Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 189: Deep in the Shadows

He must secure that pen.

Teest’s “God’s Forsaken” was very useful, so there wasn’t any harm in not getting rid of it for now. “Physical Destruction” was also protecting himself temporarily. After he completed the transaction with Perradat, perhaps a way to solve the memory seal could be found. Then, getting rid of “Physical Destruction” could significantly enhance their combat power.

‘It shouldn’t be too expensive,’ Nol thought.

Few people would receive such a stubborn curse like he and Teest have. “Supreme Blessing” wasn’t irreplaceable. It just had a “cure-all” gimmick, so people didn’t need to look for curse-breaking items of specific categories. Moreover, it was a one-time use thing, which was somewhat underwhelming.

Only those like the Alva Merchant Group, who had more money than they knew what to do with, would be willing to buy it.

First, bid on the pen and secure it. As for the money, they would cross that bridge when they came to it—gold for debt, barter, force cracking passwords—he could think of more than three methods in an instant.

“You two, there’s…”

Nol turned his head and raised his twinkling, round eyes. Mentor and Billy stopped talking and looked at him simultaneously. Nol was about to continue when the chill around him intensified. Something cold seeped into his scales, like ice quietly brushing across the back of his neck.

The rest of his sentence changed when it reached his lips. “…Is there any fresh juice? The wine just now was a bit bitter.”

Billy nodded. He picked a bottle of peach pulp from the shelf and poured a small dish for Nol. Outside the booth, the bidding for “Supreme Blessing” had already started—not as hot as Nol had speculated, with only some big merchants bidding.

Nol licked the iced peach pulp while the gears in his mind almost flew out of his head.

Something was off—very off.

If it weren’t for the Old Duke suddenly changing the auction item category, they would have left the auction early and wouldn’t have seen these items. Now, not only had they seen them, but there also happened to be something he really wanted.

A precious item with a guaranteed source from the system.

Of course, all this could again be a coincidence.

After all, aside from Nol and Teest, only Lynn and Painter knew about the “curse”. Even Perradat wasn’t clear about the details, let alone Star Stealer Sol.

…But, what if Star Stealer Sol was spying on all this?

…While they were investigating it, it was also likely investigating them. Their involvement in the auction through the Eternal Church would be discovered sooner or later. If Star Stealer Sol suddenly realized Paradise’s sudden interest in a “curse-breaking item”…

New prices lit up. “Supreme Blessing” was about to be auctioned.

Should he give up this hard-earned item? Or gamble that all this was just a coincidence, they were just extremely lucky, or this was subtle support from the system?

No, it couldn’t be the system’s support.

If the system wanted to give them something indirectly, it could simply make “Supreme Blessing” a quest reward. In previous quests, its rewards were mostly sourced locally.

Setting up ordinary quest rewards, then placing truly useful items in positions that “could easily be missed, even if found, was hard to obtain,” was too roundabout. It didn’t make sense to go to such lengths.

Nol took a deep breath and changed the topic casually.

“Seeing the Alva Merchant Group bid for the first time,” he licked the sweet juice slowly, “I thought they would be interested in higher-level stuff.”

Golden Sword Billy dryly let out a “ha”. “Believe me. The big shots like anything convenient for treatment. Their bidding for this item is like going to a pharmacy to buy a bottle of medicine.”

Mentor casually took over the conversation. “Such ‘universal’ items are indeed attractive, but instead of using them, I’d prefer to dissect them for study…”

Nol listened silently. Amidst the noisy background, “Supreme Blessing” eventually fell into the hands of the Alva family.

He could hear his heart pounding. Perhaps he made a big mistake, missing the chance to get the precious item. Maybe—

“The next item, also from the Rizzi Caravan, ‘Hand of God’!”

“Guaranteed by the magicians of the Alva Merchant Group, just by wearing these white gloves and touching the target’s eyes, you can control the blessing status on the target! Whether to maintain or turn off, it’s all up to you!”

“Also a creation of God, friends. It will automatically fit the user’s hand size. Look at this pure and beautiful white! It can even be used an unlimited number of times!”

“Blessings are indeed beautiful things, but sometimes they expose you to malicious gazes. With these gloves, you can sneak into the lairs of those dark creatures…”

Nol nearly choked on his juice.

If it wasn’t for his dragon form, Mentor and Billy would definitely see the cold sweat on his forehead.

He guessed right.

This was definitely a probe.

Star Stealer Sol must have discovered the “unable to directly look at Teest” thing, but it was unclear how they did it. Considering their limited power right now, Star Stealer Sol would suspect the system was playing tricks.

Various enhancement statuses, abnormal statuses, blessings, and curses. The system could give them so much; considering the instability of enhancement and abnormal statuses, blessings or curses were more likely.

If Star Stealer Sol knew this, forcibly unraveling Teest’s curse… Nol felt a chill down his spine.

“I want the ‘Hand of God’. Can we really not bid for anything?” Nol decisively spoke up.

“Considering your state, I thought you would want ‘Supreme Blessing’.” Golden Sword Billy was somewhat surprised.

“Haven’t you promised to help us obtain other curse-breaking items? I don’t want to compete with the Alva Merchant Group,” Nol said indifferently. “I have other uses for the ‘Hand of God’.”

As soon as his words fell, there was movement in the Alva family’s booth. They seemed quite interested in the “Hand of God”. Nol wasn’t surprised at all.

Mentor sat in the armchair, humming ambiguously. “Speaking of which, how does this auction trade? After winning the bid, is it directly delivered to the auction representative, or—”

Billy was quite straightforward. “It’s under the personal name of Duke Alva. He wouldn’t just buy one or two items. The goods will be stored in the auction room first and delivered to a designated place after the auction ends.”

“Maybe we can rob them on the way.” Mentor suggested gently. “I don’t want to compete with the Alva Merchant Group either.”

Billy opened his mouth looking like he had just bitten into a bitter melon.

“You’ve mentioned taking things from private treasuries before.” He poured himself another cup of ice water. “Are you sure you still want to rob?”

Mentor smiled slightly, fully embodying the rogue spirit of a Player. “If it’s on the way, why not?”

Nobody noticed that Nol’s tiny dragon claw was ice cold. He mentally gathered his claws with lingering fear, but they couldn’t warm up.

Just a tiny detail; a little bit closer, and Star Stealer Sol was about to gain the next step ahead.

If he wasn’t cautious enough, they might end up as Perradat II, losing without knowing why.

From now on, he had to be doubly careful with every decision. This place was definitely under Star Stealer Sol’s watch, Nol thought.

Teest, you better be safe.

……

Teest was indeed fine.

His task was simple: to clear the path to the residence of Old Duke Alva in advance, tamper with the detection devices and defensive magic along the way, so they could escape through this path when the time came.

If one was talking about surprises, it wasn’t without. Old Duke Alva had set up something that frequently rendered his “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ineffective, causing patrol members to turn his way from time to time. Fortunately, the Mad Monk quickly figured out a better way to hide—

The corridor was carpeted and decorated with various jewels and furs along the way. Once someone approached, Teest would swiftly pounce on the nearest fur. Then he would immediately spread his body, position his tail properly, and pretend to be a soft, harmless, snow-white fur mat.

As long as he pressed his ears against his head, closed his eyes, and hid his pink nose and paw pads, he appeared to be nothing more than a fluffy white mass. Fortunately, he had chosen a long-haired cat, Teest secretly rejoiced. His method of physical stealth worked time and again.

…Until he actually neared the Old Duke’s residence.

The scent of incense in the air was much fainter, replaced by fresh floral fragrances. Teest lowered his body, trying to minimize his presence.

This place was connected to a small garden, home to many exotic beasts wearing uniform golden collars and pendant tags, likely pets kept by Old Duke Alva.

Finally, Teest’s method of physical stealth encountered a flaw—several animals with keen senses kept staring at him, their heads turning as he moved.

With his destination within reach, Teest’s paws began to sweat. A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and charged at a golden-nosed stoat about his size.

He pinned the unfortunate stoat in the bushes, beating it mercilessly and stealing its collar and pendant tag. Ensuring the other was unconscious deep in the bushes, Teest tidied his fur of broken leaves and grass, putting on the new golden collar.

Now, he strutted up the corridor with his tail held high, righteously.

An attendant passing by glanced at him. Teest saw hesitation on their face, which then turned into confusion and fear.

Good. The kid must be pondering where this “new white cat” came from, whether the boss had bought a new pet, and if he had overlooked something in his job.

As long as he acted confident enough, these guys would doubt themselves. After all, he looked very expensive, fitting for this unfortunate White Light Castle.

Teest confidently “meowed” a few times. Seeing the servant still hesitating in place, he deliberately jumped to a higher spot. He looked at the servant as he slowly pushed an antique vase at the edge of the table.

The unfortunate vase made a dull scraping sound, gradually tilting towards the floor—

“Ah—!” The servant jolted, quickly stepping forward and catching the vase before it could fall.

After righting the vase, he carefully picked up the cat, placed it at the edge of the pet garden, then quickly fled the scene to avoid a potential compensation disaster.

Teest ignored the curious animals that came close, again raising his tail high and leisurely walking towards his destination.

However, the Mad Monk’s heart wasn’t as leisurely as it appeared on the surface.

The intensity of the devices and defenses along the way exceeded his expectations, within the White Light Castle, even “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” wasn’t unobstructed. Elder Alva surely collected many system defense devices, so he had to be even more cautious.

Luckily, the Swamp Witch was rare. The planners didn’t anticipate someone would cast a “weakening permanent curse” on themselves, and so he wasn’t exposed. Had he scouted in human form, even with a False God’s prowess, it would be hard to say.

Speaking of which, his Nol would never leave such security loopholes. Teest thought as he damaged another magical sensor.

Wondering what would be at the auction, it would be nice if there were useful items.

Unfortunately, going back was a bit risky. After clearing the escape route, he had to wait for Fischer’s “delivery”—the White Demon wasn’t an auction item and was still under the custody of the Eternal Church before delivery.

At this moment, the team of cultists guarding the White Demon was inside White Light Castle, waiting for the auction to end and for the delegates to return. The White Demon would be delivered to the appraisal room along with the auctioned items.

The delivery team was different from the auction hall; it was always monitored by mercenaries hired by the Alva Merchant Group. Teest didn’t get too close, hiding outside the room in the bushes, quietly using his dominion skill.

A few meters away in a cage, Fischer’s fingers moved on their own, drawing lines of text in the air.

[Wait patiently while we handle the inspection. Is everything normal?] Teest signaled, then relaxed control, feeling Fischer’s own movements.

[Praise be to my God.] Fischer wrote in ornate script. [I always pray for Your glory.]

A lot of nonsense. Teest’s fur almost exploded, but due to the low efficiency of communication, he had to patiently wait.

[All believers are under surveillance. They are waiting for me. They firmly believe I disguised myself and went to the auction hall.]

Fischer curled up in the cage, his fingertips hidden in loose fabric. [There are ten mercenaries guarding—above-average in combat. I’m confident I can take them out in two seconds. But there are many defensive magic devices here, making it easy to kill but hard to escape.]

[That’s not for you to worry about,] Teest responded coldly, making Fischer’s fingertips poke the floor. [I’ll ask again, is everything normal?]

It took three or four seconds for Fischer to respond. [Yes.]

[You replied too late. Speak if there’s an issue.]

[Just a trivial matter.] Fischer hurriedly explained. [I’m a mixed siren. Just four hours ago, I sensed the presence of the siren tribe. Those presences quickly moved westward, at an incredible speed.]

Teest twitched his whiskers. [The siren tribe fleeing?]

Ship Island was so immense that you couldn’t see the sea at a glance. The “ground” was so stable that it was startling. Had Fischer not mentioned it, Teest almost forgot they were at sea.

[That’s not the speed of fleeing. It’s more like Ship Island itself is moving rapidly eastward.] Fischer patiently explained. [Ship Island often suddenly adjusts its position. My subordinates think it’s not a big issue.]

Moving rapidly eastward?

The Golden Sea itself was vast. Further east was the Endless Sea. As known to all, the Endless Sea was nothing but a void. To cross the Endless Sea and approach Desolate Island from the other side, that was nearly half a planet’s circumference, requiring at least a week. Unless the passengers were fools, they would definitely notice something amiss.

It seemed Fischer might be right. This was just a temporary route adjustment.

Hmm… Teest silently noted this, continuing to patiently squat in the bushes.

The process that followed was exactly as they had planned before.

Mentor and Golden Sword carried their identity tags returned, masks always on their faces. Nol continued to hide under Mentor’s robe, while Teest, reluctantly held by Billy, removed the golden collar.

Billy, making his first public appearance holding a snow-white large cat, was naturally identified as Mr. Pope’s disguise. Billy played his part well, standing at the forefront of the group.

During the inspection phase, the appraisal room needed the blood of the White Demon. Mentor slowly took a little, swapping it with Teest’s blood midway, passing the test smoothly.

[I’m a bit nervous,] Nol said.

After entering, they must quickly seal the space, deal with the Old Duke depending on the situation, then escape through the route Teest had prepared in advance. Any mistake, and Star Stealer Sol might pop up from all corners like mushrooms after the rain.

[If you’re willing to use Kando, the plan would be much simpler. At least we wouldn’t have to suffer like this.]

Teest, held by Billy, stiffened like a specimen.

[If Kando makes a move, Star Stealer Sol will definitely recognize him. It’s better to keep a low profile.] Nol tried to cover himself with Mentor’s black robe; his tail tip was almost exposed just now from being distracted.

Besides, he hadn’t given up on the idea of robbing the Alva Merchant Group’s items.

Step by step, the Eternal Church’s team moved towards the interior, and the surroundings grew darker.

Finally, the door to Old Duke Alva’s residence slowly opened before them.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 188: Supreme Blessing

When he was making the game, Nol paid attention to popular trends.

Among these, “thwarting opponents’ key plans by using knowledge from a rebirth” was a particularly satisfying trope for many. Now, he suddenly had a concrete feeling of it, albeit from the perspective of being “inexplicably thwarted”.

The Eternal Church could create time-reversion blood potions, so it was inevitable that Star Stealer Sol would possess similar capabilities. Perhaps unbeknownst to them, Star Stealer Sol had quietly intervened.

Otherwise, where would such unreasonable obstacles suddenly come from?

Fortunately, the “laws of time” were unrelated to the system, and the torrents of the past were destined to remain unchanged. Not even gods could transcend the cosmic order itself.

Even if Star Stealer Sol returned from a future point in time, he could only change minor details—each member of this four-person team was a heavyweight, and Star Stealer Sol couldn’t make them die prematurely.

Nol lay at the bottom of the cage. His mouth was between his paws as he quietly thought.

If everything was truly “coincidental”, that would be best. If Star Stealer Sol was secretly hindering them, it indicated their investigative direction was correct. Since their lives were temporarily safe, the priority was to continue with the original plan.

Figure out a way to infiltrate the White Light Castle. Figure out a way to infiltrate White Light Castle… Right, they seem to have a Pope lying in solitary confinement. 

They could turn a mistake into an opportunity, delivering the goods passionately by presenting Fischer disguised as the White Demon. The Eternal Church was also a seller at the auction, and since they couldn’t act as sellers themselves, why not hitch a ride on this opportunity?

[Fischer.] He prodded Teest with his mind, and the cat knight immediately perked up his ears.

Teest instantly understood. [You want to use the Eternal Church.]

Since Fischer was one of theirs and they had all the necessary intelligence and evidence, they just had to lie about being undercover Eternalists to infiltrate the auction.

Thus, after the dinner, “Pope Fischer”, holding a large cat, appeared in the Eternalists’s room.

Nol immediately saw the real Fischer in the cage.

Mr. Pope diligently played the role of the White Demon, but his gaze inevitably lingered on the white cat. Fortunately, Mr. Mad Monk’s appearance was cute enough. It was normal for children to be interested in cats.

“May everything be eternal. We have been looking for you.”

The masked cultists bowed one after another.

“I have my own matters to attend to.” Nol cleared his throat, adopting a thoroughly villainous tone as he gently petted the cat in his arms.

Without a High Priest accompanying, there were only some high-level cultists here. “Fischer”, as the boss, naturally didn’t need to explain his schedule to his employees.

Teest looked at these once-standard prey, and his paws alternately kneaded Nol’s arm.

“This time, the auction is managed by Markus and Brice. Hand over the seller’s proof. I want to replace them,” Nol said casually, nodding towards Mentor behind him.

For secrecy, they had specifically sent away Golden Sword Billy, saying they would find a way to obtain the identity proof.

According to Billy’s words, if the seller was a group, it was permitted to temporarily change representatives.

As long as they passed the identity verification, the auction only recognized the group’s identity tag—after all, some people didn’t want to expose their personal identities, especially shady organizations like the Eternal Church.

Mentor now wore a black cloak, his face hidden in the shadows. Just add a cultist mask, and he looked exactly like a villain.

Faced with the Pope’s direct order, the fanatical Eternalists naturally didn’t question. Only Fischer held the cage’s metal bars tightly, staring intensely at the large white cat.

[No wonder both sides chose zealots for their high ranks.] Nol scratched the soft cat ears.

[They would commit suicide immediately if you asked them to.] Teest replied with a purr, his disdain unmistakable even beneath the rumbling. [Ridiculous guys.]

