Chapter 43: What Does It Have to Do with Cat, Anyway?

After a brief emo spell, Cat resumed throwing themselves into base construction.

After all, as long as they do a bit more, the to‑do list shrinks, and the day they return home comes a little sooner.

Upon arriving in the dungeon, they found the three‑day budget was indeed a bit short.

And Cat is still young and homesick, so they don't intend to make another trip; instead they want to resolve most matters in these few days, then stay home daily to stick with Witch Miss.

Um… no sticking.

That Witch Miss's sticking is too scary.

B56 Dungeon is now completely under their control; the nervous guarding of the Dungeon Boss and such is no longer needed at all.

The original three‑day dungeon‑clearing plan was changed to "defend the dungeon" after the Frost General fell.

Thus, after adjustment, Cat's three‑day plan is:

Day 1: complete the basic construction on the fourth level and arm the upper dungeon, and advance the human‑clearing project.

Day 2: open every secret passage that links B56 Dungeon to other dungeons and garrison them; lacking ample troops, Cat decides to temporarily seal them with magic.

Day 3: plug gaps, and explore the economic value of B56 Dungeon.

Cat thinks, if they truly want to develop a Demon King army, lacking money is definitely impossible.

Money can buy far too many things.

If they can't buy it, it's only because spending isn't enough, especially in this fantasy magic era.

Cat knows they can never become a True Demon King, nor launch a genocide against all humanity.

Coexistence, a joint front against the True Demon King, is the path they idealize.

Although implementation will be extremely difficult, who at the negotiating table would refuse the treasures bestowed by the Demon King?

Cat thinks that then they will give every Alliance official present an irresistible reason.

Cat believes only by turning the Purgatory‑level chaotic world into a grand reunion where everyone wraps dumplings can the wish of openly coexisting with Witch Miss be realized.

When the "Demon King" class and the "Hero" class don't clash, and the "Witch" isn't a buff that every awakened being rushes to, and everyone is good, there shouldn't be so many heroes drawing swords to strike the Demon King, right?

Um… it's a bit utopian.

But as long as absolute strength is guaranteed, Witch Miss will certainly be safe while they are alive.

~o(=∩ω∩=)m

After death, what does it have to do with Cat~

Moreover, even without thinking that far ahead, money has always been the more the better.

Cat sometimes wants to buy things too; they can't just survive on Witch Miss's inheritance, right? There will always be things that cost Witch Miss money that aren't convenient to purchase.

Right?

Besides taking care of their daily needs, they also have a bunch of yellow fluffy ones to look after.

Huh…?

With so many fluffy ones, will Witch Miss go all‑in and buy shares?

Hiss…

Not allowed.

Witch Miss's money only needs to support one of them.

╭(╯^╰)╮

Cat, annoyed, flicked their imagined tail, pulled their clone over, and together they flipped through the plan report that Pikachu wrote with who‑knows‑what.

At this moment Cat feels that Pikachu's extra intellect isn't entirely useless.

The houses designed for ordinary Pikachus, the planning of each area, road construction for easier transport, companion efficiency, etc., are far more sophisticated than the beast lair Cat originally imagined.

Probably they can't seize the chance to rule the dungeon simply because manpower is lacking right now.

Although they could keep spawning monsters, Cat thinks that natural breeding and gradual conquest of the dungeon is also a good option.

To help the Pikachus finish base construction quickly, Cat and the revived Xiaohei No. 4 voluntarily took on the "Hunting and Flat‑Push" task.

Cat used this chance to study a magic that Witch Miss could learn in the next stage.

At Witch Miss's age, learning elemental control now is too early.

Her imagination isn't rich yet; teaching her elemental control is less useful than teaching her how to amplify Fireball with minimal mana.

Endless Fireballs are certainly stronger than her conjuring a Cat by elemental mimicry, right?

And Witch Miss's earlier words made Cat realize how tightly the upper society hides knowledge in this world.

