Meowth, the Night Heron / The Children of Caladon

It was clear that the thief was not only highly skilled and daring, but also toying with the police. Several times, even after escaping capture, he would deliberately return and cause trouble to attract the police's attention and continue the pursuit.

Suika also saw the thief's appearance: a silver-haired catgirl wearing a standard wizard's hat.

Upon seeing the iron chain on her wrist Suika immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

Since there are so few people who play bondage, I felt a little embarrassed, so I hid all three chains around my waist and only took them out to hang on my hands and play with them when no one was around.

It's rare to meet someone with the same interests now, and she's determined to make a good impression when they meet later.

Thinking of this, she enlarged the iron chain around her waist, took it out, and tied it to her hands and hair before happily continuing her pursuit.

Ye Yan happily strolled among the skyscrapers, just as she had once strolled through the woods, while the police were merely her "prey" for her amusement during her leisure time.

However, she soon sensed that something was wrong.

The witch's sixth sense told her she was being targeted, and that someone was following her.

Faced with a mysterious opponent who was slowly but surely following behind her, and who she couldn't shake off even after several changes of direction, Ye Yan also felt a competitive spirit.

She transformed into a wisp of black mist, swiftly traversing the deep alleyways.

She was certain that, let alone the military and police, even professional arresting officers would have no chance of catching her in this situation.

But after running for more than half an hour, the feeling of being stared at didn't disappear; in fact, it was getting closer and closer, making her feel like the hairs on her head were about to stand on end.

She then sat down on the ground, looking like she was giving up if she couldn't win.

"I give up!"

Suika, who had been closely following behind her, wiped away a bead of sweat. She hadn't expected the other woman to be so fast. Luckily, she had kept a close eye on her, and the other woman had almost shaken her off several times.

"Wow, sister, you can really run!" Suika walked out of the dark alley under Ye Yan's watchful gaze and sat down next to her.

"You're the one who can catch me. There aren't many people who can. You can take me for the reward." After saying that, Ye Yan raised her hands, looking like she could be handcuffed.

"Why would I arrest you?" Suika asked, tilting her head.

"Weren't you here to arrest me for those cops?" Ye Yan tilted her head and looked at Suika.

Of course not.

"Then why are you chasing me?" Ye Yan asked, puzzled. If he wasn't a police officer, why was he chasing her?

Suika raised her wrist, revealing the shackles and chains, then pointed to the chain on Ye Yan's wrist and said...

"I just happened to see someone who shares my interests. It's rare to meet someone who likes wearing shackles, so I wanted to come up and make friends with you."

Chapter 128 Meow King - Ye Yan

Ye Yan stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief.

Someone actually chased him across most of the city for this reason.

She glanced at the iron shackles on Suika's hands, then at her own, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Speaking of which, why did you choose to carry this thing? I just think it's incredibly useful as a weapon. When this chain whips someone, tsk tsk tsk..."

While Suika was still enthusiastically exchanging her experiences with wearing shackles, Ye Yan was already lost in thought.

After chatting for a while, I heard a gurgling sound.

Suika stared at Ye Yan's belly, Ye Yan pouted.

"I'm hungry, meow!"

Come with me, meow!

After saying that, she quickly got up and ran in one direction.

Suika followed closely behind and discovered that she had also gone to the Infected neighborhood, and to a small building not far from Verdant Spark.

The house was empty when they entered, except for a little girl who looked about five or six years old who ran in. She looked scared when she saw Suika, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ye Yan.

"Is she my sister's friend?"

"That's right, it's my friend who chased me all night, meow!" Ye Yan said happily.

Suika was looking around the small house.

The house was very clean. Apart from an old-looking sofa and a wooden table, there was nothing else in the living room. It was clear that the two people living there were not doing very well.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." Ye Yan's stomach growled again.

Seeing this, the child immediately said, "There's a bowl of meat soup in the refrigerator. I'll go cook it for my sister."

Suika reached out to stop her.

"No need, I'll treat you to dinner tonight!"

Upon hearing Suika's words, Ye Yan's ears, which had been drooping due to hunger, immediately perked up.

The girl looked at her too.

At that moment, Suika snapped her fingers lightly, and the table not far away was instantly covered with all kinds of delicious food.

Red wine stewed Tumor Beast, charcoal-grilled Jumping Beast, pan-fried Needle Flea legs... the two of them were drooling over the variety of food.

Ye Yan stared intently at the table full of dishes and asked...

"Can I eat cat?"

"Of course, and it's true, it's very filling!" Suika said with a smile.

Upon hearing Suika's words, the two immediately pounced on the table and began to wolf down their food.

"Hiccup, what amazing magic! Can I learn to meow?"

Ye Yan, who was eating and sobbing on the sofa, looked at Suika.

Suika shook her head. "I'm afraid that won't work. This is a very special kind of Originium Arts."

However, I can recommend a place for you to work; the people there are nice and they also hire Infected."

After Suika finished speaking, Ye Yan and the little girl, who had been slumped on the sofa, immediately sat up.

"You know we're Infected, meow!"

"If I'm not Infected, why would I live in an Infected neighborhood? I'm not stupid."

But don't worry, I'm a proponent of harmonious coexistence and have no prejudice against those Infected."

After pointing to the ground and making a comment, Suika said...

