a Princess and more like a Prince.

As the farewell ceremony for Prince Luosang was taking place in the front, her sharp eyes caught sight of Mr. Fisher being led to the back by the staff.

In a moment, she tilted her head to say something to an attendant beside her, and the attendant walked straight toward Mr. Fisher, leading him all the way to the front of the farewell queue, right beside Princess Elizabeth.

"Princess Elizabeth."

"Please, there’s no need for formalities, Mr. Benavides."

Mr. Fisher was somewhat speechless, being brought before her and made to play out a scene of greeting the Princess; he reckoned their photo would appear on tomorrow’s newspapers.

Nevertheless, it was a formal occasion, so there was not much conversation between them. She rested her gloved hand on the handle of the sword at her waist, waiting for Prince Luosang, who was also suitably dressed, to emerge from Saint Nali University.

A line of red carriages from Schwali, just like on their arrival, stopped in front of the school gates. Scholar groups waved to the crowds and officials before getting into the vehicles one by one. Only Luosang remained standing where he was, first bowing to Princess Elizabeth, then suddenly turning to say to Mr. Fisher,

"I am very pleased to have had a pleasant conversation with you, Mr. Fisher, and this journey has left a lasting impression on me."

Luosang winked at Mr. Fisher, appearing quite happy, before heading toward the carriage behind him. The carriage curtain lifted, revealing the upper body of a well-dressed Lady seated inside. He entered and sat down next to the lady, and then the curtain dropped.

Mr. Fisher realized what he meant; it likely had to do with his aunt agreeing to let him meet Carolina, and so he was quite pleased.

However, Princess Elizabeth beside him cast a peculiar glance at Prince Luosang before lightly pinching the handle of the sword at her waist with her gloved hand.

The carriage headed towards the outskirts of Nali, to where Schwali’s airship was stationed. It looked like the academic conference had come to a successful end.