Chapter 571: 74. Sweet-talking Nali Gentleman (2 in 1)_3
The visitor was a member of the Demon Species from the Western Continent, but they didn’t specify which Demon. The message only mentioned that he came to celebrate the victory of the Phoenix Species, but forgot to bring a congratulatory gift, and so he wanted to make a bet with the Phoenix King. If the Demon lost, he would have to compensate for the oversight of not bringing a gift, repaying the Phoenix King a hundredfold; if the Phoenix King lost, then the Phoenix King would have to forgive the Demon’s rudeness and also give him ten Humans as a sacrifice…”
“Ancient Humans were truly too weak, situated at the very bottom of the hierarchy, which is why no race paid them any mind, except for the Demon Species who needed desires, thus their relationship with them was quite good. So, the so-called ten Humans were not much more than an extra, and you can guess the ending of the story, of course—there’s no winning in a bet with a Demon.”
“The Phoenix King lost the bet, had to forgive the Demon’s rudeness, and even gave him ten Humans. Yet, the Demon, after accepting the ten Humans, still raised his glass and apologized to the Phoenix King for his own oversight. However, the Moon Princess, who had a good relationship with all living creatures, got angry over this and left the banquet to return to her own fief, never to return to the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree… Interesting, isn’t it, this story?”
Fisher glanced wordlessly at Emhardt beside him, completely failing to grasp the point of telling him this story other than to inform him that the long-dead Moon Princess was a high-ranking demi-human who was very loving towards Humans. He felt speechless, as if he had just heard some gossip.
“So, you’re sharing this because you heard the term ‘Demon’ and it triggered Demon Trauma Stress Disorder, and you want me to give you some comfort?”
Emhardt’s eyes widened, he exclaimed in disbelief,
“Your mother, how could that be possible, I mean, the behavior of the Demon in the legend is very much like Paim… I mean, that Demon! And once you get involved with… that Demon, nothing good happens. I even suspect the decline of the Phoenix Species is related to that Demon… Okay, it’s also possible she was just bored and wanted to come play, but…”
“Demons? What’s the fun discussion? May I listen in?”
“Ahhh! Paimon! Fisher, help!!”
While Emhardt was frantically explaining to Fisher, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded from behind him, scaring him so much that he shot into Fisher’s arms like lightning, turning into an innocuous corpse of a book, unmoving.
Fisher looked up speechlessly at Heidlin, who had just come down the stairs with an apologetic smile. Yes, he had actually seen Heidlin coming down the stairs earlier, but since Emhardt was so afraid of the Great Demon “Paimon,” he didn’t interrupt. He hadn’t expected that Heidlin’s sudden appearance would nearly scare him to death, thinking Paimon had come to claim a life.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Fisher, I just heard voices downstairs and came to have a look. I didn’t expect your friend…”
Heidlin’s black hair still adorned with that green tiara, made her look quite different from a traditional Maid, adding a touch of mature intellectual beauty, but now, as she blinked her right eye while apologizing to Fisher, she appeared both cute and mischievous…
This contradiction made Fisher take another look at her while shaking his head, then raised the medicinal herbs in his hand towards her,
“It’s nothing, he was just talking about a legend from the Northern Realm. I’m quite interested in the history and the demi-human race of the Northern Realm, so I asked him about some things… By the way, these are the medicinal herbs Helldor gave me earlier, saying they need to be boiled for Sister Ilois to drink. Is there somewhere on the ship where we can do that?”
“Ah, you’re quite interested in the demi-human race, that’s really uncommon… Mr. Balzac onboard is very interested in the history of the Northern Realm, but he looks down on the demi-human race a bit, which often leads to arguments with Philis, making me quite troubled…”
She touched her cheek in a bothered manner, her body carrying a mature fragrance as she leaned towards Fisher, unconsciously brushing his arm while attempting to take the medicinal herbs from his hand,
“As for these herbs, I can take you to the kitchen. Just follow me.”
Fisher couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but he always felt that this sister… well, seemed a bit too enthusiastic towards him. He had felt this way since he first boarded the ship, but it had been overshadowed by everyone else’s attention at the time.
Ms. Heidlin reached out to take the herbs from his hand but found Fisher was sizing her up without letting go. She simply smiled, grasped his sleeve with one hand, and gently tugged him towards the stairs,
“It’s not far, just upstairs. Once it’s ready, you can take it directly to the nun to drink. The other maids are resting now, and it wouldn’t be nice to bother them… Well, I suppose they wouldn’t refuse if a handsome gentleman like Mr. Fisher came to call on them at night.”
She led Fisher upstairs, turned her head and gave him a wink with one eye, the heat in her gaze shimmering beneath her long eyelashes, blatantly resting on Fisher’s muscular build.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Ms. Heidlin.”
“Hmm, of course, helping you as a guest on the ship is natural, and it’s good for the young lady, right? We depend on you to find the… uh, Wutong Tree. By the way, are you hungry? I have a habit of making a late-night snack. If you’re hungry, we can eat together…”
Fisher followed her upstairs, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He tried to pull his sleeve from her grasp, only to realize she was holding it tightly. He could free himself only with an obvious effort, which might embarrass her…
“Thanks, Ms. Heidlin, but no thanks, I don’t have the habit of eating late-night snacks.”
He let her pull his sleeve as they moved forward while he casually declined her invitation with that reply.
But what he didn’t expect was that, after he’d spoken, Ms. Heidlin suddenly slowed her steps. She turned back with a troubled look, pinching the front of her loose Northern Realm traditional outfit with her right hand, revealing the slight curve of her belly.
She glanced at her own stomach, then looked up at Fisher with a hint of resentment.
“Indeed, you men all dislike women who get fat from overindulging, don’t you?”
Fisher glanced at her obviously soft belly that was far from fat and didn’t want to say anything, but he still politely replied,
“Not at all, Ms. Heidlin. You’re not fat; it’s just that I don’t have much of an appetite at night.”
“Hmm, then I’ll take your word for it, sweet-talking Nali Gentleman.”