Chapter 248: The Fisherman Never Returns Empty-Handed (Vote for More Chapters

"Ha, ha, cough, cough..."

In the thick mist, a figure trudged wearily forward.

The mist was as solid as substance, obscuring his form in flickering glimpses, like a heavy burden pressing on his shoulders.

Each step he took was excruciatingly slow, his feet heavy and sluggish, as if carrying a weight many times his own.

It was as if unseen crowds were tugging at his body, unwilling to let him abandon them and leave alone.

Shi Diwen gasped for breath, unfastened his water flask, and took a sip, trying to moisten his dry throat.

"Ha, cough, cough!"

His body swayed unsteadily, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to collapse at any moment, his feet stumbling intermittently.

Yet despite such exhaustion, he did not stop moving.

He did not know why he could not stop, nor what it would mean.

But in his heart, a voice kept repeating—"Do not stop! Absolutely do not stop here!"

"Once you stop, you will never leave this place!"

Shi Diwen did not know whose voice it was, but he chose to believe it.

Perhaps it was the voice of a god.

It is guiding me.

And this… gave him a little extra strength in moments of despair.

"My Lord, protect your humble and faithful servant!"

Shi Diwen raised his still-intact right hand to his chest, gripping tightly the wooden plaque hanging around his neck.

The plaque's material was ordinary, engraved with a white dove in mid-flight, subtly altering the plaque's quality.

The dove's wings were painted crimson, transforming the once harmless bird into something eerie and dangerous.

The plaque looked unremarkable, yet it seemed Shi Diwen's last hope—trying to draw strength from it.

It was a shard cut from the Sacred Stake by his lord, personally engraved with this symbol.

Shi Diwen did not know what the symbol originally meant, but in his heart, it was equivalent to a divine emblem.

Was it an illusion? He felt as if warmth surged from the plaque, dispelling his fatigue and weakness.

His steps regained strength, firm and resolute as he moved forward.

"I will leave this place!"

"You cannot stop me!"

"No one can make me stop!"

Carrying these thoughts, Shi Diwen's resolve hardened, and he pressed on through the mist.

Perhaps he was lucky—he encountered no disturbances along the way.

No demonic creatures targeted him, no strange anomalies occurred.

The entire mist-shrouded forest felt like an ordinary wilderness, even safer than most.

After walking for who knew how long, he finally encountered an obstacle.

Ahead, there was no path.

Parting the thick mist, Shi Diwen came upon a lake, blocking his way.

A deep blue, clear lake, radiating a chilling cold.

The lake's surface was as still as a mirror, yet exuded an inexplicable dread.

When Shi Diwen's gaze fell upon the water, his eyes instantly filled with fear and turmoil.

"It's here…"

He was not unfamiliar with this lake.

It had appeared in his hazy, chaotic memories, swallowing one of his companions.

Shi Diwen's heart plunged into fierce struggle, his feet involuntarily halting.

"…"

He stood by the shore, staring at the water, memories of his friend being "swallowed" by the lake flashing endlessly in his mind.

Did she really jump into the water of her own accord?

Was that memory real—or false?

After regaining clarity, Shi Diwen grew increasingly doubtful of those memories; much of it had blurred, details forgotten.

Should he stop?

Turn back now?

He stood on the bank, staring at the lake, motionless for a long time.

But after much hesitation, he gripped the wooden plaque at his chest once more, his gaze gradually hardening.

"I cannot stop here."

Finally, he cast aside all doubts and took a step forward.

Thud.

Yet the moment he stepped forward to cross the lake, something shocking happened!

The previously calm water suddenly, as if receiving some command, split open before his eyes!

The lake parted down the middle, cleaved by invisible force, as if blocked by an unseen wall, forming a bizarre spectacle.

Shi Diwen could even see the damp, muddy bottom of the lake, still wet with sludge.

"This…"

Am I dreaming?

He tried to reach out and touch the water walls on either side, but as he drew near, the lake water drew back on its own, as if unwilling to make contact with him.

The lake water was retreating before him?

He stared blankly at everything before him, bit hard on the tip of his tongue, and hissed in a sharp breath of cold air at the pain.

"Hiss—!"

The clear pain told him that what lay before his eyes was no illusion, but a miracle truly and tangibly present in this world.

No.

"Is this a divine miracle?"

