"Dual-colored eyes, pure white fur, you must be Queen Chengde, Ataya."
Wen Wen stepped forward, shook the queen’s hand, and took the opportunity to tousle her cat-head. He quickly handed the queen a small bag of Catnip Balls before she could get angry, making her stop her attempts to bite.
Ataya looked at the Catnip Balls in her hand and thought back to Wen Wen’s previous antics, suddenly gaining some understanding of the mischievous little tricolor female cat—this guy is indeed annoying!
"You can call me Mystic Detective. I’m here at Osno’s invitation to capture a dangerous fugitive from the Association nearby. I hope you can cooperate a little."
"A dangerous fugitive, you mean the Beast of Revelry, Xiaochan? Lord Osno told me about him, but I haven’t seen anyone like that around..."
"Osno didn’t want you to know too much because he was afraid you might act prematurely and trigger a crisis. Now that I’m here, this matter will certainly be resolved."
Wen Wen paused and said, "Xiaochan has always been around here, lurking near Pygmy Canyon. His target must be something at one of your two places."
"If you can provide me with information about this thing, it would greatly help my mission."
"We’ll find a place to discuss the specifics in detail."
Seeing Wen Wen wanted to leave with the queen, the crowd of hesitant Cat People could no longer remain composed.
They all looked at Wen Wen pitifully, meowing. Wen Wen chuckled and pulled out a box filled with those specially-made Catnip Balls from the Sanctuary.
"Everyone gets a share. Remember to leave some for the ones who aren’t here. Don’t keep them all to yourselves."
Back when Wen Wen dealt with the Tiger-like Tribes, a lot of these Catnip Balls were leftover. Given Wen Wen’s opportunistic nature, he took several boxes with him when he left.
No cat could resist the lure of these things, and with them, Wen Wen could persuade any cat at any time.
Wen Wen and Tao Qingqing followed Ataya to a quiet place and shared all the information they had with her.
At first, Ataya was calm, thinking the worst-case scenario was merely a conflict with Pygmy Canyon. But the potential consequences turned out to be far more terrifying.
Through Wen Wen’s vivid and emotional storytelling, Ataya understood the gravity of the situation, so she didn’t hide the information she had and eventually led them to the shrine at Shrew Villa.
The overall architecture of Shrew Villa had a style resembling the gardens in the southern Capital, as these Cat People had come from the Capital, which explained the presence of the shrine.
Ataya walked into the shrine, searched for a moment, and emerged solemnly holding a box.
The box was covered with densely packed yellow Charm Paper, each inscribed with Runes intended for suppression.
"If Xiaochan is seeking something from Shrew Villa, it must be this. Recently, the seal on this box has shown signs of loosening."
"This item has been inherited here for a long time. I only know it’s dangerous, but I’ve never opened it."
Wen Wen estimated the strength of these Runes, then set up a small Rune Array around before cautiously peeling off the Charm Paper.
As each Rune was removed, it made a sizzling sound—the sound of Rune power dissipating.
Once all were uncovered, Wen Wen opened the box and found a pool of blood, the size of a can lid.
This pool of filthy blood seemed to have a Life Force of its own, slowly wriggling as the box was opened, attempting to escape.
But Wen Wen simply waved his hand, halting the blood’s movement, as several Runes appeared around, suppressing its motion.
Wen Wen himself was a Rune Master, capable of easily replicating the Runes initially suppressing the blood, allowing him the confidence to open the box.
"What... is this thing?"
Wen Wen could sense a powerful Strength contained within the blood, and the blood itself emanated force.
Ordinary Catastrophe Level entities don’t have such effects. Even a Spiritual Realm God might not; the blood of the Cicada Ancestor certainly wasn’t this extraordinary.
"Could this be the blood of a heavenly god?"
"But what does Xiaochan intend to do with this filthy blood, and how does he even know there’s such a thing at Shrew Villa? What need does he have with Pygmy Canyon?"
Wen Wen was baffled and could only seal the blood again. If there’s no progress in a day or two, Wen Wen planned to have Tao Qingqing carry the blood and roam the wilderness.
He wanted to see if this thing could lure Xiaochan out.
As for whether Tao Qingqing would agree... it had already been decided she’d be the bait before they came. Her objections were too late.
A loud crash sounded as a massive wooden door shattered into the shrine, landing at Wen Wen’s feet.
Ataya’s face changed dramatically. What had happened?
The Cat People, previously indulging in Catnip, swiftly reacted by grabbing their equipment and weapons, assembling at the villa’s gate to fend off invaders.
Wen Wen tossed the box to Tao Qingqing and, following Ataya to the villa’s front, saw a two-meter tall, big white-bearded rat standing with arms behind its back at the entrance.
This small-eyed big rat was none other than the Pygmy Overlord, Perrier!
Behind the Pygmy Overlord was a band of armed big rats, each muscle-bound to the point of resembling kangaroos.
"Perrier, have you gone mad? Do you truly want a war!"
Ataya looked at the Pygmy Overlord in disbelief. When the Mouse Tribe had first moved here, they had a forbidden love affair.
Ultimately, reality defeated them, and they realized different races couldn’t be together, but even after breaking up, there was still some bond between them. She couldn’t believe Perrier would attack just like that.
A flicker of pain crossed the Pygmy Overlord’s face. He didn’t want war, but now he had no choice but to fight.
"Enough talk, hand over that fat orange cat!"
"Which orange cat? We have many orange cats here." Ataya paused, confused.
Perrier shouted angrily, "The one with three rolls of fat on both its head and belly!"
"You still dare mention Wei Daju?" Ataya’s eyes widened with anger, ready to bite again.
Not only Ataya, but the other Cat People were also filled with righteous indignation.
Back then, Wei Daju and several other cats were playing outside when the other Cat People saw with their own eyes a one-eared Mouse Person abducting Wei Daju.
If it weren’t for Ataya suppressing this matter for the time being, it would have been Shrew Villa seeking justice now!
"Ha, why wouldn’t I dare mention it? That Wei Daju attacked us several times, eating three Pygmy Mice directly, one time even in my presence!"
"If you don’t give us an explanation for today’s incident, don’t expect to settle this peacefully!"