The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

It was still the boundless wilderness, a bright, sunny morning approaching noon. On the spacious two-lane carriage road, Fisher walked forward, clutching his wound, accompanied by Eimhart floating in mid-air beside him.

Eimhart looked at Fisher, who seemed lost in thought, while flying. Unable to hold back any longer, he asked,

"Why is your expression suddenly so... strange? Especially after hearing about that 'New Dragon Court.' It's really weird. I've heard of the old Femabaha Dragon Court, but when did this 'New Dragon Court' pop up?"

Fisher shook his head and replied,

"Although this is my first time hearing the term, I have a rough guess about its formation... Hmm, but that guess isn't so accurate either, especially after seeing that Goblin speaking Nari Language just now."

Eimhart looked at him curiously. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't figure out the reason behind Fisher's "not so accurate" comment, so he directly asked,

"Why is that?"

Fisher looked at the rising smoke ahead and muttered,

"If she established the Dragon Court, then that Goblin just now shouldn't have been speaking Nari Language; he should have been speaking Fimabahah Draconic Court Language."

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that! Wait, you can speak Fimabahah Draconic Court Language? When did you learn it? I never heard you mention it."

Intensely curious, Eimhart flew closer, clicking his tongue as he observed Fisher, whose face still held a thoughtful expression. Then, as if discovering something, he smirked and said,

"Oh, oh, oh, I get it... Fisher, the 'she' you just mentioned couldn't possibly be that lady you were involved with long before meeting me, right? The one you mentioned when you confessed to Lord Renee earlier... The Ra... Ra-something from the Southern Continent?"

Looking at the gloating Eimhart, Fisher sighed and finished his sentence for him,

"Her name is Raphaela... Also, when did Renee become 'Lord Renee' in your mouth?"

"You forgot? I defected from your side to Lord Renee's camp ages ago. I have a feeling that sooner or later, you're going to get knifed by this Raphaela, or Jasmine, or Valentiina Turan, or someone similar. And when that happens, I can beautifully claim that 'I was ordered by Lord Renee to supervise you.'"

Fisher glanced at him and, surprisingly, didn't argue. Instead, he said,

"You're right. But there's also Helaire."

Eimhart's previously excited and lively expression froze the moment he heard that evil angel's name. Then, his face contorted as if he had eaten a ton of flies. He spat repeatedly and said,

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't mention that guy! Fisher! You simply don't understand the severity of the situation! She is terrifying. Getting involved with her will do you exactly zero good!"

"The problem is, I'm already involved with her. Based on what you said, shouldn't she be someone who does everything for a specific purpose? Or do you think her purpose with me has already been fulfilled, and she won't pester me anymore?"

"This..."

Eimhart grumbled silently in the air for a long time but couldn't squeeze out a single word to refute Fisher. Only after a long while did he say, giving up on himself,

"You're beyond saving, Fisher. Just wait for death."

"..."

Fisher smiled slightly and didn't respond, continuing to walk forward with Eimhart. It wasn't long before a rather large city came into Fisher and Eimhart's view.

Unlike the cities Fisher had previously seen in the Southern Continent, this city no longer had those towering walls used to defend against Demi-humans in the wilderness. It was as if those walls were a thing of the past for this place.

It was an emerging city. Rather than "city," Fisher felt more accustomed to using the Nari term "township" to describe the place ahead. Although not as luxurious as Pherone City, which they had seen before, it was at least bustling with people.

Following this carriage road, carriages occasionally drove out of the town, though it was unclear if they were just passing through or originating from there.

Although Fisher was at the Mythic Rank, he wasn't in a hurry at the moment. He was still heavily injured from being blasted by Renee's power earlier. The fact that he was still clutching his kidneys showed that he was still a long way from full recovery, so he simply decided to walk over slowly.

While breathing the air of this era, Eimhart, feeling bored, started chatting with Fisher.

"That Raphaela is a Dragon-kin, right?"

"Yes, she has crimson scales."

"Red? That's quite a rare color for Dragon-kin..."

"She is very special. Steam even rises from her body. When her scales lie flat, she feels warm, smooth, and very comfortable to touch."

Eimhart squinted at Fisher, then sarcastically remarked,

"Why does that sound so perverted... But now that you mention it, it seems all the ladies around you aren't normal. Elizabeth has already become the Empress of Nari, Alajina is a great pirate renowned across the four seas, Valentiina Turan is the last phoenix, and now you have a Tail-Compatible Partner from the Dragon-kin..."

"They are all very outstanding, not abnormal."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"Do about what?"

"Your Tail-Compatible Partner! Didn't you say earlier that her scales lie flat for you? That is the sign of a Dragon-kin's Tail Compatibility!"

Eimhart flew right in front of Fisher and said loudly,

"For the Dragon-kin, it's either no Tail Compatibility, or once it happens, they don't easily change it. They hold absolute faith in this marriage chosen by the [Soul]. When I traveled the Southern Continent in the past, I read many poems and [Dragon Songs] given by Dragon-kin to their partners. Heh, and after a Tail-Compatible Dragon-kin has been without their partner's company for a long time, you're going to tell her 'you've been messing with flowers and grass from outside' upon your return. I feel like your chances of survival are unclear..."

