Tom and Jerry

Hiding behind the bedroom door in a new position, Zhang Yuan clutched a pink cloak he had just bought, only for it to be torn and smudged with stains. Shirley, the little creature, perched on his shoulder.

As he heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs, he couldn't help but restrain his breathing, waiting for the owner's arrival.

Aginon, already a bit tipsy, strode in with an imposing gait. The pink cloak on his back was tied around his neck like a scarf. What a waste, thought the person behind the door, lamenting the mismatch.

Aginon, walking straight towards the large bed in the bedroom, didn't notice Zhang Yuan behind the door at all. Without even taking off his shoes, he buried his head and collapsed onto the bed.

At this moment, Shirley, receiving a signal from its master, approached the large bed quickly and silently. Then, with a leap, it skillfully and nimbly swiped its claws twice, stripping the cloak from its original owner's neck.

Aginon, completely unaware, let out a couple of slurred mumbles before his snores gradually began. Zhang Yuan, quickly securing the magic cloak, had Shirley carry the cloak he had purchased and wait by Aginon's bed. He then cautiously exited the room.

After confirming he could escape safely at any time, Zhang Yuan pointed at Aginon with his hand. Shirley leaped onto the bed, grabbed Aginon by the collar of his clothes, and pulled with all its might.

Aginon, who had just fallen asleep, was abruptly awakened by this rough treatment. Still unclear about what was happening, he only felt an immense heaviness in his head.

"Who? Who's playing a prank on me? Could it be those damned thieves coveting Aginon's gold coins?"

He looked around but found nothing. That is, until a small, snow-white creature, carrying a pink cloak, hopped out from by his feet.

"Damn it, that's my cloak!" Aginon touched the back of his neck, finding nothing there. He was both anxious and furious. He shifted his massive body and chased the escaping snow ferret thief around the room.

Although he was just a merchant with no knowledge of magic or the arcane, as the cloak's owner, he could discern some of its value from certain details, though only a partial value.

Back when he was down on his luck, he had sought help from his "friends." However, those who had once called him brother looked at him as if he were a beggar or a stray dog on the street, offering nothing but coldness and disgust.

Then one day, desperate and unable to even maintain a decent appearance, he rashly stopped two merchant guild members he had never interacted with before. He pleaded with them, trying to sell them his plan for a comeback. Surprisingly, it went smoothly. Without much pickiness or questioning, they agreed to cooperate. And that day, he was wearing this cloak, which he had obtained by chance and kept stored away.

Such incidents didn't happen frequently thereafter, and refusals and mockery still came his way. Nevertheless, he continued to believe that this cloak brought him good luck. He had even privately given it a name: "Lucky Cloak."

Now, Aginon, with the Lucky Cloak stolen from him, was consumed by rage. He didn't care if he could keep up with the other party's speed and pursued it stubbornly.

Shirley, carrying the cloak, darted around, leaving tiny paw prints under the bed, in the bathtub, and on the tabletop. It tossed the cloak in its mouth like a rag, making Aginon's heart ache.

Perhaps it got tired of playing, or perhaps it lost interest in the thing in its mouth, but the snow ferret shook its head, tossed the cloak aside, and slipped out of the room.

Without bothering to deal with the snow ferret, Aginon, worried about his precious item, eagerly picked up the cloak and unfolded it.

It was like a bolt from the blue! The cloak was barely recognizable in its original form. It was covered in holes and rips, stained with water and dirt, and its surface was so covered in paw prints that its original color was almost indistinguishable.

Struck by this devastating blow, Aginon's legs gave out. His massive body knelt on the ground, and the middle-aged man buried his face in the floor and began to cry.

Zhang Yuan, hiding by the door, was secretly delighted by the treasure he had obtained and the success of his plan. However, when he heard the owner's heartbroken sobs, he felt a pang of unease, and his initial joy faded considerably.

He didn't regret his actions. Such a magic item, in the hands of the ignorant Aginon, was merely an accessory or a talisman, its true purpose undiscovered. But in his hands, it was a genuine and powerful magic creation, capable of producing effects the original owner could never have imagined.

However, no matter how he tried to justify it, the owner of this cloak was still Aginon, and his actions were still those of theft without permission.

If he hadn't witnessed this scene, he might have comforted himself with various excuses and used the stolen cloak with a clear conscience, as he had done more than once in the game.

But having truly witnessed such a scene, seeing the owner's sadness and tears, he couldn't truly feel "at peace with himself."

Seeing someone alive and not bearing to see them die; hearing their voice and not bearing to eat their flesh – this wasn't mere hypocrisy, but compassion stemming from innate human empathy.

Zhang Yuan wasn't so naive as to jump out and exchange the cloak to satisfy his own sympathy. But that didn't stop him from acknowledging the sympathy he felt. This emotion wasn't shameful; it was just that, in his urgent need for power, he could only choose to temporarily suppress it.

One day, I will return your cloak with interest. I'm sorry, but please lend it to me for now. Zhang Yuan could only make this promise in his heart.

Clutching the cloak, he adjusted his expression and emotions, then turned and went down the stairs.

"Smile," he told himself.

Acting as if nothing had happened, he descended the stairs and returned to his companions. Just as he was about to explain his long absence, he saw Lawrence and Duncan looking at him with pity.

"Young people need to take care of themselves~" the two of them comforted him in unison, their voices trailing off with a drawn-out, sarcastic tone.

Zhang Yuan, feeling puzzled, didn't ask any further questions. He sat for a while longer before they dispersed and returned to their rooms at The Merry Performers Inn to rest.

Just before falling asleep, he finally realized what the "old lecher" and "little lecher" had meant back then! Damn it! he yelled inwardly.

Waking up in the morning, sensing the spell model for summoning in his sea of consciousness, Zhang Yuan felt a surge of eagerness. It took a great deal of effort to suppress it. Afterward, he washed up, got ready, rejoined the group, and prepared to depart.

He suddenly remembered that his chess pieces had refreshed for the day and quickly called up the system, DLTCEP. The panel before him transformed into the Void Chessboard. His three purchased chess pieces were all there, and the chess piece shop above indeed displayed new units.

"Tiny, Goblin Tinkerer, Drow Ranger, Murloc, Succubus."

This time, his favorite Goblin piece had finally arrived. However, Zhang Yuan, lacking sufficient energy, couldn't afford all these pieces. He decided to buy Tiny directly, which was perfect, as three Tiny pieces could be combined into a two-star unit.

Unexpectedly, the system prompt shot him in the knee: Confirm upgrade of chess piece. Note: A level one chess piece upgraded to two stars will become a level three chess piece, requiring a summoning spell of the corresponding level.

??? A level three summoning spell? Does that mean I won't be able to summon after upgrading? Does paying money make me weaker?

He decided to leave the system for now and ignore it. What were orange cards, what were three-star pieces – they were all fake, all meant to deceive him.