Saying so, he pushed his other ear forcefully into Nol’s palm.

“That thing, remember to send it on time.” Mentor suddenly spoke up, his staff pointing at Fischer in the cage. His tone was very natural, filled with authoritative commands.

True to his reputation as a seasoned professor, even Nol tensed for a moment.

“As soon as the auction ends, we will send it immediately.” The Eternalists by the cage hurriedly bowed. “Of course, we will have the elders confirm again.”

“Good.” Mentor stroked his chin, and he took the identity proofs handed over by the cultists.

The moment the proof was in hand, a magical black fog surged up. When it dissipated, the “Pope” and his subordinates vanished. Fischer withdrew his gaze in disappointment—his silver-white God had only glanced around upon entering, then spent the rest of the time looking towards Nol without any eye contact with him.

God was always like this. But this time, he had successfully made an offering, and God would remember.

Fischer closed his eyes, continuing to pray within the iron cage.

……

Thanks to the sponsorship of the Eternal Church, the group successfully entered White Light Castle.

The interior of White Light Castle was even more luxurious than the exterior, cleverly avoiding any sense of extravagance.

Deep into the night, White Light Castle remained as bright as day.

In the corridors, there were no overly complicated crystal chandeliers, only elegantly designed wall and ceiling lights, with the lighting arranged just right. Each light was adorned with gem-made floral patterns, each of which could be sold as top-tier jewelry.

The elegant wallpaper was decorated with expensive artwork. The air was filled with a blend of herbal fragrances, which was invigorating to smell.

Beyond the archways were dreamlike gardens, leading to more archways. White Light Castle had a vast interior, with corridors leading everywhere, but the path to the auction was marked by a magical fence, ensuring anyone trying to leave prematurely would hit an invisible wall.

Billy and Mentor, wearing black robes and masks, confidently moved forward. Teest now walked on the ground, following closely to Mentor. The white cat’s paws were restless, touching the thick magical protection.

[Remarkable defenses,] the Mad Monk commented. [Billy was right. We can only break through from inside the auction.]

[Are you sure there’s no problem?] Nol was still a bit worried.

He hid under Mentor’s robe, trying to contain his presence. They had already forged transaction documents, with Nol’s identity as “a sold alchemical magical pet”. Even if discovered, the Alva Merchant Group wouldn’t find any fault.

However, the combination of a large white cat and a small black dragon was too rare, and Nol didn’t want unnecessary attention from onlookers.

Anyway, they wouldn’t be searched upon entry, only repeatedly screened for offensive weapons. As an ultra-miniature God of Creation, there was nothing more harmless than him in the world.

He was worried about other issues at the moment—

According to their original plan, “alchemical magical pets” were generally priced low and would be auctioned in the front part of the auction. They would be released after the auction, allowing everyone to move freely.

However, the Eternal Church submitted much more, including rare items. Staff would occasionally check in with them, meaning Mentor and Billy, the two “seller representatives”, couldn’t leave until everything was auctioned.

With time pressing and both their combat abilities somewhat lacking, Nol could only stay and rely on Teest, a single cat, to scout ahead, planning their route in advance.

[Have you forgotten? I excel at infiltration.] Teest’s tone was relaxed and comfortable. [Take the chance to enjoy the auction, honey.]

Through Mentor’s robe, Nol could see the four white paws at the edge of the robe. The paws moved, stopping always close to him.

The lights brightened and dimmed, with one of their key objectives close at hand. The auction room was much smaller than Nol had imagined, resembling a private theater rather than a large venue.

The box door silently closed, and Nol shot out from Mentor’s robe like a cannonball.

As one of the major sellers, the Eternal Church owned a nice upper-level box. The box was prepared with various wines and desserts, even thoughtfully including a menu—Nol glanced at it, noting items like “Eye of the Cave Beholder (unsalted)” and “Wine-Soaked Giant Spider Abdomen”, clearly not meant for human consumption.

Teest elegantly circled to Nol’s side, ignoring Mentor and Billy. His tongue lightly licked the tip of Nol’s mouth.

“I’ll go first.” This time, he didn’t use telepathy but spoke with a purr.

Before leaving, his gaze swept over Nol’s small backpack. Then, with a flick of his tail, he vanished into the shadows like melting snow.

Teest left gracefully.

Nol suddenly felt a chill at his side. He waved his paw, pouring himself a dish of sweet sparkling wine, trying to stay calm as he licked it. From this height, he could overlook the entire brightly lit auction room.

This was his first time attending an auction in his life.

“Now that we have the Church’s account, can we buy something?”

Mentor examined the identity proof provided by the Alva Merchant Group. It was a large round plate made of pure gold, decorated on the front with the Alva family crest and on the back with the Eternal Church’s divine emblem, along with a series of magical inscriptions resembling an account.

The proof bore a faint magical fluctuation. Nol narrowed his eyes, discerning for a moment—the inscription was activated, indeed connected to something.

“Typically, these identity proofs have a limit… But you guys have some skills, managing to get the password along with stealing the identity proof.”

Billy helplessly poured himself a glass of ice water and gulped it down.

“So, there’s a password.” Mentor showed just the right amount of surprise. “Seems like we can only randomly shout out bids now.”

Golden Sword shrugged. “It would indeed be strange if the Eternal Church didn’t buy anything.”

Mentor: “Looks like we need to carefully pick our targets to avoid suspicion, and we’ll need your help later on…”

The two smoothly carried on the conversation.

Nol had no interest in joining the discussion. After licking his dish clean, he flew to the edge of the box, pressing his nose against the window glass.

The auction started, and the glamorous male host took the stage. Exactly as Billy described, the opening featured various rare but not precious trinkets, mostly from individuals or small trading groups.

A cursed compass that could track the owner of unknown bloodstains, a putrid potion that could regenerate teeth indefinitely, a beautiful ghost fixed within a cage crystal, legendary lost masterpieces…

“Alchemical pets” were indeed banned. Nol perked up for over an hour, not spotting any alchemical pets, only some potions and tools.

As time passed, Nol’s nose, which was pressed against the glass, started to hurt.

With the small items auctioned off, the goods from large trading groups began to appear. The display projection started to show precious weapons from high-level dungeons, unique blessed jewels within the system, and a cursed crown capable of instantly erasing thousands of people… Nol’s pupils gradually narrowed.

Behind him, Mentor also began to randomly bid.

This person specifically targeted popular yet malicious items, only to “regretfully withdraw” at the last moment. Just minutes ago, they “lost” the cursed crown by a mere hundred gold wheels.

Nol stood still, not participating at all.

He was just silently discerning those tools, identifying which were made by beings of this world, which were his designs, and which the system autonomously generated during his absence—those expensive items came and went in those blue eyes, grinding away time second by second.

There was no unusual news from Teest’s side, Nol thought. The situation seemed stable for now.

The auction was running as usual, and there was nothing odd about the items, at least nothing he could detect. The few times staff came in to communicate about the items, they managed well.

Was the difficulty of infiltrating solved just like that? Was he overthinking? Did Old Duke Alva really just whimsically change the type of auction items?

“…The next item, from the Rizzi Caravan, ‘Supreme Blessing’!”

On stage, the host announced in a passionate voice.

“Guaranteed by the magicians of the Alva Merchant Group, this miraculous feather pen can remove all known curses. Note, all. Known. Curses!”

“So far, no craftsman has been able to decipher its making. It must be a creation of God, because even the wrath of God can be calmed by this pen!”

“Humanity can’t infinitely provoke the dignity of God. I must honestly inform everyone. This pen can only be used once. But believe me, it’s absolutely worth it—it can save any creature you wish to save. Imagine, if you saved a dragon…”

Nol straightened up.

He didn’t catch the rest of the words. His gaze was firmly fixed on that pen.

It was a product of the system—designed by the system itself as a “quest reward” during his absence, emitting undeniable power.

To others, this item might indeed be precious, but not the highlight.

Nol glanced at his status bar, where [Physical Destruction [Indissoluble]] was listed.

He couldn’t be sure yet if this item would be useful. If its function was real, to him, this item could be considered priceless.

The next second, he saw a bid from another box.

It was the Alva family’s box.

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The author has something to say:

As an adult who has outgrown advanced tastes, I was momentarily confused when I first typed “thwarting*”.

*Clarity: She’s referring to the second paragraph of the chapter where the word “thwarting” is mentioned. The word is (搞黄) which can mean various things (depending on context). In the context of the paragraph, it means to sabotage, ruin, thwart… However, it can also mean “turn something yellow” as the yellow [huang] (黄) is slang for explicit contents (which could mean “to engage in porn”). So if you replace thwart with creating porn… Well, let’s just say the game Nol would be making wouldn’t be an MMORPG…

Sorry…

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 187: Auction

Kando waved his candle tears, unconsciously adopting a defensive stance. “Say it.”

Teest lowered his head. The mocking in those cat eyes that wouldn’t go away disappeared, and his fluffy face revealed a bit of solemnity. “Keep an eye on Golden Sword.”

The flame atop Kando’s head no longer flickered, and when he spoke again, his tone was as steady as if he had become a different person. “The reason?”

Teest chuckled. “No immediate complaints. It seems you’ve noticed too. Lord Nol is good in all respects but kills too few.”

Nol was undoubtedly smart. But he lacked the instinct for life and death that came with having been through the storm of blood and wind on the battlefield—as if there was a bit of sluggishness when turning his eyeballs, a hint of chill at his ankles. It might be illogical, but it undeniably existed, and it was best not to ignore it.

Whether it was the Mad Monk Teest or Hero Drake, neither would simply overlook this sense of dissonance.

“Indeed. To put it in the words of that pair of glasses, the whole thing is too coincidental.”

Kando scratched the wick of the candle with his candle tears. “You guys want to investigate the Alva Merchant Group, and Golden Sword just presents himself. Just after finding a way to investigate, a White Demon appears on the same ship, directly related to the Old Duke.”

“If it weren’t for Fischer Reginald’s absolute loyalty to you, I’d suspect this is a setup.” That said, his eyes still held doubts when he looked at Teest.

Teest’s paws came together, and his tail swung back and forth.

He knew what Kando was doubting. The appearance of Golden Sword was guaranteed by a system quest, and the appearance of the White Demon was vouched for by Pope Fischer. Everything was too reassuring, so smooth that he couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“If Star Stealer Sol is involved, it wouldn’t use ‘Mentor’, a new character that raises suspicions. Moreover, the appearance of Mentor was led by Dorothy, who has always been in the Dragon’s Lair, making it difficult for Star Stealer Sol to interfere.”

Teest’s pupils glimmered with a green glow in the darkness. “If I were it, I would tamper with Golden Sword.”

“Why hide it from that Lord? Even if you are malicious, have a terrible personality, and don’t trust anyone without evidence, that Lord would surely consider your opinion.”

Kando spoke in a very official tone, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he was pressed hard against the floor by a cat’s paw pad.

Teest didn’t answer immediately. He played with Kando occasionally, seemingly deep in thought.

“…He’s been in a good mood recently,” Teest said after a long while, stepping on Kando.

Nol wouldn’t like betrayal, and he only had vague suspicions. Billy might be related to Star Stealer Sol’s conspiracy, or he might just be unlucky. Either way, Billy wasn’t a threat to them now.

Before confirming the facts, he wanted to give Nol a few more days of relaxation—the pressure on Nol had been too great lately.

Come to think of it, it was the first time he had felt such a subtle emotion. Teest rolled Kando around like a scroll, savoring this peculiar mood.

“I promise you, then! I will keep an eye on Enbillick!” Kando growled discontentedly. “Stop it! Stop rolling, urgh—”

Teest continued to ponder, cruelly rolling his paw pad. After all, it was soft and not a shoe sole, so it wouldn’t take a life.

“Stop—” Kando’s angry cry echoed in the cramped storeroom.

……

A few days passed, and all was calm.

Nol squatted on the deck, feeling the blowing sea breeze, with Teest beside him. The morning sky and sea were merged by the mist, and the fleet sailed towards the sunrise, under which the light fluttered like broken gold.

These days, they lived like real pets, with a bit more fluffy detective work added to eating and sleeping—

During this time, Nol investigated everything about White Demon Aesop. Except for his special “system lock” status, the kid’s experience was nothing special.

According to the suggestion of Golden Sword, during their visit to Ship Island, the kid could stay hidden in the room. As long as he didn’t set foot on Ship Island, there would be no second identity verification. He just needed to wait for them to return and take the same merchant ship back.

When they were close to land, they could escape however they wanted.

“That’s Ship Island.”

Teest nudged Nol with his tail and pointed his chin towards the horizon.

Under the beautiful sunrise, the shadow of an island of moderate size gradually emerged from the mist.

Its outline was roughly square, like a castle floating on the sea. Through the mist, Nol saw the silhouette of green trees and vines and felt the traces of layer upon layer of defensive magic. The fleet must precisely follow the “safe route” left by the magic to proceed. If they charged directly towards Ship Island, they would end up shipwrecked and dead within five minutes.

What was surprising was that this wonderful island wasn’t fixed in one place—it was slowly drifting with the current, clearly being steered by someone.

This made the “safe route” constantly change and the difficulty of identification even more exaggerated.

Nol curiously sniffed the sea breeze. “You said you burned the Eternal Church’s ship. Did you go to Ship Island then?”

His cat knight wrapped his tail around Nol’s paw. “No. That damn place is hard to break into. I destroyed the ship near the coast and escaped on a life raft.”

Nol felt the fluffy, big tail. “You must have investigated.”

Teest: “At breakfast, Billy told us roughly.”

“I’d rather hear it from you.” Nol reached out his paw. Finding it too short, he used his tail to stroke the cat’s back instead.

Teest paused for two seconds, and a smile appeared in his eyes. “My pleasure, honey.”

With the purring of the cat, Teest began his narrative.

“After the fleet arrives, it will be locked at the Ship Island port with magic chains and move forward with Ship Island. This island drifts randomly in the nearby sea area and can’t be located by any means. Unless the visitor receives an invitation, it’s basically impossible to find it.”

The big white cat stretched a paw out towards the endless sea with his claws spread wide open. “Moreover, near Ship Island, the compass will be disturbed by magic, and those who leave on their own will not find the correct route—to leave safely, one can only follow the main force.”

‘Both entry and exit are strictly controlled,’ Nol thought to himself. No wonder the curious Mad Monk didn’t land on the island.

“After landing, the identity will be re-verified, and offensive magical items checked. Then comes the official auction held by the Alva Merchant Group.”

“After the auction is free trade time. The overall time can be long or short, all depending on the mood of Old Duke Alva… I heard it’s like this.”

Teest ended his explanation with a purr, focusing on observing the splendid dragon scales under the morning sun.

Nol bit his paw tip.

It was said that Ship Island reorganized every so often, which meant each time, visitors would see a new terrain. True to an organization interfered with by Star Stealer Sol, it was hard to investigate anything with brute force alone.

Old Duke Alva was clearly a very cautious guy. Rumors had it that the Duke only showed up at the auction.

While investigating the Duke, they also needed to assist Billy in stealing the “Bystander’s Tongue”.

From there, they could only proceed one step at a time.

However…

The shadow of Ship Island grew larger and clearer. Nol’s wings drooped, and he buried his nose into Teest’s fluffy, soft chest—as a registered commodity, he had to go back into the cage.

Teest licked the tip of the little black dragon’s horn. The two small animals squatted on the deck for a while longer, until the last bit of orange-red faded from the sunrise.

It had to be said that the entire process of landing on the island went smoothly to an astonishing degree. The Alva Merchant Group truly lived up to its reputation. The fleet navigated the rugged, safe route smoothly, and the inspection upon landing was quick and thorough.

Through the gaps in the trembling velvet, Nol carefully observed the outside world.

Above them was the blue sky, surrounded by uneven wooden huts and shops, with long shadows cast by sun umbrellas. The path under their feet was paved with a layer of stone, and large, fragrant flowers bloomed in the flower beds. Ripe fruits supported by lush green leaves were placed on tables for anyone to take.

Somehow, the consortium had managed to make the sea’s rocking almost non-existent. Looking around, it was almost no different from a seaside town on land.

The tallest building in the “town”, up close, indeed looked very much like a castle. It was built of light yet sturdy feather rock, adorned with gems and gold. The brilliant sunlight enveloped every corner, making the entire building appear luxurious without being tacky.

“White Light Castle.” Billy, in disguise, touches his eye patch. “The residence of Duke Alva, the location of the auction… Mr. Cat, please be gentler. You’re clawing me.”

Teest, still perched on his shoulder, carelessly clutched at Golden Sword’s clothing with his claws.

“Very imposing. Much larger than I imagined.”

Mentor had replaced the hat he usually wore with a straw hat, and a garland had somehow appeared around his neck. Perhaps his disguise was the best among them all, Nol thought. Mentor’s vibe was exactly like that of a middle-aged man on a group tour.

“We’re staying over there.” Billy pointed emotionlessly to a manor next to White Light Castle.

It wasn’t as imposing as White Light Castle, but it looked equally comfortable. A high wall, as well as even more insurmountable magic, separated the manor from the castle.

It was obvious that treasures like the “Bystander’s Tongue” must be kept inside White Light Castle. Unless Nol revealed his False God powers, they could only enter through the front door—the vault was surely monitored for teleportation magic around the clock so cheating with Kando wouldn’t work.

