CHAPTER 1788: CHAPTER 9: TROUBLES AT THE DOOR

The hospital room remained silent for a long time.

Pop.

On the ceiling, the burnt-out medicinal candle burst with one last spark and extinguished completely, leaving only a wisp of smoke swirling gently beneath the ceiling.

A few sprites dashed into the hospital room like the wind, replacing the burnt-out medicinal candle, and then disappeared like the wind again, busying themselves with something early in the morning.

"Thank you."

Zheng Qing said dryly, although his eyes were on the retreating backs of those sprites, the words in his heart were directed at the greedy Yellow Flowered Cat.

Despite sounding somewhat old-fashioned, the Yellow Flowered Cat’s previous words provided Zheng Qing a bit of comfort—it might have just been the relief of venting—but the nightmare moments earlier felt increasingly distant, and even the sea demons’ song was nearly vanishing.

"Very well, none are so deaf as those who will not hear, but you are willing to listen, so there’s hope... however, gratitude should be shown through actions, not just words."

While speaking, the Flowered Cat dipped its paw into the basket, pulling out a few small dried fish, then straightened its body and flicked its tail, indicating, "...like this."

"They’re all yours," the young man said weakly, waving his hand, "Take them all... I’m not a cat, who knows why so many people give me dried fish."

"You’re welcome, wishing you a speedy recovery."

The Flowered Cat, satisfied, twitched its whiskers and, carrying the small dried fish, turned to leap onto the windowsill. Before leaving, it hesitated for a few seconds, looked back, and gave the young wizard one last glance:

"By the way, young man, here’s a piece of advice: next time you have something to confess, try finding a confessional in Atlas. They have more professional priests there... rather than wailing to a random cat. After all, I’m just a cat."

"But that being said, I do enjoy hearing gossip... it’s just that not every cat on this campus is as understanding and worldly as I am. So if you want to confess to a cat next time, you can find me at San You Bookstore, I’m there most of the time."

Before the words were out, the Flowered Cat had already leapt off, disappearing on the windowsill.

Leaving Zheng Qing’s roar lingering in the hospital room:

"Get out!!"

"I wasn’t wailing!!"

...

...

As the saying goes, cats have their cat ways, and mice have their mouse ways. Though the Yellow Flowered Cat was esteemed as a Big Wizard, it was still clad in cat skin, naturally taking on cat habits.

After jumping out of the window and leaving Zheng Qing’s hospital room, it skillfully navigated between the beams, walls, and eaves, swiftly exiting the school and returning to the Beta Town Pedestrian Street.

By now, the sky had brightened fully, and it was typically the liveliest time for breakfast shops. But due to the summer vacation, the pedestrian street was somewhat quieter than usual.

The few figures around were all elderly people out for morning exercise.

The Yellow Flowered Cat, holding its head high and walking with determination, ignored the tempting aromas from several breakfast shops, striding briskly with its goal in mind, straight to number ninety-nine on the pedestrian street, San You Bookstore, intending to stash away the newly acquired dried fish in the cabinet behind the store.

This lighthearted pace slowed slightly upon passing number ninety-seven on the pedestrian street.

Pedestrian street ninety-seven is Zheng Qing’s D&K, a shop selling specialties from the Mouse Clan and Bell Lake fishman, which had a stint last year of catching mice and insects.

However, unlike other shops on the pedestrian street, Zheng Qing’s little shop appeared uniquely lively today, bustling with customers inside and even a long queue outside.

The Yellow Flowered Cat twitched its whiskers at the corners of its mouth with a slight expression of disdain.

This situation had been ongoing for quite some time. Ever since the Black Prison War ended and the Rat Immortal had half-stepped into the Legendary Realm, those mice who were once just mere rags under its command suddenly became New Stars and darlings in the wizarding world.

Many wizards came to this little-known shop just to see these legendary beings in their transformation period, turning from mice into true wizards—the ’Rat Man’. Allegedly, these were the only two complete transformations in the entire wizarding world; other mouse people either were too young, cocooned beneath the First University or had perished in the Black Prison War; and some adult Mouse Clan, who didn’t enter the Black Prison Battlefield, met their end during the transformation day.

Only the two Rat Men in this little shop stood alive and well, blessed with fortune.

Of course, most wizards didn’t visit just for curiosity. Although wizard world entertainment might be limited, there’s no shortage of peculiar things, with countless odd species captured from the New World each year.

These ordinary wizards squeezed into this little shop seeking an opportunity.

Because it’s said—a rumor spread by some tabloid—that the Rat Immortal achieved Legendary status by creating an ’extraordinary Mouse Clan’ and forging the ’Ancestral position,’ following the same path as the Ancestor of Vampires and Ancestor of Werewolves, hence its mouse people tribe would also become a formidable force like today’s vampires and werewolves.

The strength of the First Generation Werewolves and First Generation Vampires was witnessed by the entire wizard world. Although they now slumber in the coffins deep within ancient castles, each First Generation Vampire possessed the power of a top Big Wizard.

By this logic, First Generation Rat Men should also have immense potential—though they seem weak now, with a Legendary Ancestor supporting them, in a hundred years or so, these First Generation Rat Men might achieve Big Wizard status.

So during this period, the two Rat Men working at D&K were constantly besieged by these ordinary wizards, who tirelessly followed the two staff members, hoping to gain the favor of the ’First Generation Rat Men’ and be introduced to the Rat Immortal, to transform into First Generation Rat Men themselves.

But heaven be merciful, ever since the Black Prison War, the Rat Immortal vanished without a trace, not even returning underground. If the two Rat Men knew where their ancestor was, they wouldn’t still be calmly working at this little shop as staff members.

So, the Ear Brothers could only politely decline the customers’ requests.

But this did not deter the determination of these ordinary wizards. If they couldn’t become First Generation Rat Men, becoming the second or even third generation wouldn’t be entirely out of reach. The second and third-generation vampire elders in the Moon Council are each quite formidable, with many advancing to the level of Big Wizards.

Even if they haven’t advanced to Big Wizards, the long lives, strange magic, and vast wealth accumulated over time by those earlier-generation vampires excited these wizards immensely.

Thus, in just a few days, the Ear Brothers found themselves swarmed with a host of devoted followers, each attempting different tactics to earn the ’Initial Embrace’ of the two Rat Men. Some dared to risk angering Ding Dang Ear and Ding Dong Ear, pressing the Mouse Brothers to bite them, hoping to gain a powerful First Generation infection.