He instinctively took the wooden pendant from around his neck and gripped it in his hand.

Hum—

In an instant he seemed to hear an illusory humming sound, and the lake water on either side suddenly surged backward, retreating farther and farther from him!

Just as he had suspected!

Shi Diwen's eyes blazed, and the sight before him confirmed the guess in his heart!

Indeed, all of this strangeness was not because of his own appearance, but because of the deity he represented.

That deity truly existed.

The lake water was in awe of Him!

And just as this thought occurred to him, he noticed something else — the lake-water walls on either side were rapidly lowering.

In barely a moment, the entire lake completely dried up and vanished, leaving behind only a deep, dark hollow in the center that led to who-knew-where.

A sudden flash of insight came over him.

That his journey had been so peaceful, without any attack from the other beings within the mist… seemed not to be because he was lucky enough.

It was because of the deity's protection!

Shi Diwen's heart grew ever more grateful toward that god, and his faith in Him ever more devout!

"Praise my Lord!"

"You are…"

He wanted to imitate the priests he had seen before, to add a few more lines when praising the deity — things like extolling the god's revered name and the like.

But when the words reached his lips, he caught them in his throat.

The thought was a fine one.

The trouble was — he had no idea what to say.

He didn't even know the deity's true form, so he had no idea what to praise.

With no other choice, Shi Diwen could only repeat the same line over and over.

"Praise my Lord, praise my Lord, praise my Lord…"

And so…

There appeared a scene that, to any onlooker, would have looked utterly bizarre.

In the silent mist, a weak and exhausted middle-aged man was straining his throat, his face devout, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Praise my Lord!"

"Praise my Lord!!"

"Praise my Lord!!!"

He shouted with perfect cadence!

He shouted with full vigor!

His hoarse, rough voice echoed through the mist, gradually drifting into the distance, dissipating into the deeper, thicker fog.

To be fair, no matter how you looked at it, this man had already gone mad.

Having broken down after feeling the deity's majesty and receiving the knowledge the deity had bestowed.

Encountering such a scene, anyone who didn't know Shi Diwen's true situation would probably not dare approach him!

……

【"So, this is part of your plan? Heh heh."】Nie Nasha asked in a tone both playful and faintly teasing.

This has nothing to do with me, you know.

This is your own miscalculation, isn't it?

"Mm…"

And Herbert, faced with the teasing mockery of the Young Lady of the Heretic God, could only feel a bit helpless.

"Well, this is, uh, somewhat of a miscalculation."

In his original plan, Shi Diwen's role had been to serve as bait, to lure out the fellow hiding in the shadows.

But now, the situation had changed.

As bait, Shi Diwen's performance was a little too "dangerous."

And bait that will never take the hook has, in truth, no value at all.

Unfortunately, in this Misty Forest Fishing Competition, the bait himself failed in his duty and was judged to have not passed.

Shi Diwen's mental state was, frankly, a bit ahead of its time, far beyond Herbert's expectations.

What normal person walks through a forest shouting like that?

Do you have any respect for this forest?

Huh?

"Speaking of which, the Holy Grail's reaction was a bit more interesting than I expected."

When it encountered Shi Diwen, it didn't choose to flee right away, but first curiously "observed" him for a while.

Only after confirming that Shi Diwen really did have a connection with Herbert did he choose to flee in a panic.

"Is it afraid of me? Or curious about me?"

【"Maybe both scared and curious?"】

Nie Nasha made no attempt to hide her mockery, teasing: 【"After all, you two left quite a dee~p impression on it back then~"】

【"Aiya~ I did say it at the time, did your methods really have to be that rough~"】

【"Now look, who knows when we'll actually be able to properly communicate with it."】

【"Looks like in the end we can only keep using force to drag it out."】

"Is that so?"

Herbert shook his head, cutting off her teasing, and laughed: "Why do I feel that's not necessarily the case."

【"Oh? How are you planning to make contact with it?"】

"Hehe, don't rush — you'll know when the time comes."

Herbert shook his head, smiled, and said nothing.

Just at this level, and you think there's no hope?

Nie Nasha, my little friend, do you really think I'll only be able to use force from now on?

Naive, far too naive.

You're looking down on me a little, aren't you?

Herbert lowered his head, looked at the underground waterway still left on the ground, and revealed a meaningful smile.

"Don't rush, there's plenty of time to play with you later."

