"Mr. Fisher, this way, please. I have prepared your reward," Valentina said, pushing the joystick on her wheelchair slowly down the corridor. While moving, she turned back to glance meaningfully at Fisher behind her, leaving him somewhat puzzled.
The reward he had requested that night indeed involved demi-humans, but for some reason, seeing her smile in that backward glance made Fisher feel uneasy.
In fact, Fisher’s interest in studying demi-humans was solely for the upcoming battle with Erwin and had no other implications. If Miss Valentina had misunderstood his intentions and prepared the wrong type of demi-human or one he had already studied, it would be quite problematic. Therefore, after much deliberation, Fisher decided to confirm once more,
"Miss Valentina, before we collect the reward, I would like to confirm which type of demi-human will be the subject of this study. If it is a type I have already studied, it would be pointless."
Valentina slowed her pace, touched her chin with her finger, looked up in thought for a moment, and then asked Fisher,
"So, Mr. Fisher, which demi-humans have you studied so far?"
"Not many... Including the unique demi-humans from the South Continent and Western Continent, perhaps around ten types. From the Northern Realm, only the Moon Rabbit Species, Cloud Cat Species, and Grey Bird Species."
Valentina turned back with a peculiar expression, sizing up the handsome Fisher, perhaps misinterpreting his ’research’ or still regarding it similar to the time with Philis?
"Is that considered a lot?"
"Perhaps, I haven’t met any other scholars interested in demi-humans... Although the Turand Family is quite friendly with most demi-humans, systematically studying these friendly neighbors’ races and characteristics is unprecedented. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know about them, we have many books related to demi-humans at home, and I can have someone bring them to you later if you want."
"That would be perfect."
Fisher agreed without any formalities.
Previously, Emhardt had expressed interest in the Turand Family’s hidden library; having the chance to read those books was certainly not an opportunity to pass up lightly.
Valentina nodded and walked with Fisher toward the upper deck. Since Fisher boarded the ship, due to the extremely cold weather outside, he had no intention to go up to the deck, unlike his time on the Iceberg Queen where he spent most of his time below deck.
"Are we going up to the deck?"
"Yes, the demi-human you requested was brought aboard with the last shipment of supplies, she didn’t come down to the deck, and she will disembark at the next port. You might want to take your time."
Valentina assumed Fisher was asking about the demi-human, so she clarified, but Fisher shook his head, glanced at the snow outside the window, resembling goose feathers, then looked at her thinly dressed state and remarked,
"No, I mean, aren’t you a bit lightly dressed, Miss Valentina? It might be very cold outside."
Valentina’s hands trembled slightly on the wheelchair’s joystick, and they had just reached the elevator where she no longer needed to manually push it. She subconsciously started fiddling with the ring on her finger,
"...Heidlin is waiting above. She will have clothes ready for me."
Fisher’s reaction was unexpectedly calm, and lacking any further conversation, Valentina swallowed the words she wanted to say next. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at Fisher beside her.
Other than the "clacking" sound of gears in the elevator, no other voices filled the silence. Fisher glanced down at Emhardt, sleeping peacefully in his arms. Soon, the elevator reached the deck. The deck, swept clear by the crew, provided a path for walking. However, the instant the elevator doors opened, a biting cold wind swept in, causing Valentina’s white hair to fly about her cheeks, which were instantly hit by a rush of wind and snow.
"Miss, are you alright? The wind is quite strong over the sea today; I forgot to warn you earlier."
Sure enough, Heidlin, clad in warm clothes, had been waiting there for a while, but by the time she came in, Valentina was wiping her face with her hands, as the wind that blew in had mingled with snow and entered her mouth, making her cough.
Heidlin hurriedly draped a coat over her, but she continued to cough, and tears could not stop flowing until she calmed down. Fisher was already aware of her frail health but hadn’t anticipated it being more severe than he imagined. The heavy coat seemed almost too much for her to bear, causing her to bend slightly at the waist.
Her face, framed by tear-glittered eyes that turned her reddened eye sockets charming as if she had been bullied into crying, maintained a calm expression. She even blushed, casting an annoyed glance at Fisher who had been observing her closely, especially annoyed by his impolite staring and the foolish act of being choked by the wind and snow.