Demos yanked the mythical tiger cub out of Peach Blossom's arms and held it up so they were face-to-face. Demos let out a low, nacing growl like a wild predator. The cub, which had been furiously clawing at the air to escape, went stiff with fear. Its wild frenzy imdiately gave way to ekness, and it hung limply, as if it were a docile kitten.
"Here,"
Demos muttered, rolling his eyes as he handed the subdued cub back to Peach Blossom. Her face and neck were covered in scratch marks, and her once-grood hair was a disheveled ss, stripping her entirely of her usual elegance. Peach Blossom approached Demos cautiously, her expression filled with apprehension. She reached both her hands out to take the cub, cradling it in her arms, then looked up at the man who was about to walk away.
"T... Thank you,"
she said softly. Demos paused, turning to glance at her. She was blushing furiously, her face flushed red. Under normal circumstances, he might have found her endearing, much like the other n who admired her. But in her current bedraggled state, all he could manage was a faint smile, suppressing the urge to laugh outright.
.....
At the Royal Conservatory, the temporary residence of the King and Queen of Ark City, Chang Long and Siegfried sat stiffly, their expressions frozen, as King Duck laughed uncontrollably. The king had been laughing for over ten minutes, leaving Chang Long more exasperated by the second. Whenever she tried to protest, King Duck laughed even harder, as her indignant ows sounded just like a kitten throwing a tantrum.
"Ahahaha. I never thought I'd see the day when this happened to you, Chang Long. How does it feel? You laughed at so much back then—rember? When I was cursed and turned into a duck? Well, now it's your turn, and it looks like you can't laugh at all,"
King Duck said, his words punctuated with laughter. He was wiping the tears that stread down his face from laughing far too hard, leaving the courtiers around him stunned.
Chang Long whipped her head away, deciding to ignore the king altogether. This only made him burst into another fit of laughter. When he finally managed to compose himself, King Duck quickly tried to appease the sulking kitten.
"Co on, Chang Long. I've already sent people to find Elder Gareb for you. But, well, with the city in its current state, it's difficult to track anyone down. That old man is already hard to find even under normal circumstances, and with the city in ruins, who knows if he's already relocated to another town?"
At these words, both Chang Long and Siegfried's mouths fell open. The flickering candle of hope that had once burned brightly now dimd again, upon hearing about the possibility that Elder Gareb—the one person who could lift the curse of the Wall of Beasts—had left Ark City.
'Ughh, is he trying to comfort us or mock us!'
Chang Long grumbled internally, annoyed. But when she turned and saw the expressions of the ghosts and her pets, her irritation grew even stronger. Ever since everyone had learned that she and Siegfried had been transford into animals, they had been staring at her curiously, though most seed more interested in cuddling her than anything else.
Not wanting to beco King Duck's source of amusent again, Chang Long left the throne room. She sought a quiet spot behind so bushes to escape the prying eyes of the AI around her. Siegfried, in his puppy form, followed her at a distance, along with their pets and the spirits. Chang Long gazed into the distance. She could not believe her streak of bad luck after leaving the Land of the Dead was dragging on this long.
She had never been particularly skilled in combat in her original form, and now, as a kitten, she felt utterly helpless. Looking down at her tiny paws, Chang Long sighed. How was she supposed to hold a weapon with these? she thought bitterly. Forget weapons—she could not even use any of her abilities because her voice now only produced pitiful ows.
Chang Long let out another sigh and turned her gaze to the gently swaying leaves above. Siegfried watched her silently, his heart aching for her. Even though he was in the sa predicant, seeing the person he cared for so deeply in distress made his pain even worse. Unsure of how to comfort her, the puppy quietly approached and gently pressed his forehead against hers.
"Sieg..."
Chang Long called out softly, her round eyes eting his. His gaze, a man in a puppy's body, was warm and filled with understanding.
"It's going to be alright. I believe we'll get through this. You're strong, lucky, and you have ... and everyone else, too."
Siegfried said gently.
"You'll stay by my side?"
the little kitten asked in a small voice.
