Chapter 6 ：Arrest

Perry took a deep breath and gently patted his cheeks, trying to shake off the sadness that had overwhelmed him. 

He silently encouraged himself.

I can't give up. I can't let these emotions defeat me.

He still wanted to live—he couldn't lose hope. Toto, standing nearby, looked at Perry with concern and asked, "Are you okay, Henry?"

Although Toto didn't know why Perry was feeling down, he still tried to comfort him, smiling as he said, "Henry, don't worry! You'll get your memory back. I've got good news—I know where to find Mushcat! Just last week, I saw them under a big tree by the river. We can go look there!"

Hearing this, Perry quickly wiped away his tears and forced a smile. Nodding, he said, "Really? That's great, at least it's a lead."

Toto noticed Perry wasn't truly happy. He scratched his head, clearly troubled about how to cheer him up.

"Henry, why don't you rest at my place first? I'll go find the Mushcat for you. I know this forest like the back of my hand, so don't worry. You should take a good rest," Toto said, grabbing Perry's hand and trying to pull him toward his house.

"It's okay, Toto. Thank you, but I need to find the Mushcat today because I have to leave today," Perry stopped Toto from pulling him and patted him on the head.

"What? You're leaving?!" Toto looked at Perry in surprise, his eyes filled with reluctance. "Really, you're leaving today?"

"Yes, I need to find the Mushcat and leave today," Perry confirmed.

Toto hung his head, staring silently at the ground. After a moment of silence, he looked up at Perry, his eyes slightly wet, and said, "Then we should hurry. If we don't, we'll run out of time. Let's go to the river; we'll find the Mushcat there."

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them. "Really, Toto? You really saw Mushcat by the river?" Rufus leapt down from a tree, landing elegantly on the ground. He eyed Toto suspiciously. "I remember going to the river last time and didn't see anything. Mushcat are extremely sensitive, and the slightest disturbance will make them scream. Their cries are so sharp and loud. I made a huge commotion last time, so why didn't I hear anything?"

Toto frowned, unhappy with Rufus's doubt. "Don't sneak up on people like that, Rufus! And I'm not lying, I really saw a bunch of Mushcat by the river!"

"When did you see them?" Rufus asked, not giving up.

Toto rubbed his chin, thinking. "Hmm… about a week ago, I guess."

"Well, that makes sense. Mushcat can move!" Rufus said smugly, a sly smile on his face.

"What? They can move?!" Perry and Toto exclaimed in unison.

"They're just mushrooms! How can they walk?" Perry stared at Rufus, not believing a word.

Toto agreed, "Yeah, Rufus, stop making things up! I've never heard of mushrooms walking."

Rufus laughed. "I only just learned this too. I heard it from Grandpa Harden. You know him, right? He's the best botanist in this forest. I was shocked too when I heard it. If Grandpa Harden hadn't told me, I wouldn't have believed it either!"

"Grandpa Harden told you? Then it must be true," Toto said, immediately convinced, clearly trusting the old man.

Rufus pouted. "Hey, hey, how come you believe it just because Grandpa Harden said so? Isn't that unfair?"

Toto grinned, "Of course! Grandpa Harden is the plant expert in this forest, and he's my teacher. He knows way more than you. Besides, Rufus, you barely know anything about plants yourself. Grandpa Harden is always complaining about why his grandson refuses to study plants and keeps talking about you to his students."

Rufus put on an exaggerated performance, crying out dramatically, "How could Grandpa say bad things about me everywhere? So unfair!"

Perry and Toto exchanged awkward glances at Rufus's antics.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Rufus coughed in embarrassment. "You two are no fun. Whatever, look at this. I got a map of the forest from Grandpa Harden and a notebook with detailed notes on Mushcat. Grandpa Harden loves Mushcat, you know! If we find one, I have to bring it back for him." As he spoke, Rufus pulled out a map and a thick notebook, handing them to Perry and Toto.

Perry took the notebook and flipped through it. Although the writing wasn't in Earth's script, thanks to the system inputting the local language into his mind, he could understand it. After turning a few pages, he found what he was looking for—detailed descriptions and illustrations of Mushcat. The mushrooms had a strange shape, indeed resembling a pair of cat ears at the top.

