Chapter 233: Enter the Cave

Cat spirit!

Luo De was slightly surprised.

Although he had seen one recently and established a master-servant bond with one.

But such a sentient being was rare on the continent; encountering a second one so soon was bound to unsettle him.

"Little Orange is here~~"

The orange cat spirit, in an exaggeratedly girlish voice, made a cute but overly dramatic pose with scissors fingers beside her eyes.

"Little Kali~~ It's been so long~~"

"Cough, cough."

Kali Site scowled and cleared her throat, then introduced:

"This is my friend, Xiao Ju, a seventh-rank Druid. Call her Miss Ju. Xiao Ju, this is… my trading partner, the forest warden of Windwall Forest, named Luo De."

What do you mean by "trading partner"?

Luo De chuckled silently.

He didn't dwell on it and greeted the cat spirit.

Xiao Ju stared at Luo De in astonishment: "A male human? And his primal essence is this rich? Little Kali, have you finally woken up? Did you break off your engagement with that effeminate Falshard? That's right! I've always told you—follow your heart. If you don't love them, you don't love them. What's the point of clinging to an old-generation marriage contract?"

"Cough, cough!!"

"Are you feeling unwell? Should I let you lick my fur? It helps with coughs and phlegm! Oh, by the way, about this human—"

She turned back to Luo De and sized him up.

"Hello, Luo De~ You're so handsome. I knew this was exactly the type Little Kali would like— Wu!"

Kali Site grabbed her by the scruff.

"Shut up!"

Watching the elf, utterly unlike her usual self, playfully tussle with the tiny cat spirit,

Luo De couldn't help smiling.

After the 【Cat Spirit Paradise】 trip, he had specifically read the chapter on this race in 【Research on Native Spirit Arts of Alien Races】.

It was no surprise—they were indeed mysterious and rare.

Only two native spirit arts were recorded: 【Rat Intimidation】 and 【Spirit Cat Step】.

【Rat Intimidation】, a halo-like skill.

It induces fear and weakness in rat races, and grants the user a high bonus against them.

Kali Site scowled and pushed Xiao Ju away.

"When we fought the Plague Mage Amel recently, Xiao Ju was preparing to ascend to seventh rank, so we didn't call her."

Hearing this, Xiao Ju's face lit up with delight as she rushed closer again:

"You're explaining to him? You're actually explaining to a human?! How strange! Where's our proud elf Kali Site?!"

Kali Site stiffened.

Her scowl turned icy.

"Say one more word, and I'll banish you back."

Xiao Ju's smile faded reluctantly—she knew this was how her childhood friend showed she was angry.

She quickly surrendered, hunching her shoulders to the side:

"Sorry~"

Luo De smiled: "I envy you having such a close friend."

"Hmph!"

"But honestly, cat spirits really are rare."

The group resumed moving.

Heading in the direction indicated by the Banshee Krist.

Kali Site nodded: "Cat spirits are among the rarest communal sentient races on the continent—rumor says fewer than five hundred exist."

"Why? I think someone as majestic as Miss Ju couldn't possibly be so rare."

Luo De asked knowingly.

He even used "majestic" instead of "cute"—he knew cat spirits disliked being called cute.

Xiao Ju the cat spirit was clearly pleased.

She beamed sweetly at Luo De.

"You don't need to know."

Kali Site sniffed, then said seriously: "Also, never tell anyone you've seen Xiao Ju."

From her tone, it was clear she knew something.

Still, knowing how special cat spirits were, she had summoned Xiao Ju—she must trust Luo De deeply.

"Don't worry, Little Kali~"

Xiao Ju smiled beside her: "Master Luo has already encountered cat spirits before—I smell the scent of my kind on him, and not just one."

Kali Site frowned, glancing at him coldly.

As if asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Luo De sighed: "I encountered one during a previous mission… you understand. Cat spirits aren't something to speak of lightly. And Xiao Ju, since you're a Druid, I suggest you change your form."

"Little Ju doesn't want to~ Maintaining 【Wild Shape】 is tiring~"

Somehow, Luo De felt this cat spirit Xiao Ju would get along well with Tally.

Still, as she said, Xiao Ju transformed into a small, cute orange snake and coiled around Kali Site 's arm.

The group pressed deeper.

Soon, they found a pit left behind from the old era's maze craze.

After descending for about half an hour through a winding, narrow tunnel,

the Shiye suddenly opened into a space roughly one or two hundred square meters in size.

Clear traces of earth and wood magic were visible here.

The walls and floor were riddled with countless dark tunnels, leading nowhere certain.

The group stood in one of them.

The lead Banshee Krist halted their advance.

"There are sentries ahead. Too many tunnels—I can't pinpoint their exact locations."

Reconnaissance and perception were never Luo De's strengths.

So he looked to Kali Site.

Just as the elf was about to cast a spell, the small orange snake on her arm spoke:

"Let me."

She knew she had angered her sister earlier and now wanted to make amends.

"Are Druids good at perception?"

Luo De asked.

Druid was a class, not a race—this fell outside the forest warden's knowledge.

"Extremely skilled. If you picked the ten best perceivers on the continent, a Druid would surely be among them."

The elf replied.

The next moment, a figure leapt from Luo De's shadow.

Tally, transformed into a petite human, landed silently, shouldering the massive 【Sickle-Claw Counterblade】, her shadow-tendrils dragging five fresh rat-men's heads.

Facing everyone's stares,

she smiled shyly: "Should I put their heads back, so you can go through the process again?"

Xiao Ju's snake face showed unmistakably human surprise.

"Who is this? I didn't even sense her!"

"Hmph. The warden's pet succubus," Kali Site said coldly.

Xiao Ju stared at Luo De in shock.

Then at her best friend.

"What's going on? Isn't this pure love?" she murmured, too quietly for anyone to hear.

Tally ignored them, taking her master's hand.

She purred like a kitten, nuzzling against him.

"Master~ While hiding in the shadows, Tally saw something interesting~"

"Oh?"

"There's more than just rat-men here. A human mage is aiding them. You may not have met him, but you've certainly heard his name—he calls himself Plague Mage Amel."

Luo De's expression instantly turned cold.

"Don't worry~ This Amel isn't the same one we met before—the magical accumulation is different."

(End of Chapter)