“Truth, you’re not a Mist employee, so you’ve probably never been to the Staff Dormitory, have you meow?”
“Maybe……”
On the path leading to the Mist Core Zone, Wilona had been discussing escape plans with Little Mist the whole way.
The reason Wilona was willing to work at Mist was to get back the Space Pendant that the impostor Truth had given her, after all, it was a precious gift from a “friend.”
But what if the impostor Truth didn’t actually consider her a friend? In that case, Wilona felt the pendant had no meaning anymore. So she might as well run!
Besides, when she signed the agreement with Mist back then, Wilona hadn’t signed it blindly.
The reason she didn’t fear Mist was because she could summon the Beast God at any time to help her out of trouble. Safety wasn’t a concern at all!
So the real issue to consider now was, after helping “Truth” escape, how would they deter the forces behind the impostor Truth?
Also, “Truth” seemed to have a lot on her mind right now. It was obvious she was under a lot of pressure, meow……
At that moment, Little Mist really was under pressure, because she was watching Truth’s live performance in her mind as Truth kept toying with a human girl somewhere in Mist.
She noticed that Truth seemed to have said something to that girl that made her obediently follow along the entire way, and by the end, she had nothing left on her, and she was walking beside Truth wearing a blindfold.
Truth, meanwhile, was circling around the girl with great interest, admiring her, occasionally making small noises to startle her, and after scaring her, she’d pretend to be a caring older sister and comfort her.
So the girl kept both hands covering her body with her legs bent, walking shakily. It was pitiful to watch……
Little Mist really wanted to do something for her, like plead on her behalf, but a single glare from Truth scared her into not daring to ask a single question.
Then Truth gave her a mocking expression through God’s Perspective, as if saying:
“You’re next.”
Oh no, Truth wasn’t planning to do something like that to her too, was she?!
Although Little Mist didn’t understand why doing that made humans so embarrassed, walking around looking like that definitely couldn’t be anything good.
……
“Ah, we’re here meow!”
Soon, under Wilona’s lead, Little Mist was half-pushed, half-pulled back to the House of Truth.
“See, that’s my Staff Dormitory! Didn’t you say Mist and that impostor are in league? So if you stay in the Staff Dormitory, they probably won’t say anything. And even if they do, don’t be afraid. Don’t worry, I’ll have your back!”
Wilona wagged her tail and said with great confidence, looking full of certainty. Little Mist still had no idea where this little cat got such nerve.
……
Then the two opened the door together and walked into the familiar living room on the first floor.
Just as they entered, Ariel, who had been lying on the sofa too exhausted to move, locked eyes with them.
“Huh? Senior Ariel, I didn’t expect you back so soon meow!”
Wilona greeted Ariel, then immediately pulled Little Mist over to Ariel and introduced her:
“Senior, let me introduce you. This is my friend Truth, the Ninth Saintess under the Seat of the Goddess of Life. Due to some circumstances, she’s also been imprisoned in Mist, so I’m planning to…… ah, Senior, what’s wrong meow?”
Before Wilona could finish her introduction, she noticed Ariel’s face turn pale the moment she saw Little Mist.
Ariel immediately stood up, then bent over with her eyes fixed only on the floor, not daring to meet Little Mist’s gaze.
What do you mean, a newly made good friend? What new trick was this Seeker Demon playing now, even deceiving a cat? As expected of a Demon!
Little Mist also immediately realized what was happening. Could it be that Senior Ariel thought she was the real Truth?!
Right, this was the first time she’d appeared before Ariel in this form, so it was normal for her to be scared…… Speaking of which, Senior Ariel still didn’t dare to show any slack in front of Truth.
She was completely different from the carefree attitude she had when it was just her and Truth.
She felt a bit embarrassed for scaring her like this……
What should she do? Should she confess her true identity to Senior Ariel?
She could use her Authority to secretly communicate with Ariel, but then Truth would definitely find out about it too.
Last time, when she’d revealed her identity as “Zhendi” to Tia, Truth had already punished her angrily.
If she revealed it to Senior Ariel now, she might really be saying goodbye for a hundred years.
No, she couldn’t! She had just awakened not long ago.
