“Hmm…”
Herkate bit her finger thoughtfully. Her blood-red eyes remained fixed on Ye Chi, but her body visibly relaxed.
“That’s a name I’ve never heard before.”
Logically speaking, a human who could instantly sense her strength and identity was very likely someone she knew or who held a high position among humans…
Plus, there was that faint but unmistakable aura of danger.
Have we met before?
Herkate stared with her beautiful eyes, trying to see through this human girl named Vyea.
Sensing the Catgirl’s intense scrutiny, Ye Chi crossed her arms and glared back, refusing to show any weakness.
Sure enough, they didn’t know each other.
In the end, the human intelligence network was just too powerful!
Reaching this conclusion, the cat-eared girl gave up on deep thinking, nimbly jumped down from the table, clasped her hands behind her back, and with a relaxed air, swayed over toward Ye Chi.
The pale moonlight spread across the ground, and fragments of a glass cup mixed with spilled wine glimmered faintly.
The black-haired, red-eyed Catgirl bent over, squinting slightly as she sniffed the white-haired little girl who stood nearly a head shorter than her.
Ye Chi didn’t pull away.
In her eyes, Herkate’s tentative and curious expression was like that of a kitten encountering a small fish for the first time.
What’s this? Sniff.
What’s that? Touch.
An unfamiliar faint fragrance slowly enveloped Ye Chi as Herkate drew closer. Ye Chi maintained her signature triple-zero expression.
Silent, emotionless, and expressionless.
Cold as ice, dull as wood.
Not because she was frivolous, but because the triple-zero style was just cost-effective.
“Vyea… are you really human?”
The Catgirl couldn’t resist pinching the soft, chubby cheeks of this adorable human girl in front of her.
It felt like what a human’s skin should feel like soft and bouncy.
“Mm.”
Ye Chi responded indifferently, ignoring the Catgirl’s meddling.
“Incredible. I can’t believe I see such vibrant life force in a human.”
The more Herkate looked, the more shocked she became. She added, “Even the strongest human Supreme Hero from the past didn’t have life force this strong!”
“Is that so?”
“Why aren’t you surprised? As a Great Demon, I have seen your human Supreme Heroes before.”
The Catgirl reluctantly withdrew her pale claws. “Aren’t you humans supposed to admire those high and mighty heroes, so noble and selfless, who save others? Especially the strongest Supreme Hero.”
“I do admire them, I dream about that Supreme Hero every day.”
“But you show no expression!”
“Facial paralysis is like this.”
“…”
“What’s your plan to attack this city?” Ye Chi shifted the conversation back to the point at the right moment.
“Huh?”
Herkate tilted her head, a mischievous smile playing on her lively, pretty face. “Why would I tell a human my battle plan?”
She was enjoying talking to this human quite a bit. She even somewhat wanted to break her usual rule and take this cold human as her pet.
Put a collar on her, force her to fight against her own kind the ones she cherished most and then imprison her in her palace to play and converse.
The only pity was that humans generally had short lifespans, even those with terrifying power like heroes.
Once broken, their life force would quickly fade.
Otherwise, she would have liked to see what this human looked like without that cold expression on her face.
“I see.”
Ye Chi wasn’t surprised and sighed. She had beaten this stubborn cat before, but this cat seemed to have extraordinary escape and stealth skills, along with a race trait akin to blood lock.
The only thing worth noting was the troublesome pets she raised.
Maybe her role corresponded to a human Summoner? Or Beast Tamer?
“Don’t lose heart. Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll tell you someday, meow~” Herkate grinned and leaned closer again. She liked things with abundant life force.
“I actually really want to raise a human. I tried several times before, but no matter how well I fed and cared for them, those humans mysteriously died. Not even three days alive.”
Talking about this made Herkate quite depressed.
A long time ago, as a wise Great Demon, Herkate realized something. The various Magic Beasts around her, though strong, only had instincts for destruction and obeying her commands.
Like human children playing with toys, once the initial novelty and fun wore off, they’d chase after something newer and more exciting.
So, Herkate had the idea of finding a pet as clever and intelligent as herself.
She wandered alone through the Wilderness, Forest Swamp, and Mountain Mine Desert for a long time.
She saw all kinds of Magic Beasts, but none had true intelligence.
One year, Herkate crossed the desert and found a human settlement.
It was a tiny village, and Herkate was thrilled but she found she couldn’t command those beings called humans to come over and be her dogs like the Magic Beasts.
After observing the Human Village for a while, she came to an interesting conclusion: intelligent beings like herself didn’t like being dogs.
Soon, Herkate learned human social structures and interactions through observation.
Later, she understood this world was actually vast, and the places she had traveled before might just be a drop in the ocean of this land.
Using the words she’d stealthily picked up in human society, it was roughly “a drop in the ocean.”
Although she had never actually seen the ocean.
Ton ton ton~
“…What’s that sound?”
Herkate rubbed her furry ears and looked back.
The human who looked even smaller than her was holding a bottle of wine and had already downed most of it in a few gulps.
“Want some?” Ye Chi asked. “Drink with me, and I’ll tell you how to raise humans~”
“Meow meow meow?”
“Of course there’s a price.” Ye Chi understood the Demonic Language. “In exchange, you need to help me with one thing.”