CHAPTER 56 - The Black Cat and the Yellow Bird

Special Location?

Robert turned around and looked at the giant ancient tree towering above him, one so massive it seemed to block out the sky. What makes it special, though? Why does it grant two skill points? Still puzzled, Robert decided it was worth exploring a little further.

"Huh, why is this incense burning so fast?" The staff member in charge of clearing the scene was momentarily stunned, visibly surprised. The three sticks of special incense they had lit just two hours ago were nearly burned out, leaving only the last small piece. The incense was custom-made—how were they supposed to replace it now? The staff member hurriedly reached out to contact the person in charge.

Meanwhile, Robert felt a bit dizzy, as a black cat suddenly appeared in front of him. The strange part wasn't that there was a black cat; it was more the fact that the cat was perched on a tree, which was an odd sight in itself. But the real surprise came when the cat spoke.

"Meow~ How did you get in here?" The black cat looked at him with a bit of confusion, its cute little nose twitching twice, its gaze locking onto Robert's left arm.

After coming to the Flower Country, Robert had put away his wand. But since today was an ancestral ceremony, he wasn't sure what might happen, so he had strapped his wand to his left arm just in case. Realizing that the cat was eyeing his wand, Robert quickly pulled it out and waved it in front of the cat.

"Are you looking at this?" he asked.

The black cat looked from Robert to the wand, then hesitated before reluctantly jumping down from the tree. As it walked toward Robert, it spoke, "You can call me White Tiger."

Robert's mouth twitched, a frown forming on his forehead. "Hey, stop kidding me. White Tigers are white, not black."

The cat paused for a moment, a hint of grievance in its voice, "I'm just a youngster..."

Robert didn't buy it for a second. "Are you saying all the fur you're wearing right now is just baby fur? And once you grow up, you'll turn white?"

"Exactly." The black cat sat in front of Robert, gazing up at him, even though it was clear from his appearance that he had Western blood. The cat licked its paw and continued, "Take me to the West, and I'll offer you an opportunity."

Robert shook his head vigorously, "No way. How can I trust you? What if you have some ulterior motive? If I take you to the Corrupt Nation, you might cause all kinds of trouble! I'll have to apologize to the entire country for that!"

The black cat narrowed its eyes. "So, you want to fight?"

Robert tightened his grip on the wand in his hand, cold sweat forming on his brow. But he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Sure, let's have a fight! I'll just teach you a lesson, and then you'll start telling the truth, right?"

"Fine, looks like I have to teach you a lesson." The black cat crouched, preparing to attack.

Robert's body tensed up. His left hand brushed against a small bag hidden in his pocket. In the blink of an eye, the black cat vanished from its spot, and a silver light flashed where he had just stood, rushing straight toward Robert's throat.

In his panic, Robert only had time to slap a plant in the black cat's face. He gasped as he realized his hand had been scratched by the cat!

Ignoring the pain, Robert quickly threw another plant at the cat. It seemed to be affected by some invisible force. Completely disregarding Robert, it started rolling on the ground uncontrollably, losing all dignity.

Focusing on his intentions, Robert threw a whole plant into the fray. With a wave of his wand, it transformed into a vine that wrapped around the black cat, binding it tightly.

Only then did he have a chance to retrieve a healing salve from his bag. He applied it to the scratches, and the wounds quickly healed.

The black cat, still struggling on the ground, let out some suggestive noises, also scolding Robert as it did. "Bastard! What is this stuff? Why can't I stop myself from wanting to suck on it?"

"Ah~ This smell is intoxicating!" 

"Sniff sniff~ Meow meow~"

Although he had been scratched by the cat, seeing it now lost in the effects of the catnip, Robert couldn't help but come up with a bold idea. "This cat is already done for. Why don't we...?"

But fearing retaliation, since cats hold grudges easily, Robert had no choice but to drag the now helpless black cat away, tied up tightly.

"Bastard! How dare you treat your prisoner like this!" The black cat, still with a dazed expression, managed to regain some of its composure and complained, "Carry me in your arms! Bastard! Don't you care about my dignity?!"

Without a second thought, Robert replied, "No way. I can't even lift you!"

"You can't... lift... me...?" The black cat froze, its fur bristling in indignation. But it was too weak to stand, so it could only glare at Robert fiercely. "I'm so thin! How can you not lift me?"

Robert sighed, a look of genuine regret on his face. "It's not that. I'm still young, and I don't have the strength to carry a cat. No matter how skinny you are, I can't lift you."

The black cat tilted its head, considering this explanation. It seemed to agree but still felt a bit dissatisfied. It grumbled, sulking as it was dragged along by Robert.

Suddenly, a bird's chirp sounded from above. The black cat froze and muttered, "There are other creatures here? Why didn't I know about this?"

Robert recognized the sound as all too familiar. When a familiar shade of soft yellow appeared before him, he finally remembered—the one thing he had forgotten that morning: feeding his pet!

"Opal!" Robert quickly embraced the yellow creature that had flown into his arms. "How did you get here? Wait, how did you fly here?"

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp..." Opal protested with a series of whiny chirps. Although Robert had no idea what it was saying, he could only give a confused and apologetic smile. "Sorry, I was in such a rush this morning, I forgot all about you. But didn't anyone feed you?"

Opal's round little face was wet with two tiny tears, as if accusing its owner of heartlessness.

Feeling even more embarrassed, Robert rubbed Opal's tiny belly, causing the little creature to purr happily in response.

After circling around the giant tree and finding no special features, Robert concluded that the tree must be special simply because of its sheer size.

By the time they stepped out from under the tree's shadow, the sun was directly overhead, signaling lunchtime.

With fewer people out now, it was easy for Robert to find a staff member in charge of maintaining order. With their help, he was soon escorted to the dining hall.

Inside, it wasn't as crowded as he expected. Robert peeked around, seeing over thirty tables, with one already fully occupied.

Since he wasn't familiar with anyone, Robert didn't approach, but the moment others saw him, they seemed quite surprised. 

Robert knew his current appearance must look bizarre—dragging a cat behind him, with a bird in his arms. If he claimed it was for an ancestral ceremony, no one would believe him!

(End of chapter)