Eimhart analyzed reasonably, and Fisher even felt he was already considering slipping away to defect to Renee.

"I'll take it one step at a time. Before seeing her, I need to make some preparations... Luckily, it's just her here. In the Southern Continent, Eliog should still be in the Abyss and hasn't come out. Excluding the time spent in the past, it should only have been a year since I left the Southern Continent. I knew she was going to fight for the freedom of her compatriots when I left, but I didn't expect her progress to be so rapid, actually reaching this stage..."

As mentioned before, Raphaela's hometown was the South Branch Dragon-kin Tribe, located near the ocean in the southern part of the Southern Continent. The spot where Fisher was currently standing was already located towards the northern end of the Southern Continent. If that Goblin earlier called this place the "New Dragon Court," it probably meant Raphaela had more or less unified the Southern Continent.

"Ha, that does seem to be the case."

At the end of his comment, Fisher and Eimhart simultaneously stopped in front of the town ahead. A flag symbolizing something fluttered in the wind atop a building on the town's edge, prompting them to take a few extra glances.

The flag was entirely green. In its center, an enormous black dragon with giant wings was roaring, bearing its fangs and brandishing its claws. It seemed to represent the existence worshipped by the ancient Dragon Courts: Fafnir. Above Fafnir's body, set against the green background, a golden, eye-like sun dominated the upper section, as if staring down from across the void at everyone gazing upon the flag.

Below, written in orthodox Fimabahah Draconic Court Language, was:

"New Dragon Court"

"Where are we going?"

Walking through the town, Fisher observed the various Demi-humans and humans around him. Many interesting industrial products had appeared here, many of which he had seen in his homeland on the West Continent. Quite a few Demi-humans cast subtle, inscrutable, sizing-up glances at Fisher as he walked into the town.

Keenly sensing the gazes coming from all directions and corners, Fisher waved his hand and tucked Eimhart into his torn, ragged pocket, saying,

"Let's grab a bite first."

"Eat? Do you even have money? You were nearly blasted bare-bottomed by Baimon; you don't even have a single hair left."

He probably still had hair, but it was true he didn't have any money. However, Fisher wasn't anxious. He merely walked toward a visible wooden building that bluntly read "Restaurant" in Draconic Court Language.

There were pitifully few people inside. Only a fat-eared Pig-Man wearing linen clothes stood behind the counter—which also served as a kitchen and breakroom—looking at something in his hands. When he heard the restaurant door open, the fine hairs on his body suddenly stood on end uncontrollably, making his entire person uncomfortable.

This heart-palpitating feeling felt as if it were etched into his genes—an instinctive desire for survival, much like standing on the edge of a bottomless cliff, about to fall.

But when he inevitably looked up, he realized the person walking in was a handsome human man dressed like a beggar, but with an exceptionally clean face and body.

He opened his mouth and was just about to use broken Nari Language to say,

"Welcome, what would you like..."

Unexpectedly, the other party also spoke in Draconic Court Language,

"I'd like to get something to eat, but I don't have any money on me. Can I use something else to compensate?"

The Pig-Man was slightly startled, then replied,

"Besides 'Dragon Court Coins,' we also accept 'Nario' here."

"Nario?"

Fisher raised an eyebrow, but the Pig-Man nonetheless saw that the other party didn't seem to have Nario either. He even started to suspect this human had come to rob him. But those who visited this place in the past were all big bosses running factories, and this guy didn't look like the wheat-skinned locals of the Southern Continent...

The Pig-Man decided to play it safe, thinking that if worse came to worst, he'd just treat him to a meal for free. But outwardly, he still asked,

"Then... what is the item you wish to use as compensation?"

"Magic, is that acceptable? I can engrave a low-ring spell for you to offset the cost of this meal. It should be worth more than the meal itself..."

"Shh!!"

Just as Fisher was about to continue, the Pig-Man's face suddenly changed. Abandoning even his wariness of Fisher, he hastily stood up and waved his hands frantically at him, saying,

"Are you crazy? I don't deal in contraband here! Hurry up and leave, you're not welcome here! Don't draw the Dragon Court Picket over..."

"Contraband?"

Fisher raised an eyebrow, the look of confusion on his face growing thicker.

He increasingly felt that there was something off about the place he was in—an awkward sense of having traveled back from the past only to suddenly find himself unable to keep up with the times.

But seeing the chubby Pig-Man shrinking so far back he was almost hiding behind the counter, Fisher realized the other party wasn't joking.

What exactly was going on? Was magic considered contraband here?

Fisher exchanged a bewildered glance with Eimhart, who was hiding in his jacket. Just then, a delicate, pale, small hand suddenly raised behind him, aiming straight for Fisher's shoulder.

But the instant that small hand lifted, Fisher's excessively high rank immediately sensed something approaching.

His eyes turned cold. The moment he looked back, the shorter figure behind him instantly froze in place, as if stared at by something terrifying, not daring to move.

"And you are?"