Isn't it just hide-and-seek?

Who can't do that!

Judging by all the behaviors and attitudes the Holy Grail has shown, Herbert felt it was just a not-very-bright silly roe deer.

Doesn't remember being fed, barely remembers being hit, no idea what's going on in its head.

For a creature like this, you can't use the same approach as with other intelligent beings — you should treat it like an ordinary animal.

Herbert mumbled a set of secrets for building a deep bond with animals: "Fixed time, fixed place, fixed amount — if it won't eat, take it away…"

"Hm? What are you saying?"

Fu Leimei turned her head at Herbert's mumbling, somewhat curious about what he was saying.

"Haha, nothing, just some tips for communicating with small animals."

Herbert smiled slightly, then tugged at the twin ponytails Fu Leimei had deliberately styled.

At this moment, the posture of the two of them was very unusual.

Unlike usual, Fu Leimei wasn't lying on Herbert's back — instead, Herbert was sitting on Fu Leimei's butt… ahem, fish tail.

Herbert had turned the tables and was riding on Fu Leimei.

The roles of attacker and defender have switched, folks.

That's right, this is Herbert's way of punishing Fu Leimei for her stubbornness in front of others earlier.

He's ridden a giant dragon, ridden a centaur — surely he can ride a mermaid too?

There's no such rule!

Ridden!

Of course, he still gave Fu Leimei some face — he didn't ride her in front of others, deliberately waiting until after leaving Elda Territory to take the initiative and mount her.

The twin ponytails are even easier to understand — the steering wheel.

Also, although it was called "punishment," Fu Leimei herself didn't really resist the act.

She was even somewhat enjoying it.

The two of them hid their forms and followed far behind Shi Diwen, while enjoying a view different from usual.

……

Shi Diwen walked wearily.

After passing through the dried-up lake, he encountered some other dangers on the road.

Sounds!

Like the sound of a zither drifting through the fog, the wind chimes coming from somewhere behind him, the faint indistinguishable sobbing of a woman, the splashing of water…

Those sounds made him very nervous, and he couldn't help quickening his pace.

But for some reason, those sounds didn't fade into the distance — instead they kept following right behind him… like a shadow!

He's run into a ghost!

He uneasily gripped the wooden plaque engraved with the white dove emblem, trying to draw strength from it.

Finally, at some unknown moment, Shi Diwen, who had been walking with his head down, suddenly froze, feeling he had passed through an invisible barrier.

What!!?

He raised his head and saw the long-missed gold.

The sun.

The sky.

"Walk… walked out!!!"

"Hahaha!"

Shi Diwen looked at the long-missed blue sky, and couldn't help feeling a sting in his nose.

Thud!

He dropped to his knees heavily, threw his head back, and pressed his hands hard against his cheeks, trying to resist the tears gushing out.

But he had failed.

Tears streamed freely, soaking his beard and the front of his coat.

After venting for quite a while, he finally rose slowly, his gaze more resolute than ever before.

"Lily! My beloved daughter!"

He did not look back at the mist behind him, striding forward, murmuring firmly under his breath: "Wait for me at home, be good!"

"This time, Daddy really has found a place for you to belong!"

"Even without a great deal of money, I can still build you a pure land."

"A true pure land—a place where even a half-blood can live safely!!!"

He clenched the wooden tag in his hand—it was his spiritual anchor, and also the token the lord had given him.

When he returned here again holding this token, he would only need to activate it, and someone would come to bring him back to the pure land…

"Eh? What was that place called again?"

Shi Diwen froze, suddenly realizing he seemed to have forgotten the name of that pure land, unable to describe it clearly at all.

The memory existed, but it was as if shrouded in a layer of mist, leaving only the most crucial information.

"Could this… be a protection for me?"

Shi Diwen froze, then gratefully lowered his head: "Praise be to my Lord!"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Herbert, having finished his covert battle in the wild, carried the sea-monster Young Lady—who had gone limp as a puddle—on his shoulder, and set off on the road back toward the Mist Monastery on the other side.

Pipi shrimp, let's go!

Let's go.

The fishing failed, we… wait, when did I come up empty?

Didn't I just catch a fish?

Herbert shifted Fu Leimei on his back, nodding in satisfaction.

"Mm, not small."

"Should be getting lost in the monastery by now."

(End of this chapter)