“As per the original plan, our Mr. Dragon will first enter the auction room for investigation. After the auction starts, we enter as sellers and incidentally bring Mr. Cat along.”

Mentor quietly repeated the plan.

“Um… Within the duration of an auction, find the ‘Bystander’s Tongue’ for Mr. Billy to use. After that, you help us network to buy what we want.”

“Sounds good, but now it seems, it’s more difficult than we thought. This place is too big. Just walking from one end to the other takes half a day. Is there enough time for the auction?”

Billy bit his lip. “The ‘Bystander’s Tongue’ should be in the Duke’s private collection room. I know roughly where it is.”

“It seems you hold a high position in the consortium,” Mentor said calmly. “But that makes it more difficult. Just the outer wall’s defenses are comparable to the palace, let alone entering the residence of Duke Alva.”

“Sir, what we want is indeed expensive. But they’re not worth the risk we’re taking—I think, besides a bit of a discount on the purchase, we need a higher price.”

Indeed, Nol curled up slowly in the cage.

He and Teest were too powerful, and they felt some sympathy for Billy, almost forgetting this point. Normally, their input and reward were slightly disproportionate. At this moment, Mentor acted more like a pragmatic Player.

But what could Mentor negotiate? Completely free materials?

Mentor’s demands were mere bluffs. He and Teest didn’t actually need curse-removal items. It was unclear what Mentor wanted by raising the price at this juncture.

Nol tried to stretch out a claw tip, prying open a bit of the velvet, and pricked up his ears to listen.

Billy sighed heavily, showing no surprise in his reaction. “Sorry. I did shortchange you a bit.”

“Ha, we won’t take advantage of someone in trouble.” Mentor stood smiling, his hands elegantly propped on his cane. “We just need a fairer price.”

Billy’s eyebrows twitched. “Name it.”

“Since you know Duke Alva so well, you must also recognize some treasures. We’ll be entering the Duke’s private vault anyway. In addition to the previously agreed price, we’ll take a few rare artifacts.”

“However, we have limited knowledge of those private treasures. We’ll need you to explain and recommend them at that time.” Mentor continued, “How about it? You won’t have any actual losses.”

“Taking a step back, suppose we break into the vault and leave traces, yet nothing is lost. Those people will suspect you sooner or later, so it’s better to openly act as thieves.”

Billy fell silent. His facial muscles were twitching, showing clear signs of struggle. After a while, he tugged at his lips somewhat dejectedly. “Deal… Just don’t go too far.”

Strange request. Golden Sword was indeed willing to take the risk. It seemed protecting his family was far more important to him than loyalty to the consortium.

Nol withdrew his claw tip and glanced at the smiling Mentor, then at the ashen-faced Golden Sword.

Forget it. If Mentor wanted something, let him take it. Truth be told, Nol would rather steal Duke Alva himself.

Wait, could the “Essence” and “Blood Potion” mentioned by Fischer also be in the private collection?

Nol bit his claw, lost in thought.

Outside the cage, Teest raised his tail. The grand White Light Castle reflected in his pupils.

Soon, the clear blue sky turned into a night sky studded with stars.

Billy sat in a corner of the room, peeling fruit. The bright red peels quickly flowed from his fingers. Mentor sat in an armchair, calmly reading a book.

In the center of the room, Nol fiddled with the edge of the cage, patiently counting the passing time. Teest sat obediently outside the cage, sneakily sticking his tail into the cage, the tip touching the dragon scales.

A lavish dinner was coming up, followed by an auction that would last the entire night. Before the dinner, staff would come to check the auction items, sending them to the auction room in advance.

Nol had already been pre-registered and was just waiting to be carted backstage.

“Good evening, Mr. Doe. Sorry to disturb you.”

A young man in the consortium’s formal attire knocked on the door. Nol and Teest both peeked out but didn’t see a cart behind him.

Mentor closed his book. “You’re here to verify the auction items?”

“No.”

The young man showed remorse, gracefully bowing. “I regret to inform you that the Duke has adjusted the standards for auction items. Your registered ‘Alchemical Pet’ no longer meets the auction threshold and can only be traded freely. As an apology, the Consortium will compensate you with one hundred gold wheels.”

“It was fine when we registered. How can it change just like that?” Mentor raised his eyebrows.

Billy slowed down his fruit peeling, and a sudden shade of blood red appeared on the bright red peel.

“Sorry, sir, the Duke sometimes makes last-minute adjustments before the auction. We people at this level don’t know the specific reasons.”

The young man said respectfully, “If you’re not satisfied with the compensation, we can negotiate further. Please believe, the Alva Merchant Group will not let you be troubled.”

Trouble had already begun.

Nol gently pressed Teest’s tail tip, who returned a solemn gaze.

Auction sellers could enter without conditions, but buyers needed to provide proof of assets in advance—let alone whether they could produce a large amount of proof of assets. It was too late now.

The auction started tonight, and their plan had been completely overturned.

They needed to come up with a better idea quickly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to enter White Light Castle, let alone investigate.

In the backpack behind the little black dragon, Kando stuck out a candle tear. Through a small gap, he watched Billy in the corner—Golden Sword cut his hand and was frowning as blood beads emerged.

The blue eye rotated, scanning towards Mentor talking with the young man. Mentor maintained a polite smile with just the right amount of regret on his face.

“Tsk.” Kando muttered silently. “I don’t like coincidences either.”

Everything was just… too coincidental.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 186: System Anchoring

“Secret,” Teest cut off the inquiry straightforwardly.

After all, Golden Sword would definitely guess that they were Players. This guy didn’t even reveal his real identity, so they were under no obligation to answer every question.

Billy was stunned for half a second, then quickly caught on. “Sorry, I got a bit excited. It’s just the White Demon, uh…”

“Is it an ominous symbol?” Nol continued the conversation.

Billy pinched the bridge of his nose. “I personally don’t believe in this. I’m just worried that everyone will be targeted by the Eternal Church. Honestly, this could interfere with our actions.”

After finishing, he glanced at the boy, Aesop, who was happily chewing on the leftovers. “But since we’ve already saved him, this child himself is innocent. I’ll think of a way on my end.”

Mentor crossed his arms, remaining silent.

The little black dragon flew close, looking at Billy with both eyes. “You are indeed from the Alva Merchant Group. You seem to understand these things well. We just noticed that this child has amazing recovery abilities. His other aspects seem very ordinary.”

“The Eternal Church wouldn’t just look at recovery abilities. There are plenty of creatures with strong recovery abilities,” he continued, seemingly unintentionally.

Looking at the reaction, Golden Sword definitely knew something.

On the table, Teest’s ears also perked up.

Billy seemed a bit troubled. He was probably struggling between “a merchant won’t easily sell information” and “needing to make these people understand the severity of the situation”.

Eventually, Billy scratched his head. “I’m not a core figure, so I just know a bit of the surface. Have you guys heard the ballad of the White Demon?”

“I’ve heard a bit, ‘crawling out of the coffin’, ‘only tells lies’ and the like.” Teest straightened his soft white fur.

“Putting aside the exaggerated biases, there are truths in the ballad,” Billy said. “Besides being able to recover more easily, it’s said that White Demons have a ‘second life’.”

Teest stopped grooming his fur, Nol almost forgot to flap his wings, and Mentor expressed interest with an “oh”.

Billy lowered his gaze. His smoke-gray pupils were nearly black in the shadows. “No matter how exaggerated the death, White Demons will resurrect after dying, but only once. Silver-white hair color is rare to begin with. Coupled with this trait, it’s not surprising they are deemed ‘ominous’… The Temple of Life also holds a negative stance towards White Demon, believing their existence tarnishes life.”

“Ha, their thoughts have changed quite a bit now.” Mentor fiddled with his hidden Player earring.

Everyone present knew what he was implying. Compared to the White Demon’s single resurrection chance, Players’ ability to “resurrect infinitely” was obviously more exaggerated. In the current era of Players everywhere, the traits of White Demons weren’t considered rare.

Coincidentally, this directly relates to a question Nol had been curious about for a long time—

Rapid recovery, resurrection, were all weaker versions of Player privileges. Was there a direct relationship between the “White Demon” and Teest’s “incomplete Player privileges”?

Nol stared at the frozen big cat on the table, as well as White Demon Aesop who was focused on wolfing down his food, magically shielded from sound.

He suddenly felt a chilling sensation.

It was the system again.

Star Stealer Sol summoned Players through the system, and Joy Garden was also pulled here for unknown reasons. Star Stealer Sol tried to control the system, excluding Nol, the administrator, but the system always popped out at some point, preserving his life.

Regardless of whether the “White Demon’s” Player privileges were complete, they were undoubtedly managed by the system.

Here it came again, the sensation of everything slowly weaving into a net.

Nol dared not look at Teest, focusing intently on the boy, Aesop—if this child’s situation was the same as Teest’s, then after the system officially started, he would also be mistakenly recognized as a “Player”. However, Aesop’s ears didn’t display the Player earrings.

What’s the difference?

Is it a coincidence that Teest and this child have a slight blood relation?

Nol held his breath, silently summoning the system popup. This time he didn’t check quests or attributes but quietly used the tip of his tail to scroll through the code, entering a command.

[Check individual “Aesop’s” stats]

Strictly speaking, “force viewing stats” was an administrator privilege.

He had become much stronger than before. Such a level of system manipulation should be possible, right…?

Sure enough, things didn’t go as smoothly as he thought. After receiving the command, the system didn’t respond for a long time. Nol frowned. His tail quietly swiped several more times, catching Teest’s attention with his moving paws.

After persisting several times, a crooked popup finally appeared. The popup’s frame was twisted, and the text was small and blurry, emitting a vague sense of grievance.

[NPC: Aesop]

[Civilian – Lv.5]

[HP: 48/50 | MP: 2/2]

[Strength: 9 | Agility: 4 | Intelligence: 5 | Physical Defense: 10 | Magical Defense: 2]

[Status: System Anchoring]

…Huh?

Nol synchronized the scene in his eyes with Teest, quietly poking the explanation icon following the status.

[System Anchoring: The individual has persistent running instructions. During the individual’s lifespan, the system cannot be completely shut down.]

Perhaps Teest couldn’t understand, but Nol was somewhat familiar with this explanation—it was similar to when certain programs were running on a computer, preventing it from shutting down until they were manually closed.

This confirmed that the child indeed wasn’t categorized as a “Player”, and “White Demon” wasn’t an official definition provided by the system.

He didn’t specifically look at Young Teest’s attributes during the time reversion. Fortunately, now that Teest was a Player, he still had the chance to browse through the system’s historical logs.

Nol pondered for a moment, jumped to Teest’s side, covering the cat with his wings. [I think I need to check your upgrade records.]

[Go ahead.] The cat’s tail wrapped around the hard tip of the black dragon’s tail. [No need to be so polite.]

[Thanks.]

Nol faced Mentor and Billy, his tail tip continuing to move swiftly, preparing to access the system’s internal player upgrade records.

This wasn’t sensitive data nor involved power distribution. Sure enough, Nol succeeded again. He directly specified some early record information for Teest.

The system threw the popup in front of him, still blurry, like a crumpled note unfolded.

[NPC: Teest]

[Civilian(?) – Lv.5]

[HP: 390/390 | MP: 35/35]

[Strength: 97 | Agility: 25 | Intelligence: 43 | Physical Defense: 80 | Magical Defense: 39]

[Status: System Anchoring]

Nol: “……”

Although both were level 5 civilians, Teest and that child’s stats were worlds apart. Was this the change brought by the Supplement Demon potion?

The question mark after “civilian” was probably due to his transformation into a Supplement Demon. Obviously, “Supplement Demon” wasn’t an official definition recognized by the system.

But that wasn’t the point. NPC Teest’s status also had the “System Anchoring” description.

So, according to the current speculation, his status bar should have always had related descriptions before becoming a Player.

Nol frantically scrolled back. The data scrolled at high speed through the system popup.

Teest indeed became a Player when a large number of Players logged in. The timing matched. But looking at those few records before he became a Player, the status bar had a different explanation.

[Status: System Anchoring [Administrator Assistance Rights]]

What’s this now?

Nol started to scroll back, reviewing Teest’s upgrade data one by one, finally finding the moment of status change—

[Ouch.] His fluffy knight came over. [This is really interesting. We should have looked at these earlier.]

Teest obtained “Administrator Assistance Rights” on the day they performed the time reversion, the day Nol personally witnessed Young Teest’s resurrection.

[Maybe because the system saw me kiss you.] Teest wagged his tail excitedly. [Maybe because it found out we got married and the authority between spouses are shared, and so on.]

It could also be because the system detected Adult Teest’s Player identity, Nol thought.

The Player and the administrator teamed up to return. The system definitely noticed this fact. It specifically marked Teest, granting him Player privileges upon “official launch”… This didn’t seem like a mere misidentification, but rather a compliance with the known future.

But he didn’t plan to say it. Nol looked at the proud cat knight. After all, “true love’s kiss” sounded much sweeter.

If the truth was what he thought. “Teest becoming a player” was an indirect effect of their return to the past, not some “unknown self” within him intentionally doing so.

Even if there were still many mysteries surrounding the “White Demon”, this thought comforted Nol quite a bit.

That was nice. He didn’t expect such an unexpected gain from a trip outside.

The current focus of his work was “investigating Star Stealer Sol”. If it wasn’t for this child’s sudden appearance, he definitely wouldn’t have turned to investigate the White Demon, nor would he have thought to look through those historical record data.

Since having problems with his head, it was rare for things to go this smoothly.

Nol happily lifted his eyes, catching a glimpse of Mentor’s lavender eyes behind his glasses. Mentor’s eyes flickered between the White Demon boy and Nol, then he gestured to Nol.

“What a coincidence,” Mentor said silently.

Just a brief sentence and the warm sense of security that Nol felt disappeared, leaving him feeling startled once again.

Noticing Nol’s unusual reaction, Teest’s soft body pressed closer. His cat tail wrapped flexibly around the dragon tail and the purring sound vibrated against the gem-like dragon scales.

[Don’t worry too much about that guy.] Teest said, [We’re not as weak as we used to be.]

That’s right. Nol shook his head.

They were the strongest on this ship, and the third strongest, Pope Fischer, was in confinement. The Alva Merchant Group didn’t have a god-level existence either, so they could just take things as they came.

Star Stealer Sol couldn’t possibly drop a moon on the ship, could it?

He turned his head, and his nose touched Teest’s cool nose tip. Mentor coughed and gracefully returned to his own room.

“I’m going to rest,” he said. “Mr. Billy, we’re not familiar with the rules here, so we’ll leave the matter of hiding the child to you.”

“Leave it to me.”

Billy smiled wearily, unmuting the sound barrier around Young Aesop. “If only they offered strong liquor here… Kid, you go sleep in the vacant servant’s room first. We’ll send you out later.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aesop hurriedly said. His greasy hands were still holding two meal packs, almost choking as he spoke.

Following Aesop’s gaze, Nol looked at Billy again. While the cat and the dragon were mentally chatting away, Billy seemed not to have noticed anything unusual.

‘That makes sense,’ Nol thought. After all, in the eyes of Golden Sword, the two small animals just asked a couple of questions and then started rubbing against each other side by side, with no one continuing the topic further.

This level of interaction was just right. They shouldn’t rush. They had plenty of time to inquire about the origins of Old Duke Alva and the “White Demon”.

Nol watched Billy leave the living room, then picked up Teest by the back of his neck and flew back to their exclusive soft nest.

……

That night, Nol slept very soundly.

The little black dragon coiled on the dark red velvet cushion, its blue eyes tightly closed, resembling a carved black diamond. The faint moonlight entering through the round window turned the intricate dragon scales into captivating splendor.

Under the moonlight, the white cat’s pupils dilated into perfect circles. Teest gently touched the warm scales with his paw pad and then withdrew. He then stretched out his claw, carefully pulling out a black candle from Nol’s backpack. Before Kando could start scolding, Teest bit it in his mouth.

Kando almost got poked in the eyelid by the cat’s teeth, remaining angrily silent in the face of the sharp feline teeth.

Before leaving, Teest hesitated and turned back. He spat out the black candle onto the floor and licked the corner of the black dragon’s mouth. Nol’s paw unconsciously fidgeted, sleeping soundly.

“Is that enough?” Kando spoke in a breathy voice. “I’m afraid I can’t hold back the sound of vomiting.”

Before he could finish, Teest bit him again without mercy.

The cat tiptoed across the soft carpet, running silently. After several turns, Teest found a dark storage room, with an “Under Repair” sign hanging outside.

“First of all.”

After Teest cast a soundproof spell, Kando’s tone became sharp again. “Can you two control yourselves?”

“Seeing a candle with limited experience is one thing, but I thought our great hero wouldn’t mind that.” The white cat fiddled with the candle with his paw.

“That person is, after all, my creator. Watching you two getting cozy is like witnessing my grandparents getting intimate,” Kando said wearily. “It may surprise you, but I too, have feelings.”

Teest obviously had no intention of reflecting. “I see. Then please get used to it… You surely wouldn’t refuse the inquiry of a dear grandparent, would you?”