"You know Verdant Spark, right? It's the bar on the street corner. I know the manager. Judging from your appearance, you probably don't have a stable job. It's not easy to support two people in this city."

I can introduce you to a job there. At the very least, I can guarantee that you and your sister can live comfortably.

After Suika finished speaking, she saw Ye Yan's ears twitch again, clearly indicating that she was considering the plan.

"Why are you so nice to me, cat?"

Suika raised her chained hands. "Because we're kindred spirits!"

After hearing Ye Yan blinked. "Then I'll give it a try..."

"Okay, I'll come find you tomorrow morning, and we can go together to see if it's suitable."

Instead of giving money directly to the impoverished Ye Yan, Suika recommended her to work at Verdant Spark.

Because, putting aside the fact that it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, giving money directly gives the impression of pity and charity from those in power to those in power. For most people at the bottom, who are destitute, self-respect is the last line of defense for being human.

Trampling on someone else's bottom line is not something a friend would do.

Hearing their conversation, the other girl also smiled.

The next morning, Suika, still a little groggy from the Ye Yan, headed towards Verdant Spark.

"Slow down, meow, I'm not awake yet, meow..." Ye Yan leaned lazily against Suika, muttering to herself.

"You haven't slept all night?" Looking at Ye Yan's faint dark circles, Suika reached out and pinched her cheek.

"No, I went to bed at five o'clock!" Ye Yan proudly puffed out her chest.

Suika checked the time; it was eight o'clock, which meant Ye Yan had only slept for three hours. No wonder she was so groggy.

Soon the two arrived at the entrance of Verdant Spark.

Ye Yan perked up, looked at the signboard, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Verdant Spark, I love this name, meow!"

Seeing figures moving around inside, Suika pulled Ye Yan into the room.

"Sorry, we're not opening... Suika today?"

Kugen looked up and saw Suika leading someone in.

"What's up?"

"She, my friend, is looking for a job. She has some skills that I think would be a good fit for this place, so I brought her along."

After listening to Suika's words, Kugen looked Ye Yan up and down, and he naturally understood the implication in Suika's words.

"Of course, we are indeed short-staffed. What can you do or what skills do you have, young lady? I'd like to see if there are any work positions available..."

After hearing Ye Yan tilted her head and asked, "What do you know, meow? Does magic count?"

Suika said from the side, "Don't you and Xia Li often go out? It might be too much for that pink-haired lady to manage here by herself, so I found you a shop assistant."

Kugen rolled her eyes at Suika, saying that people driven by emotions are good for nothing.

Considering Suika's personality, the fact that she would take such initiative, coupled with this woman's attire, suggests that she probably doesn't come from a wealthy family.

Anyway, my shop can stay open for a few more years, so taking in one or two Infected shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, you can stay here and learn how to do things with Xia Li and Susie."

After finishing his explanation, Kugen packed his bags.

Are you going out?

Suika looked at his large backpack full of supplies and asked.

"That's right, didn't I say yesterday that I'm getting ready to leave? The rest is up to you."

At this moment, Xia Li also came out from behind and greeted Suika when she saw her.

After learning about Ye Yan's situation, they also said they could let her stay and work there.

"Suika, what's wrong with you?" Xia Li only noticed that Suika's look was a bit unusual today after Kugen left.

She was wearing overalls, and her wrists were wrapped in chains, which looked quite unconventional.

"Styling, do you understand styling? Look at Ye Yan, isn't she..." Suika said, indicating that it was rare to find someone who liked shackles play, so she had to support them.

But when she pointed to Ye Yan, she noticed that Night Smoke hadn't worn those shackles today.

Chapter 129 The Children of Karaton

Where are your handcuffs?

Suika stared at Ye Yan in shock. "This is one of the few endearing qualities you have besides your verbal tic. You can't just throw it away!"

Ye Yan scratched her head.

"I can't possibly sleep with that thing on, can I? It's impossible to sleep comfortably with it on."

I was still drunk when you dragged me out of bed and we came straight here. Do you think I had time to get dressed up...?

Besides, even I wouldn't bring that thing when I go job hunting, right? Although I don't care, if I make a bad first impression on Bill...

Ye Yan's words were confirmed by Xia Li. Wearing bracelets and anklets when looking for work—was she afraid others wouldn't know she was a criminal, or had a criminal fetish?

If Suika were to go out looking for work with her hands in shackles like this, she would be rejected every time.

"Alright, I understand the situation. Miss Ye Yan, you can stay here..."

"By the way, Ye Yan runs very fast, but she sometimes overuses Originium Arts. I'm not Infected, so I don't know much about it, but I do know that it's bad for Infected to use Originium Arts frequently. You should talk to her about this."

After handing Ye Yan over to Xia Li, Suika prepared to leave. Before leaving, she thought that Ye Yan seemed to be one of the few severely Infected on Rhodes Island, mainly because she used Originium Arts too frequently. In addition, there was the negative effect of her skills reducing maximum health when activated in the game. Suika felt it was necessary to remind Xia Li of this.

Xia Li nodded after hearing what Suika said.

"Perfect timing! We have a basic testing tool for Infected here. Would Miss Ye Yan like to try it?"

Upon hearing Ye Yan's ears perked up immediately, her face filled with conflict.