Chapter 286
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Chapter 286: El’s Wonderful Adventure (End)
El had lost count of how many times he had been shocked tonight.
The greenhouse for plants and the artificial prairies paled in comparison to this place.
With just a glance, El instinctively felt that this place did not belong to humans—or rather, the cube did not belong to humans.
His mouth opened and closed, struggling to articulate his inner astonishment, feeling like a fish stranded on land, as if the air around him had been completely sucked away.
Unconsciously, he took a step forward, toward the cube.
In that step, his strength and movement were entirely unrestrained.
“Tap.”
As El’s foot touched the ground, a voice echoed almost simultaneously:
“Who’s there?”
In truth, before his foot even landed, El had already sensed his mistake and vanished from the space by the time the sound escaped.
He hadn’t expected there to be another human here besides himself.
Perhaps because most of his attention had been captivated by the enigmatic cube, El hadn’t noticed the man sitting on the other side of a rotating chair.
The chair swiftly turned, revealing a somewhat gaunt man who scanned the area, finding nothing.
El had covered his tracks well, leaving no trace behind.
The man, unconvinced, scanned the room once more, reluctantly accepting that what he had seen was merely an illusion.
He pressed his thin palms against his temples and gently massaged them.
Only then, hidden beneath the ground, could El catch a glimpse of the man’s appearance from an angle.
This was a man who looked unwell, seemingly not yet fifty, but his body was as thin and dry as a skeleton.
His slightly sallow skin clung tightly to his frame, revealing the protruding bones beneath, even through the white coat he wore.
The man massaged his temples, stood up, and walked a slow circle around the empty, ring-shaped room before returning to his chair.
He adjusted his white coat, leaned back slightly, and sank into sleep.
El observed it all, puzzled as to why this man appeared so close to death and why he wasn’t resting properly in the late hours of the night.
But now, having confirmed that this was indeed the true bottom of the spire, his exploration was complete.
All that remained was to report everything he had learned to Dr. Lin. El was confident that Lin would make better sense of it all than he could.
—
Meanwhile, outside Hope City.
“Dear Ms. Fulan, let me recap the main points of our discussion tonight. Please confirm if everything is in order.”
Dawn Sound adopted the same professional tone she used when addressing her superiors at work, speaking earnestly to the cat before her, who might not even be a fraction of her age.
“Alright, go ahead.”
Fulan raised her front paws, appearing quite formal.
“You, leading the, um, Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult Rebellion, have chosen to ally with humans and provide a certain level of support during the beast tide.
“The extraordinary beasts belonging to the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult will not cross the red line without permission, will not enter Hope City, and will bear special markings to prevent accidental injuries during combat.”
“Before the extraordinary beasts of the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult cross the red line, the humans will not harbor any hostility toward them and will not initiate attacks; otherwise, it will be considered a breach of the alliance.
“When the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult lacks food and drinking water, Hope City has the obligation to supply them according to their needs. Similarly, when humans need to explore outside the city, the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult will provide assistance.
“Do you have anything to add?”
Fulan thought for a moment and replied,
“Not for now.”
“Good, then we…”
As Dawn Sound spoke halfway, she finally realized the issue. Although both parties had been pleasant in conversation for the past few hours, she was still facing a cat, and the meeting place was out in the wilderness outside Hope City.
This meant that when Dawn Sound wanted to find tools to print or write a suitable agreement, she found no materials available.
“Let’s do a high five.”
Fulan seemed to sense what Dawn Sound was thinking and suggested at just the right moment.
“A high five?”
Dawn Sound considered it and decided there was no better method available.
Both parties stood at the same height, and one person and one cat gently touched their hands (front paws).
“All right, it’s getting late; we need to prepare for tomorrow’s hunt.”
Fulan looked at the night sky filled with stars and said,
“Goodbye, human.”
“Goodbye.”
As Dawn Sound completed her sentence, a cold, slippery sensation enveloped her body, and darkness wrapped around her once more.
After a few seconds of feeling dizzy, she and the Shadow Master appeared once again on the city wall of Hope City.
“Whew, that was thrilling.”
Confirming that their current position was correct, the Shadow Master sat down in a nearby chair, grabbed his water cup, and began to drink.
It was then that Dawn Sound realized she was parched; the hours of conversation had taken a toll on her.
Although she had hardly used her communication skills throughout, as the main actor in the task, she had inevitably invested more energy, while the Shadow Master’s consumption mainly focused on maintaining his abilities and vigilance.
After taking several refreshing sips, the two exchanged glances, each reflecting on their previous experience.
This was far beyond both of their expectations.
In other words, it wasn’t the intelligence of the extraordinary beasts that was frightening; it was the possibility of them being overly intelligent.
This was also a concern for the higher-ups in Hope City, which is why they granted Dawn Sound considerable authority in the negotiations.
In reality, the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult, with only five members, was practically negligible to Hope City—like a mosquito leg in a mosquito.
Moreover, from their appearance, these five extraordinary beasts were merely First Level trash.
Despite their daily hunting antics, who knows when two mantis extraordinary beasts might come from the forest and teach them a lesson.
Thus, in terms of hard strength, the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult posed no real benefit to humans.
However, one must always consider the worst-case scenario. Even though they appeared to be friendly toward humans, if humans were to ignore them and forcefully drive them back, it could lead to major trouble.
Just the wisdom displayed by that cat was enough to instill fear in humans.
Every beast tide, even the smallest one, usually consisted of tens of thousands of extraordinary beasts.
If that cat could grant those beasts intelligence like hers, then humanity’s extinction could indeed come in the blink of an eye.
Therefore, despite the human side appearing to handle the negotiations effortlessly, they had no intention of giving up this ally.
And Dawn Sound successfully completed her task; now Hope City only needed to provide food, and these extraordinary beasts could offer considerable help.
It was a tremendous profit.