Kando snorted. “Ask away. I’m curious, what question requires avoiding That One?”

“Hmm.” Teest twitched his whiskers. “Did you have an illegitimate child with someone from the Blanco family back in the day?”

For a moment, the black candle emitted an incredibly sharp killing intent, blowing all of Teest’s fur back.

“Mind your words. You’re insulting both me and the Blanco family.” The voice of the black candle cooled down, sounding a bit like the legendary hero. “Until the end, I remained chaste.”

“So you’re saying you died a virgin.” Teest summarized without mercy. “It seems the White Demon isn’t your bloodline.”

Kando: “……”

Kando: “Is that what you wanted to ask?”

This wasn’t a question that needed to be hidden from Nol. Could discovering that if he found out he was Teest’s ancestor, Nol would be completely devastated?

“Of course not.”

Teest patted the candle on the head, his black pupils staring straight at Kando. In the darkness, he bared his sharp teeth, more akin to a predator than a cute, harmless pet.

“I need you to do something for me.”

---

The author has something to say:

Continuing with the cat and dragon cuddling—

---

Kinky Thoughts:

For those who’ve been reading along, there are a couple of errata to the translation:

• Embilly Alva’s name is now Enbillick Alva. His nickname is still Billy.
• The Returning Saints Council (this is one of the three major guilds led by Hot Ash) is now the Homeward Saints Guild.
• Creator God is now God of Creation.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 185: Substituting the Beam

“What a sacred and beautiful posture—!”

Fischer reached out his hands towards Teest, who fluffed up again, as if intending to scratch those hands. Nol suspected that Teest’s puffing up this time wasn’t out of anger, but purely out of disgust.

After spotting Fischer, things became easier. They took advantage of Fischer entering the cargo hold alone and squeezed out of the vent. Maybe others weren’t trustworthy, but fanatics were really useful.

Fischer immediately set up soundproofing and ignited a light in the narrow cargo hold corridor. If it weren’t for Teest’s entire body screaming rejection, it seemed like he really wanted to kiss Teest’s paws.

After being rejected, the man flipped out a silk cushion from some unlucky individual’s cargo, allowing Teest and Nol to sit on it. Fischer himself knelt in front of them, his face overflowing with devotion.

“Why are you here?” Teest screeched, dissatisfied.

“The White Demon?” Nol asked eagerly.

The new Pope made an “uh” as his gaze shifted between the two, and then chose his god. “I’m actually here for another matter…”

Teest turned away. “Answer Nol’s question first.”

“My apologies. Actually, both of your questions are very similar.” Fischer cleared his throat and continued obediently, “The ‘White Demon’ is one of the reasons I came here personally—Old Duke Alva has always been collecting White Demons. White Demons are extremely rare, making it a good excuse to leave.”

“Collecting White Demons?” Teest reluctantly turned towards Fischer.

He knew he was labeled as a “White Demon”. However, no one had researched White Demons, and there were no credible records in academia. Teest had never met another White Demon. As a Mad Monk, he was clear about his own origins and lineage, so this additional identity held no research value for him.

Many people with naturally white hair were chased down and called “White Demons”. By now, the name was more like a generic term such as “jinx”, a kind of superstitious avoidance among the common folk.

If he remembered correctly, Old Duke Alva was also rumored to be a White Demon.

“Old Alva is interested in White Demons? I thought he avoided them,” Teest asked curiously.

“He’s still avoiding them now.” Fischer sighed. “He only approached us a few years ago with the commission to collect White Demons. This is the second one we’ve found—if he didn’t want to keep it secret, he could have easily asked the Temple of Life for help.”

“As for why he’s particularly interested in the White Demons, I’m not sure. The Old Duke only requested that the person be brought to him for personal verification, and then for us to…”

Here, Fischer frowned.

“…Then for us to turn the person into a Supplement Demon potion.”

Damn it. Nol frowned unhappily.

Humans consuming Supplement Demon potions made from humans could safely gain some of the other person’s attributes and abilities. It was like a greatly weakened version of [Fallen Death], which they had witnessed the effects of on the Lord of Whitebird City.

The Lord of Whitebird City sought power. Old Duke Alva was too old to be pursuing power; he was likely after longevity—based on Teest’s personal experience, the physical recovery abilities of a White Demon far exceeded those of normal people.

Honestly, Nol didn’t have much affection for Old Duke Alva. Although the Alva Merchant Group had an excellent reputation and valued credibility, just the fact that they insisted on doing business with the Church meant they couldn’t be considered “good”.

“Ha, why am I not surprised?” Teest said sarcastically. “For a few more days of life, those rich old bags will do anything. Lucky for me, Old Alva didn’t have so many thoughts when I was young.”

“So, you came here to escort the entire process and make the potion?” Nol continued to ask patiently.

If that was the case, even if the client was Old Duke Alva, the Eternal Church’s service attitude seemed too good.

Fischer glanced cautiously at Teest, bowing his head. “No, I hoped to make contact with the ‘blood potion’ source as soon as possible.”

Ah, this matter.

When Fischer became the Pope of the Eternal Church, Nol was still uneasy, and together with Teest, they drafted—more accurately, he wrote the content, and Teest just copied it—a detailed task list.

After all, Fischer wasn’t like Painter. He was a genuine cultist with moral standards lower than the rats in the sewers of Grape Collar. Letting him play freely was something Nol couldn’t rest easy about.

The specifics were similar to what Nol had planned: stop living sacrifices and Supplement Demon manufacturing, minimize Eternalist activities as much as possible, and keep them from causing trouble.

He also mentioned the peculiar “Supplement Demon Potion” and “Age Reversion Blood Potion”, hoping that Fischer would have the time to investigate them.

Pope Fischer was very enthusiastic, but the problem was…

“Haven’t we asked you to stop such behavior?” Nol extended his short, thick dragon claws, trying to massage his temples.

Great, we agreed to be honest, and the Eternal Church turns around and deals in Supplement Demons and White Demons.

Fischer looked innocent. “Huh? My God only requested the cancellation of living sacrifices and the making of Supplement Demons. He didn’t forbid gray market trades, nor did He say we couldn’t care for existing Supplement Demons.”

I knew it. If you don’t mention it, it won’t be managed! Nol screamed silently in his heart.

If only Fischer and Painter could average out their moral standards and reliability. Does the world need to be this cruel? It seemed a letter was far from enough. He needed to write a complete “Penal Code” for Pope Fischer.

“Forget it… What does this have to do with your source of the ‘Age Reversion Blood Potion’?” Nol said weakly.

Fischer’s expression became serious, and he looked at Teest. The latter showed him his sharp claws. “Just answer or I’ll claw out your eyeballs.”

“Yes.” Fischer sighed. “After I became the Pope, I clarified the production methods of those potions.”

“The ‘Supplement Demon Potion’ is easy to obtain. As long as the Pope personally prays, the Eternal Son will bestow the essence in the sacrificial silver basin. This essence cannot be used directly; it must be mixed into the ‘Blood Potion’ in a 100:1 ratio to become the real ‘Supplement Demon Potion’.”

“For ‘Time Reversion’, the ‘Blood Potion’ needs to be simmered for over twelve hours. For ‘Age Reversion’, the ‘Blood Potion’ needs to be diluted and mixed with the dead’s blood in a 1:1 ratio.”

“The previous Pope would obtain the ‘Blood Potion’ during oracles, but the last oracle sacrifice… Well, you know. Now the Church no longer has ‘Blood Potion’ in stock. Without samples, investigation is impossible.”

In other words, at the end of the day, the Eternal Son, no, Star Stealer Sol only provided the church with two kinds of ingredients—a large supply of “essence” and the “Blood Potion” given in a particularly stingy manner.

Those strange potions of the Eternal Church were mixed from these substances. Nol had only tasted two kinds of reversion potions. So far, the more “Blood Potion”, the worse the taste.

Nol tried to organize the information. “Does Duke Alva have a ‘Blood Potion’ in his hand?”

“Yes. Initially, to show sincerity, the Church stored some ingredients at the Alva’s, ensuring they would only be used on Duke Alva… This time, through the ‘White Demon’, I had the opportunity to access them.”

Fischer responded obediently.

“Take us to see the White Demon,” Nol said.

“Yeah, I’m curious. I haven’t seen ‘one of my kind’ yet.” Teest stood behind Noll.

Fischer stood up and bowed. “Please follow me.”

The cargo hold was upgraded by the Eternal Church, with curses interwoven, more exaggerated than a second-tier city bank vault. Fischer led the way, clearing one troublesome seal after another. Finally, they reached the depths of the dark cabin.

The lights inside the room lit up the moment the door opened, revealing the interior details clearly.

The cargo room was very small, less than nine square meters.

There was no peculiar smell in the room. One corner had bread, dried fruits, and clear water, and the opposite corner had a chamber pot engraved with cleansing magic. The center of the room was piled with burlap and straw. The environment wasn’t bad, but not good either. If anything, Nol thought it resembled “a barely qualified zoo cage”.

The moment Fischer stepped into the room, a figure pressed into the corner.

It was a boy, looking about thirteen or fourteen. He was relatively clean, with long hair the same color as Teest’s. The difference was in his light blue eyes, reminiscent of glaciers under the sun.

He wore a white cloth robe. In a daze, Nol thought he saw the young Teest in the Church’s dungeon.

The boy’s hands and feet were bound with magic chains, with very strong magical fluctuations. Considering the vast sea outside, the boy’s chance of escape was absolutely zero.

Even so, there were fresh blood marks on his wrists and ankles—he hadn’t given up on escaping.

Nol felt suffocated and, without thinking for half a second, bit Fischer’s heel. Fischer instinctively wanted to retaliate, but quickly remembered this person’s identity, so he could only freeze in place.

Teest elegantly entered the room, curiously looking at the boy, his big tail spreading orange firelight.

The boy’s wary gaze softened when it shifted to Teest. This softness lasted only a moment before his hostile gaze returned to Fischer.

“Let him go.” Nol flew into the air, whispering to Fischer. “As for the ‘Blood Potion’, we can think of other ways—if you dare to do this again, the Eternal Church will have to change its Pope, again.”

Only then did the boy notice the flying little black dragon. His eyes lit up instantly.

“You misunderstand me.” Fischer sighed. “For most people, ‘White Demons’ are no different from monsters, only considered humanoid monsters. And we need to maintain a good relationship with Duke Alva—even in hiding, the Church cannot do nothing.”

Humanoid monster?

Do you not know that your God was also once a “humanoid monster”? Nol instinctively looked at Teest, almost forgetting what he wanted to say.

Teest slowly approached the boy, circling around his bare feet. The boy watched him for a while, eventually unable to resist the temptation, reaching out to touch the soft cat.

Teest didn’t dodge but innocently stayed in place, meowing softly.

Fischer: “?”

Nol: “……???”

Taking the opportunity, the boy picked up the big cat, retreating back into the corner with the wariness of a cat thief. Teest, unusually, didn’t struggle but instead stuck out his tongue, licking the fresh blood on the boy’s wrist.

After licking, a very un-cat-like contemplative expression appeared on the cat’s face.

[What’s wrong with you?] Nol couldn’t help but poke Teest in his mind.

[Just curious. I wanted to analyze his blood.] Teest blinked. [I would bite this kid directly, but you definitely wouldn’t be happy, right?]

Indeed, Nol thought. [Now you’ve got his blood.]

[This kid and I have a bit of a kinship.] Teest said, [But it’s very distant, so distant it’s negligible. He has a lot of calluses on his hands from manual labor, so he’s probably not a noble.]

[Honey, what do you plan to do now?]

As they silently conversed, the wounds on the boy’s wrists began to fade, showing signs of slow healing. The boy seemed to regard the cat as some sort of comfort, holding Teest tightly while still warily glaring at Fischer.

Knowing escape was hopeless, he neither cursed nor pleaded, just vigilantly watched the other, like a young animal at the end of its rope.

A rare White Demon.

Using this kid to connect with the Old Duke seemed like a ready-made path. But Nol would rather kick this path over—no, wait…

“You can also continue this transaction.” Nol’s bright blue eyes turned to Fischer. “After all, the Old Duke won’t act directly. He still needs to inspect the goods, doesn’t he?”

Fischer: “Yes. You mean—”

Nol extended his somewhat chubby dragon claw, pointed at Fischer, then at the boy.

“You. Go. Replace him,” he said emphatically. “The Pope’s illusion magic shouldn’t be easily seen through by ordinary people. Once you see the Old Duke, everything will be easy to talk about.”

Teest in the boy’s arms, narrowed his eyes, and wagged his tail.

Fischer was stunned. “I still need to go out. The people outside will confirm it.”

As he spoke, the little black dragon changed appearance. The breeze swirled, turning dragon horns into floating black hair, wings into a black cloak wrapping around the body. Nol opened his blue eyes and gently landed on his feet.

“Those guys can’t see through my illusion magic even more.”

Nol snapped his fingers, and his black robe transformed into the same clothes as Fischer. “I’m taking this child away. Please, dutifully perform your mission here, Mr. Pope—you should be grateful. At least the environment here isn’t too bad.”

Fischer’s mouth opened and closed, finally bowing respectfully. “Yes. Your will is my will.”

Saying this, he stepped forward, surrounded by strong magical fluctuations. By the time he reached the boy, he had already completely transformed into the appearance of a white-haired boy.

Then, Fischer’s fingers swept over the chains. The magic chains disappeared and reappeared on Fischer’s own wrists.

After doing all this, he solemnly bowed to Teest.

Teest twitched his ears and leaped from the boy’s arms into Nol’s embrace. Purring sounds filled the cramped room.

The boy was still dazed in the corner. Everything in front of him was too magical, almost stopping his brain. He didn’t show joy but instead shrank tighter into the corner.

“Come with me.” Nol smiled at the boy. “I’ll take you out of here.”

“Why?” the boy asked warily, his voice a bit hoarse. “You know what I am… How do I know you won’t sell me again?”

[Because our great God of Creation is a good-hearted person. He’s extremely softhearted and can’t bear to see poor kids suffering in the Eternal Church.]

Teest nestled in Nol’s embrace, his claws firmly clinging to the robe fabric. He mimicked squeezing his throat in thought, sounding not too pleased. [Too bad you weren’t this dashing when you saved me back then.]

Nol took a breath, finally managing to bury his fingers in the fluffy soft white fur. He vigorously rubbed his knight several times before smiling and continuing.

“Because I like silver-white hair. The person I like has this hair color. You remind me of him.” Nol said, “It’s your choice to leave or stay, child. If you think it’s better to stay, you can stay here.”

The heavy cat in his arms stiffened. Teest didn’t respond and just purred louder. The boy looked at the cat purring crazily in the other’s embrace and then at the unusually calm Fischer. He then hesitatingly stood up. He bit his lip and walked towards Nol.

“Please take me away from this place.” He lowered his head. “I’ll be your servant, groom, anything—just take me away from here—”

Nol extended a hand, placing it on the boy’s head. Accompanied by magical fluctuations, his figure disappeared within the room.

“Follow me closely,” he said to the boy’s position.

Subsequently, “Pope Fischer”, holding a snow-white big cat, majestically left the place.

During their departure, the Eternalists cast puzzled glances at the cat. However, no one dared to ask, only listening to the purring sound approaching from afar, then fading away.

……

“Remarkable.”

Mentor locked the room’s door, his tone laced with a hint of jest. “You two leave for a few hours and come back with a child.”

At the edge of the dining table, the White Demon boy devoured the leftovers. According to the boy, he was a commoner named Aesop, without a surname. Neither his parents nor ancestors had “White Demon” or white-haired lineage.

So right after his birth, his parents abandoned him due to superstitions. After that, he survived on the streets under the dirty label of “Gray Hair” until the Eternal Church captured him.

A typical experience. Nol didn’t expect to uncover any clues from a street child. But since the kid was somewhat related to Teest, he could bring him back to the Lost Tower—regardless of the White Demon’s destructive power, this could be regarded as a kind of protection.

And…

Nol shook his newly restored dragon wings, his round eyes turning to the gloomy Golden Sword Billy.

Old Duke Alva had been looking for White Demons for a long time, and as one of the Duke’s confidants, Billy certainly knew. Before approaching the Duke, they could learn more about the “White Demon”.

But before he could speak, Golden Sword Billy took the initiative.

“This kid is a White Demon?”

His gaze rested on the boy’s slowly healing wrists. “…It must be the Eternal Church’s doing. How did you get him out?!”

---

The author has something to say:

After so many chapters, Nol finally managed to pet the cat.

Now we’re just waiting for Teest to pet the dragon (.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

The title of this chapter is an idiom: steal the beams and replace the pillars with rotten timbers (偷梁换柱), which comes from the twenty-fifth tactic of the Thirty-Six Strategies in the Art of War.

It refers to substituting one thing for another (usually with an inferior product), while keeping the appearance unchanged.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 184: Special Cargo

Lost Tower, Reception Room.

“What do we do? What do we do?”

Solo paced anxiously within the Lost Tower. “The boss has been gone for days without even a word!”

Anakin sat beside him, silently munching on a butter cookie. Opposite her, the serpentman prophet was also crunching away, as if they were engaging in some sort of competition.

