Chapter 3201: The Cat and Reinhart

It was only two in the afternoon, and Xia De had arranged to meet Miss Reinhart in the evening, so he was in no rush to head to Kyle-Todd Town. He brought the well-behaved cat to the main street, saw light snow falling outside, and suddenly remembered something he still hadn't done:

"I forgot to tell Mr. Mottis that I've already found his friend."

Xia De didn't know exactly what "Mr. Mottis" did for a living, but when he arrived at the Clock Tower black market with little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya disguised as an ugly little dog, he soon saw a man wearing a clown mask hurrying over.

Elder Harald didn't mind Xia De revealing the current situation of the "Potion Merchant" to his friend; besides, that demonic sword had already come knocking, so there was no need to hide it. So Xia De told Mr. Mottis most of the situation, though he emphasized Elder Harald's role and downplayed his own:

"In any case, he's in Kyle-Todd Town now. Go there and ask any priest, you'll find out. I brought precious potions from out of town, so your friend should have woken up by now. If you have time today, you could go visit him."

The low-ring sorcerer hesitated:

"So the Church squad's operation in the city yesterday afternoon—was that because of what you did on the snow mountain?"

"I have to admit, that demonic sword really is very strong. I'm a high-ring sorcerer, but after barely blocking one strike from it I was seriously wounded on the spot... I'm not trying to raise the price, but this commission of yours is hardly an easy one."

Mr. Mottis then took out the two extra 【Lucky Coins】 he had prepared and handed them to Xia De. At this point Xia De had two 【Carrion Inheritance】 and four 【Lucky Coins】 in hand.

"What you've said matches what I know so far. This is the reward I promised you. I'll go visit him right now... Mr. Watson, you're going to keep investigating that demonic sword, aren't you?"

"Yes, the Fatu people offered me an offer I couldn't refuse. Besides, I'm free before All Souls' Day, so finding something to do isn't a bad idea."

The man in the clown mask nodded, then took a bone shard from his pocket and handed it to Xia De. The somewhat yellowish bone shard had a slightly concave shape, with traces of Fu Zhou on both sides—this was an alchemical item.

"This is a Fu Zhou that brings luck. I made it myself, as thanks for finding my friend so quickly. Although you're a high-ring sorcerer, please be careful moving around this island lately. Recently... it hasn't been safe here."

After saying that, he got up and left, preparing to head to Kyle-Todd Town. Xia De sat at the table and continued examining the amulet:

"I recall this Mr. Mottis is also a diviner... hmm... things are getting more and more interesting."

Over the past half-week, Xia De's activities on the island had all been in the southern part. Although he really wanted to see the northern part of the island, considering that an afternoon was still a bit too tight, Xia De took little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya and continued exploring the southern foot of the snow mountain.

He hoped his perception could pick up traces of the "First Fire" or the "Spatial Labyrinth," or that he'd run into a demon along the way so he could summon Doctor Shi Nai De to help.

But the strangest thing that happened that afternoon was probably that Xia De again encountered the snow leopard he had fed last time. It tried to approach, and little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya suddenly leaped from Xia De's shoulder, chasing the snow leopard several hundred meters before finally stopping. This reminded Xia De of how, a year ago in the Randel River Valley, this cat had once chased a tiger.

Although little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya hadn't changed much in size throughout the entire year of 1854, her deterrent presence had grown considerably.

Little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya had never been afraid of the cold. At first Xia De would tuck her inside his coat, letting only the small cat head peek out between the buttons, but later she would crawl out on her own and stand on Xia De's shoulder, admiring the snow mountain scenery together with him.

Winter evenings came earlier than summer ones, so when it was past four in the afternoon and time was about right, Xia De set off for Kyle-Todd Town. By the time he reached the town, the setting sun had already dipped westward, bathing the small town at the foot of the mountain in a sheet of gold.

People returning home from work one after another, the smell of cooking fires drifting from every household into his nostrils—although he had no such life experience, Xia De felt a touch of sentimentality for some reason.

Elder Harald had already given Xia De a token yesterday, and he had notified the guards in advance that Xia De could come and go from the Snow Mountain Hall freely, so no one stopped him when he crossed the stone bridge. Stepping up the stairs and through the great door, he immediately saw Miss Claire Reinhart leaning against the side wall of the enormous entrance hall, looking rather bored as she waited for something.

But when she turned her head and saw Xia De, a smile bloomed on her face:

"Good afternoon. I was just wondering when you'd show up."