She absolutely couldn’t be reverted to her original form this quickly…… She should try to pretend to be Truth……
So how did the usual Truth typically treat Senior Ariel? It seemed she’d look at her with a disdainful expression and contemptuous eyes, right? Hmm…… that should be it……
So, to make sure Wilona didn’t see, Little Mist took a step back, put on what she considered a “domineering” expression, then lifted her chin and looked down at Ariel, speaking with a hint of mockery:
“Hello there, Senior Ariel~”
The effect of this act was quite significant.
Ariel was so frightened her whole body trembled, and Wilona also turned her head toward Little Mist with slight confusion. Huh, why did Truth’s tone sound a bit strange?
But before Ariel turned her head back, Little Mist had already changed her expression in time, reverting to that innocent, harmless ordinary form, so Wilona didn’t notice anything unusual.
Under Truth’s oppressive pressure, Ariel then spoke:
“N-nice to meet you, Holy Maiden Truth…… I’m Ariel, Wilona’s…… senior. I hope we can get along peacefully…… I, I’ll do anything!”
“As long as we get along peacefully, that’s enough, right meow?” Wilona said.
“Saying you’ll do anything is too much. Truth here won’t do anything excessive to you. No need to be so formal just because of her Saintess status. Relax, Senior, she’s very easygoing!”
“Okay, I, I understand……” A drop of sweat rolled down Ariel’s forehead.
She decided to obediently play along with this act.
Okay, she wouldn’t speak unless Truth gave the order!
Then Little Mist didn’t dare to say anything either, so both sides fell into silence.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.
Wilona seemed to notice this as well and immediately said:
“In that case, why don’t the three of us sit at the table and have some tea, then discuss the important matter meow?”
“Important matter……” Ariel glanced at Little Mist. They were going to discuss it?
But Little Mist was spacing out, giving Ariel no indication at all.
Only after Ariel had been making exaggerated facial expressions for a while did Little Mist realize she needed to give Ariel an “order.”
Only after she nodded did Ariel finally take action.
The latter brewed three cups of tea, and the three of them sat down at the table together.
Just as Ariel had poured the tea and wanted to test the taste, Wilona blurted out directly:
“Senior Ariel, I want to escape Mist together with Truth. Are you coming with us meow?”
“Pfft!”
Wilona’s words stunned Ariel so much she nearly spat out her tea.
What was this cat saying? You want to escape this Mist together with the Mist Lord, and you want to bring me along too?!
No! Calm down, I have to think calmly…… This was definitely the Seeker Demon fishing enforcement!
The Seeker Demon must have noticed this cat’s escape intentions and used the Ninth Saintess identity to mess with her?
Given that Demon’s personality, that was highly probable.
So Ariel steadied herself and asked calmly:
“Why bring this up all of a sudden? Is it that you don’t like the job working at Mist?”
“It’s not that. It’s because I discovered that Mist is cooperating with an evil faction and secretly doing bad things. And Truth is one of the victims. She’s been imprisoned in Mist by that faction, unable to leave. As for me, an important pendant of mine was taken by Mist, but now it seems that pendant isn’t that important to me anymore. So I want to escape Mist together with Truth meow!”
“And Senior Ariel, you must have signed that so-called employee agreement with Mist back then, right? That agreement isn’t fair at all. Honestly, it’s just exploiting us. So if Senior Ariel wants to, I’d like to bring you along to escape Mist too!
“So what do you say, Senior Ariel? Are you coming with us meow?”
Wow, it really was fishing enforcement!
Faced with Wilona’s temptation, Ariel frowned slightly.
Could it be that the Seeker Demon was testing her loyalty?
But no matter how she thought about it, letting a Third Rank cat lead her in an escape was too insulting to her intelligence, wasn’t it?
Ariel also couldn’t figure out what method this little cat could possibly have to escape the Seeker Demon’s grasp.
“I…… I’ll pass. If you two want to run, go ahead. How should I put it……” Ariel scratched her head:
“I also have something important in Mist’s hands. I won’t leave until I get it back.”
“Senior Ariel has something important in Mist’s hands too meow?”
Wilona showed a surprised expression.
So taking away something precious to force the other party to stay and work at Mist really was Mist’s usual cheap trick!