Lynn tapped her pen tip against the paper. “Alright, I guess he didn’t really want you two as bodyguards—you have ways to contact him. Miss Anakin can also contact Amazon and the Saints Guild. In case something happens, you two could facilitate communication with the Player community the fastest.”

Solo turned pale. “But it’s terrifying, not knowing when the boss might suddenly make contact. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop*…”

*Idiom referring to waiting for an event that is seemingly inevitable and most often negative.

“You’ll get used to it once you start working,” Lynn said dryly while her hands moved mechanically.

Around her, controlled puppets hurriedly moved documents. The Tower couldn’t achieve a paperless office, and after one stack of documents was processed, she manually replaced it with another.

There were neighbors in the Joy Garden who could help, but few came in human form. 80% of the members struggled even to use chopsticks again, let alone write and work in an office.

As for those with human forms—

Anakin and Lilith reached for the last cookie on the plate at the same time. Their eyes met, and both displayed gentle, holy social smiles, though it seemed neither planned to retract their hand.

‘This world is too cold,’ Lynn thought. She wondered why she hadn’t turned into a slime monster or a serpent—essentially, any monster without hands…

“He said he was going to investigate the Alva Merchant Group, but they are everywhere, so it’s hard to know where they went.” Solo muttered like a mosquito by her ear.

“Ship Island, maybe.” Anakin sighed heavily after losing the cookie battle. “Given Star Stealer Sol’s standards, they would definitely infiltrate the upper echelons. I heard from Ash that Duke Alva went to Ship Island for vacation and recently hired the Saints as guards.”

“Ship Island?” Lilith tilted her head, her eyes shimmering blue.

Anakin took a sip of tea. “Yes. A fleet of merchant ships forming a mobile fleet. The largest ship is supposed to be even bigger than an aircraft carrier, turned by Old Duke Alva into a seaside resort—there are even ships dedicated to cultivation and breeding. It’s simply outrageous.”

“It’s called a fleet, but most ships are tied together, drifting in the Golden Sea all year round, almost the size of an island, thus, everyone calls it ‘Ship Island’.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of it.” Solo perked up. “Many gray transactions are only done on Ship Island. That sea area is beyond the jurisdiction of other countries.”

“Ah—”

Lilith propped her chin, all four eyes turning blue. “Sounds interesting.”

Lynn looked up sharply, with a hint of warning in her gaze. “There must be many dangerous weapons and items there. You… don’t even think about it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. Besides, without my shining knight, I can’t go anywhere anyway.”

Lilith, or rather, Perradat, quickly raised her hands. “I just think, Ship Island must also have many regular transactions. Otherwise, the Old Duke wouldn’t go on vacation to an arsenal. Imagine, fluffy rare animals and such. Just thinking about it…”

Lynn glared at her sternly.

Perradat made a face and moved closer to the window. Through the nearly invisible glass, she gazed at the clear sky.

“Ship Island in the Golden Sea… Hmm, I hope they choose a gentler method of investigation,” she muttered, scratching her head. “Being in the field in person, the inability to foresee is too terrible.”

……

Teest frowned at the pile of high-grade cat food in front of him.

This luxury passenger ship considered pet needs, preparing various dry foods in advance. After confirming his “pet cat” status, the staff prepared the cat food without asking.

After a moment of thought, Teest used his magic to lift the brimming bowl and placed it demonstratively in the center of the dining table. Then, he grabbed the herb-roasted fish from the table, along with oysters and cream soup, and trotted towards Nol’s cage.

“Honey, it’s mealtime.” Teest stretched out his paw, easily bending the sturdy bars. “Wake up.”

Nol let out a wide yawn while blinking his eyes. “Where are Mentor and Billy?”

He was gradually getting used to Teest’s new appearance. The Mad Monk was as perfect as a top cat breed in a showcase. At first, Nol regretted not being able to hug and kiss normally, but now, the cat knight’s cuteness balanced it out.

Teest shrugged indifferently. “Socializing, probably.”

The Mad Monk had infiltrated such ships before, of course, as a chef’s apprentice, not as a pet—due to Ship Island’s special geographical location, it was difficult for the Temple to intervene, and some Eternal Church high-ups liked to conduct transactions on Ship Island.

Especially these “temporary merchant ships”.

As long as the goods were exotic enough, identity verification reliable, plus a hefty security deposit. It allowed some special merchants to focus on “unconventional methods” on Ship Island. From ancient magic rings to slaves with special abilities, all could be traded as “exotic goods”.

Mentor had definitely done his homework. His disguise was spot-on—

He had no real combat power and only brought along a bodyguard whose condition and strength had deteriorated. Besides the exotic “miniature pet dragon” Nol, he also prepared some alchemical trinkets, enough to maintain appearances.

Merchant ships welcome passengers who seem weak and unlikely to cause trouble the most.

Currently, the two humanoid members were probably out mingling, gathering information. Teest lay outside the cage, swallowing an oyster without any guilt of eating ahead.

“Are we just waiting to arrive at Ship Island?” Nol toyed with the herb-roasted fish.

Their target wouldn’t be on this ship, and it was hard for them to gather information in this form. Logically, Mentor’s involvement should be enough, but just waiting like this was somewhat boring.

Without books, cell phones, or anything to alleviate boredom in the cage, being confined in such a small space was bound to cause distress.

Thinking this, Nol couldn’t help but stretch out his paw again, kneading Teest’s soft fur.

Teest’s ears flattened momentarily, tempted to ask, “Are you wiping your hands on me?” but he restrained himself. “How about this, let’s go out for a walk tonight.”

“Do you have something you want to investigate?” Nol perked up.

Teest swallowed another oyster. “The fleet’s night view is nice. We might as well go out for some air. Not to mention, you, cough, I haven’t had a break in a long time. I need a vacation, and you have to accompany me.”

Nol readily agreed. The mechanical rocking was no longer irritating, and he suddenly had an appetite.

After Mentor and Billy returned, they tacitly ignored the cat food in the middle of the dining table, the missing expensive dishes, and the slightly peculiarly shaped cage. In their brief conversation, they didn’t provide any new information. It was obvious that it was hard to squeeze much information out of a merchant ship of this caliber.

Except for—

“Don’t go to the cargo hold,” Mentor said sternly, seemingly taking for granted that the two would wander off at night.

Golden Sword nodded silently beside him, much quieter than when they first met. His gaze had become sharper, as if something was burning in his eyes.

“What happened?” Nol was confused.

The rules already included “don’t go to the cargo hold”. Was this something that needed special emphasis?

Mentor looked at them meaningfully. “Apparently, there are some troublesome goods this time. Someone paid extra for security. It’s best not to stir up trouble before landing on the island.”

“Yes. If the mistake is made by a person, we can coordinate easily. But if a cat is caught, it would be suspicious to insistently defend it.”

Billy rubbed his forehead, glancing at Teest. “There are no significant individuals on this ship. You two don’t need to take risks.”

“So don’t go to the cargo hold.” Mentor emphasized again, subtly winking at Nol.

Nol: “……”

Beside him, Teest’s ears twitched, suddenly energized.

Alright, he probably understood what Mentor meant.

If they were really Players, indeed, there was no need to take this risk. But if they were caught by the guards with their strength, Star Stealer Sol might as well declare victory early.

“Of course. We just want to see the night view,” Teest responded with extra sincerity.

That night.

Two shadows sneaked out.

One belonged to Nol, and the other to Teest. A black and a white shadow stuck to the corridor, moving silently forward.

The ship was much more luxurious than they had imagined, with brightly lit corridors and soft carpets. The air was filled with the scent of incense, completely masking the sea’s fishiness and other potential smell clues.

People came and went, ignoring the two small animals wearing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Teest scurried ahead, his tail tip occasionally brushing Nol’s nose.

Could it be that Teest had investigated where the cargo hold was beforehand?

Nol wanted to ask, but the big white cat ahead ran with certainty. He had no choice but to follow, with the legs of the guests turning into a dense jungle; the prestige brought by the two occasionally stirred some cloaks or skirts.

As a result, Teest ran higher and higher, and Nol smelled the silky smell of the sea breeze.

[This doesn’t seem like the way to the cargo hold.] Nol was pragmatic.

[I made an appointment with you to see the night view first.] Teest’s tail waggled. [And you agreed to accompany me. Things have an order.]

Nol paused, thinking the Mad Monk would be more interested in the cargo hold, especially since it had increased security for no reason. Lately, Teest deviated from his expectations more and more, but rather than being shocked, these changes felt more like pleasant surprises.

Nol smiled. Unable to resist, he gently bit the tip of the white cat’s swaying tail. Teest made a noise but didn’t pull his tail back.

The merchant ship had six floors. Reaching the top deck was like standing on a high hill. The moon seemed bigger than on land, and stars sprinkled down from the sky. The lights of the fleet ahead blazed a path on the dark sea.

There was only the night sky, seawater, and scattered lights.

The wind felt like it could blow through their bodies, melting them into the surroundings the next second. Even if the moon above had ill intentions, it couldn’t spoil Nol’s content mood at that moment.

Everything was dreamily beautiful.

“Look, what great fresh air.” Teest stood satisfied, his tail elegantly curling around his paw.

“It’s beautiful,” Nol admitted honestly. “Have you seen this before?”

“Yes. Once, the Eternal Church chartered a ship to Ship Island for a gray trade. That ship was a bit smaller than this one.” The white cat shook his whiskers. “Actually, it’s a pity. The scene I saw then was even more beautiful than now.”

Nol tilted his head in confusion.

The white cat reminisced, licking his lips. “Because at that time, the ship was on fire.”

Nol: “……”

Alright, he probably didn’t need to ask who started the fire. However, he really wasn’t a fan of the phrase “even more beautiful than now”.

Nol looked at the reminiscent Teest for a few seconds, then suddenly moved behind Teest and bit the back of the neck of his own knight. Teest hadn’t reacted before the black dragon spread his wings, heading towards the sea.

The black dragon grew slightly, swimming through the night like a fish. Rotating, the stars and lights were all stirred into scattered glimmers. One side of the black dragon’s wing tip brushed the sea surface, splashing droplets colored with phosphorescent hues.

At some point, Teest adjusted his posture, clinging tightly to the black dragon’s back. In the golden pupils of the white cat, an even more splendid light reflected—

Countless phosphorescent fish surged up from the seabed, like cold flames lit beneath the sea. They danced underwater, following the black dragon’s flight path, sometimes scattering like fireworks.

From the distant fleet, people’s exclamations were heard. But that didn’t matter, under the protection of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Only they could see each other.

Teest watched quietly while pressing his paws against the scales. An almost transparent phosphorescent fish jumped out of the water, brushing his whiskers, drawing a beautiful arc. Beneath the fish swarms, more flower-like jellyfish wandered up.

“…I take back what I said before.” Teest gently bit the dragon horn. “It’s beautiful. This is better than ‘setting a ship on fire’. I should say, it couldn’t be better.”

The black dragon circled the entire fleet time and again. The night, colored with light, gradually calmed. Teest sneezed from the sea breeze. “The cargo hold, Lord Nol. The cargo hold.”

Nol slowly avoided the knight’s gaze.

Teest: “……”

The scales under his paws were slightly warm, feeling wonderful, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on sensations.

Teest: “…You didn’t forget, did you?”

“My memory is quite good. This time, uh, my attention was all on the night view.” Nol’s neck stiffened as if under a petrification curse. He adamantly avoided eye contact with Teest. “Besides, you surely remember, right? …Right?”

Teest remained silent for two seconds, then laughed shamelessly. He laughed so hard that his claws lost their grip, almost causing him to slip off the dragon’s back. Nol took the opportunity to bite his neck again, successfully avoiding eye contact.

“Let’s go.” The white cat raised its tail happily. “I’ll lead the way. Pfft!”

“……”

“Shall we burn a ship next time?”

“…No!”

The performance of the phosphorescent creatures attracted many passengers, making Nol and Teest’s return journey much easier, with fewer shoes to dodge. Unfortunately, the beautiful scenery outside couldn’t attract the attention of the cargo hold guards. The path below deck was still firmly guarded, and the ventilation ducts were too narrow to navigate in human form.

Teest skillfully pried open the wooden grate of the ventilation duct and slipped in, while Nol folded his wings and squeezed himself in as well.

Compared to the night sky and the sea earlier, this place was dark and stuffy. Nol smelled fermenting fruit, rotting fresh meat, and a slight odor of feces. From time to time, strange noises came from outside the duct, indicating many living things in the cargo hold.

At each vent, Teest would stick his head out to take a look. The number of guards below, for a temporary merchant ship, was exaggerated. And their attire didn’t seem to belong to the Alva Merchant Group’s private security but rather looked like—

[Eternalist.] Teest pried open the vent, extending his claw tips again. [Would you mind if I… ahem, well.]

[Not now. Investigation is investigation. It’s not the right time for action,] Nol said in a tone like forbidding “eating snacks”. Teest let out a long sigh, and his ears drooped again.

[Alright, just investigating.]

The Mad Monk, dissatisfied, pried at the vent’s grate, squeezing his head into the slits while humming a tune in his mind through telepathy. [Just investigating, no exterminating, smart kitty also—]

Nol coldly cut off the telepathy.

He squeezed past Teest, and both of them stuffed into the nearest vent—it was the noisiest around, with the conversation below quite clear.

“You didn’t have to come personally!” a fearful voice said. “This ship—this ship is really…”

“This cargo is very important. I’d prefer to watch over it discreetly from close quarters rather than make a big show of it. Have you forgotten the attacks on merchant ships before?”

A cold but familiar voice said, “This is a great opportunity to strengthen relations with the Alva Merchant Group.”

“But for someone of your stature—”

“That’s my style. I’m not like that old goat. You’d better get used to it,” the voice said. “Compared to Godfrey Painter, I’m quite the disciplined type.”

Nol slowly reconnected the telepathy. [Is it the person I’m thinking of?]

[Probably.] Teest stopped humming, his fur bristling. [What’s that guy doing here?]

Fischer Reginald.

The former High Priest of the Eternal Church, now, the current Pope of the Eternal Church.

With a sullen face, Teest slowly retreated. His claws were cruelly stepped on by Nol.

[It seems this cargo is indeed interesting,] Nol said. [What does the Eternal Church usually sell?]

Teest looked disdainfully at Fischer. [Aside from the usual trafficking, mostly special Supplement Demons, man-made chimeras, and other living beings. They’re all defective products not suitable for combat, sold to rich fools with messed-up heads.]

[It doesn’t sound like something the Pope needs to escort personally.] Nol’s gaze shifted to Fischer.

Fischer, evidently not intending to follow the old Pope’s approach of keeping people at a distance, dressed like an ordinary merchant, with an arrogance and coldness they had never seen before.

The cultist guard in front of him was sweating profusely, looking very nervous.

“We’ve prepared a separate room for the cargo, surrounded by our people, so there won’t be any accidents,” the cultist guard said. “The cargo is very sensitive. I’m afraid it might hurt you.”

“Say one more word, and someone here will definitely get hurt. And it won’t be me.”

Fischer sneered. “It’s just a White Demon. Move aside.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 183: A Guess

“Because it’s interesting.”

Mentor looked down at the two small animals, smiling very comfortably. “Players are immortal, and with you two here, what do I have to worry about?”

Nol was somewhat surprised. “Mentor” was the eldest of the three Player leaders, yet his reason turned out to be… simple.

“Dorothy told me before, but I had guessed a bit about the situation in Paradise.” Mentor stood with his hands behind his back, leisurely basking in the moonlight.

“I’m different from the one inside—I show up in person, which means I’m ready to explain everything. Ask whatever you want, gentlemen.”

Teest: “Explain everything? It sounds too good to be true, like someone handing out gold wheels on the streets.”

“Think of it as pure goodwill. ‘Hermitage’ was originally a temporary organization providing information for Players. Most people think about going home, so it’s hard to do long-term business,” Mentor shrugged.

Nol suddenly felt a subtle nuance.

This man’s attitude towards Tahe, and his choice of words…

“You said ‘most people think about going home’.” The little black dragon flew up, looking directly into Mentor’s smiling eyes. “’Most people’?”

“Yes, even if you find a way back, I wouldn’t choose to go back.” Mentor spread his arms wide, feeling the icy night wind. “I am destined to stay here.”

[No wonder.]

Teest meowed in Nol’s mind, and his tail stiffened like a flagpole. [“Pure goodwill”? Once your compatriots can go back, the Saints, Amazon, and Hermitage will dissolve on the spot. The only things more likely to continue in this world are Paradise and—]

[Demon Players.] Nol completed Teest’s thought.

Even if the way back was opened, the residents of Paradise still faced the problem of “returning to their original state”. Moreover, there were indigenous members like the succubi and Sheepskin Ball villagers in the current Paradise. Indeed, they wouldn’t disappear.

Demon Players were easier to understand. Compared to returning to Earth to be imprisoned, most would prefer to stay in Tahe causing trouble.

If Mentor wanted to stay in Tahe, it indeed made more sense to get close to Paradise early on, rather than dealing with a group of scattered Demon Players.

It was understandable, but Nol still had doubts.

If Mentor was a young adult, having the idea of “staying in another world” would be quite understandable. But at his age, wanting to stay in Tahe was almost certainly due to physical reasons—several elderly neighbors in Paradise had expressed “not wanting to go back”, preferring to be monsters rather than lying in bed suffering from illness every day.

