Descending the stairs next to the elevator-connected corridor, the dining room where dinner was to be enjoyed was just one level below. The corridor lights cast a warm hue, which also slightly increased the surrounding temperature.
"You’re really slow..."
Before Mr. Fisher and Sister Ilois had co down, the rest of the employees had already arrived. Balzac and Philis had changed into more casual indoor clothing. Particularly, Iphelis had donned tribal attire unique to the South Continent. The tribal clothing wasn’t revealing, but its natural materials always evoked wild, jungle-like associations in gentlen from the Western Continent, including Mr. Fisher.
He suddenly wondered what Rafael might look like in such garnts.
Philis, lying listlessly on the dining table, saw the belated Mr. Fisher and Sister Ilois and pouted as she said,
"Sorry..."
Hearing Philis’s comnt, Sister Ilois instinctively apologized, which sowhat left Philis at a loss for words, prompting her just to nod her head while holding her face.
Beside her sat Mr. Helldor, and opposite them were Balzac and the recently introduced little girl, Celti from the Kado family. At the head of the table, in the master’s seat, Miss Valentina sat in a changed black dress, with the ever-smiling Heidlin adjusting her bib behind her.
"Now that everyone is here, let us begin with the al... Mr. Fisher, please take a seat."
Miss Valentina then straightened the bib in front of her chest herself. It wasn’t until Mr. Fisher sat down that he realized the dining table seed a bit high for an average person; he instinctively glanced at Miss Valentina at the end of the table, only to notice that she seed taller than Philis next to her.
Could she have... propped sothing under her wheelchair?
This thought suddenly crossed Mr. Fisher’s mind, slowing his bib-tying motions. He stealthily compared her suddenly increased height, and Miss Valentina, who was adjusting the bib on her chest, noticed his gaze, causing her movents to slow down as well, leading Mr. Fisher to discreetly withdraw his observant eyes.
"...We will arrive in the Nebalon Kingdom tomorrow morning. I do not wish to discuss official matters at other tis, so while everyone is here, I would like to discuss tomorrow’s matters. After dinner, you can rest well."
Miss Valentina spoke softly, capturing everyone’s attention at the table, who now awaited her continuation.
She turned her head toward Sister Ilois, awkwardly tying her bib next to Mr. Fisher, pinched the Turand Family ring on her finger, and said,
"Sister Ilois, your fellow clan mbers in the Nebalon Kingdom have been repeatedly hard by unknown entities. You escaped an ordeal in the Sardinia Female Country, but that does not an you are immune. You might still experience sothing similar to what your kin did."
"But since it is the Turand Family that invited you back to your holand, we will do our utmost to ensure your safety. We have prepared a relic that can completely isolate you from external elents. After we arrive in the Nebalon Kingdom, you must stay inside it every night, absolutely no leaving. Do you understand?"
The relic Miss Valentina ntioned was likely the massive containnt ntioned earlier on the island. They had initially intended to open the scroll in this relic but could not take the scroll out of the island, which led them to seek Mr. Fisher’s help.
Sister Ilois’s face paled slightly, but still, she made a prayer-like gesture, nodding as she said,
"May the Mother Goddess bless... If I don’t see the moonlight... I won’t see those strange things..."
However, Miss Valentina shook her head in response, reminding her,
"When we were protecting your kin, they thought the sa, but the death of the Moon Rabbit Clan Leader has proven this thod ineffective. Moreover, in your Moon Rabbit Species altar, the likelihood of death is much higher than in other places. The earliest recorded deaths among your species occurred there... and afterward, deaths spread among your people like a contagion."
"I... I will stay inside that... relic!"
Upon receiving Sister Ilois’s affirmation, Miss Valentina finally looked satisfied and turned to Balzac, telling him,
"I have already inford our family about the Snow Fox Species Mark issue. They are currently discussing it with the Snow Fox Clan Leader, but honestly... the prospects are grim, and we might need to make a personal visit. Balzac, this is the information the family sent back about the distribution of the Sli Species. It’s quite chaotic, unclear which branch is orthodox. You’ll need to dig into the records to find out..."
Balzac took the note handed over by a maid standing behind him, furrowing his brows as he read the contents and then nodded in agreent. Philis, on the other hand, looked completely uninvolved, as if their conversation had nothing to do with her; she was probably wondering when she would finally get to eat.
"Finally... Mr. Fisher, since you share our interest in the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree, may I also rely on you in certain matters?"
