Chapter 130 - 130: Does Edward Want to Raise a Catgirl?

Naturally, Edward had already guessed this penniless god's true thoughts. "Mr. Fool, I'm currently preparing for my advancement to Sequence 6. As you know, the ingredients required at that level are quite costly." "…" Then, Edward suddenly changed the topic, "Fortunately, I recently sold off a storage-type mystical item and still have some surplus funds. So, for this commission, I'd like to save up the credit to exchange later for some advanced occult knowledge—or even for Mr. Fool's personal assistance." Advanced occult knowledge wasn't a problem. But personal assistance...Considering the kind of enemies Edward had provoked, just one of them could crush Mr. Fool into dust! But what could Poor Mr. Fool say? He simply nodded calmly. "That is acceptable." Edward then glanced around at the others and said, "By the way, I recently came across an interesting piece of news: Emperor Roselle's daughter seems to have never stopped searching for her father over the years. Apparently, she believes he's still alive." Roselle is not dead?! The Hanged Man and Audrey were both surprised—one genuinely, the other pretending. Klein felt a wave of emotion. Could it be...I'm not the only one from my world in this place? Maybe there's another fellow countryman hiding somewhere? He wondered if the Emperor's daughter had made any progress. It'd be great to meet her. His mind drifted to the diary's mention of Zaratul's prophecy about her: A major figure in the mystical world. What level of strength did one need to be considered a 'major' figure? Someone who had lived from the Roselle era all the way to now...She probably wasn't someone he could just casually meet. He inwardly gave a self-deprecating smile and nodded slightly, "Interesting." Leaning back in his chair, Klein remained silent and shifted to operating his alternate persona, "The World," from a higher, detached perspective. "May I speak now?" After a pause, he continued, "I'm looking for The True Root of a Mist Treant, at least 60 millilitres of its sap, as well as the Spring of the Elves Marrow Crystals, and the complete spinal fluid of a Dark-Patterned Black Panther." The Sun Derrick immediately offered that he might be able to find those materials. In return, he asked for a weapon suited to him that could improve his combat abilities. Once Derrick confirmed the trade terms with the help of Audrey's explanation, Edward asked, "Mr. Sun, I wonder if that Hand of Glory I gave you last time turned out to be useful?" Derrick flushed. "Sorry, the Chief is still conducting experiments on it. He seems to have gained some insights...He might end up taking it apart." If the Hand of Glory had been 'bought' by him, then that would be fine—but technically, that mystical item still didn't belong to him. "But I will definitely find a way to compensate you!" He quickly added, "As for that complete Asmann Brain you mentioned last time—I've confirmed it exists, but I'm still just a bit short on contribution points. As for the Artefact of an Ancient Wraith, there's been no news yet." "No rush." Edward thought for a moment and turned to Audrey. "Miss Justice, there's something I'd like to trouble you with." "Huh?" Audrey was surprised when Edward suddenly called on her. "Wh-What is it?" "I heard there's an ancient castle near Backlund that may have an Ancient Wraith. Could I trouble you to have someone investigate it?" "No problem." "Do you need anything from me in return?" To her, this level of formality was unusual—she and Edward rarely interacted like this during Tarot meetings. It felt a bit strange at first, but she quickly adjusted her mindset. The auxiliary materials for the Psychiatrist potion were already purchased a few days ago. Once I finish digesting the Telepathist Potion, I'll be ready to advance to Sequence 7. Oh, right…Susie has already fully digested her potion too. Maybe I should start gathering materials for her next one? But recently...I've been spending out of pocket, feeding myself...feeding Edward...and I invested quite a bit into that charity foundation. My personal funds are nearly empty. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her hand. "I'd like a pair of Mirror Dragon eyes and the fruit of the Tree of Elders." Edward was briefly stunned, but then realisation dawned on him. As expected of the Dream Hound—her digestion progress is lightning fast! Unlike that dumb cat Lilith, who's still stuck as an Assassin. Audrey then looked at the others. "If any of you come across them, I'd appreciate it if you could help me buy them." At that moment, Alger also voiced a request: "I need the potion formula for Sequence 6: Wind-Blessed. If anyone has any leads, I'm willing to pay." He didn't expect to get it immediately, and after stating his need, he turned to Edward. "Mr. Tower, there are already interested buyers for your storage-type mystical items. I believe we'll be able to sell one or two in the near future." "Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man, for the good news. I hope we can continue making lots of money together!" Klein, watching this, gave an inward wail on behalf of the poor. Edward sells a mystical item for 8,000 pounds, and the Hanged Man earns 10%—that's 800 pounds! As long as there's a steady stream of customers, they can just lie back and earn! If only I had access to that kind of network… Wait—Mr. Azik should be wealthy, right? And he probably has a need for mystical items too. But Mr. Azik is also close with Edward… Forget it. He then had "The World" publish another commission—to investigate all the ruined noble families of the Loen Kingdom. Naturally, only Audrey was qualified to handle such a task. As payment, "The World" shared some occult knowledge related to the Assassin pathway. Of course, Audrey had already heard most of it from Edward—but there was still one thing that caught her curiosity: "If—just