However, if Players were officially invited by the “Tahe” production team, this situation wouldn’t occur. The first batch of Players was very important, definitely subject to age restrictions and health investigations.

“Sorry, I’m asking directly,” Nol said. “Are you from ‘Three Forks Road Village’?”

Mentor laughed. “Very astute.”

Nol instinctively took a step back. Teest’s fur stood up, making the cat appear much larger. He couldn’t help but snort at Mentor.

The Mad Monk’s killing intent was theoretically very terrifying, Nol couldn’t help but look at the puffed-up Teest for a few seconds. Somehow, Teest now probably couldn’t scare anyone, and just looked more pettable.

No, Nol forced his gaze away, trying to focus.

“Mentor” was a Demon Player.

Now, such Players weren’t frightening to the two of them, but since Players possessed immortality, they could be quite troublesome to deal with. Just like humans and cockroaches, no one enjoyed dealing with endless generations of cockroach nests.

Mentor found a stump and calmly sat down. “My novice village was ‘Crossroads’. Purely by birth, I suppose I’m considered part of the dark forces here.”

Nol: “Do others know?”

“Only Dorothy knows. Ash is too straightforward. For some things, if speaking them only brings harm, then it’s better left unsaid.” Mentor said, “Just like Dorothy simply contacted me by letter, instead of using a loudspeaker to proclaim ‘this world is real’—this point, the people of Paradise surely understand better than us.”

Teest remained puffy for a long while, suddenly realizing the crux of the matter. He deflated his fur and sat a step away from Mentor. “But regarding you personally, we need a more detailed explanation.”

“Pancreatic cancer,” Mentor said nonchalantly.

“My wife and I divorced early, and my son works abroad. I didn’t tell them and only planned for conservative treatment. Then, while picking up my medication, I was recommended ‘to test a new game’. Thinking I didn’t have long to live, I decided to try something new.”

He then turned to Nol. “I don’t remember the face of that person, nor how I entered the game. But I could tell something was wrong. The ‘Players’ around me were no good. So, I acted a bit, finding an excuse to leave ‘Crossroads’ early.”

“Afterwards, I accidentally met my student and gradually formed ‘Hermitage’. What you probably want to ask about is this. Honestly, the process wasn’t thrilling.”

He wanted to ask more than that, Nol thought. A multitude of questions piled up at the tip of his tongue, but what came out was—

“Why didn’t you tell your family about your illness?”

Mentor stopped for a moment, slightly surprised. His expression became a bit complex. “Not all family relationships are ‘close’. My wife and I got married ‘when it was time to marry’ and had children ‘when it was time to have children’.”

“Sometimes people need to be realistic.” When he said this, his face showed a bit of self-mockery.

Nol was silent.

According to what he heard from Anakin and others, “Mentor” was a quite famous university professor. The man had a prestigious reputation, a high income, and successful children. 

He thought Mentor became the leader of the Hermitage because he was eager to return, but now it sounded like Mentor had no attachment to Earth.

“So that’s how it is. Interesting.”

Teest circled around Mentor once more, not sure if he was attempting a fur attack. “‘Three Forked Road Village’ houses those knowledgeable about games and wanting to go home. ‘Crossroads’ houses those with real-world skills, desperate to stay. These two types of people are more proactive about ‘getting stronger’ and ‘exploring’, just not convenient to put together.” He summarized. “Honey, this is an army meticulously selected by Star Stealer Sol.”

Two special armies to fight the “Demon King”.

Thinking about it, it indeed seemed so, Nol thought. If someone random from the street were brought here and they knew nothing about games, they might give up early. But if it was someone proficient in games, they definitely wouldn’t give up on clearing the game.

And compared to law-abiding citizens, criminals were more likely to accept war and violence, thriving in this “kill to get stronger” world.

“Mentor”, a terminally ill patient, might be a minority. If he was brought here, it was highly likely because of his outstanding ability.

“I also think we’re ‘two armies’, simply deceived into coming here as labor.”

As Nol pondered, Mentor looked down at the big white cat, continuing to narrate. “But the existence of ‘Paradise’ is subtle. If you’re also an anticipated ‘army’, the design logic is vastly different.”

“The system didn’t specifically favor you, yet you were the first to eliminate the ancient Demon King. But towards the three major guilds and Demon Players, you maintain a certain distance. It’s quite interesting. I’m looking forward to this cooperation.”

“Is that so? You’re just working hard because you’re dissatisfied with being ‘deceived into coming here as labor’?”

Teest coldly flicked his tail. “Since you just want to live well, there’s no need to wade into these muddy waters, much less get involved with Paradise. With your talent, you could easily find a place to live.”

Mentor laughed again, once more looking up at the four moons in the sky.

“Before, I strictly followed ‘what I should do’, and many envied my life. But in the end, I found it very uninteresting.”

“Now I’m more interested in adventuring, such as solving this…”

He pointed to the four moons in the sky. “This phenomenon completely defies the laws of physics. Just looking at it makes one uneasy.”

Hearing such a refreshingly unconventional reason for adventure, even Teest fell silent.

More terrifyingly, this person seemed genuinely sincere.

Nol: “……”

He thought they finally had a relatively mentally normal teammate. It seemed that Star Stealer Sol’s judgment wasn’t unreasonable for throwing Mr. Mentor into ‘Crossroads’.

However, Mentor indeed provided him with a lot of inspiration.

Now, Nol could confirm, Star Stealer Sol had the means to interfere with Earth, even directly abducting people from Earth.

As for the memories of veteran players participating in tests, the memories of criminals being invited… Maybe it couldn’t truly “domesticate” everyone, but inserting a small, harmless piece of vague memory didn’t seem difficult.

Not to mention Star Stealer Sol, who had been hiding its light for over two hundred years, but even the current Nol could do something similar.

“How do you view this world?” Nol continued dryly. Abnormal teammate or not, he still had to ask.

“An imitation of Earth,” Mentor answered with utmost certainty.

Nol was taken aback. “…An imitation?”

“The sun is similar to ours but not the same one. The other satellites don’t match, nor do the stars. But in terms of physical conditions, this place is completely identical to Earth.”

The stars reflected in Mentor’s glasses. “It’s like someone copied another Earth in a suitable location.”

“What an incredible amount of work,” Teest murmured.

“No, actually, this is the only explanation.” Mentor shook his head. “The ecology and life here can be seen as modified from Earth. In fact, with just a slight difference in physical constants, the planetary conditions would be completely different, and a similar environment couldn’t be sustained.”

“Unless this planet’s natural environment is completely identical to Earth, and the path of biological evolution is highly similar, coincidentally giving birth to a very similar civilization… Personally, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence.”

“So those four moons are particularly unnatural.” Mentor sighed again, sounding quite perturbed.

Nol looked down at his shiny black claws.

Dragons, his favorite fantasy creature. Based on bats, lizards, and some reptiles.

As the creator of this world, Nol probably knew what was going on. Whether it was himself or the three predecessors who once existed. When creating, they would definitely use “Earth’s ecology” as the subconscious blueprint.

What is a dog, what is a cat, what is grass, what is a tree.

How many noses and eyes do humans have?

Apples will fall to the ground.

Few people would deliberately reset these common senses in creation. Even if there were modifications, they were surely based on existing things. After all, it was normal for a person to be unable to imagine something they had never seen before.

Their stories were based on their homeland, a place that had successfully nurtured many civilizations.

Could it be that Star Stealer Sol used them just to get a relatively stable world?

Thinking along these lines, the three destroyed worlds, the three creators who became the ancient Demon King… They didn’t mention Star Stealer Sol’s direct intervention, and Lynn didn’t find related records in the ruins.

But in their own created world of Tahe, Star Stealer Sol actively participated in person, using the “system” to bring in Players, attempting to clear the remnants of the creators. Recently, that guy even appeared in person, indirectly asking him to sacrifice himself, promising that Tahe would remain unharmed.

Nol pressed his temples. This situation was very familiar, exactly like…

Exactly like someone had stolen an account to their liking, ready to officially take over, thus beginning to erase all traces of the previous owner.

But this still didn’t explain why he and his neighbors were here or why he was in this condition.

…There wasn’t enough information.

Nol lowered his head, suddenly wanting to sigh. He felt like he was touching the edge of something, but still, a thick fog of mystery blocked the way.

“You seem to firmly believe this is reality.”

Beside him, Teest was still interacting with Mentor. Having experienced Star Stealer Sol’s divine intervention on the spot, his cat knight was very wary of this new member.

Mentor smiled meaningfully. “When I was on Earth, I was never allergic to cat fur.”

Teest: “……”

[Let’s go back, Teest.] Nol humorously transmitted his thoughts. [This person should be fine.]

If Mentor had issues, he wouldn’t have given him so many hints. Perhaps this esteemed predecessor just had a quirky personality. They had encountered quite a few people like that along the way.

[I know he’s fine,] Teest responded helplessly. [I just… never mind.]

[Don’t “never mind”.] The current Nol was very cautious about every little sign. [Don’t worry. Just say whatever.]

Teest’s tail slowly drooped as he turned his round eyes. [I have a bad feeling, but I’m not sure where it’s coming from.]

[…Just intuition for now.]

[That’s also worth considering. Let’s go back. I need to discuss my hunch.]

Nol said, unable to help but follow Mentor’s gaze, looking up at the sky.

The four bright moons hung in the night sky were almost beautiful.

……

A few days later, Inato, Rosemary Port.

A man in his fifties approached the harbor, dressed in a refined suit, waving a gemstone cane. He was followed by a muscular bodyguard. The bodyguard seemed to be blind in one eye, wearing a black eye patch.

The bodyguard carried a suitcase in his right hand and a large birdcage covered with black velvet cloth in his left, with a sleek white cat perched on his right shoulder. The cat held its head high while its golden eyes surveyed the passing pedestrians.

“John Doe, a rare pet merchant?”

The ticket inspector looked at the name on the ticket and the accompanying ID.

Mentor twirled his fake mustache, revealing a smile.

“Yes, sir.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 182: Sailing Plans

After saving Golden Sword, Mentor intercepted a cargo carriage outside the Black Forest.

Facing two down-and-out, frail middle-aged men with small animals, the carriage driver heartily agreed to give them a ride, of course, not without some shiny gold wheels as thanks.

“Really, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to be so useless,” Golden Sword Billy lamented in the carriage. His head was hung low amidst the strong scent of pine wood filling the cart. “I thought about hiring, but that would have been rather shameless… Thank you for saving me.”

The play goes on.

Teest snorted disdainfully. His tail elegantly coiled around Nol, claiming the softest cushion on the carriage for himself.

He could see what Mr. Billy was thinking—wasn’t Billy wary of them, the three Players, before? This guy had the patience, kept quiet, and then staged a “deliberate danger” for them to rescue him, leading naturally to talks of collaboration.

If their meeting was purely coincidental, just by rescuing him, Billy could gain three virtuous Players as companions. Even if it was premeditated by them, the three had proven they weren’t naive youngsters who would foolishly interfere upon sighting a target. Billy could then make use of their intellect.

Despite his current plight, Golden Sword remained a shrewd businessman.

“Rest for now. There’s no rush on discussing collaboration. Let’s get out of here first,” Mentor advised in a soothing voice as he flipped through his book.

Teest blinked and yawned widely. He licked the delicate dragon claw in front of him with the tip of his tongue, successfully activating the effects of [Betrayal Overture].

Well, it seemed this counted as a kiss of the hand. Teest retracted his tongue, marveling at the system’s leniency.

Lately, perhaps due to his form, he found himself easily sleepy, falling asleep quite fast. With the strong pine scent and the creaking of the carriage’s wooden wheels, Teest’s eyelids began to droop heavily.

He ignored the occasional roars of beasts from the Black Forest. Even in his current form, those monsters couldn’t withstand one swipe of his claws—he didn’t even need to reveal them.

How marvelous. The Mad Monk had imagined “becoming powerful” countless times.

In the dungeons of the Eternal Church, he had envisioned himself wielding a longsword, indiscriminately slaughtering the Eternalists, paving a road with their screams and innards. He didn’t need to hide and just boldly stepped over those corpses.

While wandering outside, he had imagined hanging the old Pope of the Eternal Church on the tallest Evergreen Church as a splendid decoration. It would be best to also send those Investigation Knights after him to the hospital, one by one, until no one bothered him anymore. He didn’t need to hide. He could joyfully follow all truths, becoming the bloody nightmare of both churches.

Teest never thought he would be related to the concept of “god”. The most absurd part was, after reaching this terrifying height, what lay before him wasn’t a scene drenched in blood, but…

Two large, fluffy paws.

Teest fell silent for a while, looking at his pink paw pads, and quietly tucked his paws under himself. He couldn’t help but lick the wing membrane of the little black dragon and start purring again.

If there’s such a thing as true destiny, his must have gone awry somewhere, Teest thought while purring.

The carriage jolted, bringing the group to a small edge town—it could hardly be called a town. Nol considered it more of a “relay station”. There was an inn for trading horses, a post office, a tavern, and only a few houses. The sparse buildings huddled together in the open grassy hills, resembling a clump of mushrooms.

The only inn was mediocre and overpriced, unsurprisingly.

This time, Golden Sword decisively paid for everyone. The innkeeper was very accommodating. His gaze lingered on Nol for just a few seconds without asking any questions. Soon, they received a decent double room—with two single beds and even a straw nest prepared for pets.

Teest fussed with the straw nest, jumping onto the bed discontentedly, preemptively claiming Golden Sword’s down pillow. Nol attempted to carry away his recklessly brave knight but miserably failed.

“Actually, I’m also looking for something from the Alva Merchant Group. “After entering the room, Golden Sword got straight to the point. “I used to… I worked for the Alva Merchant Group before, so I know some things. I know where what you’re looking for is, and it’s on the way for us.”

“What a coincidence.” Mentor closed his book.

“The cave leopard fourth tailbone and rare curse-breaking items—even for the Alva Merchant Group, these items aren’t available in just any store.”

Billy sounded much healthier. “It’s quite a coincidence. I’m looking for something similar.”

Mentor nodded, showing an “I’m all ears” expression.

“Have you ever heard of the ‘Bystander’s Tongue’?” Billy licked his dry, cracked lips.

Mentor frowned in thought for a while. “I have a vague impression, but please explain.”

Nol and Teest exchanged glances, not quite used to each other’s round eyes. The two animals had just locked eyes when they almost got distracted.

[It’s not my work.] Nol communicated succinctly.

Nol had never heard of the “Bystander’s Tongue”. It was likely a newcomer’s creation, or another unreliable reward generated by the system.

Beside him, the big white cat’s ears perked up.

“A powerful magical item. It can narrate specific memories of the user. Even if the user’s head is injured, cursed, or even dead, this item will still work. There are limitations, though. It can only be used once by a person.”

Billy explained patiently. “I want to acquire this item.”

“‘Acquire‘,” Mentor emphasized. “I thought we were going to purchase it normally.”

“The cave leopard fourth tailbone can be used to make ‘anti-instant death curse’ alchemical items, not to mention the rare curse-breaking items. As for the ‘Bystander’s Tongue’, the Alva Merchant Group would prefer to keep it for themselves. There aren’t many items that can make a corpse speak nowadays.”

Billy’s tone was earnest like never before.

“If you’re willing to ‘treasure hunt’ together, I’ll provide information. If you insist on buying, I’ll find a way to make it cheaper for you. I… I don’t need to take the tongue away. I just need to use it secretly.”

“Why are you obsessed with memories? And why did you faint in the Black Forest before?” Teest flicked his tail. “Look, we’re in this state now. We should estimate the potential risks.”

Billy looked at him a bit sadly, his fingers tightening then slowly loosening. Finally, he touched his lost left eye. Mentor had already bandaged him, with faint blood stains seeping through the white bandages.

“I can only guarantee that the dangers you face are in the future. I won’t bring you trouble, and I won’t force you if you’re unwilling. You’ve done enough. I truly think so.”

Teest hid the mockery in his words. “Ah, mysterious guy.”

Actually, they all recognized Golden Sword, but Mr. Billy seemed unaware of this, and Teest was too lazy to point it out.

“Where is it?” Mentor asked succinctly.

“To the east of Inato on the Golden Sea, there’s a fleet belonging to the Alva Merchant Group. We call it ‘Ship Island’.”

Billy said gravely, “In winter, when it’s cold, Duke Alva goes to Ship Island for recuperation. Only invited guests can enter. I swear, there’s everything we need there.”

Golden Sea? Ship Island?

Interesting. According to Nol’s initial setting, the largest sea was supposed to be the “Endless Sea”. It bordered Inato to the west and the Brick Mountains to the east, serving as a boundary for the map.

Now, the sea to the east of Inato was called the Golden Sea. There was a Golden Sea and a Golden Sword—the merchant vibes were almost overflowing. Nol suspected this had something to do with the Alva Merchant Group.

Speaking of which, everything seemed to have something to do with the Alva Merchant Group. A major conglomerate that rose in two hundred years and Tahe’s largest intelligence organization, its presence was always astonishing.

The real Drake and the Mad Monk both had some connection with the Alva Merchant Group—they were related to the Blanco family, which had long been married into the Alva family. Strictly speaking, Teest was related to Old Duke Alva.

