Poor Kubeiro

Late at night.

The deep night shrouded the entire alley.

Standing in the shadows, Sunan watched the brightly lit mansion in the distance.

This unremarkable-looking estate, somewhat inconspicuous compared to the many magnificent noble residences in Stone Bell City, was one of the Starfire Cult's strongholds in Golden Rock Province.

After arriving in Stone Bell City, Sunan had kept watch nearby for three days and followed many people coming and going, but unfortunately found no connection to the hunt for Magical Creatures.

He did not intend to waste too much time here, so he simply decided to grab someone for questioning tonight.

He did not have to wait long before a suitable target appeared.

A man draped in a cold-weather cloak emerged from the estate. He first swept his gaze around the area without betraying any emotion, then hurried into the night.

Sunan did not follow immediately. Instead, he waited patiently for a while before casually leaving the alley and heading in the direction the man had gone.

Hidden Dragon had already followed him ahead of time. With it there, there was no need to worry about losing the target.

This distance would not arouse the target's suspicion, either.

Following far behind the man, Sunan wound through the streets for nearly half an hour before Hidden Dragon sent word that the target had stopped.

Sunan immediately quickened his pace.

Not long afterward, he arrived where Hidden Dragon was waiting.

"What is this guy doing here?"

Sunan raised an eyebrow at the residence before him.

It was merely an ordinary house located in a commoner's Residential Area. Why had that Starfire Cultist come here in the middle of the night?

He signaled Hidden Dragon to remain where it was and keep watch. Then Sunan layered Wind Energy Particles over himself, lightly vaulted over the courtyard wall, and landed soundlessly in the yard.

The moment he landed, his powerful senses caught the sounds coming from inside the room, and an exceedingly strange expression appeared on his face.

". Darling, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, dear Honi. That old Kubeiro has been run ragged over the estate lately and has no time to bother with me. We'll have plenty of time to meet from now on."

"That's wonderful. Now let me have a taste of Baronet Kubeiro's wife first."

What followed was a series of intimate, suggestive sounds.

"..."

Sunan could not help but feel a trace of pity for the Baronet Kubeiro he had never met.

Being saddled with an evil spirit was miserable enough, but his wife was cuckolding him too. Truly pitiful.

Shaking his head, Sunan stopped concealing his presence and strode toward the room.

He had already sensed the entire house. Aside from the two people inside, there were no other life signatures.

Come to think of it, the two had come here for a tryst, so naturally they would not bring anyone else along.

"Who's there?!"

The man in the room quickly noticed Sunan's undisguised footsteps.

When Sunan pushed open the door and entered, the man had already leapt from the bed, reached for the weapon on the table, and stared warily toward the doorway.

On the bed behind him, a stunning Noblewoman with heavy makeup was wrapped in a blanket, huddled at the headboard with a panicked expression.

"Who are you?" the man demanded sharply.

Sunan did not answer. He raised a hand and fired a bolt of lightning at the man.

The man had no time to react. His entire body convulsed as he collapsed to the floor, rolled his eyes back, and fainted.

Seeing this, the Noblewoman on the bed covered her face with both hands. She drew in a breath, preparing to scream, but the windup for her spell took too long. Sunan flicked his hand and fired another bolt of lightning, and the Noblewoman likewise convulsed and passed out.

After casually shutting the door, Sunan used Mage Hand to lift the unconscious man from the floor and wake him.

Before the man could speak, he had already cast Charm Human. The man's gaze immediately turned vacant.

"Name."

"Honi Diomand."

"Your position in the Starfire Cult."

"Three-star Cultist."

Sunan was slightly disappointed.

Below the Starfire Cult's Priests, ordinary cultists were divided from lowest to highest into one-star through five-star Cultists.

A Three-star Cultist was still at the bottom of the Starfire Cult. He likely had no access to truly core affairs.

"Do you know about the capture of the Magical Creature?"

"I do."

Sunan's spirits lifted slightly. "Tell me in detail."

Honi paused, then said blankly, "Troy Priest and Ryan Priest are in charge of this matter. They set out almost every day, but they still haven't managed to catch that Magical Creature. The High Priest is very angry about it."

"They set out every day? Then why haven't I seen anyone entering or leaving the estate?"

"They enter and leave the estate through an underground passage."

Sunan slapped his forehead, speechless.

Come to think of it, this was a secret stronghold. Naturally, the Starfire Cult's people could not frequently enter and leave through the front gate in broad daylight, or people would have noticed something was wrong long ago.

It was perfectly normal for a stronghold to have a secret passage.

He had simply fallen into a mental blind spot and failed to consider it.

"Not enough experience."

Sunan chuckled self-deprecatingly, then asked again:

"Where do the people hunting the Magical Creature usually go?"

"The north side of the city," Honi answered dully. "For some reason, that Magical Creature's range of activity has remained confined to the north side of the city, so Troy Priest and the others have been searching there."

Sunan understood.

It seemed he would have to shift the search area to the north side of the city.

Although he now knew the Starfire Cult's stronghold had an underground passage, who knew where its exit led? If it opened into some remote abandoned well or inside a residence, who knew how much time it would take to find.

Compared to that, he might as well try his luck in the north side of the city.

Once the Starfire Cult found that Magical Creature, the pursuit would definitely cause quite a commotion. If he and Hidden Dragon searched separately, their chances of finding it were not low.

Hidden Dragon's Reality Shift ability was exceptionally suited to finding people in a town with complex terrain.

By the time his thoughts settled, Sunan had already made up his mind.

He questioned Honi for a while longer. Only after confirming that there was nothing of value left to ask did he prepare to deal with him.

But at that moment, Sunan's expression suddenly changed. He sharply turned his head toward the table beside him.

The doors and windows of the room were tightly shut. None were open. Only faint strands of moonlight seeped through the cracks in the doors and windows, like silver lines printed across the floor and tabletop.

A small cat stood on the table, right within one of those silver streaks. The bright moonlight illuminated its slender, long body, its glossy, silky snow-white fur, and its gemstone-like icy blue eyes.

A cat?

Sunan froze for a moment, then his gaze abruptly sharpened. With a flick of his wrist, an Earth Rune Gem appeared between his index and middle fingers, ready to be activated at any time.

The doors and windows were all closed. How had this cat gotten in?

Besides, with his senses, how could a cat possibly approach this close before he noticed it?

Something was wrong!

Just as Sunan was filled with uncertainty, the little cat naturally padded toward him.

Its slender, long body formed graceful curves as it walked. Its steps were light and agile, carrying a dreamlike elegance.

A delicate little golden bell was tied around its neck with a red ribbon.

For an instant, Sunan actually had the illusion that he was watching a young noble lady lazily strolling through her own courtyard.

Reaching the edge of the table, the little cat leaped down, landed lightly on the floor, and raised its head to look at Sunan and Honi with gemstone-like icy blue eyes filled with humanlike curiosity.

"Meow, what are you doing?"