Chapter 205: Dragon God Messenger

What kind of cat-person is this?

Luo De complained to Naulin through the Chain of Far Speech while following the cat-fairies along a trail worn into the forest.

Isn't that right?

Naulin, far away in the Open Labyrinth, stared blankly, still not reacting.

"Naulin doesn't quite understand the continent's classifications, but they're cats—and they walk like humans—so they should be cat-people, right?"

"You could say that, but strictly speaking, they're a sentient race called cat-fairies. Cat-people? Never mind."

Luo De felt utterly uninterested.

What he'd expected to be a den of debauchery had turned into a cat-fan paradise.

He sighed silently in his heart.

He decided to return to the forest immediately after retrieving the package.

Cats are naturally cute and likable—but if they can't do anything, it's just disappointing.

"Wahhh! Did Naulin mess up? I'm sorry, Master! Naulin will kill them all later! Wahhh!"

"That's unnecessary."

Naulin's murderous instincts were unexpectedly strong.

During the last cutting maze ritual, she did the same thing—always wanting to kill everyone.

He calmed Naulin down.

Luo De looked ahead at the cat-fairy leading the way—a creature resembling a British Shorthair he'd seen on Earth.

Gray back, white belly, round and plump, wearing a silver armor adorned with intricate patterns, walking with the proud belly-thrust of a general—quite adorable.

If a cat-slave came here, they might never want to leave.

But unfortunately, neither Luo De nor Tally were cat lovers.

It seemed Tally actually liked them.

She held Luo De's hand, gazing intently at every cat-fairy that passed by.

"So you like cats? I never realized—"

"Master, which one should we go for later? The white one? Or the gray one?"

"."

Luo De suddenly felt a headache coming on.

He'd forgotten succubi's omnivorous nature—being a race with vast appetites, they wouldn't even spare creatures like the Igors, giant insects.

He ignored her.

Luo De called out to the British Shorthair cat-fairy ahead: "Pudding, where are we going?"

Yes, you read that right—this elegant general's name was Pudding, oddly fitting the human habit of naming pets.

Pudding bowed to him, folding her two white-gloved paws together.

"Your Majesty Luo De, the treasure is currently under the care of King Jump. We shall first proceed to the palace to report, then hold a three-day, three-night banquet to welcome the Two Dragon God Messengers."

Dragon God Messengers?

Oh right—the so-called Dragon God refers to Naulin.

Though Luo De didn't know how Naulin communicated with other labyrinth consciousnesses, clearly, she belonged to the top tier.

The labyrinth Luo De currently stood in was said to fall under her jurisdiction.

Even the benefits of the Open Labyrinth Pass could be activated here.

The timid, constantly apologizing Dragon Soul girl wasn't easy to provoke—she only acted this way in front of her master.

The cats and the two humans walked along the winding forest path, and once they emerged from the trees, the view opened up again.

They stood atop a slope, and far ahead, they could see a grand city.

But to humans, was it a bit small?

No—it felt grand and massive to Luo De as well.

"Huh?"

Luo De suddenly froze.

Wait—was General Pudding this tall before?

Impossible!

He quickly examined his own body and compared it to the surrounding trees.

His clothes hadn't grown longer or larger, nor had the Sword of Devotion.

Yet compared to the trees, he felt visually taller than before.

【Affected by the rules of the 'Unnamed Labyrinth,' your size is shrinking. Use the Open Labyrinth Pass to exempt?】

"So it's the labyrinth's rule."

Pudding noticed Luo De had stopped and turned back in confusion.

Seeing him staring in shock at his own body, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly explained:

"Forgive me, Your Majesty Luo De! I forgot to explain—this labyrinth is called the Cat-Fairy Paradise. All non-cat-fairy outsiders shrink in size upon entry! I'm terribly sorry!"

Pudding knelt down in panic; the other cat-fairies followed suit, begging for forgiveness.

Tally beside him blinked, realizing her body had shrunk without her noticing.

Even her clothes and gear had shrunk with her.

She found it mildly amusing and cast a transformation spell to restore her normal proportions.

This wasn't exempting the debuff—it was merely forcibly enlarging her body with magic.

But under the labyrinth's rules, she was still considerably smaller than a normal human.

Still, she was taller than Luo De now—he'd become round and plump like a cat-fairy, his proportions increasingly similar, though he remained slightly taller.

"It's fine. No big deal."

Luo De waved to the cat-fairies.

He was about to use the Open Labyrinth Pass to exempt himself when the "giant" Tally suddenly hugged him.

Her gaze toward her master was burning, possessive.

"Master, so tiny! So cute~~"

Tally: ()

"Let go. I'm changing back."

"No no no~ Please, Master~ Let me try being tiny too~"

Luo De scanned Tally's current persona—usually he was the large one, facing smaller forms; even the biggest of the beastfolk, Amy, had slimmed down considerably.

Go ahead.

He pushed Tally away and did not activate the exemption.

Tally understood he'd agreed—her face lit up with delight.

She helped the cat-fairies up, assured them again, and after a while, they resumed their journey.

Perhaps because their bodies had shrunk.

Their pace and timing had slowed considerably.

It took nearly an hour to reach the city's gates.

Luo De could have used Tree Walker to arrive instantly, but he gave them face—it was their territory.

After General Pudding's signal.

The city gates lowered smoothly, and the group entered the city.

The cat-fairies' city was identical to a human one—streets, shops, patrolling guards, towering buildings.

But perhaps due to different aesthetics, their weapons, armor, and architecture all leaned toward "roundness."

For example, the tower ahead didn't have a conical peak—it was spherical.

Their spears didn't have pointed tips—they were shaped like round, shovel-like discs.

It looked rather comical.

Along the way, cat-fairy residents stared curiously at Luo De and Tally, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Luo De faintly heard respectful terms like "Dragon God Messengers."

But he also heard comments like, "The Dragon God Messengers have no fur."

It seemed Naulin had been controlling this for some time.

Following the central avenue, the group finally entered the palace.

Guided by the guards, Luo De and Tally walked the red carpet straight to King Jump.

He was a black-and-white tuxedo cat-fairy.

The moment he saw Luo De, he lost all royal dignity and rushed over in panic.

"Dragon God Messengers! Disaster! The treasure the Dragon God entrusted to us has been stolen!"

"."

Can you not do this again?

(End of Chapter)