Such a powerful and unique behemoth, it would be strange if Star Stealer Sol didn’t interfere. Nol rolled his eyes internally. It just so happened that Old Duke Alva was on Ship Island. As the head of the Alva Merchant Group, he might know something.

“I want to purchase normally.” Nol decided firmly. “But only invited guests can enter. That is indeed a bit troublesome.”

Anyway, he was the God of Creation, so using [Creator] to conjure some gold wheels to use would be exercising his legitimate rights, right?

Mentor smiled slightly. “I’m also interested in Ship Island. I don’t mind having another collaborator, sir.”

Teest hummed nonchalantly. “I have no objections.”

“Now that we’re collaborating, tell us your name.” After saying that, Teest mischievously started the conversation again. “We can’t keep calling you ‘sir’.”

Golden Sword Billy’s eyes dimmed for a moment. “Just call me ‘Billy’.”

At first glance, it sounded like a very ordinary name. Unless deeply connected with Golden Sword himself, it would be hard to associate it with Enbillick Alva.

“Let’s head to Rosemary Port of Inato first. I’ll figure out a way for the entry qualifications, rest assured.”

“So, we’re heading to sea,” Teest summarized, glancing at Mentor. “We’ll also need to prepare credible identities.” Mentor gave Teest a meaningful look.

They hadn’t told Mentor who Drake was, and Mentor didn’t ask further. This guy didn’t even ask for their names, calling them “that cat” or “that dragon” when he needed to address them.

He seemed weak, pitifully so among Players, posing no threat to themselves or Nol. Yet, whenever this old guy approached, Teest felt an urge to bristle his fur.

This guy was different from other Players they had encountered. Even Crimson didn’t have such a strong sense of void around him.

They needed to think of a plan.

……

In the deep night, a wicker basket stuffed with down pillows.

If there were any advantages to becoming a cat, Teest found himself unusually alert at night. His vision had significantly improved over his human form. Of course, there were downsides. He and his miniaturized God of Creation always huddled together, and just as he got up, Nol woke.

[Mentor is standing outside alone. I need to see what he’s up to.] Teest quickly reported.

The tiny black dragon yawned, almost spitting out a blue spark. Nol blinked hard, shaking off the sleepiness. [I’ll come with you.]

[You keep sleeping. I’m just going to take a look.]

[Better to talk to him in person,] Nol said. [Dorothy wouldn’t set me up at this juncture.]

The conversation between the two powerful beings was serious, but reality was less accommodating. A dragon and a cat sneakily crawled out of the box, slinking into the darkness with drooping tails.

Outside, Mentor stood alone in front of the inn. The winter night was exceptionally quiet, and not even the sound of insects could be heard. Fortunately, the night sky was clear tonight, with four moons softly hanging in the sky.

Mentor didn’t look at the moons. He just stood there with his eyes closed, as if pondering something. The night wind gently stirred his gray, long hair, making his figure appear exceptionally thin.

“Good evening.” Just as Teest circled behind him, Mentor spoke up first.

“How did you know?” Teest’s eyes sparkled in the night.

Mentor rubbed his nose. “I’m allergic to cat hair. The wind blew your fur over.”

The big white cat froze on the spot, like marshmallows skewered together. Nol struggled to suppress his laughter. Teest, the master of stealth, probably hadn’t been caught flat-footed like this before.

“Want to have a chat?” Mentor continued in a friendly tone, seemingly very skilled at ignoring others’ embarrassment.

Nol stepped forward, standing next to the stiffened cat. He asked very directly—

“Why?”

He said, “Investigating the Alva Merchant Group is dangerous. You must have guessed as much. You could have discussed it remotely from the Lost Tower. Why involve yourself personally?”

---

The author has something to say:

A new squad of four is formed! Teammates come and go, but the couple remains ironclad.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 181: Coincidence

Lynn’s face was livid.

Now, let alone Demong King or God of Creation, even if Nol was the origin of the Big Bang, Lynn would still feel a sliver of murderous intent towards him.

What did the great employee Miss Lynn do tonight?

She first dealt with the backlog of tasks in the Lost Tower, then entertained the Fox Pope, who almost had “mooching food and security” written on his face, with his eyes gleaming. Without even drinking a cup of water, she perked up again to meet Anakin and Solo, who were anxious because they couldn’t find their leader—the leader Mentor of “Hermitage” hadn’t shown up at the agreed place.

According to Painter, Mentor and Golden Sword, who appeared nearby for some unknown reason, were together. And the big boss Nol ran off with his little lover, even specifically transforming into a small animal form.

The four calamities were just enough to form a mahjong table, and Lynn could roughly guess what Nol and the others were up to. But she didn’t want to think about it anymore; it gave her a headache.

In the end, Lynn dragged her tired body back to her room, where her lovely sister’s eyes were emitting a blue glow.

The great God of Fate had eaten all the peach crisps in her room.

Wow, what a miraculous world, Lynn thought. When she couldn’t find her sister, there was a stoic and solemn emotion supporting her inside. At this moment, Miss Lynn only wished for the world to end.

“Ah.” Perradat wiped the pastry crumbs from her mouth. “You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?”

Lynn took a few deep breaths. She wanted to burst into anger but was too tired to speak. To hell with gods. If this guy hadn’t used her sister’s body, she would have beaten her up.

In the end, she murmured a few words and collapsed onto a recliner.

Perradat’s eyes shifted and she moved closer. “Sorry for eating all your snacks. This way, both your sister and I could taste it—we’re sharing… You didn’t come back for a long time, and she was a bit lonely.”

This God of Fate was very approachable, mixing guilt and regret in her tone just right, making it hard to get angry.

“Forget it. It’s okay.” Lynn waved her hand. “I didn’t need to eat anyway. I was just tasting.”

Perradat slithered across the floor, her scales rubbing against the ground, making a pleasant rustling sound. She moved behind Lynn and started massaging Lynn’s shoulders. Lynn’s body stiffened, then relaxed uncertainly.

Isn’t this god’s personality a bit too good?

“Don’t be tense. Consider it a small apology,” Perradat said softly. “You really are responsible. Now that Lord Nol isn’t here, I thought you would take a rest.”

What does that mean? Lynn narrowed her eyes, wondering if this was an attempt to stir up relations, or…

“Ha ha.” Perradat’s hands rested on Lynn’s shoulders, and it seemed like she instantly understood Lynn’s thoughts. “I’m not foolish enough to stir up trouble, dear miss.”

“I just want to understand everyone in the Tower better.” Saying this, she leaned down, her voice carrying a subtle divinity. “Words can lie, and perceptions can be biased. Everything here—including all of you—is key to reflecting ‘That One’s’ character, don’t you think?”

Lynn belatedly realized something. Her magical fluctuations, skin temperature, and muscle state were all clearly detected by Perradat’s fingertips.

At the same time, the pressure on her shoulders from the other’s grip distracted her. In such a situation, subconscious reactions are hard to fake.

“I thought you two got along very well,” Lynn said dryly. The hands on her shoulders seemed to turn into branding irons.

“Working with Lord Nol is currently my only option.  That doesn’t mean I’ll become a ‘good friend’ who takes and gives as they please. Understanding the nature of those I work with better prepares me for the future.”

Perradat’s voice still carried a smile. “This isn’t a black-and-white world, my lady.”

“That’s also true. If you were just an innocent, pitiable person, how could you have clashed with Star Stealer Sol?” Lynn said irritably. At this point, she really didn’t have the energy to maintain surface-level politeness anymore.

Perradat laughed merrily and suddenly withdrew her hands. Her tail flicked as she swam in front of Lynn.

This was Lilith’s face. The serpentman prophet had a girlish appearance, but for a moment, Lynn felt the life in front of her was immensely ancient.

“A person spends an ordinary childhood under their parents’ care, gets an average job in adulthood, forms an ordinary family, grows old, and dies of aging or illness… This is the definition of ‘an ordinary life’ for most humans.”

Why bring this up suddenly?

Lynn watched Perradat with some confusion. Under the candlelight, the god’s eyes emitted a pale blue light.

“In reality, few people get to live the ‘standard ordinary life’. Unfortunate childhoods, accidents, disasters, job losses… and so on.” Perradat said, “My species is the same.”

“Wandering the universe, searching for the symbiotic species called the ‘Pillar of the World’, is the ordinary life for me as a ‘Floating Cocoon’. You might try to understand it that way.”

Even though Lynn didn’t know why Perradat suddenly said these things, she was still involuntarily drawn in. “Pillar of the World?”

“Oh, very large, exceptionally strong creatures and admirable researchers. They choose suns and cultivate civilizations from nothing. Normally, we could offer them some assistance in exchange for a stable food source.”

Perradat waved her hand, and the scenery around them suddenly turned into the vast universe. Next to a burning sun, Lynn saw a white giant curling up, attracting dust, gradually forming a planet.

A Floating Cocoon drifted past, gently wrapping around the planet’s atmosphere. The two creatures coexisted peacefully, and the planet slowly orbited the sun.

A strange and magnificent sight.

Then, Perradat snapped her fingers, and the illusion of the planet disappeared like smoke.

“It’s that simple, just like you provide assistance to Lord Nol to make a living. You see, even across the vast universe, everyone’s situation isn’t much different.”

“Are you implying that there is a Pillar of the World in this world?”

Lynn snapped back from the previous illusion, trying to deduce the “God of Fate’s” purpose.

“Unfortunately, no.” Perradat said softly, “As I said, ‘symbiosis with the Pillar of the World’ is our species ‘ordinary life’, and I happen to be a poor sap—I didn’t meet a Pillar of the World. When I accidentally discovered this world, I was at the point of starvation to death. Compared to the Pillar of the World, Star Stealer Sol’s strength is nothing, so of course, I had to seize it.”

“You understand, right? I just wanted to survive. For most humans, not getting an ‘ordinary life’ doesn’t mean they would just give up on life.”

Lynn fell silent.

Perradat’s voice was calm and sincere. After all, there was no need for this god to lie about such matters.

She suddenly realized that she couldn’t accuse Perradat of harboring ulterior motives with the point of “initiating a war between gods”, just as she couldn’t blame the beasts on the savannah for scavenging corpses. After all, Nol was indeed not there at the time, and Star Stearl Sol wasn’t the real master of the world.

“With your identity, you can make your demands directly to me.”

Lynn scratched her head. “Even if you tell me all this, I’m not the ultimate decision-maker, nor will I betray the Lost Tower. You might as well find Nol—”

“Lilith is right. You do tend to overthink.”

Perradat’s smile was radiant, with no trace of her divinity detected. Her tone was much like that of a mischievous girl next door. “It’s late. I just wanted to casually chat with someone. If I had to state a purpose… perhaps I want to get along with you?”

Lynn was speechless, hearing the sound of her brain cells exploding.

This was one of the so-called False Gods. Even if this being claimed to have no ulterior motives, she couldn’t trust it.

“However, overthinking is a good habit.”

Perradat stepped back, looking out the pitch-black window.

“How do you feel after this little conversation?”

Lynn couldn’t help but frown, reluctant to reveal her true feelings—

The being before her was far removed from the concept of “humanity”. Yet, for a moment, Lynn could understand Perradat’s emotions.

Lively, friendly, empathetic—it was like communicating with a peer.

The most terrifying part was, she detected no lies. Perradat had been sincere from start to finish.

She didn’t like this feeling, but it had taken root in her heart.

Seeing Lynn remain silent for a long time, Perradat’s smile grew wider, but she didn’t press further.

“Remember this feeling,” she said. “‘The story of others’ is dangerous, my friend. With just a little cost, it can achieve significant effects—”

She leaned in close to Lynn, exposing her unguarded neck.

“I can assure you, if Lord Nol orders you to eliminate me as an ‘intruder’, you will hesitate.”

……

Hunter’s cabin.

Mentor extinguished the magical fire, and the room instantly darkened. The dense trees of the Black Forest and the wooden bars nailed to the cabin’s windows allowed very little moonlight to seep in.

Nol and Teest got a cushion from Mentor and huddled together. Nol’s tail protected Teest’s back, while Teest’s head nestled against the dragon’s head. Nol’s mouth and nose were buried in the soft chest of the white cat.

The overly fluffy cat tail also wrapped around Nol’s neck. Nol could feel the soft paw pads pressing against his scales, and it felt warm like a kiss.

Nol had the illusion that he was submerged in white fur. The soft fur carried Teest’s unique scent, just lacking a bit of the smell of blood—his knight wasn’t fond of hunting in this form, which Nol found unsurprising.

They huddled close together, not wasting any space on the cushion. Mentor raised his eyebrows slightly, and his gaze became meaningful, but ultimately, he said nothing.

On the other side, having heard their discussion, Golden Sword had remained silent all along. Billy just obediently finished his bowl of noodles, drank a lot of clear water, and rested earnestly.

Right, Enbillick Alva was in his forties, not fourteen. He had the caution typical of a major merchant. Nol suspected he was still observing them.

Nol wasn’t anxious about this. After all, they had accepted the quest, and rushing to get close to Golden Sword would seem unnatural.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Golden Sword wasn’t willing to accompany them, they could simply investigate through Mentor. The quest reward wasn’t substantial, so giving up wouldn’t be a loss. Mentor and Teest were both very quiet, likely sharing his sentiment.

If anything surprised him that night, it was…

After Nol cuddled his knight, Teest made a contented purring sound. They were very close, and the cat’s purring was deafening.

Nol: […You purr very loudly.]

Teest’s thoughts immediately snapped back. [I haven’t gotten used to this form yet.]

[The cushion is trembling. Control it a bit,] Nol stated matter-of-factly.

Teest went quiet for a while. After a few hums from Nol, he put his mouth close to the warm fur. Within a few seconds, the loud purring of the cat returned.

Nol: [……]

Teest: [……]

[Pfft.] Nol laughed inwardly. So far, this might be the most straightforward Mr. Teest had ever been. The animal instincts of the Mad Monk were clearer than his heart.

[Forget it. This is nice too. Good night.] Tiny dragon claws dug into the long fur, and Nol contentedly petted it several times. Teest’s tail moved a few times, eventually resting on Nol’s neck.

[Good night, honey.] The Mad Monk responded with purrs.

Nol thought it would be an awkward night. It was their first time sleeping in animal forms, and they might struggle with sleeping positions for a while. But wrapped in a sea of fluff, he fell asleep in less than five seconds.

Mr. Teest wasn’t much better off. Nol’s sturdy dragon tail protected his back, a sensation he couldn’t ignore. Before he could figure out how to better control his purring, the warm drowsiness overwhelmed him.

……

Dawn light sneaked through the cracks in the wood, gently entering the room.

Nol opened his eyes to see the pink nose of the white cat. They were still entangled, and their position indicated they had slept remarkably well.

In this situation, his knight wouldn’t be able to perform a morning prayer. How would they apply the Betrayal Overture buff? Nol glanced at the round cat paws, unable to imagine what their hand-kissing ritual would look like.

Well, best to wake Teest up first. Nol nudged Teest’s nose with his own. As always, Teest woke up almost immediately. His eyes were still closed, and the pleasant purring resumed.

Not far away, Mentor had already started preparing breakfast—Golden Sword got oatmeal with eggs and milk, and now Mentor was frying fish in butter, likely for the two of them.

Considering Chef Teest had turned into a cat, Mentor would make a decent substitute companion, Nol thought.

“Regarding what you said yesterday, we agree,” Nol said while lying on the fluffy, big cat. “If you don’t mind our reduced strength.”

“Haha, when dealing with those merchants, the more harmless you look, the better,” Mentor said. “Would you like some cheese?”

He never once looked towards Golden Sword.

“Then it’s settled.” Nol mentally wrapped up the conversation, without shifting the topic to Billy.

While they were conversing, Billy also woke up. He politely thanked them and began to slowly eat his porridge. His complexion had improved significantly from the day before. The cold sweat on his face was gone, though he still appeared somewhat weak.

He still didn’t bring up the matter of traveling together.

As the room brightened, Teest’s round pupils turned into vertical slits. He stopped purring and quietly observed this so-called “important NPC”.

“Do you have anywhere you want to go? You should be able to walk today,” Mentor turned to Billy, asking naturally. “It’s a bit dangerous around here. We can give you a lift. Don’t worry, it’s on the house.”

“No need. Thank you for your care.”

Billy thanked them politely, pausing for a moment before pulling out a finely crafted pocket watch. “Take this. It can be exchanged for some money. It’s a pity that, under the circumstances, I can’t prepare a better thank-you gift.”

Mentor shrugged. “It’s just some food, not worth this much.”

“You’re going to buy valuable goods, aren’t you? Money is necessary.” Golden Sword gave a weak smile.

“I’m an alchemist, sir. I have my ways of making money. Our meeting is fate. Insisting further would be awkward.” Mentor waved his hand, continuing to tend to the fish in the pan.

A tacit silence fell among them.

Breakfast ended without Billy mentioning collaboration. Lunch ended, and still, Billy didn’t bring it up. The four of them… accurately, two humans, a dragon, and a cat, silently agreed to maintain peace, “recovering” in the old cabin.

Finally, in the brilliant afternoon sunshine, they stood at the doorway of the hunter’s cabin.

Teest was perched on the roof of the cabin. His leather pouch hanging from his collar was nearly buried in his long fur. Nol was flying beside him, watching the two middle-aged men part ways politely.