She walked toward Xia De, who had just entered the door, and then saw the "ugly" "dog" on Xia De's shoulder look at her, sniff with its nose, and then open its mouth and howl:

"Meow-wuwu!"

"Little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya, no!"

The cat didn't just howl at the witch—she suddenly kicked off Xia De's shoulder, and the whole cat shot toward the platinum-blonde witch who was walking over.

Fortunately Xia De reacted in time and caught her mid-air. But even so, little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya still very rudely "meow-wuwu~" at Miss Reinhart and spat out a little golden flame.

The Sun Witch was startled too. At close range, and with little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya squirming about, Xia De's illusion effect was seen through by her, and the image of the cute cat came into view. The little golden flame the cat spat out certainly couldn't touch her, but the splashing golden sparks did indeed fly toward her.

Inspiration was frantically warning the witch of the danger of that spark at that moment, but by the time she discovered where exactly the "danger" lay, the spark had already reached her face.

Fortunately, the next moment Xia De's hand closed in front of her and caught the spark in his palm. Seeing that his palm was completely uninjured when he opened his hand, the witch felt she had been overly worried just now:

"Oh, your cat is really fierce."

She said this with a smile. Xia De apologized softly, then "scolded" little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya:

"This is my friend, not some other cat or snow leopard. What are you angry about?"

Saying that, he reached out and rubbed the kitty's little head. Only then did little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya meekly nuzzle his right hand. Xia De already understood:

"Little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya recognized that my right hand was injured yesterday because of her. Coming out with me today, she wanted to protect me."

Although there was no evidence, his instinct told him that seemed to be the truth.

And Miss Reinhart, who had just recovered from her surprise, was also examining the cat. The kitty, raising her head to accept Xia De's stroking, now revealed the fluffy white fur on her neck, and her narrowed eyes made the whole cat face look even cuter:

"What a pretty kitty-cat. Is this the pet cat you mentioned? What breed is she?"

"That's the one question I can't answer."

As Xia De spoke, he pressed down little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya's raised little paw. When little Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya and Claire Reinhart appeared together, Xia De felt the cat and the witch had remarkably similar temperaments. They both gave off a warm feeling, and seeing the cat and the Sun Witch both made Xia De feel cheerful.

He asked with concern:

"Miss Reinhart, is your injury any better?"

The Miss, whose eyes had just been examining the cat, looked at him and nodded. If she saw this cat somewhere else, her eyes certainly wouldn't want to look away—this pretty cat really shone like the sun.

But right now, compared to the cat, she felt the person was better looking.

Even Claire Reinhart herself didn't notice that when she spoke with Xia De, the expression on her face was a gentle smile she rarely showed:

"It's fine now. Thanks to your treatment last night. Let's go. That city person has already woken up. His friend left a little over an hour ago. I wasn't here at the time, but Grandfather said he brought new leads."

"Then how is Elder Harald doing now?"

The two walked side by side forward, passing through the hall and continuing up the stairs to arrive at that spacious banquet hall. The witch apprentice Miss Stella Larson was here talking with several other young witch followers. They all greeted the great witch together, then were all drawn to the cat standing on Xia De's shoulder.

"This Mr. John Watson will be appearing by my side frequently for some time to come. He is my friend."

She changed her introduction of Xia De. The young ladies were surprised but didn't dare ask too many questions.

The "Potion Merchant" was still in yesterday's room. When Xia De entered, the cauldron over the fireplace was still brewing that grassy-smelling potion, and the "Potion Merchant," who had already sat up from the bed, was chatting with Elder Harald.

Seeing Xia De and his granddaughter enter together, the old man cheerfully introduced them to the "Potion Merchant." The latter immediately thanked Xia De and Miss Reinhart. This tall, thin man, whose eye sockets were deeply sunken from serious illness, was extremely grateful for Xia De's life-saving kindness:

"Mottis told me everything just now, Mr. Watson. I can never repay you for your help. Thank you, thank you."

He asked everyone to stop calling him by the black market codename "Potion Merchant." This black market potion merchant, who liked tobacco but couldn't smoke because of his serious injuries, said his name was "Sargent." This was actually a common surname in northern Delarion, so no one could tell if it was real or not.

Miss Larson helped bring chairs over, so Xia De and the witch could sit by the sickbed as well. Elder Harald noticed that his granddaughter deliberately sat at the spot farthest from the sickbed but very close to Xia De, and couldn't help raising an eyebrow, not knowing this was the witch's instinctive aversion to men.

(End of this chapter)