"Always. I'll be with you whenever you need . I promise I'll never let you feel abandoned or alone."
Siegfried replied, his tone gentle but reassuring.
"Thank you. You're so kind..."
Chang Long murmured, her heart swelling at his words. Gratitude welled up in her chest, leaving her montarily speechless. The two sat quietly, watching the branches sway in the breeze. Siegfried's heart felt equally full, overjoyed by her reaction. Chang Long seed to begin to accept him more, letting him be closer and sharing her thoughts. Her shy smiles, her contentnt, and the gentle tone in her voice—all of it made Siegfried feel like the luckiest puppy alive, despite their misfortune.
"What's with that look!"
Devi-chan exclaid indignantly as he watched the growing closeness between Chang Long and Siegfried.
"Loving them is bad enough, but having them love you back is the real tragedy!"
Heaven gritted his teeth, glaring at his descendant in frustration. Siegfried's seemingly triumphant deanor only made him angrier.
"What kind of saying in the world is that, Heaven? That doesn't sound right at all. How can mutual love be a bad thing? I think it's sothing to celebrate."
Alice-chan asked the elf, raising an eyebrow.
"In my world, it's a tragedy. Their love will only lead to pain later on. No matter what, the battle between the descendants of the Seven Kings is inevitable. They will have to fight each other to the death. Imagine having to kill the one you love with your own hands. Do you still think that's sothing to celebrate, Alice-chan?"
Heaven replied. Alice-chan fell silent, stunned by Heaven's words. She had not considered the sheer agony of not only breaking soone's heart but also having to end their life with your own hands.
"I don't think your descendant would ever harm Master Chang Long. He's so gentle with her, there's no way he could bring himself to do it..."
Alice-chan said softly.
"That's what makes it even more frustrating. And now, my dream of becoming the supre king feels even more out of reach. He could have fallen for anyone, but to fall for the heir of another of the Seven Pirate Kings?"
Heaven grumbled. His tone wavered between sorrow and anger, tinged with a faint trace of genuine concern.
"Hey, Kitsune, does she have a side like everyone else?" Little Jade asked, her miniature form hovering nearby. Flatear, Brownie, and Lycanth turned their curious eyes toward Kitsune, knowing the fox was the one who understood Chang Long better than anyone.
"Master is incredibly kind and compassionate. She never abandons us, no matter what happens. When I died, she did everything in her power to bring back, no matter how difficult the process was,"
Kitsune replied, his gaze filled with admiration and reverence as he looked at Chang Long. No matter how her form had changed, to Kitsune, she would always be the master he respected and loved with unwavering loyalty.
"That's hard to believe. She fights with about everything. Kind and compassionate? I don't see it at all!"
Little Jade snapped irritably. Deep down, she was troubled by the thought that she might have unwittingly wronged soone genuinely good. To mask her guilt, she habitually started argunts with Chang Long, ensuring neither of them got too close.
"Master is very prideful. If she doesn't believe she's in the wrong, she won't admit fault or forgive—at least not without a heartfelt apology. You can ask Flatear about that; he's experienced it firsthand. But I think you already know that."
Kitsune's sharp gaze turned to the little dragon, his eyes seeming to pierce straight through to the dragon's thoughts. Caught off guard, the Little Jade stamred, unable to respond, before turning away in a huff and floating off in irritation.
.....
anwhile, in the northern wastelands of Aseana Island
The Bloodied Angel, a battered and broken ship, drifted in deep waters, looking only marginally better than a pile of floating debris. Captain Columbus and Sea Breeze lay sprawled on the ship's weathered deck, utterly exhausted, the vessel bearing nurous scars from intense battles. The sharkn (who had been escorting them were gone, having) abandoned the pair and their ship at the behest of the rmaid Chang Long. The sharkn had cursed and sworn furiously as they left, regretting their decision to follow the whims of an unfamiliar rmaid. More than half of them had died during the fights to protect the ship.