Golden Sword Billy found a stick to use as a walking stick. He took out a few silver hooks, buying cheese and smoked fish at market price, ready to continue on his way alone.

‘Who knows where he’s heading,’ Nol thought. ‘This guy isn’t planning to try his luck finding the Lost Tower, is he?’

[His goal definitely isn’t the Lost Tower.] Teest, as if reading his mind, responded, [Grape Collar isn’t far. This guy won’t be acting without a plan. If he really wanted to contact you, he’d find a way to have the General connect us.]

[The problem is, aside from the Lost Tower, there’s nowhere else good in the Black Forest.] Nol sincerely stated.

[I don’t understand what he’s thinking either. Maybe he really is desperate and wants to hide in the Black Forest for a while. Who knows?] Teest’s tail swung back and forth.

The issue was, the initiative to reveal the truth was in Golden Sword’s hands.

It wasn’t unusual for them to reveal their Player identities in their conversation. But Billy was a genuine local resident. They couldn’t just suddenly say, “Hello Mr. Golden Sword. We heard you’ve had a tough time lately. Got any clues?” or “We suddenly feel there’s something wrong with the Alva Merchant Group. Let’s investigate together.”

“Thank you once again for your help.”

Billy bowed formally, then headed south while leaning on the stick. Mentor watched his figure silently with an extremely calm expression.

Until the man disappeared from their sight.

“Is it okay to let him go like this?” Nol couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t be impatient.” Mentor smiled. “Just wait.”

“By the way, let me introduce myself. I am ‘Mentor’, an Arcane Alchemist, the leader of ‘Hermitage’.”

Mentor smiled gracefully. “Let me guess, you two are messengers from Paradise, at least mid-level leaders, no, upper-level. Which one of you is Drake?”

Teest jumped down from the roof and looked at Mentor with his sharp vertical pupils that narrowed slightly. “You…”

Mentor pushed his glasses up, his smile unwavering. “Godfrey Painter must have been looking for Paradise. He knows who I am, but still entrusted you two with me, along with Golden Sword.”

“This means you two are authorized to handle ‘this level’ of matters, and there’s a need to hide your appearances. Not a small need either. I’ve just made the most logical guess.”

“Everything could be a coincidence.” Teest neither confirmed nor denied. “Maybe we’re just two cursed souls who stumbled upon you guys.”

“I dislike coincidences.”

Mentor’s smile faded slightly. “There aren’t that many coincidences in the world, young man. I prefer to believe you’re not a coincidence, just as I believe…”

He paused, looking in the direction where Golden Sword disappeared.

A beast’s roar came from that direction, sounding very dangerous.

“Just as I believe this isn’t a coincidence.”

He extended his hand, gesturing with a “please” to Nol. “Let’s go. It’s time to save someone.”

---

The author has something to say:

Teest, the sound of love’s purr cannot be hidden.

Nol: Enjoying white noise up close (?

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 180: Mentor

Painter looked helplessly at the two in front of him.

“Cursed Players” was indeed the best explanation. Considering they couldn’t disguise themselves as real animals—there shouldn’t be such mini “dragons” in the world, nor such standard cats.

No need to mention Nol, who looked exactly like a miniaturized young dragon with round, gleaming eyes. Mr. Demon King looked so upright, lacking much of a dragon’s majesty. Paired with his smooth, flawless scales, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he was a companion summoned beast.

It was only upon closer inspection that Painter noticed. Not only was there a small leather pouch tied to Teest’s collar, but Nol also carried a small backpack. This item was very concealed and had a small capacity, only holding a book at most… and a candle stub.

A teardrop of wax squeezed out from the gap in the backpack, symbolically shaking at him.

Awesome, Painter thought, the three mighty beings in front of him, each with their own oddities.

White Cat Teest should have been the most ordinary, but unfortunately, even his appearance wasn’t natural. Even a noblewoman’s pet cat couldn’t achieve Teest’s level of cleanliness.

The Mad Monk clearly had no interest in licking himself clean. He must have used a cleansing spell, as his fur was neat and smooth, dust-free, and his upright tail stood up like a fluffy white duster.

These two’s actions were becoming more erratic. It would be better for him to go on vacation to the Lost Tower sooner. Painter sighed helplessly.

“Mentor of ‘Hermitage’ should be with the Golden Sword. Improvise on the spot,” the former Pope said with a wave of his hand. “I wish you both smooth sailing.”

Nol nodded, gripped the soft cat, and flew towards the direction of the hunter’s cabin.

During the flight, Nol couldn’t help but lower his head to look at Teest. His silver-white long hair turned into silver-white long fur, equally clean and soft, feeling wonderful to the touch.

A warm touch came from the paw, and Teest allowed himself to be held obediently for once. Occasionally brushing against branches, those pointed ears would instinctively flutter. If it weren’t for the fact that his aura hadn’t weakened at all, Nol would almost forget those bloody nights.

Speaking of which, domestic cats were indeed skilled killers who played with their prey…

“There are indeed two people.” Teest cleared his throat and slightly adjusted his voice, pulling Nol back from his reverie. “One should be Golden Sword—strong aura but weak. The other incredibly weak… that ‘Mentor’?”

“I’ll contact the Tower later. Have someone figure out how to take Mentor away.”

They were both like this, so there was no need for a face-to-face meeting. Lynn knew how to treat guests, and if there was a need to discuss, they could easily contact her remotely. The priority was to pick up Golden Sword without anyone noticing.

The hunter’s cabin was close by and brightly lit. The originally gloomy and rotten wood was warmed by the orange glow of the fire, making it somewhat cozy. The exorcism magic left by Painter was still effective, with no monster cries nearby.

The door had several not too big, not too small cracks, from which drifted… the scent of instant noodles?

50% of the allure of instant noodles was provided by the sense of smell. Suddenly smelling something familiar in a strange world, Nol was filled with emotions. He hovered at the door, politely knocking.

“Ah, come in,” a gentle voice said as footsteps gradually approached the door.

“Sir, that might be the enemy,” Golden Sword Billy warned. Nol immediately recognized his voice. Compared to their last encounter, Billy’s voice had weakened significantly.

The gentle voice chuckled. “That wooden door can’t stop anyone. If it really were an enemy, we’re doomed to die here anyway. There’s not much difference in these few seconds.”

Nol: “…”

That makes sense, but is it really okay to be so direct?

Sure enough, Golden Sword fell silent.

With a creaking sound, the door slowly opened. Nol saw the elegant “Mentor” with kind features in front of him. Mentor also surveyed… uh, the oddly shaped dragon and cat, his gaze sweeping over their Player earrings.

“What cute guests,” he exclaimed, gracefully making way at the door.

Nol lowered his body, placing Teest back on the ground. The next second, the white cat gracefully leaped, landing on the room’s rotten bowl rack, claiming the high ground. He looked down at Billy, half-lying on the bed with his tail straight up, motionless. Billy looked at the cat with a bit of surprise. There was confusion in his eyes but not much caution—perhaps this was the privilege of small animals, Nol thought.

“Hello, we’d like to stay for the night. It’s too dangerous outside.”

Nol also changed his voice, trying to sound more like a mascot.

“Of course, no problem.” Mentor went back to his pot, continuing to cook noodles. He hummed a tune, and his Player earrings swung openly.

Nol quickly looked around.

A ball of magic fire hovered in the fireplace without wood, burning a small crucible above it, the pot bubbling with the familiar smell of braised beef instant noodles. Mentor even added greens and an egg, seemingly quite well-stocked. On the only table in the room lay an open book. Near Billy’s side was a white mug, emitting a rich medicinal scent. Before Nol could approach, the big cat Teest lightly jumped onto the table, boldly sniffing the cup’s contents.

[Healing potion, high-quality. Ordinary potion makers can’t produce this quality,] Teest telepathically said. [This “Mentor” is an alchemist.]

Nol wasn’t surprised. He had already recognized the Magic Clay Crucible that only a high-level alchemist could handle. In the setting of “Tahe”, alchemists were a very versatile support profession—from concocting special potions, enhancing magical equipment to customizing proprietary items and weapons with additional enchantments, alchemists could achieve a high standard, the pinnacle of a support profession.

Of course, playing as an alchemist also came with a price.

Alchemists’ skills demanded high requirements for the site, rituals, and attire. They were basically unable to appear on the battlefield, nor did they have the extra energy and money to take up a combat profession, destined to stay far behind the front lines.

A high-level alchemist leader was indeed suitable for Hermitage, focused on research with no interest in combat. With Mentor around, at least they didn’t have to worry extra about Golden Sword’s treatment. The current problem was, how could they send Mentor to the Lost Tower alone?

Nol had a good impression of Golden Sword, but unfortunately, only Players could ensure they “can’t be domesticated”. He really couldn’t direct Billy to the Lost Tower.

Teest seemed to be pondering something similar, his pair of golden eyes staring unblinkingly at Billy. The room was dim, and his pupils were nearly perfect circles.

As they pondered, Mentor cheerfully served two bowls of noodles, and in front of Golden Sword, took out two portions of fragrant stewed meat from the system item bar. He divided them in half and placed them on the other side of the table with leaves. After doing this, he poured two plates of clear water in front of them.

“Please, have some.” He politely indicated, pushing the bowl of noodles towards Billy. “I’m sorry, Mr. Billy. You’re weak. It’s better not to eat too greasy.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Billy leaned back against the headboard, taking a long breath.

Teest looked disdainfully at the stewed meat, remaining as immovable as his tail. Nol moved closer, amiably eating a few bites. It didn’t taste bad, but indeed fell short of Teest’s culinary skills.

Billy struggled to get up, nibbling on the food little by little—the renowned Golden Sword seemed not to have much appetite, but a patient always needed energy. The room was filled with the warm and fragrant aroma of boiling instant noodles, accompanied by the hissing sound of magical fire burning, making the atmosphere inside warm and harmonious.

No one shouted at the two talking animals. Perhaps this was the benefit of dealing with a high-EQ middle-aged person.

“Thank you. Are you two together?” Nol knowingly asked. He folded his wings and sat down at the table obediently.

Mentor poured himself a cup of tea. “It was just a chance encounter. I needed a place to rest, and this gentleman needed a helping hand. Just, I didn’t expect tonight to be so…”

He paused for a moment, glancing again at Teest and Nol’s Player earrings. “Lively.”

There it was, hinting for them to introduce themselves.

“My friend and I were originally adventuring in the Black Forest, but unfortunately we were cursed by a Swamp Witch.” Nol discovered, to his surprise, that he could now lie calmly. “The witch ran into the depths of the forest, and we couldn’t chase her. We could only head out to look for a way to break the curse.”

“The curse of a Swamp Witch?” Mentor stroked his chin, the firelight bouncing off his round glasses.

“They enjoy turning victims into annoying small animals or filthy livestock and poultry. Your appearances are quite unique.” His tone was so academic that Nol couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastically skeptical or just genuinely curious.

“I almost turned into a lizard. Transforming into this cost me a rare item. As for my friend, he was initially hairless, and his current form is also the result of effort to recover.” Nol had anticipated this.

Teest looked at Nol silently for several seconds, ultimately keeping his silence.

At the table, Mr. Billy finished his noodles. He cleaned his hands and looked several times at the soft cat with its back to him. Eventually, he couldn’t resist and tentatively reached out his hand.

Honestly, it was a bit impolite, but Nol thoroughly understood his feelings. After all, Mr. Mad Monk was just too fluffy—when you’ve been deliriously feverish for hours and there was a warm furball rimmed with flame at your side, it was really hard not to touch.

Teest seemed to have eyes on his back as he seemingly turned liquid. No matter how Billy tried to touch him, he always managed to squat in place, maintaining a two-centimeter distance from Billy’s palm.

Billy could only sulkily withdraw his hand, taking another sip of hot soup.

“Ah, I see. Would you mind if I take a look? I have some research into breaking curses,” Mentor said with a smile, decisively ignoring the skirmish at the table.

“Please.” Nol agreed readily. “Let my friend go first.”

After hearing this, Teest turned around and jumped in front of Mentor. He held his head high, which caused the fur on his chest to puff out. Mentor happily extended his hand and spread his fingers wide, stopping a punch’s distance from the cat’s head.

Nol wasn’t worried.

Their Swamp Witch wasn’t vegetarian—although she was holding a sauce-flavored pancake while casting the spell and seemed quite out of it. But after all, she had been brought up through the ranks by Paradise, standing at the pinnacle of her species.

If Nol remembered correctly, that neighbor had evolved into a “Deep Fog Great Witch” last month, so her curse wasn’t so easily dealt with.

As expected, Mentor’s frown deepened. Eventually, he shook his head. “This is tricky. The curse wasn’t cast by an ordinary Swamp Witch. You’ve encountered a bigshot.”

“Do you have any suggestions?” Nol flew next to Teest, squatting in a row with him, feeling the warm fur.

He deliberately asked clearly.

“If your people can’t break it, then you’ll have to look for curse-breaking items.” Mentor withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting away from the cat. “Tears of Pure Goodness, Tishili’s Prayer, fragments of holy texts… such high-level curse-breaking items should be useful.”

True to the leader of Hermitage, his answer was indeed precise.

The three major Player guilds would definitely have these items. But one thing was certain, they wouldn’t use such precious curse-breaking items on two unlucky fellows who trespassed into the Black Forest.

That meant…

“It looks like we’ll have to try our luck with the Alva Merchant Group,” Nol said. “This state is too troublesome. We can’t operate freely.”

Teest remained silent throughout, but Nol could feel that the Mad Monk’s attention was quietly focused on Billy. The cat’s whiskers moved attentively as he intently observed.

Good, let them keep this tacit understanding.

He would start talking to Mentor, closing the distance and naturally seeking an opportunity for a private conversation. Teest was a genius at distracting, so was better suited to fooling the troublesome Golden Sword.

Mentor gave a reserved frown. “The Alva Merchant Group is a good choice, as other small consortiums can’t get these items.”

Nol: “I hope it’s not too expensive, haa. If we knew, we both would have joined a larger guild…”

“How about we form an alliance temporarily? I also happen to be looking for the Alva Merchant Group.” Mentor put down his noodle bowl and smiled. His glasses had fogged up a little.

Nol: “…Huh?”

Wait, aren’t you here to find Paradise?

“As you see, I am an alchemist. I’m looking for the fourth section of the cave leopard’s tailbone, and can’t find it anywhere—this time too, I hired two young people to help, but they didn’t show up at the agreed time.”

Mentor spoke in a gentle voice. “I was a bit frustrated, so I came out to the outer circle. Maybe it’s time to give up. Buying is a better choice.”

Looking for materials? 

A complete lie. Did this guy notice something?

“We’ve turned into this, so our ability to help is limited.” Teest finally spoke up, his pupils slightly constricted. Nol involuntarily glanced at Teest’s claws, noticing he had extended them a bit—fortunately, his claws were large enough to be completely covered by the fur.

“How could that be!”

Mentor laughed. “You dared to explore the depths of the Black Forest on your own, faced the Deep Fog Great Witch and retreated unscathed, and one of you even possesses magical items related to dragons. You must be quite powerful, capable people who always have resources at their disposal.”

“And me? I’m just a frail scholar. An alchemist with his magic pet. No one would be wary of us, saving a lot of trouble. You need a human to communicate with outsiders; I need two reliable companions. It’s a win-win.”

It was indeed a win-win, but this script wasn’t prepared for him. Nol was speechless.

They had originally wanted to propose this plan to cooperate with Billy.

“About the two young people you hired before—” Nol was a bit bewildered in his reply.

“They won’t be in trouble. I believe they’ll find their own way out.” Mentor sipped his tea. Above the rim of the cup, Mentor’s purple eyes were full of smiles.

[This guy definitely knows.] Teest suddenly communicated. [He knows we’re from Paradise, and he knows our target is the Alva Merchant Group. This guy wants to get involved, though it’s hard to tell what his purpose is…]

[What about Golden Sword?] Nol frowned.

[Hard to say how much he knows. I don’t have much interaction with that guy.] Teest licked the fur around his mouth. [Fortunately, ‘Mentor’ hasn’t disrupted our plans. At this point, Golden Sword won’t stay silent for long.]

[Among us, he is the one who needs ‘companions’ the most. As long as he’s not out of his mind, he will definitely choose Players over mercenaries.]

Nol glanced over at the corner of his eye. Golden Sword Billy was quietly leaning against the headboard, seemingly in thought.

Just then, a long-absent popup suddenly appeared. Nol, Teest, and Mentor froze simultaneously for a moment.

[You have triggered a special NPC quest: Lost Memories.]

[Condition: Infiltrate the Alva Merchant Group, assist Enbillick Alva in clarifying the “memory loss event”, and ensure Enbillick Alva’s survival.]

[Mission reward: A large amount of money; Tears of Pure Goodness, Tishili’s Prayer, fragments of holy texts (choose 2 from 3); the friendship of Enbillick Alva]

[※It is recommended to accept this quest.]

---

The author has something to say:

Cat Teest is not to be touched by anyone (other than Nol), and the well-behaved Dragon Nol.

Too bad the dragon’s touch is somewhat hard…

Mentor: (The expression when looking at a young person’s thesis project)

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