As the saying went, you could wear out iron shoes searching in vain, only to find what you sought without the slightest effort. Nothing could have described Colma's feelings more aptly at that moment. At Fei Rui's words, the witch's breath caught:
"Do you know where the Mystic Realm is?"
"How did you know we were looking for a Mystic Realm?!"
Colma and Black Cat questioned the hamster atop the stoat's head at the same time. Unlike the politely worded question from the witch, however, Black Cat's voice was full of suspicion as he stood in the tree. In fact, if he hadn't been worried that he couldn't beat the hamster in a fight, he would certainly have pinned it to the ground with his paws and beaten some answers out of it.
Their simultaneous questions made for a rather amusing moment. Black Cat couldn't help exchanging a glance with the witch, then leaned forward without backing down, signaling that the hamster ought to answer his question first.
With one burden lifted from her mind, the witch was much more easygoing than Black Cat. Seeing his little gesture, she merely smiled and took a step back, beginning to ponder the deeper meaning behind the hamster's answer.
"How did I know? That old rat told me, of course." Fei Rui held on to the stoat's ear as it answered casually, its level of politeness every bit a match for Black Cat's.
"I knew that Big Rat couldn't be trusted!" Black Cat immediately stamped his paws on the tree and cried out. His tail slapped against the trunk, shaking a shower of caterpillar-shaped seeds to the ground.
"Right? That's what I think too." In a rare show of agreement with Black Cat, Fei Rui nodded solemnly. "Back then, I asked the old