To make matters worse, at the edge of the Mist of Death, a primordial sea beast—Leviathan—had been waiting. Fortunately, a large group of players seeking to challenge the legendary creature had drawn its attention, preventing it from fully focusing its attack on the Bloodied Angel. Despite their miraculous survival, Columbus and Sea Breeze were still stunned by their improbable luck. They had escaped the deadly mist that trapped sailors in an endless maze, avoided certain death at the hands of Leviathan—awoken by the chaos of the battle with the sirens—and survived countless other threats. Now, however, they faced a new and mundane danger: starving to death in the middle of the ocean. Adding to their unease, the spirits accompanying them seed just as shaken, especially after witnessing the gateway to the Land of the Dead vanish before their very eyes.
.....
In Heaven City, the first batch of refined minerals had arrived, and the materials needed to begin construction were ready. However, there was still no sign of the City's Lord, Siegfried. Narada, who had been waiting for him for five days, was visibly restless and frustrated. No one in the city seed inclined to help her contact him, despite her reputation as the most beautiful woman in Adventure World Online. Normally, no man could resist her flawless beauty.
Yet here, even the guild mbers simply smiled politely and walked away. Even high-ranking mbers like Destiny, the leader of the Immortal Guild, and the two deputy leaders of Pendragon Guild were more engrossed in overseeing the city's construction than sparing her more than two sentences. They seed perfectly content to imrse themselves in the chaos of executing detailed blueprints rather than entertaining the number-one beauty of the ga.
Narada sat sulking in the temporary guild reception hall—a simple building functioning as a command center. She felt her patience wearing thin. Were Siegfried not the man she hopelessly adored, she would not have waited this long. Oliang and Rafael exited a eting room, noticing Narada's irritated deanor, they shook their heads.
"Impressive patience,"
Oliang comnted, carefully rolling up blueprints for various shop buildings.
"Yeah. Who'd have thought the top-ranked beauty of Adventure World Online would wait this long for an ordinary guy like Siegfried? And without causing a scene, too—though she looks like she's itching to lash out at soone,"
Rafael agreed.
"Why don't you just tell her where he is? She can leave, and we wouldn't have to see her like this anymore. Kinda feels bad for her, you know,"
Oliang suggested. They already knew where Seigfried was, but none bothered to inform Narada. Seigfried insisted that no one else must know, except for close friends in the group who needed to be inford.
"Don't forget, Siegfried is on a mission—and he's with Chang Long. If we told Narada, a person Siegfried doesn't even rember how, where, or when he knows her. He'd cause chaos in town when he's back."
Rafael said as they walked along the path to the first construction zone of the city,
"That's true. If Narada shows up, Chang Long will definitely misunderstand. And honestly, Narada seems very into Siegfried," Oliang added. Between Narada and Chang Long, if soone had to be Siegfried's girlfriend, he would pick Chang Long, soone he already knew. She was genuine, unpretentious, and did not require constant attention nor sweet-talks.
"Exactly. Let her give up on her own. Siegfried isn't coming back to Heaven City anyti soon anyway,"
Rafael said with a sly grin. Both n exchanged mischievous smiles and could not help but laugh as they thought about Siegfried's clumsy confession mission and how it had irritated Chang Long when she could not understand what he was trying to say.
"What's so funny?"
Draco asked as he joined them, puzzled by their amusent.
"Nothing. Speaking of which, have you found Peach Blossom yet? I heard the head of the Professional Reporter's Association, Kimhant, is missing too,"
Rafael asked, changing the topic.
"Nope. They're probably out of the city together. Hopefully, she's okay with that pipsqueak's companion,"
Draco replied, looking genuinely concerned. Both he and Rafael had known Siegfried since childhood, so they treated Peach Blossom like their own younger sister.
"Her na's still glowing white, so there's nothing to worry about. She probably got bored since we're too busy to entertain her and decided to explore on her own,"
Rafael said, his tone serious.
As they passed through the central square, they spotted sothing strange. Walking beside Kimhant was a disheveled figure—a woman with tangled hair, rumpled clothes, and scratch marks on her face and neck, so still streaked with dried blood. The group froze in their tracks, stunned. The bizarre figure was groaning in pain while Kimhant walked beside her, attempting to comfort her.
-----
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