He doesn't want to be a pioneer, but for his ideal utopia, developing convenient, level‑unrestricted magic that can be used instantly after learning basic Magic Text will not only earn him the Great Inventor title, but also boost people's faction strength and living standards, laying a favorable foundation for future Alliance negotiations.

After all, the Demon King before you has made outstanding contributions to humanity, huh!

Although everything he imagines now is overly idealistic, having a stepping stone that puts Cat on the moral high ground is still comforting.

While consuming stamina and mana, and thinking of all sorts of things that may never materialize, passively gnawing

crystals is no longer as awful and torturous as before.

The species in this forest are far richer than Cat imagined.

Because their strength far exceeds Pikachu's, Cat not only pushed aside every visible tree, but also crazily dug three feet into the ground.

He dug up large earthworms, large rats, and... multi-legged insects he couldn't identify, whose protein content might be higher than that of the Forest Python, and... a large spider that had lost its footing and crashed heavily to the ground.

He unearthed giant earthworms, huge rats, and … an incomprehensible multi‑legged creature whose protein may surpass Forest Python, plus a massive spider that fell heavily after losing its support.

The cat, terrified of insects, and Xiaohei No. 4, who perfectly inherited the original genes, both fluffed up, let out a sharp cat cry, and together unleashed stored high‑level magic, causing the entire fourth layer to quake three times from the cats' uprising.

The harvest after the nuclear explosion... naturally amounted to nothing.

The harvest after the nuclear blast… of course, reset to zero.

The monsters on this layer, averaging over level 60, were bombarded by Cat and Xiaohei's twelfth‑tier massive magic, leaving not even a crystal behind.

It can only be said that this wave… this wave is… this wave is nothing at all.

【61】 Cough cough, an accident is just a tiny accident.

Watching the Pikachus rushing in from all directions, and Unit 1 that teleported over to provide escort, Cat and Xiaohei No. 4 were momentarily embarrassed.

"It's all the Original's fault; his shout gave me a start."

Xiaohei No. 4, unfazed, rushed ahead to explain to the Pikachus in a superfluous manner.

Cat:?

"How dare you say that? I only released three spells, and you just threw out five! Five, okay! Indiscriminate attacks, and two of them slammed into me!"

"He TUI, clearly you're the useless one; you stored fewer spells than I did. If you had stored five, you'd guarantee they'd all be released!"

「#$*(@#*& (@))」

Watching the King and his noble avatar wrestle as if no one were there, the Pikachu nodded thoughtfully.

So that's what the King meant.

"I obey the decree! I, on behalf of my people, bow in gratitude for the King's mercy and grace."

After speaking, the Pikachu led his people to withdraw and run away.

Cat: ……

Xiaohei No. 4:???

"Is the Pikachu you molded broken?"

Xiaohei No. 4 would never let any chance to strike the Original slip by.

Not for any other reason, but because the Original at that moment didn't even negotiate, and directly controlled him to blow him up!

What does being blown up feel like, does Cat understand?

Damn the Original, someday he'll stuff toothpaste into the sandwich cookies he eats, replace ketchup with chili sauce, and put ginger strips in the fries!

And faced with Xiaohei No. 4's questioning, even though Cat now shares the same doubt, he still absolutely refuses to admit defeat.

He raised an eyebrow and, with a disdainful expression, retorted,

"How could that be, who are you questioning?"

"You think I'm like you, only able to attack with defective magic."

"TUI! Whose fault is it that I can only attack with magic? Isn't it yours! Your HP bar is only enough for a me of this caliber!"

"Then you're also a noob."

"You @（&#（*！）)"

Under the Original's echoing retort, Xiaohei No. 4 gradually lost composure.

Having bullied Xiaohei No. 4, Cat, with a strong sense of achievement, lifted his tail and strode confidently into the intact forest ahead.

Because of the nuclear blast, the propulsion task that should have required overnight overtime was finished as soon as dusk fell.

Cat and Xiaohei No. 4 successfully expanded the base's scope to a half‑map of the fourth layer, and stored all Loot in packages according to the Pikachu Plan.

Their mission was completed perfectly.