hypothetically—an animal consumes a 'Witch' potion and doesn't die or lose control…does its charm increase by becoming humanlike? Or does it simply enhance its appeal as its original species? For example, could it become a female cat that drives all tomcats—and all cat lovers—completely crazy?" "…." Klein suddenly thought of Edward. That guy had obtained the first few potion formulas of the Assassin pathway from him…And although nothing had been explicitly stated, Klein had always felt that Edward's black cat wasn't an ordinary feline. Could it be that Edward is… Hiss!! He's trying to raise a catgirl?! What the hell?! "Oh, right!" Klein had "The World" speak again and projected an image of the 'giant' Yurigus. "I'd like to ask everyone's help in locating this man. He's likely still in Backlund and suspected of being a member of the Aurora Order. Please be cautious—he's extremely dangerous. Do not try to confront him alone." "We'll keep an eye out." Mr. Fool said calmly, "That will be all for today." As the shadows of the members faded away one by one, Klein also returned to the real world. "Phew—multitasking really is exhausting." ——— [City of Silver] In Derrick Berg's home, the grey fog had only just dissipated when a knock sounded at the door. Knock, knock, knock. Derrick was a little surprised. Ever since his parents passed away, he had kept mostly to himself and rarely interacted with others. It wasn't the time for an expedition either—so who would be visiting him now? Could it be that the Chief's research had yielded some results? "I'm coming." He hurried to the door and opened it, only to be met by someone completely unexpected: Lovia Tiffany, one of the six-member Council of Elders of Silver City. She was a beautiful and graceful woman clad in a black robe with purple patterns. But ever since she joined the Tarot Club, Derrick had always felt a faint sense of discomfort whenever he saw her. "Elder Lovia, what brings you here?" Lovia stepped into his modest room, her gaze sweeping swiftly across the sparse interior before resting on Derrick's still slightly youthful face. "You said last time that the 'Hand of Glory' was something you obtained after hunting a monster?" "That's right." Derrick's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly nodded. "Why do you ask, Elder Lovia?" She shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing. The Chief has made some preliminary progress in studying the 'Hand of Glory'. Now, anyone who holds it will be enveloped in light and can avoid monster attacks." Derrick's face lit up with joy. "That's great news!" "You've done a great service, Derrick!" He scratched his head in embarrassment. "I…It wasn't much." "The Chief will likely reward you accordingly. But I came here today to offer you my own commendation, in a personal capacity," she said gently, like a kind elder. "Is there anything you'd like?" "Ah…I don't really have anything…" "I heard you've been asking about the 'Brain of Asmann' lately?" "Ah—yes…I was just curious about it, that's all." Lovia nodded thoughtfully. "I'll look into it for you when I return. Well then, I'll take my leave." She smiled and turned away. "Take care, Elder." Only after Lovia had walked far off did Derrick close the door and scratch his head in confusion. "She really came just to commend me?" Suddenly, a delayed realisation struck him like lightning: Could she have noticed something? ——— Back in Backlund, at the inn Edward rented in Hillston Borough. Edward stretched and stood up from the sofa. Lilith, who had been sneakily sprawled across the desk, instantly hopped to her feet. She arched her back in a stretch, trying to act casual as she spoke, "Edward, you've returned from your out-of-body journey." "Yeah. And you were just…?" Edward walked over. "Studying how to read and write on the sly?" Lilith hastily kicked a book shut with her hind leg and put on a face of innocence. "Nope! Miss Lilith is far too brilliant to need secret study sessions!" "Really now?" "Really!" "Alright~" Edward reached out and patted her head. "As expected of the smartest kitty—just a few minutes of reading each day and you've already picked up phonetics and letters. Impressive!" She puffed out her chest proudly. "That's right!" "Well then, I'll be testing your progress tonight." "O—Okay!" Her eyes flickered with guilt, and she quickly added, "Wait no! Tonight, Miss Lilith needs to go out hunting mice—er, I mean, to digest the potion!" "Oh~ Then how about tomorrow night?" "Can't! I'm meeting with Susie tomorrow." "The day after tomorrow?" "The day after I…uh…" "Oh ho? Lilith's scared because she hasn't studied enough, isn't she?" "…." If she were human, her little face would've been red as a beet. "Fine! The day after tomorrow it is!" "Deal." Edward gave her soft paw pad a gentle squeeze, pretending not to notice the flicker of panic in her eyes. About ten minutes later, Audrey's voice came from the leather pouch. "Edward, open up~" Today she wore a simple pale blue dress and a veil hat—a common outfit among daughters of Backlund's middle-class families. It looked much more casual than the gowns she wore to banquets. She greeted Lilith with a wave. "Hello, Lilith." Lilith raised her head and instinctively replied, "I'm not do—No, I mean, hello, Audrey." "Uh…what's with her?" "It's nothing," Edward replied cheerfully. "Lilith's been learning to read lately. I plan to give her a test the day after tomorrow. But I'm sure the smartest, most amazing, most talented her will pass it with flying colours!" Lilith immediately declared with conviction, "Absolutely!" "…." I thought you gave Lilith the Assassin pathway potion to raise a catgirl…and it turns out you're just teaching her how to read? Fine then! ——— [Note]: Here's the Extra Chapter. Enjoy~ If you guys want one more tomorrow, we'd need to hit 480 Powestones. Go, VOTE! Oh, and if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]