That trick was way too unfair! Wilona seriously advised Ariel:
“Senior Ariel, our lives are long. Don’t lose most of your freedom over a few precious items meow! You see, an adventurer’s life is about gains and losses, and giving up that precious thing of yours won’t kill you. Maybe you’ll find something better later?”
Well, what the little cat said did make sense.
Ariel acknowledged that, but if she truly gave up what she had in Mist, her life wouldn’t be long at all!
Ariel’s eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to cry but had no tears, and she had grievances she couldn’t voice. If she lost her soul…… she really would die……
……
“I…… I really don’t need to. If you two want to escape, go ahead…… I, I’ll go rest in my room. Wilona, you and the Holy Maiden do as you please.”
Ariel refused the escape, stood up, and headed toward the second floor.
“Senior Ariel……” Wilona watched Ariel with some reluctance but didn’t try too hard to stop her.
Well, maybe Senior Ariel liked life at Mist?
Then she looked firmly at Little Mist beside her and said:
“Then it’s settled, the two of us will escape together! Truth, hold my hand. Don’t be scared by what comes next. I’m going to summon the Beast God to help us deal with Mist meow!”
Wilona took Little Mist’s hand, then pulled out a Bone Flute and blew it.
Along with a melodious tune, an ancient Twelfth Rank divine power instantly surrounded Wilona!
“Beee—” The Bone Flute’s tune gradually became more intense.
The divine power around Wilona grew denser, and an overwhelming pressure directly enveloped the entire house!
Meanwhile, Ariel, who was about to go upstairs, stood frozen at the stairway watching Wilona, feeling the divine power around her……
……
This little cat could actually summon a God?!
Wait, Ariel suddenly thought, was the little cat’s so-called escape method to summon a God for help and then punish the Seeker Demon?
If that was true, then Ariel seemed to have found a glimmer of hope to reclaim her soul and permanently break free from the Seeker Demon……
First, it was certain that the Seeker Demon’s strength was above the King Rank disasters.
So the Seeker Demon’s true strength was above the regular King Rank of Twelfth Rank, but certainly not exceeding Twelfth Rank, since Twelfth Rank was God Rank.
And if the little cat could really summon a Twelfth Rank God to punish the Seeker Demon, forcing the Seeker Demon to voluntarily destroy the contract and return her soul……
Then Ariel would definitely turn around and worship at that God’s feet, becoming a loyal follower! As for Heavenfire Lord……
Uh, Heavenfire Lord, please don’t mind……
But what shocked Ariel even more was that Little Mist beside Wilona also looked absolutely stunned.
“Huh? Wilona, you…… you can actually summon a God?!” After sensing the Twelfth Rank power, Little Mist’s shocked expression was fully caught by Ariel’s eyes.
Oh my? So even the Seeker Demon didn’t know this cat could summon a God? Could it be…… the Seeker Demon had messed up this time?
Excellent! Ariel secretly rejoiced. Didn’t expect you, Demon, to have a day like this!
Then Ariel’s emotions began to stir, and her heart started pounding.
After hesitating for half a second, she immediately ran back to Wilona’s side:
“Count me in! I changed my mind. I, I want to escape too!”
……
Meanwhile, at the Peak of the North in the Northern Empire.
After learning that Wilana had exchanged her own daughter to obtain the report on Ascension to King Rank, the Beast God had been frantically searching for a long time, because she was His favorite little cat!
Although He could sense that Wilona’s fortune was calm with no danger, and it even showed signs of rising, He still needed to see His little cat with His own eyes, right?
The Beast God used His power to search for a long time, paying special attention to Mist, but found that no matter how He probed, He couldn’t see through it…
…Who would have thought that besides Olivia, someone else had also maxed out their Anti-Surveillance Skill to King Rank!
This made the Beast God a bit wary.
Just who was this person, and why would they level their Anti-Surveillance Skill so high? How unsightly must their daily life be? And why take His little cat away without letting Him peek? What was the point, breeding?
If that was really the case, then He would be angry! At the very least, they should wait until the little cat was older!
Suddenly, just as the Beast God was considering how to test Mist to gauge its strength, a summoning force suddenly erupted from within the Mist.
This force crossed thousands of kilometers and directly entered the Beast God’s mind:
“Oh no, the little cat is calling me. She’s in danger!”
……