After eating a grilled swordfish by the river, Cat sent Xiaohei No. 4 to pull a cart of multicolored fruit with his tail, then leisurely walked toward the base.

Only……

We were only apart for an afternoon, yet why does this base keep becoming harder to recognize?

After walking a few miles from the outer edge toward Base No. 1, Cat saw a flat avenue even paved with stone slabs.

Street lamps rose on both sides of the avenue, flashing a faint glow in the dimming night.

Upon closer inspection, the lamps looked like glass domes housing fireflies, made from monster crystals fused with lightning magic.

Whenever a fork appeared, a sign would also show up at the junction.

The abstract symbols on them were still recognizable enough to indicate which direction the road led.

My god……

Cat thought that keeping the Pikachu here really stifled its talent.

It should have been the one taken away by the truck.

If the Pikachu had taken the place of a blue slime, Cat wouldn't have had to sit daily in front of the screen watching them hold meetings around a small table.

The other world should have long ago been unified by this delusional Pikachu.

Impressive, impressive.

After clicking his tongue twice in thought, Cat continued toward the base.

Cat thought these were the limits of what Pikachu could do, but… after entering the residential area, Cat realized he was gravely mistaken.

Five Pikachus with heart‑shaped tails circled the stove, chopping all kinds of dishes and monster meat.

The remaining five male Pikachus, clad in vine‑scale armor, wielding bone spears and shields, conducted combat training under Unit 1's leadership.

The synchronized movements resembled the militarized drills of a regiment.

Cat: …?

At this moment Cat finally realized the horror of letting Pikachu slip out of his sight.

He must keep his eyes on Pikachu at all times, otherwise he has no idea what it will do with its fluffy self!!

Dinner was abundant; though not as refined as a home chef's, its rustic flavor and rich, slightly odd texture gave it a genuine camp‑fire feel.

Fruit‑roasted antlered deer meat, multi‑leaf lotus‑wrapped rice, grilled Forest Python… finally paired with a glass of mixed fruit juice personally prepared by Unit 1's Pikachu.

Cat's taste buds actually burst with happy saliva.

Silently noting the recipe with appraisal, Cat decided that on the third day, when packing to return home, he would list these fruits, vegetables, and strange meat as specialties and bring them back.

Meanwhile, the Pikachu serving the juice hid quietly nearby, its tiny black eyes silently watching Cat's reaction.

Seeing the happy expression on Cat's face (*๓´╰╯`๓), the Pikachu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately this time, he didn't disappoint the King!

It was also because his Pikachu was too eager for quick results; only after the King reminded him did he recall this important matter.

His clansmen are far weaker than him, and they are not robots; they need rest, need to eat, need a real life, even though they currently do not have high intelligence.

He had always been eager to complete the construction task assigned by the Great King, completely forgetting that as the tribe's leader, as their king, he should pay more attention to their livelihood needs!

The Great King discovered his problem and, thoughtfully, staged a comical performance with his own clone.

The Great King really... he cried to death.

Thinking of this, Pikachu felt hot tears welling up; he grabbed his own short little hands and struggled to reach his eye sockets, wiping at the already moist corners of his eyes.

Pikachu thought, he must build a perfect tribe.

To make outsiders tremble at the wind, while letting them possess formidable strength, and also be able to enjoy life like now... no, even far beyond this enjoyment of life.

——Everything is for the Great King's ultimate ideal!

Unlike Pikachu's burning determination, the vigor in excitement, Cat, who had labored all day and was only 100 points away from reaching level 10, said he really couldn't eat anymore, he was too exhausted.

He lay in the room that Pikachu had carefully arranged for him, and not long after he fell asleep leaning on his own clone Xiaohei No. 4.

Although the tree hollow had magically regulated temperature and comfort, and even a blanket made of demon beast feathers, Cat still inexplicably missed Witch Miss's soft, cozy, even somewhat suffocating nest.

In exhaustion, a night without dreams.

The next morning at dawn, at five o'clock, Cat was awakened by the rustling sounds of moving things inside the cave.

Only to see, when he opened his eyes and looked toward the source of the sound, he actually saw...