The person reaching to pat Fisher's shoulder was a young human girl wearing a beret slightly larger than her head. Her skin wasn't exactly fair but had a good complexion. Her dark red shoulder-length hair formed a manageable fringe over her forehead, and a pair of sunglasses obscured most of her facial features.

But given Fisher's high rank, such concealments were practically transparent to him. Thus, Fisher still managed to see the girl's somewhat heroic and bold countenance.

Her attire was rather gender-neutral: a white shirt paired with linen-colored overalls held up by brown leather straps, buttoned up tightly to the top. A camera of unknown make hung around her neck. She clutched a relatively thick dark brown jacket in her right hand, but she had taken it off perhaps due to the rather hot weather that day.

At this moment, she had been terrified by Fisher's predatory backward glance. Her small face turned pale, and she panted heavily, her body frozen. However, after hearing Fisher's question, she forced a smile, reached out her hand, and spoke to the Pig-Man owner behind him in Draconic Court Language,

"Boss, his meal is on me."

The Pig-Man owner in the distance wiped his sweat and stood up. He originally wanted to refuse, but seeing the Nario banknotes waving in the girl's hand, he reluctantly said,

"Alright, hurry and come in. Also, I didn't hear anything just now."

Fisher raised an eyebrow without giving any response, and the girl, frightened by his imposing aura, took the opportunity to slip past him into the simple restaurant.

Out on the street, all sorts of Demi-humans were looking in their direction. Fisher cast a glance over there, and they all scampered away like frightened mice.

Then, after hesitating briefly, he didn't reject the suddenly appearing human girl and likewise stepped into the somewhat cramped restaurant.

The reason was simple: he sensed the faint fluctuations of about a dozen spells on this girl. Furthermore, it seemed that in order to conceal these spells, she—or perhaps another expert—had employed a very clever "nested structure," much like how Fisher had hidden Elizabeth's letter in Masha's rental house back in Nari. But the nesting technique on this girl wasn't top-tier, so it was easily exposed when facing a magician of Fisher's caliber.

However, this did confirm that what the Pig-Man said earlier was true: in this place, magic really had become contraband.

At the same time, Fisher also felt this place was very strange, as if he didn't recognize it at all since returning from the past. He urgently needed a window to gather information quickly. Perhaps this girl, who suddenly offered to pay for his meal and had some particular motive, was a good opportunity.

Fisher's eyes swept over her red hair and the slightly exposed tattoo on her back. The tattoo was written in Chevalie Language, meaning there was a high probability this girl was a Schwalian from the West Continent...

Right then, Eimhart nudged him with his head from within his jacket. Fisher looked down to see Eimhart glaring at him dead serious.

"Fisher, you need to restrain yourself. No more. Any more would just be impolite. Do you think your lifespan is too long?"

Fisher was totally baffled and asked,

"More? More what?"

Unexpectedly, Eimhart gritted his teeth and added in a low voice,

"Don't ask 'more what'! You haven't been back long, and upon meeting a lady, your eyes are about to pierce right through her!"

"..."

Faced with Eimhart's misunderstanding, Fisher was rendered completely speechless. Too lazy to clarify, he just silently shoved Eimhart back inside, preventing him from showing his face again.

"I've already turned over a new leaf."

Then, he pulled up a chair and approached the girl, who was waiting in front of the counter for the Pig-Man chef to turn around and prepare their food.

She hadn't taken off her sunglasses and was even a bit nervous. When Fisher walked over, her body twitched involuntarily, but at least her facial expression remained relatively calm.

Fisher glanced at her, then placed his stool a short distance away. After sitting down, he asked in Chevalie Language,

"How may I address you?"

The girl was a bit surprised but quickly calmed down. She adjusted her sunglasses, turned to Fisher, and introduced herself,

"Just call me [Ingrid]. What about you?"

"Fisher."

She nodded, bringing up a feeling that she had heard this name somewhere before, but she had probably forgotten and thus couldn't recall it immediately.

She looked back at the pig-headed chef and continued conversing with Fisher in Chevalie Language, which the chef wouldn't understand.

"You don't look like a local from the Dragon Court either. You're from the West Continent too... Hmm, Kadu?"

She glanced at Fisher's black hair and made a rather confident guess, but only received Fisher's denial.

"No, I'm from somewhere else... What's your purpose in treating me to this meal?"

"Ah, indeed I have one. But there's no rush; let's eat first. The food in the Southern Continent probably won't suit the tastes of us West Continent folks, but the portions are definitely filling, just like in Schwari. Manage with it for now. I have a few things I'd like to ask you afterward."

Ingrid smiled lightly, then slapped a few not-too-new but not-too-old Nario banknotes onto the table.

Fisher lowered his eyes, and the shiny, new-style Nario immediately met his gaze.

On the 100-denomination Nario note, besides the usual trio of well-wishes, the Golden Palace vows, and various symbols, there was a prominent sketch portrait of a majestic, exceptionally gentle blonde lady smiling in profile.

Beneath it, written in ornate Nari script, were the words:

"The Great, Divine, and Only Empress, Elizabeth I"