Miss Valentina’s sudden interjection caught Mr. Fisher, who was also waiting for the al, off guard. He regained his composure, turned his head to see her strategy-calculating appearance, pinching the ring, and facing her silvery gaze, he nodded and said,
"Of course, if you trust ."
"Speaking of which, Fisher not only needed the Turand Family to combat Erwin chasing after him but also to fend off the assaults of Elizabeth who was pursuing him. Thinking of this, even Fisher felt a bit embarrassed facing the young Miss of the Turand Family."
At that mont, when she asked the question, Fisher agreed, although he knew it couldn’t be anything too important since she hadn’t fully trusted him yet.
"Alright, for now, you will act together with Mr. Helldor. Our actions will involve a lot of magic, and I have heard about your magical abilities even in the Northern Realm. You should find plenty of topics to discuss..."
"No problem."
Fisher nodded, then turned his head to look at Helldor beside him, only to find that he had paused for a long ti without responding until a bit of steam erged from beneath his face again, at which he nodded.
Being a chanically composed person, he naturally didn’t need to eat, but as a part of the team, he still appeared here.
Fisher keenly sensed a subtle connection between Valentina and Helldor, especially after learning that Helldor’s surna was also "Turand," but with no further information available, he buried this slight idea in his heart.
"Ladies and gentlen, dinner is served. Please enjoy your al."
The important matters before the al were roughly spoken, and Heidlin, wearing a very conspicuous jade hair crown, led a group of maids to the dining table, presenting them with a reasonably lavish dinner, all traditional food from the Northern Realm, including a small cup of beer.
Helldor had nothing in front of him and just watched his partners eat.
Once everything was ready, Valentina raised her beer and said to everyone at the table,
"Everyone, please pray..."
Whether believers of the Frost Phoenix or the Mother Goddess, it was customary for the followers to pray before eating. There were both at this table, but their practices did not clash. Ilois and Balzac, who worshipped the Mother Goddess, devoutly said, "Thank Mother Goddess for giving us food," while Valentina, Heidlin, and Helldor, who worshipped the Frost Phoenix, said, "Indulge under the shadow of the wings."
The rest who believed in nothing simply drank freely.
...
...
The atmosphere during the dinner was very pleasant. Valentina was the first to leave the table; she ate little and drank even less, tasting the beer and then leaving. Balzac and Celti followed next, both occupied with their obligations, leaving only the voraciously eating Philis and Fisher, who had just finished his dinner and was preparing to rest.
Helldor had not left either; instead, he continued to talk with Fisher,
"Sss... Mr. Fisher, if possible, would you like to visit my Magic Workshop? There are many fine tools and books... Valentina needs us to engrave more magic, and she surely wouldn’t be stingy with magic materials."
Contemplating Helldor’s invitation, Fisher thought for a few seconds and then nodded in agreent. He had nothing much else to do, so he might as well see what the workshop of this Turand Family Mage was like.
A Magic Workshop is where mages store various materials, books, and tools. Traditional mages prefer this term, like Mr. Helsen who had many such workshops. Modern mages like Fisher emphasize efficiency and convenience over having a permanent place for Magic Engraving. Simply put, Fisher could engrave anything with just a kitchen knife, losing so of the nobility and ceremonial feeling of a traditional mage.
But in reality, Fisher still enjoyed visiting other’s Magic Workshops. From the workshop’s item placent and material usage habits, you could quickly understand a mage’s temperant and skill level, and exchange insights on engraving magic. Why not?
"Hey, Philis, why do you eat so slowly every day? If you don’t finish soon, the maids won’t be able to rest!"
As Fisher and his group were preparing to leave, Heidlin, having finished her external affairs, ca in holding several hefty books, rather vexedly watching Philis who was still gnawing at her at.
She regretted preparing so much at today; this person didn’t like vegetables and only picked out the at to eat.
"Burp, I still wanted one... haha, alright, actually I’m full, burp..."
Philis, who still wanted another portion, patted her belly which was gradually becoming comparable to Ilois’s, but when she turned her head and saw the other’s dangerously stern expression, she sheepishly touched her head and changed her words.
"You really are sothing... By the way, Mr. Fisher, Miss Valentina said you didn’t have any warm clothes and asked to fetch so from the storage for you. If you and Mr. Helldor are busy and can pass your sizes, I can go get them... Well, if you don’t mind my traditional taste."
She held her cheeks and blinked at Fisher, drawing his gaze away from the books in her arms as she smiled and replied,
"Then I’ll trouble Miss Heidlin."
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