"This notebook is really detailed…" Perry muttered. He kept reading and discovered it not only described the appearance of Mushcat, but also their colors, sounds, preferred growing environments, and even their taste… Seriously? Mushcat liked damp places and usually grew near rivers, waterfalls, or in dark caves. They came in red, yellow, and blue, each corresponding to a different flavor: sweet, salty, and bitter… And as Rufus had mentioned, they emitted different cat-like cries, but when startled, they made an ear-piercing screech.

Oh no…

Perry's heart raced with panic.

He couldn't remember what color the Mushcat Henry had killed before was or what sound it made! What should he do now? System, please help me!

But no matter how many times he called, the system remained silent. Perry furrowed his brow, growing increasingly frustrated. "Damn it, system! You said you'd always be with me, so why are you suddenly out of contact now? Are you asleep again? Do I need to eat another dimensional mushroom?"

Shaking his head, Perry tried to calm himself.

No, that mushroom seemed to have the ability to transport souls to other worlds. Without the system's help, eating another one might be dangerous…

Just as Perry was lost in thought, Rufus's voice snapped him back to reality. "Hey, stop daydreaming! Let's hurry and find that Mushcat. Based on these notes, I can guess where they might be now."

Toto, brimming with excitement, chimed in, "Yeah, let's go! If it gets dark, the adults in the village won't let us go out. We'll be too late if we don't hurry!" Toto pulled Perry toward the village exit.

Perry, alarmed, stopped him. "Wait, we need to prepare weapons at least! The forest is dangerous; it's too risky to go empty-handed."

Rufus confidently patted his bow. "Don't worry, with me here, you're safe! I'm the best archer in the village; I'll definitely protect you."

Toto teased, "Rufus may be bad at studying and kind of dumb, but he's great at archery. He's the second-best archer in the village!"

"Hey! If I hadn't messed up last time, I'd be number one!" Rufus protested indignantly.

Why doesn't he refute when he is called dumb?

At that moment, a crisp female voice called out from ahead, "Luck is part of skill, you idiot!"

Perry looked up to see a blonde girl with blue eyes walking toward them, a finely crafted bow slung across her back. She was beautiful, radiating confidence. Her bright smile seemed to light up everything around her.

Her outfit is very similar to Rufus's, also a leather armor and a cape. But she is wearing a tight red leather armor, the bright color is as bright as the sunset, which is unforgettable at first sight. The leather armor is made of carefully processed high-quality leather, the surface is smooth and shiny, reflecting a slight light, showing a noble temperament. Each piece of leather is carefully cut and stitched to fit her body curve, providing flexible movement space and effectively protecting her safety in battle. The edge of the leather armor is decorated with exquisite silver embroidery of the sun and trees, which adds a bit of decorativeness and artistic sense.

Perry and Toto were stunned by her beauty in awe, while Rufus grumbled under his breath, "My luck has always been good, Larkin. You just got a bit luckier that time!"

Why didn't you deny being call an idiot? Perry and Toto thought simultaneously.

Larkin ignored Rufus and walked straight up to Perry, extending a friendly hand. "Hi, I'm Larkin."

Perry's heart raced, his face turning slightly red. He stammered out, "I'm Pe… I mean, Henry."

Larkin's short blonde hair danced in the breeze, and up close, her lively blue eyes sparkled like gems. Her face was as cute and doll-like as it was striking, and her voice, though a little husky, was pleasant. If not for the contrast of the strong muscles on her body, Perry would have thought he was looking at his dream girl.

He was dumbstruck by this unexpected combination.

A muscle-bound beauty! Are all the elves in this world muscular?

When Perry was still focusing on her muscles, in the next moment, Larkin's expression turned serious. "Henry, I'm arresting you."

"What?!" Perry hadn't even processed what was happening when cold handcuffs were already locked around his wrists. Toto and Rufus stood there in stunned silence, their mouths agape.

What on earth is going on? Did I accidentally say something out loud? Or was my gaze too obvious?

Perry felt panicked inside, but outwardly, he remained calm, simply staring at the handcuffs around his wrists.