Pillar of Yita

Gita replied irritably: ”Sister Fuli saw a mouse in the warehouse.”

”One mouse is not a mouse plague!”

”Isn’t one enough?” Tianlan said exaggeratedly, ”If we don’t do anything, they’ll soon multiply endlessly.”

”How can a single mouse reproduce?” Luo Yu couldn’t help but ask.

”You see one, but it’s actually a nest.” Tianlan argued forcibly.

”In any case, Brother Ade, we need to quickly get a cat.” She insisted decisively.

Fang Hong didn’t know where he could conjure a cat from, in this snowstorm-ridden forest, where the undead roamed, not even a wild cat was in sight. However, having mice on the ship was indeed not a small problem, so he’d have to see if he could buy a cat when they reached the Masongke Creek outpost.

He also inquired about the operation of the Magic Guided Reactor from Luo Yu and Gita and received good responses. Currently, these two former trainees were already Level 6, and the northern winter of Colin was far more dangerous than other seasons—they encountered quite a bit of combat along the way.

A few days ago, they even came across a Yeti King, and after the battle, both of them leveled up.

Elisa was preparing dinner in the kitchen and seemed a bit surprised when she saw Fang Hong.

”Good evening.” The elder twin sister greeted him.

Fang Hong nodded and noticed that it was Parker and Xiangzi helping in the kitchen today. They were wrapping chopped parsley and purple dill leaves with slices of Istania elder leaf into meat with cut slits, the latter being a famous spice of Colin Ishurian.

They coated it with a layer of chili and another of bay leaf vinegar, tied it up with a string, and placed it into the oven. After it was prepared and cooked to a perfect degree, they took it out of the oven hot and placed it on a tray, letting a shiny layer of grease sizzle on top.

Then slicing it layer by layer, the rich aroma of Istania elder leaf mingled with the fresh scent of parsley and purple dill, the roasted meat crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, emanating a mouth-watering fragrance—a signature dish of the Istania region.

Seeing the two drooling as they cut the meat, Fang Hong couldn’t help but ask where Miss Atira had gone, only to be told the Elf Miss had gone below to care for Mr. Greyrock.

And the Big Catfolk was responsible for protecting her.

Mr. Greyrock, though unafraid of the snow, inevitably consumed more physical fitness by trudging through it. Therefore, he needed more meticulous care daily, and fortunately, Atira was a believer of Ameya, which gave her a unique advantage in soothing animals.

Soon enough, the two of them indeed came down from the deck, the Big Catfolk covered in snow, with his mane almost entirely turned white, and Miss Atira not in much better shape, making Tianlan laugh and call her ’Sister White Eyebrows.’

The Elf Miss wasn’t angry, shaking off the snow from her body before briefing them on the situation below. Mr. Greyrock was doing fine, the harsh weather unbearable for ordinary people, yet it wasn’t much for the Gey Ridge Burden Beast.

However, the situation Reed discovered was not optimistic.

The Big Catfolk removed his cloak and hung it aside, then said seriously, ”Those ’things’ are getting closer and closer to us. Tonight, we can’t avoid a battle after nightfall.”

He was naturally referring to the undead tailing their group—they had discovered traces of these undead a few days ago. These weren’t the mere bone frames like Dolifen and Fenris; as they ventured deeper into the interior of Colin Main Continent, high-ranking monsters congregated more the closer they got to the Kudi Mountain Range, so the levels of these undead naturally rose too.

The undead wandering Tibial Creek were mainly aquatic corpse ghosts, with levels ranging from Level 18 to 19, still manageable. But the more troublesome were the aquatic nymphs, high-ranking undead who could use spells. Even some professional adventure groups could accidentally topple when dealing with them.

Moreover, there were other types of undead in the forest, such as vampire bats and even low-rank vampires. A few days ago, they encountered one but let it escape.

These elusive things were very difficult to handle—

Let alone the wolves and werewolves that came following the undead.

Everyone shuddered after hearing the Lion Paladin’s words, but fortunately, they weren’t far from the Masongke Creek outpost. Even if there was a battle after dark, they could still find a place for replenishment and rest afterward.

However, the team still entered a state of combat readiness early. After dinner, Fang Hong specifically added an additional person for lookout duty, assigning Bakins and Xiangzi each to oversee a side.

The sky darkened quickly, and scattered undead began to appear around Mr. Greyrock. However, after Parker operated a crossbow cannon and shot down a few brown-green-skinned aquatic corpse ghosts, the remaining undead exhibited high intelligence and retreated far away.

However, this was not good news.

The night sky was wrapped in thick clouds, and as the temperature dropped, the wind and snow intensified. Around the time when the moon should have risen, Tianlan encountered a vampire bat on the ship almost as large as a Papalarian.

After a big commotion, Xiangzi finally killed the Level 17 monster outside the infirmary, scaring two little girls pale.

But Fang Hong couldn’t find any trace of Miss Tata, so he couldn’t help but ask around about where Miss Fairy had gone.

In the end, he used telepathy to find her location, pushed open the infirmary door, and saw at once, on the table ahead, the thumb-sized Miss Tata standing quietly, confronting a large, furry creature.

That thing looked like a white fluffy ball with a pair of pointed ears. When it stood up and raised its tail—Fang Hong realized it was a cat. Who knew what breed it was, with long and beautiful narrow pupils like turquoise, and a ring of snow-white fur around its neck like a lord’s cloak, appearing majestic.

It stood elegantly there, tilting its head to scrutinize Miss Fairy until Fang Hong came in, at which point it turned its head and gave him a wary look.

Against the large ’monster’ in front, Miss Tata seemed so petite and vulnerable, as if a mere gust of wind could knock her over.

Fang Hong was startled: ”Miss Tata, watch out!”

But Miss Fairy was not nervous at all, even reaching out her hand.

”Don’t worry, Mr. Knight,” Tata turned to him and said: ”This is Miss Daisy, Daisy, this is Mr. Knight.”

Fang Hong was speechless as he watched that cat lower its head obediently, allowing Miss Tata to gently stroke the fur between its nose and forehead, even squinting, looking very content.

Tianlan had asked him to find a cat, and he actually found one.

But the question was, how did this cat get onto his ship?

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